The Abridged Version:
- In the real world Archie kills Sean, Zoe and Perry due to drug and alcohol-fueled paranoia.
- His guilt and the emotional trauma suffered, causes a bout of psychosis: leading to Real Archie developing a form of delusional disorder where he thinks he's in a world where it never happened and everyone is still alive.
- Real Archie, now inside his false world, assumes the identity of Sean. Archie does not exist in this false world.
- Real Archie is split into two persons: Delusional Archie (who is pretending to be Sean) and Guilty Archie.
- Guilty Archie infiltrates Delusional Archie's false world in an attempt to snap him out of this and to confront what they have done by making Perry go 'missing'. This causes disequilibrium within the false world.
- A battle happens within the false world as Guilty Archie tries to repeatedly remind Delusional Archie of the murders, whilst Delusional Archie does the opposite and tries to ignore these attempts by deviating the scenarios or changing them completely (e.g. the ransom note location changes name)
- Ultimately Guilty Archie wins by making Delusional Archie so suspicious of him, that Delusional Archie follows Guilty Archie to the location where the murders happened. Thus forcing Delusional Archie to confront the crime scene (which has been projected into the false world).
- Delusional Archie, however, fights right up to the end, still convinced that Guilty Archie is behind the murders and that he is the reason Perry went missing. Delusional Archie Stabs Guilty Archie.
- We snap back into the real world, the first and only time we see it. Real Archie is dead: a knife stuck in his chest. A self-inflicted wound caused by himself thinking he was stabbing someone else, this is not the case though as Sean and Archie in the false world were always the same person. Whatever happened to one would also happen to the other.
Ultimately the film is about two-halves of a troubled man's mind, battling against one another to confront and at the same time escape from the horrific crime he committed.
Thursday, 28 April 2016
Major Production Unit: Post-Production - One Last Synopsis
With the film now finished, this post is one last run-through of the film's events and explaining exactly what is going on throughout. There is an abridged version as a separate post titled 'One Last Synopsis - The Abridged Version'.
The film starts in Sean and Zoe's house, Perry is with them playing cards. We are already in the Delusional World; with the real Sean, Zoe and Perry having been killed by the real Archie an unspecified amount of time ago.
There is a knock at the door and Sean answers it: it's Archie disguised as a pizza delivery man. This is the Guilty Archie: who is trying to snap out of his own delusion by confronting his Delusional side, who is pretending to be Sean. Sean (aka Delusional Archie) tries to ignore this attempt but the damage to the Delusional World has already begun: he returns to the others holding a manuscript instead of pizza which confuses the three of them.
As Zoe and Perry are dead in real life and this is all inside the real Archie's mind, Archie is controlling Zoe and Perry's actions and uses their quick dismissal of the pizza/manuscript mishap to ignore Guilty Archie's first attempt at confronting the murders he has committed.
The film starts in Sean and Zoe's house, Perry is with them playing cards. We are already in the Delusional World; with the real Sean, Zoe and Perry having been killed by the real Archie an unspecified amount of time ago.
There is a knock at the door and Sean answers it: it's Archie disguised as a pizza delivery man. This is the Guilty Archie: who is trying to snap out of his own delusion by confronting his Delusional side, who is pretending to be Sean. Sean (aka Delusional Archie) tries to ignore this attempt but the damage to the Delusional World has already begun: he returns to the others holding a manuscript instead of pizza which confuses the three of them.
As Zoe and Perry are dead in real life and this is all inside the real Archie's mind, Archie is controlling Zoe and Perry's actions and uses their quick dismissal of the pizza/manuscript mishap to ignore Guilty Archie's first attempt at confronting the murders he has committed.
The following day Sean and Zoe are out at Flared Owls Park
soaking up the beauty and tranquil environment. Sean is interrupted by a text
from Perry inviting him and Zoe over. Sean obliges and tells Zoe, who expresses
her interest in going.
The couple arrive at Perry’s house and knock, however, an
unfamiliar figure answers the door: Archie Veryl. The confused duo are let in
and inquire about the whereabouts of their friend. Archie is none the wiser and
proposes they wait around a bit longer to see if he returns. Some time passes
before it is decided that Perry isn’t coming back anytime soon, so he gives Zoe
his number saying he’ll contact her if Perry isn’t home by the end of the day.
His friendly demeanour agitates Sean and he squares up to the man. The
confrontation is defused and Sean leaves, Zoe shortly after.
Sean begins to put up some missing posters around the area
after an unspecified amount of time has passed. The next day the couple meet up
with Archie to discuss further after Perry doesn’t return. Sean mishears something
Archie says and, again, confronts him, this time getting more violent. Archie
leaves and Zoe argues with Sean, confused as to why Sean’s behaviour is so
rash.
We appear at the front corridor of the couple’s house as a
letter drops through the letterbox. Sean comes downstairs and opens the letter:
it’s a ransom note. Sean rushes out of the house and waits at the location given
in the note, he watches as a stranger crosses the road and tears off one of the
missing posters that Sean had put up. Sean gives chase but gives up are losing
the stranger down a wooded path. He
returns home and tells Zoe about the ordeal, she questions about the posters
and is unhappy that Sean has gone this far. Sean hands her the ransom note and
Zoe loses her temper: it’s a pizza leaflet. Sean remains adamant he has handed
her the ransom but she has had enough. Zoe tells him that she is going to live
with her parents until Sean begins to grow up. This doesn’t settle with him as
we hard cut to a sequence in which Sean is drinking and becoming increasingly angrier
as he wanders the streets.
Sean wakes up the next day, hung-over and tired. There’s a knock
at the door and Sean answers it to find Archie stood there looking annoyed. He
informs Sean that Zoe has asked him to help Sean search for Perry. Sean
reluctantly accepts and they arrive at a large field where they begin their
search. Archie forgives Sean for the other day’s misunderstanding and Sean
doesn’t respond. He expresses his hopes for Perry’s well-being and takes a
drink from his water bottle. Sean notices a label on Archie’s bottle that is
identical to the ones on the ransom note he received. Archie walks away to
answer a phone call whilst Sean continues to search the field. He finds a
mobile phone on the floor and picks it up: it’s Perry’s phone. He unlocks it
and checks the contacts list to find that Archie’s name isn’t on there, he
speeds over to Archie about to confront him but Archie interjects: he needs to
leave. Sean decides to stay and keep searching, feigning his discovery of the
phone.
A day passes and we join Sean in the living room as he tucks
into some food. A text message from Archie attracts his attention: ‘Watch the
news’ it reads. Sean switches the channel to see a report detailing the
discovery of a body. The reporter interviews a man who claims to have found the
crime scene: Archie. Sean leans forward in shock, Perry is dead, and Archie has
found the body. He launches the TV remote at the screen: smashing the TV. He
calls Zoe stating he knows Archie is behind Perry’s disappearance and he has
proof. He rings another number, Archie’s, and asks if he can come over.
Archie and Sean are seated in awkward silence, before Archie
decides to break it with some condolences. Sean shuts him up and accuses him of
killing Perry. Archie denies wholeheartedly, and an argument ensues. Archie,
fed up of Sean’s paranoia, storms out of the house. Sean decides to follow him.
Sean maintains his distance as his tailing of Archie leads
him to a campsite in the woods. Archie then addresses Sean as if he knew he was
following him. Archie invites Sean to open one of the tents: Sean does so with
caution and finds the dead bodies of Zoe and himself inside. Confused he
demands to know what is going on. Archie toys with Sean, asking why he is also
inside the tent. Sean proclaims his innocence and Archie responds, “You had
everything to do with Archie.” Sean stops, asks Archie to repeat himself.
Archie proceeds to tell Sean that the world they are in is false and that they
are the same person. Sean reaches his boiling point and chases Archie through
the woods. Archie continues to reveal more information on the truth before Sean
finally kills Archie with a knife from the campsite.
We appear back in Sean and Zoe’s house, but this time things
are different. A news broadcast details three bodies having been identified at
a campsite: Sean, Zoe and Perry. The sound of panic and breathing fades in and
we see Archie lying on the sofa: a knife in his chest. We watch as he breaths
his last breaths and falls silent.
Major Project Unit: Post-Production - Sound Design and Music
The sound design was discussed with the Editor during the Post-Production stage:
- Constant buzz tracks relevant to the location to immerse the audience into the world and believe it is as real as Sean thinks it is.
- Foley for footsteps, breaths, any form of movement or interaction, again for the immersion.
- Minimal soundtrack used throughout: to highlight key moments that don't seem right and to help emphasise tension between Sean and Archie.
I went into Garageband and played around with different instrument, altering the pitch, audio levels, frequencies and speeds to create a dark mysterious soundtrack that I believe fits with the whole theme of Grit. My personal favourite being the credits music: it's a perfect, eerie way to end the film and the breaths resonating through create a sense of uneasiness.
- Constant buzz tracks relevant to the location to immerse the audience into the world and believe it is as real as Sean thinks it is.
- Foley for footsteps, breaths, any form of movement or interaction, again for the immersion.
- Minimal soundtrack used throughout: to highlight key moments that don't seem right and to help emphasise tension between Sean and Archie.
I went into Garageband and played around with different instrument, altering the pitch, audio levels, frequencies and speeds to create a dark mysterious soundtrack that I believe fits with the whole theme of Grit. My personal favourite being the credits music: it's a perfect, eerie way to end the film and the breaths resonating through create a sense of uneasiness.
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Major Production Unit: Social Media Marketing - Lead Up To Release
For the social media page a video and image were scheduled to go up once a week basis in the lead up to the film 'premiering' on May 11th.
There are 4 images in total and three videos. The images are a still from the film with a key quote in the film's font overlaying it. The aim is to promote the disappearance of Perry and suggest that Archie is a suspicious character so that when the audience comes to watch the film, they are in the same mindset that Sean is in. This means that the audience will root for Sean until the end when they realise the truth.
There are 4 images in total and three videos. The images are a still from the film with a key quote in the film's font overlaying it. The aim is to promote the disappearance of Perry and suggest that Archie is a suspicious character so that when the audience comes to watch the film, they are in the same mindset that Sean is in. This means that the audience will root for Sean until the end when they realise the truth.
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
Major Project Unit: Production - The Posters
The design of the posters for Grit remains the same as they did back in the Pre-Production Unit, below is a screen recording I did whilst I made the Archie poster.
Major Production Unit: Production - Directing Style
This production has definitely brought out my style, so much so that I can identify and establish what that style is.
1. I let the actors perform with a little amount of direction and THEN alter/add to it afterwards.
I would let the actors do their own take on characters based on their understanding of them in both the script and the bios and how they feel the character behaves/is. And if I feel they need to go in another way then I would inform them of this.
I feel this method worked as it allowed the actors the freedom to be creative in their performance. I didn't restrict them with phrases like 'I want this specific emotion or approach/motion" and instead gave them the reigns to do with the character what they felt was best for the scene.
2. I wouldn't call cut until the scene's segment was over; even if I knew we had passed the point where the editor would be cutting the shot. This was so the cast could understand the scene and get a feel for the moment as well as acting off of one another. It also help block out the next scene as we knew their actions for the next take. Doing this allowed me to watch their actions and performances and see if any of the dialogue didn't work and plan the next shot with the D.O.P easier.
1. I let the actors perform with a little amount of direction and THEN alter/add to it afterwards.
I would let the actors do their own take on characters based on their understanding of them in both the script and the bios and how they feel the character behaves/is. And if I feel they need to go in another way then I would inform them of this.
I feel this method worked as it allowed the actors the freedom to be creative in their performance. I didn't restrict them with phrases like 'I want this specific emotion or approach/motion" and instead gave them the reigns to do with the character what they felt was best for the scene.
2. I wouldn't call cut until the scene's segment was over; even if I knew we had passed the point where the editor would be cutting the shot. This was so the cast could understand the scene and get a feel for the moment as well as acting off of one another. It also help block out the next scene as we knew their actions for the next take. Doing this allowed me to watch their actions and performances and see if any of the dialogue didn't work and plan the next shot with the D.O.P easier.
Monday, 25 April 2016
Major Production Unit: Production - Perry's House Rewrite
Prior to shooting Scenes 5-8A at Perry's house, I decided to rewrite it. This was for two reasons:
- Firstly, Post-Production had already started and the running time for the film was just under 30 minutes: our target duration. This meant we were going to overrun regardless and a shorter sequence at Perry's house would result in less footage having to be cut.
- Secondly, the sequence was very long: 7 pages to be exact, which for a 38 page script is a large chunk of it. The pacing seemed to be too slow and would be following two already slow-paced scenes.
I needed to quicken things up and get to the point rather than forcing the audience to watch Sean and Archie search the entire lower floor of Perry's house and make sure the total running time didn't exceed the goal as much as it was already going to.
I much prefer this version to the original: gone are the slow and, to be frank: boring, parts of the sequence and now more focus is put on Sean's disliking towards Archie.
UPDATE:
Having now filmed the new version and watching it back in the edit the scene is very strong. It has a very nice pace to it and the tension is maintained throughout. I'm glad I rewrote this sequence and it's a step up from the original one, which would probably have clocked in at 7-8 minutes, maybe even more. It's good to have things like this happen as, an earlier version of me would have fought to not change the sequence, and is a good lesson to learn for when I next write a script: get to the point!
- Firstly, Post-Production had already started and the running time for the film was just under 30 minutes: our target duration. This meant we were going to overrun regardless and a shorter sequence at Perry's house would result in less footage having to be cut.
- Secondly, the sequence was very long: 7 pages to be exact, which for a 38 page script is a large chunk of it. The pacing seemed to be too slow and would be following two already slow-paced scenes.
I needed to quicken things up and get to the point rather than forcing the audience to watch Sean and Archie search the entire lower floor of Perry's house and make sure the total running time didn't exceed the goal as much as it was already going to.
I much prefer this version to the original: gone are the slow and, to be frank: boring, parts of the sequence and now more focus is put on Sean's disliking towards Archie.
UPDATE:
Having now filmed the new version and watching it back in the edit the scene is very strong. It has a very nice pace to it and the tension is maintained throughout. I'm glad I rewrote this sequence and it's a step up from the original one, which would probably have clocked in at 7-8 minutes, maybe even more. It's good to have things like this happen as, an earlier version of me would have fought to not change the sequence, and is a good lesson to learn for when I next write a script: get to the point!
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