WORKSHOP: Masterclass with Andrea Kapos & Project Feedback

Today we had a masterclass with Andrea Kapos, who is a Freelance Director who works predominately in Advertising. She also works as Director for 'Dark Energy Films' which is a commercial production company. During the lecture with her, she gave us insight into her personal experience of working in the Television Industry as a Director in particular. In working in advertising, she generally works with real people rather than actors and shoots interviews or montage sequences for companies like Tesco or children's television channel 'CBeebies'. However, this niche is very specific. This was very interesting as she talked about her experiences working with children, in relation to the challenges this can pose. For example, she told us that it can often be challenging to get the children engaged in the filming, and to combat this she makes sure she is always asking them questions and approaching them in a friendly, calm manner rather than making them feel as if they must perform to the camera. For her work, this is very important as she wants to get real reactions and responses from them as we are seeing them play themselves so it must come across as natural as if the camera wasn't there at all.

Dark Energy Films

As a Director, being able to communicate well with Contributors is very important as they need to understand what they should be doing and should feel guided and comfortable throughout. For Andrea, communication is incredibly important when working with children because she has to give them support throughout otherwise they are likely to get upset and not want to contribute.

Andrea also talked about her relationship with a freelance Cinematographer who she often works with on projects. Talking about how important it is to have a good understanding of what she wants to achieve visually and communicating this well to a Camera Operator, which Andrea said is key to achieving the best results. She also said that her and her Camera Operator have an understanding where he is able to shoot something without her say so if he thinks that it has potential to work for the production. For example when working with children in a real setting they're unlikely to switch off when the Director says 'Cut'. Therefore, if he sees something with potential, he will capture it.

I found the masterclass with Andrea very informative, and learnt lots of tips and advice for working freelance or just generally in the Television industry.
For the second part of the masterclass we were given an opportunity to have a tutorial with Andrea and communicate our ideas for this project to her to gain some constructive feedback. I found this to be a very useful process as she gave me some references to look at for inspiration. Andrea told me she found the premise of the idea very interesting and creative, with plenty of room for exploration. This filled me with confidence as I have found the early stages of development very challenging thus far and was unsure about some elements in my story. I also felt like I had hit a bit of a brick wall with it and felt as though I wasn't being creative enough. However, Andrea reassured me that I was making some innovative decisions.
She also advised me in terms of where to take my story and how best to structure it, suggesting that I change the way in which the child is abducted to make it more realistic and iron out any holes in the plot.
We also spoke about potential casting options and she gave me some suggestions for some of the characters that I have looked into. Generally, I found her feedback very inspiring and think that I can apply her advice and make some positive changes to this project

PRE-PRODUCTION: Proposed Package Contents and Presentation (Book)

For the Pre-Production unit, which I will be working on until mid December, we must present all of the Pre-Production elements for our original productions in either a book format or a website. However, the presentation is taken into account and marked on so it must be presented clearly and concisely. I have chosen to complete a book to document my final ideas and concept. I made this decision because I think that this will look very professional and visually pleasing.  It will also make for a clear and presentable layout that will be easy to read and when it is marked, it will be clear what my thought processes were. I have looked at some of the books from previous years and seen that they have had some really great results, therefore I think this will be a good decision in terms of the presentation. I have already decided that I would like to use glossy or shiny looking paper for the book (something like Gloss 150gsm) to get a really good finish that will give the visuals and imagery the best pay off.

In terms of the package contents which is what will be going into the book, I have thought carefully about what I think needs to be included and what else I would like to include. I have decided to not write a script, and just include detailed synopses of each episode as I have chosen to make an opening title sequence. When speaking to Simon about the package contents, he agreed that trying to write a script also wouldn't be wise for the time frame in which to complete all of the elements and have them ready for printing. Therefore my package contents will be as follows:

• Idea/Overview - This will include a very short summary of what the original production is and what it is about. In the overview, I will include some more detail about the history and background of the idea.

• Tagline/Pitch - The tagline is a couple of sentences which briefly tell the audience what the story is about, it should be punchy and leave the audience with intrigue. 
• Inspiration/Influences - This will talk about what influenced me to write this particular story and what lead me to make certain decisions regarding characters, plot, locations and so on. Generally this will include other series as my biggest influences, but also characters from films. 

• Episodes Synopsis - These will be detailed synopses of each episode, including every event that would be seen on screen. There should be clear character development, and an obvious structure with a beginning, middle and end. 

• Character Profiles - The character profiles will be very detailed, so that the audience will know the back story and motives of each character in the series. This should allow the audience to feel like they know the characters and will understand their involvement in the story. 

• Casting/Crew - Here I will have chosen the cast for all of the main characters and the crew that I would like to work on the production. This will be based on detailed research and clear decision making to ensure that the most suitable people are chosen for each role. 

• Locations - The locations will be visual impressions only. As I am not able to go to the US and undertake primary research for the locations, I will be finding these online and will just give the audience a feel for the exact locations. 

• Broadcasting Channel - This is important because the channel I choose to broadcast the series will need to be suitable for the audience and the series content itself. The themes, genre and visuals will also need to be taken into account when choosing the Broadcasting Channel.

• Schedule - This will be decided by looking at the schedule of the channel in particular and finding the right time and dates suitable.

• Visual Style - This will include the lighting and colouring choices for the series that should give it its own unique selling point and recognisable feel. 

• Branding - The Branding will include the colour palette and style bible in terms of the fonts and posters. This will look consistent throughout the book and in the title card of the opening titles.

• Advertising - For the advertising, I will be using photoshop to create some prototypes of the posters on a large scale. For example, what the branding will look like advertised on a billboard or on the television guide.

• Opening Titles - For the opening titles, I will carefully map out suitable imagery for the production to film and edit the footage together, in keeping with the visual style I have chosen. This should give the audience a feel for how the series would look visually. I will document this in the book as stills from the titles. 

I am very happy with the choices I have made in regards to the package contents. I think that it should be challenging to include all of the elements and work on them in enough detail within the time frame. However, I think it is definitely achievable and will demonstrate many effective skills including creative writing, research skills and use of photoshop to create graphics. The final choices will make up the material that is documented in the book, where I will be talking about the production in professional language as if I were pitching it, However, in my blog, I will be addressing the processes I have undertaken, using it as a tool for documenting my personal development and addressing my successes and challenges.   

PRE-PRODUCTION: Story Structure Research & Development

In order to develop the story for the Television series I am devising, I researched how to structure the main points of a story and develop on the characters and events that will take place. I felt like this would be an important process to be able to write a story with depth and fluidity, with interesting characters and themes that would sustain a television series and be suitable for commissioning. Although, this concept will not be pitched to a commissioner, I intend on writing it as if it were.

When working on the story development in the early stages, Simon advised me to come up with a few themes that the story would be about rather than coming up with a structure of events that would happen. I had decided that the story was about parenthood/motherhood and a family unit but also about sacrifice and loss. Keeping these themes in mind throughout is what will enable me to make some important plot decisions later on in the writing process.

The next step was to think about who my characters are- in particular the main character Vivian. As the story is essentially about her more so than any of the other characters, it is very important that I fully understand who she is and what her past experiences are. This will allow me to make decisions on her behalf, taking into account what I know about her. To gain some instruction on how to move my story forward I conducted some research regarding structure and storytelling

I found an article entitled 'How to structure a story: The 8 point arc' stated by Nigel Watts in his book 'Writing a novel and getting published'. He describes the arc as a "fool proof, fail safe and time honoured way to structure a story". The 8 points are

1. Stasis

This is the “every day life” in which the story is set. Some examples include Jack from Jack in the Beanstalk living in poverty with his mum, or Harry Potter living with the Dursley’s. In terms of my story, I imagine Vivian living in a run-down house and supporting her children with a very low paid job.  

2. Trigger

The trigger is an event that will spark off the story. For example: A fairy godmother appears or someone pays in magic beans not gold. I have decided that I want one of the twins to be abducted which will be the turning point for Vivian. 

3. The Quest

The trigger results in a quest which might involve a quest to return to the status quo. The quest for Vivian would be to find her daughter. 

3. Surprise

This stage involves not one but several elements, and takes up most of the middle part of the story. The Surprise can include pleasant events, but more often means obstacles, complications and trouble for the protagonist. Some surprises for Vivian would include the Police finding evidence regarding the investigation or her meeting the new mysterious little girl in the neighbourhood. 

Watts suggests in his book that the surprises shouldn't be expected, the audience shouldn't be able to see them coming.

4. Critical Choice 

At some stage, your protagonist needs to make a crucial decision. This is often when we find out exactly who a character is, as real personalities are revealed at moments of high stress. Watts stresses that this has to be a decision by the character to take a particular path – not just something that happens by chance.

However, in tragic stories the unhappy ending often stems from a character making the wrong choice at this point – For example: Romeo poisoning himself upon seeing Juliet supposedly dead.

I think a critical choice for Vivian would be choosing the investigation over the rest of her family, driving them away from her.

5. Climax

This is the highest peak of tension, in the story. 

For some stories, this could be a battle commencing, or a high-speed chase. In other stories, the climax could be a huge argument between a husband and wife, or a playground fight between children. In terms of this series, the climax could either be Vivian suspecting the mysterious little girl is Elise or obtaining a sample and having it tested, with a determined result, that she can act on.

6. Reversal

The reversal should be the consequence of the critical choice and the climax, and it should change the status of the characters – especially the protagonist. Vivian's choice would be to act on the test results, and act destructively. However, I am yet to decide what this would be. 

7. The Resolution

The resolution is a return to a fresh stasis – one where the characters should be changed, and the story being told is complete. In terms of my story, I have not determined the ending or what I would like to happen to the protagonist so this is something I intend on working with, experimenting with different endings and finding the most resolved one. Initially, I wanted the Mother to be institutionalised for her actions. However, I am insure yet as to whether I would like the protagonist to have a tragic ending as opposed to a happy one. 

I found this article really helpful for bullet pointing some of the events of the story that I have devised thus far. I know roughly what I would like the beginning to look like, the triggering event and some of the final outcomes. However, I need to work more closely into the ending. 

PRE-PRODUCTION: Research - Framing Murder: An Understanding

The act of Murder itself can be defined as:

'The unlawful pre-medicated killing of one human being by another' 

Most societies consider murder to be an incredibly serious crime which should receive harsh punishments, such as a long term prison sentence, potentially a life sentence, and in some societies such as the US, the death penalty may be imposed.
Although, for the purpose of this project I will not be writing about real life murder of an individual or even the murder of a character, I will be exploring the concept of framed murder of a young child. Therefore I wanted to research this topic to be able to write about it and represent it in a way that would justify the inclusion of it.

According to the English common law, murder is defined as a 'public wrong' and viewed generally with negative connotations through the eyes of society. By applying this concept to this project, I intend to ensure that the use of framing a murder is done with good reason for the purpose of telling the story and not used lightly.

I have found the elements of common law murder which can be defined as:

• The Unlawful - This included killings that are done within the boundaries of the law such as capital punishment or self defence. 

• Killing  - This is the total and irreversible cessation of blood circulation and respiration. 

• Criminal Act or Omission - Killing can be committed by an act or an omission (which is the failure to act)

• Of a human by another human - The person must have been killed by another person, excluding suicide. 

• With 'Malice Aforethought' - My understanding is that it must be deliberate and with premeditation that would require a certain amount of time to pass between the formation and execution with intent to kill.

After looking at the ideas of documenting murder or the framing of murder for use in this production, I feel more confident with the knowledge I have gained. Although, it won't be a central theme to the story, it will still be featured. I wanted to explore and research some background information surrounding it so that in documenting it, I can handle such a strong theme and occurrence. This is important to be able to depict the effects of such an event on the characters in the story and reflect this in a realistic manner.

PRE-PRODUCTION: Story Development & Changes

Since my meeting with Simon, I have gone back to the initial concept stage and made some significant changes to the story, using some of the characters, events and themes I had originally come up with. Some improvements that needed to be made included stripping back some of the content, as I had made the story rather complex with lots of stories within. This made it seem like a melodrama with too much going on in between the main events of the story and not giving it the centre focus it needed. The characters I had written, particularly the mother character I wanted to build on and really give her a motive, based on her back story. As my previous idea was very plot heavy, this wouldn't allow the audience to engage with the characters and establish a connection with them. Instead, they would need to focus on the twists and event changes in order to follow the story, not allowing for much audience participation and understanding of the characters.

The mother's back story is a troubled childhood, her parents split up and her mother left, leaving her with no strong maternal character in her life, and a useless father who only supported her when it was completely necessary. So, when she has twins at the age of 19 with a boyfriend who she is no longer with, she is determined to make something of herself and be the mother to her daughters that she never had. I wanted to start with the mother and really build on her as a character that the audience will be able to identify with and initially root for. This was important for me to understand what I wanted to story to be about. I decided I wanted the story to be about family - and parenting in particular. Other recurring themes include love, loss, abduction and poverty.


Pitch/Tag-line
Here I have devised an initial pitch for the story to act as a summary of what it will be about, without giving away too much context.

One Mother's desperate attempt to locate her abducted daughter. Could she be out there somewhere? 

I think that this tagline tells the audience that the story is about the mother and what has happened to her. It also tells the audience what her motive in the story will be without giving away the reason why. Leaving a question for the audience divulges a theme of mystery, which will become important later on in the series. Even though I have broken down the events from my original idea and restrained them, I would still like to incorporate some of these but centre them to one location, and one main character.

Plot Summary

• A young mother is living in a small town in the state of Illinois with her 5 year old twin daughters.
• She is a waitress at a local cafe, working long shifts every day of the week to pay rent and support her daughters, desperate to provide for them.
• Their father works as a Solicitor nearby and sees his daughters as often as he can.
• The mother sometimes leaves the twins alone whilst she goes to work, feeling she hasn't got any other option, however someone has observed this and is watching them.
• One day, one of the twins is playing in the garden and is snatched away, leaving the other traumatised.
• The mother returns, horrified and desperately contacts their father who is equally panicked and reports the child missing to authorities.
• An investigation is under way, when the missing twin is suspected dead. Evidence of bloodied clothing is found but no body is retrieved.
• Driven by her desperation and guilt, the mother refuses to accept the evidence, dedicating herself to uncover what happened to her daughter. The father removes the other twin amidst fears the mother is no longer stable, suggesting she looks after herself first.
• We return to the story 6 years later and the mother has dedicated her life and work to finding the child, her house is covered with paperwork, setting up an online charity dedicated to finding missing children.
• A new family has moved to town with a little girl, it is revealed she was adopted. The mother suspects that it is her daughter, and begins stalking the house and family intensely, initially befriending the little girl for information. Authorities believe she is emotionally unstable and don't entertain her pleads of enquiry.
• When she obtains a hair sample, a police officer agrees to have it examined. It is revealed she is the birth mother of the little girl. The police officer and the authorities uncover that the child was taken from her abductor for not having legal documents and fostered by her current guardians.
• Happy and stable with her foster parents, the daughter rejects the mother's offer to join her, leaving her distraught and feeling like she has failed her.
• In her despair, she attempts to steal her, and in driving away she is cornered, crashing the car and injuring herself. 
• The mother is prosecuted and institutionalised for her actions, however she accepts that her daughters are both cared for and living stable lives. The father and twins are reunited, continuing to live their lives separately respecting the little girls request to remain with her foster parents. 

PRE-PRODUCTION: Research - The Role of a Creative Producer

For the Pre-Production unit, the role I am undertaking is the Creative Producer. This role entails many smaller roles including creative writing. However, I will also be designing and creating all the visuals and writing/directing the opening title sequence. As it is all conceptual based work, the role of Producing is going to be the most prominent for this unit and what I will be largely marked on.
To be able to understand the requirements of this role, I have undertaken some research to ensure I can fulfil my role requirements to a good standard.
Although I feel like I know what a Creative Producer is, I wanted to read about some of the differences to a Producer only.

'A Creative Producer on a Film or TV Production assists the director with the script, casting and other creative issues'

Essentially the Creative Producer will be dealing with and assisting with all of the creative decisions. As I will be taking on the role of Writer/Director, I will need to ensure I am making my decisions carefully and thinking about every aspect of the Pre-Package in as much detail as possible as I won't have the aids of other Crew members until I am shooting the Opening Titles.

The Creative Producer is often the first person to get involved in a project. In Pre-Production, Creative Producers bring together the key members of the creative team. This includes the Director, Cinematographer and Production Designer. They will also help the Executive Producers raise money for the project. Working together with the Director, the Creative Producer will contribute in the development of new content and features. They will also pull together feedback related to the creative aspects of the production and identify new feature developments. The Creative Producer sees the project through the Pre-Production stage through to Post Production and therefore oversees and works on it through till the end. It is important ensure that every stage is carried out effectively, on time and to a budget to guarantee a good quality piece of film or work.
With these elements in mind, to carry out my role in this case, I will need to ensure that I have a good organisational structure and schedule when it comes to each aspect of the project as I will need to ensure that I am incorporating the other roles into my working process, whilst still putting my main role as the Creative Producer first.


Here I have found some desirable skills of the role which include:

• Using software like Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere Pro.

• Good communication skills

• Good working knowledge of Film/Television Production as a well as Digital Photography.

• The ability to work with video effects, audio mixers, lighting equipment. 

I think that I already have some of these skills and can put them into practice throughout this unit, as well as work on others and develop them to a good standard. For example, I already have some knowledge of editing software (Premiere Pro) from editing during previous units. I have also had some previous experience with Photoshop. However, I will be working predominately alone during this unit and so will have the opportunity to work on these skills and use them to better the quality and detail of my work. In terms of my communication skills, I will be working with some other members of the class as crew for the Opening Title sequence. Therefore, I will be able to use my knowledge of working with a Television crew from previous units as well.
In terms of my working knowledge of the Film/Television industry and production itself, I would say that I have gained experience both at Uni and during my work experience placements. Therefore, I intend on using this to fulfil the role I am undertaking and hopefully gain more experience and knowledge before finishing my degree.

PRE-PRODUCTION: Research - Abduction & Grief: An Understanding

To be able to include and document some of the themes I have chosen to explore within this production, it is vital that I research them. This is because some of them are dark but very real and will need to be documented carefully and truthfully to avoid any misrepresentation. Child Abduction is the most prominent theme to research as this is the focus and triggering event of the story. The loss of a child is an unimaginable concept that would cause a great deal of pain to the family of the child and anyone related to the child. Never knowing what happened to the child is a pain that no parent should ever have to endure, but for some parents out there, this has been a reality. Not only will I be investigating Abduction and the after effects it has on the parents, I want to look at the grieving process specifically so I can study particular emotions that the parent would be experiencing at the time. 

Child abduction has become a public social issue that has captured the attention of many, largely in the past 2 decades. Several reports of child abduction have been portrayed in the media, particularly those of stranger circumstances, like the Madeline McCann case which is recognised all over the world. However, the over representation of such cases can trigger fear in parents which is often actually disproportionate to the actual risk. Although, we may have heard lots in the media about specific cases of Child Abduction, little is actually known about the grieving process of parents of victims and how someone would cope with such distresses. The emotional and psychological effects of child abduction can be severe, research suggests. 

When it comes to writing about someone who has experienced the pain of losing a child to abduction - a fictional character in this case, I would like to ensure that I am writing with knowledge of how the person/character would be feeling. 

I found an article which is titled:

'Understanding Stages of Grief applied to Parents Affected by Parental Child Abduction/Alienation/Retention' - A Medium Corporation

This article explains in 10 bullet points, the stages of grief and acceptance that parents who have lost a child to abduction are most likely to experience.

Stage 1: Shock and Denial - The article explains that during this stage, the parents will be given false reassurances from legal professionals and close family that it can be easily solved, resulting in a feeling of shock.

Stage 2: Emotions Erupt - Emotions can overflow their usual boundaries and will be expressed in many different ways.

Stage 3: Anger - This can lead to negative emotions towards the other parent or the authorities.

Stage 4: Sickness - The body acts out the pain through physical sickness including nausea and extreme fatigue.

Stage 5: Panic - Repeatedly asking themselves 'What is wrong with me' and wondering about their own mental health in regards to how they are dealing with the situation.

Stage 6: Guilt - They may wonder whether they are to blame for the situation they are in.

Stage 7: Loneliness - They may suffer from detachment issues with other family and not want to be around others.

Stage 8: Re-Entry Troubles - Once the effort is made to get back to a normal routine, the pain of the loss can make it difficult to be as trusting and open as before.

Stage 9: Hope - Some try to raise awareness in this stage, or document their experiences in a book to inform others.

Stage 10: Accepting and Affirming Reality - This is the final stage, and a parent in this stage would accept that they will no longer be a parent to that particular child again.

I found summarising the steps of this article very useful in understanding what each stage would be and even made some connections to the project. I think that this indicates that the grieving process is very slow and can take many forms and turning points. In some cases, it feels like the process makes progress towards the end but is never fully resolved as the child is not found. It was interesting to learn about all of the changing emotions that a parent may go through, including blaming of themselves and their partner for 'letting it happen', even though in most cases prevention would most likely have not been an option.
I think when applying these to a character, it would be useful to consider these if it were to be put into the production stage, as these would all need to be documented visually. With my knowledge of the different stages that a parent may go through in these unusual circumstances, it was very interesting in particular to learn about how consuming an event like this would be for a parent. I will need to think about this when writing about the effects of the abduction on the Mother character, as I want to reflect how she would be feeling and talk about how it becomes her main focus, as she slowly loses herself to it.