Planning - Costumes And Props

Peter Mulberry played by Ismail Khwaja

Peter is a business man who enjoys comfortable days with his children. So to build on his look he will be dress in casual wear. For example he will be dressed in a nice top and jeans,


Sarah Mulberry played by Kiah Grant

Is also in business and has just gotten back from work so she will be dressed in modern chic business wear and props will include household cooking equipment. For example pots and wooden spoons.


News Reporter played by Stella Akinwumni

As she is reporting a murder in the cold she will be wearing a suit with probably a jumper and scarf and coat.


Police Detective  played by Fraser Harrington

As he is a police detective he will be dressed in a suit and props include a notepad and pen.


Dead Body played by ????

Will have a cloth over the body.

Written and uploaded by Bibianna Fasogbon

Planning - Shot List

Shot No.	Scene No.	INT or EXT	Location	Shot Description	Support	Speech
1	1	EXT	In front of a park.	MS of news reporter.	Tripod	Dialogue to the camera
2	2	INT	Open space kitchen.	MS OSS of mother in the kitchen	Tripod	No Dialogue
3	2b	INT	Open space kitchen.	Walks into shot to become a just a MS	Tripod	No Dialogue
4	3	INT	Stair case	Pull out shot as he gets closer to the camera	Tripod	No Dialogue
5	3b	INT	Living room	MS of the wife becomes a TS	Tripod	Dialogue between Peter & the wife.
6	4	INT	Living room leading to the door.	TS to CU to OSS	Tripod	Dialogue from Peter to his wife
7	5	INT	Stairway	CU	Tripod	Dialogue from mother to children
8	6	EXT	Road	CU movement	Tripod	Voiceover
9	6b	EXT	Road into park	POV shot of park	Handheld	Voiceover
10	7	EXT	Park	OSS	Tripod	Dialogue between police officer and Peter.
11	8	EXT	Park	LS movement	Tripod	No dialogue
12	9	EXT	Park	SRS of peter staring and sitting on the brick wall and the commotion.	Tripod	No dialogue
13	10	EXT	Park	MS which then becomes a TS	Tripod	Dialogue between police man and peter
14	11	EXT	Park/Road	MS	Tripod	Peter walking away
15	11b	EXT	Road	ES with the film name	Tripod	No dialogue.

Planning - Script

Group Roles:
Written and uploaded by Ismail Khwaja

Research into similar films

Definitely Maybe

The studio is shown as: 0:00:02 showing the universal logo. A distribution company loo which is animated. 20 seconds is spent on presenting this. Website URL is also there.

0:00:20-0:00:32 present the makers of the film (production company- working title)

0:00:35-0:00:37 shows the universal pictures presents

0:00:46-0:00:48 in association with studiocanal

0:00:59-0:01:01 a working title production

0:01:41-0:01:45 an Adam brooks film (either producer or director)

0:01:48-0:01:53 the title appears firstly definitely followed by maybe

0:01:54-0:01:57 first named actor Ryan Reynolds

0:02:00 second actor name appearing

Mise-en-scene

First seen a formal envelope this gives off an office feel as if it’s very professional. A company sticker in the corner as if it came from a Currier Company. Also has a return address with three names on it which suggest it came from a solicitor. Also it’s located in New York. Also shows the main characters name ‘Mr William Hayes. This is all within 40 sec.

0:00:42 internally the office surroundings shows the type of job he has. For example in the corner you can see the logo for a breakfast food ‘Quaker’. Externally it shows some high class buildings and skyscrapers this suggests that his job is quite important/well paid as it is I a good area. The way in which he is dress shows that he has an office job with his formal clothes. For example his tie. His desk suggests that he has worked there for a while due to some personalised items. For example the chess piece. Also due to the fact that it looks ‘lived in’. Typical office chair with his blazer on the back.

0:00:55 shows divorce papers with his wife’s name Sarah Hayes.

0:01:02 shows a work colleague as she is dressed quite formally and in the background has other workers present. 

0:01:19 shows another chair suggesting that he works with clients

0:01:23 a change in scenery from interior to exterior. The time suggest mid-day. The building sixe is quite big suggesting that it popular.

0:01:34 props headphones and music player. His clothes have altered to a now causal appearance as he has loosened his tie.

0:01:42 yellow cab is a significant reminder of New York. A new prop bag on his shoulder.

0:01:50 iconic building landmarks the crysal building.

0:01:57 grand central station also traffic and other walkers suggesting the busy New York lifestyle.

0:02:00 51^st street often referred to in songs.

Sound

0:00:04 the universal has their trademark sound which goes with the logo this makes it recognisable.

0:00:33 murmur of the office noise this is called a sound bridge the takes us to whatever is going on to the next scene so it will continue into the next scene. Also footsteps as if someone is walking up in high heels.

0:00:39 a female voice saying ‘Hi, Will package for ya’ diegetic sound comes from the character. The emphasised thud of the package landing to add the importance to the package as it has a reference to the story. Also sounds negative like minor quite down suggesting it could be bad. It’s a Foley sound added sound.

0:00:42 sound bridge of him clicking his pen which then leads us to his face suggest that he is anxious. Another Foley sound of him throwing his pen down and it landing on the table.

0:00:51 Foley sound of him opening the envelop and taking the paper out.

0:00:53 voice over of the main character which gives us the setup of the story, it suggest he is quite a sarcastic person say ‘I don’t think anyone on their wedding day would image being part of the 46% that doesn’t live happily ever after.’ Internal narrator

0:01:06 a co-worker is excited that he got the Quaker account whilst he is upset as he got the divorce paper. This gives a sense of irony.

0:01:08 his response is hmm

0:01:16 further voice over which suggest he doesn’t like his job.’ Then again I never thought I spend my days, weeks and years working in an advertising agency trying to figure out how to make kids eat captain crunch instead of fruit loops.’

0:01:17 a resigned huff again suggesting he doesn’t like his job.

0:01:20 Foley sounds in the back but Tuesdays and Friday are my favourite days I get out of work early and I o pick up my daughter Maya from school now it’s a great a feeling that you find the right track to go with the day I have found the absolute perfect song. (The background noise goes as he puts the earphones in.) (A rap song plays suggesting humour which sets the genre) the other perfect song (an upbeat song plays suggesting a sense of joy and cheer) the song talk about how life can get you down (divorce papers) but it also is good (his daughter)

Camera work

0:00:39(3 seconds) CU of envelope

0:00:42 cuts to a MCU to be able to see the setting and to see his facial expression (4seconds)

0:00:47 cuts to a CU of the envelope (3secs)

0:00:50 tilts up to the main characters face to a CU & reaction shot (5secs)

0:00:55 CU POV shot of the divorce papers pushes in (4 secs)

0:00:59 cut on to words on dark screen. (1 sec)

0:01:01 a master shot (1sec)

0:01:02 MCU of the work colleague (4 secs)

0:01:06 close up shot of the main character (3secs)

0:01:09 cut back to the master shot of him at his desk (8 secs)

0:01:18 wide shot to show the environment of both internal and external (3secs)

0:01:21 first exterior shot track shot to the left to detect the character (4 secs) reverse tracking shot of him walking

0:01:25 over the shoulder should BCU arcs from one ear to the other

0:01:30 reverse angle shot and low angle shot. (3 secs)

0:01:33 CU of his hand with the music player (1sec)

0:01:34 shot reverse shot and a reaction shot to the music being wrong (1 sec)

0:01:35 reverse shot to the music playing (1 sec)

0:01:36 reverse shot to him (2 sec)

0:01:38 reverse shot back to the music player with slo mo effect (1sec)

0:01:41 split screen over the shoulder shot and a taxi cab. MCU of him crossing the road tracking shot. BCU of his head slow motion/BCU of his face with a crowd behind tracking shot. Foot shot. Shot of the sign. Basically 20 seconds of showing his journey to pick up his daughter.

Group Roles

Written & uploaded by Bibianna Fasogbon

Pitch - Audience Feedback/Action Plan

After the pitch we received feedback from our peers, lots of questions about our methods were asked and overall feedback was positive, the group seemed to like our idea and wanted to see what we could do with it.

Our Pitch: _____________________________

We were firstly given feedback on our title, at the time of the pitch the production did not have a title, Charlie gave us the suggestion of "Downward Spiral", which we decided to use as our title, it is appropriate to the genre of Drama/Thriller. The plot for the opening is of the murder of the protagonist's brother and if the production was to be full length then it would show the downward spiral of the protagonist after the death of his brother, battling bouts of depression and social issues.

Our second piece of feedback came from Toby, who asked us about how we would make the production believable, the murder was the main part in question. The actual murder would not be seen by the audience, only the aftermath. The believable aspect would come from the reactions of the family having just witnessed the news report regarding the brother's death. Another aspect that would be believable would be the details given in the news report, there would be police on scene and the body would not be on show, instead being covered by a sheet and investigated by forensics teams, similar to how the police would handle an actual murder scene. The news report itself was also questioned, news reports are not an easy thing to do , the recording of them is not the hardest part but editing it into the film, matching the size of a television screen and adding the various panels that news reports have is challenging. One possible solution for the issues with editing the news report is not showing the video but rather show a clip of the family watching the television with the audio from the news report playing, allowing for a reaction shot of the family.

Group Roles:
Written and Uploaded by Fraser Harrington

Research into similar films

Coach Carter Opening Title Sequence

This analysis will be based on the first 2 minutes of the film and with include the analysis of where the titles appear, mise-en-scene, sounds, camerawork and editing.

Titles

0:00:00-0:00:16: Show the production company 'Paramount' and there logo.

0:00:16-0:00:33: Then present that the film was made by MTV when showing  'MTV Films'

0:00:33-0:00:37: It sets up to then show 'Paramount Pictures Presents.'

0:00:37-0:00:51: Setting up again an MTV Film Production.

0:00:57: shows another production company 'a Tollins/Robbins' production

0:01:03: Then it starts to name actors; firstly Samuel L. Jackson suggesting the he the main or one the main characters

0:01:07: Then shows the title of the film Coach Carter.

0:01:13: Then shows another actor Robert Ri'chard.

0:01:16: Then shows the name of actor Rob Brown

0:01:18: Then names actress Ashanti

0:01:22: Then names actress Debbi Morgan

0:01:28: Names Vincent Laresca

0:01:30: Now the credits begins to double up names Rick Gonzalez & Antwon Tanner

0:01:33: Continues the double up with Nana Gbewonyo & Channing Tatum

0:01:35: Now introduces four names into the credits Denise Dowse, Mel Winkler, Ray Baker & Octivia Spencer

0:01:47: Starts to list the casting staff Sarah Halley Finn, c.s.a and Randi Hiller c.s.a

0:01:51: Shows music supervisor Jennifer Hawks

0:01:54: Music score by Trevor Rabin

That is the last credit seen in the opening two minutes.

Mise-en-scene

0:00:40 it scene opens with what it looks like a run street of shops with one shop that looks like it is successful with a man coming out of it. This suggest to me that the film is quite urban and is set in a low income area. This is also shown in the extra protect that is placed on the store at 0:00:48 as he then locks the door a draws a gate on top of that showing that the area is prone to burglary again emphasising the fact that it is a low income area. 

0:00:54 the scene shows young men playing basketball in a gym. Due to the uniform they are wearing I believe that it is an organised game perhaps a high school/college basketball team.

0:01:00 it goes back to the shop front street with the main character Samuel L Jackson going into his car. By the clothes that he is wearing it suggests that he does make a good amount of money as he is dressed professionally. Also by his car you can also gain information that he is a family man as you know that he gains quite a lot of money yet his car is not too 'flashy' suggesting that it is a family friendly car.

0:01:02 goes back to the educational institutions' school gym where the are again just playing basketball. Suggesting more and more each time that it is a high school gym.

0:01:13 Samuel L. Jackson then drives off in his car, This suggests that he has somewhere to be.

0:01:18 shows a news reporter doing a report on the basketball match.You can see this as he is talking directly to a camera, dressed professionally and has a microphone in his hand. This shows that the match has a somewhat importance.

0:01:28 shows Samuel L. Jackson quickly running out of his car and running quickly into a building. Again suggesting that the place in which he has to be in is quite important.

0:01:40 then shows a notice board of some sort saying 'tonight pre-season game Richmond v St. Francis.' this shows me the important place the main character needed to be in was a basketball game.

0:01:43 then shows an argument between the players. Suggesting a hostile and tense atmosphere and amnesty coming from both teams.

0:01:48 it shows the main character opening a door that says game tonight on a small piece of paper and a police officer standing by it. This suggest that the school has doesn't have much money and that the area/school crime rate is quite high due to the appearance of the man in the policeman uniform.

0:01:50 the main character then walks by a trophy cabinet full of trophies. Suggesting that the school extracurricular activity teams are quite successful.

0:01:55 it then shows him walking into the game that was seen in the previous scene confirming a correlation between him and the game.

That is the last scene within the two minutes.

Sounds

0:00:10 you hear the emphasised sound of the stars aligning.

0:0017 you then hear what it sound to be like a camera shots.

0:00:31 Untouchable by DMX ft Syleena Johnson again suggests the film is quite urban as this is a Rap R&B song. However the lyrics to this song are quite uplifting this kind of sets the tone for the film. suggesting that its going to be a film of adversity and how it is overcome.

0:00:52 another sound of camera shots as the titles show up

0:00:54 a swoosh sound as it goes into the next scene

0:00:57 another camera shot as another title appears

0:01:03 another camera shot as a title appears

0:01:07 then a swoosh sound as the name of the film appears.

0:01:11 cheering from the coach this suggest that his teams just score another point.

0:01:06 then a voice over of the news report. turns into just a report the basic dialogue talks about a sought after player making his successful debut.

0:01:25 an emphasis sound of the ball going through the hope. this suggest that the person the news reporter was talking about was the one who made the shot.

0:01:42 you can hear arguing from the same team members. this suggests that someone did something wrong.

0:01:54 a faint cheering which gets louder. This shows me that supports are cheering for their team and that we hear it from the the main character as the closer he gets the louder the cheering becomes.

0:01:57 the coach is saying advice to the players whilst they are playing suggesting that the game is becoming intense.

From 0:00:31 the music is still playing underneath all of the other sounds.

Camera Work & Editing

0:00:37 you see an establishing shot of the store fronts. This is to give an idea of where the film takes place.

0:00:48 cuts to a MS of the main character closing up his store.

0:00:54 a car passes him and then shows a MS of the young men playing basketball. This was a change from a cut to a transition. From there it then tracks the player until he shoots the ball.

0:01:01 it cuts back to a MS of the main character then tracks him going into his car.

0:01:02 cuts back to a LS of the young men playing basketball. Then an OSS CU of two young playing basketball. This transitions with a cut alongside a title. Is also a freeze frame

0:01:07 then a free frame of the man in an action shot and is slightly animated. Then a tracking shot of the ball going to another player. Then a pan shot as he shoots to the score board.

0:01:13 cuts back to the LS of the main character driving away. Then a tracking shot of the car.

0:01:17 then cuts to a CU of the news reporter (also OS) then it alternates between OS to POV shot when it focused on the news reporter.

0:01:23 a MS of one of the basketball players quickly turning into a tracking shot of the ball going into the hoop. This scene comes by cutting to it.

0:01:28 cuts to a LS of the main character gently running towards a buliding and a couple walking in to the frame. Then tracks the main character going towards the bulding

0:01:36 it then cuts to a CU frame which he walks into and out of and pans to the notice board.

0:01:43 MCU of the young boys arguing done by cutting to the scene.

0:01:46 cuts to a MS of most of the basketball players.

0:01:47 cuts to a MS of the main character being tracked into the hallway cuts then again continues to tracking him going into the gym

0:01:57 a MS turning into a LS of the young men playing basketball

0:01:58 quickly cuts to a MCU of the main character

0:01:59 SRS back to the player playing basketball.

Group Roles

Written and uploaded by Bibianna Fasogbon

Planning - Equipment List

Camera with Tripod – needed for camera stability

Microphone – News reporter and police officer

White sheet/cover – dead body

Forensics police tape – investigation

Fake blood – dead body

Pillows – to represent dead body

Sony Vegas – Editing Software

Group Roles:

Written by Fraser Harrington

Uploaded by Ismail Khwaja