List of tricky shots

The title sequence of our film will probably take several attempts to film as it will require co-ordination between several people and a steady hand to pan the camera. The scene will include the camera on a computer and then the title of our film is then typed out ('The Fall and Rise of a White Collar Worker'). Then the camera pans to the window as the main character, Ross, walks past and into the office where many scenes of the film will take place.

Another shot that may require several re-shoots is the zoom on the folders. Like the title sequence this will require a steady hand.

A potential editing problem we could encounter is cutting the images together of Ross and Hooper, after Ross has found out that his girlfriend has been having an affair with Hooper, in a fast process to demonstrate deliberate editing. We will attempt to put the non copyrighted 'ironside' sound over the scene where the drums match the shot-reverse-shot between Hooper and Ross. 

Safety Hazards

 Trains posed a high risk during the filming of our production as the main character (Ross) is seen to attempt to commit suicide on the train tracks. To reduce the risk of anyone being hit by a train we had one extra person whose job it was to look and listen for any trains coming.

Leaning over the edge of a multi-story car park came with the risk of falling. To ensure that no body fell we made sure that we walked carefully and we did not film when it was or shortly after it had rained so that there wasn't any risk of slipping and falling. In addition to this we also made sure that everyone on set acted professionally and did not mess around the people standing near the edge.

Electricity could cause a hazard whilst filming the suicide scene where Ross attempts to kill himself by sticking a knife in a live plug socket. To limit the danger that it posed we made sure that the actor did not actually make any contact with the plug socket whilst holding the knife so that he did not die.

There was a danger of the actor who plays Ross getting a serious head injury in the scene where he confronts his boss and he hits himself in the face and then falls over backwards. To limit the danger of him hitting his head on the floor we made sure that he fell down in stages so that he could control his fall so that it was less erratic and allowed him to make sure his head did not make any contact with ground at speed.

Alcohol and drugs caused a high risk while filming the suicide scene where Ross attemptsto end his life by overdosing on tablets and alcohol. To eliminate the danger that this posed we made sure that no drugs were actually consumed (instead we used Tic Tac mints) and we did not have the actor drink any alcohol instead he drank water from an empty bottle of Vodka.

Tripping caused a high risk as there are many scenes where we are walking around with cameras and tripods. To limit the risk that this posed we made sure that the areas where we would be walking with the equipment was clear and we always had someone who was making sure that the person moving wasd aware of any danger and stopped if they spotted anything that could pose a risk of tripping.

Prop list

Prop List

The props going to be used in the project include:  

Smartphone, this is used in the scenes of when Ross is on a train and during the journey different shots of him staring at objects showing that time is moving quickly around him but he does not.

Coffee cup, Another object Ross stares at when on the train journey home from work.  Just in the shot for a second or two but still is the promenant shape in the shot.



Rope, this prop will be used during the suicide attempts made by Ross following the unfortunate events in his life which is shown in the film but the rope snaps in an attempt to hang himself.. Another prop that will be used during the attempts made by Ross includes a fork, when Ross tries to electricute himself but there is a power cut. Small mints are also props within the scenes as a substitute for pills which indicates an overdose however he wakes up the morning after.

Another prop that will be imporatant to the film would be the files used in the office, at the start Ross waves these files infornt of his bosses face suggesting he does not have any power against the man who manages him and took his girlfriend. At the end of the film when the roles reverse the files will be used in the exact same way.

The Costumes going to be used in this project include:
Smart clothing that includes a tie. Some of the scenes are shot in an office environment therefore a uniform of some sort is needed to keep in character as this is his daily job.


Casual clothing will be used to define the difference between work and social time that Ross has which is used in the suicide attempts.

Location Images

The railway crossroads where Ross decides to commit suicide.

Ross, Karen and Simon's office.

The corridor between Ross' office and Hooper's office.

The exterior of Ross' office complex.

The street outside Ross' office.

The interior of Ross' bedroom which is featured early in the film in seperate scenes. In one he awakes for work and in the other he attempts to kill himself.

Shepley train station. This is where Ross commutes to work.

Hooper's office.

The roof of the car park where Ross considered committing suicide before he was interrupted by Dr Parkes.
 

Production Logo final design

Character Profiles

CHARACTER PROFILES:
photo of actor, name, age , occupation, appearance, personality, function in film

Major characters

Name: Ross (played by Liam Bailey)
Age: 24
Occupution: I.T worker
Appearance: Dresses in typical office attire (shirt, tie, trousers, smart shoes). Outward expression is very miserable and depressed. Appears very tired and worn out by his mundane job.
Personality: Very downbeat and cold demeanour. Extremely unsociable. Only person he cares or has time for is his girlfriend Daisy. Has a dry and sarcastic sense of humour.
Function in film: The protagonist. Ross' deterioration of character and then how he plans to execute a plan of revenge is the focus of the film. The central themes of the story are all related to his character (dislike of job, depression, meaning, revenge).

Name: Dr Walter Parkes (played by Alex Drury)
Age: 29
Occupution: Psychiatrist
Appearance: Dresses relative to his age, wacky choice of clothing, simple trousers, Dark hair with glasses. and is slowly becoming tired of his job.
Personality: Frustrated and tired of his job, little enthusiasm towards his clients, described as an aloof character with little background and distant from the crowds.
Function in the film: A main character that saves the protagonist on the edge of death. A doctor that fixes Ross and gets a solution, a causal to the plot and reinvigerates his passion for being a  psychiatrist.

Name: Gareth Hooper (Played by Matthew Senior)
Age: 34
Occupation: Boss within the I.T department of the business.
Appearance: Dresses in typical office attire (shirt, tie, trousers, smart shoes) and wears glasses.
Personality: Sarcastic, patronising and lazy, dependant on others and abuses his power in the office. Sexist towards a female member in the office.
Function in the film: The boss of Ross, making his work life hell, taking his girlfriend gives him a reason for being hated, Ross has had enough and fights back against this boss. The patronising personality works against him as he gains a collection of negatives which result in his termination.

Minor characters

Name: Simon (Played by Owen Griffiths)
Age: 22
Appearance: Traditional office clothing, smartly dressed. Outwards expression, is happy, smiling and the complete opposite to Ross.
Personality: energetic towards work, keen to get his head down and do his job.
Function in the film: Minor character has few lines but represents a different outlook of the office.

Name: Karen (Played by-)
Age: 22
Appearance: Brown hair, glasses and small. Dressed in smart office attire.
Personality: Quiet and unreserved. 

 

Storyboard

A completed sequence of our storyboard.

Storyboard rough

Our storyboard covers our story from start to finish. We have devised and illustrated a storyboard in order to visually enhance our understanding of our film. It has also showed us the difficulty in filming some of our scenes.

Final Film Script

script

Here is an external link to the script for our film, the PDF contains 8 pages used in the construction of the project.

Location Description (images needed)

Location Description

Bedroom-  Ross wakes up in his bedroom and this is his representation in the opening scene .

Train Station- Basic bench sat on at the local train station, a lonely Ross is isolated on the platform in the middle of an empty platform.

Office- This the most used location, this is where Ross works alongside the boss that has run his life into the ground making it a misery. The workstations available will be used for close ups on events leading up to the demise of Ross.

Multi storey car park- This an important location as at this point Ross is thinking of jumping, however another unknown character stops him and talks to him about coming back to safety and recovering from his issues.

Dr Parkes' Office - A plain office used a few times in filming and 

Train Tracks- Another scene for A suicide attempt when tryting to lay on the tracks but before he climbs up to the tracks an announcer calls all trains on that specific line are cancelled.

Minor locations,

Bathroom- Another Brief shot of Ross but brushing his teeth, and also a suicide attempt scene when he tries to overdose.

Kitchen- Used in a brief shot when Ross is eating his breakfast before work.

Train- Another Brief shot where Ross looks at specific objects while on the way to work.

Treatment

Title: The Fall and Rise of a White Collar Worker

Duration: 5 minutes

Audience: The potential audience the film may attract would be young people aged between 16-24. This demographic is seen to be mature enough to understand the film that has an age rating of 15, the audience should understand the comical elements that are seen as dark for many audiences such as the suicide attempts and the struggles with mental health that the main character goes through.
We have chosen this age because we want to adhere to the genre of black comedy in the strictest sense, so we will make light of themes that are generally considered serious or taboo, such as: depression, suicide, revenge and office work. Our film is aimed at both male and females who enjoy the genre. However, as of yet we haven't got a prominent female role in the film so we may alleviate that problem in order to attract a larger female audience through girls/women having a character they can relate to. Moreover, the target audience will enjoy dark humour and making light of serious situations in order to ease their way through life. We expect our audience to be independent, free thinking and quirky people.

Our target audience is primarily someone who is disillusioned and/or has endured a break up and needs a comedic release from it – to be able to view it in another way than just with sadness. Therefore, as well as giving the audience something for their entertainment we hope that the audience attracted are for educational reasons too. It could be argued, to an extent, we are attempting to attract an audience based on Richard Dyer’s Utopian Theory.

Certificate: 15. Contains references to suicide, strong language and moderate violence.

Distributor: Our distributor is Warp Films as they are an independent production and distribution company fairly locally based. We appreciate the quirky nature of many of their films but even more so the social realism aspect. We therefore feel our project could be an opportunity for them to further widen their arsenal of genres, specifically focusing on a black comedy, which Film4 Productions, a production company Warp often collaborates with, successfully did with the British black comedy/horror 'Sightseers'. Moreover, Warp Films have won a whole host of independent film awards and we acknowledge and appreciate the creative license given to the film makers in order to accomplish this, specifically screenplay, of which a favourite film of mine ‘Submarine’ won an award for and we feel it will be of utmost in importance to our project. 

Synopsis: Ross works in a job that he hates, with people he hates. One morning, his girlfriend (the one thing in his life that he actually likes) informs him over text that she has been sleeping with his boss. He concludes that he will commit suicide. After several failed attempts, he prepares to jump off a building when a man sees him and then runs to the roof to prevent the jump. He intoduces himself as Dr Walter Parkes - a local psychiatrist, who offers him his help, to which Ross accepts. Dr Parkes, after learning of his situation, decides to scrap therapy and help Ross gain revenge over his boss, as his wife left for a more successful psychiatrist. Ross goes into his bosses office and deliberately provokes him until he is punched, which is witnessed by a co-worker, and his boss is fired. After the credits, Ross is shown to have replaced his boss, adopting his mannerisms and wearing the same clothes.

Suggested elements: We have a piece of original music in our film as a friend is recording an upbeat version of 'Raindrops keep falling on my head' that we are going to use contrapuntally when Ross is debating whether or not to commit suicide on the rooftop. Another key element in our film is the use of black comedy; that is we intend to make light of serious situations whilst retaining their seriousness, we therefore intend to leave the viewer with a sense of discomfort and humour, sometimes simultaneously. Another noticeable feature of our film is the subtle and not so subtle homages to various other films and directors that we all enjoy; these include: Fargo, Kill Bill and by extension Sergio Leone, Monty Python,  Fight Club and Edgar Wright ('The Cornetto trilogy').

Video questionnaire

Video questionnaire

We think that our video questionnaire was reasonably successful and matched our vision of our film. For example, most of our respondents suggested that the film is aimed at mainly teenagers and young adults. Whilst we are hoping to attracted fans of black comedy of all ages the typical demographic for the genre is 15-29. It is important to get people's initial thoughts upon a film ideas as it gives us an accurate idea of people's perception of our film. We were particularly pleased that some people were aware that the film was a black comedy from just reading the initial storyline. We were also encouraged that the majority of our respondents stated that they would pay money to the see the film at the cinema. However, apart from the person who likened our initial story line to 'The Office' we were a little disappointed that our respondents could not identify any other similar films given that our film is directly influenced by various black comedies. Moreover, in a later detailed storyline and subsequent questionnaire we will indicate more clearly what music we intend to put in our film. This is because people struggled to identify what music will be in our film apart from tense and build up music which is a given in most films. We intend to have a lot of contrapuntal music in our film. For example, our friend is going to record a cover of 'Raindrops keep falling on my head' and this will soundtrack Ross' suicide attempt when he plans to jump off a building. We all agree that music is of pivotal importance to a short or feature length film.

Analysis of title sequence

Blood Drive;

The opening shot of ‘Blood Drive’ is an establishing shot and immediately sets the scene. The barren and snow covered terrain connotes a metaphorical iciness about the film and its possible events. 

The high angled bird’s eye view shot of the train tracks could suggest that a journey is going to occur in the short film. Moreover, the title credits are in red signifying danger and mystery.

Afterwards the next part of the title sequence is a fade out to a medium shot of a snow covered lake where it becomes clear that something serious has happened through the prop of red dye to signify blood. Furthermore, it suggests that this event will be the centre piece of the film.

 There is then a close up of the blood in the river revealing a silhouette of what looks to be a body. This further enhances the mystery of the film.

https://vimeo.com/86536538

The short film 'Blood Drive'