PLANNING: INITIAL FILM TREATMENT

A Treatment will usually include a: 

TITLE: Usually a good title is used to present a solid central idea

LOGLINE: A one/two sentence stating an idea proposal 

SYNOPSIS: Outlines the key idea in more detail (300-500 words)

CHARACTERS: outline each main character with a short description and introduction 

TOPLINE: an 'elegant sentence which sums up the action' 

BIG QUESTION: What is the enigma which will unfold? 

NEXT:

•  After writing the treatment, you create a STORYBOARD (hand drawn on sheets we are given) which presents a brief visual idea of a storyline 
• and a SHOTLIST

BRAINSTORMING IDEAS: 

We initially brainstormed multiple different ideas and genres . We have access to a boat house, and therefore thought planning something which involves that location would be successful as well as using contrasting lighting to create certain moods within the audience. 

FILM IDEAS: 

Props: 

• Pin Board
• Documents
• Pictures
• Files
• Doctors notes 

Plot:

• Genius girl with access to the whole/majority of her brain, is being stalked (IQ-166)

Effects:

• Clips from YouTube
• Titles
• Background music/sounds
• Filters

Suggested Locations for Shots:

• The Mansion corridors 
• Isolated places 
• Woods
• Empty car park
• Walking down an empty dark road
• Flats near my house 
• Elevator 
• London

Crime board-black shot-hand over mouth-blackout

TITLE: Abnormal, The Exception, Nature of Human Mind, Unsettled, Extraction

CHARACTERS: The doctor, the stalker, the girl who's being stalked (main)

PLANNING: TOPLINE AND BIG QUESTION

I watched a presentation by Frank Ash, who is a creative consultant. I learned from the presentation how important it was to focus on the audience and what would interest them, as well as how does the film intrigue them and want them desire more.

For Frank Ash, film makers need to think of what the top line and the big question are. He calls the top line 'one elegant sentence' which sums up the story to its viewers. He then explains we must leave the audience wanting to discover more, which he calls 'the big question'. 

Having learnt from Frank Ash's post on Future Learn, I decided to sign up for Future Learn's Film Distribution: Connecting Films with Audiences. The course promises to cover how our favourite films make it to our local cinema or television screens through the film distribution process. 

TABLE TOP EXERCISES

Table Top exercise:

This week, we made practice film openings using the idea of 'table top' filming. Our brief was to film in one continuous take and to include a short live action clip at the start of the opening. We watched three examples of opening sequences filmed in a similar table top style to her inspire our own ideas. Using Art of the Title, we watched Delicatessen and observed how its inventive camerawork tells a story and sets the theme. Another excellent title sequence was that of To Kill A Mockingbird. This displayed it's playful theme and influenced us in the way the camera moved and camera angles which we decided to incorporate into our own production. We then used these openings as influence to create an original title sequence in groups by setting up the mise-en-scène using props from our props collection. Our table included props such as fake money with blood stains, news paper articles, a pin board and more.

PLANNING

Before filming started, we laid out all the props that were elements of our film narrative's mise-en-scène on the table, to help us decide an appropriate route for the camera to follow and to tell a story

We also researched and discussed music tracks for the soundtrack. We chose Laughing on the outside and crying on the inside - Bernadette Carrol as our sound track