MEST 4 Linked Production: Research and Planning

1) Confirm your production brief. You write this yourself but it's absolutely crucial this is clear, appropriate and achievable. You should have done this already - the original blogpost was here - but it may have changed as a result of your preliminary exercise. 

Your Critical Investigation topic: 
To what extent do films like 'The Hunger Games' series prove that gender stereotypes are being increasingly subverted in the film industry?


Your Linked Production brief: 
Opening of a thriller/psychological thriller.


Length/size of production (e.g. 3 minutes, 5 pages etc.): 
3 minutes

Give an example of an existing media text this is similar to what you plan to produce: 
The Forest (2016)
Kill Bill (2003)
The Hunger Games (2012-15)

Give an example of an institution that would produce or distribute your planned production:
Netflix original films
Film4 productions

How would your production reach its audience?
Via cinema, then via Netflix, perhaps by DVD.

Who do you plan to work with on this project?
I plan to work by myself with technical/acting help from friends/parents. 

2) Research: detailed notes on at least THREE texts similar to what you are creating. What are the key conventions? What can you learn/borrow from the examples you have looked at?

The Forest (2016)

This film's narrative follows Sara Price (Natalie Dormer) as she ventures into the Aokigahara Forest in Japan, known locally as the Suicide Forest where people are known to go with the intention of killing themselves. Sara decides to go there after she receives a call from the Japanese government telling her that her twin sister Jess was seen going into the forest. She is warned not to stay there at night because "people see bad things" but she chooses to ignore their warnings and things begin to unfold that have a terrifying psychological effect on her. One of the key conventions of this film that I think I could incorporate into my own production are the element of uncertainty that is prevalent throughout the film and I want that to be the case in my own film. I want to keep the audience guessing, filling my three minutes with enough enigma codes to retain their attention. 

3) Project schedule: when will you shoot and edit this production? Make this a week-by-week schedule leading up to Easter. Key dates: we break up for Easter on Friday 31 March and the final deadline is Wednesday 18 April.

I plan to film in the week beginning 25th March and edit during the first week of the Easter holidays.

4) Script - see the BBC Writers' Room for advice/script formatting. If you're making a music video, you'll want to write a treatment instead. This is an example treatment that I provide for GCSE Media students studying this topic. For print productions, this means writing all the text for the cover, contents and feature articles. Write this in Microsoft Word so you can proofread and spellcheck the work before moving it into Photoshop.

5) Sketching and drafting - for video-based productions this means astoryboard - sheets available in DF07 or you can print out your own AQA storyboard sheet. For print productions, this means detailed sketches of all your pages.

6) Shot list - use Microsoft Word or a template like this to help you. Remember, you need a shot list whether you are filming or carrying out a print photoshoot - professional quality original images are essential if you want to reach the top level.

7) Mise-en-scene: casting/model details, costume and make-up, props, lighting, location scouting for video productions etc. Use photographs to document and plan your mise-en-scene - using your phone is acceptable for this.
Cast:
Carys - Sophie Robertson
Ethan - TBC

Costume:
Carys - Black, smart, appropriate for a funeral, dark clothes for murder scene
Ethan - Casual/dark

Make-up:
Carys - Strong, dark colours, emphasises her dark personality
Ethan - Fake blood for injuries

Props:
- Make-up (dark), perfume (Ghost-Deep Night), knife, funeral order of service, bath, jewellery

Location: 
- Bedroom (getting ready scenes)
- Forest (attack scenes)