The Wake Up - Conclusion of our film

Filming Process

Overall it has been fun and intriguing filming our psychological drama and have had no major problems technically, only the availability and arrangements involving the actors. We all worked very well together as a group and took equal turns filming throughout. While this was a strength of our production, the weakness would be the struggle to find actors who had availability at the same as each other and if we hadn't missed the train on our original filming day but we worked with what we could and did the best we could; also happy with the outcome from our efforts. 

Colour

With reference to colour in our film as one of the requirements, our first decision was to give each of the lead characters a colour that they would wear. For example, Lucy’s character was originally meant to wear clothes that were purple such as a purple work shirt and eyeshadow/makeup. However, we struggled to get all of this arranged but we had the character wearing purple nail varnish which is represented in a close up of her unconscious in Grindleford. We researched the meaning behind the colour purple and found it to mean a variety of things such as nobility and wealth, so we implemented this slightly as Rachel would want to bring weakness to Jess. Zoe’s character, Rachel, was given the colour green as this can signify envy and even though our actor wore a blue skirt that may come across as a deliberate colour plan, her colour was meant to be green which is seen on her fingernails during a close up of behind her as she peers round a tree at Jess.

Another colour change we included was in the post-production when the scene where Jess wakes up. We decided to have this featuring a colour change to signify the confusion the  character is experiencing and changed the Grindleford shot to a slightly pink tone.

Lighting

In terms of the lighting, we filmed in quite a bright location in the office scenes and although we originally were going to film in Grindleford during dull days, due to timing we filmed when we could. Although we were lucky enough to have clear weather we edited it slightly to look slightly darker to connote the dramatic ambience. Our lighting change occurs when Jess has got up after waking from her unconsciousness and we see the sun shine brightly behind her head. This adds a juxtaposition to the dramatic theme as audience would associate the sun with happiness and optimism. However, the juxtaposition adds a sense of drama as we expect the narrative to take a twisted turn. We also found it an attractive shot of the sun shining above Jess’ shoulder, as it shines over her. Originally, we wanted to film in darker and foggier conditions but the day consisted of sun throughout most of it so we had to work with what we got.

Sequence shot/Long Take

When Jess is walking up a hill as she finds herself in the woods, we see Rachel walking behind slowly without her realising. However, through our sequence shots and in post-production, we see Jess turn around after a close up of her face, to find Rachel has disappeared. This is to connote the mystery and drama of the film and causes the audience to question where the narrative is going. This is also a long shot as they are walking up to hill, to build tension in the scene. I found it interesting to include this as our sequence shot as it adds to the confusion that Jess has while figuring out what happened to her and where she is.

Point of View

Our film features point of view in both the office and Grindleford scenes and I found it very interesting to film through this technique. The first time we see a character’s point of view is Zoe’s character, Rachel, as she is watching Jess having a phone conversation in an office. We see Rachel peering through the door and then the camera changes to film Jess; signifying the first person point of view. Then, we use this technique again in Grindleford as Rachel peers around a tree as Jess wakes up from her unconscious state. We also use this film technique when Jess is waking up, as we see her through a scene that is hazy and connotes dizziness and confusion. We wanted to signify to the audience how each character was feeling emotionally and their physical states through their point of view.

Editing the film

It was difficult to find a time that all of us in the group were available to sit down and edit so Alex offered to edit while he had the time. We were all keen to go in and help but half of us had work and other were struggling to quickly deal with a problem on another module's project. During Alex's editing session however, I went in to offer any help and I colour corrected some of the office scenes. I was keen to help out with the edit and also get my hands on the colour corrector tools as I hadn't been properly shown before how to use them.

 Alex helped me by telling me what looks good in terms of warm tones and colder tones and I feel I managed to colour correct to present the film in a nice light. I also helped Alex decide which colour to put the 'waking up from unconsciousness' scene as he had brilliantly edited it so that a wide shot is out of focus and represents someone waking up in a daze very cleverly. We both thought about the colours to use in this scene and felt a slightly pink tone would signify the colour change; another requirement for the film. We made sure the film included the 4 key requirements: colour, lighting, point of view and sequence shot. The film is now called 'The Wake Up'.

Filming in Grindleford

We originally planned to film on the Friday a week ago but when we were waiting at the train station for our actress, Lucy, she arrived with only 2 minutes until the train departed and therefore we missed it. Due to the next one being late afternoon we had to cancel filming as our scenes would look too dark and had to contact Brian to cancel the filming shoot, which we were quite annoyed about due to the deadline approaching quickly.

However, the actors still had trouble with availability at the same time so we had to rewrite the script and alter the narrative to feature a female kidnapper and no colleague at the end of the film. We also changed the part including a car and Jess being knocked out so decided to have her drink spiked by the female worker so that she falls into unconsciousness.

Lucy is playing our female lead: Jess.

Zoe is playing our female kidnapper/killer: Rachel

We took a morning train to make sure it wasn't dark lighting at Grindleford and we were lucky enough to have a bright, clear day apart from a few moments of hailstone but they occurred after we finished filming for a few minutes. Overall the filming that day went very successful! We arrived late morning/early afternoon and walked to the location that the others had spotted on the recce shoot where there was quite a big tree; where Jess would wake up from her unconsciousness. Due to the roles being shared we decided to film a scene or two each and Alex was the first to film the scenes where Jess wakes up. He filmed this in a few close up shots as well as wide shots, as we wanted to include a variety of angles in our finished piece. I took on the role of sound recorder for a few scenes and allowed me to strengthen my skills with the Zoom, as it was an area I had previously felt less confident in. For the close up of Jess laying on the floor, her fingers were filmed close up to show her purple nail varnish; which was the specific colour that she wears that signifies [-----l.

Hannah was the next one to film the scenes of Rachel looking at Jess from behind a tree. She used a shoulder rig to create smooth shots and this scene featured Rachel's hand being seen; where the camera was behind the character and another scene shot from Rachel's point of view. This is to comply with one of the module's requirements to include point of view. This was also to create tension as Jess is unaware of the character's whereabouts at this point. We also see the bright/yellowy green nail varnish Rachel wears, the other colour to signify her character as jealous; something we researched while creating the characters.

Sarah filmed the next scenes when we see Jess walking around her surroundings, through the trees and up a hill; where in the edit we will see Rachel's character walking behind her but when Jess turns around her character has disappeared; creating mystery and drama.

I filmed the moment when Jess was face to face with Rachel and used to shoulder rig to film from behind Jess' shoulder, moving backwards as she did to signify the weakness compared to Rachel's dominating character. It took a few attempts to film while walking backwards as the floor had many rocks and logs that caused me to fall over but we got there in the end! I got used to the shoulder rig as it was new for me and I also filmed parts of the fight scene between the two characters.

As we were leaving to catch the train back to Sheffield, Alex filmed some wide shots of the location and one of them would be used for the moment Jess wakes up  in a haze. We also wanted to take advantage of the beautiful scenery in the clear weather while we could. Overall it was a very successful day as we managed to film everything we wanted in around 3 hours with no problems at all.


Unfortunately I was unable to attend the filming day for the office scenes however it went successfully for the rest of the group and there were no major problems at all throughout the day.

Adapted Script

Due to the actors' availability not being at the same time we had to re-write and adapt the script to include another female replacing the male kidnapper/killer

INT. OFFICE- MORNING

CUJess typing on keyboard

JESS (22) is an office worker with long ashy blonde hair, she has a northern accent and is often told how common she sounds. She's about 5,4" and very well dressed for her mediocre job. She's well kept and always wearing a shade of purple. Today it's her nail varnish and bracelets. She has smart clothes on and a lot of make up on for the type of she does.

The sound of typing fades out.

The sounds of screams fade in.

INT. OFFICE - AFTERNOON

MCU Jess talking with colleague

JESS

God, last night was absolutely amazing, the best night I’ve had in such a long time!

Jess’ coworker nods in agreement whilst drinking her coffee, but does not speak.

JESS

I’m so glad I went out, it cheered us both up. John was telling me about his bitch of a wife and how she’s always working and never having any fun. Having said that mind, she’s like that in the office – I don’t think I’ve ever seen her with a smile, stupid woman. Oh well, atleast he’s rid of her now

Jess’ coworker chuckles in agreement. Little to their knowledge, John’s wife, Rachel, is stood in the doorway, watching Jess with hatred. Her eyes are burning with anger. SLOW ZOOM AND A PULL FOCUS shows her position in the office.

She is very smartly dressed, with a green bracelet. She has a tired, run down appearance as if she has been overworked. Her uniform is creased as if she has been living in it and appears slightly older than her actual age.

CLOSE UP ON CLOCK

CLOSE UP on Jess, as she takes a sip of coffee from a large takeout cup in front of her.

She leans back in her chair casually, leaning her legs against the desk – clearly not doing any work.

POV from Rachel’s point of view - we see Jess in this position, as she takes another sip of her coffee. She watches everything that she does, then smiles to herself as she comes up with a plan.

MS Jess is sitting texting on her phone now, preoccupied. Rachel reaches in her pocket and pulls out a small white tablet.

LOW ANGLE reveals Rachel is smiling down at it, clearly planning something.

Jess’ phone vibrates suddenly, making her jump. She answers it straight away, but leaves her coffee on the desk as she walks away, chatting on the phone – again loudly about last night’s antics.

 SEQUENCE SHOT shows a wide shot of the desk with the steaming coffee cup in the middle, then follows Rachel’s movements from the doorway to the coffee cup. She looks around her, checking she is alone several times as she carries out the movement – first, taking the lid of the cup – then thinking for a second, before dropping the tablet into the coffee, rushing as she places the lid back on as she hears Jess on the phone – obviously near the office door and returning. She walks away quickly, back to her own desk. Sound of her shoes quickly tapping away as she does so.

MCU of Rachel sitting at desk, peering over at the coffee cup. She waits.

INT. OFFICE

Jess slowly paces back to her desk, checks the time on a watch and sits down, placing her legs on the table again. She appears happy, as if she has just had a great phone conversation. She picks up the coffee cup and takes a large gulp, before yawning and taking out her phone to text again.

CU. Rachel at desk – smirking. She types quickly as to look like she is busy working.

CU. Clock – we see time has passed – around half an hour.

MCU. Jess as she begins to clear her throat.  Then she puts her hand to head, as if slowly becoming unwell but trying to fight hard to shake it off.

POV. Jess as her vision blurs – camera out of focus. Sounds of panicking, trying to ask for help and then nothing. Blackness.
 

INT. Office.

We see Rachel’s car keys on the desk next to her. She grabs them, scraping them across her desk making a sound before picking them up in a fist.

Rachel logs off her computer, pushes her chair in neatly to the desk and double checks one last time that Rachel is passed out.

Jess has her head and hands on the desk, unconscious.

FADE TO BLACK:

EXT. FORREST.

CU Jess is lying on the floor, she has dirt on her face and leaves in her hair. Her make up is smudged. A TRACKING shot shows her lying in the dirt, visibly in need of help. For now she looks like she’s dead.

Rachel’s POV we can see Jess lying in the dirt, in the same position as the last shot. This shot is behind a tree like someone is hiding behind it as if not to be seen. This persons hand is on the tree, it is Rachel’s. We know this because she wears the same coloured nail varnish we saw before.  

CU Jess is in the same position. Time has passed - the blood has dried in her hair and her hair is more ruffled. She suddenly wakes up, groans loudly slowly, coming to - and is sniffling from the cold. As she tries to rise the camera ZOOMS OUT she eventually gets up and rubs her face, confused, making struggling sounds (as if waking up after a very bad night’s sleep.)

Clearly distressed, she starts to cry. She gathers herself and quickly gets up to run for help, struggling to do so. A TRACKING shot follows her. From over her shoulder we see Rachel appear from behind the tree. She stands there still, just staring at Jess.

Jess looks over and sees Rachel from the office, who she now knows attacked her. She is shocked by this and screams.

CU Rachel is laughing, a mean cackle that is loud -but no actual dialogue comes out. Her eyes appear evil, but content at what she has done. She smiles to herself, a mean grin.

MS Jess looks over her shoulder again, panicking and hyperventilating. Her hair gets into her eyes and she trips over and she scrambles in the dirt to try and get back up -  but a ZOOM OUT reveals Rachel over her and she drags her by her hair. A CU shows the rock in her hand.

CU shows Jess’s feet struggling to get back up and her legs moving with her heels digging into the dirt. All of a sudden her legs drop and she’s still. Her feet then slowly start to move away from the camera.

MS shows Rachel struggling to drag something along the forest and a CU shows her pulling on a girl’s hands with purple nail varnish on and purple bracelets and the sound of dragging along the dirt and dried leaves.

CU Jess' feet hanging above the ground to signify death/the murder

FADE TO BLACK:

Sequence shots: Long Good Friday final scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9SG-zYvPjk

One of the films I watched at university was The Long Good Friday which features a very powerful and successful long shot at the end of the film. Audiences see the male lead, Harold, confident in his success against other enemies yet as he gets into a car and finds it to be those against him taking him hostage, there is a very long shot to end the film. This shot lasts at least 25 seconds and the close up shows all of the emotion in the character's face as he realises his defeat; we see his shock, confusion and anger all in this very long shot. We also see a long shot of the enemies in the front of the car giving him angry stares but also full of confidence that they defeated him.

Lighting - Raging Bull (1980)

http://youtu.be/5wwItkoapuA

Raging Bull features a fight scene in the boxing ring, where lighting is cleverly used to dramatises and create a fantastic scene in the film. As the boxers hit each other, the film is black and white throughout, however bright lights are used to signify certain moments such as camera flashes. The scene slows down and as Sugar Ray Robinson is standing in front of Jake, the camera goes to quite a low angle with bright lights either side of Robinson; this signifies his power and strength he has over Jake. This also foreshadows the events where Robinson defeats him at the end of the match and is a very clever way of using lighting to represent a powerful moment in cinema.

Lighting - Matilda (1994)

http://youtu.be/REkalwqS3a8

In this scene for Matilda, we see her laying in bed after being told to when she spoke back to her strict father. As we are aware that she is not a misbehaving child and witness the offputting attitudes of her parents, she lays in her bed angry and wanting revenge. Her bedroom begins dark to signify night time yet when she gets an idea the lighting brightens the room and connoting this revelation of what action she should take. It also signifies the change in daytime; speeding up the process of night to day in the film through post-production.

Colour - Amelie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sECzJY07oK4

Amelie is also a very well known film that I love, which uses colour to signify certain meanings in it's film. The film consists mainly of reds and greens, as we see the main character, Amelie, wearing these colours throughout. These colours create a warm tone and as we get to know her character, we find that all Amelie wants is love; from family as well as romantically. Therefore the red that she is seen wearing connotes the love and passion that she contains yet not one at first to receive it. However, the shades of green also signify a sense of purity and a calm ambience and fits in with the characteristic of Amelie being a calm and lonesome character.
I love how this film can feature in few colours yet they make such a big impact and work throughout the narrative.

Point of View: Blair Witch Project (Apology)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z66RpatHajQ

In this video we see the female character filming herself as she is terrified of the events going on and this signifies a first person point of view but through the camera. As i was researching point of view techniques in films, I came across The Blair Witch Project and found it interesting how characters using a camera also shows the audience the character's point of view as they are looking through the lens. However, this scene features the character filming herself rather than being behind the camera and creates a powerful impact on the horror film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkoNw8kk_Ng

Another scene in the film show a male character filming the other 2 leads through the camera previously mentioned and this shows the audience his point of view, even though he is using a camera. This still allows us to see his point of view and the characters are essentially looking at him rather than the camera, as they are overtly frightened and frustrated at the events occurring in the film's narrative.

Lighting: Pulp Fiction (Suitcase)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE9Qm8mShik

Throughout this film we are made to question what is in the contents of a suitcase, and Tarantino cleverly signifies the amazement and mystery of the object as a light is seen shining from the suitcase. Rather than leaving characters to stare in awe at the suitcase's contents, Tarantino dramatises the mystery by including the bright light and forces the audience to question what the mysterious object is.

Colour: The Wizard of Oz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6D8PAGelN8

In a very impressive and truly life changing film that changed technicolour of cinema, was The Wizard of Oz. As Dorothy and her dog began the film in Kansas in a monotonous colour throughout, she enters the Land of Oz in a multicolour dimension. This was a huge film change as technicolour had just been introduced and it signifies the wonderful nature and 'daydream' like state of Oz. This film is perfect for analysing colour as it features a with that has green skin, a yellow brick road and ruby slippers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IErqIMLwtQ

The Wicked Witch is given green skin to connote her envy and jealousy towards Dorothy and is a clever juxtaposition against the cheerfully bright yellow brick road and attractive colours of the land of Oz. In contrast, Dorothy is given a pair a bright red dazzling shoes which are of great significance throughout the film, as they have magical powers too that send her home. Red is often associated with power or love and also beauty; creating an admirable character. These red shoes are also significant in their colour throughout the film as everyone is also aware of their power. We also see the yellow brick road, as it’s named, as a bright yellow road that connotes the sense of success due to it’s colour and we see the characters walking along this road to find success. We also associate the colour yellow with happiness and optimism, as we also see Dorothy meeting friends along this road.

Actors - casting and difficulties

For our male lead/kidnapper we had an actor called Velton however we came across many difficulties to casting actors for our project as a number of events occurred, such as his son becoming ill therefore not being able to make shoots and difficulty finding a female actress free at the same times as Velton. Due to the project's deadline requiring us to film as soon as we could we decided to look for another male actor as Velton's availability was limited so we put up another application onto Star Now.

Eventually we cast Brian as our kidnapper lead and his profile can be seen below:
http://www.castingcallpro.com/uk/view.php?uid=662435

We also cast a female, Zoe, to play the female lead however she had been offered a paid job opportunity on the day that we would have filmed and as this was a priority we had to rearrange. We then found an actor called Lucy who was keen to play our female lead and planned a filming day in Grindleford with both of the actors; Brian and Lucy.

Production Report

For our cinematography piece, Sarah, Hannah, Alex, Emily and I will create a psychological thriller. We are all in favour of a dramatic narrative and this genre will allow us to experiment with various camera angles and editing techniques. For example, fast paced moving shots to connote fear in the character and edit the exposure of the shot to a specific colour tone; signifying the mood of the scene. I will discuss the technical elements of our film subject but as a general outline our film is based on a workplace where the colleagues are going missing one after another but others at the office see it as laziness rather than suspicious activity. The female lead is filmed having a conversation with another worker about the ‘absent’ women and the male lead is in the background of the frame eavesdropping; this is to make viewers question his role in the film.

The film opens with a mid-close up shot of the female lead, Jess’, hands typing on an office computer. The camera will only show her hands in the frame, which have purple nail varnish on and throughout the film viewers will see the colour purple as a repetitive motif for Jess. From research we found that the colour purple can signify mystery and we wanted to have a constant colour throughout the narrative as an enigma code.  In various other scenes Jess will wear some item of clothing, make up or jewellery that is purple, such as a blouse or eyeshadow. The next scene will appear more natural as it shows the conversation at work between Jess and a colleague discussing the absences of other workers. John will also be in the frame but unnoticed by the girls as they have their conversation. He will look mysterious as he overhears their conversation and this will invite the audience to anticipate the role of this character.

The next scene will show Jess walking home in bad weather/dark lighting conditions and John drives up beside her asking if she wants to have a lift home. Although he has an unusual persona, she agrees to the lift due to the conditions she is walking home in. During the sequence shot in the car, Jess is talking constantly but John will not say a word; emphasising his mysterious and uncomfortable character even further. We will explore with different points of view in this film, such as the opening scene with Jess typing and as John drives beside her walking home we will see the camera from his perspective looking at her through the window. This is to allow the audience to experience the film through each character’s eyes and may create an uncomfortable feeling for the audience; in a good way, as they see the antagonist’s point of view. During the sequence shot John gets restless with Jess’ constant conversation so he punches her and makes her unconscious. The next scene sees her wake up in a forest; an establishing shot in Grindleford wood, where she looks around dazed and confused. The shot will begin close up and unfocussed which then focusses as she regains consciousness and wonders where she is. The establishing shot will signify how isolated Jess is from the usual busy city life she is used to.

As she regains her energy and consciousness she begins to walk away but John tries to convince her to stay. The next scene is another establishing shot of the trees but this time Jess is nowhere to be seen. There will be no characters in the frame; only the trees but through the soundscape the audience will hear a female’s scream and then atmos sounds, such as streams running and leaves rustling. This is to create tension and shock yet due to no event being witnessed this causes viewers to create scenarios of what has happened.  The lighting for this shot will be made darker in the edit than the day that we film; this is to create a duller lighting in the wood and a more dramatic theme. Next, we see a close up shot of a female’s feet, presumably Jess’, swinging backwards and forward as if she has been hung. One of her shoes will not be on her foot; to signify weakness and remind audience when she tried to walk away/escape earlier and a shoe fell off. We will experiment with different lighting for this shot to create a dramatic and thrilling effect for example a black and white shot could make the scene even more effective and stand out to the viewers or an unfocussed shot may be just as effective.  We will also have John walk away in the background of the frame so the audience are invited to make connections between what they have just seen and the character’s role in the crime. These past two scenes are purposely meant to shock the audience and we will use various camera angles and editing techniques to carry this out.

In the next scene,  a similar frame to the beginning where two employers from the office are having a conversation about the absence of Jess. This repetition of scenery causes the audience to think about the previous events they have witness and remind them of the beginning of the narrative; working out the pattern of events. As with Jess wearing something purple throughout the film, as a repetitive motif, we will have one of the females in this scene also wearing a specific colour just as Jess did. This is a similar film idea that Hitchcock carried out in Vertigo; where the first female character wore red and then the second female who is meant to be similar to the first female (who caught the male lead’s attention) wears green clothing. The final scene sees one of the female characters walking home, in darkened conditions similarly to Jess at the beginning of the narrative,  and John drives up beside her as he did at the beginning. The film will close with the audience wondering whether  the absences of past employers at the company being due to John and if this next girl will be his next victim.

Sequence Shots and Long Takes class exercise - Pulp Fiction Script

Different approaches filming the Pul Fiction Cafe Script scene.

We were given a script from a scene in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 'Pulp Fiction' and learnt ways to film the scene within our groups. We used a clapper board at the beginning of the shot to indicate the scene and take number. We also experimented with using a clapper board at the end of the scene if we weren't able to use it at the beginning, for example filming from above a cup at a bird's eye view.

We used XF 305 cameras and I have used this camera before on my own project and felt comfortable getting used to the settings and use of it. These cameras are known to be used in the industry and can create shots such as the 'Dolly Zoom' originally in Hitchcock's films where the subject remains still while the background appears to be moving. Although we attempted this move in our filming practice we coudn't quite master it yet.

Storyboards

We each designed a storyboard each for 2 specific scenes in the film and unfortunately due to me losing all of my university notes in a taxi after returning some camera equipment, I don't have a screen print of the storyboard. However, my 2 scenes were:

1. Establishing Shot with the sound of a girl's scream heard
2. Close up of Jess' feet hanging (to signify death)

I drew these 2 roughly into the storyboard and wrote details about the lighting and camera angles. In the first scene there would be an establishing shot of the forest in Grindleford after we see Jess being confronted by her kidnapper after waking up in the woods. This shot will make the forest look peaceful and attractive but the sound of a female's scream, which would be Jess' will juxtapose this relaxing scenery. 

Storyboard 1:

Location - Grindleford

Actors - None visible

Shot Type: Wide, establishing shot

Dialogue: Jess' scream

In the second scene it will be a close up of Jess' feet slowly swinging and above the ground; signifying her death. We felt this would be a very powerful scene  to connote the drama in our psychological drama film and there would be no sound apart from atmos in the background, for example a river. 

Storyboard 2

Location - Grindleford

Actors - Jess (her feet)

Shot type - Extreme/Close up

Dialogue - N/A

Recce shoot in Grindleford

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the recce shoot in Grindleford due to family commitments but I kept in touch with my group that day to ask if it went well and how the location looked. The photos they had brought back were beautiful and definitely made me satisfied with filming in this location.
The colours were so vibrant and would create a stunning backdrop and centre stage for our film. There were so many possible opportunities for us to film in between the trees and they still looked visually effective and admiring. There was one specific tree that was slightly bigger than the others that we are going to film our Grindleford scene. Alex Kentfield took these photos from the recce shoot:

Script

INT. OFFICE- MORNING       

CU Jess typing on keyboard

JESS (22) is an office worker with shoulder length ashy blonde hair, she has a northern accent and is often told how common she sounds. She's about 5,4" and very well dressed for her mediocre job. She's well kept and always wearing a shade of purple. Today it's her nail varnish and bracelets. She has smart clothes on and a lot of make up on for the type of she does.

The sound of typing fades out.

The sounds of screams fade in.

INT. CANTEEN- AFTERNOON

MCU Jess talking with colleague

JESS (O.S)

I mean she's still not come in, I wonder what’s happened to 'er. She'll be getting the sack if she's not careful.

Jess’ coworker nods in agreement whilst drinking her coffee.

SLOW ZOOM AND A PULL FOCUS shows another one of Jess’s coworkers face.

Jess’s coworker JOHN (34) is another office worker, he is un kept and his shirt is creased around his belly from where he has been sat all day. He’s a little over weight but not too much. He’s average looking with dark hair but looks as though it will start to thin in the next few years.

INT. OFFICE- LATE AFTERNOON

CU Jess typing on keyboard

INT. OFFICE- EVENING

POV from John’s point of view we see Jess putting her coat on. His desk is across the room from Jess so he can see everything she does.

MS Jess is getting her things together to go home for a weekend off. She gets her coat and scarf on suggesting it’s an autumn night and cold outside.

EXT. BUS STOP- LATE EVENING

LS Jess is waiting on the right hand side of a bus stop. She’s pulling her scarf up around her face. She keeps checking her watch and looking out into the road.

ZOOM IN the bus stop is now the full frame of the shot. Coming in from the right of the screen a car pulls up in front of Jess.

MS of cars passenger window. John is in the car talking to Jess, the audience hears nothing but muffled speech as if listening through the glass. You can see Jess smiling and nodding and her leaving the frame.

ZOOM OUT to see the entire car. We see Jess appears from left of the frame and gets into the car. The car moves off out of the frame.

INT. CAR- LATE EVENING

MS the back of the car we can see Jess talking to John but he is facing forward and is silent. Every so often we can see his eyes in the rear view mirror.

JESS (O.S)

I mean I still can’t believe

she’s still getting away with

not coming in. If you or I did

that we’d be sacked on the spot.

I always thought something was going

on between her and Sanderson.

MS John is fidgeting and moving about on his seat. He pulls his tie to loosen it.

JESS (O.S)

Cos she always got away with not

doing reports on time and she

bats her eyelashes and one of us

has to pick up the slack. Do you

mind if I put the radio on.

MS before John answers we see Jess put it on and dance music comes on. Jess sings loudly and badly to the song. Before she can finish her ballad John turns off the radio forcefully.

JESS (O.S)

Sorry, I just love that song

it’s on all the time when I go

out with my mates. I love going

out, especially after a week

of this shit. Sorry. I’m

going out tonight, gunna get

wreck-

MS before Jess finishes her sentence John punches Jess in the face and we see her go out cold.

FADE TO BLACK:

EXT. FORREST- NIGHT.

CU Jess is lying on the floor, she has dirt on her face and leaves in her hair. There is a bruise and cut on her face from where john has punched her. A TRACKING shot shows her lying in the dirt, her tights ripped and she’s missing a shoe. For now she looks like she’s dead.

FADE BACK IN:

EXT. FOREST- DAY.

POV we can see Jess lying in the dirt, in the same position as the last shot. This shot is behind a tree like someone is hiding behind it as if not to be seen. This persons hand is on the tree, they are a mans hands.

CU Jess is in the same position. Her bruise is very visible now and the blood has dried in her hair. She suddenly wakes up, she groans loudly and is sniffling from the cold. As she tries to rise the camera ZOOMS OUT she eventually gets up and pats her face where she has been hit. She’s clearly distressed and starts to cry. She gathers herself and quickly gets up to run for help. A TRACKING shot follows her. From over her shoulder we see John appear from behind the tree. She looks over and sees the man who attacked her she screams.

CU John is panting all ready but is not giving up chase. He grunts and shouts but no actual dialogue comes out. The sweat is visible on his brow.

MS Jess looks over her shoulder again and her hair gets into her eyes and she trips over and she scrambles in the dirt to try and get back up but a ZOOM OUT reveals John over her and he drags her by her hair. A CU shows the rock in his hand.

CU shows Jess’s feet struggling to get back up and her legs moving with her heels digging into the dirt. All of a sudden her legs drop and she’s still. Her feet then slowly start to move away from the camera.

MS shows John struggling to drag something along the forest and a CU shows him pulling on a girl’s hands with purple nail varnish on and purple bracelets and the sound of dragging along the dirt and dried leaves.

FADE TO BLACK:

INT. CANTEEN- LATE MORNING.

FADE BACK IN:

MCU HANNAH talking with colleague.

HANNAH (24) is an office worker. She has long non dyed brown hair with a purple flower in in. She has the same shade purple over her eyelids. She wears a knee length skirt with a blouse tucked in. Very smart looking. Flat shoes on and black tights.

HANNAH (O.S)

I’ve still not heard from Jess.

We were supposed to be going out

Friday night but she never texted me. She’s probably got

this bug that’s going around the office.

Hannah’s coworker nods whilst blowing at her mug.

SLOW ZOOM AND A PULL FOCUS shows another one of Hannah’s coworker. It’s John, he’s back in work and a CU shows a smirk on his face whilst stirring his coffee and picking it up to drink.

INT. OFFICE- EVENING

POV from John’s point of view we see Hannah putting her coat on. His desk is right opposite from Hannah.

MS Hannah is getting her coat and scarf on. She smiles to John and leaves.

EXT. BUS STOP. EVENING.

LS Hannah is sat in a bus stop waiting for a bus.

ZOOM IN the bus stop is now the full frame of the shot. Coming in from the right of the screen a car pulls up in front of Hannah.

MS of cars passenger window. John is in the car talking to Hannah, the audience hears nothing but muffled speech as if listening through the glass. You can see Hannah shaking her head and John continues to talk to her. She then nods and she leaves the frame.

ZOOM OUT to see the entire car. We see Hannah appears from left of the frame and gets into the car. The car moves off out of the frame.

EXT. FOREST. MORNING.

CU OF FEET HANGING. THEY HAVE ONE FLAT SHOE ON AND BLACK RIPPED TIGHTS.

FADE TO BLACK:

CREDITS ROLL.  

Lesson on Light

In this seminar Mark taught us about many aspects to light involved in films, such as the refraction of light. We were taught 6 qualities of light which are:

1. Intensity
2. Quality (hard light: produces a hard shadow whereas soft light: produces softer shadows)
3. Direction
4. Spread (e.g floodlight, localised, spotlight)
5. Colour Spread
6. Duration

We received a handout with information all about different lighting techniques and terms, for example dappled light is used to describe the light that goes through trees.

We then moved onto specific lighting equipment, where Mark taught us specifics such as specific equipment on light, such as 'barn doors', controlling the spread of the light we use in our films. On film sets, lights are referred to as 'fictures' and extra time is need to set them up to create the desired look on camera.

Hard light - produces - hard shadow
Soft light - produces - soft or no shadow

A bulb is also know as a bubble and Mark also taught us about shadows with lighting; for example the closer an object is to the white screen the harder the shadow. Dimmers are used to reduce the intensity of light which could help with creating a 'softer' atmosphere in a film scene.

300-500 watts = Mazar/Masar
150 watts = inky dinky/inky
1K = pup
2K, 5K, 10K

Lights also use coloured gels and Neutral Density gels reduce the intensity of light and these are attached to the barn doors with metal clips or wooden pegs; also know as C47s. Diffusion material i also used to make a hard light softer.

Idea

When we all met up to discuss ideas, we came up with the idea of a psychological drama as this is a genre that would allow us to experiment with various camera angles and techniques. We created the idea of a female lead that worked in an office style occupation and ended up becoming the latest victim of a kidnapper/killer who also works for the same company. The idea begins with the girl having a conversation with someone about how another female colleague hasn't turned up to work for a while and the kidnapper is seen in the background of the frame who happens to be listening into the conversation subtly.

Then, we decided there should be a scene where something begins the dramatic turn of events such as the female lead being offered a lift home with the kidnapper which then becomes the scene iwth the disequilibrium. Something dramatic happens in the scene and we had the idea of the kidnapper beign silent throughout the car journey to create a sense of awkward tension and eventually knocks out the female lead.

The location will then change to Grindleford as the female lead wakes up from her unconscious state and they are no where to be seen at first. Eventually the kidnapper will come face to face with the female and as she tries to escape she trips over and we hear her scream as an establishign shot of some trees is shown. This is to cause shock and a sense of mystery from the audience as they can't see the character or what has happened to her. In the penultimate scene we see the female's feet hanging/swinging slightly to signify her death presumably caused by the male.

Finally, the final scene features another colleague discussing the female lead's disappearance with another employee and the kidnapper is yet again seen listening into the conversation. However, the audience now are aware of his actions and are led to wonder if he will repeat them again.

We have tried to come up with a number of names for the characters and our female lead will be called Jess.