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PROBLEM
SOLVING

ORIGINAL IDEA

When I first began developing this idea, I planned to make a much longer film that still included what my plan is now but it also included a sequence of him at home contemplating which was essentially just because I wanted an excuse to try using specific shots. However, as I was unable to make the film at the end of last year, I luckily never got to go ahead with it as it was awful and would have just been a bunch of pretentious rubbish.

My plans for this original idea were influenced heavily by Yorgos Lanthimos whose films I had watched just before planning. This meant that my ideas were rather strange and sometimes nonsensical because I wanted to make a weird film like The Lobster or The Killing of a Sacred Deer. This plan also included voice-over narration that acted as the thoughts of the character which would have been pretty silly and didn't add much to the story but instead described what would have been obvious visually. Because of the influence from Lanthimos, I was going to have this dialogue said in an extremely deadpan way to add comedic effect but also to remove the need for a great delivery.














































Despite how dreadful my idea was to begin with, it allowed me to begin thinking of images that would later turn into the ones that I plan to create for this film. Although the majority of them have been removed from my plan, there are still a few that I plan to use such as the opening image and the hanging sequence.


































 

FINAL IDEA

As I had the opportunity to develop this idea over a long amount of time, there were many times where I left the project for a while and then came back to it with better and fresher ideas. By doing this I eventually came to realise how stupid the majority of my idea was and so I shortened and simplified it.

































"A man who has lost his faith in God attempts to hang himself from a tree. But when the rope snaps, he sees this as divine intervention, renewing his faith in God. Until the branch also snaps, killing him instantly."


When I first shortened it, I kept the voice-over narration which at the time I thought necessary to ensure it kept the comedic element. I even completed a draft version that included the dialogue.

SYNOPSIS 

TREATMENT

ORIGINAL DIALOGUE DRAFT

STORYBOARDING

Now that I had finally finished developing the story, I began planning how I would film it. However, because of indecision and obsessiveness, this process took me an unbelievably long amount of time. I got into a cycle of planning certain sections of the film but then when I went to plan the others, I would think of better ideas which meant I had to redraw the storyboards. 

DRAFTS OF FINAL STORYBOARD

An issue that arose as a result of my obsessiveness was that I couldn't decide upon a final way of formatting the storyboard ready for use when it came to filming. I tried numerous ways of depicting each frame in a way that would be easy to refer to whilst filming from basic drawings on paper to digital sketches, to a flipbook made from index cards.

DIGITAL STORYBOARD

FLIPBOOK STORYBOARD

An idea I had when I was deciding how to film my project was to draw storyboards on index cards which could then be turned into a flipbook. I liked this idea because it would be very easy to refer to whilst filming and it also allowed me to add details for things like framing and lens size on the back of each card.















This way of storyboarding was very useful as I was also able to separate the cards and stick them to my whiteboard which allowed me to take a step back and look at the film frame for frame and analyse the sequencing. I was also able to rearrange certain shots that I felt were in the wrong order.

SHOT LIST DRAFTS

I found the decision making process when it came to shots much easier when using a shot list and then annotating it. This way I had a much better idea of ordering and which shots belonged where. This also helped me with understanding where shots needed to be added.

SHOT LIST #1

SHOT LIST #2

LOCATION SCOUTING

Whilst planning this idea, there were many fields that I had in mind and because I had been planning it for so long, I had plenty of time to scout around for the perfect location. I knew that I wanted to film it close to where I live so that anything missing could easily be retrieved and so that we could make the most of the time we had to film.

The location  I finally decided upon was only a 5-minute walk from my home which was perfect. Because of how close it was, I was able to make numerous journeys to the field to consider things like framing and to work out how to film certain sections.
















When taking trips to the field, I took my phone and my iPad to take photographs. I also downloaded a viewfinder app on them which allowed me to mimick lens sizes so that I could plan ahead and make adjustments to my storyboards and shot lists before we began filming. 

PANORAMAS OF FIELD

PHOTOGRAPHS OF FIELD

VIEWFINDER PHOTOS OF FIELD

SEEKING PERMISSION

As I was made aware of the difficulties involved with finding owners of fields, I originally began preparing to go 'guerilla' and film without permission as I was so desperate to use this specific location. However, despite how low the chances were of somebody telling us to leave,  I knew that the slight paranoia on my mind during filming would likely have a negative impact on me by making me rush.

Because of this, my Dad and I went driving around asking people near the area. Eventually, we came across a lady who happened to know the owner. She told us that he lived a long distance away and was in the hospital so he wouldn't care. Although this wasn't concrete permission, it was enough. Because of the location itself and the inability to get in touch with the actual owner, I couldn't complete a location agreement but the verbal permission was enough to ensure we weren't disrupted during filming.

SCHEDULES

CONTINGENCY PLAN

As there are many issues that could arise before and during the filming process, I have decided to identify some that I can think of and make plans to combat them if they do arise. However, I fully expect issues to arise that couldn't possibly be prepared for so I will try my best to deal with them when they arise.

 

  • Weather

As we only have a short amount of time to complete this project, my choices are limited when it comes to possible filming days. Because of this, there is a chance that it may be raining on the day we film. However, before booking equipment I will make sure to check the weather constantly and try to find the best possible day to film. If I am unable to book a dry day, I will make sure that we have a location to seek cover so that we can protect the equipment.
 

  • Equipment

Another thing that I may find difficult because of the deadline is being able to book the equipment that I hope to. As there are obviously others that will be booking equipment I may have to re-schedule our filming day so that I can use the correct equipment.
 

  • Actor

If Patryk, my actor, fell ill or was unable to attend the filming day I wouldn't attempt to replace him but instead delay filming. As for the crew, I haven't selected who will be there for a specific reason other than to help me carry things which, if they were unable to attend, I could do myself. Although it would likely take chunks out of my available filming time. 

PITCHING MY IDEA

When I had completed pre-production, I then needed to pitch my idea to my teachers. This was something I immediately wanted to avoid simply because the moment an idea for a film is explained to somebody, it is inevitable that the person told will then subconsciously create a version of that idea in their mind. I dislike this because, regardless of the quality of the video, the mere fact that it is different from the version they subconsciously created is enough to prompt a negative response.

However, for the production process to even begin, pitching must be done and it must be done successfully so I began preparing. The first thing I did was list each of the things that I needed to mention during the pitch so that I could create a PowerPoint that focused on the correct topics. My main goal for my pitch wasn't just to explain my idea to my teachers but also to prove to them that I wasn't prepared and ready to begin production.

PITCH POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

AUDIENCE HAND-OUTS

For my pitch, I also prepared a couple of things that I could hand to my teachers so that they had something to flick through whilst I gave my pitch. I handed them my final storyboard and also a collection of my preparatory notes so they could gain a little more insight into my idea and my preparation for it.

REHEARSAL NOTES

Whilst planning my pitch and creating my PowerPoint presentation, I began making notes on what I was going to say so that when it came to giving my pitch, I was prepared and didn't have to hesitate to think of things to say. As the pitch was only supposed to last a couple of minutes, I didn't plan extensively what it was I was going to say which would have also taken away the casualness that I wanted to achieve.

PITCH REVIEW

Overall, I think my pitch went well. However, because of technical difficulties and the small amount of time I had to present my pitch, I wasn't able to use the PowerPoint presentation that I had prepared in the way I wanted to. I was, however, able to use that presentation as a guide as I presented my idea. Although this prevented me from showing the photos that I had included in my presentation like location photos and visual references, it meant that the pitch became more of a conversation than a performance which I think was very beneficial.

I believe their reactions to my short film idea were very positive and they seemed to be really engaged with my plans for the project. They also gave me constructive criticism in certain areas where it was required and helped me realise where I needed to make changes. One piece of critical feedback I got was about the working title I was using which I agreed didn't at all fit the story. Another concern that they explained was that I hadn't shown enough preparation in terms of scheduling. This was understandable as I didn't include anything like that in the presentation. I did, however, plan to book the equipment after I had completed the pitch. 

©2020 by Thomas Dersley.

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