I believe I just wrote and directed my own drama...

WELL!

Today I finished shooting my last ever shoot as a student!
My shoot went so so well, better than expected. I believe there are two main reasons as to why the shoot ran so smoothly and effectively; 1. Maddie and Hennie and Cat. 2. working with professional actors that we didnt know.
The cast were fab, although working with the two children on sunday was an experience! They were great but children can be hard work at times! But Sharon and Colin we brilliant, as were Amy and Kai. They were all so professional and we hardly ever had any line mess ups. And the fact that we didnt know them really helped, for example when we work with friends/family/people we know, we can become slow and distracted, but wanting to appear professional this didnt happnen. And this is something that I will discuss further in my report.

Cat was her usual camera-wiz self so we also avoided camera f*** ups and between Maddie and Hennie, sound was taken control of and perfected.
I made sure I arrived on location every morning around an hour before everyone else so that production design and lighting was in place and I was ready to get everyone blocking out and into character (after a cuppa of course)

I had forgotten how much I love being on a production and part of a crew, even more so because I didn't have to take hold of my dreaded enemy- the camera! I was able to concentrate on my story and the direction of it.

I feel like I did sometimes struggle to give direction to Colin and Sharon because I am so young and inexperienced compared to them but I feel like I coped pretty well at most times. And Cat aided me along the way!

There were a couple of moments for me that were really well, nice. It was nice seeing the action played out that I wrote and planned over the past few months, it was a great feeling!

Now its time to put it all together with Dyl, so excited to see it all on screen!

Cast

Treatment

Character Breakdowns

Things I had forgotten to blog! - Tone

Report Research - Dominic Savage

Dominic Savage directed 'True Love', and a variety of other things e.g 'Dive', 'Freefall', 'Love and hate', 'Nice Girl'. So he's worth having a look at.

Report Research BFI Article

British New Wave

50s-60s films which reinvigorated cinema Britain today is still a society in many ways defined by class, but in the 1950s divisions were far more rigid. The 'new wave' films and the sources that inspired them gave a voice to a working-class that was for the first time gaining some economic power. Previously, working-class characters in British cinema had largely been used for comic effect or as 'salt of the earth' cannon fodder. Here we see their lives at the centre of the action. That action, such as it is, details everyday dramas - hence 'the kitchen sink' tag. We see events through the emotional journeys of the characters. Interestingly, only Room at the Top (d. Jack Clayton, 1958) and Look Back in Anger (d. Tony Richardson, 1959) look directly at conflict between working-class and middle-class characters. The later films concentrate on conflicts within the working-class contrasting 'rough' (the very poor, unskilled, criminal and hedonistic - represented by characters like Arthur Seaton in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (d. Karel Reisz, 1960) and Colin Smith and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, d. Richardson, 1962) with 'respectable' (skilled, aspirational, educated and 'moral' - such as the heroes of John Schlesinger's films: Vic Brown in A Kind of Loving (1962) and the life that Billy Fisher in Billy Liar (1963) appears to lead). The debates around class are complex. There is recognition that social change and affluence will make the system more fluid. There is also an understanding that the essentials of power will not change - the mindset that reinforces divisions is still very much there. Phil Wickham

Report Research - Kitchen sink drama

Kitchen sink realism (or kitchen sink drama) is a term coined to describe a British cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose 'heroes' usually could be described as angry young men. It used a style of social realism, which often depicted the domestic situations of working-class Britons living in rented accommodation and spending their off-hours drinking in grimy pubs, to explore social issues and political controversies.

Report Research

Relevant books -

• "Direct your own damn movie" Lloyd Kaufman, Sara Antill, Kurly Tlapoyawa
• "Directing Actors" Judith Weston
• "Directing Fiction" Robert Edgar-Hunt
•  "Modern Voice: Working with actors on contemporary text" Catherine Weate 
• "Pre Production Planning for film, video, and multimedia" Steve Cartwright 

Call sheet Thursday

Call Sheet Wednesday

Call Sheet Tuesday

Call sheet Sunday

Shot list

Shoot Schedule

Checklist

Production Management

Getting ready to roll FMP

My shoot is at the end of this week! eek! WEEKS of planning all coming to ahead!
I am also meeting with Colin Holt today, the actor playing Mark the dad so that will be exciting, get up to speed with him on everything, go through the script, answer any questions etc.

All call sheets are in place, script breakdown, shoot schedule and shot list etc. This week I just need to collect all the things I need for the set production design wise.

Its all very overwhelming and I am very nervous to work with professional actors, but excited!

Production Manager and Things to do

Simon suggested I needed someone on my shoot to help out and make sure things run smoothly and everyone is happy and my immediate thought was to ask Chloe. She has been so great with casting and I feel as she has had most contact with them, they are going to feel like shes there go to girl and she seems like shes good at organizing people and meetings etc. I appreciate she has her own project so I told her to say no if she didnt want to but she agreed as long as the shoot days dont clash with hers.
So other things to nail is - schedule. If the cast we meet tomorrow are great then I am hoping to bash out a shoot schedule with them, I am hoping for the october half term as then the children arent at school.

I also need to go and take photographs of my locations (house and track) to build up a production design board, I think if I get time I may do this tomorrow in between the morning with Simon and the cast meeting at 5.30pm.

In the cast meeting tomorrow I am aiming to get the cast to improv together to see if they have chemistry and perhaps a few readings from the script.

Scripting

SCRIPTING IS HARRRRRRD.

I had been having major issues with a part of my story, I really don't want my story to be a cliche, but I needed to answer some questions. And I THINK i've come up with something that I'm really happy with finally :)  This is like draft 4 or 5 but now I THINK its just tweaking rather than story editing :)

Direction/Vision

I want the piece to be very honest, simple and people/relationship led. Much like BBC's True Love and Independent film Fishtank. I envision lots of shots in which there is no dialogue, just a quite character, emotion on their faces not being spoken. 

Director research

Marketing

Also as I marketing tool that most people do these days, I could set up and facebook at twitter account and post updates of progress, e.g scripting, planning, shooting and editing and release dates including photos.

A LA - http://www.facebook.com/filmconsequence

Film Fest's

As Simon suggested I have been thinking about where my film could be shown. There is a small independent and local studios that are having a film festival in november and mid way through it they have a day for filmmakers to submit their own short films. It is called stepping stone studios. And although I am aware that the showing is going to be earlier than my finished piece, this is just an example of the sort of place I see submitting my film - small, independent and humble. And I could always submit in the next opening.

pre - proposal

Annabelle Edwards is an ordinary wife and mum of two, in an ordinary town with an ordinary life. In her sleepy seaside town, her usual daily routine includes school runs, working from home and caring for her children and husband.

But one ordinary day turns dark when Annabelle cracks and throws herself in front of a train.

A twenty minute honest drama, based on a true story, wanting not to just show a horrific event but deal with the consequences of such actions. 

Pre - draft, pre - thoughts, tiny bit of script just to give an idea

FMP update

Well I'm still happy to go ahead with my drama idea, I really am looking forward to getting into writing a script, its something I havnt properly had the opportunity to do since first year really, and I really love doing it. I have already written a page and a half even though I'm not really ready to, I just couldnt wait!

The only thing that is making me apprehensive to do this is sourcing good actors. Its very doable but has always proved very hard! I have set up a casting call pro account to get ready to post the jobs up, but it asks   for a production title to be able to post a job which I dont have! I am also thinking I am going to commission Chloe to help me with casting as she seems to know what shes doing in that area and it enjoys it too.

I have also commissioned Cat for a camera person, Dylan for editor and will probably ask Will to also be a camera person. I will be writer/director. I am hoping to have Chloe help with casting a production management.

I just need to get on with writing up a treatment, its been so long I've kinda forgotten how to do it!

Final Major Project - Research/ Idea

Yeah so this is what I wanna do for my FMP...

I found BBC's drama series True Love very inspiring. However, it was not an exceptional program, which followed with many negative reviews, I have yet to actually find a positive one. Yes it was improvised, so many scenes seemed lack something, lots of reviewers have said that it was unbelievable that for instance Nick's wife (David Tenant) seemed to forgive her adulterous husband easily without too much emotion and that the show itself lacked romance or a typical happy ending. But that is why I loved it. I felt that it was so honest and so real. Whether I agree that Nick's wife seemingly ignored his adultery is not the question because I don't. But I do agree that this is much more common, it is sad but true. Most real people in real life situations with their real mortgage, real children and real responsibilities do swallow these things and brush them under the carpet. It's a very British notion after all. True Love was not a Hollywood cliche, it was the truth, whether we like it or not. (However, I am pretending the lesbian/teacher/pupil story one didnt exist - I couldn't bring even myself to believe that one) 

Whether the series was good or bad is irrelevant to me, I just loved the bare truth behind it. This is what inspired me to want to write a drama script for my FMP. I want to write something real, something that has happened and does happen but people dont talk about it. I am not talking about teen pregnancy and drugs etc because quite frankly that is old news. You only have to turn Jeremy Kyle on in the morning and you will see. 

I am basing my script on a true story. 

It is the story of a woman, with her two up two down in Herne Bay, and her two children and her Fireman husband. It is the story of a woman who comes from a Catholic background who seemingly carries, to put it stereotypically, 'Catholic guilt'. A woman who one day walked out in front of a moving train. And survived. And now continues living in her two up two down, with her two children and her fireman husband. As if nothing ever happened. As if she never tried to commit suicide, leaving her family behind. Swept under the carpet. Just like the stories of True Love. 

I want take the honesty of True Love and apply it, I want to put across that people do these unthinkable things but yet they are swept away, as if nothing ever happened. For an easier life? Who knows! 

NOTES/QUOTES 

"Whenever I read in the newspaper about a mother who's abandoned her children and run off to Spain, or a wife who popped out to the shops and never came back, I never think 'God, that's awful. How could she? I think, 'I wish I had the guts to do that."  -

"its awful for those left behind, of course; only one step down from suicide in terms of selfishness, I suppose" 

"Not, in fact, a decision at all, it seems to me suddenly, but an imperative: an impulse as violent and impossible to ignore as vomiting or giving birth" 

 The Wife that Run away - Jess Stimson

True Love notes 

oddly implausible little miniature tragedies about the life not lived, the ball and chain of responsibility - have tested and finally shored up the rickety institution that is matrimony. http://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/true-love-bbc-one

But, this being a modern look at real life and not an Aesop fable, there was no sting-in-the-tail, no comeuppance, no lesson learned, so I’m hoping tonight’s episode will restore the balance.http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/06/18/true-love-review-david-tennant-lacey-turner_n_1605195.html

Cast List

Crew CVS - Casey

Crew CVS - Cat

Crew CVS - Dylan

Crew and Cast

Crew and cast profiles/Cvs to come ....

Basic contact info to go in corner of case files - to be prettified!

Basic contacts - to be prettified

Van Alen Building

Brighton Police Station

Tone - Places

Tone - People

Tone

Ashdown Forest - the pics have come out really bad on this one!

Picture issues

Posting pictures on my blog makes them look weird, it makes them look like ive put some sort of weird illustrative filter on them, just thought id say I didnt and when i print them they dont come out like that!

Brighton street art

It kinda dawned on me today that brighton street art is a huge cultural part of Brighton, and as we are going for a gritty series I felt it was quite appropriate to include in the tonal ideas. Its a contrast to the 'pretty' tourist beachfront.

Tone and Mood - mood-kinda-board

Key Locations

Roy Grace's Office

Roy Grace

Pre-Production Unit - Synopsis - Final Draft

Pilot Synopsis

“Four bodies, one suspect. No trace. Dead Simple”

In this gripping first series Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is in charge of Operation: Salsa. A stag night prank, gone wrong. He and his team are working against the clock to find missing groom Michael Harrison.

When his four best friends are killed in a car accident moments after burying Michael in a coffin in the middle of Ashdown Forest, leaving him nothing but a bottle of whiskey and a walkie talkie, it seems there is no hope for the soon to be husband.

Roy Grace himself is only too familiar with missing person cases, eight years after the disappearance of wife Sandy, Roy is still searching for answers.

With his photographic memory and interest in the paranormal, Roy’s controversial investigative techniques are often ridiculed but never proven wrong.

He has a stubbornness and determination inside him that has driven him relentlessly throughout his life to pursue facts, and the truth, which probably led to his early promotion of Detective Superintendent. Roy is human, he can make mistakes, often getting into trouble with boss Alison Vosper and the media through his unorthodox approach and his judgment can also sometimes be clouded by his never-ending search for his missing wife.

Roy and his colleague and best friend, the ever more hip and younger version of Roy, Glenn Branson, are the lead investigators on Operation: Salsa. When they set about solving the mystery of Harrison’s disappearance; they soon discover that what at first appears to be a simple accident and missing person’s case has in fact far darker and sinister undertones.

This original and gritty new detective series takes crime drama into the underbelly of contemporary Brighton and shows a realistic approach to the life of a detective. Roy Grace is played by BAFTA nominated David Morrissey  who works alongside a cast of British talent including Ashley Walters (Top Boy) and Felicity Jones (Cape Wrath).

With a dark and gritty tone, Dead Simple brings a captivating new detective to Channel 4.       

Pre-Production Unit - Synopsis Draft 3

Pilot Synopsis

“Four bodies, one suspect. No trace. Dead Simple”

In this gripping first series Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is in charge of Operation: Salsa. A stag night prank, gone wrong. He and his team and working against the clock to find missing groom Michael Harrison.

When his four best friends are killed in a car accident moments after burying Michael in a coffin in the middle of Ashdown Forest, leaving him nothing but a bottle of whiskey and a walkie talkie it seems there is no hope for the soon to be husband.

Roy himself is only too familiar with missing person’s cases, eight years after the disappearance of wife Sandy, Roy is still searching for answers.

With his photographic memory and interest in the paranormal, Roy’s controversial investigative techniques are often ridiculed but never proven wrong.

He has a stubbornness and determination inside him that has driven him relentlessly throughout his life to pursue facts, to pursue the truth, which probably led to his early promotion to Detective Superintendent. Roy is human, he can make mistakes, often getting into trouble with boss Alison Vosper and the media through his unorthodox approach and his judgment can also sometimes be clouded by his never-ending search for his missing wife.

Roy and his colleague and best friend, the ever more hip and younger version of Roy, Glenn Branson, are the lead investigators on Operation: Salsa. When they set about solving the mystery of Harrison’s disappearance; they soon come to realize that distraught fiancée Ashley Harper and best friend and business partner Mark Warren may not be all they seem to be. 

This original and gritty new detective series takes crime drama into the underbelly of contemporary Brighton and shows a realistic approach to the life of a detective. Roy Grace is played by actor David Morrissey, who works alongside a cast of British talent including Channel 4’s actor Ashley Walters (Top Boy) and actress Felicity Jones (Cape Wrath).

With a dark and gritty tone, Dead Simple brings a captivating new detective to Channel 4.       

Pre-Production Unit - Production Design Ideas

Just collecting some images for production design ideas for Roy's Office...

Pre - Production

I have just sent Peter another question, lets hope he replies again!

Casey Parker Hi Peter, I was just wondering who you would cast for Roy? Who is your dream Roy Grace or who do you imagine him as? Thank you :)

Pre - Production Unit - Synopsis draft 2

Pilot Synopsis

“Four bodies, one suspect. No trace. Dead Simple”

In this gripping first series Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is in charge of Operation: Salsa. A stag night prank, gone wrong. He and his team and working against the clock to find missing groom Michael Harrison.

When his four best friends are killed in a car accident moments after burying Michael in a coffin in the middle of Ashdown Forest, leaving him nothing but a bottle of whiskey and a walkie talkie it seems there is no hope for the soon to be husband.

Roy himself is only too familiar with missing person’s cases, eight years after the disappearance of wife Sandy, Roy is still searching for answers.

With his photographic memory and interest in the paranormal, Roy’s controversial investigative techniques are often ridiculed but never proven wrong.

He has a stubbornness and determination inside him that has driven him relentlessly throughout his life to pursue facts, to pursue the truth, which probably led to his early promotion to Detective Superintendent. Roy is human, he can makes mistakes; he often gets into trouble with boss Alison Vosper and the media over his choice to involve mediums when investigating cases and his judgment can sometimes be clouded by his never-ending search for Sandy.

Roy and his colleague and best friend, the ever more hip and younger version of Roy, Glenn Branson, are assigned the task of finding the missing groom before the upcoming wedding day. When they set about solving the mystery of Harrison’s disappearance; they soon come to realize that distraught fiancée Ashley Harper and best friend and business partner Mark Warren may not be all they seem to be. 

This original and gritty new murder mystery series takes crime dramas into the underbelly of tourist Brighton and shows a realistic approach to the life of a detective. Roy Grace, played by ‘The Red Riding Trilogy’ actor David Morrissey works alongside a brilliant cast of British talent including Channel 4’s ‘Top Boy’ actor Ashley Walters and 4’S ‘Cape Wrath’ actress Felicity Jones.

With a dark and gritty tone, Dead Simple brings a captivating new detective series to Channel 4.       

Pre-Production Unit - Synopsis first draft

Pilot Synopsis

“Four bodies, one suspect. No trace. Dead Simple”

In this gripping first series Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is in charge of Operation: Salsa. A stag night prank, gone wrong. He and his team and working against the clock to find missing groom Michael Harrison.

When his four best friends are killed in a car accident moments after burying Michael in a coffin in the middle of Ashdown Forest, leaving him nothing but a bottle of whiskey and a walkie talkie it seems there is no hope for the soon to be husband.

A murder in Ashdown Forest leads to a chance encounter with a father who says his late son claimed to have been chatting with a lost man on a walkie talkie. Could this boy have been the answer to finding Michael Harrison?

This original and gritty new murder mystery series set in Brighton takes crime dramas to a whole new level and is set to change the history of crime dramas in the U.K Roy Grace will captivate you and leave you wanting more.

Grace himself is only too familiar with missing person’s cases, eight years after the disappearance of wife Sandy, Roy is still searching for answers.

With his photographic memory and interest in mediumship, Grace’s controversial investigative techniques are often ridiculed but never proven wrong.

Grace and his colleague and best friend, the ever more hip and younger version of Roy, Glenn Branson are assigned the task of finding the missing groom before the upcoming wedding day. When they set about solving the mystery of Harrison’s disappearance; they soon come to realise that distraught fiancée Ashley Harper and best friend and business partner Mark Warren may not be all they seem to be. 

Pre - Production - cast - Davey wheeler

This is a bit if a dodgey one!! But I have no idea for this character

Jamie Waylett

Pre-Production - cast - Bella Moy

Lenora Crichlow 

Pre-Production - Cast - Michael Harrison

Bradley James

Pre-Production - Cast - Vic Delaney

Matthew McNulty

Pre-Production Unit - The Crew.

Director: Dylan Cox
Producer: Casey Parker
Writer: Catharine Dorsett
Director of Photography: Tat Radcliffe - he was the cinematographer for Top Boy and Dead Set both channel 4/E4 dramas.
Production designer: Tom Bowyer  - Production designer for Misfits - E4
Editor: Mark Eckersley - Edited This is England 86' (C4) and Misfits (E4)
Visual Effects: Antonio Rodriguez Diaz - did visual effects for Misfits (some cool SFX!)
Costume Design: Ceri Walford - costume designed for Sherlock, controversial as this is a BBC production, however I feel it is a justified decision as she gave Sherlock a modern twist with subtle hints to his historical look, plus it was obviously a crime drama, and I think Grace needs to have a subtle yet statement costume, be it a certain type of suit, tie, coat etc. And as we have discussed, he will have a briefcase, so that could be his subtle version of sherlocks cap.

Pre-Production Unit

Came across this site that details how to do Pitch Packages - http://eyesondeck.typepad.com/scriptfaze/2009/03/how-to-create-a-tv-pitch-package.html

Although it may be a little more 'brief' than what is asked of us, but its helpful.

Pre-Production Unit - Key Locations