Planning 4 Foundation Portfolio

Roles in  preproduction and filming production: 

Moodboard all

Script, Talent, Lighting= Priscilla 

Shot List, Prop + Costumes, Film Schedules, Call Sheets, Sound= Levi 

Storyboard, Director/ Timekeeper= Luci 

Script:

CONCEPT 

 

THE TITLE OF MY FILM (what is it called and why – justify your choice?):

The title of the film is called Split because the main character has a double personality called dissociative identity disorder (DID). To give more detail it is a condition in which two or more personality states alternatively take control of an individual.

 

Inspiration:

The opening follows the narrative structure of the TV show Alias Grace and the novel Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas where the main character is accused of murder and turns out is the murderer. 

Gathered observers watch as Grace undergoes hypnosis. She appears to fall into a semiconscious state where the words she speaks are suddenly cruel and vulgar.  This scene is important as it reveals she has a personality disorder which changes everything. 

 The clip from the movie Secret Window is how the opening scene monologue is going to be like. 

MY TARGET AUDIENCE:

Young Adults and adults 

 

THE 6-15 INSTITUTIONAL / GENRE CONVENTIONS I WILL INCLUDE IN MY FILM ARE (with detailed explanations): 

 

Examples you might consider-

• Character (Different from ‘Treatment’; here you would explore character as genre convention)  

 

 

• Ebony: 

Ebony is mentally ill; she suffers from a mental disease called dissociative identity disorder (DID). Her physical appearance, in particular, her facial features looks freakish to physically represent her distressed mind this would be done with the help of makeup. This helps to emphasize the fact that she is an unusual character. The audience cannot fully trust the main character and this is an element of a psychological thriller. Furthermore, the doctor does not quite believe what she says

 

• Doctor: 

Wears costumes- blue shirt, black pants and white lab coat- symbolising his profession as a doctor. As mentioned above, he doubts the main character’s state of mind as he knows she is mentally ill. He is professional in the way he acts, he is calm and caring this is highlighted in the bathroom scene where Ebony frantically tells him he is in danger, and he tells her that it is alright and that she should calm down. He does not outright show that he does not believe her (for example have an accusatory tone which would also link with the character trait of not being understanding) ; this makes him a realistic character. It shows he has good intentions towards his patient and that eliminates the possibility of him being a potential villain. 

 

• Masked Figure- the ‘other half’ of Ebony: 

The white mask conceals how the person looks like and this is creepy because the audience cannot fully identify the character. It creates a white faceless look and this builds up an imagery of a ghost. It physically represents the other side of Ebony.

 

• Setting / Time

• Ebony runs to the reception of the clinic to find the doctor to warn him that his life is endangered because people are coming to murder him. The reception is surrounded by glass walls. The transparency of the place is ironic to the main character where her state of mind is foggy and confused this is because she has DID.  The reception creates a welcoming feel and highlights the fact that she is a patient at a clinic emphasising the fact that she is not an ordinary character.  

 

• Ebony’s bedroom is shockingly simple. She sleeps on a plain mattress on the floor without a bed frame. The walls are white and there are no decoration which may give the idea that it is not her room since there is no homely feel to it.

 

• The men’s toilet.  The mirror reflects her ‘dark side’. As she runs to the toilet the plan is to have low lighting so a dark and tense atmosphere can be achieved.  

 

• Time: daytime. This can also have a creepy effect.  

 

• Plot

The plot of the opening scene is about the main character who is mentally ill. She has a ‘vision’ of her doctor being murdered and warns to tell him. The audience finds out that she is the murderer of the doctor. 

Suspense is created through scenes in the movie which causes the audience to feel uncertain about the honesty of the character. For instance, the scene where Ebony has a mental breakdown should make the audience feel confused. 

 

• Props / Costumes

• The doctor wears a lab coat, blue shirt and black pants 
• Ebony wears makeup that makes her complexion look pale and sick giving her the physical impression of her being unwell. She wears casual clothes making her appear ordinary as anybody. 
• The masked figure wears a white mask. They hold a knife and slit the throat of the doctor causing blood to flow out.  

 

• Key genre elements

• As expected characters are involved in
• There is the convention of an unreliable narrator. 
• There are plot twists which affect the event as it adds new meaning to the storyline. 
• MacGuffin has an important role initiating or advancing the plot. As Wikipedia states macGuffin is ‘an event or device that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant in itself’. This is the dream scene. 

 

• Content: the main character battles an inner struggle; there is danger physically and mentally; focuses on moral conflict; psychological tension is driven in unpredictable ways by anxiety as there is the suspense of being unaware about what is going to happen. 

 

• Filming / Editing choices (Different from ‘Treatment’; here you would explore editing as genre convention)

 

The editing choices includes adding a flashforeward to highight a scene important to the audience understanding the rest of the opening.

 

Using

 

Parallel editing is used to show what two characters are doing at different locations and suggests how each of these actions impacts one another. This can be suspenseful and tense for the audience to watch as the audience awaits the outcome. It is typically used to contrast the actions of the protagonist and the antagonist during an action scene. 

  

 

Shot reverse shot is used to show two characters having a conversation. It allows the audience to see the character’s facial expressions giving insight into the emotions and thus enabling the audience to understand the scene better.

 

 

 

• Sound (Different from ‘Treatment’; here you would explore sound as genre convention)

-Music is in the minor key or has an unclear unconventional structure to reflect the main character’s state of mind ; Use atmospheric soundeffects in a loud volume to build tension 

A PLOT SYNOPSIS (your storyline – 200-300 words):

The first shot is an establishing shot of the setting. It is about a girl who has a dissociative identity disorder. The audience knows the girl is mentally ill but does not know what disease she has. Therefore, it should come as a surprise when it is revealed that she is the murderer. 

 

It begins with a dream sequence where the main character has a ‘vision’ that her doctor will be killed by a masked figure. She wakes up and sprints to warn him. However when she arrives at the reception of the clinic she finds out that he is not there. Just as the receptionist is telling her that he is in the bathroom she runs out halfway. 

 

• Action & Pace of film (mostly a list of the technical ingredients which make up the overall sequence)

 

Camerawork: Slow panning movement also helps to build tension

 

A fast pace camera movement and editing builds panic in audience to reflect what is happening on screen 

 

• What the camera sees, any relevant extras (ie. Non-diegetic sound in the form of voice-overs, symbolic lighting, items/characters in background)

 

In terms of

 

Day lighting would be used. The only time

 

There would not characters in the background. The only time there is, is the clinic room where the receptionist Priscilla barges in to apologise to the doctor for not handling Ebony.

 

 

• Technical consideration of how to balance the climax and resolution, including editing decisions made before-hand

 

Research based on this website: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/elements-of-suspense/#why-is-suspense-important

 

Using a green

 

Adding

 

Use

 

 

 

CHARACTERS AND NAMES with

 

• This should also include any symbolism you attach to them, ie. costume

 

The main character’s name is Ebony. Ebony is a plant where the wood is brown while the inside is light grey.  It parallels the main character as she appears ordinary but mentally she has a double personality which only the doctor knows of. The purpose of this character is to give the main message that everything is not as it seems. The beliefs and actions of Ebony can be questioned by the audience and this keeps them interested to watch the movie so they can unpack the character and see how it relates to the events.

 

The doctor’s name is not mentioned. Ebony simply calls him Doctor. This gives the impression that she does not bother to know details about people and gives the impression she lacks close relationships in her life.

 

The receptionist’s name is Priscilla. She is a side character. She greets Ebony when she enters the reception but isn’t able to stop her from entering the doctor’s room even when she had not booked an appointment.

 

Ebony has another side to her personality- the dark side. For this it is the antagoinist and she calls it ‘her’. It symbolises the mental struggles Ebony goes through.

PRACTICALITIES OF FILMING/CONTENT (All considerations should include detailed comments): 

 

Our idea is common among the psychological thriller genre. The way we portray the dissociative identity disorder and how the doctor responds to the main character in the opening scene will determine how

 

In terms of

 

According to the weather forecast, on Monday it would be raining. This would affect a particular scene where the main character has to run outside to go to the clinic reception. Other than that, the scenes are shot inside- double classroom, toilet and reception. The backup option for shooting the running scene would be to do it indoors and pan the camera to the reception area to show this is her destination. 

 

All the sound, lighting and camera equipment would need to be used. In the running scene, we could do two shots one with the tripod and one without. 

 

When it comes to

 

In relevance to the practicalities of filming is the how-to’s in getting any difficult shots. We have not discussed the shotlist in detail. Instead we will experiment with how to get the shots on the day. It is estimated that we would have more than five hours to film starting from 9am to 2pm giving us plenty of time to experiment with the technical elements (camera, sound and lighting).