Friday, 1 February 2013

Synopsis draft 2


Christian was a new addition to the burrow county police force, starting out at the bottom of the detective field, with a boss that couldn’t care less about his opinions or thoughts on high profile cases.  Attempting to make him self more established, Christian attempts to bargain with the boss for better cases, however Mr Mord doesn’t like this and decides to transfer Christian to the town of Oakridge. A little town isolated from society, hidden amongst woodland areas, fields and 40 minutes away from any other community.
When mysterious murders and disappearances start happening within Oakridge, Christian is the only one that can help the town and discover the cause for all of this; with a police force of only three men and himself, he has little help with his investigations, and with the added distraction of this mysterious new woman, Christian soon learns that by leaving this case, he could be intern-putting Scarlet in danger.
Having no idea where to start, and being new to the town, Christian meets a mysterious man named Lewis Turner. Dark hair, deep voice and stubble on his face, Lewis starts taking a deep interest in Christians work and tries to give advice as to where to start his search. However, Lewis is in fact doing the opposite of this. With no idea of his intentions, Christian doesn’t know that the character that is to blame for these disappearance and murders is the man claiming to help him, keeping him well away from all signs and clues that can lead back to himself. With the sudden change in Lewis’ actions and presence near other people, he begins to put together the facts and discover the true nature of Lewis, learning that in this business, you cant trust anyone.

Screenplay draft 1



INTEREGATION ROOM- NIGHT

WIDE SHOT OF THE SIDE OF THE INTEREGATION ROOM AS IF YOUR LOOKING THROUGH THE OBSERVATION MIRROR, SHOWING THE WHOLE OF THE ROOM INCLUDING LEWIS SLOACHED IN A CHAIR, WITH A CARELESS LOOK ON HIS FACE. ALSO A SMALL TABLE WITH A SPOT LIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM AND A MIRROR AND A CLOCK ON THE WALL BESIDES HIM.
(SOUND- SILENCE)

POLICE STATION- NIGHT

TRACKING SHOT AT FLOOR LEVEL, FOLLOWING THE FAST PACED FOOTSTEPS OF DETECTIVE CHRISTIAN WOODS.  BACKGROUND OUT OF FOCUS, SO UNABLE TO SEE WHERE HE IS.
(DIEGETIC SOUND OF LOUD FAST PACED FOOTSTEPS ON HARD FLOOR)


WIDE SHOT OF A POLICEMAN SAT BEHIND A DESK. WE SEE CHRISTIAN HASTALY WALK PAST HIM, AND THE POLICE MAN LOOK UP FROM HIS DESK AND TURN HIS HEAD IN THE DIRECTION OF CHRISTIAN.
(DIEGETIC SOUND- FOOTSTEPS AND SHUFFLING OF PAPERS ON PICEMANS DESK)

CLOSE-UP ON DOOR HANDLE, SHOWING DETECTIVE WOODS OPENING THE DOOR (DIEGETIC-RATTLING OF DOOR HANDLE)

INTEREGATION ROOM- NIGHT

MEDIUM SHOT FROM THE INTEREGATION ROOM SHOWING DETECTIVE WOODS COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LOOKING CONFUSED AND ANGRY.
(DIEGETIC- SLAM OF THE DOOR AND FOOTSTEPS PACING UP AND DOWN FROM DETECTIVE WOODS)

MEDIUM SHOT OF LEWIS BEHIND THE TABLE IN THE DARK, WITH THE SPOTLIGHT POINTED AWAY FROM HIM. SLIGHT VIEW OF LEWIS’ FACE, PULLING A CROOKED SMILE.
(QUIET TICKING OF THE CLOCK IN THE BACKGROUND)

MEDIUM SHOT OF DETECTIVE WOODS IN FRONT OF THE DOOR LOOKING ANGRY AND CONFUSED AT LEWIS’
(TICKING OF THE CLOCK)

WIDE SHOT OF THEM BOTH, WITH LEWIS IN THE CHAIR AND DETECTIVE WOODS AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM LOOKING STARING AT HIM WITH HIS ARMS CROSSED
(TICKING OF THE CLOCK)

OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT FROM LEWIS, SHOWING DETECTIVE WOODS PULLING OUT THE CHAIR AND SITTING DOWN.
(SCRAPE OF THE CHAIR ON THE FLOOR)

MEDIUM SHOT OF DETECTIVE WOODS WHILST SHUFFLING IN HIS CHAIR, LOOKING ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED AT LEWIS.
(TICKING OF THE CLOCK)

DETECTIVE WOODS:
I DON’T UNDERSTAND LEWIS…
(SPOKEN QUETLY WHILST SHAKING HIS HEAD)

CLOSE-UP ON LEWIS’ FACE, SHOWING HIM PULLING A CROOKED SMILE WHILST STARING DIRECTLY AT DETECTIVE WOODS.
(SILENCE APART FROM THE TICKING OF THE CLOCK)

MEDIUM SHOT OF DETECTIVE WOODS LEANNING IN CLOSER AND PULLING IN HIS CHAIR.
(TICKING OF THE CLOCK AND SCRAPING OF THE CHAIR)

TWO SHOT OF THE TWO CHARACTERS FROM THE SIDE, SHOWING DETECTIVE WOODS TURNING THE LIGHT ON TO LEWIS.
(TWISTING OF THE LIGHT AND THE TICKING OF THE CLOCK)

CLOSE-UP OF LEWIS’ FACE AS THE LIGHT DRAWS ACROSS HIS FACE, SHOWING HIM SMIRKING AT DETECTIVE WOODS
(TICKING OF THE CLOCK AND TURNING OF THE LIGHT)

WIDE SHOT OF THE TWO CHARACTERS SAT EITHER SIDE OF THE TABLE, WITH LEWIS SLOCHED IN THE CHAIR AND DETECTIVE WOODS LEANING ONTO THE TABLE.
(TICKING OF THE CLOCK)
DETECTIVE WOODS:
ARE YOU GOING TO SAY ANYTHING?
WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU TO DESERVE THIS?!

SHOT CHANGES FROM OVER THE SHOULDER, ZOOMING INTO A MEDIUM SHOT OF LEWIS ON HIS OWN SITTING UP AND LEANING OVER THE TABLE TO DETECTIVE WOODS.
(SHUFFLE OF THE CHAIR AND TICKING)

LEWIS TURNER:
(LAUGHS TO HIM SELF QUIETLY)
“EVENTUALLY DETECTIVE, YOU WILL SEE WHAT THIS TOWN DOES TO PEOPLE.”
 (WHISPERING TO DETECTIVE WOODS)
(SHUFFLES CLOSER, LEANING BACK INTO HIS CHAIR)

WIDE SHOT OF DETECTIVE WOODS SHOOVING HIS CHAIR BACK AND STANDING UP. SLAMMING HIS HANDS ON THE TABLE.
(SCARPE OF THE CHAIR AND BANG ON THE DESK)

MEDIUM SHOT OF DETECTIVE WOODS SHOWING HIS ANGER AND FRUSTRATION TOWARDS LEWIS.
(TICKING OF THE CLOCK)
DETECTIVE WOODS:
“IF YOU WERE DOING THIS, WHY DID YOU THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH A DETECTIVE?”

MEDIUM SHOT OF LEWIS
(TICKING OF THE CLOCK)

LEWIS TURNER:
“WOULD YOU SUSPECT YOUR FRIENDS TO BE CAPABLE OF MURDER?”
(SAID QUIETLY WHILST LOOKING AT THE DESK AND SMIRKING)

CHANGE TO A CLOSE-UP ON LEWIS’ FACE, WITH HALF OF IT IN THE LIGHT AND HALF IN THE DARK.
(TICKING OF THE CLOCK)

Sunday, 20 January 2013

Synopsis draft 1


The genre I have chosen is a detective-mystery. The story will be set in the town of Oakridge, isolated from the rest of society; and the town has very little in the way of a police force. After getting into trouble with the boss on his first official week as a police detective, Christian Woods has been sent to Oakridge to attend a weekend fundraiser in his place. However, this place isn’t any ordinary town, abandoned houses down every street, roads slowly falling apart and hardly anyone to be seen. When Christian arrives at the fundraiser he notices that the guest are in a panic as there has just been a murder. The protagonist will represent a young worker just starting out in their field of work, having to suck up to the boss being the lesser in the work place, however the character is smart and enthusiastic towards the work but not taken seriously by that of the more experienced detective. This will allows my targeted audience of younger adults to relate to starting out at the bottom of their field of work and instantly relating to the character. Being the only Law enforcer in the town, Christian realises that he needs to solve this murder on his own. However, one guest becomes very willing to help. Although the protagonist doesn’t discover the truth about this guest until the end, the audience will be able to get the vibe that he isn’t a good character through the use of darker lighting, the little of him seen and the positioning of him when in the shot.The best part to my film will be when The Antagonist arrives for the first time in the shot and attempts to gain the trust of the protagonist so he can steer
him astray. 

Antagonist and Protagonist Characters

The Antagonist/ false hero:


Actor name- Wes Bentley
- killer of the film, however isn't discovered to be the killer until
the end of the film.
 Character Name- Lewis Turner
- isn't an actual guest at the fundraiser ( unknown to anyone )
- pretends to help the protagonist to find the killer but instead
leads him away from the truth.





The Protagonist:


Actor Name: Jake Gyllenhaal
- Main character ( detective sent to fundraiser in the place of the boss
and starts to discover disappearances).
Character Name- Christian Woods
- always seen in the light
- police uniform ( a guest of the house owner )
- discovers the killer and the cause if the dissapearances ( unexpected killer )





Story Type


Narrative Structure-
Todorov (equilibrium- disruption- resolution – restored order – new equilibrium)

Thematic narrative-
Roland Barthes (enigma- a narrative that teases the audience by presenting them with a puzzle/riddle to be solved)

The Quest-
The character is set on a task to find someone or something. He accepts the challenge, searches for and finds the someone or something. He is then rewarded, or not, for his success in the quest.

Education Plot-
Protagonist’s view of life / self / people changes from negative to positive.