Voiceover Script For 'Dave Starr' Intro.

Script: My name is David Starr. I live in south east London in a small house owned by my parents. I’m 18 years old, and tomorrow is the most important day in my life in terms of my boxing career. This fight could make or break me, i'm facing the toughest guy in London and I know my family are depending on me to win this match or we face financial ruin. Life is rough right now but boxing and my family are going to pull me through this. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This might need to be adjusted depending on how long it is in actual speaking time as it needs to match the length of the clips.

Self Assessment

Planning and Research is up to date, I keep posting my storyboard as we update it and any new ideas sparked by research(like the voice over), is also noted down. I have looked at several similar products, hoping for inspiration from them. A target audience has been established (Males over 25), however many other people, especially the youth can relate to this film as the main characters(opening scene) are both in their teens. This point is highlighted with the results that out questionnaire gave us (16-19 year old, male audience). I have organised the costumes which will be used. Dave, will be wearing shorts/jogging bottoms and a white t-shirt. Oscar on the other hand, will wear a 'gangbanger' outfit as he has to look intimidating in the eyes of the audiance. Our female character will wear something casual, this charcater's costume is rather irrelevant, it just can't stand oiut too much. I put a great deal of effort in order to keep my work neat, it is intrinsically rewarding when taking a look back at your work and seeing how organised it is. Time management is one of the things which me and my group might be a bit behind on. Because of the time of year and the area that we live in, it is rare that all of us are available to record at the same time. Overall, I believe that I am currently working at a high level 2/low 3. I believe so due to the fact that my work could, and will be improved, so right now it doesn't quiet cut level 4 or even a high 3. However I also believe that it is above satisfactory and doesn't deserve to be graded as Level 1 or a low 2.

Prop Ideas

Today at Media intervention an interesting idea had been brought up. If we could get our hands on some sugar glass, it would make for a fantastic prop for the climatic scene in our film. Instead of our protagonist being stabbed, he could be hit in the head by a sugarglass bottle which then puts him into a 20 year long coma.

Voiceover idea

Today in lesson we came up with the idea to include a voiceover in the opening scene. It would add a sense of personalism to our film because it gives the audiance an insight into the character's life. Our inspiratnion came from the film 'American Psycho', where the voiceover describes the daily routine of the main character.

Possible Locations: Part 3

Mottingham Playing Fields: Mottingham

Another good location where the stabbing scene could be filmed, looks spooky at night but the lighting is good. Also relatively close to everyone's houses so if we fail once, going back wont be a problem.

The Antagonist's backstory

(IMAGE COMING SOON) Martyn,living in the heart of south east London is a child of the city. His life is a struggle as he has no real aspirations and therefore a dark future ahead of him. His appearance in the film is an insight of what he does for a living and how he copes when in danger. His part in the film is crucial as it is him who triggers the climax which happens in just the opening scene...

Initial Storyboard: 1st draft

This is the first draft of the storboard which we decided to follow. This draft includes the establishing shot of our film as well as all the shots which take place in the protagonist's home.
Charactets included: Dylan, Dylan's mum.

Questionnaire Results

We asked ten different people, randomly chosen, to fill out this questionnaire, so that we could effectively identify our target audience and what they like to see in films. From this research we established that 16-19 year old males are the most likely target audience for our film,which is of the Sport Drama genre. This particular target audience enjoy watching dramas in which the climatic scenes include death and in which there's a hero figure.

The Results

Question 1: There were 5 Males and 5 Females equally.

Question 2: Their ages ranged from 16-19

Question 3: Comedy=1 -- Horror/Gore=1 -- Romance=1 -- Thriller=2 -- Drama=4 -- Musical=1

Question 4: 4 answered Sport, 2 answered Crime, 3 answered Comedy and 1 answered Musical

Question 5: 3 answered Main Actors/Actresses, 5 answered Storyline/Plot and 2 answered Character Types

Question 6: All 5 Males chose Hero and Victim for this question whereas the Females chose Funny Guy, Hero and Bad Guy.

Question 7: Males answered as follows;

 The Godfather - Crime Drama, The Longest Yard - Sport Drama, The Game Plan - Sport Drama, Goal - Sport Drama, Love and Basketball - Sport/Romance Drama

Females answered as follows:

 Silver Linings Playbook - Comedy Drama, Goodfellas - Crime Drama, High School Musical - Musical Drama, Juno - Comedy Drama and Crazy Stupid Love - Comedy Drama.

Question 8: Most of the Male answers mentioned that Drama movies should have an entertaining storyline and a climax that draws the audience in. The Female answers however ranged from a romance to a happy ending.

Question 9: 3 answered Break Up, 9 answered Death, 6 answered Happy Ending, and 4 answered Climaxes

Question 10: All 10 participants agreed that a good soundtrack and sound effects increases the quality of a Drama Film. 

Representation of gender - Primeval

The very first thing which raised my attention concerning gender is how the brunette woman took control over what was happening leaving the man behind unable to do anything, which goes against the stereotype of modern society. We then see the other woman driving a building site digger. Once the tiger appears, we come to the realisation that it’s the man that will need to be saved by the woman and not the other way round. Moreover, when the ‘animal’ flees, 4 characters appear on the screen and it is as if the director placed them in order from the left of the screen to the right, showing the most masculine looking character on the left and the most feminine on the right. It comes without a surprise when we see that once again men and women have switched roles, this time in the way they look.

Music Ideas

Sports drama films are in my mind linked with inspirational music. Most films of this genre have a song of this type in the build up to the climax of the film, for example; training for that crucial fight in Rocky. Below is a compilation of inspirational songs which featured in movies:

Technical & Symbolic Conventions

Technical codes include Editing, Sound, Camera Movement / Angles, Types of Shots and Lighting. Editing: Straight Cut Transition Flash Cut Fade to Black (Fast) Dissolve Wipe Jump Cut In my movie I would aim to use at least 3 of these editing techniques to show transition between scenes, such as the jump cut, which is a cut that gives an effect of jumping forwards in time. This would be useful to use when filming the part when the protagonist wakes up from a coma. Sound: (Non) Diegetic Parallel/Contrapuntal Sound Bridge Voice Over Incidental Music Non-Diegetic and Diegetic music will be an important part of the movie as a soundtrack is vital in reflecting emotions and the diegetic sound is essential to the narrative. The music is also going to be parallel, as it will reflect the narrative aspects. Camera Movement: Pan/Tilt Tracking Shot/Dolly Stills/Freeze Frame Slow Motion/Sped Up Using a Pan would be suitable to show our character walking somewhere and allow the viewer to follow his movements. Camera Angle / Lens Type: High/Low Angle Canted/Oblique Wide-Angle Steady Cam Hand Held Camera Digital Camera/HD/35mm We are using a digital camera and would like to use a steady cam for the majority of the shots. Also, maybe using a wide-angle lens would be good for establishing shots, as it would allow more of the scene to be shown. Types of Shot: (Extreme) Close Up Establishing Shot Long/Mid Shot Birds Eye/Top Shot/Arial Point of View Shot Insert Shot There will be quite a few extreme close ups, mainly of the knife as it symbolises danger and using an extreme close up will help to place emphasis on the significance of it. There will also be quite a few establishing shots, mainly at the beginning of the scene where there is a new setting. Lighting: Low-Key High-Key High-Contrast The film in the beginning will use high-key lighting to reflect the upbeat, positive attitude the protagonist has, but when the antagonist is introduced, low-key lighting may be used to create a more ominous and threatening mood. Symbolic Codes is the Mise en Scene, such as Costume, Space, Setting, Lighting/Colour, Body Language and Objects/Props. Costume: Realism/Escapist Time period/Age/Social Class Revealing Genre Conventions Low/High Production Values National/Regional Identity Status/Role/Occasion Ethnicity/Race/Sexuality To reveal that our character is a boxer, he will be wearing typical training clothes. Space: Depth/Proximity Juxtaposition Size and proportion technically manipulated Setting: Low/High Production Values Decor/Style/Interiors Studio Set design/On Location Realist/Escapist Genre Conventions Audience Identification Due to our need for a low production cost, there will be no sets made and all scenes will be filmed on location. This will encourage audience identification because all the locations (house, gym, park) are usually accessible to anyone. Lighting/Colour: High/Low Key Lighting Single Source/Fill Lighting Use of Shadow/Silhouette Genre e.g. Noir De-Saturated/Grainy Bright Primary Colours Black and White During the scene of conflict, the use of shadow/silhouette will help add to the anonymity of the antagonist and create tension. Body Language: Pose and Posture Eye Contact Actors Movement/Style Status/Role/Social Class The protagonist will reflect his athletic status in his pose and posture. Objects and Props Genre Iconography Intertextual references Clues to Character Narrative enigmas Anchors Location Props such as boxing gloves will be essential to the character development. Also, we have to create either a poster or news broadcast that conveys to the audience that there is only one more day until an important fight.

A Closer look at the protagonist main character...

(IMAGE COMING SOON) The protagonist of our film goes by the name of 'Dylan Jai Starr', he is living representation of the 'downham boy' stereotype, he is a patriotic Englishman,who's life is fuelled by not much more than his raw passion and love for boxing. His family is in financial ruins, and Dylan's only hope of rescuing 'the Starrs' from bancruptcy is making it as a pro boxer...

Moodboard

We also created a mood board to illustrate some of our ideas for the film. This included setting, such as an alleyway, a gym and a house. As well as this, we included props that will be used during filming, like the boxing gloves, hospital bed, flip knife, apple and poster. Lastly, we presented the characters, such as the protagonist, who is a boxer, the antagonist who is the menacing thug and his victim.

The FIGHT NIGHT storyboard (so far)

Storyboards, according to Wikipedia, are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualising a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. Below is a storyboard illustrating some of the main plot from our very own production, Fight Night.

Conventions

The film "Fight Night" would be classed as being under the "Sport Drama" genre as it is a combination of the two. A Drama (by definition) is "a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, crime and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves, others, society and even natural phenomena." Our film fits the drama genre, because it is about a man who has to deal with an injury that prevents him from doing something he loves, which happens to be boxing. The fact that his hobby is boxing adds the sport genre to the movie. The codes and conventions of the Sport Drama genre would include: An emotional journey in which the character comes to some resolution in the end A dramatic and entertaining way of portraying regular people with regular lifestyles An athlete as the central and predominant character which the storyline focuses on Usually a way in which the character would fail to reach his goals in the beginning in which high angled shot could be used to look down on them during their most vulnerable time Motivational/inspirational music Setting would usually include a place of training or practise such as a gym or stadium A coach or supportive figure to guide them

Possible Locations: Part 2

Skyline Boxing Gym: Catford

This is the perfect setting for the gym scene. One member of out team is actually a member at the gym and takes boxing classes therefore it wont be a problem to get in there and take a few shots.

Film Inspirations: Similar Films

The first film I was inspired by is one of the most well known blockbuster films worldwide. It is the first film which comes to mind when you hear the words "sport drama", i am of course talking about Rocky IV from the Rocky series. It is the second most Profitable film of its genre, second only to the other film im about to write about. The best selling film of this genre is a true masterpiece, directed by John Hancock, 'The Blind Side' has won multiple awards and was nominated for several more. The actress starred in the leading role, Sandra Bullock, received an Oscar for her brilliant performance as a caring woman who guides an American Football player to be picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. This doesn't come easy however as the characters face problems along the way.

Possible Locations: Part 1

Norman Park: Bromley

Norman park of Bromley seems like a really good location to film the climatic part of the opening scene (the stabbing). At night it looks like the kind of place where this could actually occur however it is a safe enviroment to film in. There is a good amount of lighting there even at night therefore the camera work wouldn't be a problem.

Main Characters

Sound Treatment

Sound is a central aspect of the film making process as it enhances the viewers experience and helps to illustrate the emotional content in the narrative. There are many different types of sound, all of which can be used to create a profound effect on film and TV. Diegetic Sound is the sound which is created within the film, and which the characters are able to hear as it is created by themselves or objects in the scene, such as dialogue, or an alarm. Non Diegetic sound however, is the sound added through the editing process and is not heard by the characters; such as a soundtrack or a score, which is a musical component usually composed specifically for the scene. Voice overs are non diegetic form of sound that is not synchronised with anyone speaking and usually adds extra information or character thoughts and feelings that would otherwise be unknown to the viewer. Sound effects are added to film in post-production, and are used to build up ambience or reinforce action. Parallel sound is sound that magnifies or heightens the image being shown because it goes well with it and fits. Contrapuntal sound is sound that juxtaposes the image shown, and quite usually has a disorientating effect upon the audience, making them question what they are watching. Foley Sound is a process where specialists create sounds that cannot properly be captured by the film making process using a variety of props in a studio, which is then added to the film during editing. The YouTube video below explains how Foley Sound can be vital to a film.

Film Treatment

On the night before his biggest fight yet, our London-dwelling boxer, Dylan, faces his toughest challenge so far. 'Fight Night' is a gripping drama where family, friends and an unbreakable will are the only things Dylan can rely on to make it through these hard times.

In the heart of the capital, our protagonist trains as hard as he can to prepare for the fight that could make or break his career. However his hopes are seemingly dashed when he dives head first into something a lot bigger than him. For Dylan, all seems lost. But his immense resolve won't let him go that easy. he sets himself on the road to victory, determined to win his fight. But...is everything what it seems?

Analysis Of Opening Scenes: 'Goal 2: Living The Dream'

The establishing shot is an extreme long shot at a canted angle. The canted angle gives the sense of something not being quiet right. The shot is in black and white looking into the crowd which gives the audience the impression that the match is in the past. The second shot is a long shot showing Ronaldinho slot the ball into the back of the net from the tilt down onto the football pitch from the previous shot which is showing the genre is sport.

Analysis Of Opening Scenes: 'American Pie 2'

In the opening scene of American Pie 2, we are introduced to the story line as Jim's dad explains that it is the last day of Jim's freshman year in College. The director then decides to use the Cross-cut for humour, as we see Jim's dad searching for Jim's dorm with a six pack of beer, with the intentions to give his son the same speech his dad gave him, however in the second side of the shot Jim is once again about to be found engaging in sexual activities which is a reoccuring theme throughout the whole series.

Analysis Of Opening Scenes: 'Django Unchained'

The first thing the viewer will notice is the 'old-school' type of writing which is perfect for the western genre as it reminds us of the old, pre 2000s westerns. This goes in line with the music, which is very western like. These two factors alone have made me really excited to see the rest of the movie as I find the western genre to be one of the best out there. We then get a shot of the slaves walking through the desert, in chains, with whip marks on their backs.

Analysis Of Opening Scenes: 'Fast Five'

The first film I have analysed was 'Fast and Furious 5' or 'Fast Five'. The very first shot is a close up of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) who unarguably is the main character of the series. In this shot we hear the judge give Dom a 25 year sentence in prison. The shot blacks out and another shot appears, showcasing the reactions of Dom's sister Mia(Jordana Brewster) and Brian o'conner (Paul Walker) who is the other main character in the fast and furious series. These shots as well as the one after, showing Dom getting onto a prison bus and then sitting inside the bus, are all slow and calm, which is the opposite of what the fans of the series are used to. This is done to contrast against the rest of the opening scene which is really fast paced. We get a long shot of the bus, as it drives away on what seems like a never ending road somewhere in the desert. This 'calm' shot is abruptly interupted as we hear engine sounds and three cars appear in the shot. Shortly after we get a close up on the characters faces (Mia and Brian). This is where the action begins, Brian and Mia cause a massive crash which leaves the Bus completely wrecked, The continuous match-in-action helps the viewer understand exactly what's going on through out the scene and once Dom gets out, the viewer's question is "How did he survive?". This somewhat unrealistic but yet gripping opening scene is a just a small glimpse at what the film has to offer. If I was a first time viewer and not a fan of the series this opening scene would have made me even more excited to see the rest of the film than it did due to the rapid turn of events and the hunger to know what happens next... EDIT:RIP Paul Walker,Never Forgotten.

Preliminary Task

My final premilinary task, it includes the shot reverse shot, match on action and it follows the 180 degree rule all through out the film. This is what we will get assessed on in the first term of school.

Preliminary Task: Storyboard

In this week's lesson, the lesson aim was to create a storyboard which shows all of the shots I will be using in my movie.

Shot Types Presentation

"Behind The Scenes"

Day 1 of our AS Media Studies practical course