Research Into My Short Story Idea

The Character Who Cannot Be Put Down.

I chose to do this story type because I don't think it is done often enough in film. The story of a character that is just an ultimate badass and takes down an enemy force all on their own isn't done enough, but when it is it can be quite a nice change from the usual action-y films we see. After I watched the film ‘American Sniper’ I decided to have the short film be about an army veteran sniper who finds the killers of his girl are working near his home and sets off to kill them all. I later changed this story slightly to make it more action oriented and more of homage to previous films. I first got this idea when I watched ‘John Wick’, a film about this exact thing. John Wick has his home broken into, his car stolen and his dog killed days after his wife dies, and decide to just go on an absolute killing spree kill everyone involved in the crime, alone. This caught me by surprise because when you normally see some kind of revenge story it has a team or group of people at the helm, like in ‘The Expendables’, but this film only had Keanu Reeves calling the shots. I really liked this idea so I decided to run with it. The oldest story of this type that I have heard of is probably the story of Achilles, Homer’s Iliad, whom was basically immortal and so could take down entire armies on his own, he did, however, have a fatal flaw in his heel, which eventually led to his demise. There are also no real truths about is general invulnerability, making him more like the characters from the modern films, ordinary people who are just badass enough to do what they do so well. This is why it makes sense to use this story as it doesn’t require the use of magical powers or superheroes to have the character be so awesome, just skill which can be implied throughout the story, similar to Achilles. I understand that these stories must have some grounding in reality, as Achilles was still just an exceptional warrior even with his immortality, and so is john wick, so I will show this in my short story by having the main character be just an awesome fighter and arms man.

I decided to analyse a short film called ‘Retribution’, made by Justin Kruse. It follows an ex-operative for an undercover organisation who attempts to steal from the FBI in a bid to clear the organisations name. However, once he realises that he is the organisations next target, he decides to take them out himself. Tyson take the lead role as the highly trained operative turned killer who needs to clear his name, while keeping in touch with an elusive character called Raven, who we meet at the end of the film, shortly before they get shot through the heart. Tyson is a quiet man, who doesn’t say much even in the face of danger, and this can be seen as him being either a quiet person in general, or he is quiet because he is smart, keeping a low profile so he can calculate his moves. Once he realises that he is the next on the proverbial chopping block, he decides to take the fight to the man who put him there, Raven. Raven is a mysterious character, only being seen through the first chink of the film in text and never having too much revealed about them. It isn’t until the end of the film that we finally meet them, and by that point were rooting for them to get killed, which they do. There are a few minor characters seen throughout the film, without speaking roles, which just make up the goons used by Raven. The three act structure of the film is well paced too, having a proper start middle and end. It begins with Tyson breaking into a hotel room to steal data from a laptop there, before he notices the goons on their way to stop him. He makes a quick escape and gets back in contact with Raven, who tells him to stash the data on a flash drive in a plant pot inside an office lobby. This pretty much concludes the first act of the story. As the second act starts, Tyson realises he is being followed and decides it best to keep the flash drive on him before leaving the lobby, followed by the goons from earlier. He escapes down an alley way, before getting into a fight with one of the goons. After beating the goon down, he takes his phone and realises the goons were sent to kill him by Raven. This begins the conflict of the film, and sets up the ending too. He decides to kill Raven himself to put an end to all of this, and agrees to meet him on top of a parking lot downtown. Once Raven arrives we see that Tyson has set up across then road on top of a building with a sniper, aiming at Raven. Raven sees this and, after a short argument, Tyson kills him and leaves the scene. This concludes the film and shows that the three act structure is well put together and well-paced. Each act leads into the next really well and compliments each other in a good way. It makes sense and follows a brief but well written story, even one without much dialogue.

The Equalizer Script - First Draft

I decided to cover a piece of the script from the equalizer as it has a very similar story to my short film idea. I chose page 26 because I think it really capture the character of Robert McCall, his cold and calculating demeanour. The dialogue does this by showing how scary this man really is, being sat in front of a dying man and looking at him as nothing more than some dick who had an out but didn't take it. I really like this side to his character, as it contrasts perfectly with his other side, the cool, quiet side that works a straight 40 at a department store. The long dialogue in the monologue he gives Slavi really work to show how cold this killer really is, showing that he could kill him right now but decides to lecture him before letting him bleed out instead. The scene directions also help to show what kind of character McCall is, saying that he comes back to earth as gently as an autumn leaf, showing there is grace and beauty in his destruction. After hitting the button on his watch and seeing the time, he is actually disappointed in how long killing these men took him.

Guns:

Realistic looking guns are allowed when they are being used in the production of a theatrical or cinematograph film. They don’t need the orange tips or any other defining trait to make them look fake. Fake guns like this can be purchased on the internet for relatively low prices, and altered upon arrival to make them look more real. I will need to alert any nearby public that we are making a short film so as to avoid any confusion. If the guns that are purchased don’t look like I want them too, I can paint them to make them look like what I want.

Blood and wounds:

Fake blood can be acquired online pretty easily. The makeup department can also make extra if needed. The scar on Spike’s face can be made by the makeup department, and the gunshot wounds will be fabricated as well. I will provide pictures to go with this to assist them in making them look right. A bullet that hits you may not even kill you, let alone stop you. This means that the actual wounds sustained in the film will need to placed in specific places to account for a killing shot. It is also pretty obvious that a bullet wound isn’t a pretty thing to look at. They often enter and leave a round hole, but can sometimes leave a cross or star shaped hole, and leave a bigger hole on the way out, because of some science I won’t go into now. Either way, they are quick large wounds when they first appear, but don’t actually bleed profusely as Hollywood would have you think, it can sometimes take minutes or hours for heavy bleeding to start, so I can maybe play on this to cut the amount of fake blood I will need.

Snipers:

After some research into what snipers are like when they get back from tour, I have concluded that they don’t generally have any lasting ill effects to contend with, though this does massively depend on the individual. They more often than not just tend to get on with their lives. The most successful sniper in recorded history, Simo Hӓyhӓ, who had 505 confirmed kills, tried to live a normal life when he got back from war. Even after sustaining an immense injury during the war to his face, he got over it and lived till he was 96 in a veteran’s nursing home. Chris Kyle, another famous sniper, primarily because of his book-turned-film, got back from tour and tried to live a normal life. He was killed at 38 by another veteran who had PTSD. This, however, doesn’t seem to really be an issue for snipers, perhaps because of how distant they are from the killing. There are also a lot of ways to treat, but not cure, this ailment. Returning to normality can be hard for some of the snipers at war, but more so for ones operating outside of warzones, such as ordinary police snipers. For people like this doubt and uncertainty can set in much sooner, making them question their decisions sooner than most snipers.

Locations:

I have a few locations that I would like to film in, and after I go and have a look at them, it will become clear how I will use them, such as what shots I will be able to get, or how scenes will look. The primary location for the film will be some kind of either; rundown building or home, or a dense wooded area, cut off from the public. I chose these kinds of areas as it would make it look like the gang that’s operating there have been there for a while, making their choice of hideout more believable. I want to film in these areas as it would look like a believable area for an evil gang to operate in, and would look more realistic.

Characters:

Sniper:

Name – John McCall

Age – 20 – 21

Dramatic motivation – discovers the gang that killed his love are operating near his home, decides to get revenge

Roles in narrative – Main Character

I got the original ide a for this character from movies and games involving quiet characters that kicked ass, like in the case of McCall, the equalizer. while these characters don't say much, they get their point across through their actions, and I really like this kind of person.

Gang Leader:

Name – Spike Castle
Age – 23
Dramatic Motivation – Wants to continue selling illegal drugs  near John’s home
Roles in Narrative – Main antagonist, killer of John’s lover. I got the idea for this character from all those cocky bad guys from action films, who think they're invincible and cant be beat. I took inspiration from movies and games like John Wick and Call of Duty, which all have antagonists that are smart but full of themselves. I like this kind of character because it feels good when they get beat, like they deserved it or something for being evil and not realising they were made more vulnerable because of it.

La La Land Review

La La Land Review

On Monday the 30^th, as a group, we went to see the film ‘La La Land’. ‘La La Land’ is a musical, comedy drama set in Los Angeles. It follows struggling jazz musician Sebastian, played by Ryan Gosling, who wants to open his own jazz club and aspiring actress Mia, played by Emma Stone, who wants to hit the big time, and their chance meetings throughout their lives. They eventually become lovers and set off to try and get the best out of each other, while also trying to make something of themselves. Directed by Damien Chazelle, who is known for doing Whiplash, an award winning drama, it is an astoundingly well received musical, having been nominated for 14 academy awards, tying for the most with ‘Titanic’ and ‘All About Eve’. It has also won 7 Golden Globes, breaking the previous record for the most wins, by winning in every nominated category. After watching the film I believe that, while it definitely deserved to win some awards, what with it being a great film and all, I don’t think it deserves anywhere near as many nominations as it has. The main reason is that it’s just a musical, it hasn’t changed the way the world sees film forever, like ‘Citizen Kane’, or used ground breaking new technology to change modern film, like ‘Avatar’ did, it just had some cool cinematography and a few good tunes, that’s it. I think people are freaking out over this film primarily because musicals haven’t been done in forever, and this film certainly does them justice. It shows how much of a shambles the awards scene actually is, in that all it takes is to please the majority of the academy and you’re guaranteed to win some awards. This doesn’t detract from how I felt about the film itself, however, as the film is still fantastic, so good that I took my girlfriend to see it the next weekend, and she loved it too. All in all, I think the film was great, but not 14 Oscars great.

The main reason I fell the film was great was that it’s a film you can’t be unhappy while watching. The music and the colours all blend together so well it makes you smile constantly throughout. The colours are so bright and vibrant in the nice, happy scenes, but then it gets darker during the sadder scenes. I think that colour plays just as much an important role in this film as the music does. The music, by Justin Hurwitz, who also worked on ‘Whiplash’, plays a massive part in the film, obviously. It plays on the idea that individual music genres are dying and must be revitalized through the youth of today to stay relevant. Jazz music is the main focus in this film, with Sebastian being a jazz musician, and it talks about how it is old hat to be into jazz, and that it is a dying breed of music. The costumes are great as well, during the scene where Mia is deciding whether to go to a party, her housemates are all wearing different colour dresses, and when she puts on her dark blue dress, it completes the contrast between all the dresses, blue, red, green and yellow. Put that against the dark blue/black of the road they are walking down, and it makes for an amazing looking scene. Also Ryan Gosling was slaying it in those suits too. The cinematography is also fantastic, with long sweeping shots during the larger scenes. This makes for a great watch, keeping you engrossed even during the longer scenes, as the camera doesn’t cut away from the action very often.

Working As A Writer

Commissioning for Writers and their Limitations and Obligations

 

Commissioning in the BBC:

The BBC will not take ideas and scripts from members of the public unless they are associated with an independent production company, although members of the public can get in touch with the BBC if they want to give an idea for a fictional programme. This is because programme development requires an in-depth understanding of the television process and can take a long time to realise, usually involving many people, and the BBC doesn’t have the resources to support every idea they get. Any idea submitted must be sent via the online proposal system BBC pitch. They treat all proposals as confidential. A pitch sent in will be looked at by the relevant genre and if they think it fits their current needs and priorities, they may ask the producer to develop it further. Once a pitch is sent in it will be acknowledged within a week. The initial decision to reject an idea or take it further will be made within 6 weeks of submission. If they decide to take an idea on, they will update the producer regularly ever 2 weeks or once with a clear time frame on what is happening. The final decision on whether they take the idea on and develop it will be made with 20 weeks.

Commissioning in ITV:
They seem to only take ideas that would appeal to a wide, mainstream audience, as they run ads to

make money, so the more people watching the better. If you have an idea for a unique programme, it is likely to be declined for this reason. If you want to submit an idea to ITV, you need to submit it to the specific area you would like it to be shown at. ITV refuse to take ideas from members of the public who are not affiliated with a pre-existing company. They aim to respond to all submissions within 6 weeks of receiving them. ITV make programmes for many different genres, and all of these are located on different channels, so you need to know which channel your show would be appearing on before you submit it.





Commissioning in Channel 4:

Channel 4 seem to be more unique than the BBC or ITV, specifically taking ideas that are different or

unique, and seem to be aiming their shows at young, 16-24, audience, trying to target youth culture specifically. As they don’t make the programmes they show, they don’t take ideas straight from the public, and you will need to go to an independent production company. They are more lax in the way you make the script you are submitting too, allowing you to come up with your own length and duration to help delve into the story more. They have a number of what they call core strands, different genres to think about when coming up with a new idea, these are; New Romantics, Rich Kids, Ballsy, Freaks and Uniques, Rants, Mid-Form Scripted, Leading Edge Music and Culture and Gaming & Internet Culture.





Commissioning in Channel 5:

Channel 5’s website doesn’t state whether they take ideas from the public or if you need to be linked to a production company, but they do give a list of different things you can submit ideas for. Being the smallest of the terrestrial channels means they need to work harder to get their programmes noticed, and the same goes for people giving them ideas, they need to be catchy and, more importantly, must resonate with the viewers. They won’t take ideas that are done too often, such as comedies or dramas, but love programmes that are engaging, intelligent and have a relevance to the viewer. They make show in the realms of specialist factual, documentaries and factual entertainment. When it comes to entertainment it is better if you have a proven track record in this area, as they are expensive to make and riskier to put out. They aim to provide a quick answer to your proposal and feel it right that you get to take it elsewhere if they don’t want it, but what this means is unclear.





Contractual:

A contract is a voluntary agreement between 2 or more parties, and are legal agreements that bind these parties into doing are being something. In the media industry there are different types of contracts, confidentiality and exclusivity. A confidentiality contract stops the signee from being able to openly talk about the project they are working on. On sets for TV shows, there are no cameras allowed or filming to be done of behind the scenes stuff so as to remove the chance of there being any spoilers leaked online. The contract may stipulate that the signee must pay a fee or be sacked from the project if they break the confidentiality agreement. An exclusivity contract is one that has 2 companies helping each other out by buying into each other exclusively. An example of this would be LOVEFiLM, who sign an exclusive multi-year deals with Sony, so that Sony may stream from LOVEFiLM, this means that LOVEFiLM can do the same thing again with other companies as well. A common exclusivity contract that can be seen used in film is when a film is being made about a book. In these examples a contract is signed between the author of the book and the production company making the film. An example of this would the Hunger Games movies that were based on a series of books written by Suzanne Collins, for which all the cast had to sign non-disclosure agreements and the production company and the author would sign exclusivity contracts so that only they could make a film on the book.

Employment legislation:
Employment legislation refers to all different kinds of employment rights, such as health and safety, sex, equal opportunities, trade unions and copyrights. Health and safety is arguably the most important of these, and all comes down to the employer. It is their responsibility to manage the safety of all people in their employment. In the film industry, this is the responsibility of the producer, investor or client. It was their idea to make the film, so everyone who works on it is their responsibility. The equal opportunities act is there to ensure an employer does not discriminate against someone for reasons such as; sex, pregnancy status, physical or mental health and many more. If any of these regulations are gone against, then the party that was damaged because of this can file a suit against the party that offended. They may then be forced to pay a fine or face a prison sentence in some more serious cases. There is also a set minimum wage for people who perform different tasks on set and these must be followed at all times and there must be equal pay between people of different genders. Employers are also required to give their employees certain things in exchange for their work, such as a safe, clean place of work, pay during sick leave, the right request breaks and training time. An example of an employee being treated unfairly would be Miriam O’Reilly, a former presenter of BBC show Countryfile. She was ousted from the show and replaced by a younger presenter, and she complained saying that she was replaced in ageist manner. She won damages and has changed the way TV shows operate for ever.





Ethical:

Ethical obligations are things like truth, liability, trust, privacy and serving the public interest. This can be things like guns being used in film; if someone isn’t very trustworthy then they most likely won’t be able to film with real guns, as you would need to have the police on site to deal with the guns. This is quite a tough thing to get around, as there aren’t really any ways of measuring trust or

privacy.  In Britain we use the BBFC to regulate our film certificates, they classify each new film with a rating and this shows who should and shouldn’t watch it. The ratings are U, PG, 12A, 12, 15, and 18. Any film wanting to be released in Britain will have to be looked at and classified by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) or it can’t be shown in cinemas, regardless of what the American rating committee, the MPAA (Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America), gave the film. Other things that must be considered are things like if someone identifies a specific gender, and whether you are treating all involved parties equally. Things like religious beliefs also need to be considered, as it can be very easy in this modern day to accidentally insult someone for their religious views, and this can cause a backlash if it is not treat appropriately.





Legal:

There are a lot of legal requirements in the media industry, not the least of which is copyright. A company needs to protect its own products, so a copyright is put in place to stop others from using it without being allowed to. Copyright can, however, also be applied to the application of an idea, rather than the idea itself. National security is another thing companies have to deal with in the industry, producers must be aware of things like The Official Secrets Act of 1911 and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, so as not to get on the bad side of the law and have their films cancelled. Trademarks are another of the many things a producer or employer must think about, if they accidentally show a trademarked name in a bad light they can get fined or lose out on deals, an example of this would be Guardians of the Galaxy 2, when they show the Microsoft Zune without permission and Microsoft had to ask for a reason why they weren’t asked first. If the director hadn’t issued an apology and a good reason why he used it, they would have most likely been fines or sued. Another legal point producers and employers must think about is the Broadcasting act of 1990, when Margaret Thatcher led to abolition of the Independent Broadcasting Authority and replaced it with the Independent Television Commission and Radio Authority, which have now both been replaced by Ofcom. The act basically changed who became the broadcasters of products on television and radio from the regulator to the actual radio and television companies. This allowed for the creation of a fifth analogue terrestrial channel, Channel 5, and the launch of 3 independent national radio stations.