Major Project - Final Submission

It's quite hard to believe, but tomorrow is the day of my final submission. Meaning that this will be the last project I submit on my course. This is quite a strange feeling because I still remember starting at UCA in September 2013 like it was last week! It's amazing how quick its arrived but i'm also glad to have finished my coursework. Now that I have finished I will next be looking at my career options as well as sending out my CV. In particular I will be seeking out Production Companies in Kent and Greater London.

I feel quite accomplished to be finishing this Television Production course and I am also excited to see what the future holds. It's quite bittersweet leaving because I'm going to miss the resources that have been made available to me at UCA. I will also miss the friends I've made here, and have been glad to have been given the opportunity to work along such an amazing group of creative individuals. I want to thank the likes of Simon Welsford, Fergus Maloney and Helen Curston for their years of support. I will miss them, but am also thankful to have received this once in a lifetime experience.

Major Project - Interview

Here is the finished interview I created yesterday, It was made with Hannah Darby who was Cinematographer as well as Mark Cooper who also helped choose the background for both our videos. Creating this video was a fun experience because it not only gave us a chance to work together on each others interviews but also to make our final films for UCA. In this respect it was quite bittersweet because we knew it would be our last time working together as students. 

Hopefully this interview encapsulates different themes throughout Different Perspectives. Notably, I was able to talk about the plot, the target audience, the intended Channel and my hopes for the future and as a screenwriter.

Major Project - Filmed Interview

One of the things I had to create was a filmed interview for my Major Project, for this I decided to use a green screen to give it a distinctive background to film against.  

This was the picture background I used to shoot my video. I feel like it works quite well because it is quite simplistic. Originally we were going to use the concept art for Different Perspectives but it seemed better to keep the design simple and showcase the concept artwork separately.

This is how the green screen image appeared before it was placed into the forefront of the background image.

These were the notes I used for my interview:

This is how the final version of the Video looks:

Major Project - Tutorial (14/04/16)

Today I met with Simon for what could turn out to be our last tutorial. Here was some the advice he gave me on things to work on.

- It starts by being odd.

- His job role still doesn’t make much sense/isn't believable.

- It's still not clear on why Elliott is being watched.

- Tom and Vince, are they necessary to the story? 

- Use cause and effect appropriately.

I felt slightly embarrassed that some of this advice could have been more easily avoided than was particularly necessary. My main problem seems to be that I go into far more detail than is necessary. This can lead to me writing in descriptive material for my scripts about certain characters or settings that audiences wouldn't be able to understand unless they could read the actual descriptions.

Here are some examples:

Episode 1:

“He also has bouts of depression but despite everything he is a happy go lucky guy with a self-deprecating sense of humour.” This example doesn’t work because it is not something that can come across on the screen.

Episode 2:

“ELLIOTT seems interested in the story, maybe he wants to go and see if anyone nearby are in need of job applicants?”

“ELLIOTT is convinced it could go up in flames any second.”

“Although he is not very unique looking, the way he carries himself and his mannerisms make him stand out.”

“ELLIOTT is suspected of setting the fire himself as a publicity stunt, but the bystander’s obvious awe of ELLIOTT’s premonition as well as his cameo on the news clear him of any charges.”

“He also has an East End accent. He has a short temper, and an even shorter IQ. Because the setting is getting later, they are still shrouded in darkness.”

“But now ELLIOTT suddenly has a premonition as to the quality of the food.”

Episode 4: 

we notice that the building is in fact large, dark grey and art-deco looking but otherwise quite normal from the outside.

I have removed all elements of these type of descriptions from my scripts and treatments. This has been the main thing that i've learned from these feedback lessons. This was so blindingly obvious yet somehow that fact that these descriptions wouldn't make sense on screen didn't seem to occur to me. This has led to me going back and fact checking everything that I have written to make sure it will all be understandable for the viewer.

Major Project - Learning the Craft of Screen Writing

During the writing of the show, I've had to take into consideration the fact that this is something completely new to me. Not so much in terms of writing scripts (I've done that before on past projects) but more in terms of scriptwriting in long form. I've never really written 25 page scripts before so its quite an experience to engage yourself with. Sometimes its difficult to stay focused or to overcome obstacles when trying to pave new grounds for yourself as a writer.

Some artists prefer to learn and use the form intuitively, without explicit or conscious understanding of the form. They've been immersed in the form, so they can create within the standards of the form automatically. From my experience writing Different Perspectives, a writer can get blocked not because they are writers, but because they have not mastered the form of their medium. This is why it is important most of all, to be inspired when writing. Because it does not always come natural to a beginner.
It's a strange feeling, working alone on a project. But in a sense, its not really working alone because as long as you want it, you can get feedback throughout. This is where a script editor comes in handy. You can also have people you know, or whose opinions you trust. Filmmaking, as a whole, is the most collaborative art form. This is why I've valued being able to receive feedback from Simon and talk to Mark Cooper (who is also scriptwriting) about each other's projects. Sometimes its so easy to get stuck in your own world that its vital to receive the opinions of others, even if you don't necessarily agree on certain things, its important to have this advice to go back to.

Major Project - Researching Paranoid Schizophrenia for Elliott's Character.

One of the major character elements I have created for the Character of Elliott is that he is a paranoid schizophrenic. This not only effects his behaviour but it is also implemented as a plot device. throughout the show.

One of my main motives for this decision was that it would add conflict to his character as well as Elena's and the people around him since they don't know whether his detoriation is a part of his diagnosis or if he is telling the truth.

Of course, to properly implement this into my writing I had to research the subject beforehand to make sure I fully understood the consequences of what I was writing about.

http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/schizophrenia/#.VwqZSDYrKCQ

It's important to see how people effected by schizophrenia react to certain situations, which is why I thought this video was quite useful. It's important not to make light of the subject and to have an aura of authenticity about implementing it into Elliott's character.

This is a subject i've been interested in exploring so i'm glad to have the right type of story where I feel this can be used appropriately, and benefitting the relationships of these characters.

.

Major Project - Tutorial (08/03/16)

He is some of the advice I was given by Simon during our recent Tutorial in which he gave some advice on how to develop my Scripts for Episodes 1-3. 

• Writing only what we can see onscreen
• (Don’t describe when you could write in the script!)
• Show don’t tell
• don’t have characters talk to themselves
• Show his job 
• Invest in details about the characters life
• Simplify your concepts
• Show his paranoia, makes it more believable 
• Maybe change his motives in Episode 2 about his job
• Don’t just say he’s paranoid, show how his behaviour. 
• Don’t force the story through dialogue. - Episode 3
• Show his character 
• Distinguish these characters

I thought the tutorial went well for the most part, and I got a lot of very useful tips. Using this information, I am certain that I can improve on the layouts of my scripts

One thing I feel that I need to take from these tutorials is to not get myself down about mistakes I have made. Sometimes getting constructive criticism on a project can bruise my ego, especially if there are differences of opinion on how something should play out. But i've realised that that is often the best way you can learn from your mistakes as a screenwriter.