What if it isn't during the child's disappearance but after?
What I mean is that the accused man instead becomes the convicted man. So The Meeting is when the convicted man is released from prison. So The Meeting is set 11 years after the child went missing.
Monday, 14 October 2013
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Story-Telling Unit: Idea Development - Re-thinks
Without the police, gun and text: I now need to think of some new content for the film.
Ending ideas:
- Earlier in the film, the father's phone rings. He ignores it as he is focussing on questioning the accused man.
When the credits are rolling; we hear a phone ringing and going to voicemail: that father's. His wife speaks in an excited tone. "They've found him! They've found him Luke! They found James! We're at the police station! Come quick!"
- Luke's anger, hate and desperation get the better of him: he kills Nick without realising it.
- Luke is persuaded by Nick that he isn't the one responsible. Luke lets him go. He's either lying or someone else confesses.
- Nick see's an opportunity and either attacks Luke or flees: both will prove that he is guilty.
A part of me wants Luke to come out as one of, or the bad guy.
Ending ideas:
- Earlier in the film, the father's phone rings. He ignores it as he is focussing on questioning the accused man.
When the credits are rolling; we hear a phone ringing and going to voicemail: that father's. His wife speaks in an excited tone. "They've found him! They've found him Luke! They found James! We're at the police station! Come quick!"
- Luke's anger, hate and desperation get the better of him: he kills Nick without realising it.
- Luke is persuaded by Nick that he isn't the one responsible. Luke lets him go. He's either lying or someone else confesses.
- Nick see's an opportunity and either attacks Luke or flees: both will prove that he is guilty.
A part of me wants Luke to come out as one of, or the bad guy.
Story-Telling Unit: Research - Script Writing
As a task, we got into pairs and were told to write a 3 page screenplay based on one of our journeys into uni today on the Final Draft software.
Below is said screenplay.
It's 'loosely' based on my journey to uni today.
Monday, 7 October 2013
Story-Telling Unit: Idea Development - Telling the idea
We took it turns to tell our pitches and then our ideas. After telling mine these were the areas that raised concern:
1. Police getting involved
Why?
- It's too much for a 10 minute film.
- They really create a problem for the father.
My Opinion
- In my eyes; the police creates a problem for the father to an extent. With their involvement, this is no longer a quiet-low-down task for the father. As was his intentions.
-And for the "too much" case, I did have the film structured in a way that the 'standoff' is the majority of the film. Plus the film ins't in real time.
Counter-Arguement (provided by myself to avoid bias)
- The father would understand the potential consequences for pulling out a gun in public and essentially taking someone hostage.
- Yes but even so, this is a short film: no-one expects big stuff like this in a 10 min long piece.
2. The father having a gun
Why?
- Guns, in Britain?
- Using just fists makes contact more inflicting, more human. Instead of just using an object to control someone. It's easy (psychologically) to kill with a gun but not with your own hands.
My Opinion
- I always had the gun as a replica; it could never fire.
- Fist make for a more mature, potentially more violent film. Which might make it harder to watch.
Counter-Arguements
- Even so, a replica gun. If I absolutely must have a weapon, why not a knife? Much more relevant and contemporary.
3. Text on screen at the end
Why?
- It's too easy to end things with this method.
My opinion
- I quite like the text at the end: if done well enough you can land one last sucker punch on the audience. (Text at end will appear at bottom of this post).
- This a personal taste thing.
- It can help cut what could'e been 2-3 minutes or even more, down to 30 seconds. Which is valuable when making a short film when you need to use every second well.
Text on screen:
1. Police getting involved
Why?
- It's too much for a 10 minute film.
- They really create a problem for the father.
My Opinion
- In my eyes; the police creates a problem for the father to an extent. With their involvement, this is no longer a quiet-low-down task for the father. As was his intentions.
-And for the "too much" case, I did have the film structured in a way that the 'standoff' is the majority of the film. Plus the film ins't in real time.
Counter-Arguement (provided by myself to avoid bias)
- The father would understand the potential consequences for pulling out a gun in public and essentially taking someone hostage.
- Yes but even so, this is a short film: no-one expects big stuff like this in a 10 min long piece.
2. The father having a gun
Why?
- Guns, in Britain?
- Using just fists makes contact more inflicting, more human. Instead of just using an object to control someone. It's easy (psychologically) to kill with a gun but not with your own hands.
My Opinion
- I always had the gun as a replica; it could never fire.
- Fist make for a more mature, potentially more violent film. Which might make it harder to watch.
Counter-Arguements
- Even so, a replica gun. If I absolutely must have a weapon, why not a knife? Much more relevant and contemporary.
3. Text on screen at the end
Why?
- It's too easy to end things with this method.
My opinion
- I quite like the text at the end: if done well enough you can land one last sucker punch on the audience. (Text at end will appear at bottom of this post).
- This a personal taste thing.
- It can help cut what could'e been 2-3 minutes or even more, down to 30 seconds. Which is valuable when making a short film when you need to use every second well.
Text on screen:
Friday, 4 October 2013
Story-Telling Unit: Idea Development - The Psychologist
I find the idea of including a psychologist interesting; it could provide some background information or present personality traits of the father.
Possible quotes:
Psychologist: "What about death? Do you want Mr. Telson dead?"
Father: "Of course; any parent who'd lost their child would want the guy responisble dead."
Psychologist: "Forgive me but...would you want to be the er...say, 'cause'...of Mr. Telson's death?"
Father: "You're asking if I would kill him?"
Psychologist: "Yes...I am."
Father:[Pause] I don't know...I'd want him to suffer but...I don't think I could do it myself..."
End of film:
Psychologist: "Mr. Roberts...do you er...do you think James could still be alive?"
Father: [Long Pause, we can hear his voice break a little] No...I don't think [exhales in a way to calm hismelf down] I don't think James is alive..."
OR
Psychologist: "Mr. Roberts...how do you think you would react or behave...if it turned out Mr. Telson was innocent?"
Father: [Immediately] He isn't."
[several seconds of silence, as if the psychologist is taken aback by the father's confidence]
Psychologist: "And why do you believe that?"
Father: "He was there...he took my boy...I just know..."
Possible quotes:
Psychologist: "What about death? Do you want Mr. Telson dead?"
Father: "Of course; any parent who'd lost their child would want the guy responisble dead."
Psychologist: "Forgive me but...would you want to be the er...say, 'cause'...of Mr. Telson's death?"
Father: "You're asking if I would kill him?"
Psychologist: "Yes...I am."
Father:[Pause] I don't know...I'd want him to suffer but...I don't think I could do it myself..."
End of film:
Psychologist: "Mr. Roberts...do you er...do you think James could still be alive?"
Father: [Long Pause, we can hear his voice break a little] No...I don't think [exhales in a way to calm hismelf down] I don't think James is alive..."
OR
Psychologist: "Mr. Roberts...how do you think you would react or behave...if it turned out Mr. Telson was innocent?"
Father: [Immediately] He isn't."
[several seconds of silence, as if the psychologist is taken aback by the father's confidence]
Psychologist: "And why do you believe that?"
Father: "He was there...he took my boy...I just know..."
Story-Telling Unit: Idea Development - Character names
Character names:
Father - Luke Roberts
Missing child - James Roberts
Accused man - Nick Telson
Father - Luke Roberts
Missing child - James Roberts
Accused man - Nick Telson
Story-Telling Unit: Idea Development - Content
With a basic premise thought up; I need to think what's actually going to fill the time. Below are some 'spitballs'.
- Use of a psychologist, the father see's one to help him out with the stress.
- Father possibly mentions the psychologist to the accused; show him the 'path of destruction' his actions have caused.
- Police begin to prepare to move in a resolve the situation.
- After a beating or two and a lot of shouting: the accused confesses. (Either to just shut the father up or the stress is so much he cracks).
- Father, satisfied, drags accused out, telling the police that the accused man has just confessed and that they should arrest him.
- Police tell him to put the gun down and to move away from the accused man.
Options for ending:
1. Father argues with them for a short while, at one point he waves the gun in the police's general direction as he is caught up in the heat of the moment, thinking he's just pointing. The police open fire: both the father and the accused are killed in the hail of bullets. A few days later they check the location the father said the accused man hid the body: no body is found. The accused man lied.
What I like: It provokes a saddened response from the audience, shock tactics.
What I don't like: Both men dying seems a little Hollywood to me
2. Same as above but this time, the actual person who kidnapped the child comes foward and hands himself in, the body is recovered. Told via text on screen at the end.
What I like: Closure for the family, the actual criminal is arrested.
What I don't like: Nothing, this ending is pretty decent.
3. Either ending but during the credits a segment of a session with the psychologist is heard: the father is asked if he would kill the accused man himself. A response is given that stays with us. e,g, "I'm not a monster like him" (this would work if the father actually kills the accused man).
- Use of a psychologist, the father see's one to help him out with the stress.
- Father possibly mentions the psychologist to the accused; show him the 'path of destruction' his actions have caused.
- Police begin to prepare to move in a resolve the situation.
- After a beating or two and a lot of shouting: the accused confesses. (Either to just shut the father up or the stress is so much he cracks).
- Father, satisfied, drags accused out, telling the police that the accused man has just confessed and that they should arrest him.
- Police tell him to put the gun down and to move away from the accused man.
Options for ending:
1. Father argues with them for a short while, at one point he waves the gun in the police's general direction as he is caught up in the heat of the moment, thinking he's just pointing. The police open fire: both the father and the accused are killed in the hail of bullets. A few days later they check the location the father said the accused man hid the body: no body is found. The accused man lied.
What I like: It provokes a saddened response from the audience, shock tactics.
What I don't like: Both men dying seems a little Hollywood to me
2. Same as above but this time, the actual person who kidnapped the child comes foward and hands himself in, the body is recovered. Told via text on screen at the end.
What I like: Closure for the family, the actual criminal is arrested.
What I don't like: Nothing, this ending is pretty decent.
3. Either ending but during the credits a segment of a session with the psychologist is heard: the father is asked if he would kill the accused man himself. A response is given that stays with us. e,g, "I'm not a monster like him" (this would work if the father actually kills the accused man).
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