unit 1 task 2 pre-production work for film noir

Unit 1 Pre-Production paperwork for Film Noir Task 2

Contents Page

Page Contents 2 Idea

3 Research

11 Shooting Script

14 Shooting Schedule

15 Pre-Production Portfolio:

Mind Map;

Storyboard;

Production Role;

Location Recce;

Props/Costumes;

Production Schedule

Call sheet;

Health and Safety/Risk Assessment;

Confirmation of Finance

29 Narration Script

33 Bibliography

A Troublesome Girl Pre-Production Stage Idea Intelligent, ambitious and career orientated, Detective Ellie Slater is at the top of her field and well

respected and admired by her colleagues at the Police station. So when a high profile murder was

committed on her home turf, she just had to take the case and would stop at nothing until this

crime was solved.

Troublesome girl will centre on a stereotypical film noir detective, with a modern twist, as she

seeks to uncover the truth behind a distrustful, motivated and organised person committing murder

in the dark underworld of her hometown. It shall be a short two to three minute British speaking

film in the style of film noir. My film has been condensed, which keeps the short film modern and to

the point.

Film noir are mystery and crime dramas produced in America from the early 1940s to the late

1950s. They were an expression of the fear, despair and loneliness at the core of American life in

the aftermath of the Depression. Movies of this genre were typically shot in black and white and

contained stories involving femme fatales, doomed heroes or anti-heroes and tough, cynical

detectives. Typically a male protagonist, more often than not was the victim of a manipulative

femme fatale. They explored the darker aspects of life and usually have a criminal background or

explore the consequences of a criminal act.

Following the results from the survey conducted by Harris Interactive UK, I determined that my

primary target audience is males aged over 35 years old, as they had the highest percentage

overall for film noir at 13%. Establishing a secondary target audience is more complicated

because 9% of both males under 35 and females over 35 watch film noir. The lowest category was

females under 35 at 7%. The highest social class was AB at 15%. Therefore I believe that this

type of film would be most popular amongst the over 35 year olds in the AB social-economic

group.

My film shall contain both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The diegetic sound shall be used when

I am narrating live on location and the non-diegetic sound shall be used in the voiceovers and

music. Almost all narration will be completed by me either at the time of filming or in the form of a

voiceover afterwards in editing. The only narration that I am not undertaking is when Chief

Superintendent Matthews is speaking to Slater in the car. This will be in the form of a voice-over. I

shall be using voiceovers to rely the emotion and state of mind of the main character - Detective

Slater. Low lighting will be used throughout filming to reflect the film noir feel of the production.

The ending will have a closed ending because all the information about the murder shall be

revealed at the end. Graphics shall be used at the beginning in the title and at the end for the

credits.

Research

I sat down and thought about the concept, producing a mind map, script, what research I needed

to complete, storyboard design, cast, location and transport to travel there, costume, props and

hair and make-up. I also thought about how to produce an action plan, contract, production

schedule, call sheet, risk assessment and to complete and finalise a budget.

I watched Sin City and Blade Runner film noirs for conventions, so that my character wears similar

clothes and I can accurately portray the mood, lighting atmosphere and personality of the

character to represent a film noir production.

Secondary research As part of my research, I went to my local library and managed to find a book entitled ‘Make Up

For Theatre, Film & Television’ by Lee Baygan. The book was written by one of America’s leading

make-up artists, so I thought the techniques in the book would be ideal for reproducing the film

noir make-up. If I follow the techniques from the book then I should be able to create a

professional and authentic looking short film that will appeal to my potential target audience.

The section that I read gave techniques on ‘Straight make-up for white women’ which was the

most suitable for the murdered victim character. The following picture below was taken from the

book and had some useful tips about defining the lips.

Film Noir Detective To help develop my ideas for the detective character in my short film, I created the mood board

below. This mood board involved finding images of what a typical film noir detective would look

like and what they are typically depicted as being. I discovered that a film noir detective is typically

a middle-aged man who wears a trench coat and hat and is always involved in violence. I want to

use the same conventions of a detective with a trench coat and involved in violence, but I want to

have a young female instead of a middle-aged male.

The film noir genre is well known for its dark and disillusioned interpretation of the world. Because

of this, it broke the popular archetypical conventions of the 1930s and every film noir character,

even the hero, has a rather devious side to them. The protagonist, (main character) often a

detective, typically appears to be a tough and suspicious character that is often subject to great

torment. The protagonist may frequently find themselves consumed by crime and corruption; a

fundamental element of film noir.

The most noticeable part of a typical detective’s costume is the three-piece suit. The suit allows

the detective to look formal and smart without attracting too much attention. The jacket is often

unbuttoned to allow room for a concealed weapon such as a revolver.

The next part of a stereotypical detective outfit is the fedora hat. Because it is intended to be worn

with a suit, it matches in terms of colour and pattern. The fedora is minimalistic and has no

distinguishing features such as a feather. This is to remain as discreet as possible.

The extreme weather is often used in film noir as a means of foreshadowing mysterious and

dangerous situations to follow. Because of this, a trench coat is usually worn by detectives. The

coat is often shown as a means of disguise by having the detective conceal his face with the collar

which has almost become a cliché for the film noir genre. The trench coats are also effective in

creating a defined silhouette.

Audience survey – Secondary research The following survey was conducted by Harris Interactive UK. They asked 1978 people what type

of films they like to watch. The graph from page 105 highlights the types of film genres and what

percentage of people normally enjoys watching them. Film Noir is fourth from the bottom, with

10% of people saying they enjoy watching film noir. The most popular genre is comedy at 64%

and the least being Bollywood at 4%. Having 10% of the audience for film noir suggests that there

is a potential audience to target my production to.

The next chart below taken from page 106 shows the audience demographics for each genre,

giving specific percentages for each group of people, whether it is for males under 35, males over

35, females under 35 or females over 35. It also shows whether the film genre is watched with or

without parents present, alongside the social class for each film genre.

Audience survey - Primary research I devised seven questions to ask people locally to establish if my story idea would work and

whether people would want to watch it. They were as follows:-

Are there any stereotypes that you associate with the crime genre?

Difficult murder case that needs to be solved.

Stereotypical detective clothes such as a hat and trench coat.

Deaths of significant characters.

Protagonist’s monologue

What characteristics do you expect from the protagonist (main character) and antagonist

(adversary) of a typical film noir?

Untrustworthy and mentally unhinged antagonist with suppressed emotions.

Protagonist is occasionally naïve to the seriousness or reality of the impending situation.

Courageous protagonist that is dedicated to solving the case.

Dishonourable antagonist may have a personal connection to the protagonist that encourages

his/her involvement in solving the case.

4

11

32

02468

1012

Are there any stereotypes that you associate with the

crime genre?

Are there any

stereotypes that

you associate with

the crime genre?

124

31

What characteristics do you expect from the protagonist (main character)

and antagonist (adversary) of a …

Unhinged antagonist

Naïve protagonist

Courageous protagonist

Dishonourable antagonist

Which props and costumes do you associate with and expect from a typical film noir?

Detective may often wear a large coat with a hat

Cigarettes and cigars

Revolvers

Cocktail dresses and high heels

Are there any locations that you associate with and expect from a film noir?

Urban city area/Skyscraper

Alleyways and backstreets

Clubs and Bars

Bleak/lonely landscapes

What do you expect from the narrative of a typical film noir?

Detective always one step behind the antagonist

Complicated deaths

Crimes occurring at night

Trying to solve a case

10

1

8

1

Which props and costumes do you associate with and expect from a typical film noir?

Trenchcoat/hat

Cigarettes/cigars

Revolvers

Cocktail dress/highheels

3

86

3

Are there any locations that you associate with and expect from a film

noir?

Urban City/Skyscraper

Alleyways/backstreets

Clubs/bars

Bleak/lonely landscapes

Are there any narrative devices and/or techniques that you enjoy seeing in a typical film noir?

Shift from protagonist to antagonist and vice versa

Complicated plot twist

Misleading the viewer right from the start

Large scale danger

Elements of romance

Would you watch a film noir that contained the following?

Murder scene

Isolated places

Twisting plot

Typical conventions like low lighting and detective wearing a trench coat

6

2

4

8

What do you expect from the narrative of a typical film noir?

Detective one step behind

antagonist

Complicated deaths

Crimes at night

Solving a case

3

83

6

Are there any narrative devices and/or techniques that you enjoy seeing in a

typical film noir?

Shift from protagonist to

antagonist and vice versa

Complicated plot

twist/Misleading the viewer

Large scale danger

Romance

I wanted to ask members of the public whether they would watch a short film in the style of film

noir. I surveyed twenty people and asked them about the genre, characters, props/costumes,

locations and narrative in film noir. I asked them at the end of my survey, if they would watch my

film noir, after explaining to them the general outlay of what my film would contain. I asked my

question at the end to try and remove bias. If I asked them general questions first, then they might

not discover what the real question was, that I was most interested in finding out about. This

survey was very useful in determining people’s opinion and it gave a good indication of how much

people knew about film noir. I was aware that twenty people were a very small number of people

to form an opinion, but I think it still gave a clear picture for me and my needs. I would have

completed a bigger survey, over a longer period of time, if I had more time, but I was happy with

my results and I thought they were relevant and helpful and not misleading for my needs prior to

producing my film noir. I believe that by having conducted this research, it has led to a better

understanding of film noir.

The location in which the film is set, the protagonist, antagonist, genre/style, narrative and the time

in which the film is set are all conveyed to the audience through the shots, lighting, costumes,

location, and soundtrack. All of this must be considered during all stages of pre-production,

production, and post-production to ensure that I relay as much information as possible about the

film in three to nine minutes.

Research for Finance Costs Budget if Professional Production

Travel expenses £ 6.00

Equipment my own –

7

7

3

3

20

Would you watch a film noir that contained the following? Murder scene

Isolated places

Twisting plot

Typical conventions

(lighting/detective

in trenchcoat)

All the above

Camera and memory card, Tripod, Microphone, MacBook and software

Time – per day (includes all crew and equipment) Production meetings (one day) £ 300.00

Filming (two days at £600 per day) £ 1200.00 Editing (one day) £ 600.00

Total Production budget £ 2106.00

The completed Film Noir will be provided on a DVD, free of charge for inspection, prior to release.

My Budget Costs Travel expenses (3 days [recce and to film] at £2.00 per day) £ 6.00

Equipment my own £ 0.00

Time – per day £ 0.00

Miscellaneous – refreshments £10.00 Total Production budget £16.00

The completed Film Noir will be provided online, free of charge for inspection.

Legal and Ethical Considerations – Secondary Research

I started with trying to find out the most important question, and that was what clearances and

permissions did I need to film in a public place. I searched online and found the British Film

Commission, (2016) stated that, ‘I did not require permission for members of the public seen in the

background of my film.’ It stated that “Under UK law, the copyright of film shot in a public place

resides with the filmmaker.” (British Film Commission, 2016)

According to the Institute of Amateur Cinematographers (IAC) (2016), “Britain does not have

privacy laws, so no one can stop you filming them … provided you are not breaking some other

law to do so - such as trespassing”.

I did not require researching any libel and defamation laws as I was not giving my opinion on this

short film. Therefore I was happy to proceed with the filming of my short film noir, knowing that I

would not be breaking any laws and that I would not have to blur out any faces accidently caught

on my camera.

Summary – Primary and Secondary Research

• All producing, directing, narrating, filming and editing shall be completed by me.

• I shall use my camera and tripod for when I am filming.

• I am undertaking audience research in the form of a survey and I am compiling this

information afterwards.

• All my locations have been sourced by me and documented in my pre-production portfolio.

• No clearances are needed as all my footage is outside in a public place or inside a car and I

am not being paid for this short film.

I found that this was all the information I needed to carry out my film. I had a clear vision of what I

wanted to achieve after having researched all the information above. I thought it was a very good

idea to split my research into different groups of topic, audience and legal and ethical

considerations; otherwise I may have missed vital information, if my research did not have a clear

structure to it. The book, websites and surveys gave a clear indication as to what was required

and how I could achieve this. I had a clear vision of how my film would look after undertaking

extensive research and thought it would turn out quite well providing I had good weather to film on

the day and it was not too noisy with voices of passers-by and traffic noise whilst at the police

station or in the car park.

Shooting Script

Shooting Schedule

A Troublesome Girl – a short film

All filming to be conducted over two days – Sunday 26th June and Saturday 2nd July 2016 1. ES from front view exits the Police Station. MIDSHOT/FOLLOWS

2. ES with the Police sign in the background walking towards the car park. MID

SHOT/OTS SHOT

3. ES walking towards her car and unlocking it. LONG SHOT

4. Car lights flashing when unlocked. CLOSE UP SHOT

5. ES opens car door and gets into car. MID SHOT

6. Inside the car looking towards the passenger seat. MID SHOT/CLOSE UP SHOT

7. Inside the car looking back at ES sitting in the driver’s seat. CLOSE UP SHOT

8. ES on phone, narration in car. CLOSE UP SHOT

9. ES opens and reads police case file whilst sitting in the car. MID SHOT/OTS

10. Inside the car looking in the rear view mirror at ES face. OTS SHOT

11. ES throws police case file onto passenger seat. CLOSE UP SHOT

12. Inside the car looking in the rear view mirror at ES face. OTS SHOT

13. Side view mirror shot looking back at ES face in mirror. EXTREME CLOSE UP SHOT

14. Outside of the car to show it reversing and driving off. LONG SHOT

15. Inside the car as ES is driving. MID SHOT/POV

16. MID SHOT inside the car looking out of the windscreen and slowly PANS LEFT to the

passenger’s seat.

17. Book on passenger seat under police case file. CLOSE UP SHOT

18. Looking back at ES driving the car. CLOSE UP SHOT

19. ES hands on steering wheel. CLOSE UP SHOT

20. MID SHOT – At the side of the car, looking back at ES getting out of the car.

21. MID SHOT/OTS – ES shutting the car door.

22. ES face as she looks around her. CLOSE UP SHOT

23. ES walking towards gate. MID SHOT/PANS RIGHT

24. ES opens gate. MID SHOT/OTS

25. Looking towards ES as she walks through gate. MID SHOT

26. ES walks across the field towards the woodland. LONG SHOT/OTS

27. Dunstall Woods – pan to the right. LONG SHOT

28. V sitting on a log with her back to M. MID SHOT/M POV

29. M walks up to V. MID SHOT/M POV

30. M grabs V by the neck and chokes her. CLOSE UP SHOT/M POV

31. M slams V to the ground. CLOSE UP SHOT/M POV

32. M straddles and strangles V on the forest floor in the woods. OTS SHOT

33. M straddles and strangles V on the forest floor in the woods. CLOSE UP SHOT/M POV

34. V’s hands grab M’s hand/arm as being strangled. EXTREME CLOSE UP/M POV

35. CLOSE UP SHOT of V’s feet as V kicks her feet and struggles to remove M whilst lying

on the forest floor.

36. V struggles to escape by trying to grab M whilst lying on the forest floor. CLOSE UP

SHOT/M POV

37. V choking for help whilst lying on the forest floor. MID SHOT/M POV

38. M’s hands around V’s neck. EXTREME CLOSE UP SHOT/M POV

39. V takes her last breath. EXTREME CLOSE UP/M POV

40. V’s leg/foot spasms. CLOSE UP SHOT

41. V lies motionless on the forest floor. CLOSE UP SHOT/M POV

42. M gets off V and walks towards V’s belongings in the woods. MID SHOT/M POV

43. M suddenly stops walking and stands still. CLOSE UP SHOT

44. M looks sharply to her right into the woods. LONG SHOT/M POV, then Pans back and

forth as if M is searching the woods.

45. CLOSE UP SHOT of M’s face.

46. M standing and looks back at V lying on the ground. LONG SHOT/M POV

47. V lies on the forest floor. MID SHOT/CAMERA PANS over V’s body to her belongings.

48. MID SHOT/PANS upwards from V’s belongings upwards towards trees and sky.

49. M looks from the woods to V’s notepad. CLOSE UP SHOT/M POV

50. Camera focuses on V’s notepad and M’s hands. EXTREME CLOSE UP SHOT

51. M rips pages out of V’s notebook standing in the woods. EXTREME CLOSE UP SHOT

52. M folds pages in half standing in the woods. EXTREME CLOSE UP SHOT

53. M walks away from the scene and disappears into the trees. EXTREME CLOSE UP

SHOT of M’s feet walking away.

54. ES walks into the woods. MID SHOT/ES POV

55. ES walks towards crime scene. MID SHOT

56. ES looks at the crime scene. MID SHOT/ES POV

57. ES kneels down by/sits on the log that V had sat on. CLOSE UP SHOT

58. ES looks at V’s personal belongings. CLOSE UP SHOT/ES POV

59. ES closes her eyes whilst on the log. CLOSE UP SHOT

60. ES jumps then looks at the second police marker on the ground. CLOSE UP SHOT/ES

POV

61. ES stares at the second marker. CLOSE UP SHOT

62. ES stands up and looks at where V’s body would have been. MID SHOT

63. ES looks at where V’s body would have been. MID SHOT/ES POV

64. ES closes her eyes again. CLOSE UP SHOT

65. ES opens eyes and looks scared. EXTREME CLOSE UP SHOT

Key

ES = Ellie Slater

M = Murderer

V = Victim

Cast members

A few lines of narration will be on screen performed by me except for CS Matthews’ voice-over

and actor 1 screaming and crying for help in the murder scene.

Shooting Schedule

Sunday 26th June and Saturday 2nd July 2016 – Film over two days

Sunday 26th June 2016

Scene outside Walking to car and Sitting inside car Drive to scene Police Station: climbing into car talking to Ins. on of crime. Get out

Leaving building the phone and of the car and Looking through walk towards a

Police case file gate

10:00-10:30 a.m. 11:30-12:00 p.m. 1:00-1:30 p.m. 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Saturday 2nd July 2016

Walk to crime scene, Murder scenes in Looking at crime scene Approaches crime the woods. Film from different camera

scene different camera angles and showing angles showing Detective walking away location, victim from scene

and perpetrator

10:00-10:30 a.m. 12:00-1:00 p.m. 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Pre-Production Portfolio Mind Map

A Troublesome Girl

Storyboard

1. Programme title A Troublesome Girl

2. Murder scene in the woods 3. Murder scene in the woods

Shots: MS and CU Shots: CU and ECU

4. Police Station/Walking to car

Shots: LS and MS

5. Inside car – narration, inside car – looking through 6. Walking to crime scene case file and driving to crime scene

Shots: ECU and CU Shots: MS

7. Discovering crime scene 8. End credits

Shots: ECU and CU

Production Role All roles were completed by me. I researched, created, filmed, narrated & edited myself. I had full

responsibility to ensure that this project was completed to the original brief, on time.

I only had one person to contact prior to filming for the murder scene. They were contacted prior to

filming with a mutual agreed day to film over a one hour timeslot from 12.00 p.m. to 1.00 p.m. on

Saturday 2nd July 2016.

Location Reconnaissance - Tuesday 21st June 2016 Outside Police station

Good place to film scenes 1 to 2 on the pavement as much quieter. I liked the concept of having

the Police Station in the background.

Walking to/from car into car park

Busy area but parked in a quiet area, so minimal amount of people around. I shall need to film

scenes from 3 to 5 quickly to ensure lowest amount of people in the footage. Not too noisy either.

Inside car

Very quiet area and quiet inside car with plenty of room to obtain required shots.

Woods

The wood is a very quiet area - almost eerie, with hardly anyone around. Good clearing in the

woods which is ideal for my film of lonely places which is a convention of Film Noir.

Approach to woods

The road nearest the woods is a very quiet, crowd-free area for filming scenes 20 and 26. Aim to

have the countryside in the shot.

Props/Costumes I used the following props:-

A book belonging to the victim

Phone

Police case file

Car

Notepad with a page of writing and a pen

Police tape

My costume consisted of a black trench coat, trousers and white blouse to represent a Noir

detective.

My costume as a ‘murderer’ consisted of black trousers and black hoodie

Production Schedule

All filming to be conducted over two days – Sunday 26th and Saturday 2nd July 2016

Scene Internal/ External

M/A/EV

Shot Description Location Prop/ Costume Audio/ Tripod/

Camera

1 E/A/Mo Close up of the dark, empty forest

Dunstall Woods

T/C

2 E/A/Mo Over the shoulder shot as M

straddles and strangles V on the forest floor in the woods.

Dunstall

Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

3 E/A/Mo Close up shot/M point of view as

M straddles and strangles V on the forest floor in the woods.

Dunstall

Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

4 E/A/Mo Extreme close up shot/M point of view as V’s hands grab M’s

hand/arm as being strangled.

Dunstall Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

5 E/A/Mo Close up shot of V’s feet as V kicks her feet and struggles to

remove M whilst lying on the forest floor.

Dunstall Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

6 E/A/Mo Close up shot/M point of view as V struggles to escape by trying to

grab M whilst lying on the forest floor.

Dunstall Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

7 E/A/Mo Mid shot/M point of view as V

choking for help whilst lying on the forest floor.

Dunstall

Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

8 E/A/Mo Extreme close up/M point of view

as M’s hands around V’s neck.

Dunstall

Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

9 E/A/Mo Extreme close up shot/M point of view as V takes her last breath.

Dunstall Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

10 E/A/Mo Close up shot as V’s leg/foot

spasms.

Dunstall

Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

11 E/A/Mo Close up shot/M point of view as V lies motionless on the forest floor.

Dunstall Woods

M’s costume A/T/C

12 E/A/Mo Mid shot/M point of view as M gets off V and walks towards V’s belongings in the woods.

Dunstall Woods

M’s costume, V’s book, Notepad & pen

A/T/C

13 E/A/Mo Long shot/M point of view as M

standing and looks back at V lying on the ground.

Dunstall

Woods

M’s costume,

V’s book, Notepad & pen

A/T/C

14 E/A/Mo Mid shot as V lies on the forest

floor. Camera pans over V’s body to her belongings.

Dunstall

Woods

M’s costume,


A/T/C

15 E/A/Mo Mid shot/pans upward from V’s

belongings upwards towards trees and sky.

Dunstall

Woods

M’s costume,


A/T/C

16 E/A/Mo Close up shot/M point of view as M looks from the woods to V’s

notepad.

Dunstall Woods

M’s costume, V’s book,

Notepad & pen

A/T/C

17 E/A/Mo Extreme close up shot as camera focuses on V’s notepad and M’s

hands.

Dunstall Woods

M’s costume, V’s book,

Notepad & pen

A/T/C

18 E/A/Mo Extreme close up shot as M rips pages out of V’s notebook standing in the woods.

Dunstall Woods


A/T/C

19 E/A/Mo Extreme close up shot as M folds pages in half standing in the woods.

Dunstall Woods


A/T/C

20 E/A/Mo Extreme close up shot of M’s feet

walking away as M walks away from the scene and disappears

into the trees.

Dunstall

Woods

M’s costume,


A/T/C

21 E/A/Mo Mid shot of ES from front view exits the Police Station – camera follows.

Police Station

ES costume, Case and phone

T/C

22 E/M/Su Mid shot/over the shoulder shot of ES with the Police sign in the background walking towards the

car park.

Police Station

ES costume, Case and phone

T/C

23 E/M/Su Long shot as ES walks towards her car and unlocks it.

Car Park Car, ES costume, case

and phone

T/C

24 E/M/Su Close up shot of car lights flashing when unlocked.

Car Park Car, ES costume, case and phone

T/C

25 E/M/Su Mid shot as ES opens car door and gets into car.

Car Park Car, ES costume, case and phone

T/C

26 I/A/Su Mid/close up shot of inside the

car looking towards the passenger seat.

Inside car Car, ES

costume, book, case and

phone

T/C

27 I/A/Su Close up shot inside the car looking back at ES sitting in the driver’s seat.

Inside car Car, ES costume, book, case and

T/C

phone

28 I/A/Su Close up shot of ES on the phone - narration in car.

Inside car Car, ES costume, book,

case and phone

A/T/C

29 I/A/Su Over the shoulder shot as ES opens and reads police case file

whilst sitting in the car.


case and phone

T/C

30 I/A/Su Over the shoulder shot of inside

the car looking in the rear view mirror at ES face.

Inside car Car, ES

costume, book, case and phone

T/C

31 I/A/Su Close up shot of ES throwing police case file onto passenger seat.


phone

T/C

32 I/A/Su Over the shoulder shot of inside the car looking in the rear view

mirror at ES face.


case and phone

T/C

33 I/A/Su Long shot of the outside of the car to show it reversing and

driving off.


case and phone

T/C

34 I/A/Su Mid shot/point of view of inside

the car as ES is driving.

Inside car Car, ES

costume, book, case and phone

T/C

35 I/A/Su Mid shot of inside the car looking out of the windscreen and slowly camera pans left to the

passenger’s seat.


phone

T/C

36 I/A/Su Close up shot of book on passenger seat under police

case file.


case and phone

T/C

37 I/A/Su Close up shot at ES driving the car.


case and phone

T/C

38 I/A/Su Close up shot of ES hands on

steering wheel.

Inside car Car, ES

costume, book, case and

phone

T/C

39 I/A/Su Extreme close up shot of side view mirror shot looking back at ES face in mirror.


phone

T/C

40 E/M/Mo Mid shot from opposite side of the car, looking back at ES

getting out of the car.

Approach to woods

Car and ES costume

T/C

41 E/M/Mo Over the shoulder mid shot of ES shutting the car door.

Approach to woods

Car and ES costume

A/T/C

42 E/M/Mo Close up shot of ES face as she looks around her.

Approach to woods

Car and ES costume

T/C

43 E/M/Mo Mid shot that pans right as ES

walks towards the gate.

Approach to

woods

ES costume T/C

44 E/M/Mo Mid shot, over the shoulder of ES opening gate.

Approach to woods

ES costume T/C

45 E/M/Mo Mid shot, looking towards ES as she walks through the gate.

Approach to woods

ES costume T/C

46 E/M/Mo Over the shoulder long shot of ES walks across the field towards the woodland

Approach to woods

ES costume T/C

47 E/A/Mo Mid shot/ES point of view as ES

walks into the woods.

Dunstall

Woods

Police tape, ES

costume, V’s book, Notepad

& pen

T/C

48 E/A/Mo Mid shot as ES walks towards crime scene.

Dunstall Woods

Police tape, ES costume, V’s book, Notepad

& pen

T/C

49 E/A/Mo Mid shot/ES point of view as ES looks at the crime scene.

Dunstall Woods

Police tape, ES costume, V’s

book, Notepad & pen

T/C

50 E/A/Mo Close up shot as ES kneels by

/sits on the log that V had sat on.

Dunstall

Woods

Police tape, ES

costume, V’s book, Notepad & pen

T/C

51 E/A/Mo Close up shot/ES point of view

as ES looks at V’s personal belongings.

Dunstall

Woods

Police tape, ES


& pen

T/C

52 E/A/Mo Close up shot as ES closes her eyes whilst on the log.

Dunstall Woods


& pen

T/C

53 E/A/Mo Mid shot/M point of view of V sitting on a log with her back to

M.

Dunstall Woods

V’s book, M’s costume,

Notepad & pen

T/C

54 E/A/Mo Mid shot/M point of view as M walks up to V.

Dunstall Woods


Notepad & pen

T/C

55 E/A/Mo Close up shot/M point of view as M grabs V by the neck and chokes her.

Dunstall Woods

V’s book, M’s costume, Notepad & pen

A/T/C

56 E/A/Mo Close up shot/M point of view as M slams V to the ground.

Dunstall Woods


A/T/C

57 E/A/Mo Close up shot/ES point of view

as ES jumps then looks at the second police marker on the

ground.

Dunstall

Woods

Police tape, ES


& pen

A/T/C

58 E/A/Mo Close up shot as ES stares at the second marker.

Dunstall Woods


A/T/C

Completion of filming – Saturday 2nd July 2016

& pen

59 E/A/Mo Close up shot/M point of view as M straddles and strangles V on

the forest floor in the woods.

Dunstall Woods


Notepad & pen

A/T/C

60 E/A/Mo Close up shot/M point of view as V struggles to escape by trying to grab M whilst lying on the forest

floor.

Dunstall Woods


A/T/C

61 E/A/Mo Mid shot as ES stands up and looks at where V’s body would

have been.

Dunstall Woods

Police tape, ES costume, V’s

book, Notepad & pen

A/T/C

62 E/A/Mo Mid shot/ES point of view as ES

looks at where V’s body would have been.

Dunstall

Woods

Police tape, ES


A/T/C

63 E/A/Mo Close up shot as ES closes her

eyes again.

Dunstall

Woods

Police tape, ES


& pen

A/T/C

64 E/A/Mo Extreme close up shot/M point of view as V takes her last breath.

Dunstall Woods

Police tape, M costume, V’s book, Notepad

& pen

A/T/C

65 E/A/Mo Close up shot/M point of view as V lies motionless on the floor.

Dunstall Woods

Police tape, M costume, V’s

book, Notepad & pen

T/C

66 E/A/Mo Mid shot/M point of view as M

gets off V and walks towards V’s belongings in the woods.

Dunstall

Woods

Police tape, M


T/C

67 E/A/Mo Behind the shoulder shot as M

suddenly stops walking and stands still.

Dunstall

Woods

Police tape, M


& pen

A/T/C

68 E/A/Mo Long shot/M point of view as M looks sharply to her right into the woods and then camera pans

back and forth as if M is searching the woods.

Dunstall Woods

Police tape, M costume, V’s book, Notepad

& pen

A/T/C

69 E/A/Mo Close up shot of M’s face. Dunstall

Woods

Police tape, M


& pen

A/T/C

70 E/A/Mo Extreme close up shot as ES opens eyes and looks scared.

Dunstall Woods


& pen

A/T/C

Call sheet As no other person was involved but me, except for one murder scene from 12pm to 1pm on

Saturday, I produced a limited call sheet. I am not filming my production in the order of the script,

as it makes more sense to film outside the Police station, outside the car, inside the car and the

drive to the crime scene first. Then I shall film Slater walking towards the crime scene, the crime

scene and then lastly the murder scene. If I filmed in order of the script and completed the murder

scene first then I would be muddy for the other scenes.

Sunday 26th June 2016

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. In the morning I shall film scenes 21 to 22 outside the Police station. I

shall then check my footage.

11:30 p.m. – 12 p.m. Next I shall be filming scenes 23 to 25 outside next to my car and then

I shall be checking all my footage whilst in the car.

12 p.m. – 1.00 p.m. Break for lunch.

1:00 p.m. –1.30 p.m. In the afternoon, I shall be filming inside the car scenes 26 to 32 and

then checking my footage.

3 p.m. – 4.00 p.m. Driving to scene of crime for scenes 33 to 39 film scenes 40 to 45 of

me exiting car and walking towards gate. Again I shall check all my

footage before leaving for the day.

4.00 – 4.15 p.m. Pack up and leave.

Saturday 2nd July 2016

10.00 a.m. – 10.30 a.m. Film scenes 46 to 47 of me walking to crime scene and approaching

crime scene.

11.50 p.m. – 1.00 p.m. Actor 1 required for murder scene in the woods.

12.00 p.m. – 1.00 p.m. Film scenes 1 to 20, the murder scenes in the woods

2.00 p.m. – 3.00 p.m. In the afternoon, I shall film scenes 48 to 70 in the woods. I shall then

check my footage before leaving.

3.00 p.m. – 3.10 p.m. Pack up and leave.

Health and Safety/Risk Assessment A risk assessment is a process to identify possible risks and assessing the likelihood and severity.

This could lead to further action being taken.

Risks should be ‘rated’ according to the following codes:

Severity Scale Likelihood Scale Risk Factor

Action to be taken

5. Take immediate action

4. High priority

3. Programme for action

2. Action may be required

1. Probably acceptable

Police Station

Hazard Present Severity Likelihood Risk

Factor

Comments

1 Tripod/cables Yes-Tripod

M P 3 Aware of public at all times. Kept tripod as close to me as

possible to avoid a trip hazard. No cables present.

2 Derelict buildings No 3 Dangerous

structures

(Scaffolding)

No

4 Flammable materials

No

5 Confined spaces No 6 Extreme heights No

7 Animals/Insects Yes - insects

L P 2 Insects present but no risk to filming and not allergic.

8 Hazardous substances

No

9 Public/Crowds Yes M L 3 Large wide pavement set

back from the road to reduce risk. Filmed on a quiet day to

minimise crowds and to avoid risk to others or myself.

10 Traffic Yes M L 3 On the pavement so not

affected by traffic, except for the noise levels. Volume set higher and I talked louder to

Negligible N

Low risk L

Moderate risk M

Severe risk S

Very severe risk VS

Very unlikely VU

Unlikely U

Possible P

Likely L

Very likely VL

VU U P L VL

VS 3 3 4 4 5

S 2 3 3 4 4

M 2 2 3 3 4

L 1 2 2 3 3

N 1 1 2 2 3

be heard above the traffic. 11 Extreme weather

(Hot/Cold) No

12 Noise – high

sound levels

No

13 Stunts/Dangerous activities /Equipment

No

14 Special Needs (Elderly, Disabled,

Inexperienced)

No

Car Park


Factor

Comments

1 Tripod/cables Yes - Tripod

M P 3 Aware of public at all times. Kept tripod as close to me as



structures

(Scaffolding)

No

4 Flammable materials

No

5 Confined spaces No 6 High spaces No 7 Animals/Insects Yes -

insects

L P 2 Insects present but no risk to

filming and not allergic. 8 Hazardous

substances No

9 Public/Crowds Yes M L 3 Filmed on a quiet day to

minimise crowds and to avoid risk to others or myself.

10 Traffic Yes M L 3 Parked in a quiet part of the

car park, so not affected by traffic, except for the noise levels. Volume set higher and

I talked louder to be heard above the traffic.

11 Extreme weather

(Hot/Cold)

No

12 Noise – high sound levels

No

13 Stunts/Dangerous

activities /Equipment

No

14 Special Needs

(Elderly, Disabled, Inexperienced)

No

Inside Car

Hazard Present Severity Likelihood Risk Factor

Comments


M P 3 Quite area but aware of public at all times. Kept tripod as close to the car as possible to

avoid a trip hazard. No cables present.


structures (Scaffolding)

No

4 Flammable

materials

No

5 Confined spaces No 6 High spaces No 7 Animals/Insects Yes -

insects N VU 1 Inside car, so chance of

insects slim but no risk to my

filming and not allergic. 8 Hazardous

substances No

9 Public/Crowds Yes outside

car

M L 3 Public walking past car but all filming inside car, so no risk

to others or myself. 10 Traffic Yes M L 3 Parked in a quiet part of the

car park, so not affected by

traffic, except for the noise levels. Volume set higher and I talked louder to be heard

above the traffic. 11 Extreme weather

(Hot/Cold) No

12 Noise – high

sound levels

No

13 Stunts/Dangerous activities

/Equipment

No

14 Special Needs (Elderly,

Disabled, Inexperienced)

No

Main road before woodlands


Factor

Comments


N VU 1 Minimal amount of public. Kept tripod as close to me as




No

4 Flammable No

materials 5 Confined spaces No 6 High spaces No 7 Animals/Insects Yes M L 3 Insects, squirrels, cows,

horses and sheep in close

proximity but no risk to filming. Took care to avoid as much as possible.

8 Hazardous substances

No

9 Public/Crowds Yes N VU 1 Minimal amount of people as a quiet area, so no risk to

others or myself. 10 Traffic Yes N VU 1 Minimal as a very quiet area

for traffic, chose this road to

reduce risk to myself and others.

11 Extreme weather

(Hot/Cold)

No

12 Noise – high sound levels

No

13 Stunts/Dangerous activities

/Equipment

No

14 Special Needs (Elderly,

Disabled, Inexperienced)

No

Dunstall Forest

Hazard Present Severity Likelihood Risk Factor

Comments


N VU 1 Minimal amount of public. Kept tripod as close to me as




No

4 Flammable

materials

No

5 Confined spaces Yes N VU 1 Lots of trees but space still bearable. Chose this area to

avoid risk to myself and others

6 High spaces No 7 Animals/Insects Yes M VL 4 Insects, squirrels, cows,

horses and sheep in fields

bordering woods but no risk to filming. Took care to avoid

as much as possible. 8 Hazardous

substances Yes N VU 1 Uneven ground as in the

woods. Due care and

attention needed, but scene has had a walk through and been tidied to avoid as much

risk to actors as possible. Actors aware of situation and

consider risk been reduced since wood was tidied up. Risk is now minimal.

9 Public/Crowds No 10 Traffic No 11 Extreme weather

(Hot/Cold) No

12 Noise – high

sound levels

No

13 Stunts/Dangerous activities /Equipment

Yes M L 3 Murder scene in the wood, but it has been well thought out and discussed amongst

actors to avoid risk to myself and others.

14 Special Needs

(Elderly, Disabled, Inexperienced)

No

Confirmation of Finance Date: June 2016

Cost £

Total Cost £

Running Total £

Notes

Pre-Production 0.00 16.00 Research and development:

Books 0.00 0.00 16.00 Book free from library. Travel Expenses

Reconnaissance 2.00 2.00 14.00 One day of travel to/from locations.

Two days of filming 2.00 4.00 10.00 Two days of travel to/from locations.

Fees:

Music 0.00 0.00 10.00 No charge as not being paid for my

film.

Production 0.00 10.00 Crew and Personnel:

Chelsie 1 x actor

0.00 0.00 10.00 No charge as I completed it all myself and both myself and actor

worked for free. Equipment Rental:

Camera, lenses, tripod, case

0.00 0.00 10.00 No charge as I have my own equipment.

Expenses:

Refreshments 0.00 0.00 10.00 Didn’t use as brought lunch from

home.

Post Production 0.00 10.00 Surplus of £10.00.

Narration Script A TROUBLESOME GIRL

Written by

Chelsie Brandrick

20 February 2016

Characters

Ellie Slater – Young, a detective, acts anxious, friendly but keeps to herself. Character wears a

white shirt, black trench coat, dark trousers and boots.

Murderer – Mysterious, experienced and strong. Character wears dark clothing and a hood.

Victim – Middle aged. Quiet. A writer/journalist who is writing a story about Ellie Slater; a story

that Ellie can’t let get published.

Chief Superintendent Matthews – Friendly, hardworking, in control, professional and helpful

Locations

Woodlands – Dunstall Forest

Police Station – Burton upon Trent Police Station

Car Park – New Street Car Park

Car – BMW 3 Series

Road before Woodlands – Dunstall Road

Props

A book belonging to the victim

Phone

Police case file

Car

Notepad with a page of writing and a pen

Police tape

My costume consisted of a black trench coat, trousers and white blouse to represent a Noir

detective.

My costume as a ‘murderer’ consisted of black trousers and black hoodie

FADE IN:

1. INT. WOODLAND. DAY.

Modern day. Late afternoon. Fades in to a dark empty forest. A murderer is on top of her next

victim - straddling and strangling her on the forest floor. The victim is fighting for her life,

screaming and shouting for help - only echo’s reply to the women’s pleas. After a fair struggle the

victim dies and the murderer gets up, she walks over to look at the victim’s belongings, there’s a

notepad, pen and the book ‘a troublesome girl’. The murderer approaches the notepad and rips

the pages of writing out of it, folds the pages in half and then walks away and disappears into the

trees.

FILMING NOTES: During the struggle until the victim dies the camera is the murderers

POV. Mid shot once the victim is dead, the camera pans over the victim’s body to their

belongings. Focus on the victim’s notepad as she rips the pages out. Extreme close up of

the ripped out pages in the notepad, which will pan into an Extreme close up of the

murderers feet walking away.

EDITING NOTES: Screams will start out loud and after a few will echo out and be muted

and muffled.

2. INT. OUTSIDE A POLICE STATION. DAY.

Burton Police Station, first thing in the morning. Detective Slater is wearing a white shirt, dark

trousers and black trench as she exits the police station. It’s a dull and overcast morning; SLATER

exits the police station and is beginning to walk away.

FILMING NOTES: Mid shot/follows of Slater from front view exiting the police station

doors. Mid shot of Slater with the police sign in the background walking towards the car

park.

EDITING NOTES: Switch the two shots to give the impression that the camera has followed

her.

3. INT. CAR PARK. DAY.

SLATER walks towards her car. She fumbles in her pocket and retrieves her car key and unlocks

her car from afar. She opens the door and as she gets in her phone rings.

SLATER jumps slightly as if awoken from a trance and answers it.

CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT (V.O)

“Detective Slater, this is Chief Superintendent Matthews. Have you got the case file I left for you?”

SLATER

“Erm… Yes sir, I just collected it. I’m going to look at it now.”

CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT (V.O)

“It’s new – happened last night. A dog walker phoned it in. It looks like it’s a new killer; we haven’t

had a murder quite like this. The victim was strangled and she put up quite a fight. Read the file

and go out to the scene.”

SLATER

“Okay Sir, I’m on it. I’ll give it a read and go check it out.”

SLATER hangs up the phone. She is intrigued, so she opens the case file and begins to read it.

She examines the file, then writes down the address of the crime scene, closes the case file and

throws it on top of her other junk she has collected on the passenger seat.

Slater starts the ignition, puts her seatbelt on and looks behind her to start reversing out of the car

parking space.

FILMING NOTES: Long shot of Slater walking towards her car and unlocking it. Close up

of the cars lights flashing when unlocked. Mid shot/Close Up Variations inside the car in

the passenger seat as SLATER gets in and during the phone call. Mid/long shot from

inside the car looking at her through the rear-view mirror and from the outside of the car to

show it reverse and drive off.

EDITING NOTES: Join the unlocking shots together in a swift motion. Unlocking sound

effect needed. Switch up the shots whilst SLATER is on the phone to keep the viewer

engaged. Chief Superintendent’s voice is going to be voiced over.

4. INT. INSIDE SLATERS CAR. DAY.

SLATER drives into the countryside to the scene of the crime.

FILMING NOTES: Mid POV shot inside the car. Mid shot looking out of the windscreen

and slowly pans to the passenger’s seat. The book from the murderer collected is in her

passenger seat, it’s only slightly visible underneath the case file. Include a variety of shots

of SLATER in the car, mirror shots, angled shots; get creative and test when shooting.

EDITING NOTES: Input radio music and the sound of traffic.

5. EXT. ROAD OUTSIDE THE WOODLAND. DAY.

SLATER gets out of the car, closes the door and looks around her. She seems agitated and

slightly on edge as she clenches her jaw. She walks towards a gate in the centre of a hedge and

opens it. She walks across the field towards the woodland.

FILMING NOTES: Mid shot from the opposite side of the car, on the pavement, looking

back at SLATER getting out of the car and walking towards the gate. Camera pans follow

SLATER in one swift shot/take. Mid shot/Over the shoulder shot as SLATER opens gate.

Mid shot looking towards SLATER as she walks through the gate. Long shot/Ots of

SLATER as she walks across the field towards the woodland.

EDITING NOTES: Input a traffic sound effect and edit walking across field to speed it up or

use jump cuts.

6. INT. WOODLAND. DAY. Dark and poorly lit woodland. SLATER walks into the woods and is immediately greeted by the

police tape. She ducks underneath it and walks up to the crime scene. There are multiple marks

on the ground and the victim’s belongings all still on the floor. SLATER kneels down by the log the

victim would have sat on by the victim’s belongings and closes her eyes trying to envisage what

has happened.

The victim is sitting on a log writing in a notepad with her back to the murderer. The murderer

comes up behind her, chokes her, slams her to the ground then straddles her; all in one swift, fluid

motion. The murderer then strangles her; the victim is struggling and screaming for help. SLATER

looks at some marks on the ground. She then pictures the victim trying to free herself by kicking

her feet. SLATER finally looks at where the body would have been and closes her eyes one last

time. She sees the victim inhaling for a final time, before choking and dying. The murderer looks

around her and then sharply to the right when she hears a twig snap. SLATER is revealed as the

murderer and looks at the camera and smiles.

FILMING NOTES: Mid shot walking into the woods, towards the crime scene, whilst

SLATER is looking at the crime. Murderers POV shot during the crime and Victims POV

showing hands and feet (anything that doesn’t point to who the murderer is but adds

tension). Extreme close up when the victim kicks her feet. Murderers POV shot when the

victim takes her last breath and dies. Camera will then pan over the victims still face, to her

belongings like her notepad and book near the log. Then the camera will pan around to

resemble the murderer is looking up around her. As a twig snaps, the camera will be a

close up on the murderers face, as she whips round surprised, listening because she

thinks someone may have seen her commit the crime.

EDITING NOTES: Victims screams will start out loud and after a few will echo out and be

muted. Whilst the camera is panning over the victims face the mood is eerie and quiet to

show that the victim is dead. When the twig snaps (as if someone saw her do it) the two

shots will join whilst the snap is sounding. Slow down the speed of the murderer looking at

the end – initial turn is fast and then it goes slow to show she is surprised. To have music

that builds up until the last second of footage.

FADE OUT.

END

Bibliography Baygan, L. (1984) ‘Make Up For Theatre, Film & Television’. A & C Black Publishers Ltd

British Film Commission, (2016) ‘Filming in public places’. Available from: http://www.britishfilmcommission.org.uk/crew-facilities/locations/filming-in-public-spaces/

[Accessed 19th May 2016]

Films Noir.net (2016). ‘What is film noir?’ Available from: http://filmsnoir.net/what-is-film-noir/ [Accessed June 2016]

Harris Interactive UK, (2016), ‘Film Audiences’ Available from: http://harris-interactive.co.uk/resources [Accessed June 2016]

IAC, (2016), ‘Advice on filming in public - to film or not to film’ Available from: http://www.theiac.org.uk/resourcesnew/filming-in-public/fi lming-in-public.html [Accessed 19th May

2016]

Wikipedia (2016) ‘Film Noir’ Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir [Accessed June 2016]

http://www.britishfilmcommission.org.uk/crew-facilities/locations/filming-in-public-spaces/

http://filmsnoir.net/what-is-film-noir/

http://harris-interactive.co.uk/resources

http://harris-interactive.co.uk/resources

http://www.theiac.org.uk/resourcesnew/filming-in-public/filming-in-public.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir

unit 1 task 2 pre-production work for film noir

Education