Monday 14 December 2015

31.2 Photo Shoot Planning

31.2 Photoshoot planning
The photos that I take in this shoot will be used to create the title sequence for 'A Game of shadows'. The
theme for this title sequence will be focused on the setting of the Edinburgh. There will be photos of
Cambridge, where the show will be filmed, and also the main characters to introduce them to the audience.
A photo of a bloodied knife will also be used to imply crime and death. The theme of the title sequence is
crime, this is also the genre.

Relevant Equipment
  1. Camera, extended lens (+ battery and SD card)
Props
  1. None
Costumes
  1. Jacket + T shirt + Jeans
  2. Suit + Trousers
  3. Suit + Trousers
Reece of shoot locations
Studio Shoot




Above is test photo I took on the recce of the studio to try out different settings in the space. I also tested
the lighting that is available in the room, which is 3 soft box lights on extendable boom arms, with flash and
variable brightness settings.



Reece of shoot locations
Christ's Peace








Reece of shoot locations
Hill's Road








Permissions
Model release agreements are attached to my coversheet

Legal and Ethical Issues
There will be photos of a knife, covered in blood, which may distress certain viewers. The show itself will contain scenes of strong language throughout.

Contingency Plans

I have placed our outdoor shoots first, so that if the weather is not as we like we can do the indoor shoots and then the outdoor ones later. All crew and cast will be scheduled to arrive at least half and hour before their call time just in case there are hold ups with travel.

Monday 7 December 2015

16.3 Developed Idea/Bible

TITLE: A GAME OF SHADOWS
ORIGINAL IDEA BY AARON MARCUS & AIDAN EGAN TRANTER
WRITTEN BY: AIDAN EGAN TRANTER
GENRE: CRIME, DRAMA, CONSPIRACY
LOCATION: EDINBURGH
AGE RANGE: 18-25
GENRE: CRIME, DRAMA
PERIOD: MODERN DAY

This show is a dark, mysterious character drama. It will feel like a mixture of Luther, Silent Witness and Sherlock. Each episode will feel very different due to the hiring of multiple directors. The show will primarily be filmed on location in London, Wales and Edinburgh. Additional photography will be shot at Pinewood studios for scenes with specifically built sets. The show's colour grading will feature low saturation and colours such as black, blue and grey. There will be little to no handheld photography, most shots will be filmed using tripods and cranes. This series has the potential to become the most viewed drama on Amazon Prime and the platform's flagship show. Competition for the show would include any other drama series released on an on-demand streaming service at around the same time such as House of Cards on Netflix.

TARGET AUDIENCE: The target audience for the show is both female and male; approximately 25-45 year olds. The target demographic ranges from 25 upwards because they will likely have disposable income. According to the Annual BARB audience report there is a growing market for drama series, especially in the fall. Time shifted viewing has increased, most notably drama, which accounts for 25% of all times shifted viewing. Drama also takes second place of most viewed genre at 16.7% of total audiences, after entertainment at 18.4%, proving there is a market for this kind of media.

EPISODES: 10
CHANNEL: AMAZON PRIME

FORM OUTLINE: This original series will be long form in structure, and it will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime at some point in 2017.
CONTENT/STYLE: The genre of the series is crime/drama. It will be feature a mixture of handheld and still camerawork. The colour pallet will be largely blue with low saturation and temperature.
PRODUCT POTENTIAL: The closest competitors to this show will be series like Sherlock, Luther and Silent Witness.

PLOT SYNOPSIS: Gary Lowbow, an old lieutenant at the end of his reign, gets pulled back for one last homicide with rookie detective Iana Elmo. As one crime leads to another, Lowbow must peel back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind the organisation Crypt.



CAST:
1.) - GARY LOWBOW (PROTAGONIST, MID-50s, DIVORCED, SOON TO RETIRE LIEUTENANT, SKEPTIC, AGNOSTIC, ANALOG, WAR VETERAN, OLD SCHOOL) (Aaron)



2.) - IANA ELMO (YOUNG PLUCKY DC, ARROGANT, UNSTABLE, UNDENIABLE POTENTIAL, RECOVERING ADDICT, OPTIMIST, ATHEIST, DIGITAL) (Alexa)


3.) - BISMARCK LAQUEESHA (HEAD OF CRYPT, ANTAGONIST, CRIME LORD, QUIET, WITHDRAWN, BELIEVES IN A HIGHER POWER, PURE FUNDAMENTALIST, WANTS TO RESTORE BALANCE, ANALOG) (Aidan Chesters)



CONCEPT ART:







EPISODE LAYOUT:

Episode 1 - 'One Last Case': Gary Lowbow finalises his employment paperwork whilst a new constable (Iana Elmo) causes conflict with the Superintendent. Before leaving Lowbow gets assigned one last case case alongside Elmo, but not everything about this crime is what it seems.

Episode 2 - 'Ignorance is Bliss': After taking Elmo under his wing, Lowbow must train her to control her emotions in the field. Following the recent spike of murders, Gary becomes obsessed with a connection between the recent string of homicides, and decides to stay on the force a little longer.

Episode 3 - 'The Shadows': Whilst on her day off D.C. Elmo is abducted by cloaked figures at Churchum castle. At the station Lowbow hears whispers of a criminal organisation based in the heart of Edinburgh. Following Elmo's disappearance Gary heads to the castle.

Episode 4 - 'Chain of Command': Elmo escapes her attackers and tells Lowbow of a underground army that plans to attack the city, and of their leader Bismarck Laqueesha. Lowbow takes the case up the chain of command but faces opposition from the superintendent.

Episode 5 - 'Our Finest Hour': Lowbow rebels with three of his best to investigate Churchum castle. Elmo meets an unknown D.I. and is questioned heavily. Whilst the trio investigates, they are also abducted by the cloaked figures. The new D.I. encourages the superintendent to take extreme action.

Episode 6 - 'Face to Face': Lowbow meets with Laqueesha for the first time, Laqueesha attempts to recruit Lowbow into Crypt. Suddenly an army of police brake into the castle and flush out Laqueesha along with his men. Now believing Gary, the superintendent pledges to find Laqueesha. Lowbow leaves confused as to why Crypt decided to leave.

Episode 7 - 'For Your Consideration': The police force returns to their station only to find it in ruins. Realising the rescue was a distraction, the superintendent sends his forces out to find Laqueesha and his army. Lowbow takes the wounded officers to the hospital and meets with Elmo. She tells Gary of how an unknown D.I. destroyed the station and killed everyone there. Suddenly all the electricity in the hospital dies...

Episode 8 - 'Let Battle Commence'Edinburgh falls into chaos as all forms of communication cease. Gary figures that Laqueesha has utilised an EMP to rob the city of it's electricity. Lowbow and Elmo decide to hunt down Laqueesha and stop him before he completes his mission. Before long Laqueesha begins his attack on the city, his army rises, and his missiles fire.

Episode 9 - 'Locked Antlers': Streets fill with bodies, Laqueesha takes out hundreds of innocent civilians. Lowbow and Elmo discover Laqueesha's data banks in the crypt of Churchum castle. Laqueesha's technological hub provides Lowbow the location of Laqueesha and his weakness hyperacusis. The attacks continue as Elmo and Lowbow make their way through the bloodbath that is downtown Edinburgh.

Episode 10 - 'End of the Line': The end has come, the final showdown. Lowbow confronts Laqueesha in the rubble of their station. Lowbow plays loud feedback through a portable speaker temporarily weakening Laqueesha. Elmo reveals herself to be a double agent, secretly working for Laqueesha and attacks Lowbow. Laqueesha attempts to escape but Lowbow tackles him down and stabs his leg. Elmo attacks Lowbow and he is forced to kill her. Following Laqueesha's arrest, Crypt falls apart.

‘A Game of Shadows’ Key Scene Analysis – Extract Episode 10
Scene 19 – ‘The Finale’

Gary Lowbow and Iana Elmo run into their desolate police station, Laqueesha and his men order them to drop their weapons. Now within range, Lowbow sets his speaker off via voice command. The screeching sound of feedback fills the room, Laqueesha collapses in pain. All of a sudden, Elmo strikes Lowbow in the back of his head. Elmo then deactivates the speaker and reveals her treacherous activities to Lowbow. She reveals that it was her who blew up the police station and warned Laqueesha of Lowbow’s plans. That is how Laqueesha knew to evacuate the castle and set the trap in the station. Lowbow in shock decides to stab Elmo, but Laqueesha attempts to escape. Lowbow reactivates the device and Laqueesha falls. Seeing the tide turn, Laqueesha’s men abandon him and exit the building. Lowbow confronts Laqueesha, and is asked if he’ll be killed, to which Lowbow claims he’ll live out his days behind bars. Following Laqueesha’s arrest, his army scatters in fear. Peace in Edinburgh is restored.











Aaron's Idea

16.3 Developed Idea - The Chain

Original Idea: Aaron Marcus and Aidan Egan Tranter
Written by: Aaron Marcus
Working Title: The Chain
Genre: Crime, Drama
Location: Central London
Target Audience: 20-40 year olds
Running time: 50-55 mins
No. of episodes: 10

The Chain is an original, long form TV drama intended for release on an online streaming platform (Netflix or Amazon Prime TV).

The show is a dark, crime drama. It will look and feel like a mixture of Sherlock (BBC) and The Fall (BBC). Each episode will feel very heavy and dark. It will predominantly be filmed on location around the outskirts of London with some scenes, if needed, in a studio. The show's colours will be quite dark blues, blacks and greys with low saturation. There will be very little handheld shots, most of them on a tripod and only with close-up shots when the audience needs to know a specific detail.

The show has potential to become the most watched drama on Amazon Prime TV or Netflix. Other competitors would include any drama released at the same time online and also the 9/10pm Sunday night drama on the BBC or ITV.

The target audience for this show is both male and female, 25-40 year olds. The target demographic starts at 25 because they will most likely have a reduced disposable income and/or have children. So will not have the chance to go out, leaving them most likely to stay in and watch TV. According the Annual BARB viewing report (2015) there is a growing market for TV drama, especially in the winter. Time shifted viewing has increased, most notably drama, which accounts for 25% of all times shifted viewing. Drama also takes second place of most viewed genre at 16.7% of total audiences, after entertainment at 18.4%, proving there is a market for this kind of media. The BARB report also states how subscribers of online streaming platforms such as Netflix are non-digital natives, which further fits in with out target audience.

Synopsis: Two Scotland Yard based detectives solve a series of crimes which lead to a notorious villain. One
of them becomes so committed that he ignores his family and the bonds between his wife and kids start to
crumble. We also follow an underestimated junior detective as she tries to prove herself to the others. She
often does much of the work but all the credit is taken by people higher up.


Characters:


Steve Marshall - Detective 
Married, mid-40s, 2 kids and a wife. Very up front guy, can easily get grumpy/mad. He becomes so devoted to the case that he starts to become separated from his family, which builds tension between them, which also drives him away. Also in an affair with.




Morgan Freeman - Detective
Married, early 40s, 3 kids and a wife, very close to his family. Much more sensitive guy, often lets his gut guide him through the investigation. Him and the first detective are good friends, they met at the police academy. He understands Steve like nobody else.



Nadyia Young - Junior detective
Single, late 20s/early 30s, works for Steve and Morgan. Has great detective skills but often underestimated by Steve and Morgan. She is trying to prove herself to them, does a lot of the work but Steve and Morgan take most of the credit. In an affair with Steve.




Ronnie Ripper - Crime Villain
Notorious for being ruthless, holds a grudge. Very well kept but also likes to do his own dirty work on occasion. Not much else is known about him. Nobody knows his real identity or age.





Each episode will also include various extra for background including police, detectives, members of the public, victim/victims family and associates of Ronnie Ripper.


Mood board:


Episode Layout:

E.101: Steve and Morgan are assigned to a case, the apparent suicide of a known drug dealer/thug. However
they soon discover it was actually homicide. They find 'marks' left on the body that have been commonly
asscociated with Ronnie Ripper, the victim has their left index finger missing as well as their right first toe.
We learn that Steve and Nadyia are together.

E.102: We learn that the police have an informant who is close to Ronnie, and Ronnie tries to find out who it
is. They continue to investigate the homicide and we learn that Steve also has wife kids - his relationship with
Nadyia is an affair. They find some fingerprints at the scene, but find out the owner of them was actually on
a night out with friends. They talk to an informant which leads them to discover a man has been planting
different fingerprints at the scene of the crime to lead detectives off his trail.

E.103: A woman is murdered in her flat in London. It is the informant. Once again, fingerprints were planted
at the scene and the same marks are found on her body. Morgan finds out about Steve's affair and tries to tell
him to stop. We flash back to the police academy where Steve and Morgan met and Morgan is trying to talk
Steve out of a previous affair.

E.104: Tension rise between Steve and his wife. He is spending so much time on the case/seeing Nadyia that
he is spending less time at home, and not seeing his wife and kids. This causes him to stay at work longer
because he doesn't want to see his wife. They discover a frequently used phone number in the informants
phone, which could be Ronnie Rippers, so they trace/monitors the call.

E.105: Surveillance of the phone number leads them to a laundry in London. A search of the premises reveals
an empty basement with burnt paper work. They manage to extract an address from an envelope. The first
name on the envelope is mostly burnt but "Ro" can clearly be seen above the address. Finger prints that were
found at previous crime scenes are also found here which lead the detectives to think this was Ronnie's old
base/hideout. Steve's wife starts to suspect he may be having an affair so starts to investigate where he's been
for the last few weeks.

E.106: They raid the house of the address found at the laundry but turns out to be completely wrong . The
guess that the address must have been planted in the basement. This puts them off because they then have to
go back a few steps in the process and deal with the media frenzy that are enjoying the fact the police raided
the wrong house. Steve's wife finds out he hasn't been playing poker every Thursday night like he says he has.

E.107: After pouring over the cases for days and not finding any new information, they are just about to give
up. But a man calls in with some information. He owes Ronnie money and his wife has been taken hostage.
They use the phone number Ronnie called the man on to trace him to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts
of the city. Steve's wife asks Marshall where steve goes after work, Marshall tells her he thought Steve went
home to her. She starts to become more suspicious.

E.108: They give Ronnie the money for the man's wife so she is released. They then place surveillance on the
warehouse and anyone who goes in/out. Steve's wife decides to find out where he goes instead of to poker,
so hires a babysitter and follows him when he leaves work. Steve goes into a restaurant where he meets
Nadyia. Steve's wife sees them kissing and realises he is having an affair.

E.109: Together with voice recordings from phone calls and witness descriptions they manage to identify
Ronnie Ripper and known associates. They move in for a raid but Ronnie leaves the warehouse and manages
to shake undercover recon operatives in traffic through the  city. They then track down a known associate
of Ronnie's and bribe the whereabouts of Ronnie's new hideout out of the associate.

E.110: Following intelligence gained they finally track down Ronnie Ripper. They set up a raid but Ronnie sees
them again and takes off in a car at high speed. After a brief car chase across the city, he crashes and they
catch him. Steve's wife decides to leave after finding out about the affair with Nadyia.


Key Scene: E.110 - Scene 19
Location: Harringay Warehouse District
Time of Day:Late Morning/early afternoon
Weather:minimal cloud cover/not bright sun
Sequence of events:
Two police vans and a police cpoopar pull up. Swat teams exit the vans and run to surround the building, Inaudible
radio chatter can be heard over the loading of rifles. Steve and Morgan stay in the car and co-ordinate the
attack via radio. In a moment of calm and silence, they are about to give the go-ahead to storm the building
but a car suddenly rushes out of the back of the building, Steve sees that it is Ronnie driving and starts the
police car, following in pursuit. They start to head into the centre of a small town, swerving in and out of
traffic. Ronnies driving is erratic and he starts to loose control of the car, hitting walls and scraping/bashing
other cars. Other drivers are swerving out the way, beeping their horns. He eventually crashes into a bollard
and cannot get out because the car door is jammed from the crash. Steve and Marshall pull up behind Ronnie
and run to the car, pistols drawn. The swat teams arrive, surround the car, shouting, rifles raised and arrest
Ronnie.

Saturday 5 December 2015

16.1 TV Show Powerpoint + Production Process


House of Cards Presentation from AidanET

Production Proccess
Original idea
Beau Willimon
Development
Episodic structure and script/screenplay – Beau Willimon
Netflix funding
Pre-production
Casting – Julie Schubert, Laray Mayfield and Jo Edna Boldin
Location – Maryland and Harford
Crew
Producer - Iain Paterson
Directors(s) – Multiple directors, usually they directed 3 / 4 episodes each.
Cinematographer(s) – Igor Martinovic
Key Grip(s) – Chris Carpenter
Gaffer(s) – Patrick Lennon
Production
Shot on location at Maryland.
Post Production
Editors - Matthew Lawler
Sound – Lorenzo Millan
VFX – Christopher Doulgeris
Distribution
Released on Netflix.

Online streaming - Netflix

(All roles/names sourced from imdb.com, 19/01/16)


Breaking bad from aaron_marcus

Production Proccess
Original idea
Vince Gilligan
Development
Episodic structure and script/screenplay – Vince Gilligan
AMC funding
Pre-production
Casting – Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas
Location – Originally set in Riverside, California. Moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, by suggestion of Sony, due to favorable financial conditions.
Crew
Producer(s) – Vince Gilligan, Mark Johnson, Michelle Maclaren.
Directors(s) – Multiple directors, usually they directed 3 / 4 episodes each.
Cinematographer(s) – Micheal Slovis (50 episodes)
Key Grip(s) – Aubrey Husar
Gaffer(s) – Steve Leticky
Production
Shot on location at Albuquerque.
Post Production
Editors(s) – Mainly KellyDixon (27 episodes), Skip Macdonald (27 episodes)
Sound – Dave Porter
VFX – Brian Ali Harding
Distribution
Aired on AMC.

Online streaming - Netflix

(All roles/names sourced from imdb.com, 15/01/16)

Tuesday 1 December 2015

16.2 TV Pitches

IDEA 1
TITLE: A GAME OF SHADOWS
STARRING: IAN McSHANE, KRYSTEN RITTER, KEVIN SPACEY
GENRE: CRIME, DRAMA, CONSPIRACY
LOCATION: EDINBURGH
EPISODES: 8
CHANNEL: HBO
CHARACTERS:
- GARY LOWBOW (PROTAGONIST, MID-50s, DIVORCED, SOON TO RETIRE LIEUTENANT, SCEPTIC, AGNOSTIC, ANALOG, WAR VETERAN, OLDSCHOOL)
- IANA ELMO (YOUNG PLUCKY DC, ARROGANT, UNSTABLE, UNDENIABLE POTENTIAL, RECOVERING ADDICT, OPTIMIST, ATHIEST, DIGITAL)
- BISMARCK LAQUEESHA (HEAD OF CRYPT, ANTAGONIST, CRIME LORD, QUIET, WITHDRAWN, BELIEVES IN A HIGHER POWER, PURE FUNDAMENTALIST, WANTS TO RESTORE BALANCE, ANALOG)
PLOT SYNOPSIS: Gary Lowbow, an old lieutenant at the end of his reign, gets pulled back for one last homicide with rookie detective Iana Elmo. As one crime leads to another, Lowbow must peel back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind the organisation Crypt.



IDEA 2
TITLE: LANDRISE
STARRING: DANIEL CRAIG, RALPH FIENES, NAOMIE HARRIS
GENRE: CRIME, SPY, ACTION
LOCATION: LONDON
EPISODES: 3
CHANNEL: BBC
CHARACTERS:
- JAMIE POND
- GARY MALTIBORN
- EVELYN CURRENCYPOUND
PLOT SYNOPSIS: When Jamie Pond's latest mission goes terribly wrong, it leads to a calamitous turn of events. With the homeland compromised, Maltiborn turns to the one man he can trust: Pond. Aided only by his gadgets, Pond takes to the shadows and follows a trail to Evelyn, a crime lord from Maltiborn's past who wants to settle an old score.



IDEA 3
TITLE: NUMBERED
STARRING: MORGAN FREEMAN, BRAD PITT, GWYNETH PALTROW
GENRE: CRIME, THRILLER, COMEDY
LOCATION: LOS ANGELES
EPISODES: 7
CHANNEL: CBS
CHARACTERS:
- WINTERISE
- DAVIN NILLZ
- TAMMY NILLZ
PLOT SYNOPSIS: When grumpy old inspector Winterise is called to inspect a awful event, he must team up with policeman Davin Nillz to discover the eight deadly truths behind the massacre. Along the way Davin's wife Tammy joins the duo with her own agenda.