Story-telling Unit: Idea Development

I wanted to post all the character development I had been working on. I made a spider diagram for each character and used that to pick out the key things about that character.

On doing so I realised that Leah's character wasn't, at this moment in time, particularly a very nice person. All the words I used to describe her were fairly negative. It got me thinking about why these 2 young girls world remain friends if one of them seemed not a good person. Just because 2 people have been friends for a long time isn't a good enough reason for them to remain friends. There had to be something else about Leah that made being her friend rewarding and worthwhile. 

After thinking about her character more I began to establish a few other traits:

 Insecure - she never feels good enough and has developed a lot of issues stemming from past relationships, possibly also due to th break up of her parents marriage which could be one explaination for why she is so spoilt.

 An Open Book - what you see is what you get, speaks her mind, usually without thinking about what she's saying or the repercussions of it, doesn't hide her true emotions.

 Heart on sleeve - Leah definitely wears here heart on her sleeve. Although she has been 'burned' in the past she will always still be Optimistic in her search for love and her general outlook on life. This is mainly because she has been to 'the dark places' like Sophie is in now but slowly came out the other side. 

That's it for now. Think my pre-writing is over and now it's on with the first draft of the script. 

Stay Safe,

Helen

Story-telling Unit: Draft 1 of Script

I have Finished my First Draft of my script. For a first attempt its not bad but i'm already making notes for the 2nd draft that will be handed in to Simon on the script deadline.

Here is the Draft:

The Meeting Draft 1 by helzwelsh

Back to work I think.

Stay safe,

Helen

 

Story-telling Unit: Research 2

I thought that i should start researching how a professional news broadcast is delivered so that when i write this part in my script is does not seem unrealistic.
I began by searching for a script from the film Independence Day as i knew it had a few scenes that features the News.

ANGLE T.V. - ROOFTOP - LOS ANGELES

 Helicopter footage of people gathered on the rooftops of
 downtown Los Angeles holding up drawings of space aliens.

    NEWSCASTERS
   (filtered)
  ...from the "it could only happen
  in California" file, hundreds of
  UFO fanatics have gathered on the
  rooftops of downtown Los Angeles,
  welcoming the new arrivals...

 INT. DRESSING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

 Jasmine storms into the dressing room. Wiping off her 

 makeup, she sits down next to TIFFANY who watches the 

 same report on a small b&w.

    JASMINE
  I can't believe I even came in
  tonight.  What was I thinking?

    TIFFANY
   (re: T.V.)
  Isn't this cool?  And you thought
  I was nuts.  Oh, look, I brought
  mine with me.

It gave me an idea of how to write the news report into the script and how to have the characters talk about it. I'm not sure at the moment if i will have them say anything about it as i may just have silence and their body language say all they need to. 

Another film with TV programs in is Shaun of the Dead. Here is a sample of the script:

As this has the character flicking through the channels it is cleverly put together so that the actual news story is provided by all the different channels but not purposefully. I like this idea and although i wont use this in my script it has given me ideas on how to write my news story.

I also searched for videos of news reports on the London riots by BBC news and Sky news. The reason for this is because i want the last big push for Leah's character to change is seeing the riots that have stemmed from a peaceful 'straight rights march'. I want her to be able to see the riots through different eyes now as it could be her friend getting beaten up for just being herself - something she cannot change. As much as she might not be able to fully accept what her friend has told her, she would never be able to stand back and let someone say things or do things like this to her friend. 

I then searched for videos about Gay pride marchs in news reports and also riots at gay pride events. I found the following:

Overall this research has been extremely useful and when i get to this scene in my script, i will re-watch these videos and read through the notes i have made. 

Back to a bit more prewriting i think now.

Stay Safe,

Helen

Story-telling Unit - Scriptwriting task

Today we worked in small groups to write a script about a journey to the studios this morning. This was so we could put into practise all the things we had learnt about Final draft. I worked with Aquila and Hannah. After a brief discussion we decided that a bus journey left us with a few more options than a car and began thinking of a main idea for what could happen on this journey. Aquila came up with the idea that the character could have a few near misses throughout the story culminating in her turning up and the studios being closed or something finally going wrong. We thought this was a simple and funny idea so went with this.

We then began brainstorming ideas for the plot.

- Can't find her phone 

- Wearing jumbled clothes but not noticed

- Nearly missing the bus

- Being pushed out of the way of a wave of water after a car has driven through a nearby puddle

- Nearly getting stuck in the bus doors

- Falling over after the bus lurches forward suddenly

- Nearly being stung by a bee

- Not having enough money for the bus

- Leaving her bag on the bus

Hannah came up the idea that maybe an old lady could walk past and unwittingly shield the character from the water splash. We decided that was a much funnier idea and it led to a bigger storyline involving the 2 characters. 

Here is the final copy of the script with Simon's recommendations for changes and improvements for the future:

Overall the feedback we got was positive. The script was quite short so we know for next time to try and get the length longer. We also learnt what words to have as capitals in the action section so when we write our own scripts for our projects this will be valuable to refer back to and compare.

I really enjoyed today's session because screenwriting is something I would like to do in the future and i feel a lot of my skills are in this area. I felt confident working with Aquila and Hannah because they are great to bounce ideas off and always think along the same lines as me but still come up with different avenues to explore. I also loved our script. Event though it was something small and for a bit of practise it was great fun and really had us laughing.

I'm now off to research a specific part of my story where a newsflash will be coming on TV. I want to make the dialogue spot on for this scene as it is one where my protagonist Leah will take that final step towards change after what she sees and hears the reporter say. 

Stay Safe,

Helen

Story-telling Unit - Idea Development

I wanted to post an update on how my Pre-Writing is coming along. Over the weekend I sat down and timelined the story so I would be able to have a rough idea of what I wanted to happen when and where. I feel like I really know my characters now so for me getting the plot write is the main thing that needs work. 

Here is an outline of the plot:

The story starts with Leah reacting to something she has just been told by her best friend Sophie. She isn't happy.

It becomes clear to the audience that Sophie has just told Leah about her sexuality. 

Leah feels betrayed by Sophie for not telling her sooner. She feels that Sophie hasn't trusted Leah enough to tell her. Sophie is upset that Leah isn't being supportive and understanding. Leah is saying things like "I feel like I don't even know you anymore" and "I feel like our whole friendship has been a lie. I tell you everything and now it's obvious that we're not even on the same level" 

After discussing what's left of their friendship, Sophie receives a text informing her that her date "can't do this anymore, it's wrong" (something that links in with the world) 

Sophie is Clearly upset by this, Leah asks what's wrong and when she is told she immediately gets up and grabs her coat to leave. Sophie asks her where she is going. Leah replies "To kick his ass. Nobody treats my friend like shit!". She then storms out through the front door. 

One of the main things of my script is to slowly reveal the world to the audience so I've been brainstorming ideas to help show this. The ideas that I think i'm going to use are:

• Sophie can look through the window and see a "straight person's house defaced" Leah can join her looking and tell her it's the 3rd time this week? Possibly switch it so Leah see's first. As it is Sophie's house. 
• A wedding photo of Sophie's gay parents on the mantle piece.
• Have the radio on - Gaydio station
• A news report comes on informing us of the current "straight rights rally" in London - possibly have it turned into riots - similar to the London riots
• A newspaper article about "breeding season" or a positive article about the gay community 
• In my timeline I have fitted these ideas into the plot where I think they will keep the audience hooked and move the story forward. 

Here is my completed timeline:

I think my pre-writing is almost finished now and I'll hopefully have finished my first draft of the script over the weekend all being well. I'm pleased with how the story is coming together and I like the growth of Leah's character in the story. Originally i was going to have her change only after hearing about the text but when I thought about it, it was unrealistic. Her character has to grow throughout and reach the point of no return way before that moment. Although she might not be happy with what she's been told, after seeing the way straight people are being treated (who could quite easily one day be Sophie) her view on the situation changes. She might not be approving but she still cares for her friend and always will and that's the realisation she needs to come to in the script. I like the idea that although the story is about sexuality and coming out, an underlying issue is that Leah is also scared she will lose her best friend when she moves away for university. I'll have to work this into the script maybe have subtle things like Leah hinting at this but never being able to say it. Sophie would probably end up pointing it out if anything. 

 Now to tie up these lose ends before I start my first draft. 

Stay safe,

Helen

Story-telling Unit: Research

The research i have been doing for my short film 'The Meeting' is to find out what films are already out there with a similar topic and how they tell their story. 

The first video i thought i should post is the one that inspired me to create this story for this unit. It's called 'Love is all you need?' and shows a young girl called Ashley, growing up in a world where she realises she is "different" to other people and her parents. The Director and Creator of this film K.Rocco Shields wrote:

 "Teen bulling and teen suicide based on someone's sexual preference is ridiculous - and this film turns the tables on modern society. What if the shoe was on the other foot?"

I found this film to be both upsetting and incredibly powerful. At times it was uncomfortable to watch as the actors were very young playing the roles and the level of bullying was unbearable. However if the actors had been older it may not have been as powerful and hard-hitting as it is now. Overall i found it a very clever and well written piece. It got me thinking about how in the world we live you do not have to come out and tell your parents, friends, co workers e.t.c that you are straight. It is automatically assumed. 

I really liked the idea of the world in this video and that is why i chose to look at one coming out story set in that world - Where gay is 'normal' and straight is 'sinful'. However the twist in my story is that i am not going to show this world up front. I am going to slowly drip feed clues, that this 'coming out' story might not be about what the audience first thought it was, throughout the film. I like the idea that they would perhaps have to watch it again to see it through different eyes. Obviously i know that I'm only making the first 2 minutes of this film but the script will have the whole story. 

Anyway, After Tuesday's lesson i had a look at videos that were already out there about coming out as straight. I found a video called 'Coming Out Straight' by Greenlight Films. It looks at a teenage boy coming out as straight to his gay parents. Its a comedy and is completely different from the previous video. This film is "a satire on the parental ignorance teens face when coming out". The fact it is out an out comedy slightly takes away from the message that i think the film is trying to send out but it was interesting to watch and useful to know what else is on YouTube. 

A friend told me about another video which is for a song by Macklemore and Ryan Tedder Featuring Mary Lambert called 'Same Love'. The song is about equality and talks about the issue of LGTB Rights and in particular legalising same-sex marriage. It also discusses the roles hip hop and religion play with their position on homosexuality. The video shows the life of the main character growing up and him falling in love with his eventual husband. I like how the song uses a verse from the bible at the end - 1 Corinthians 13 4-13 - especially as it is about love. It's a nice touch. The reason I'm including this video on my blog is because i like how its shot, i like how it tells the story of one character through his whole life and i like how it mixes different footage from history with the things that have been shot specially for the video. It's given me a few ideas for when i move on to filming and was really good to see how other people are telling stories like this.

Simon reminded me about an episode of Friends which as a similar scenario to the angle I'm going for where a character is portrayed as gay and later comes out as straight. The episode is 'The one with Phoebe's Husband'. As a big Friends fan i have seen the episode before but re-watched it so i could see how they told the story. The character of Duncan is Phoebe's husband and comes out to her as straight after years of denial about his sexuality.

"Well I guess on some level I always knew I was straight. I thought I was supposed to be something else, you know, I'm an ice dancer, all my friends are gay, I was just tryin' to fit in."

The bit about the episode that i found most useful was actually the dialogue between Monica and Phoebe when discussing Phoebe's Marriage that she has kept a secret from her friends.

Joey: This is unbelievable Phoebs, how can you be married?

Phoebe: Well, I mean, I'm not married, married, ya know, he's just a friend and he's gay and he's from Canada. He needed a green card.

Monica: I can't believe you married Duncan. I mean how could you not tell me? We lived together, we told each other everything.

Phoebe: I'm sorry Monica but I knew if I told you, you'd get really, like, judgemental and you would not approve.

Monica: Of course I wouldn't approve, I mean, you were totally in love with this guy who, hello, was gay. I mean, what the hell were you thinking?

Ross: You see, and you thought she'd be judgemental.

Phoebe: OK, I wasn't in love with him and I was just helping out a friend.

Monica: Please, when he left town you stayed in your pajamas for a month and I saw you eat a cheeseburger.

All: Huuh.

Monica: Well, didn't you?

Phoebe: I might have.

Monica: I can't believe you didn't tell me.

Phoebe: Oh, c'mon, like you tell me everything.

Monica: What have I not told you?

Phoebe: Oh, I don't know. Umm, how about the fact that the underwear out there on the telephone pole is yours from when you were having sex with Fun Bobby out on the terrace.

Rachel: What!

I know this is a comedy but this is the sort of dialogue that will go on between my characters. One of Leah's main arguments in my idea is that she cant believe that Sophie hasn't told her before and that she feels lied to. It was great to see the dynamic between the friends in this particular part of the show and i might like to work on slowly creating the friendship back to some sort of banter level as the script went on. after all they are friends and for Leah to suddenly have a change of heart would be unrealistic. She needs to grow!

I also found a couple of websites that had some good articles about coming out and one that was about a boy who's parents were so liberal he felt he needed to come out as straight. Here are the links below:

http://www.salon.com/2001/07/25/coming_out/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lori-duron/what-happened-when-my-son-came-out-as-straight_b_3870006.html
http://www.gayyouth.org.uk/info/coming-out
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/at_home/coming_out/default.asp
http://gaylife.about.com/od/comingout/a/Coming-Out.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_4487770_support-gay-friend-coming-out.html

All in all a good couple of days research has given me lots of new things I've been adding to the story and ideas for character dialogue that I've been noting down.

Stay Safe,

Helen :)

Story-telling Unit - Pitch lab and Development

Today we had a pitch lab and development day to share our ideas for a project for this unit with the group and to give and receive feedback. The idea I originally pitched received good feedback from both groups but after a stronger second pitch with my 2nd idea, I felt it was the story with the most potential and had more of a message. It's the story I felt I could carry forward with more conviction which is important when writing because if your not passionate or bothered about your characters why should an audience be? 

Here is what I came up with at the end of the session:

I found the pitch lab overall a good experience and it definitely taught me to be more confident with my ideas and go with your gut. The feedback I received from the groups was to really focus in on getting the story tight so that it's easy to understand, to make sure that the ways i reveal the world to the audience are clear. Simon also pointed out that this story could be a comedy and although that's not the route i was planning on taking, i can imagine it having a sort of dark comedy element to it - sort of like 'Nighty Night' (which i absolutely loved). Something for me to think about anyway. 

Who knows in the future i may decide to pick up my other idea and work on it again. Its very different to this current project as it's a sitcom. i can perhaps see it as being part of a series rather than a stand alone piece though. 

I'm now off to do some research, get my characters spot on and work on the story as a whole. 

Stay safe,

Helen