Unit 22: Single Camera TechniquesPre-Production Booklet for 5-minute Drama

Name: Zachary Mitchell

Order of contents

□ Narrative Structure

□ Mood Board

□ Locations

□ Props List

□ Sound Table

□ Lighting

□ Recording and Editing Equipment

□ Call Sheet

□ Production Schedule

□ Risk Assessment

□ Contingency Plan

□ Health and Safety Considerations

Narrative Structures

What is narrative?

A narrative, or a story, is a sequence of events in the form of spoken word, moving image or a written account.

What is a linear narrative?

Linear storylines run in the film world’s order of events. This means the narrative is always moving forward and developing.

Includes a beginning, middle and end. This can be good because it’s easy for the audience to follow what’s happening, but after a while there’s a risk the production can become predictable because of the way it’s structured.

Examples include most films and soaps – Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, How To Train Your Dragon and so on.

What is a non-linear narrative?

Non-linear narratives are completely out of order. The film does not have a chronological beginning, middle and end, but rather jumps between these three sections of the film. This is most famously done by Quentin Tarantino in almost all of his films – Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown are all done out of order in chapters, but the individual storylines all tie together at the end in an incredible complex manner.

Non-linear storylines can, if done poorly, be very confusing for the viewer to watch, because we live our own lives in a linear manner so watching things out of order is unnatural to us and very abstract.

Inception is another great example of a non-linear narrative. An example of a non-linear narrative which I don’t think works very well is 500 Days of Summer. The film flits about between the different parts of the relationship between Tom and Summer and isn’t done clearly enough for the audience to follow along when it suddenly jumps out of time, so when it does happen we very quickly get lost and confused.

What narrative structure does your final video have?

My final video’s structure is non-linear.

Mood Board

Sound TableProduction Name:Producer:

Item Scene Description Actor/location Diegetic/non diegetic

Crunching Glass 1 Single footstep crunch on glass Paramedic #1 & #2 walk toward the crash scene

Diegetic

Heavy bag 1 Paramedic #1 drops heavy bag and rummages for items

Paramedic 1, crash scene Diegetic

Ambulance engine 1 Engine in neutral as the Paramedics work

Paramedic #1 & #2 Diegetic

Boots 1 Heavy footsteps Paramedic #1 & #2 Diegetic

Bandage wrapper 1 Bandage wrapper ripped open Paramedic #1 in the background as Paramedic #2

talks to Frankie

Diegetic

Ambulance Siren 1 Siren from inside the ambulance, and one from afar

Paramedic #1 & #2 Diegetic

Keys 1 Jangling Paramedic #2 Diegetic

Fabric 1 Ripping cloth Paramedic #1 in the background as Paramedic #2

talks to Frankie

Diegetic

Trolley/Gurney/Cot 1 Metal clanging as it’s unfolded and wheeled along

Paramedic #1 & #2 Diegetic

Oxygen mask 2, 4 Breathing through mask, steady & panicked mixture.

Sam’s SFX breathing Diegetic

Heart Rate monitor 2, 4 Quiet, steady beeping Sam, Hospital Diegetic

Car radio 3 Quietly playing random music Sam singing along during flashback scene

Diegetic

Foliage 3 As unknown car crashed into the ditch

Unknown character(s) in unknown car

Diegetic

Brick wall 3 Car crashes into the brick wall Sam, crash scene Diegetic

Office door 2 Nurse closes the door before walking toward Sam

Nurse, Sam’s hospital room Diegetic

Item Script page

Description Character/location Notes

Hospital cot 1, 2 Used by Paramedics.

Paramedics

Bandages/wrappers 1, 2 Used by Paramedics.

Paramedics

Heavy bags 1, 2 Used by Paramedics.

Paramedics

Oxygen mask 3, 4, 5 Worn by Sam. Sam

Drip tubes 3, 4, 5 Feeding into Sam.

Sam

Clipboard 3, 4, 5 Writing Sam’s answers.

Nurse

Pen 3, 4, 5 Writing Sam’s answers.

Nurse

Props List

LightingWhat is low-key lighting?

Low-key lighting is a style of lighting which uses mainly dark tones to create a very dramatic looking shot. The idea is that you use the lighting selectively so that only certain parts of the image are illuminated. While filmmakers and photographers normally try to avoid harsh shadows on a subject’s face, with low-key lighting that’s exactly what’s trying to be achieved.

What genres may use this?

Horror, Crime, Drama, Action, Thriller

What is high-key lighting?

High key is a style of lighting where as much light as possible is used to eliminate as much shadow as possible in a shot. The brightness of the image produced normally conveys a happy atmosphere as the shot is filled with light.

What genres may use this?

Romance, Sci-fi, Adventure

What is ambient lighting?

Ambient light is the light that is already existing in a scene before any additional lighting rigs have been set up. It includes natural light like the sun shining through windows and doors, as well as simple room lighting that is already present – ceiling lights and lamps and so on.

Recording and Editing Equipment

What equipment are you using to film?

Canon 5D

Rode NTG-3 Shotgun Condenser Mic

Kessler Crane Jib

Tiffen Steadicam Zephyr Hi-Def System

Diji Phantom 2 (Helicopter camera mount)

What software are you using to edit on?

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe After Effects

Location recce

Yorkshire Dales

Perfect landscape – hilly, cloudy, winding roads are excellent.

Sunlight

Yes

Y

Y

Y

Call SheetVIIBE PRODUCTIONS @ The Henley College

Production: When I’m With You

Client Information: Vibe Productions

Location:Shot in the Dales of North Yorkshire

Cast and Crew:Liam Neeson

Ben CooperJames Fawcett

Grace WillisGrace EnglandHarry CowleyAndy Raynes

Zachary Mitchell

Role:Actor - SAM

Actor - FRANKIEActor – PARAMEDIC #1Actor – PARAMEDIC #2

Actor - NURSECameraman

EditorDirector/Producer

Phone Number:07855 95862207455 96238807784 12364907786 33594407232 48897707114 91688607448 96651207513 466554

Production Requirements:Needs to be around five minutes in length.

Brief:To create a film with the most incredibly emotive frame composition ever seen. The audience need to be on the edge of their seat. 5 minute production.

Other Information:

Production ScheduleDay/week Monday 4th Tuesday 5th Wednesday 6th Thursday 7th Friday 8th Weekend 9th &

10th

August 4th- 10th

Crew arrival at Yorkshire Dales. Set up all equipment and prepare set.

Cast arrive.

Be ready for actors’ dress rehearsal in the evening of August 4th.

Final walkthroughs and experimental filming.

Film flashback scene – Sam driving along.

Film ambulance scene.

Dismantle set and remove all crash debris and equipment from area

Film hospital scene, before and after the flashback.

Potential re-filming day. NEED TO KNOW BY AUGUST 6th LATEST.

Otherwise begin edit.

Final edit created and exported.

Soundtrack and SFX sourcing ongoing in preparation for weekend edit.Assess all footage at the end of each day and decide if it needs to be re-done.

Risk assessment of venue

Complete risk assessment for the shooting locations

ACTIVITY HAZARD RISKH/M/L

PRECAUTIONS IN PLACE REVIEW DATE

REVIEWER

Transport

Walking around set

Electronics

Hills make travel tough. Could be injured on the journey

Uneven surface, could injure ankles or legs, or fall

Lots of lighting and other electrical wires, could trip or electrocute

M

M

H

Transport will be a convoy of the Land Rover Discovery series – sturdy and 4 wheel drive.

Wooden paths laid around the area for walking on

Wires routed under wooden paths – see above

YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES

ZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZM

Please leave this section blank:Risk Assessment checked by: Name ………………………………………………….. Signed …………………………………………………. Date ……………………

KEY:Activity :Describe the component part of your pursuit.Hazard : List the things you anticipate might cause harm or the things associated with your activity that have the potential to cause harm. Consider the likely harm. Risk: Assess the risk as either H (High), M (Medium) or L (Low). When concluding your assessment consider all of the circumstances. Precautions: Consider what you could do to minimise / negate the risk. In Place: Will the precautionary measures be in place at the time of the activity? Review Date: When would it be reasonable to review your assessment? Remember it might be whilst you are undertaking the activity. Reviewer: Name of the person responsible for completing the risk assessment.

A copy of this form should be taken on the activity or visit by the Reviewer.

RISK ASSESSMENT

Contingency Plan What happens if my actors don’t show up?As with most of my projects, I have enlisted the help of several willing voluntary actors from the Performing Arts department at The Henley College to act in my film. The students have (through no fault of their own) ben unable to attend some of my recording timeslots in the past at short notice - to avoid a repeat of this scenario I have requested that the students write down the dates of my production schedule and check with their teachers whether there will be anything important for them happening on those days. Using that information I have been able to plan my production schedule around what my actors are doing; and I have plenty of willing actors from the department so if some are unavailable, they can easily be replaced.

What happens if it rains?It rains. Weather isn’t a problem for me in this production – I have weatherproof gear and a lot of patience. The rain could even be welcome to some of the shots in the production – for example it might be a nice ambience if it were raining outside Sam’s window in the hospital ward. If for some reason an apocalyptically severe weather change does occur, like a hurricane, earthquake, volcanic eruption or a blizzard, hopefully everyone will be too occupied with not dying to be concerned about the continuation of the project.

What happens if my camera breaks?If my camera breaks, I have an exact duplicate. I also have multiple high-quality memory SD cards that I can use if one becomes full on-location or damaged.

What happens if I lose all my data?As someone who has experienced this heinous ordeal on more than one occasion, I am now just about the most paranoid student on the entire planet. I already have several backups of my work, and when I begin filming I will carry a laptop with me so that I can frequently dump/duplicate memory card footage and potentially upload it to a cloud server as well to further reduce risk of losing data or footage.

Health and Safety Considerations Wires should be covered Floor surface should be made safe using wooden walkways (wires can be run underneath) Treat electrical equipment with respect. Consider risk of overheating and electric shocks Clear/block roadways and inform police when doing car crash scene