Life Of Death: Finished Product

Unfinished Film draft 1

This is the first draft of my film, it is missing a couple of shots which will be filmed this weekend.

Also the sound effects are a bit too loud at the moment and the dialogue needs to be louder, these problems shall be fixed in later versions.

From Mrs S

I like this Chris. I think this could be really effective.

Storyboard: Second draft

I know it says V1 when you see the video but it is actually V2. The sound is more balanced and some new shots have been added aswell as the credits.

Script: Second Draft

Present is in Blue
Flashbacks are in Black

Fade in from black to close up shot of the main character (Jericho Kain) against a dark background.

Jericho: "When hard times hit and hit hard it can drive people to the edge, make them do things they never thought they would ever do."

Show quick succession of brief flashbacks. Fighting and screams, too quick to really see any detail.

Shot goes back to Jericho and the camera is slowly moving closer to his face.

Jericho: "I never wanted to do those things, but there really was no alternative. If I hadn't I would have rotted on the streets like any other of the hundreds of failures and bums there, I had nothing to lose."

Show another set of flashbacks, this time revealing more than before. (Continuation of the fighting seen in the last flashback)

Close up of the side of Jericho's face, he is still looking at the interviewer.

Jericho: "When I took those first jobs it was like survival instincts kicking in, I knew I shouldn't have done it but I was me or them..."

Shot changes to extreme close up of Jericho's face, he is now looking straight at the camera.

Jericho: "... and I took the selfish path."

Extreme close up shot looking down the barrel of a gun, it fires.

Shot of Jericho is now medium, more relaxed.

Jericho: "It should have ended there, but I didn't stop. Eventually it just became business, just a job."

Long shot of Jericho receiving money from a client.

Close up of Jericho's face.

Jericho: "And just like any other job it does begin to get tiresome. I tried to spice things up a bit, coming up with ever more ingenious ways of wiping people off the map."

Quick set of flashbacks showing his collection of killing implements and tools.

Camera is focused on his face.

Jericho: "Here's my personal favorite."

He pulls out a pair of pliers and the camera focuses on them.

Then a shot of him sabotaging a cars brakes using the pliers.

Close up of Jericho's face, he is looking at the pliers.

Jericho: "I mean weapons are fine but after a while they just get a little boring, besides there are just so many different things that you can do with a household tool and yet make it seem like an honest accident."

Flashback showing the sabotaged car go out of control and crash.

Jericho looks down at the floor, medium shot.

Jericho: "In a crazy world we are forced to do crazy things, does that make me crazy?"

He looks at the camera, then a phone rings and Jericho picks it up.

Jericho: "Yes, Yes I see. Consider it done."

He puts the phone down and picks up a pair of glasses.

Jericho: "Excuse me, I have to take out the trash."

He gets up, fade to black. Credits roll.

Storyboard Version 1

This is the first version of my storyboard in video form.

Note* I haven't yet had time to balance the sound so some parts are a bit louder than others, this will be fixed in the next version.

From MrsS

I like the script so far (watch for typos) - it made me want to see the rest of the film - which of course, is the whole point. Don't over-do the flashbacks, it might get difficult to watch.

First Draft Script for 'Life Of Death' (working title)

Present is in Blue
Flashbacks are in Black

Fade in from black to close up shot of the main character (Jericho Kain) against a dark background.

Jericho: "When hard times hit and hit hard it can drive people to the edge, make them do things they never thought they would ever do."

Show quick succession of brief flashbacks. Fighting and screams, too quick to really see any detail.

Shot goes back to Jericho and the camera is slowly moving closer to his face.

Jericho: "I never wanted to do those things, but there really was no alternative. If I hadn't I would have rotted on the streets like any other of the hundreds of failures and bums on the street, I had nothing to lose."

Show another set of flashbacks, this time revealing more than before. (Continuation of the fighting seen in the last flashback)

Close up of the side of Jericho's face, he is still looking at the interviewer.

Jericho: "When I took those first jobs it was like survival instincts kicking in, I knew I shouldn't have done it but I was me or them..."

Shot changes to extreme close up of Jericho's face, he is now looking straight at the camera.

Jericho: "... and I chose me."

Extreme close up shot looking down the barrel of a gun, it fires.

Shot of Jericho is now medium, more relaxed.

Jericho: "It should have ended there, but I didn't stop. Eventually it just became business, just a job."

Long shot of Jericho receiving money from a client.

Close up of Jericho's face.

Jericho: "And just like any other job it does begin to get tiresome. I tried to spice things up a bit, coming up with ever more ingenious ways of wiping people off the map."

Quick set of flashbacks showing his collection of killing implements and tools.

Camera is focused on his face.

Jericho: "Here's my personal favorite."

He pulls out a pair of pliers and the camera focuses on them.

Then a shot of him sabotaging a cars brakes using the pliers.

Close up of Jericho's face, he is looking at the pliers.

Jericho: "I mean weapons are fine but after a while they just get a little boring after so long, besides there are just so many different things that you can do with a household tool and yet make it seem like an honest accident."

Flashback showing the sabotaged car go out of control and crash.

Jericho looks down at the floor, medium shot.

Jericho: "In a crazy world we are forced to do crazy things, does that make me crazy?"

He looks directly at the camera and the credits roll.

Planning: Ideas

Misc Ideas:

• Spy
• Cops
• Explosions
• Car Chase/Car Crash
• Gun Fight
• Melee Combat

Character Ideas:

• Detective, cop, investigator etc who needs to solve a case.
• Criminal(s) who need money, they will do anything to get it.
• Normal people forced into crime by poverty.
• Interviewer; journalist, to interview and investigate the other characters

Some short story ideas:

'Interviews With Assassins'

This could be about an assassin reminiscing about his life and the things that he has done in the past. Flashbacks could be used to explain these things.

'Backtrack'

In a way this is similar to the previous idea, this film starts at the end of the story and then goes back to the beginning to explain how the characters got in their situations. It would follow a group of people as they performed a bank robbery that goes wrong and then it was revealed how the planning was done and eventually the viewer ends back where they started, at the robbery, and we see how it finishes.

From Mrs S

I like what you've done, the analyses are really good and will be very useful to you.

Research Informing Planning

My film will

• Be of the action genre.
• Be focused towards a male audience.
• Be focused towards people between the ages of 16 to 20.
• Be live action.
• Start quickly.
• Have the initial credits sequence after a short introduction.
• Contain a car chase or other car related action sequence.
• Take inspiration from films starring Will Smith.
• Take inspiration from films directed by Ridley Scott and Clint Eastwood.
• Use flashbacks to inform the viewer of the character's backstory.
• Use BankGothic Md BT as the font for the writing in the credits.
• Be distributed over the internet.
• Require the word of mouth to get people to watch it.

Product Placement

There are many places to watch and buy films: Cinemas, supermarkets, specialist video stores and even from peoples own homes using online shops. Film has become increasingly easy to access especially over the last few years with the arrival of internet downloads and broadband capable of providing them, this means that more and more people can see films, so it's a small wonder that 2007 was the most profitable year in film ever.

My film will require a distributer, they will take care of things such as getting the film out to the public and advertising the film to my target audience. Some distrubution companies are: Buena Vista, Columbia Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Lucasfilms, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Every film needs a distributer to get the film out to it's audience, it is an absolutely neccessary part of any film project.

An advertisement campaign usually accompanies most films released at the cinema or on DVD, it has to stand out and be different enough to tempt people to see it but costs can be an issue, many lower budget and independent films can't have large amounts of advertisements due to the cost of having them made and actualy getting them displayed and they require word of mouth and small viral websites to get publicity.

In all the places where movies are for sale they are always made easy to see, sometimes big releases will have their own custom stands. Films in shops are quite often arranged by genre so people can find what they are looking for easily. I would try to sell my film in as many locations as possible to ensure that any potential buyer would have a chance to see it, however it may not be possible to do that due to costs and the buyers of action movies might not be looking to buy an action movie from a minor store which is why it would be better to only release at major retail outlets; e.g. supermarkets like sainsburys and dedicated video shops like hmv. It would also be a good idea to sell online since this is where most people like to buy films now due to the ease and the great range of titles. The graphics and pictures on the DVD box would also have to stand out from other similar movies to be noticed.

You can also sell films over the internet in both physical media form (DVD etc) and download form. My film could be given a viral website with info on the film and a place to buy it from. This method would make the film more accessible to the online populace but would lock out people without a computer or internet connection, however the costs are less and the film could be distributed faster than having to use DVDs which take time to press and cost more than a download earning me more money. There is one more downside in the form of piracy; a hacker could get into the site and download the film without paying and possibly open a 'back door' for others to go through and downlaod without paying.

Price is very important, if it's too low then my film won't make a profit and if it's too high then people won't want to buy the film at all. Most DVDs are priced between £5 and £15 so mine will be to when it comes to a DVD release. Cinema tickets typically retail for £5 but this price is usually decided by the cinema itself. In 2008 'The Dark Knight' brought in $999,060,209 at the box office and $191,678,574 from DVD sales.This is an example of a very successful high budget film, most low budget films will only get $30,000,000 - $60,000,000 at the cinema but they won't suffer such large costs.

The Island opening sequence

The film starts with some establisher shots, cuts are fairly slow and the calming music keeps the pace slow. The names of the actors are displayed in a font that fits the film and change slowly in synchronisation with the music.

The title, 'The Island' appears and the music changes; becoming louder and slightly sinister, this indicates that there is something about the island in the film that is important (it is later revealed that there is no island and that the inhabitants of the facility are being killed instead of taken there).

This scene is a dream that Lincoln Six Echo is having and it tells us a lot about him and his state of mind. Several close ups of Jordan Two Delta are shown mixed with panning views of the coast of an island, this shows that he associates her with the calmness and beauty of that place and the happiness of being there. He and her are on a boat, the boat itself represents freedom which lincoln craves.

In one medium shot of Jordan the background is put out of focus so that the audience will pay more attention to her, this shows her importance to Lincoln and her important role in the story.

Suddenly the calm is broken when a group of men grab Lincoln and throw him into the water, the camera movements become jerky and the videos framerate is lowered, this disorients the audience and increases their immersion. This sudden change in pace will take the audience by surprise.

A quick succession of flashback shots are then shown, the switches get faster and faster, this keep the pace high. Some shots show a man in a dark room telling an unseen audience that they 'have been chosen' and that 'the island awaits them'. The man's features are accentuated by the light and he stands out from the background and his loud voice intimidates the audience. There are also images of the 'contamination' and words such as happy. These are all parts of a memory imprint that is given to all the clones and is meant to make all of them complacent and content with their lives, it also gives them a goal; to get to the island. This flashback helps to explain the backstory and help the audience to understand Lincolns and the other clones drives and personality.

The dream ends with the water that Lincoln was drowning in and the mysterious men disappearing and Lincoln ending up back in bed. This shows the audience how troubled he is and will make them sympathise more with him.

Lincoln's room is very basic but modern. This is shown in the lighting, everything is well lit but not too bright, this is supposed to make the inhabitants calm but the monotony annoys Lincoln greatly as does the lack of colour. There are displays in the walls and ceiling that tell him about his recorded activities and tell him about what he must do, when he goes to the toilet a display tells him he has an excess of sodium and advises nutrition control. Through out this sequence Lincoln is always objecting to what the displays say and this establishes that this place has little freedom and shows why he wants it so much. It also helps to explain the setting to the audience.

The next few sequences introduce other characters and the 'lottery', a suposedly random choosing of citzens to go to the island. The architecture is still modern and lacks colour, the same can be said for the populaces clothing which is always the same white jumpsuit. This is commented on by Lincoln several times and reminds the audience of his rebelious attitude and wish to be different and free.

Another citizen is agitated by the lottery and the fact that he has not been chosen to go despite being at the facility longer than almost anyone else. This sequence shows the audience that the island is the 'goal' for all the clones and continues to establish the idea of this orwellian society to the audience, again reinforcing their support of Lincolns search for freedom.

The Italian Job opening sequence

The titles start with an establisher shot showing the audience the setting and the sound of a car can be heard breaking the silence, because it's the only sound the audience can hear they will focus on it and be curious as to where it is and where it's going. The director is focusing the audience's attention on the car because it will indirectly play an important role in the development of the story.

The car is revealed: a Lamborghini Miura, this choice of vehicle shows that Roger Beckermann (the driver) is a wealthy man with style and taste, this helps the audience get an idea of what he is like. The car is shown in the picturesque landscape of the italian alps and all is well. The roar of the engine slowly fades out and the music slowly fades in, this creates a very calm atmosphere as the credits begin.

During the credits some names are shown in a larger font so that the audience will notice them more, these names are usually of people who are already famous and this will keep the audience interested and may draw fans of those actors to watch the film even if they weren't orginally going to.

During the credits there are very few changes in camera shot, for the most part it is just one; a POV shot out of the windscreen of the car, this keeps the pace slow and relaxed. The POV shot is mixed with several medium shots of Roger Beckermann as he is drving. He is always shown to be relaxed and in control and during one shot he puts on a pair of sunglasses, this continues to show that his character is a stylish and cool headed man.

The credits and the song draw to a close and the engine sound fades back in as the car enters a tunnel, there is very little light inside and this combined with the lack of uplifting music creates an eerie atmosphere. Suddenly the car explodes, this quick change of pace will come as a shock to the audience.

A bulldozer drags the mangled remains of the miura out of the tunnel and a suspicious looking man (Mafia boss Altabani) appears out of the smoke, he casually looks at the wreck and signals for the bulldozer driver to dump the wreck over the cliff. The audience will instantly dislike this man due to his lack of respect for the dead, and they will feel sympathy to Roger Beckermann as he and his car are carelessly destroyed.

A short, down beat non diagetic song is played as Altabani walks towards the cliff. He steps on Roger's sunglasses, thereby destroying the last piece of his identity. A ceremonial wreath is handed to him by an assistant and Altabani throws it down into the gorge after Rogers remains, the other mafia men then bow and lower their hats but Altabani doesn't, once again showing his lack of respect to Roger.

Mrs D

I really enjoyed your analysis of Casino Royal- you make some extremely interesting points. Well done. To improve, you must explore how some of the technical codes add meaning. Eg pick a few examples of camera and analyse. Do the same with sound and Mise-en-scene. You mostly explore the action/content and now need to analysis the different areas of moving image.

Gone In Sixty Seconds opening sequence

The movie starts with the production company credits but the action is imediately merged with the title sequence; The Jerry Bruckheimer logo is played in reverse and the road depicted in it turns into a clock hand on a stop watch, all of which is accompanied by the sound of a racing engine, the title 'Gone In Sixty Seconds' appears soon after. This shows the connection between the cars in the film and how little time the characters have to aquire them.

The next song begins and the title credits roll, this song starts off sounding sort of old and homely which fits with the pictures of Randall 'Memphis' Raines and his family in better times, pictures show him working with his father on old cars and this explains his love of cars and his choice of lifestyle later in life. Many other characters are introduced such as Helen Raines and Kip Raines (Randalls mother and younger brother respectively).

The music changes after a short period to a more sinister and agressive tone and this is accompanied by a change in colour from green to red, indicating that bad things happened to Randall (and/or his brother) and he was tempted by the easy money of stealing cars, this is backed up by the appearance of numerous tools that could be used to steal cars on the worktop in later shots. In one shot several statuettes of mary are seen, they are immediately followed by several demonic figurines and the camera view is saturated in red showing the good and evil sides of Randall and his brother.

Eventually a picture of a Porsche Carrera is revealed and then blends into a shot of a real Porsche Carrera in a car dealership. This helps to keep the action fluid rather than have a hard switch between the two shots.

Kip and some of his gang appear, looking for a Porsche Carrera on the corner of the road, they later realise that the car they were tipped off about is in fact the Porsche Carrera inside the dealership. Kip then steals the car in a very daring getaway, he even challenges another man to a race. This whole sequence helps to introduce characters and their personalities, It also shows how unwise and hot headed Kip can be and helps to explain to the viewer how he came to be in the situation he is in.

In this scene light is used to represent class, Kips gang is in an old dark car but the new porshe is in a well lit dealership and is kept in immaculate condition. Also the light helps to focus the viewers attention and show them what should be focused on. Sound is also used; as Kip breaks the glass door of the dealership an alarm goes off, this shows how obvious Kip is making himself and how unproffesional this is.

Analysis of Casino Royale opening sequence

The action slowly ramps up and flashbacks are used to reveal how James Bond managed to get into Chief Dryden's office, The violent flashbacks contrast heavily with the slow and calculated conversation that goes on between them, the drastic and rapid changes of pace keeps the audience interested. The film noir styling fits with the espionage and violence themes in the opening and accentuates them.

During the conversation the camera shots are all medium or long shots, this makes the conversation seem like a standoff. Medium shots are used in the flashback sequence to keep the viewer close to the action and increases their immersion and the brutal realism of the events.

Distubing music is used in the flashback to make it louder and more hectic, reflecting james's thoughts as he kills the contact, the music becomes quiet as we return to the present.

When the gun is pulled on James the audience feels sympathy to him since he is in danger and when the gun clicks, revealing the magazine has been removed, the audience will be impressed at james's abilities. Both of these help to create a bond between him and the audience making him a better and more likeable character.

When the chief is about to shoot james a close up is used so the viewer can see first his smugness at having apparently beaten James and then his fustration and worry as he realises his gun has no ammunition. As the chief attempts to shoot james the music stops temporarily and changes pitch, this reflects his suprise.

The flashbacks however show a much more brutal and violent James which make the audience aware of how dangerous he can be. He is also shown feeling regret at having to kill for the first time, this makes him seem more human and slightly more relatable to.

The scene ends with james shooting the chief after he was about to say that the second kill is easier than the first. James responds by saying "Yes, considerably", this shows how becoming an agent can dehumanise people.

The titles roll after James shoots the apparently already dead contact. The camera is looking out of a gun barrel (presumably the contact's) at James, after he shoots blood runs down the screen. This effect has been used in almost every bond film to start the credits, this helps to familiarise viewers. The red also represents athe danger of James's job and helps to blend the action with the credits sequence.

The graphics in the credit sequence are themed around playing cards and other gambling games in casinos, this is a reference to 'Casino Royale' which is a major setting in the film and in fact the basis for a large amount of the plot. The song also references to James and his job, highlighting the danger.

From Mrs Dobbs

This is a really good start Chris. You have asked some great questions. To improve, add some writing to include what you have learnt from the data and how this will help you in your planning. Have a look at other blogs for ideas.

Second Questionnaire Results

This questionnaire is aimed at my target audience based on the results of my previous questionnaire and my own decision to make an action movie. The results will help me to make my opening film sequence better for my target audience.

These are the results for my second questionnaire:

1) Do you prefer action films that start slowly and build up pace or start very quickly, with a bang?



The results show that my target audience likes action movies to start quickly rather than slowly build up the action.

2) Do you like the initial credits sequence to come at the very beginning of a film or after a short sequence?



The results show that my target audience prefers action films to have the initial titles start after a short introductory sequence.

3) In an action movie, which is your favorite action sequence?



My results show that a car chase is the prefered action sequence.

4) Who is your favorite action movie actor?



The results show that Will Smith is my target audience's favorite action movie actor. I will try to make my film similar to those which starred Will Smith.

5) If you answered Other to the last question can you please write their name below.

The only other actor who was entered in question 5 was Samuel. L. Jackson.

6) Who is your favorite action movie director?



The results show that both Ridley Scott and Clint Eastwood are my target audience's favorite action movie directors. I will try to make my film similar to their's.

7) If you answered Other to the last question can you please write their name below.

The only other director who was entered in question 7 was Stephen Sommers.

8) Are flashbacks a good way to establish a character’s back story and history?



My results show that flashbacks are a good way to establish a characters back story.

9) What font would be good to use in the credit sequence?



The results show that BankGothic Md BT is the prefered font for my movie's titles.

Questionnaire Results

These are the results of my first questionnaire:

1) Are you male or female?

This result represents the sex of the people I asked. Since I'm planning to make an action/thriller film which is aimed more at males I decided to ask more of them so as to get results that accurately reflected my target audience.

2) How old are you?

My film will be aimed at people in my age range (16-20) which is why I asked more people of that age.

3) What is your favorite film genre?

This shows me what the most popular film genres are, comedy comes in first but I believe that I could make a better action/thriller film (these genres came joint second in popularity) which is why I have decided to make a film in that genre.

4) Do you prefer films which are animated or live action?

This question allows me to see which type of film people prefer - Live action or Animated - and decide which one to use for my film, live action comes first.

5) Where do you most enjoy watching films?

This shows me where people prefer to watch films; at home or at a cinema, most people like watching films at home.