Shots List

 We wanted to create a list of the shots we will be using to help us in our filming process. 

 Detective Board Part 1

1. Medium shot of beginning of the board
2. Tracking shot over Actors close up of name
3. Tracking shot over Music through yarn close up of name
4. Zoom into picture

Forest Part 1

1. Close up of poster on floor
2. Pan up from poster
3. Close up of feet walking over posters
4. Long shot of search party
5. Close up of flashlights
6. medium/long shot someone leaves crowd with backlighting

Detective Board Part 2

1. Tracking close up over producer names
2. Tracking shot over Cinematographer/ writer
3. Zoom into a picture of Benjamin

Forest Part 2

1. close up tracking of feet walking
2. Medium shot handheld waist up, expressions
3. Long shot pans sideways
4. Extreme close up of him clenching flashlight

Detective Board Part 3

1. Tracking close up of editor name
2. tracking close up of director
3. Zoom into long shot of Benjamin

Forest Part 3

1. Long shot of ben over hill, backlighting
2. Zoom into Ben his back turned to camera
3. Medium shot 
4. Pan down zoom close up of hand

Detective Board Part 4

1. Long shot entire board
2. Walk backwards into over the shoulder of the detective

We used the notes we've taken in class to make sure we're labeling all of our shots correctly in our list, I'll add them here. 

Sound

 Audio is going to play a big role in our opening. We haven't thought about the music just yet, but the main sound effect has been a priority in our minds. We want it to be a sort of eerie clicking or chittering sound. I don't really know how to describe it. We recorded a voice memo of what we thought it would sound like, so if we don't find anything that fits the same vibe, we might just use that voice memo and change the audio to sound better. I found one sound effect that has a similar sound to it and I'll link it here, the only issue with it like a lot of other sound effects is that it is layered with other music and sounds, so I'm not sure how well we could work with it, but we'll see. If anything, we can work with our own idea and manipulate our own sound how we want it to be. 

Other than that, the majority of the scene will have foley sounds, other sound effects or basic dialogue along with music when necessary. We already made a mental note to try and see if we can use the locations we go to to help create our foley sounds. For example when we go to the park, if we find a spot we like and it has leaves or something similar on the ground, we will try and capture those sounds so it is more authentic. 

Mise-En-Scene: Locations

Finding good locations for our film was hard because of timing. We want our film to take place at night and therefore want to film at night. These issues made it hard to find a location that would work with what we needed. 

The Woods

We also want it to take place in a forest, so we tried looking for parks nearby. The first park that came to mind was Markham Park, however it closes at sunset. This became an issue for a lot of the places we looked at. Then we found a place closer to where we are called Regional Park, it doesn't have the same woodsy atmosphere we were looking for, but it had enough trees bordering it to create a good setting.

Markham Park

The Pit

The second location we looked at was a golf course near where we live, the sand pits could be useful to us to create depth and show the disappearance without having to fake the location. We thought the elevation would be good for this particular scene. I created an image to show what this would look like because I couldn't find a picture that showed what I wanted it to look like. 

The other parts of the film don't require a specific location so, we will likely be filming in a dark room that will give us a good opportunity to manipulate the environment to whichever way we need it. 

Characters

 For our film, we wanted to make sure that our characters all had a purpose, so there aren't many. They don't have any speaking parts in the opening because we didn't think it would help the story in any way. We focused more on the characters' as individuals and how they represent different things in our opening and what would later be the film. 

The Detective 

This is the mood board we created for Detective J

In the beginning of our planning we were thinking of giving the role of the main protagonist to Amber, but because we decided she would die eventually, we made our protagonist someone who would be able to conclude the film and bring together every element of the opening. The Detective doesn't have a name, only being referred to as "Detective J" throughout the production. This is a very serious character, extremely devoted to his work and incredibly mysterious. He wears his work clothes all the time to keep the same persona of professionalism throughout. 

Amber

The name Amber came from our idea to have the tile of our film and introduction be an amber alert sound, so we took the name Amber to tie it into that. We wanted Amber to be a symbol of innocence and purity because the victims of these alerts are children. We wanted Amber to be a kind girl, only 15, who is known by the majority of the people in the area. This would mean her disappearance would have a greater impact on the community. 

Benjamin

Benjamin lives near Amber, so felt he needed to help when she went missing. He is new to the area, so doesn't know a lot of people, but Amber was kind to him, so he wanted to assist in the search. He is a lazy and rebellious guy, but has a strong sense of intuition, so he is quicker than others to pick up when something is going on. 

We thought about some characters more deeply than others because of the way we will be portraying them in the film. Their involvement in the opening will show why we developed them in these ways and why it mattered. 

Mise-En-Scene: Props

After developing the initial idea and establishing a detailed plan, we began to determine key elements of the production that we needed to illustrate through props. These would need to be highlighted in the opening to establish the tone and help immerse the audience in the scene. 

Missing Posters

The whole concept of our film is a detective figuring out what is happening to the people that are going missing in a town. The opening is a foreshadowing to what will be explained later in the film, so missing posters are essential in creating context for the audience. It is important to emphasize little details like this to give the audience insights on what will be following the opening. We will be using resources like Canva to create this, printing multiple and wearing them out to make them seem realistic. 

Detective Board

The detective board is the main element of the film opening. It will be introducing the setting to the audience as well as the protagonist. This board will return later in the film, but it will be viewed the most at the start of the film. We want to include the red string, pictures, and names on the board as well as other notes surrounding them to make it look more authentic, for example, may include fake news articles as well. 

Flashlights

During the opening, the scene takes place during a search party for the disappearance of a character. The people in this search party will need flashlights to help give the nighttime search a realistic feel. These will also be used as a light source for the production, illuminating specific things we want the audience to be aware of, like the missing posters. 

Screenplay

 A screenplay is a script for a form of media like a film or tv show. It has different elements like dialogue, setting descriptions, and character actions. It is similar to a storyboard, but in word form. It provides the director of the film with the necessary information to be able to create the film. Because films are long, this is essential to keep everything together and have everyone involved on the same page. 

I don't have any previous knowledge of screenplays, but I was given resources to what a screenplay was supposed to look like and was able to come up with a rough idea. My script isn't perfect, but it gives me a good idea of how I'm going to develop my opening. It's going to be a lot of help in the filming process along with my storyboard. I added a picture of my script below, I tried my best to use the proper formatting, but I think I made some errors. My film also doesn't include a lot of dialogue, so I didn't know if the actions were written out properly with the setting changes. Overall, I tried my best and I understand it, so I hope I did it right. 

Todorov's Theory

Narrative Theory of Equilibrium

Todorov's theory essentially states that every narrative has distinct parts that can be classified as equilibrium, disequilibrium, and new equilibrium. He stated that this approach could apply to any story and called it narratology. These three parts work together to bring the story together and eventually to it's end. These three parts are distinct in the story to help separate the different points of the plot. 

Equilibrium 

The first part of Todorov's theory is equilibrium. This is basically the beginning of the story. The characters are introduced and their "normal" world is portrayed to later be altered by the events of the story. 

Disequilibrium

The "problem" or "incident" would occur during this point, something that is disrupting the character's and their world. Their actions before the climax of the story would also fall under this part of the story because they are acting on realization that something isn't right. This is the point where character development or transformation occurs to reveal the message of the narrative. 

New Equilibrium

The characters return to the state of "normal" they had before or a slightly changed version of that "normal." This would be after the climax when the problem or incident is fixed. 

Film Opening

For our film opening we would like to incorporate some aspects of this theory with the limited amount of time we have. While we will be introducing our audience to the main problem of the narrative, the characters aren't yet aware, however will be introduced. The state that the film opens with will change drastically by what the characters learn and understand about the problem, so their "normal" world will be disrupted following the events of our opening. 

References

                “Todorov – Narrative / Narratology Theory.” Media Studies @ Guilsborough Academy, 11 Nov. 2020, guilsboroughschoolmedia.wordpress.com/2020/11/11/todorov-narrative-narratology-theory/.

                            Media Studies. “Todorov’s Narrative Theory of Equilibrium and                             Disruption.” Media Studies, 1 Oct. 2020, media-studies.com/todorov/.