BOOMSATSUMA PORTFOLIO
CDM 339
Writing for creative Digital media
1.1
Complete a written report analysing two screenplays. You are required to write a report that analyses the concepts, tools and processes in writing for two different media audiences and destinations.
Quiet Place
by fading to black after the first major event happens. This allows a short amount of time to build suspension. The format of the script is more based on describing the action with lots of scene headings. The use of only descriptions and key points allows for more creative control due to no dialogue being used. For example towards the start of the scene there is only sweets taken from the shelf but not crisps. This is because they are noisy to eat and could be disturbing. They use bare feet throughout the whole first section to make sure they are not making a high level of noise. The production crew would need to look into copyright laws with the products on display in the shop at the start of the film. They use a scene with chewy sweets and packets of crisps. These companies might have paid product placement fees to appear in the film or the film has contacted the companies for permission to use their products. Another example of this would of been the use of a space shuttle toy, the toy uses batteries with brand titles on them as well as the sounds produced from the toy. The sounds would have been copyrighted to the company unless the production team recreated the sound effects. Overall the film is structured in a linear sequence and is in order of a standard storyline. Overall the characters face a dilemma where they just can't talk. Being silent is so cruel for survival and they are in a rush by the movement of the characters as they know they can't stay in a place for long.The background sound to the music adds to the effect with the running if the creature. When they leave the store the tension rises as dramatic irony takes place.
Quiet Place is a Horror based film from the year 2018. It is structured at the start as an exposition with no audio. For the first 5 minutes of the film there is no talking, only sound from the background such as wind or added sound effects to create dramatic effect. There is a small amount of sign language presented. The script is a selling script however there is very little dialogue so for most of it, it is designed for shooting and to help the production team know what shot and angle to shoot. The writing is attracting the target audience of suspense and horror for example around 5 minutes in it is described as “THE MOST IMMEDIATE AND TERRIFYING COMBINATION OF SOUND ONE COULD EVER IMAGINE. ... A SHRIEK?... A SCREAM? ... A CRUNCH? Then… ON THE FATHER as... a thin line of blood splatters on his face.” The writing within the script is adapted to help reach the target destination
FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is filmed a lot differently than a quiet place with the first 5 minutes being a monologue and a close up talking scene between a teenage boy and 2 parents. The structure of the film is based on a linear style story with a spec script which is designed for dialogue. The writing in the script is in courier like most scripts and has much more dialogue than actions written on it which shows there is much more noise. For example at the beginning there is only talking between the 4 characters however when Ferris is left alone there is background music with a monologue over the top. Unusually, this film in the first 5 minutes uses lots of shots of Ferris talking to the audience and camera and uses titles on screen to explain his story. This is a technique used more in the 80’s and 90’s for American teenage comedies, like this film. In the first minute of the film all 4 main characters are introduced in the bedroom and we are given a brief introduction about them for example Ferris is the favourite child of the parents and his sister isn't. This is proven when Ferris winks at his sister after lying about him being ill; however she doesn't do anything about it as she knows the parents wouldn't believe her. The target audience for this film is mid teenagers who like “cheesy” comedies. Using funky titles with bold colours and the use of technology on set would entice the audience of teenagers as it was items they would have wanted in the 80’s. Using a relaxed tone to the camera was the setting of the scene to create an easy mood. Actions on the script are shown in brackets and there isn't a lot of information about the scene apart from the dialogue however there is a small amount of information at the start to set the different scenes. This leads me to believe there would have also been a shooting script to help guide the directors on the set. The audience knows the film is a comedy style as some of the quotes and actions that Ferris does for example some of the lines and quotes that suggest he is trying to humor the audience is “I want to get into a good college so I can have a fruitful life…”, “It's nice to know I have such loving, caring parents. You're both very special people.” and “This is my ninth sick day of the semester. If I go for ten, I'm probably going to have to barf up a lung. So, I absolutely must make this one count.” The production team would have contacted different companies that produce products that teenagers would love for product placement opportunities. For example MTV would of been one of these companies when it says in description of the script “The MTV theme music ROARS IN. CU. TV SCREEN 9 The TV at the foot of Ferris' bed. The MTV logo is playing.” Overall this film beginning is very different from Quiet place with the genre to the style of filming and acting.
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Compare and contrast
The scripts of a quiet place and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are very different. Both of these scripts are spec scripts for selling the film and presenting the film to what the actors would be shown. However they are very different. In the first sequence in A quiet place nearly all the script is descriptive about the scenes as there is no verbal dialogue, only sign language. This means the director on the shoot would have more creative control on how they would want to present the film. In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off the script is in a standard linear film with a lot of dialogue with a sequence breaking the fourth wall and the lead character talking to camera as a monologue. This on the script has only a little amount of description describing the scene however not the movements of the characters like the script in A quiet place. The same at the start of the script is the setting of the scene with the description of the area for example in the abandoned town compared to a modern suburban town in the USA 80’s.
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The target audience is very different for both films. For A quiet place it is for horror seekers who like unknown moments and suspension and action. Long periods of silence help make this style stand out. However Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is very different, aimed mainly at American High school students who are looking for a comedy and something to relate to. This is shown with the use of humor and breaking the fourth wall to show the main character talking to the audience.
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The characters are similar as they are both families with 2 parents with 2 kids and 3 kids respectively. The families are very different on how they act and main characters. In A quiet place they are a silent family who are working to survive and everyone helps and it is hard work. There isn't a main character in the first 10 minutes of the film. However in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ferris is the main character with a monologue. The parents have a few lines at the start and the sister has very few lines compared to the other characters.
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The differences in the 2 films are very obvious with the genre and script. The way they describe the world around them is different. In A quiet place they use a lot of descriptive language to describe it and the director has creative control to adjust it however in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off it only describes the setting at key points which means at other times the set is built with the director's vision in the mind instead of on the script. However on this set there would be a production script because of the lack of descriptive detail to the director on the spec script which they would have presented to the producers. The same in both of the films is that both characters have dilemmas. Some more serious than the other as in a Quiet place if they don't keep quiet they could be dead however Ferris has a problem where he doesn't want to go to school
Task: 1.2
Develop and write a screenplay that meets the requirements of the ‘Dialogue Scene’ project. Firstly, you will be required to show the development of two screenplay ideas through a treatment including title, logline, research you have undertaken to justify your idea, theme/character/plot breakdowns, target audience and intended destination of the screenplay.
I have chosen to move forward with a job interview in a small office and 2 people about to rob a bank. I decided to chose the small office as the logistical challenge is easier to film than some other options due to the location. I chose to move forward with the robbery from inspiration from point break robbery scene. This gave me inspiration to create a car scene outside.
The ROBBERY
The Casual Job Interview
Focus Group
In a small focus group we pitched our ideas to each other to be able to gather feadback on our scripts and project ideas through out treatments. Everyone gave feadback of what they thought about everyones ideas and how they could progress it more.
What I like about my idea The Robbery
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The idea fits the theme and genre I set out to do.
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The idea is based on films I have seen however brings it own take
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The idea would be logistically easier than some of my other prospects I thought of
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This idea has a great script which can be easily improved
What I didn't like about my idea The Robbery
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The script is too blocky where I needed to improvise when pitching it
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The script needs some more dialogue paragraphs
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The idea has logistical challenges with the car and location of filming and the ability of using props.
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The script needs to be laid out better with different parts for descriptive language
What I like about my idea The casual interview
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The idea really fits he genre of the film with the script
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The idea is logistically easy to film
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The script can be improved easily
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The idea can be related to other films for contrast and comparing easier than others
What I didn't like about my idea The The casual interview
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The idea needs a lot of work on the script to bring it up to standard as it is far too blocky
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The script needs more dialogue paragraphs
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without the use of green screen the office would be harder to replicate in a studio on a low budget
THE ROBBERY
I have decided to continue with the robbery because of the logistics and the developed script. I received better feedback for this idea rather than my other idea. This idea only has a few small problems which I plan to fix when correcting the script including formatting it better so it is easier to understand.
Evaluation
Task: 1.3
Write a report to evaluate the effectiveness of your pitch. The evaluation should include the areas for improvement within your screenplays drawing upon both personal and tutor feedback. It is important to evaluate the formatting, the content and if the screenplay is fit for purpose in its intended use.
Over this project I have learnt creative techniques for script writing for digital media. Before this project I haven't looked at scripts or thought about writing them. Being able to dive into a script and analysis has massively helped me to improve my skills because I can now see more detail within film. I set out on 2 ideas to turn into treatments and scripts. The robbery and the causal interview. I feel the causal interview is a great script however it needs improvement in multiple aspects. When pitching the idea I liked that it didn't need massive logistical planning on set and it was simple to film but the script struggled on keeping the dialogue flowing. My 2nd idea the robbery has great potential as the genre was well matched however it presents greater logistical challenges while filming. However I decided to
improve my screenplay "The robbery" in a number of ways since there focus group, where I pitched my idea to my fellow peers for the first time. In the pitch they gave feadback on the flowing of the script and how it could have been improved. Since then I have changed multiple parts of the script including formatting it so it is easier to read alongside the production script. The script now evokes more emotion and will be easier to shoot as the actors wouldn't need to improvise on set like the previous script. The feedback and the focus group helped me understand my script more and how I can improve it to be better. I also had the opportunity to give feadback to other members of the group on how they could of improved theirs such as on the storyline being too complex or basic alongside the dialogue being too "blocky" or not being flowing. I also discussed logistics about the scripts for example Robbie's "road rage" script is brilliant however presents logistical
challenges when filming on set as we would have to film within a public road which can be uncontrollable. However I have found the focus group very helpful and my screenplay has been massively improved because of it.
Action Plan
for future knowledge and skills development
