Group:

Myself- Casting, music, directing the acting, filming.

Holly Gunton- Director, creating a poster, filming.

Laura Walker- Producer, location, script, filming.

Ollie Turner- Editor, ideas, filming.

Genre:

We have chosen the crime genre. This is because we believe it will allow us to demonstrate the skills we have learnt the most and be more creative with the plot, as we will be able to show more of the story as crimes often don’t follow a linear structure. However, we will have to be careful not to give too much away due to it only being the opening.

Narrative style:

Whist we knew we didn’t want to follow a linear structure, and include flashbacks, we couldn’t find a specific theory to follow. We only vaguely follow Propp’s theory, as we have villains and heroes, however it is quite ambiguous who fits in what category. This obscurity means we don’t have binary opposites and therefor don’t follow Strauss’ theory. And, whilst it is unclear, due to not having a linear structure, we don’t see a state of equilibrium so can’t precisely follow Todorov’s theory, however it is the most befitting of them all.

Characters:

We originally planned to have four characters but have reduced to three. This was to ensure we remained within the restrictions of an opening and didn’t complicate things or exceed the time limit. Our characters are as follows:

The 1^st interrogator- the leader of the two

The 2^nd interrogator

The interrogated

Casting:

For the first interrogator, we cast Charlie Frazer. Whilst we hadn’t worked with him on a media project before, I have worked with him as we are both drama students, so I knew he was a good actor and would suit the part. I had also worked with Tom Coath, another drama student, before and had seen him play role similar to that of the interrogated character, who we cast him for. Due to their experience in acting and doing so in front of a camera, we knew they would have no problems performing confidently and would be able to assume the roles and take direction when needed relatively easily. We then cast Laura English as the second interrogator. This was because, whilst they have no dialogue, are a very active, strong character and we knew Laura would be able to portray her as such.

Locations:

We decided to use the school basement for the interrogation scenes due to it’s dim, damp and generally dilapidated conditions. We then chose to film the chase scenes in Norwich because it’s quite a crowded, urban setting. In particular, we wanted to make use of the underground tunnels as the lack of natural light and walls covered with graffiti further enforce the urban setting and give the impression of being trapped.

Dialogue:

We chose to use dialogue sparingly. We decided to have no dialogue during the chase scenes and short questions during the interrogation scenes. This was to punctuate the fact that the interrogators are getting nowhere.

Soundtrack:

Rather than have dialogue during the chase scenes, we decided to have music. We wanted to use the song ‘Nothing Left to Say Now’ by Imagine Dragons, because it’s so drum-heavy and powerful, whilst also sounding very dramatic, that we thought it would be ideal to reflect a chase scene. Unfortunately, it’s copyrighted so we can’t use the exact version. However, we decided, as the music fit so well, to do a cover of it, so we could still use it. The following musicians were involved:

Base- Tom Coath

Guitar- Tom Coath

Drums- Clare Wright

Piano- Clare Wright

Lead vocals- Emily Durstan

Backing vocals- Myself

Breaking the fourth wall:

We decided that breaking the fourth wall would not be appropriate in an opening as involved as an interrogation or active as a chase scene.

Narration:

We thought that dialogue and a soundtrack would be more effective and impactful than narration as we believed it would prevent the opening from being as engaging as we wanted it to be.

Camera shots/ angles:

As part of the initial stages, we only decided on one specific shot we wanted to use. We thought that having a close up shot of feet running towards the camera (the camera tracking backwards so they stay the same distance apart) would be an effective way of introducing the chase scene.

Target audience:

Our target audience is approximately 12+. This is because crimes, generally, appeal to and interest a large age group. However, due to the mild violence displayed even within the opening, it would not be suitable for a younger audience. In order to attract this audience Holly is creating a poster specifically designed for that age group.

06:49

In this lesson we had to watch this AS film sequence and analyse it against the mark scheme.
First we had to look at the film without the mark scheme and give it a score based on what we personally thought it got. We then exchanged scores as a class individually to learn what others rated it. I gave the clip a a mark of 55/60 under the level 4 bracket. When looking at the criteria I was surprised to notice very achievable targets such as using titles appropriately, using both sound and images in conjunction with editing techniques, shooting material according to task set, using editing affectively such as transitions and visual overlays. This particular film meets every success criteria well as the student has clearly thought about his style of filming and used effects such as the explosion of the bus with both 'sound" and "music" coherently. The student has also employed use of sophisticated Idents at the very beginning to suggest a more professional film outset as well as transitioning shots with fade in/out text. They have also used a variety of shot types: some steady such as the computer scenes and some more shaky such as the raw footage and bus scenes. With this combination we are more inclined to progress watching the film but its ultimate goal was to add a sense of realism, something it has achieved to a high standard.

01:52

Casting and characters- We originally planned to have four characters but have reduced to three. This was to ensure we remained within the restrictions of an opening and didn’t complicate things or exceed the time limit. Our characters are as follows:


Name- Dan
Age- 34
Profession- Dealing with criminals involved in cases such as theft, murder and suicide, he uses smart techniques and strategies to get as much information out of people as possible.
Likes- Violence and intelligence
Dislikes- Sarcasm, disloyalty
History- A decade working in crime, law and punishment, only child, left home at the age of 16 Personality traits- Quick thinking, sense of humour however is not afraid to use violence and aggressively as defence or punishment, sneaky and backstabbing
when needs be.
Influences- The army 3 words- Funny, sly, smart


We chose Charlie Frazer to play the role of "interrogator" as he suited the part physically and he has had acting experience. He also has a GCSE in drama and is currently doing a drama A-Level therefore he will be used to following a script and acting as any given role. In the interview, he came across as confident, calm and quite willing which is very important, we needed him to fit the character description and play the role convincingly.


Criminal
Name- John Barker
Age- 21
Profession- Drug dealer and smuggler
Likes- Adrenalin, fitness and fast cars
Dislikes- Relaxing and being second best at what he does
History- Been into drugs and alcohol since the age of 14, mother died a year later leaving him with nothing. He joined a gang soon after turning to a life of crime. Been arrested 3 times in the last 5 years.
Personality traits- Loyal, trustworthy, risk taking and curious
Influences- The people around him when he was younger and the life he lives in order to survive
3 words to describe them- Intelligent, subtle, fit


We decided to choose Tom Coath for the role of the "criminal" due to the fact he also has a background in acting and has a GCSE in drama. He is currently doing drama as an A- Level and was chosen because we found his acting mysterious, original and expressive. The way he worked fitted effectively with the chosen character brief and the fact that he was confident and active meant that he was not afraid to take risks when filming.


Detective
Name- Jess
Age- 30
Profession- Undercover detective
Likes- Fitness, small spaces, darkness, success
Dislikes- Loosing, rudeness, lying History- Originally worked as a spy however was spotted by Dan and she became his assistant, she has been working alongside him for just over 6 years and is able to predict his every move Personality traits- she will stop at nothing, adventurous, curious, forward thinking Influences- Her boss, her childhood and her previous job as a spy 3 words- Determined, sneaky, honest


For the role of "Detective", we cast an A-Level drama student called Meghan. We chose Meghan as she is also an A-level drama student meaning she can easily adopt the character and nature of a detective. Her acting career as been developed through schoo plays to larger drama performances on stage. However, she is keen to create new skills under the camera and broaden her skill set as a student.

05:06