How do my scripts meet the requirements of the brief? (D1)

The Brief

My Idea

I had my idea from previous units ,Umbra Hominis, but instead of just taking that and using it without considering any other ideas I decided to brainstorm other ideas that I had to ensure that the script that I wrote would be the best one that I could write. I narrowed my brainstorm down to 2 ideas and then from there decided that I would work on Umbra Hominis due to being more familiar with it and being able to work on developing the characters and story more.

Key requirements

I identified the requirements of the brief before I started to work on the script. This was so that I can refer back to them during the writing process and ensure that I am meeting them. The key requirements are as follows:

• I need to write a synopsis of the entire story that makes it clear what the target audience is as well as meeting the genre and having a clear structure.
• After completing the synopsis I need to ensure that I complete sufficient planning for the script in order to ensure that it meets the following requirements.
• I need to make at least 5 minutes worth of script that is written using the correct formatting as well as in the style of the whole film. This script needs to use characters, action and genre conventions effectively to tell a part of the story.
• The 5 minutes of script can either be in one extract or through multiple extracts, provided that character development and a clear narrative structure are shown.

Key elements of a film script

Before I started to work on the scripts I needed to understand what the key elements of a film script are. These include: 

• Scene headings
• Action
• Character Names
• Parenthetical comments
• Dialogue
• Extensions 
• Transitions
• Shots

I ensured that I was referring back to these elements and including them in order to make my script accurate. I also completed some annotations of film scripts (see P1) to ensure that I understood how they work together to make a script.

How did I gather feedback?

After completing a bit of work on a script I had people read it and then asked them to answer a set of questions to gather feedback on the structure and characters in the script. The questions that I asked about extract 2 were:

1. What genre would you say that the script is?
2. What impression of Tom do you get based on the extract?
3. Do you get a good idea of the atmosphere in the classroom? What is it like at the start? And at the end?
4. What kind of teacher would you say that Mr Smith is? In the dream? Outside of the dream?
5. Would you say that the script is easy to follow and uses the layout that you would expect from a film script?

What feedback did I get?

The feedback that I got from the people in the Media class was that the script:

• Is clearly for a horror movie, but also uses some of the conventions that you would expect from a film set in a high school - such as High School Musical - in that the students seem to have a good relationship at first.
• Makes it clear that Tom has a secret that he doesn't want people to find out, because he thinks that they will hate him.
• Clearly creates an atmosphere that is expected from an English classroom full of teenagers, and then that atmosphere changes into a negative one focused on Tom as he starts getting insulted by the other students.
• Characterises Mr Smith as a happy teacher who loves teaching, even if it isn't always fun. And then the dream version of him is characterised as a teacher who is disappointed that his students refuse to work to live up to their full potential.
• Is easy to follow and is in the standard layout for a film script. 

How have I used this feedback?

After receiving the above feedback I ensured that my third and final script was more clearly a horror script, which was made easier by the scene not being set in a school classroom again. I also ensured that I kept the layout of the script the same because it was in the standard film layout. I am happy that the atmosphere and the characters in the classroom were portrayed how I see them and hope that I have managed to do the same in extract 3.

The feedback that I received about my main character, Tom, made me consider that I may have written him a bit badly in the 2nd extract, to the point that he seemed to only care about his secret. Because of this I ensured that the 3rd extract that I wrote, focused more on developing him as a character that has motivations instead of just being a secret.

So, how does my script meet the brief?

I feel that my scripts meets the brief because they show a character that has realistic fears and motivations whilst still using some aspects of horror in order to tell the story. I also referred back to the requirements while writing the scripts, which I think helped to keep me on track.

I needed to write a synopsis of the entire story that makes it clear what the target audience is as well as meeting the genre and having a clear structure. I feel that I have done this, because the synopsis that I have written in my planning for these scripts is written with a clear linear narrative structure in mind, it also uses aspects of the horror genre in order to tell the story about mental illness through the use of the character Umbra Hominis, who will point out the flaws in the main characters logic that are prevalent in horror movies and will explore why those flaws exist.

After completing the synopsis I needed to ensure that I completed sufficient planning for the script in order to ensure that it meets the requirements. I think that I completed sufficient planning for my extracts because I considered different ideas to ensure that the scripts I would be writing would be the best possible scripts I could write. I think that the storyboards that I made for each of my three extracts helped me to have a clear idea of the narrative structure of each extract while the synopsis helped me to better understand the narrative structure of the whole story. Despite the storyboards not being the standard for this stage in the production of a film.

I needed to make at least 5 minutes worth of script that is written using the correct formatting as well as in the style of the whole film. This script needed to use characters, action and genre conventions effectively to tell a part of the story. I feel that my three scripts would definitely make up at least 5 minutes of the film. I also feel that they develop characters clearly through the use of dialogue and action that helps them to be believable. The horror genre conventions are especially evident in extract 2 when the main character has a nightmare that everybody has discovered his secret, and whenever the Umbra Hominis appears in the background of a scene.

The 5 minutes of script can either be in one extract or through multiple extracts, provided that character development and a clear narrative structure are shown. I feel that I have shown clear character development and narrative structure in my extracts. Extract 1 presents us with a main character who is confident and knows that he can deal with his mental illness - shown by him being able to banish the Umbra Hominis and find his prescription without incident. Extract 2 presents us with a main character who is suffering from the effects of his mental illness and is scared that people will discover his illness, but who is still strong enough to continue - which is shown in the nightmare. In contrast Extract 3 shows us that he can no longer cope with his mental illness and will do anything to get rid of the Umbra Hominis - Shown by the main character being desperate enough to overdose on psychosis medication.

Overall I feel that by completing three extracts from different places in the story, and considering the requirements as I wrote them, I was able to display a clear understanding of narrative structure and character development. If I was to re-write the extracts I would include a wider range of transitions and shots in order to clearly demonstrate that I understand all of the elements of a film script, and not just the basic and story elements.