Script

Click this link to see my first draft of my script

Due to using scipt buddy, i was finding it hard to post my scipt on my blog as i could not download it. But I managed to post it finally, by print screening it than converting it to a pdf file, uploading it to google docsm, and than uplaoding it to my blog. I hope the format is okay.

Preparing for Editing

For the final product I need to prudce about 5 blogs that look like internet news blogs, with a story about Micro Force. these blogs need to lo0ok realistic, as they are going to be used to show the amount of media coverage Micro Force is getting. I will make the blogs on blogger, with my current acount on the site.

Blog one is called Tredning News. This blog is a story about Micro force. http://trendingnews-bse.blogspot.com/

Bloge two is Comicon News. this blog is focusing on the fan side of things, shwoing the interets by comic book fans in the story. http://comiconnews.blogspot.com/

Change In filming Dates

Due to my main actor falling ill over the last week I have pushed back the filming dates to allow for him to recover. The first filming date will now be on the 31st of october. The last two filming dates will be on the 5ht and 6th of November.

title

I am having a lot of trouble thinking of a title for my film. At the moment I am finding it harsd to think of one that fits the dodumentary theme. The following link was also helpful, it is a short article I found on naming your documenrary. Althouhg some aspects are not rele ant to me this website was helpful.
http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/how-to-choose-documentary-title.html

I have been thinking about having a documentary company title and than a sub heading. Such as channnel 4 documentary company Dispatches do in their documentarys. Some ideas I had for the company name were:

• Inside
• Exclusive
• Insight
• Close Up
• Big picture
• TrendDocs (I like this idea because it links to the internet side of things, because of the craze of trending topics)

Schedule Sheet and Risk Assessment

Attached is my scheduling sheet and my risk assessment. For the two second filming dates these are not set in stone. My actor will be available the whole of that week, so although I aim to finish filming on these days I have reserved a period after those days incase I do not finish.

Interesting article and TV programme

An article on the BBC news website has told the public about a pepper spray attacking america. The attack was done by a man called Benjamin Foder who goes by the name of Phoenix Jones. The man is a real life super hero who although going to court to be charge has voweled that he will carry on fighting crime. This article links to a program that I found the other day named 'Superheroes in suburbia'. It is a documentary tat follows different 'super heros' who fight crime in their towns. Although being normal people, they all take there job very seriously. These two pieces of media are both about people who are not actually super heros, which is different too mine. But the documentary pacifically, links to the tone that o want to have. the comedy used is very effective, they have dry comedy, not obvious slapstick. Both these pieces of media also helped with my character development I found that way all the characters took them self very seriously, So this is something I want to try with my character.

Link to article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15301830

Choosing Actors

Micro Force

For my main character I needed a 3 year old white male. I wanted a child that was 'cute' but could also give the impression of being moody, to give a comic element to my character. The actor would also need to be close to where I am shooting or easily available. This could of been difficult as when shooting with children i would need their parent their, which my be difficult to arrange round there schedule as well as mine.

The actor I choose because of this problem is my little brother, Malachi O' Neill Gallagher. When developing my idea I had him in mind, as I feel he fits the look of the role well. Because he is my brother, this means I can have responsibility of him, and therefore i will not need a parent to be there. Him being  a relative is also helpful because this means I know him well. And therefore know what he can do, and will be able to improvise sections with him. Being a child, it will not be as straight forward as to give him a script, as he will not be able to read or learn his lines.  But by prompting him, and in some ways turning the super hero element into  game for him, I should end up with funny, and authentic footage. 

photo of mally

Voice Over

For my voice over, which is a large portion of my film, I wanted a female, with a classic documentary style voice. Their voice needed to be clear and well pronounced, but I was also looking for a certain style. I wanted a classic voice, a sort of 'BBC style' voice. As I feel this serious voice could add comedy to my film. The voice I choose is that of Hayley Murrow. Hayley is a student at my school. Hayley is currently studying Theatre studies at A level, so she has a lot of experience in acting. She is able to put on a range of voices well, and after doing a sound test of her reading my opening section, i think she suits the role very well.

Sally (Head of the Micro force fan club)

Sally is the head of Micro Forces fan club. She needs to be a geeky girl, who is very enthusiastic about the club. She also needs to be someone who takes her role very seriously. Although using Hayley Murrow my voice over role. i also decided to use her for this. Although I was at first worried that this may not work as the voices will be to similar. I feel that her voice for Sally's character is different enough so the audience will not notice.  She is a very good actress. particularly at comedy roles. And when reading over Sally's lines she caught the tone perfectly. She was also very good at following direction when I asked her to do different things.

photo of hayley

As well as these roles there is a small role of being the interviewer. The interviewer is not seen but his voice is heard off set. In true documentary form, I will be taking this role, as I will say my lines whilst filming (I will be off set asking the questions). The other small roles are the rest of the fan club. They are only in one shot, and have one unison line. For this I am casting several people from the a level theater class at my school. I will ask them to dress in a  slightly nerdy way, to fit the role. These people will not have to come to location. This is because They are in an establishment shot from outside the fan club building. the rest of Sally will be inside, but these buildings do not actually need to be the same. 

Art Fun- Micro Forces logo

Below are the three designs of logos for my fictional super hero. The logo is important as this is the image that stays in the audiences head when watching a super hero film. Click on the images to enlarge.

Currently Story boreding

I unfortunatly decided to re start my story bored. As 1/4 of the way through i decided that i was not going in the direction i wanted it too. As I have now restarted story boreding I am feeling a lot better about my idea. I am finding story boreding hard due to the long duration shots and my lack of drawing ability. The long shots I have whilst the voice over is being read make the anamatic look very boring and static, but i will have too look past this and use the aamatic too my advantage as much as I can. I have bee researching my genre more closely lately. One popular prgramme I found that linked to my genre was Misfts. And E4 super hero, comedy, drama that is very popular weith veiwers. Although a TV series. The E4 website has recently released a 10 minute short film to promote the new series via their website. This short film was useful to me as the purpose of the short film was intorducing the charcters new power to the audiece. As I am intrducing a brand new super hero to my auidoience in such a short space of time this was very helpful. The comedy aspect of the show ios also similar. Rather dry and british humour, rather than a more american style of comedy. 

Update

I have almost finished the script writing process. I am using an online script writing programme named scriptbuddyd.com. This programme allows me to create an easily excessable script with the correct layout and format. As well as being able to add directions and transitions.

I have also started the story boreding process. This process at first was quite difficult as the style I am doing does not allow for as much planning, as I need to see what kind of footage I get whilst interviewing my character. Also because of the age of my actor, a lot of improvisation will be used, as he ill not be able to follow insrtuctions as well as a more mature student would.

Whilst story boreding I decdied to use a lot of establishment shots. In documentarys a lot of shots of the town the documentary is in are used between sections. or just ambient shots of streets or fields. These shots are useful as they create a fluid editing process. I have decided on two very high angle shots of bury st edmunds ( the town my super hero lives). I have found two appropriate high up location that i could take these from. As well as shots of streets, and just general hustle and bustle. Also because I am using the fact that it is a small town to dramatise how famous he is. I will do shots of rural settings that surround the town.

example of some documentary tecniques

One more thing I have started thinking about is costume. Do to my character being a super hero. I want to have very bold costume with Micro Forces Logo on his outfit. I have bought different small colour samples and am working with a friend who studies art to develop an idea and than with the help of a textiles student will be making my costume.

Audience Research

I have carried out audience research to try and help me aid my ideas and explore my idea more fully. I wrote a questionaire focusing on the theme of super heros and the genre. I sent the questionaire to 10 members oa comic book and super her ofan forums that i found whilst researching on the internet. The questions invovle some that will help me make full decisions and some that allow the interveiwees to give me their vewis on my idea.

The first question focuses on the super hero powers that the charcter would have. As well as choosing things that would be entertaaining, I also chose powers that I felt would be excesibly displayed using the avaiulabvle tecniques that I have on final cut express (the eiditng programme I will be using).
The awnsers to this question were quite evenly spread. With no selcetion having a significantly larger popularity. After this reuslt, I decided that I could than use various different powers- therfore alowing me to display more skills when producing my short film.

The second question focused on the name of my super hero. I felt asking thsi was important, as involving the audience here will create more of a brand. Which is important in this genre, and a catchy name for a character is veyr important. The vote was completly unanimouse, and everyone selected the Micro Force option.

The next three questions, 3, 4 and 5, were all questions that were specific. Helping me to fine tune certain details. And also to make sure that my idea would be popular, otherwise I would have to re think a lot. To questiuon 3, I gained a mixture of awnsers.  But some expalined there awsners more fully in the last questions. People made comments that although the 'exclusive' content of the documentary would be maximised my showing the identity. In a super hero film, keeping the secret identity is always of the most importance, therefore I should do this, to keep straiught to the trends of this genre. Questiuon 4 was asked, as I did not want comic book fans to feel that my idea was making fun of them in any way. As I my self am a comic book fan, I actually want my audience to be comic book fans. Luckily the awnsers were all yes's on this question.  In awnser to question 5 I had mostly unanimous responses. With the 1 person saying no, not giving a reason to their awnser.

To questuion 6 I recieved lots of very helpful ideas:

1. Involving a side kick section
2. Involving a Fan club section
3. Involving a interveiw with the childs parent/s
4. A side story on how he gained his powers

I found all these ideas very helpful, and although I have not finishes the planning of the stroy compeltly. I will defintly use one if not more i these ideas in my short film.