Some pages writers may like...
www.screenwritingu.com/WPGcall
http://www.screencraft.org/blog/top-25-twitter-accounts-screenwriters-follow/
AM
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Friday, 19 July 2013
Pacific Rim Reflections
On my personal Blog I did a review in two halves on literally the biggest film this summer. Got a lot of love for this and the passion and heart Guillermo del Toro put into it!
Pacific Rim - Aftershock
Pacific Rim - Mechas & Monsters
AM
Pacific Rim - Aftershock
Pacific Rim - Mechas & Monsters
AM
The Pixar Theory
A rather interesting theory that connects the Pixars films has come to my attention...
It's strange, exciting and a little bit spine-chilling:
jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-theory/
We all know that the main guys brainstormed the major films (at least four of them) in a diner...But this makes you wonder how much they intended them to be connected!
See what you think!
AM
It's strange, exciting and a little bit spine-chilling:
jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-theory/
We all know that the main guys brainstormed the major films (at least four of them) in a diner...But this makes you wonder how much they intended them to be connected!
See what you think!
AM
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Friday, 21 June 2013
'Ubernatural' - Original Script
Here be the orginal ten-page scipt for my short. This is the version with the brothers Sam and Dean!
Sort of glad that I knocked it dow to the final product, because organising that many actors (including m'self) would've been a bit hectic...Plus, one or two of the bro's lines I was never really satifisfied with...
Nevertheless, here you go! ^^
CASTIEL
Sort of glad that I knocked it dow to the final product, because organising that many actors (including m'self) would've been a bit hectic...Plus, one or two of the bro's lines I was never really satifisfied with...
Nevertheless, here you go! ^^
1. INT. Computer Room – College – Evening
In the
darkened room, one light is seen; it partially illuminates a FIGURE sat behind
a PC. He TAPS away at the keyboard, creating a Blog post.
On the
screen, we see the term ‘FAN-FICTION’.
The FIGURE
LAUGHS MANIACALLY.
TITLE CARD:
‘ÜBERNATURAL’
2. INT. Computer Room – College – Day
A door
CREAKS open. Brothers DEAN & SAM cautiously walk in with their angel
CASTIEL. Scanning devices in hand, they slowly look around.
Dean SNIFFS
the air:
DEAN
Smell that?
We’re in the right place;
Sulphur.
SAM
Sorry, that
was uh...That was me...
DEAN
Dude...!
He covers
his mouth with his sleeve.
CASTIEL
I’ve
smelled worse.
Dean reacts
before he continues to SCAN. He passes one PC that gives off a high reading. He
indicates to Castiel:
DEAN
(CONT’D)
Cas! This
one!
Castiel steps
over, turning the PC on, eying it with interest:
CASTIEL
‘Vista’...
SAM
They’re
still using Vista?!
CASTIEL
What’s wrong
with it?
DEAN
Well, just
about everything...!
CASTIEL
It doesn’t
look that different from Sam’s.
SAM
No,
no...Mine’s 7; hell-of-a lot better!
CASTIEL
Ah...Why did they call it 7...?
SAM
I
dunno...Seventh generation operating
system, I guess.
CASTIEL
No. The
others weren’t 1-6, so why is
this 7...?
Pause. Dean
lights up with an idea:
DEAN
Seven
Deadly Sins! There you go, Sammy;
you to a T!
He PATS
Sam’s arm as he strolls past.
SAM
Ah, no!
Dean! Could be the Seven
Virtues!
Dean stops.
He walks back toward Sam with a puzzled look. His face then stretches as he ‘realises’:
DEAN
Oh my God...!
He turns
off the pretend-patronising:
DEAN (CONT’D)
We’re
talking about a computer...!
SAM
I hate it
when you do that.
DEAN
And I hate
wasting time trying to figure
out which computer to salt ‘n’
burn...Or exercise...!
They
briefly stare each other out for a moment:
SAM
Do you want
me to hack it or not?
DEAN
(Sarcastically)
Hmm, ‘do I
want you to help get rid a demonic presence’...
Sam has
already started logging into the machine
DEAN
(CONT’D)
(Still
sarcastic)
Well gee,
I’m gonna phone a friend! Cas;
should he do it?’
CASTIEL
Yes.
DEAN
(Still
sarcastic)
Why thank
you; and that’s my final answer!
‘Yes’!
Sam has sat
down:
SAM
Good...I’m
in! You done?
DEAN
Nope...!
SAM
Whoa...
He looks
back and forth between Dean and Castiel before looking back at the screen.
CASTIEL
What is it?
SAM
Someone’s
been having fun...! A lot of fun...!
Dean walks
around to see what’s on the screen:
DEAN
Hey, looks
like I get all the fun!
He reads a
bit more:
DEAN
(CONT’D)
With...
He looks up
at Castiel, who looks back with confusion:
DEAN
(CONT’D)
Ever heard
of the phrase ‘Touched by
an Angel’?
Dean tries
to indicate to Castiel what he’s referring to, but Castiel isn’t getting it.
DEAN
(CONT’D)
Forget it.
SAM
Looks like
it’s on that site we came
across some years ago...Hell Hound’s
Lair.
CASTIEL
What’s that
about?
SAM
People
submit and report legends and
stories about supernatural stuff...Looks
like some of our fans got in on the action...!
DEAN
But why
would you post it on that site? It’s Tumblr material,
right?
SAM
Hm...Last
time we came across Hell Hound’s
Lair, it involved a Tibetan Tulpa.
The fiction became more real the more people read it.
DEAN
Whoa,
you’re saying Cas and I are gonna...?
SAM
You seem
close enough already; maybe
you’ll enjoy it!
DEAN
Well,
thanks for your advice, Dr. Feelgood!
Delete it!
Pause.
SAM
Alright; fun
while it lasted...
A few TAPS
of the keyboard and Sam suddenly FLINCHES from HITTING return.
SAM
(CONT’D)
Son of
a...!
DEAN
What was
that?
Sam looks
closer:
SAM
Protection...Can’t
delete it!
DEAN
Oh
great...!
SAM
Yep...We
have accursed fan-fiction more
evil than Vista!
Suddenly,
CROWLEY appears in the chair behind them, LAUGHING sardonically:
CASTIEL
You...!
CROWLEY
Oh Sammy...Try
not to say ‘evil’ in such an
archaic fashion. It’s all relative,
really...
Beat.
CROWLY
(CONT’D)
Mind you I would say that, wouldn’t I...? But listen: inconvenient, inconsiderate, unhelpful, disagreeable,
conflicting, contrasting, unkind, etcetera...Yeah. But
‘evil’?
Beat.
CROWLEY
(CONT’D)
Alright, let’s
look in terms of ‘good
& bad’; as King of Hell I’m in
charge of punishing thousands upon
thousands of souls every day for doing ‘bad’ things. Doesn’t that technically make me ‘good’?
DEAN
Yeah, good
at gettin’ your ass kicked!
With a
casual flick of his fingers, Crowley THROWS Dean across the room...He CRASHES
into the wall/door:
CROWLEY
Sam helps
Dean up:
SAM
You
alright?
Dean GROANS:
DEAN
Super...Can’t
you tell by my sunny disposition?
Castiel’s
clenched hand starts to glow a bright white as the angel keeps glaring at
Crowley:
CASTIEL
You harm
him again...I dare you.
CROWLEY
Oh that’s
right. You want him all to
yourself, don’t you?
The
smite-light disappears. Castiel turns to Dean:
CASTIEL
Do I...?
Beat.
DEAN
You feelin’
anything?
CASTIEL
No.
Dean has a
slightly awkward pause:
DEAN
Wanna try
it...?
Castiel’s
reaction is enough to tell Dean ‘no’!
Crowley
looks back & forth between them both, before SIGHING:
CROWLEY
Alright,
you two should be tearing into
each other. Where’s my writer?!
Suddenly,
GABRIEL appears next to Crowley:
GABRIEL
You
called...?
SAM
Gabriel? You wrote the fan-fic...?
GABRIEL
Oh
yeah...Even the King of Hell gets
bored, sometimes...
CROWLEY
Yep! And
when I do, I like to annoy you
three! Especially you, Cas...
CASTIEL
I wondered
why I’ve been hearing screaming
lullabies every night...!
GABRIEL
Problem is;
when you’re bored, you should
see me in person!
CROWLEY
What’s that
supposed to mean...?
GABRIEL
Read on,
Sammy!
Sam starts
reading again. After a beat, he looks surprised:
SAM
Oh! I see
whatcha did there!
He LAUGHS.
Dean looks at the screen too:
SAM
(CONT’D)
I see what
Crowley did too! May be the
King of Hell, but certainly ain’t
the dominant one!
Crowley
looks up at Gabriel:
CROWLEY
You put the
curse on us instead?!
GABRIEL
You didn’t
say what part of it to curse...!
DEAN
Either way,
the hits on the site are
going through the roof!
Crowley’s
look at Gabriel softens, slightly:
CROWLEY
Actually...
Gabriel
puts his fingers on Crowleys lips:
GABRIEL
Shh...You
can tell me after we’ve been
to Heaven and back.
CROWLEY
(Double-Take)
Wait, what?
Heaven?!
Gabriel
places his hand on Crowley’s shoulder, emitting a bright white light. Crowley
reaches out:
CROWLEY
(CONT’D)
Noooo!
The light
brightens up the room for a brief moment. Sam, Dean and Castiel see that
they’ve disappeared. There’s a pause:
DEAN
Gabriel
likes Crowley?!
SAM
Whatever
happened to ‘dinner and a movie’?
DEAN
Heh...Ah
well, back to business...With
no King for while, Hell’s gonna
get a little wild...!
They start
to leave.
CASTIEL
Dean, what
about us?
Dean
mockingly LAUGHS before suddenly switching:
DEAN
No...C’mon,
let’s go.
They leave,
the door SHUTTING behind them.
BLACKOUT.
THE END
Sunday, 16 June 2013
UNIT 6 - PRACTICAL SKILLS
UBERNATURAL
Roles:
From the start I devised the idea for the piece, which originated as a personal project. I wrote the script, created the storyboards, became the producer, director and primary camera operator. A friend of mine (not on the course) advised me on certain character development. There were three actors, one of which was myself. The two other actors in the film served as additional camera operators. For post-production, I edited the footage and applied the visual and sound effects. I also performed some Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR) for my character.
Plan:
I originally wanted to create a music video. However I couldn't think of a decent enough idea for the project. Simultaneously I wanted to create a personal project with a few of my acting friends. Eventually (by 15th March) I decided to use the latter project instead. It was inspired by the television series Supernatural and was inspired by the online stories created by fans of the programme. (known as 'fan-fiction' or, if they are particular types of stories; 'slash-fiction').
(17th March) I came up with a quick story that bullet-pointed the key events, featuring five characters. The entire story was set in one single location, mainly for practical and logistical reasons.
[The original plan!]
Script & Storyboard:
The original script, featuring the five characters, was ten pages long (finished by 12th May). Unfortunately due to two of the actors becoming increasingly extremely dificult to get in touch with, I decided to drop those two characters from the script (ironically being the two characters inspired by the only two constant actors in Supernatural). Despite this, I had a quick table read-through (17th May) with the two remaining actors to ascertain the tone and style of the short.
I rewrote the script over the following weekend (18th-19th May). Despite the two brothers being removed, the story was essentially the same. The resulting script became six pages long. In terms of practicality, it removed a lot of situations to do with blocking, having characters in specific locations and organising/liaising with two extra people.
[The 2nd script with annotations/editing divides and shot labelling]
I also set about dividing the script into segments that I would later use for storyboarding and then shooting; it divided the script into what I see as 'readable edits', essentially turning the script into a (chronological) Shooting Script. For me, this proved to make sense more than the storyboard! However, the divisions did help to inform the storyboard, as I could then collate the shots of similar set-up/angle into one or two storyboard panels. This proved especially useful for areas of conversation when the focus would switch back and forth between multiple characters. I also felt that it saved crucial time from setting up.
[Examples of a few storyboards]
Location Recce:
During writing, I envisioned that the shoot would happen in C14 in the Old Building. On the 16th May, I doodled a floor plan to visualize the action.
[The floor plan doodle]
Then for Monday 20th I visited the room, ascertaining the suitability, determining the risk assessments (the only real hazards were cables beneath the compter desks) and scale/space. And then on afternoon of the 20th, I had the room booked for shooting for the entire afternoon of the 22nd May.
Shooting:
Shooting took place on both Monday the 20th and Wednesday the 22nd of May. For the two days, I had borrowed a Canon Legria HF M52 camcorder. I wanted the set up and shooting to be as problem-free and as efficient as possible. As such, I decided to record some of it hand-held. I also reasoned that hand-held would be more suitable for some shots and moments than others. Plus, for Monday's shooting, I only had within an hour to film, so I didnt have a tripod to set up. On Wednesday, however, I had the entire afternoon, so I had a tripod to use then. As other film students were busy with their own projects, I directed the shots that I appeared in, with either one of the actors as camera operators.
Editing:
The editing was fairly straightforward. During the process, I found a couple of moments that were tricky to work my way around with (in terms of making visual sense of the events). For instance, breaking the 180 degree rule to record from behind a computer monitor (though I believe it seems natural to see someone sat behind a computer from that position, in order to see the face, so I believe that the break is subtle enough to not stand out). And another example is when logically my charcter would have passed two others to get back to the computer, but the edit I created made it look like I travel there in one step, so I added an effect to make it look like my Angel teleported (as he did earlier in the story). In general, editing is quite enjoyable for me, because it allows a degree of being creative, even with pre-existing material. With a bit of editing experience in the past, I've usually determined most standard edits by 'feeling'...If a shot's reached a point where you feel as if it needs to cut away, as it were. And in shots/sequences with action, I tend to try and not become overly attached to something in the cut, because with fast action, an edit will occur for a shot that needs to become shortened to a point that it's extremely fast; in my short, such an edit occured twice. The idea is, of course, to carry the sense of motion from the start to the finish (so if the middle shot virtually has its own 'beginning' and 'end', it won't work). Thankfully for both of my instances, I believe I edited them down to sequences that carry the motion with sense.
Sound:
I didn't record sounds during filming with an external microphone, because I wanted the project to have post-production work on sound to begin with. For me, sound became crucial in helping to sell to the viewer that the characters are supernatural beings. I used several wind effects and 'whoosh' noises for the teleportation and the abilities & powers that the characters use. I also put in a bone-crunching effect for my character when he appears to set his neck and jaw. As with the original programme, this was intended to be the result of Angels being more ruthless warriors and missionaries...So with my Angel, when the Demon shows, he doesn't care that much about his flesh and bone vessel, as long as the Demon is vanquished.
I've also inserted sounds effects such as doors opening & closing, body impacts and general ambience. However I did not insert foley such as footsteps and clothing, because I wanted the absence of some regular sounds to create the same supernatural effect as the extra supernatural sounds (I reasoned that an Angel would be very light-footed for instance).
I also added additional dialogue recording (ADR) for my Angel. The other two characters' voices were absolutely fine, but was unhappy with how mine turned out during recording, so I redid it...This also gave me a bit of experience in how to perform for ADR (I had done vocal acting before), based on script and memory (next time I need to refer to the footage).
AM
Roles:
From the start I devised the idea for the piece, which originated as a personal project. I wrote the script, created the storyboards, became the producer, director and primary camera operator. A friend of mine (not on the course) advised me on certain character development. There were three actors, one of which was myself. The two other actors in the film served as additional camera operators. For post-production, I edited the footage and applied the visual and sound effects. I also performed some Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR) for my character.
Plan:
I originally wanted to create a music video. However I couldn't think of a decent enough idea for the project. Simultaneously I wanted to create a personal project with a few of my acting friends. Eventually (by 15th March) I decided to use the latter project instead. It was inspired by the television series Supernatural and was inspired by the online stories created by fans of the programme. (known as 'fan-fiction' or, if they are particular types of stories; 'slash-fiction').
(17th March) I came up with a quick story that bullet-pointed the key events, featuring five characters. The entire story was set in one single location, mainly for practical and logistical reasons.
Script & Storyboard:
The original script, featuring the five characters, was ten pages long (finished by 12th May). Unfortunately due to two of the actors becoming increasingly extremely dificult to get in touch with, I decided to drop those two characters from the script (ironically being the two characters inspired by the only two constant actors in Supernatural). Despite this, I had a quick table read-through (17th May) with the two remaining actors to ascertain the tone and style of the short.
I rewrote the script over the following weekend (18th-19th May). Despite the two brothers being removed, the story was essentially the same. The resulting script became six pages long. In terms of practicality, it removed a lot of situations to do with blocking, having characters in specific locations and organising/liaising with two extra people.
I also set about dividing the script into segments that I would later use for storyboarding and then shooting; it divided the script into what I see as 'readable edits', essentially turning the script into a (chronological) Shooting Script. For me, this proved to make sense more than the storyboard! However, the divisions did help to inform the storyboard, as I could then collate the shots of similar set-up/angle into one or two storyboard panels. This proved especially useful for areas of conversation when the focus would switch back and forth between multiple characters. I also felt that it saved crucial time from setting up.
Location Recce:
During writing, I envisioned that the shoot would happen in C14 in the Old Building. On the 16th May, I doodled a floor plan to visualize the action.
Then for Monday 20th I visited the room, ascertaining the suitability, determining the risk assessments (the only real hazards were cables beneath the compter desks) and scale/space. And then on afternoon of the 20th, I had the room booked for shooting for the entire afternoon of the 22nd May.
Shooting:
Shooting took place on both Monday the 20th and Wednesday the 22nd of May. For the two days, I had borrowed a Canon Legria HF M52 camcorder. I wanted the set up and shooting to be as problem-free and as efficient as possible. As such, I decided to record some of it hand-held. I also reasoned that hand-held would be more suitable for some shots and moments than others. Plus, for Monday's shooting, I only had within an hour to film, so I didnt have a tripod to set up. On Wednesday, however, I had the entire afternoon, so I had a tripod to use then. As other film students were busy with their own projects, I directed the shots that I appeared in, with either one of the actors as camera operators.
Editing:
The editing was fairly straightforward. During the process, I found a couple of moments that were tricky to work my way around with (in terms of making visual sense of the events). For instance, breaking the 180 degree rule to record from behind a computer monitor (though I believe it seems natural to see someone sat behind a computer from that position, in order to see the face, so I believe that the break is subtle enough to not stand out). And another example is when logically my charcter would have passed two others to get back to the computer, but the edit I created made it look like I travel there in one step, so I added an effect to make it look like my Angel teleported (as he did earlier in the story). In general, editing is quite enjoyable for me, because it allows a degree of being creative, even with pre-existing material. With a bit of editing experience in the past, I've usually determined most standard edits by 'feeling'...If a shot's reached a point where you feel as if it needs to cut away, as it were. And in shots/sequences with action, I tend to try and not become overly attached to something in the cut, because with fast action, an edit will occur for a shot that needs to become shortened to a point that it's extremely fast; in my short, such an edit occured twice. The idea is, of course, to carry the sense of motion from the start to the finish (so if the middle shot virtually has its own 'beginning' and 'end', it won't work). Thankfully for both of my instances, I believe I edited them down to sequences that carry the motion with sense.
Sound:
I didn't record sounds during filming with an external microphone, because I wanted the project to have post-production work on sound to begin with. For me, sound became crucial in helping to sell to the viewer that the characters are supernatural beings. I used several wind effects and 'whoosh' noises for the teleportation and the abilities & powers that the characters use. I also put in a bone-crunching effect for my character when he appears to set his neck and jaw. As with the original programme, this was intended to be the result of Angels being more ruthless warriors and missionaries...So with my Angel, when the Demon shows, he doesn't care that much about his flesh and bone vessel, as long as the Demon is vanquished.
I've also inserted sounds effects such as doors opening & closing, body impacts and general ambience. However I did not insert foley such as footsteps and clothing, because I wanted the absence of some regular sounds to create the same supernatural effect as the extra supernatural sounds (I reasoned that an Angel would be very light-footed for instance).
I also added additional dialogue recording (ADR) for my Angel. The other two characters' voices were absolutely fine, but was unhappy with how mine turned out during recording, so I redid it...This also gave me a bit of experience in how to perform for ADR (I had done vocal acting before), based on script and memory (next time I need to refer to the footage).
AM
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