Story Idea

I have been thinking about this film idea for a while. It is basically a story about a man called Gary and his interaction with the voices in his head. One of the main reasons I have written this story is it's potential as what I envisage as a very visual film. Also it will give me the opportunity to add lots of sound effects and possibly a full musical score for the film.

An eerie darkness is all around, strange lights flicker in the black. Even stranger noises echo through the cold. Confused and distressed, Gary strains to grasp the situation. His sense of space and direction confused trying to find some sense but not knowing at all he is confused. Suddenly a muffled voice cuts through the darkness “HELLO GARY.” Scared and confused, Gary doesn’t know what is happening. “HOW ARE YOU GARY?” The voice is coming from a face that pierces the darkness right next to Gary’s eyes, he feels an immense sense of fear and confusion, but the voice seems familiar to him and strangely calming. “IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE LAST TALKED GARY” croons the voice. “YOU’VE BEEN TRYING TO IGNORE ME HAVEN’T YOU?” Gary is in turmoil he wants to run but all he can see is darkness he is trapped and the voice is directly in front of him. “YES YOU HAVE GARY!” “BUT YOU CAN’T ANYMORE.” The strange lights dance around, beckoning illumination, an end to the darkness but slowly fade away. The strange noises become more and more unnerving “YOU ARE MINE GARY” “WE BELONG TOGEATHER” “YOU ARE ME GARY” “YES, YES, YES, YES.”
High up on a hilltop a hiker out for a walk is poking a man with a stick. He found him writhing on the floor in some kind of trance. “NO, NO, NO,” groans the man on the floor as the hiker tries to wake him from his trance with his walking stick. The man on the floor is covered in mud wearing some kind of work uniform with a badge saying “GARY Here to help.” With another poke of the stick the man on the floor wakes up suddenly, gasping for air his eyes flicking from side to side his body shaking. “What is wrong with you?” Enquires the hiker. The man on the floor does not respond. “It’s a bit bloody cold to be rolling around in the mud!” the hiker’s odd sense of humour again lost on the man on the floor. “Well I can’t leave you here can I?” carries on the Hiker, “I Once got trapped on toys hill for a whole afternoon in the rain and fog.” “I only had half a smoked salmon and brie sandwich and a carton of Umbongo. Awfully bad luck!” “But I suppose it’s no way near as bad as the story i read in the ramblers gazette about a month ago. I can tell you! Quite a story.” The Hiker readies himself to recite an amusing anecdote. “It’s a funny story but also a...” “AAAAAAARRGH.” Screams the man on the floor. “WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?” he asks. “Well I’m just out rambling,” replies the hiker, “I’m not sure what you’re doing.” “W W WHERE AM I?” are the terrified words that leave the man on the floors mouth. “Your on bexworth moor young chap.” Answers the hiker pleased to be out on a walk. “W W WHO WHO WHO ARE YOU.” Stumbles the man on the floor. “Me? Im just a hiker out on a morning walk.” “W W WHO AM I?” asks the man on the floor his voice strained as though the thought of knowing his name might kill him. “I’ve never met you before but by the looks of things I’m guessing your name is GARY!” replies the hiker referencing the man on the floors name badge.
The man on the floor looks terrified, stumbling backwards he screams “NO NO LEAVE ME ALONE” Before sprinting away down the side of the hill.
He runs and runs tripping and falling, sliding in the mud. He can hear the voices calling him. He is in anguish, his brain sounds like a thousand brass bands in a bucket of frozen peas. In town now, passersby glance by as the man holds his head in his hands. “But I don’t want to” strains the man staggering around on the pavement. “But I need you” shouts the man “Please please. YES, NO.” A brave pedestrian seeing the man’s distress walks up to him “Can i help you” says the pedestrian. “NO NO It’s OK.” Says the man in a moment of seeming clarity. “I know what I have to do.” “IM COMING” He screams as he sprints away, this time with intent. Powering through the streets he runs and runs to a house. He falls through the door and stops. Trying to catch his breath he looks at a door in front of him. “I’m coming.” He mutters as he slowly opens the door with trembling fingers. In front of him are some dirty steps leading down into darkness. His filthy hands brace the walls of the narrow stairwell as he thumbles down, disappearing into the darkness. Now shivering in the darkness, unable to see, he strains his eyes. A feeling of calm floods his body like molten lead weighing him down. He settles to the floor in the dark closing his eyes he utters “I knew you wouldn’t leave Gary”

Film Test 1

I have had an idea for a script for my film i am going to make for my coursework. The script idea relied upon the beginning of the film being a monologue set in someones mind, using a strange soundtrack and video effects. I wanted to try and visualise this idea before developing the script further. I created the sound for this video using propellerheads reason, as i have just learnt to use this software. the video is a combination of different effects i experimented with using a lighter and small lights in the dark to create strange lighting effects. I think this is quite effective and captures to a degree the visual style I had imagined. I think i will continue with this script idea, hopefully i will have a first typed draft of the script on the internet today. I will continue to experiment with different sound and video effects for this opening monologue of this script as although this piece of film is effective i think it could be a lot better.

Film analysis

This is the introduction to the film Layer Cake, in which a succesful coccaine dealer is set one last task before his planned early retirement. It is a monologue spoken by the main character which fills the purpose of introducing the characters and setting the scene for the film. In this monologue the main character talks of his rules and attitudes towards his crime setting us up to see which he will break and which he will change throughout the film. As a film technique this is very useful as the director can discreetly inform the audience of the plot outline quickly, and tell the audience as much as he wants. Also in this monologue some characters from later in the film can be shown without spoiling the plot.

The very opening of this clip is interesting from a visual perspective as we see the use of colour and film style change. The opening shot is in the "old days" filmed in black and white with an old film style. The use of black and white here is also important as it emphasises the characters point of things being simple back then. The next shot is in colour, but still has an aged sepia look to it. The reason it is in sepia colour is because it is the 70's the introduction of LSD and hash. This is also to emphasise my point earlier of the complications of drugs being represented by the addition of colour to the scenes. The next shot is very interesting as it shows the future. when, as the character explains things will be simple again because the government will sell us all our drugs. This simplicity is represented again through the use of colour but this time through the brightness and neatness of the artificial room he is in. So we have seen the transition now from the simple "old days" filmed in black and white to the confusion created by the addition of drugs to the system represented by colour and sepia tones, followed right through to a conclusion in the future where things will be in colour but simple colour represented by the bright and fake looking supermarket the next shot is in. This now sets us for the next shot, the present day where the story will occur. This is filmed in normal modern film, the confused times. where drugs are still sold by dealers and the police are still out to get them. This transition in film types and colour adds to the words and the premise of the clip. Explaining a simple narrative about the way england has changed since the introduction of drugs and how it will be in the future in a very visual way.

MALac

As a task in a seminar i was given a script to read that was quite loose, containing no explanation of why the events in it were happening or who the characters were. It was essentially just dialog. From this me and my partner had to Come up with an idea for the film and what the mysterious MALac was;

Characters:
SHE – Tall business woman big hair large stride. Smart dressed. Metal heels on shoes. Dressed normally but there is something uneasy and wrong about her appearance. Angry menacing expression. Powerful.

HE - very normal nice person. His wife works for she, but he found out SHE was going to suck her soul out and without telling his wife rescued her without telling her first. He has a moustache and a beard.

Locations:
The evil office of SHE, her empire is run from this large tower. She has him trapped in her massive head office. Very posh looking black and silver with a plant in the corner. To film this, the set would have to be made as a set as it is over the top and unrealistic in style.

"SHE is the ruthless ruler of a horrible empire she runs under the guise of a normal person owner of the largest evil corporation in the city. In order to stay alive and reign sovereign over her empire SHE must suck the blood of a virgin child every 100 years. HE is a loving father working hard to keep his beautiful family happy. But he gets caught up in some horrible nastiness when his daughter is kidnapped by the dreaded SHE"