Pre Production: My role as a Screenwriter

THE TASK To produce a screenplay for the teaser trailer of an upcoming British film

called Bloodline. For more information, please see the attached background information about Bloodline which includes the storyboard, synopsis etc.

PLOT SYNOPSIS

Bloodline is action film which resolves around a small family living in South London. The plot explores the extreme lengths that two sisters, Amber and Taylor have to go through in order to save the life of their father Paul. Unintentionally, the two girls are left with the pressure and responsibility to return a valuable memory stick to a notorious gang leader of the south London area. The data on this memory stick is worth a lot more than the health and safety of Amber, Taylor and Paul, as far as the gang leader is concerned. As well as being under strict time conditions, the girls are faced with many obstacles, trials and dead ends. The movie reveals how family values, loyalty and personality traits are tested.

DIGITAL PROGRAMMES I AM GOING USE TO PRODUCE THE

SCREENPLAY Screenwriting Pro: is a complete script-formatting solution that

represents a huge step forward for writers and filmmakers. With no software to install and no technical matters like upgrades to deal with, Screenwriting Pro allows me to focus on what really matters: writing the screenplay. I have chosen to use this script writing package because it has advanced features such as industry standard formatting and revision tracking which will allow me to create a detailed and through screenplay. A detailed screenplay will allow me to collaborate appropriately with my production team as the mise en scene, dialogue and camera angle will be specific. For example, I can work with the costume designer on creating the right look for the cast so that their wardrobe fits the storyline and their individual personality which will be represented through their dialogue.

A) WRITING A DRAFT FEATURE FILM SYNOPSIS FOR A 1 MINUTE EXTRACT

SCEENPLAY Using the storyboard and plot synopsis, I wrote a draft feature film synopsis of our 1 minute extract. I wrote a draft because I want to have a

guideline of what dialogue I thought matched the action it was portraying, I could then tweak words and phrases to create specific tones and attitudes of a characters voice. Also, the draft reminded me that due to this being teaser trailer, certain scenes are only going to be showed, thus I only had 3 scenes to produce a script for.

Script: Bloodline • Scene 7 [laughter pauses naturally, tender moment of affection with the eyes. Holding hands]Dad: “you girl’s are my world; we have to keep each other safe. We are family. Blood”[Emphasis on blood][All of the girls, looked touched]Girls : “ aww”

Scene 9Dad: [ panting heavily. Emotionally distressed][Hospital tone] Kidnapper/ Voiceover: [menacingly] “I’ve got your dad. If you want to see him again…. [Pause] memory stick. 6pm. Tower Bridge”Girl 1: “but wait…”[phone line goes dead]

Scene 16 Girl 2: “quick, quick!”[Two girls looking frantic]

The draft feature proved useful, as I have ideas that I would like to build on in terms of the dialogue, making it more detailed. I also want to use the software, Screenwriting Pro so that I can develop the screenplay ensuring that it is in the correct format before pitching I to the director.

B)REFINING THE SYNOPSIS AND DEVLEOPING THE SCREENPLAY, ENSURING

THAT IT IS IN THE CORRECT FORMAT After writing the first draft feature, I wanted to develop the screenplay through small changes

that would make it more effective and realistic so that when my actors/ actress read the script they get visual imagery about the action I want them to portray, I did this by refining the synopsis and focusing on the specific scenes that featured dialogue in the teaser trailer. I then decided to use the software, screenplay writing pro to ensure that it is in the correct format and give them impression of a real screenplay for a commercial trailer.

B)REFINING THE SYNOPSIS AND DEVLEOPING THE SCREENPLAY, ENSURING

THAT IT IS IN THE CORRECT FORMAT

The format tool helped me to ensure the screenplay was in the correct format, as it aligned the screenplay from left to right which is a typical convention that is used in formatting a script. It also helped me header and footer my script, which proved useful as I would know the chronological order of the script in agree with the storyboard, making sure that my script was coherent with the actions described. The reason I used screenwriting pro was because I wanted the format and layout of my script to be professional and skilled so that when presenting it to the cast and director it will give the impression of our production team being experts and skilled and also as a base for us producing a high quality, commercial trailer.

B)REFINING THE SYNOPSIS AND DEVLEOPING THE SCREENPLAY, ENSURING

THAT IT IS IN THE CORRECT FORMAT• Revised version [DARKNESS. The soft, eerie atmosphere of London’s bustling streets is the only sounds. Stockwell, London , Big townhouse ][Scene quickly cuts to a medium close up of 3 girls and a dad having lunch. ][Clashing of cutlery and plates. ][Laughter pauses naturally, tender moment of affection with the eyes. Holding hands]

Dad: “you girls are my world; we have to keep each other safe. We are family. Blood” [Emphasis on blood] [All of the girls, looked touched]

Girls: “aww”Quick fade to scene 9; reflects a change in narrative as months have passed. Dad: [panting heavily. Emotionally distressed][PHONE LINE GOES DEAD tone] Kidnapper/ Voiceover: [menacingly] “I’ve got your dad. If you want to see him again…. [Pause] memory stick. 6pm.

Tower Bridge”

Girl 1: “but wait…”[Phone line goes dead]Cuts throughout to next scene with dialogue: scene 19

Girl 2: “quick, quick!”[All of you looking frantic]

C) MODIFYING THE SYNOPSIS/ SCREENPLAY AS A RESULT OF DISCUSSION WITH DIRECTOR/

PRODUCER AND IN PRODUCTION & EXPLAINING WHY THE CHANGES WERE MADE

With the revised version and our initial storyboard, I then had a meeting with the director, Terri to discuss if the screenplay fitted the storyline in terms of narrative cues and also to see whether my initial ideas and drafts fitted her vision, thus we decided to use revised version of the screenplay for the auditions to see how the actors/ actress conveyed meaning through the dialogue. We did this because it was a easy and effective way to see if the dialogue matched the emotions, feelings and moods we wanted the characters to portray and also if the audience could use the dialogue as a narrative cue in following the storyline. We found that we had to adapt a few words of the screenplay so that meaning was conveyed clearly. For example, instead of using the initial line of “ I’ve got your dad” when the kidnapper is on the phone to the girls, his menacing tone would be more illustrated through a series of declarative and imperative sentences in a short, concise way. “ If you want to see your dad again. Memory stick. 6pm. Tower Bridge.” Me and Terri thought that this would help the audience follow the storyline more effectively. We also found that more detailed dramatic techniques were needed in the screenplay, as the actors/ actress needed a lot of visual imagery to embody the characters and genre of the narrative.

E) PRODUCING FINAL SCREENPLAYAfter, modifying the screenplay with the director’s input and vision and

testing through the auditions, I produced the final screenplay for Bloodline. My creativity came out here, as I imaginatively tried to place myself in the urban setting and storyline. I think this worked, as the script has features dialogue that the target audience can relate to due to it’s realism.

E) PRODUCING FINAL SCREENPLAYSCENE 7

[DARKNESS. THE SOFT, EERIE ATMOSPHERE OF LONDON’S BUSTLING STREETS IS THE ONLY DIGETIC SOUNDS]

The exterior of a large, modern, townhouse building on a affluent street called Elysian Fields in Inner London.

[Stockwell, London. PANNING SHOT OVER A LARGE TOWNHOUSE. ][Scene quickly cuts to a medium close up of 3 girls and a dad having lunch. All of them appear to represent the African Caribbean Ethnicity, the girls

appear to be stylish and vibrant. Father is a man of means, about 30 – 35 years old. Dressed in addidas tracksuit complete with Mike Jordans. They appear to be finishing up lunch]

[Clashing of cutlery and plates. ][Laughter pauses naturally, tender moment of affection with the eyes. Holding hands]

Dad: “you girls are my world; we have to keep each other safe. We are family. Blood” [Emphasis on blood] [All of the girls, looked touched]Girls: “aww”

[Quick fade to scene 9; reflects a change in narrative as months have passed. Lurid reflections appear on the walls around Paul.] The shadows are grotesque and menacing in form. The night is filled with inhuman voices like cries in a jungle. The shadows and lurid reflections move sinuously as flames along the wall spaces. Through the back wall of the rooms, which have become transparent, a hooded figure can be seen sitting on a chair, he is tied up.

Dad: [panting heavily. Emotionally distressed][PHONE LINE GOES DEAD tone] Kidnapper/ Voiceover: [menacingly] “I’ve got your dad. If you want to see him again…. [Pause] memory stick. 6pm. Tower Bridge”Girl 1: “but wait…”[Phone line goes dead]

Cuts throughout to next scene with dialogue: scene 19The dark blue sky shows around the bustling streets of Stockwell, which invests in the scene of urban, ghetto neighborhoods. The girls appear from round the corner, distressed and frantically panicking. Briskly walking toward the clock tower.

Girl 2: [ breathless] “quick, quick!”[All of you looking frantic]

REFLECTION

• My time as a screenwriter has been enjoyable. I enjoyed creatively writing a screenplay based on images and actions the director envisioned. It has made my creativity and eye for detail sharper which I think will be useful in production of the teaser trailer such as creating mise en scene through setting, colour and lighting and post production of the teaser trailer such as editing film stills and creating our taglines using originality and creativity.