Chosen Drama Series

For the 'Directions' unit, we have been given the task to look very closely at a drama series that we admire from a directorial and creative point of view. Whilst studying a few British dramas for the 'Story-telling' unit, I looked at the first series of Broadchurch. It is a fictional crime drama that takes place in the close-nit town of Broadchurch in Dorset. We follow the characters of DS Ellie Miller and DI Alec Hardy who investigate crime in the area. The first series focusses on the murder of a boy in the town. Like many crime and mystery dramas, we are taken on a whirlwind of twists and turns, lead to believe many of the characters may have done the murder before a shocking reveal at the end, keeping the audience in suspense. I have chosen to look at Broadchurch as my drama choice because I loved the storyline but thought that the way the directors - James Strong and Euros Lyn directed it really carried the series, making it feel very gripping but moving at the same time. The topic of the first series is incredibly serious. I thought that the way this was handled was excellent, as the directors managed to convey the emotion and heart ache Danny's family were feeling through good story-telling, camera work and music whilst not taking away from the excitement of the unknown for the audience.
For the brief, we have been asked to choose a scene or sequence of scenes that we particularly admire from a directorial point of view and recreate them, putting our own personal style and signature into it and re-interpreting the scene/s. As I have only watched the first series, I would like to watch the second series too and choose from both so I have a wide knowledge of the drama before interpreting it. One thing, I particularly admired was the use of camera shots and time frame in the series. I thought that this was a great way of showing something on screen and creating emotion without having the characters say anything at all.

Directions

Directions is the second unit for this year. A director is a visual story teller. Every successful director has a distinct style of directing that personalises their work and shows their individuality. For this unit we are expected to explore our role as a director and create two short films. The first short film will be a self portrait. The film should be no longer than 2 minutes and should demonstrate who we are through our own personal directing style. It should represent who we are as people, what we think about and show the world through our own eyes. For the second video we have been given the task to look at a drama series, examine it and choose a scene or sequence of scenes and recreate them putting our own creative spin on the series. However, we are required to keep the general tone of the series the same so it is still recognisable to the audience. We can choose any drama series, excluding sitcoms or soaps. We then have to develop a 5-6 page script, retelling the scenes in our own way. This should be very helpful when directing the scenes and evolving a new scene that differs from the style of the original scene/s.
For both videos, the point is to explore our directorial vision, therefore, we must use crew members including a camera operator and a sound operator, as well as incorporate actors from outside of the class to give the videos a much more professional and dramatic feel and atmosphere. I think that I will enjoy this unit as I am looking forward to exploring my own directorial vision and working with a larger crew than last time. However, this is also quite daunting as the role of a director is very authoritative which I think will be quite challenging.

Project Evaluation

I have now completed each stage of this project including the production and completion of the two minute video and a final draft of my 10 page short story as a script. I found the storytelling project quite challenging, as this was the first time I have attempted to write a script. Although, the camera workshops were very helpful as they allowed me to experiment with some of the tools on the cameras, learn about audio and how to shoot in the most efficient way, I still found it relatively challenging when I had to film for my video and set up the camera myself. When it came to thinking of an idea for the short story, I thought about the advice that Steve Coombes gave us where he said to think about our own experiences as this can help to think of and develop ideas. For the story, I started with location first as I was on a long train journey and decided that this would be a good location for a meeting as it is a confined space and somewhere we often are forced to interact with strangers nearby. I then decided I wanted a protagonist and an antagonist so that the audience will root for the 'hero' of the story. I decided I wanted my character of Natalie to be somewhat talented but not know it yet and to always doubt her ability. In this way, this makes her much more likeable than if she were completely confident and sure of herself. It took me a while to establish my idea and what I wanted the aim of the story to be but was happy when I had decided on the ending. When it came to writing the script itself, I found it very challenging making the transition from telling a story where you write detail about every aspect, describing how the characters are feeling and the events of their past. However, after submitting my first draft and receiving feedback from Steve Coombes, he said that I needed to focus less on any backstory or description because the action in the script should only focus on what the camera can see. I amended my script to remove any unnecessary description. I also decided to change some elements of the story itself including how Natalie loses her novel and the ending where she believes that John Smithers will publish the novel for her but instead publishes it under his own name.
For the video, I had a number of issues. I shot the video twice, the first time being in London which is where the script is set. However, there were a few problems with the final footage which meant that I needed to re-film. The second time, I shot the video in Rochester, which was a much easier and a less stressful location to film at. I also changed my cast to improve the performance so that it was fitting with the mood and atmosphere of the video. I had already filmed the video before making amendments to the script which meant that the events of the film are slightly different. After a second viewing with Simon, he suggested that I film a few glimpses of the man she meets on the train sitting at the platform and have him getting on the train after her. This makes the video fit the brief a bit more as it gives the audience a little hint about later events in the story.
In terms of improvements, I would say that I should have improved my planning of the shoot so that I was certain the cast and location would work and be fitting for the video. In the final video, I would have wanted to include more footage of the man she meets, maybe including him walking to the station as well, however, his pace being much slower to create contrast with the shots of Natalie. I would have also liked to put more emphasis on the natural sounds of her journey. I hadn't originally intended to use a lot of natural audio so in a few of the shots you can hear talking in the background. I would have also liked to have had more time to plan the filming in Rochester, maybe choosing a slightly busier location that would create a sense of a busier environment, so that the vibe of the video seemed more hectic and rushed.
Overall, I would say the project turned out relatively well, despite the changes I had to make within  the time constraints of the last two weeks. However, I enjoyed the element of writing a script as this was very new to me and found it really exciting using the cameras at the studios and learning more about Adobe Premiere for editing. I am looking forward to learning more as the course progresses and hopefully seeing an improvement in my skill level and work.

Re-shooting/Re-editing

I re-filmed the footage for my video with Laura and Jack in Rochester. The general plot and events of the video were incredibly similar to before as my character Natalie is still making her way to the train station. I wanted to do the filming roughly in chronological order so that the clips would be easy to find and edit without having to rummage around the folder looking for the right ones. We started in the morning at the halls for the Uni. Once I had looked through my storyboards, I decided that the very first scene where she is looking through her things in her room didn't add anything to the story and would be unnecessary. Therefore, I decided that the first shot would be Laura opening the front door to the flat and checking her watch before beginning her journey to the station. I wanted the shots to be quite fast paced as she is late and is struggling to get there in time. I covered quite a wide variety of shots that would show her walking there in the most interesting and visually exciting way. I used a few different locations on the way including the a tunnel near the halls and the station itself. However, as I had to shoot within a few days I could not get permission to film in the station and had to compromise by filming with my own camera for the shots of Laura running up the stairs and onto the platform before boarding the train. There is no dialogue in the video which means that the only thing we discover about her as a character is that she late for her train but I think this creates a bit of intrigue and hopefully will evoke some interest from the audience as to who she is and why she is so desperate to make her train in time. I also wanted to capture some natural sounds such as cars driving past and the sound of her shoes on the stairs to create quite a natural rhythm that gives you the impression of ongoing movement and the idea of a journey taking place. When editing, I found that I had covered quite a good variety of shots which was useful because I had quite a lot to work with so that I could choose the best ones. I found that when editing them together in a sequence, it was much easier to make the cuts flow well, whereas most of the shots in the previous footage where the location was changing all the time were much harsher. I also learnt some new things about Adobe Premiere from editing my footage the first time which allowed me to edit much more efficiently and with ease the second time.

I had my second viewing with Simon yesterday and he pointed out that with only footage showing Laura, you do not get any sense of a meeting between two people. This is because in the first two minutes of my script, she does not come into contact with the character John. However, he suggested that I filmed a few short clips of a man waiting at the station already. In contrast with Laura who is rushing, he would be calm and collected with the final shot being of him getting on the train after Laura. I filmed those clips with Josh at Rochester station. The character of John is dark haired and smartly dressed so Josh fitted the criteria for the part. I managed to get a couple of waiting shots of him sitting on a bench waiting and then looking at his phone before getting on the train. When editing this clips in, I think it works quite nicely, contrasting with Laura rushing through the station in comparison to him being completely relaxed, already waiting there. I also think that the final shot of him getting on the train creates suspense, almost leaving it on a cliff hanger as the audience are left thinking about when they will meet and for what reason.

Script Feedback/Development

Click on images to enlarge

After my script feedback session with Steve Coombes, I had quite a few adjustments to make to my script. He said that in a lot of my action, I was describing backstory as well as how Natalie is feeling which is too story like. For a script, the action should only describe what the camera can see so that when you're filming, the camera operators know what to film and how to do it. The characters and dialogue should help to convey what the story is about but the action should show it. When amending my script, I started a new draft and had the first draft open as a separate tab to work from. I noticed I used quite a lot of backstory about the character of Natalie in the first few bits of action. Therefore, I cut this out and focussed on telling the reader a bit more about what she looked like rather than the events of her past. Steve also suggested that I shorten the first section of the script where she is making her way to the train. I wanted the script to start
off with a short montage of her being late and rushing, just making the train in time. However, I used too many unnecessary scenes and dialogue in this first section which I have adapted and shortened. I wanted to keep in some of the opening dialogue including her neighbour wishing her a good weekend as this gives a hint that she's going away somewhere. He also suggested that I make the meeting itself into several short scenes as opposed to one long scene, making small changes to the way the conversation is set up. For example in my first draft for the main section where she describes what happens in her story, I said that this would be a montage. However, Steve suggested that I cut to a scene showing the montage itself so that when she is describing a location, it appears on the screen, therefore changing the setting and allowing the audience to really imagine her novel so that they believe in this world Natalie has created through her novel. I also changed the way that she loses her novel, as during my feedback, it was pointed out that even though the laptop had broken, it is very likely that she would be able to retrieve the data by taking it to a technician, therefore there would be no need for her to repeat it and write it down. To change this, I have altered it so that there is something unusual in the way that she works, in that she carries notepads wherever she goes and makes notes, observing her environment for ideas and therefore only has a hard copy of her novel on paper. For the way she loses it, the loose papers are sitting on a table in the train and due to a strong gust of wind are swept out of the train door and lost under the tracks. I think this is a much more final way of losing the novel because there is no way she can retrieve them, therefore she has to re-write it in that moment of time before she forgets it. I have also changed my ending slightly. I still wanted to leave it on a cliffhanger where John publishes the novel. However, previously he doesn't tell her that he is a publisher and leaves her thinking about he prospect of taking it to be published herself. However, I decided to alter this so that he is enthusiastic and excited about her novel, tells her that he would like to publish it for her, but instead publishes it under his own name, therefore taking the credit for it. I think this is a better ending as the audience will think that something good will finally happen for Natalie now she has been discovered but are left just as bewildered as her to find out that he deceives her.

Locations

When choosing my locations to film, I wanted the footage to look authentic, therefore I decided to film in London which is where the first two minutes of my script take place. The main location in my short story is on a train going to Nottingham from St Pancras. However, I decided to do the opening scenes for the video itself which required some stations in London. I went up to London with my friends, Lauren and Mitchell and we started in Angel which is where the character Natalie is currently living. I chose this area in my story as it is quite a small area that isn't too central therefore would be slightly quieter to film at. I shot some tracking shots of

Lauren walking down the streets, whilst showing some of the surrounding environment so that the audience would recognise it straight away. As she is rushing to the station, I wanted the environment to be busy and hectic to reflect the mood of the video. I then shot the video in chronological order, taking the journey with Lauren to St Pancras station on the tube and filming her along the way to capture quite a natural vibe. The tubes were incredibly busy making it quite a stressful location to film in. St Pancras station was also very chaotic with many people rushing around. Again, this was ideal for the footage itself but made filming for me quite difficult.  

                                                                       
For my re-filming. I chose Rochester as my location as this is a much less busy environment to work in which I thought would give me much more time to carry out each shot several times to achieve some footage of good quality. I also know the area very well, having spent lots of time in Rochester last year therefore, I could choose some locations that I thought would look good in the video. I started from the halls for UCA students as my script required some footage of Laura leaving a flat. I thought a flat would make the shots look most effective as I could capture her running down the stairs in a hurry to catch the train. I also thought that the train station in Rochester would be ideal to film at because it's not too busy, therefore I could take my time and not have to worry so much about getting in the way of people.

Re-planning

After editing some of the my footage from London, I was finding it difficult to cut everything smoothly with each aspect of the journey to the station not really linking and working as a final piece. After a first viewing with Simon, he suggested that I reshoot my footage using someone else as I wanted the mood and vibe of the video to give the impression that the character Natalie is rushing to get the station. In the script, she is struggling to reach St. Pancras in time to make her train but this did not come across in my footage as she looked quite calm and casual with not much facial expression. I have asked Laura to be in the reshoot and have decided to shoot the video in Rochester as this will be much easier to navigate and should allow each clip to cut more seemingly as the locations won't be too different. London was a very busy location to film at because of all the people and the general atmosphere of the city. Therefore, I will have more time in Rochester and a calmer atmosphere to work in to ensure I get a much wider variety of shots that I can edit more easily. The location will not accurately reflect my script but for the video to work as a final piece of work, I am going to aim to get across the idea of someone rushing to the station with very little time to spare in order to create tension and excitement for the audience to really engage them. I will pair this footage with some very fast paced music, eliminating dialogue so that it is quite quick and dramatic.

Shot-list 

Location: Flat 

- Medium shot - bedroom, grabbing items and walking out of the door
- Long shot - walking down the stairs
- Long shot - walking through hallway
- Medium shot - walking towards door, shot from behind
- Extra long shot - Front door from outside, leaving and walking towards the street

Location: Streets

- Tracking shot - over the shoulder walking up street
- Long shot from the side of Laura starting to run up the street
- Medium shot - from the front showing her expression
- Medium tracking shot - road in front, showing point of view
- Extra long shot - Laura crossing the road
- Close up of Laura looking concerned
- Tracking shot over the shoulder
- Extra long shot - Laura walking fast round the corner
- Extra long shot of the station, point of view


Location: Train Station

- Medium shot of Laura rushing through the doors
- Medium shot of the station boards, then again of Laura scanning them for her train
- Long shot of her walking through the barriers and round the corner
- Medium shot walking down the stairs
- Long shot of train coming into the station
- Long shot of Laura getting on the train

Storyboard
For the storyboard, it wasn't too difficult to adapt as I had my original story board and shot list to look at where most of the shots and angles could be used again. The story itself is still the same so I just needed to consider a new location and how I could use that to tell the same story so that it wasn't too altered. Here I have included two pages from my new storyboard.