Representation

Costume
Each character will wear a coloured costume that will represent what that character is like. For instance if the character was wearing yellow, or hints of yellow, they would be a happy, calm and mellow person. The eventual murders costume will have hints of green to show envy and give of an evil cunning presence (like the jokers iconic green hair and how it makes him look evil)
Lighting
Before the murder the lighting will look yellow and warm to give of a peaceful atmosphere. This will then be intervened in when the next shot after the murder cuts in with darker colder lighting to show the harsh reality. The contrast between these two shot will be made more diverse when the shot before the murder is a long shot, to show that from a distance everything looks fine, and the shot after the murder is a close up to show under the surface everything is actually different.
Setting
The setting will be in a living room to make the characters feel trapped and that the walls are closing in.
Camera
The camera will go at odd high angles or at a dutch tilt, so that even before the murder something looks wrong and un-nerving. the will be a wide variation in shot to make the opening scene diverse and we will try to film some of it for a long period of time. We will later on when editing speed it up to give the idea of time passing. 

Casting Call & Audition Requirements

Casting Call & Audition Requirements

Our perfect protagonist would be male, mid/late twenties, dark hair, green eyes and clean shaven. In addition to this, it is necessary for our protagonist to have a natural, dominant presence, as he is the protagonist and anti-protagonist. We also want him to look mysterious and to have a stage presence. If i were to choose an ideal actor it would be Benedict Cumberbatch or Tom Hiddleston as both are well know for their work in the drama genre and have a great presence.
We will be holding auditions in January 2017, for the cast. There are 8 roles available: Protagonist, Melissa, Vince, Paul, Pepe, Butler, Guest 1, Guest 2. Only 4 of those roles have speaking parts and the rest are background characters.
People auditioning are as follows: Lily, Morgan, Jade, Jacob, Kyle, Corey, James, Tilly, Finn, Georgia, Charlie and Nyzha.

Time planning

Time planning:

Thursday 5th January - Casting and auditions.
Friday 6th January - Rehearsal run script run through and costume fittings.

Monday 9th January - Location test with voice over of intended shots.
Wednesday 11th January - Voice over recordings and clock scene shooting.
Thursday 12th January - Edit and recording quality check.
Friday 13th January - Main shoot at Lily's house.
Sunday 15th January - Continuation of filming.

Monday 16th January - Check over footage and decide if additional shots or retakes are needed.
Wednesday 18th January - Filming retakes (if necessary).
Thursday 19th January - Editing.
Friday 20th January - Editing.
Sunday 22nd January - Music and sound collection ready to add to movie.

Monday 23rd January - Add finishing touches to movie.

Audience

The audience age rating for our movie is 12A as it has some gore in it but no sexual violence or dramatically bad language.

Our film would appeal to nearly all the demographic's on the demographic table but the main two demographics it would appeal to B and C1. This is because it has a challenging plot that they will understand and hopefully take a liking to it. It will also appeal to students in the E section of the demographic table, this is because student will enjoy it as its thrilling and as it gives them something to think about.

location

The location will be at my house in the TV room, I have chosen this room as there is a round table in in to have the dinner party in. Also there is a bright red sofa in there, it will fit into themes of danger in our movie. Also we have stuck to just filming it in one room to represent that all the characters are trapped until they find out who the murderer is.
My house is easy to get to as most of our planned cast know where it is, I've also got permission to film.

Casting mindmap

Narrative structure

Narrative structure

The narrative structure is non linear as we are following a Quentin Tarantino type of style as too keep the audience thinking and paying full attention to the movie. We will have a lot of the end of the film at the beginning as to get the audience thinking about who killed who and why throughout the movie. 

We are showing the narrative by voice over that says something about one of the characters and you get an idea of what they have been through and that they are a main character. Also they don't know who the character is until the end of the opening scene when you see them.

The opening scene will flash back and forward, in the past the lighting will be warm and there will be people everywhere. Whereas in the present the lighting will be darker and dim, almost film noir. Also there will be close ups in the present and long shots in the past to add diversity in the shots and so they can clearly see the difference between past and present. Also we are partly using warm lighting for the past as it reminds people of the warm childhood and the dark lighting is the dark reality and hardships of being an adult.

Mood board

We are going with the theme of death and being trapped in a room until someone finds the murderer. The first victim is going to be murdered using poison found in a wine glass, and to add atmosphere we will use candle sticks.

Script

Fade in:

INT. AFTERMATH - Dinner table - Night
Dead body slumped over the table with blood dripping from their mouth.

Protagonist (Voiceover):

                    I knew this was going to happen...

INT. CLOCK - Clock on wall - Night to Day

Close up of an analogue clock spinning backwards.

INT. PARTY - Dinner table - Night

Guests are sat around the table, socialising and eating.

Paul:

                    Wow Melissa! You must've slaved away in the kitchen all day. This meal is dead                                   gorgeous.

Melissa:

                    [Laughing] Thank you so much, I'm glad you're all enjoying yourselves.

EXT TO INT. FORTUNE TELLER'S SHOP - Day

Protagonist entering the Fortune Teller's store. Birdseye view of the Fortune Teller's hands turning over the tarot cards, showing an unfortunate event.

Fortune Teller (Voiceover):

                    Something terrible is going to happen.

INT. PARTY - Dinner table - Night

Food is being served to the guests and they raise their glasses for a toast.

Melissa:

                    A toast to my wonderful partner, Vince on his promotion!

The guests raise their glasses and clink.

INT. BLACKOUT - Night

Still close up of the analogue clock which has stopped at 8:00pm exactly.

INT. LIGHTS ON - Dining table - Night

Guests are sat around the table, shocked at the sight of a dead body.

Pepe:

                    [Shouting] He's dead! Vince is dead!

All characters look shocked and terrified. Protagonist notices Benedict slip something into his pocket, but does not draw attention to it.

Protagonist:

                    [Panicked and stuttered] I didn't believe her. I thought it was all a myth... a.. a.. fantasy!                       He can't really be dead. He's faking it.. he must be!

Melissa shakes the body and checks his pulse. The guests stand up and start shouting and blaming one another. Blood pours out of Vince's mouth.

Melissa:

                    But how did this happen!?

Paul:

                    There's only one possible explanation...

Protagonist:

                    [Pause] MURDER!

story board explanation - eight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGO0Dz1wcX8

Final storyboard

ruff mixed storyboard ideas

my draft of first storyboard

my parteners first draft of the storyboard

And then there were none opening scene analysis

And then there were none analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uicIq-G8Hbg&list=WL&index=29

I have chosen to analyse this opening scene to a TV show because it has a similar set up to our final movie idea. It’s a murder mystery show like the movie we want to create. It also set on an isolated island where no one can escape their fate, in our movie we want to have all the characters involved with the murder stuck in the same room until someone confesses to committing the murder.

 The opening shot intrigues the viewer as they see a bunch of characters on a boat and do not know why they are on that boat or where they are going. The fact that they do not all sit close together shows that they do not know each other but they all have a connection as they are all on the same boat for a reason. The safety boat behind shows that the sea can be dangerous and where they are going can be equally so. It’s an extreme long establishing shot used to film with a Steadicam as the movement of it is limited. The uninhabited sea shows isolation which is enhanced by the grey blue green.

All changes in shots throughout the main opening sequence are jump cuts to unsettle the viewer and make them jump. This is further enhanced by the dramatic change in colour from shot to shot. The shot before was bright and blue and this shot is dark grey with hints of red. This shows that the characters before they reach the island are innocent but he woman in the house is not. The lobsters start to represent the people in the boat, as she troughs them into hot water it could be a metaphor for chaos or drama as we refer to that as being in hot water.

 

  The opening scene has diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound and ambient sound. You can hear the howling wind and the sound of the cooking pot clashing as the maid puts the lid on it. There is an eerie classical track playing in the background that is slow and builds up to help create tension and suspense, it’s mostly made up of violins. This shot is a close up and we can see the characters looking confused, agitated and suspicious. The colour of the woman’s clothing is purple which is a royal colour which implies that she might be self-centred as royalty are often the centre of attention. All of them are dressed in a 1940s style which is when the book that inspired this show was written.

The man at the front of the boat like the woman is wearing bright clothing showing that there could be a connection between them. Later we realize that they become a love interest. The man's updated style shows his status and youth as the older male characters are dressed in dull colours. The older men are wearing long brown coats and jacket which were popular at the time. The camera man decided to film the two half’s of the boat separately to show how the characters take sides. Both shots where close ups.

In this shot you see them all together looking into the distance which makes them look determined to get to the white house as there might be something for them there. The house is white and almost is invisible in the fog, this makes it scary as it represents how people who might go there disappear too. Also white represents isolation and the concept of being trapped with no escape is quite terrifying. The whole opening uses continuity editing with cross cutting as one narrative is on the people on the boat and the other is the woman getting food ready in the house. The opening scene also uses clever parallel editing as we connect the two sorts of stories together. As this shot takes place a dong sound to make the viewer jump plays, this is to make the island look intimidating.

In this shot we see the maid cutting the lobster brutally which could refer to an event that happens later on in the performance. Her preparing the food is almost a sort of foreshadow of what might happen to the characters. Also the variety of knives might unsettle the viewer as knives are seen as dangerous as they can not only be used for cooking. The displacement of the knife as the maid uses it is unnerving as the gap where the knife used to be does no longer look aesthetic and could creep some people with OCD of perfectionism out. Also the sound of the cracking of the lobster shells is very sinister as it may represent how some of the characters will start to crack under the pressure of certain strains put upon them later on in the show.

 

This shot is interesting as it is another close up like before only this time we do not know what the character looks like and as he has appeared later on in the opening it makes the viewer suspicious as we do not know who he is. Also the character is very formally dressed unlike the other characters which make him stand out. He looks as if he has a high status which is backed up by his knowledge on how to lay a posh dinner table. Also his slow precise movements make him even more suspicious.

 

 In this shot we get to see how daunting the island is to the characters visiting as the shot is filmed as a long shot from far away. The characters look really small compared to the island which show how empowering and possessive the island is. This shot is an extreme long shot.

 

 In this shot we yet again see the mysterious character, what he is carrying is made to look very significant as the camera tracks the tray with figures on it and as it is put down and the man steps backwards, the camera stays filming the statues. The man’s black costume gives him a dark villainous feel as that what we associate with the colour black. The jade statues look like abstract versions of humans this could be another link to the characters we saw on the boat. This shot is a close up and as it takes place the background music starts to ever so slightly build in sound.

This shot is entertaining as it moves down to reveal what the woman is doing which offers an interesting change from the camera moving to the side to track something. As the lobsters represent the later misfortune of the characters visiting on the boat, it shows that the island will just put them through torment. Also she throws them away and deals with each lobster one by one which reflect how the show later deals with the storyline, it takes it step by step.

 

In this shot the audience gets further intrigued by who the man in the black suit is as we see him, but his identity is still not yet revealed. This shot moves upwards to reveal the meeting place of the character. The effect that this filming technique creates is that you feel a god like presence or you feel like a god as it is filmed above making it look as if you are looking down on people. This makes the viewer question if there is another person involved watching everything. Also the jewels on the chandelier are red and green, this links to the variations of colour in the shots, for instance the shots of the boat at sea had green tones and the red tones seen in the kitchen. The green represents envy and the red bloodlust which are two themes shown throughout the performance. Also this is a tilt shot.

 

In this shot we see why the woman was throwing the lobsters. It’s a really dramatic shot done with a drone as it reveals the hole in the island and the music intensifies to add dramatic tension. Also how small the woman is now compared to the  lobster’s shows how the island is like a monster. Also the hole could represent how the characters are like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. The island for them is an unknown place which makes it even more interesting. This shot is an extreme long shot and an aerial shot.

 

This is an extreme long shot of the island. This is to get the viewer to finally see how big the island is and how isolating it is and how claustrophobic the house is as it very small and with many people inside the house with no other place to go it looks like it will almost trap the characters. The music at this point fades quietly out and to get the viewer to pay more attention to it. The shot is moving to create a scene of traveling and there is also no sign of the boat which makes the audience assume that that characters on the boat have got to the island.

I have not used the entire clip for my essay as I felt the rest of it was past the opening part and I liked how climatic the final shot of the island was.

Dirty rotten scoundrels analysis

Dirty rotten scoundrels opening scene analysis

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksfkxOZUfrw&index=31&list=WL

Before this scene we see a brief shot of what company helped produce and/or release this movie. The first shot is really long; it's a mid-shot mixed with a close up and it very intriguing. The camera tracks the actors which could have been done smoothly by using a Steadicam or a dolly to move the camera around. This shot is interesting because you never get to see the actor’s faces this is confusing to the viewer as we don't know who the protagonist is and why we can’t see their faces. Also the woman can be seen as the good person as her white dress connoted innocence and so do her pearls. The man however is wearing black which suggests that he is a dark mysterious character and maybe the bad guy. Also his voice is calm and smooth almost manipulative.

When the shot stops moving it becomes an establishing shot and we get to see whereabouts the two were. It seems they were in a luxury place on a high up balcony as you can see a beautiful view and neat flowers in pots. Some of the stars in the sky have been added in by special effect to make the scene prettier and more magical. They seem to be in a foreign country as the apartments on the other side of the lake, sea or river look European and the two weren’t wearing coats so I assume it must be warm where they are. As the camera stops moving around the music starts playing and the credits come up. The credits are in gold shiny font to give a luxurious feel to the movie hinting that a main theme in the movie could be money. The music is orchestral and non-diegetic, when the title of the movie comes up the tone of the music changes giving a slight and cheeky atmosphere. When the title is revealed we get a hint at understanding what the movie is going to be about and that the man just now could have been conning the woman and in the next shot we know for sure.

The previous shot dips into black and then fades into this shot. Here we see a casino because the lighting is ever so slightly dulled, we see it to be shady. This is and establishing long shot that turns into a close up as this shot also moves so we can get an idea of where the main character is. When the dolly is no longer in use and the camera stops moving we see a man in the same black suit as before only he has his back to the camera. He perfects his hair which could imply that with him everything has to be perfect, it can also be seen as him covering up who he really is, making sure the gel in his hair completely covers his hair. Then someone comes up to him also smartly dressed in black tells him about a girl in the casino. As this man is talking quietly it is seen as conspicuous and secretive, also the more he talks the more he reveals about what the man with his back to us does for a living or spare time.

 

Half way through the man telling the other man with his back to us about a girl the shot changes quickly and we see her sat there. The costumes and lighting in this shot have been especially designed for this scene so the viewer’s eyes are drawn to the character they are talking about. The light on her is bright, she is the only female in the shot and the men surrounding her are wearing darker clothing. Also the pale blue on her dress makes it seem as if she is childish and baby blue is a children’s colour and can be used to represent youth. This implies that she could be easily persuaded and blackmailed like a child is.

In this shot we see the character in the black suit finally turn around. This suggests he is a secretive character. The red in the background shows danger and the look the man has shown that he has a plan. This shot is a close up and is one of the shots that doesn’t move.