Pre-Production Log - Script

COLLEGE SCRIPT

INT.COLLEGE

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF COLLEGE. ZOOMING ONTO SAM WALKING TO THE ARTS ACADEMY WHILST LISTENING TO MUSIC. CHARLOTTE APPROACHES LOOKING LOST.

CHARLOTTE

Hi, Sorry to bother you but do you know where the library is? It’s my first year here and I’m a little bit lost.

SAM

It’s alright don’t worry about it. It happens to everyone at first.

(HE POINTS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE LIBRARY)

From here you just have to walk straight up there and it’s the building furthest to the right, directly opposite the main building. Once you get there, go up the stairs and it’s on the first floor, it’s the first door on the right.

CHARLOTTE

Thank you.

SAM

No worries. I’d walk with you and show you where it is myself but I have a lesson now. But if we bump into each other again, make sure to tell me if you had any more trouble finding it?

CHARLOTTE

I will do, thanks again.

LATER ON.

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE COLLEGE. SAM SEES CHARLOTTE SEATED AND APPROACHES HER. HE SITS DOWN NEXT TO HER.

SAM

Hey, did you find your way alright?

CHARLOTTE

Yeah, thanks to you.

SAM

Happy to help. I’m Sam by the way. I’d have introduced myself before if I didn’t have to go to class.

CHARLOTTE

Don’t worry about it, I’m Charlotte. I take it this isn’t your first year given you know where you’re going?

SAM

Yeah, this is my second. So, what are you studying?

CHARLOTTE

Music, how about you?

SAM

Same here. If you need any help with the coursework you know who to come to.

CHARLOTTE

Thank you, I’ll keep you in mind.

SAM

Anytime. Well I better be getting home but if you ever need me, you’ll know where I’ll be. Library or Arts.

HE STANDS UP AND TURNS TO WALK AWAY.

CHARLOTTE

Actually, before you go…

HE TURNS BACK AROUND.

SAM

Yeah?

CHARLOTTE

Is there another way we can keep in touch? You seem like a really good person and I’d like to keep talking to you.

SAM

Yeah of course.

SAM WRITES HIS NUMBER DOWN ON HER NOTEBOOK.

SAM

Here’s my number. Text me anytime.

CHARLOTTE

Thank you, I will. I guess I’ll see you around?

SAM

Definitely. I’ll see you around.

SAM EXITS. CHARLOTTE SITS AND SMILES.

CUT TO:

EXT. COLLEGE

SAM WALKS INTO COLLEGE, HE SMILES AT HIS PHONE.

CUT TO:

INT.COLLEGE

CHARLOTTE WALKS DOWN THE CORRIDOR, NOTICES HER PHONE GOING OFF, SHE LOOKS AND SMILES.

LATER.

SAM IS STUDYING, HIS PHONE VIBRATES ON THE DESK. HE CHECKS IT AND SMILES.

LATER.

CHARLOTTE IS SITTING AT A COMPUTER, HER PHONE VIBRATES, SHE SMILES AND LOOKS.

LATER.

CHARLOTTE AND SAM WALK PAST EACH OTHER IN COLLEGE, THEY SMILE AT EACH OTHER.

AT THE END OF THE DAY. SAM SEES CHARLOTTE WALKING TOWARDS THE COLLEGE EXIT, HE WALKS UP TO HER LOOKING SLIGHTLY NERVOUS.

SAM

Hey Charlotte, you got a minute?

CHARLOTTE

Yeah sure, what’s up?

SAM LOOKS SLIGHTLY TOWARDS THE GROUND.

SAM

I was wondering if you were free this Saturday night?

CHARLOTTE

(SMILING)

Yeah, I will be.

SAM

Then would you like to, maybe, come out for a meal?

CHARLOTTE HIDES THE EXCITEMENT.

CHARLOTTE

Yeah, I’d love to.

SAM

Great! Does 8PM sound alright?

CHARLOTTE

That sounds perfect.

SAM

(SMILES)

I’ll text you about which restaurant you want to go to.

CHARLOTTE

Sounds good, I’m looking forward to it.

SAM

Me too. I’ll see you on Saturday then.

CHARLOTTE

Yeah, I’ll see you Saturday.

THEY PART WAYS.

CUT TO:

INT.RESTAURANT

SATURDAY NIGHT. CHARLOTTE ENTERS TO SEE SAM ALREADY SITTING AT THE TABLE. SAM NOTICES HER ENTERING AND STANDS UP TO GREET HER. CHARLOTTE WALKS UP TO SAM.

CHARLOTTE

Hi…

SAM

Hi…

END OF FILM.

Pre Production Log - The Proposal

The Proposal

The short film that I have chosen to make is an educational romance about the mindset of a male and a female when leading up to a first date. The first scene will open on the college campus, with a young female character named Charlotte who is a little bit lost. She asks the male character who is named Sam for directions to the classroom that she is supposed to be in. Their first interaction is very brief, but they will bump into each other later on when Sam asks Charlotte if she found her way. It is during this interaction that they introduce themselves and that's when they hit it off. Numbers are exchanged and they continue to talk for weeks and weeks until they decide to go out on a date. This is where the build up begins. They will be constantly battling thoughts in their head of what could go wrong and if they should even bother going. This will be shown through the body language of the characters as well. This build up will last from them initially planning the date until they finally meet up. The film will end with them meeting for the first date, making the audience unaware of the outcome.
Sam is a second year music student a college who loves to help people. He is very gentlemanly and this is shown by the way he treats his love interest Charlotte. Throughout the short film it will become clear that Sam is very unlucky in love and with the thoughts that go through his mind in the build up to his date it will also be noticed that he has been hurt in the past. He's a character who comes across as quite confident, but his nerves do come through.
Charlotte is a first year music student at college who is not afraid to ask for help when she needs it. She is very confident until it comes to her date with Sam. During the build up to that, her nerves begin to show through as well however you also get a sense of excitement.

The target audience for this short film would be teenagers and young adults due to the education behind it. The young audience can get an understanding of how others and themselves feel when the moment arises of them going through similar things. With this short film I am hoping that I can show the young people that they're not alone in how they feel also.

Pre-Production Log - The Research

The Research

In preparation to help me write the script, I asked a few people how they felt leading up to a first date so that I had more of an understanding of peoples' feelings. Here are the responses:

"I just look forward to the date and hope that they like it"

"Anxious, nervous, if you look good, depends on the date as some people are nervous about eating in front of people."

"I was worried in case I'd screw up. Or that something would go wrong"

"Thoughts that go through my head leading up to a first date would be things like hoping it goes well, nothing goes wrong, will they like me after the date, will they want a second date, I'd be nervous"

"What if I say something to upset them?"

"I get nervous and feel like I'm going to mess it up"

"I'd be wondering if they're going to be as nice in person as was they seem and what I would do if there is a gap in the conversation"

"I feel excited and happy but also nervous and scared"

"I try to be humble and not to talk too much. I also try to remember to smile"

"You might feel happy that you have a date at first, maybe you haven't had one in a while. You might question what to wear and what if he or she doesn't like you, or if there's a possibility that you won't like them. You could question why you're doing this then reassure yourself that everything is going to be fine. Lastly, you might be constantly checking yourself to make certain that you do look okay before heading out the door"


Overall, this research shows very similar feelings throughout both the men and women who were asked with a lot of them saying that they feel nervous on first dates. Many had the same thought that something could go wrong and I received a very interesting insight as to why people could be nervous ranging from appearances to anxiety the eating in front of people.

Pre-Production Log - Genre

Genre - Educational Romance

When deciding on a genre for this short film, my first instinct was to choose the one most fitting with the short stories that I usually write. They are normally quite hard-hitting which is why I thought that drama would initially be the perfect genre. What changed my mind on this genre was the fact that all of the ideas that I had were very dark and some were maybe a little too personal for a student film. I did some research on the other genres and I asked a friend of mine for some advice before coming up with an idea for the genre of romance. But I decided to change it slightly once again, finally settling on the idea of an educational romance which will explain thoughts and feelings of the male and female minds when preparing for a first date.

Producing Magazine Layouts Learning Aim B

The Rational 

Primary Research 

From the primary research I have learned that many people prefer to see a lot of images within a magazine with only a couple who enjoy a lot of content to read. Many will only choose to read a magazine about film and television if they are interested in which one is on the front cover as the dominant image and main sell line. I asked some people what they would like to see in a film magazine in a questionnaire that I made and all of the responses that I got were very similar. Most of the people asked said they are likely to pick up a magazine about film if it shows that there is some media inside of it that they would be interested in.  

Secondary Research 

Film magazines such as Empire and Total film advertise and write about new film releases. Empire also write about new TV show releases. Other film magazines such as Little White Lies Magazine is made simply to give reviews of different films. The images are usually taken in a studio with the models playing their characters during the shoot as it is the film that are starring in shown as the main feature.  

The Contributors 

The secondary images that I have chosen to use for the front cover of the magazine I will be making is of the characters in the YouTube Red web series called Escape the Night for the dominant image with an image from the new movie A star is Born within a plug. For the double-page spread, another image from Escape the Night will be used. This is because advertisement and reviews of these will be the main feature. All rights to the secondary images go to YouTube and the content creator Joey Graceffa, the writer and star of this series and the creators of the film. The model that I have used for my primary image is a man named John Ridley who will be featured within a second plug within the front cover to advertise a competition being held to encourage new content creators. The permission for this was given and a consent form was signed by the contributor. The first image that can be seen is a secondary image of A Star is Born. I have chosen this to be a smaller image on the front cover and this movie, alongside others, is said to be reported on inside the magazine I am creating. The final images are also secondary images and they are pat of the man article about the youtube red series Escape the Night. The image on the left will be used for the double-bate spread to show more of the characters featured in the series. The image to the right will be the dominant image for the front cover to add a little mystery about the characters in the show.

 

The Equipment 

The primary image was taken on an iPhone with the model used holding Samsung a camera. These pieces of equipment were already owned by myself and the contributor, meaning that they did not cost me anything.  

The Pitch 

The idea that I want to make is a film magazine similar to the likes of Empire and Total Film, showing the new big film releases and writing reviews on them to help and possible readers decide whether or not they would like to go and see them. However, the main focus of this magazine will be to advertise the films of newer directors and actors as I believe that they deserve just as much recognition as the ones who have already made it. The audience would simply be people with a love of film due to all genres being featured, it will specifically be aimed at the young filmmakers as a way to hopefully inspire them to follow their dream of making their own or starring in a movie. Television shows will also be a part of this magazine as well as short films and web-series' as ways to advertise new creativity across other media platforms and competitions will be held to showcase new directory talent. 

The Proposal 

The content of my film magazine will be showcasing the newest movie releases as well as promotion of smaller creators in order to get their work noticed. The content of the front cover will advertise the latest season of a web series on YouTube Red called Escape the Night and within the double-page spread this will be written about with the previous seasons reviewed. I have decided to choose this series to feature as it may not be very well-known and I believe that all content should be acknowledged as a lot of time, money, creativity and hard work goes into them. A Star is Born is one of the newest films to be released and the front cover will showcase that it is the main movie to be reviewed. Other films will be mentioned to be reviewed as well. This magazine will be named “Media Magic”. I have chosen this name because I believe that it reflects the ideas for the content inside of the magazine to a good standard. Yearly competitions will be held to showcase the newest directory talents and the winners will be given a prize as well as have their product advertised in the magazine. I have decided to do this because in my opinion it is a good idea to give young people a chance at getting recognition by doing what they love. 

The Treatment 

The flat plan designs have been chosen to be made the ways that they are because I believe that they appeal to the target audience. When doing the primary research, I learned that many people like to see a few images and well as the text. I have taken that into consideration and have decided to use a lot of images so that the magazine appeals to them. For the primary image I decided that it was best to use natural lighting. This is because the image used is to advertise a competition of new talent, meaning that many entries may only be able to rely on that form of lighting due to financial situations or storylines being written by these creators. I chose to use a medium shot for this primary image so that it fits well in the placement on the front cover in which it will be in. The prop used in the primary image is a camera. This prop was chosen because of what the image is supposed to represent. The image was taken in front of a brick wall so that the image can easily be edited into the front cover. The facial expression cannot be seen in this picture, this is because the shot of the camera is the focus due to what the image advertises. The dominant image on the front cover is also a medium shot. This secondary image was chosen because it shows the main character of the series. In the picture he is behind bars and in front of a dark background, possibly intriguing any readers who are interested in mystery. The secondary image used to advertise a star is born was chosen because it shows intensity between the two main characters which could possibly entice reader who prefer to watch movies about romance. For the double-page spread, the image used consists of the full cast of the newest season of escape the night. This image will be slightly larger than the dominant image on the front cover because it will need to cover a bigger surface. The language of which the article will be written in will be formal as I think that that writing style is nicer to read. The font style will be written in san serif text. This is because I believe that is makes the text clearer to read.    

The Content 

Is the magazine print or digital?
I have chosen to make a print magazine because I believe that they are more convenient for any readers due to the possibility of it being able to be picked up in a local store or through subscription delivery. I chose this form of magazine over digital because of the chance of digital magazines having technical issues such as links that are not working.

Double-Page Spread Article Draft 

The hit YouTube Red series “Escape the Night” is due to come back for a third season and it looks like we have to expect some more famous YouTube faces. The series creator and actor Joey Graceffa has worked with many of our favourite web-content creators throughout this series such as Shane Dawson, Tyler Oakley, Oli White and many more, but season three has promised us the friendly faces of Colleen Ballinger, Manny Mua and Safiya Nygaard to name a few. This dark fantasy competition show began in 2016 and has been a successful YouTube series throughout the years. Seeing how the older seasons are set in completely different time periods. With season one being set in the 1920’s and season two being set during the Victorian era, it will be very interesting to see which time period has been chosen for this season. 

Double-Page Spread Final Article
The hit Youtube Red series "Escape the Night" is due to come back for a their season and it looks like we have to expect some more famous YouTube faces. The series creator and actor Joey Graceffa has worked with many of our favorite web-content creator throughout this series such as Shane Dawson, Tyler Oakley, Oli White and many more, but season three has promised us the friendly faces of Colleen Ballinger, Manny Mua and Safiya Nygaard to name a few. This dark, fictional, fantasy competition show began in 2016 and has been a successful Youtube series throughout the years. This season is said to be set in the 1970's and since the older seasons are in completely time periods, with season one being set in the 1920's and season two being set during the Victorian era, it will be interesting to see what Graceffa has planned for the newest installment of characters he has created. It has been said that these new characters must attempt to save their town of Everlock from an evil carnival master, it sound very exciting and we look forward to watching to find out exactly what this season has in store.