This is based on a event that happened in my family, a friend of my older sister had a family of Jehovah's Witnesses. Because of her upbringing my sister's friend just could't take the rules and regulations of her religion any longer and left her old behind and now to this day she is living a happy and authentic life of her choosing and even has a child of her own.
The Story:
The director's statement always comes first when it comes to the preproduction process. It is the job for the director to visualise the story, the look, the feel, the sound and music for the whole film.
Visual Style:
Destination, Despicable Delinquents with a dark comedy with a dark background to the main character so it is based around the dark side of religion and how someone can live an authentic life by means of turning to the dark side of life. So most of my visuals will be dark but yet colourful.
(Corpse Bride 2005) Director - Tim Burton
I said I wanted to take the Tim Burton approach as my visionary inspirations. I wanted a dull and dark side tone when it came to Henry the Jehovah's Witness. I wanted the visuals to be dull and lifeless representing Henry's life, an endless, same routine, constantly screwing up and trying to please his parents and the rest of his Witnesses that he can do their job as well as they can. It will be cold colours and paleness for the outside shots and the flashbacks involving my main character Henry.
Batman (1992) Director - Tim Burton
For the delinquents I wanted there style of life to be loud, messy, and colourful. Like their student residence I also wounded their home to be tall but yet tightly spaced so there is plenty enough reason to make the place a mess. I imagine wild and worm colours to portray my characters living the life that Henry could only up to this point in his life imagine of having.
(Scott Pilgrim vs The World 2010) Director - Edgar Wright)
Cinematography:
In terms of Cinematography the shots that will be use are MS, CU, WS, LS within a Tim Burton style by means of dark yet colourful. The scenery is dark yet the colourful characters stand out and keep the audience focused on them.
- Mid Shots, two shots and close ups are mainly for conversations. Mids shots when the characters are interacting with each other like two shots with both characters both in frame.
- Close ups for when a change or something exciting or dramatic is happening to one of the characters. This will also be a cleaver way to lead into a cleaver transition into another scene.
- Wide shots will help establish the scenes and locations.
- Long shots will be used to help with panning shots when my characters are walking on locations. This all also be cleverly used to help engage the transitions and help in editing when it comes to sticking between scenes, especially when it comes to filming in the house location.
Lighting:
- Town
For the street scene with Henry walking into the empty streets of an old bricked pavemented Rochester. I wanted the house lights as well as the lamp post to so and represent the light of the lord watching Henry as he goes about with his job. The lighting will be low and limited to give my main character a sense of mysteriousness.
As for the delinquents house, it is a student residence and live in a tall yet little spaced house where it is easy to make a mess. As for their rooms each of the characters will have their own rooms:
Kevin's Room will have a band related theme
- posters
- guitars
- maybe a computer desk so he can do his university work
As for light I can imagine his room just by the ceiling light.
Agnus's room is also their basement. I wanted to have have being berried sense for Agnus because of her personality. So the lighting will be dark with a single bulb to show both characters in an awkward and isolated scene. Like a police interrogation room.
Editing:
For comedy, often a fast pace in editing is in order. Timing is everything in comedy and so must the editing. Silly and physical comedy is quick, not just by the actors but how it is also cut together.
Example 1 - Acting
The Young Ones
BBCWorldwide. (2007). It's my room! - The Young Ones - BBC. [Online Video]. 29 June 2010. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ocngVQ4XaE. [Accessed: 30 November 2016].
I need my delinquents to be fast, and can think on their feet when it comes to confrontation and interactions with each other.
Example 2 - Editing
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Nerdwriter1. (2009). Scott Pilgrim: Make Your Transitions Count. [Online Video]. 12 October 2016. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pij5lihbC6k. [Accessed: 30 November 2016].
With editing I imagine it to flow like Scott Pilgrim vs The World where each scene would trasission quickly to another scene. With a director such as Edgar Wright, I see my film to have that certain flow to especially when it comes to the scenes in the house. One location can drag out a film but I believe it just needs some cleaver editing to make it work and to keep my audience engaged. What I got out of Scott Pilgrim is the wiping effect when transitions are being used. Also when the transition is commencing a sound effect can be heard to symbolise where the characters are going. For example is the characters where on the street and going into a supermarket, a *beep* sound effect from the price checker that a cashier uses could be used to execute a cleaver trasisson.
How will it work?
- Keeping an actor either left or the far right side of the shot and pan in the opposite direction and keep it moving. In this scene of Scott Pilgrim the a character on the right in leaning down to get her bags leaving the main character Scott still on the left.
- Using a prop or person in front of the camera to queue the transition. For this instant, it's a person walking in front of the camera .
- With the right speed and motion of object, either I might have to use a green screen for the object or person, I can use the chroma key effect to switch between shots when the person or object is in full frame and no background or signs of the other scene can be viewed.
The thing about Edgar Wright is that he put more into comedies by means of visuals and editing. He is cleaver, using different ways to quickly get to point A to point B of a scene by means of creativity and using sound effects as well as his actors to making it funny all at the same time.
But thats just transitions what about a scene all together.
Scene editing -
This example comes from one of the Cornetto trilogy, the movie The Worlds End also directed by Edgar Wright. The scenes and how it is paced is quick and to the point. The scene where the main characters are just getting a beer together until one of them says he just wants water.
- Main character gets annoyed.
- Bar tender starts poring the beer.
- Beer goes into glasses with music tone starting from a low note to a high note to indicate that the glass is getting more and more full.
- Music then stops and cuts to the bar tender just poring out water to symbolise the boring character.
- Boring character drinks water.
- Camera then focuses up on main character completing the scene trasisson and story in a fast and funny way.
I would consider using these Edgar Wright methods of creativity, comedy and fast pace when it comes to my editing as I need the jokes and silliness to be on point and hit just right.
Key things to keep in mind:
- Things entering scenes in funny ways.
- People leaving the frame in funny ways.
- There and Back Again.
- Matching scene Transitions.
- Perfectly timed sound effects.
- Actions synchro nosed to the music.
- Super Dramatic lighting cues.
Music and Songs:
Band - Spyder Byte
Song - Love Bomb Ticking
Nearer to the end of the film when Henry is fully converted I wanted a happy outrageous song that represented Henry's character finally letting go of what he grew up with and what he even knew and throwing it all away and trying something new with the delinquents.
The band Spyder Byte, the hard rock band from Medway made a fast happy and fun song about sex but within the sense of the love being a bomb and about to explode with emotions that can often leave you going crazy. That was the type of song I wanted for my film. Like the Young One where they would have musical guests, some of which were Heavy Metal and rock groups, such as Moorhead. Except you won't see them but their music will guide a comedic montage of Henry giving up on being a Jehovah's Witness and just letting go and having fun and recovering new experiences that he never thought he would every doing.
Example -
Spyder Byte (Hans All on Gertel)
Kellie Wyatt. (2009). Spyder Byte - Hans all on Gretel (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO). [Online Video]. 6 June 2013. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pij5lihbC6k. [Accessed: 30 November 2016].
- Fast
- Loud
- Funny
- Heavy
- Happy
Inspirations:
- Tim Burton
- Wes Anderson
- Edgar Wright
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