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. 

Major Project - Writing Treatments and Screenwriting Advice.

I am currently writing out Treatments for Episodes 4-6 of Different Perspectives. The main reason I have decided to do this is that it would take far too long to finish more than three scripts and would take away from the amount of time I want to take to get them up to scratch. I had already spent time during my pre-production phase developing treatments for my idea, but as my idea has developed since then I have found it necessary to re-work a lot of it. In particular i wanted to work on my ending more as I wasn't happy that part of the story for the most part.

I have also spent time researching into other treatments for TV Shows. This included going back to my initial sources such as:
http://www.writing.ie/resources/tv-treatments-what-they-are-and-why-you-need-one-part-1-of-2/

This website was a useful starter whilst writing during my initial Pre-Production work, as it contains a basic checklist for creating a Treatment. As it states Treatments can be quite accommodating in allowing writers to follow a looser set of rules than script-writing. Thankfully I have covered quite a lot of this already. The challenge is improving on what I already know about this type of descriptive writing and putting it to good use.

Another website I've also found useful is a sub-forum on Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/screenwriting

This includes very useful tips from other aspiring writers who want to get some advice on creating/pitching their own ideas. Something I found very interesting to read was seeing the treatment for Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Screenwriting/comments/3ou6bz/stanley_kubricks_treatment_for_the_shining/

https://www.copy.com/s/Nu37uoU4ZhxfnguB/shining%20(treatment).pdf%3Boid%3A247

Something that I find interesting about reading through part of it was just how major plot points appear completely different through out the script. It signifies just how many previously notable scriptwriting elements can be changed or cut out in the process of delivering it to the screen. 

Major Project - Defining an Identity as a Screenwriter

Something that my lecturer has told me that I need to work on as a concept is giving the writing style I use more of an identity. This is something that I can understand as I want this series to have characters that audiences can relate to. Another thing i've been told is to not be so overly descriptive and to take out some concepts such as the Dream Sequence at the start of Episode 1. The Dream Sequence would take audiences too far away from the action of the shows concept and is a lazy way of describing how he becomes hyper aware and paranoid of his surroundings.

I've scrapped the dream sequence and made a different approach to the Dream Sequence
which involves a special chip given to Elliott after a car accident.

One thing I want to concentrate on for Different Perspectives is to cut back on a lot of the unnecessary detail from the location description, plus characters. Just state exactly what I want to have shown. Making strongly-defined characters is something I need to work on more, as well as giving the series more unique twists and turns. It's very difficult sometimes, to work in a medium you haven't had very much experience in. This is why I wanted to work on this concept since last year. One more thing i've realised is that screenplays are emulating and pro-conceiving a visual medium so you have to write visually. One way or another, as you keep writing you learn what "writing visually" means. Things that work in your own head might not exactly work translated to the big screen.

Major Project - Writing Treatments

I am in the midst of writing Episode 2 right now, and very soon I will most likely start writing out my treatments. I previously did part of this in my pre-Production phase. There are a few reasons why Treatments can be extremely useful, and particularly when pitching a series with more that a couple of episodes, it is a necessity. If a script is the blueprint for the movie, the treatment is the blueprint for the script. It's the base, and what you lean on when you sit down and write. A treatment is a rundown of every scene, with bits of dialogue sprinkled in between.

This is very useful, because when I sit down and write, I know where I can go next, because I know if I get lost, I can always go back to the treatment. In large part, a treatment is basically a summary of what happens in your movie. It simply tells the story from beginning to end. This serves as an outline which will guide me in the writing the screenplay process. It is also a useful tactic for overcoming writers block, as you can essentially get to the meat and potatoes of the story.

Stephen King, 1973. In the midst of writing another chapter.

Major Project - Tutorial (19/02/16)

I had a tutorial with Simon today in regards to my project. I was happy that I was given a lot of really useful feedback to implement into my scriptwriting.

• Only write what the audience can see.  "Show but don’t tell".
• Let the audience discover
• Better flow. 
• Bring atmosphere into your script through descriptive paragraphs.
• Let the dialogue ‘breathe’.
• Tell us more about the characters
• Dialogue still a bit clunky, make it smoother.
• Set the scene better.
• Describe Elliott's job clearer.

Since my last tutorial I have tried to build on the advice that I was given, this week it was much the same although I definitely felt a clearer understanding of where my project is going.

Major Project - Billy Wilder Screenwriting Tips

Billy Wilder was one of the most acclaimed writer/directors in film history, having co-written and directed such classics as Sunset Boulevard, Some Like it Hot, The Apartment, and Double Indemnity. 

Here are some of Wilder's screenwriting tips:

1)  The audience is fickle. 

2)  Grab 'em by the throat and never let 'em go. 

3)  Develop a clean line of action for your leading character. 

4)  Know where you're going. 

5)  The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer. 

6)  If you have a problem with the third act, the real problem is in the first act. 

7)  A tip from Lubitsch: Let the audience add up two plus two. They'll love you forever. 

8)  In doing voice-overs, be careful not to describe what the audience already sees. Add to what they're seeing. 

9)  The event that occurs at the second act curtain triggers the end of the movie. 

10) The third act must build, build, build in tempo and action until the last event, and then—that's it. Don't hang around.

Major Project - Writing Descriptive Material & Learning From Mistakes

When it comes to writing for my Scripts I've realised that I write far too much descriptive passages where I assume that the reader knows how its going to come across visually.

You have to write a lot, and see how it lands. You have to read enough so that you understand what good writing is. It's a judgment call, and one of the things I struggled with when I first started writing was when to exercise that judgment. I felt like, if I could see it vividly in my head, I had to communicate it on the page exactly as I saw it, down to the last detail. What I eventually realised is that describing every act and every object in such detail is counterproductive. It makes reading the script a grind. And most importantly, it robs those moments where you really are trying to create tension of their power.

I've often heard that young filmmakers tend to overestimate the amount of information audiences need and underestimate the speed with which they can process it. This is why it is important for me to look beyond these mistakes and address what I am writing from a different angle. This is one reason why for me, the tutorials with Simon have been so useful. I feel like i'm learning something new every step of the way.

Major Project - Script Draft

Today I submitted my first script draft for Different Perspectives. Although I received some positive feedback I was told that the dialogue that had been written was quite clunky. I was also told that I was far too unnecessarily descriptive when writing out scene actions.  These are somethings I found myself agreeing with as I re-read the script. It is clear that I still have quite a way to go to mastering the descriptions, but I'm going to keep trying to improve it so that eventually it should flow a lot better.

Different Perspectives - Episode 1: Draft

Major Project - Getting Inspiration For Ideas

As far as i'm concerned, the most important thing for scriptwriting and screenwriting is just to write and keep writing. Even if you have to force yourself to write a few pages a day, it's important to do. So, if I'm in a pinch, I just sift through the "scene ideas" folder, and more often than not, within 15-20 seconds, I'll find something that sparks my imagination and gives me a starting point to go from.

In general I have a tactic where I build the world for my idea first, then develop a character to see how they would react to each pivotal point in their story. When the occasion arises that I borrow from other work that inspires me, I try to actively break down those borrowed inspirational elements into their base qualities. A characters look, tone, or presence. The worlds style, culture, or feel. Then carefully use them to mold my character or world without mimicking the original.

Here is a short interview with famed Director, Martin Scorcese talking about ideas that have encouraged him to keep writing. He also said the following which I found was quite intriguing coming from someone who has been a part of filmmaking as long as he has.

"It's always gets me annoyed these days in Hollywood and a lot of places where people write scripts they talk about the first, second and third act... Why, why only have.. why talk about movies in terms of theatre?" - Scorsese 

It's clear that he believes that film has the power to take audiences to places that they would have never imagined before. As such it is not always necessary for the writer to be restricted by a set of rules if you have certain ideas for your project that don't fit into a three act structure.

and here are some inspirational quotes that have helped me during my screenwriting.

Major Project - Using Channel 4 As My Network

During the pre-Production stages I decided to go with Channel 4 as the platform for Different Perspectives because it is one of the biggest channels in the UK. In terms of story I could see it suiting the channels target demographics well. There were also shows that are quite similar in terms of the 25 minute comedy-drama format that led to feel that this platform would be an great way to gain the 18-36 target demographic I am hoping for.

During their 2014 annual report Channel 4 describes its main goal as “staying commercially self-sufficient”. This is largely because they have a huge reputation as one of the largest independent Television programming channels in the UK for original content. In 2014 they spent £602 million on total content, £430 million of it being spent on completely original material.

In a statement on Channel 4's website they use the following statement:

‘We are a publicly-owned, commercially-funded public service broadcaster. We do not receive any public funding and have a remit to be innovative, experimental and distinctive.’

This is largely why I want to use Channel 4 as my outlet, because they are looking for creative, original content above all. Since the tone of this production is as a comedy-drama with dark undertones, I believe that Channel 4’s demographic will be interested in a Television show of this type.

Major Project - Second Poster

In addition to my original poster, I also created a second. This one uses Bethany Emmert's artwork and is meant to be seen as an alternative to my original Black and White noir esque image, which I took with Lawrence Sedgwick on the cover.

Original Poster.

'Alternative Poster'.

Major Project - Study Group

I have met with Mark Cooper who is also scriptwriting for his major project. The intent is to discuss our ideas and brainstorm amongst ourselves as to how we can develop them further.

So far we have discussed our ideas and we have made it a plan to every one in a while to talk about our projects and give any advice towards how they are written.

Mark and I discussing our individual projects.

This proved very useful because it meant that I could get some good feedback from one of my peers. Since I know Mark quite and we are both doing the screenwriting method it felt like we were on a similar wavelength when it came to describing our ideas. Unfortunately the video that we filmed cut off before our conversation ended although we did end up discussing a lot of good points in it about each others ideas.

This was almost a test session to see where we were starting to go with our individual scripts. Although we're both in the early stages, we both know that we have specific goals that we want to get to in our works,.

Major Project - Trying to Write 'Visual Characters'

I am a very visual person so I always have a good sense of how the characters look and how they physically interact with the world. Since Different Perspectives is the basis for a TV show I want them to seem iconic enough in my mind so that the characters I create hopefully fall into a certain archetype.

When trying to create characters that can 'come to life', so to speak.. for each scene, I always try to keep track of the last interaction the characters had previously, where the characters just came from, and try and realise a purpose for where they're going at that point in the script. Not only does this help because it gives both the characters something to do, but it also gives purpose to what they're saying so it doesn't all seem completely random. This helps when trying to build character development, because it is important to have the characters I write evolve over the course of the Episodes/Series rather than stay in one place throughout.

Once I have the start of a script down, I find it much easier to visualise the scene as I go along, this helps it to flow more naturally whilst writing. Sometimes it comes out clearer in my head so its about striking a balance between what works on paper and what doesn't.

Major Project - Going through my Past Research

Going back to the Different Perspectives project after a Christmas Break, it has been important for me to reacquaint myself with my own pre-Writing material. This means I have been looking over a pdf of my book for Different Perspectives so I can carry on where I left off.

The important thing is to remember that it is necessary to have an understanding of your characters and the themes you want to implement in your idea. Whilst writing out my initial treatments, I had to make sure that I knew where I was headed next in terms of story. So i've had to refocus to figure out where i've already gone with this project and see how I can take it to the next step. I'm really excited to have got this opportunity, since working on something like this allows me to create in a creative capacity and see what I can accomplish in the screenwriting field.

Major Project - Developing the Story Further

I have started to work on revising and elaborating on the work I worked on during the pre-production stage of Different Perspectives. This includes building on the personalities of the characters. One thing I want to make clear is that they have there own distinctive styles in terms of how they are written. This means that I need to spend time on the story background and to make sure everything is clear.  

Here are some notes i've written for myself to hopefully help me out whilst writing:

- Write about experiences or people you know (it makes it more believable).

- Write detailed 3D characters, not one dimensional characters.

- Write believable dialogue .

- Images and visuals should tell the story with dialogue being used to build character or to deliver exposition

One of the most basic, but important things I learnt about screenwriting was to work out my story structure in its most basic form, then gradually build and develop it to what I wanted it to be. 

Major Project Unit - Scripting Different Perspectives.

I am continuing the project I started last term. (Different Perspectives) 
For this project I will work on the script for the idea. The plan is to finish the scripts for all six episodes that I have written treatments for. The show is still being produced for Channel 4, with the intention being for it to fit into a 19:30-20:30 time-slot. 

I'm very excited to work on this idea because I had a clear initial plan for what I wanted in the last project, and this gives me a chance to develop it even further towards my final vision. I am taking inspiration from numerous concepts and shows such as The Truman Show, Peep Show and The Twilight Zone. I want to create a final series that comes across as authentic and fully developed.

I've decided I want to develop the option of being a screenwriter because this is an area of TV production I am quite interested in. It is important for me on an artistic level because I want to fully flesh out the characters and storyline that I have been working for up to this point. Since I am working in the Television format, the script for Different Perspectives is quite different to how I would develop the storyline if I were working on a film production. I want it to be scripted in a clear and concise manner over the course of the six episodes. Since each episode is around 25 minutes long I think this will be easily achievable.

The main intention is to write these characters in a way that makes audiences care for them. This is something I am intending to feature throughout the scripts. Particularly the relationship between Elliott and Elena, which I have been fleshing out since the Pre-Production Unit. I want the audiences to be surprised throughout, and be curious as to how the series will resolve at the end.