Oliver Turner AS MEDIA: Initial Stages

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.