Pre-Production: Treatment

Yesterday we finished the treatment for "Transient", and were able to hand it in today. 

Since we met up a week ago and decided on a better narrative structure, script writing has been a lot easier. I have now finished four to five scenes, and believe that we can soon start storyboarding once Sach and I have put our work together and we have met with the group to edit everything. There are still no audition location, unfortunately, since the respective people have not yet gotten back to us.

Pre-Production: Scripting and Treatment

Today we met up as a group to discuss our responsibilities for the Treatment and create a better frame for the script. After yesterday's location scouting we realized that with Sach and me trying to write collaboratively, a few problems could arise that we have not properly controlled.

We had very little knowledge of the outline of scenes, meaning that once me and Sach put our scenes together, we would probably have found that they do not match up at all.

So when we met up today we decided on a frame for the scenes we were going to write. We now have a considerably more detailed timeline, including links to locations and times of days and a vague summary of what happens within the scenes. Now we can go off and write the script, that can later be edited by the whole group.

We have also decided a little more about how we intend to film the shortfilm, and in what order we will present the descending into fights and arguments for the couple.

We also decided on our roles for the treatment. I will be writing about the characters, Cian is writing about locations, we decided together on a logline and are set to start working on this. We hope to finish at least a first draft of the treatment over the weekend.

Sach handed in a filled out form to the TV Society so that hopefully we will soon have a location to Audition in, and we asked the receptionists at Jennison for an audition location in case we need a backup.

Pre-Production: Location Scouting

Yesterday Alistair, Sach and I went Location scouting around the University grounds. 
We rented out a camera and shot some pictures around the lakes and green areas, because we feel that the majority of the shortfilm should take place outdoors.

The natural lighting will underline the progression of the day and will make the passing of time obvious, therefore implying the transience of the daylight, the ongoing of time, and the approaching ending. 

The natural setting should also make the light and the environment more peaceful and tranquil, as well as secluded, so that the focus of the story remains on the two characters.

Either by this lake, or the lake by DolceVitta, the characters can feed Ducks together.

The characters may have a race down these two roads.

in the breakup scene, they may stand by a tree such as this, the place where they first kissed.


Still missing is the exact room we will be using to shoot the first and last scenes. At the moment it looks like we might use my own room here on Campus. 

Pre-Production: Planning and Development/ Scripting

We were long due to meet up as a group and decide on some important questions yet to be answered for the progress of our script.
Points of order were:

• Auditions
• Script
• Treatment
• Exact storyline
• Character development

We used the two hours we had been given to discuss what issue would be the cause of conflict in the relationship of our two characters. We had decided on an important progression throughout the story - the focus is no longer on getting them to fully appreciate each other, but in fact to admit defeat and voluntarily end their relationship.

The theme of Transience remains important throughout the entire story, the lesson shall be only that sometimes the end of things should be appreciated and welcomed, or even set to an end voluntarily.

Our female main character will decide to continue on her own, rather than be torn away from her partner by death. It is a positive, independent and selfdriven ending to a lovestory that has never worked in the first place.

We hope that this ending puts mutual breakups into a better light and underlines that a happy ending does not always need to be a romantic get together. We shy away from the typical romantic happy endings and decided instead to make our happy ending all about independence and letting go. 

Still, we needed to discuss how the story would get there. To assist us with that, we got up  a character sheet from deviant art and skipped through it to answer a few more questions about our characters. By now we have a fairly good idea of what they are like, and named them.

The male lead will be called Adrian, and the female lead is called Caitlin, shortened by him to Cat.

Here are a few things about the characters that we have decided on.

Adrian:

• Is a confident, independent person. He does not require the approval of others.
• He is practical and decisive, get things done when they need doing, and often cuts down to the necessities.
• he is blunt, making him appear rude sometimes.
• He is emotionally a little reserved, and although he cares for the people he loves, he can appear as cold or lacking of affection.
• In arguments, he is patient for a long time and does not get easily angered. There is a breaking point however at which he will no longer calmly stand by.
• He does not know how to deal well with other peoples emotions, especially grief and tears.
• He is not religious.

Cait

• She likes to please people. Her priorities are other people and herself, and she looks a lot for emotional happiness in herself and others.
• She is insecure and requires a lot of affection to reassure her.
• she is not very decisive, but does not necessarily mind wandering aimlessly sometimes.
• she is more emotionally tuned than her parnter.
• she is honest and can be blunt, but tries harder to be sensitive about the subject.
• she is easily angered and gets into arguments quickly. When she perceives something as an insult, she is quick to jump onto that topic and point it out.
• She is a worrier.

Sach has mailed the film society and is looking to arrange a location for auditions with them. Once we have a location, we plan to hold auditions in maybe three weeks time, by which time the script and maybe storyboard should be mainly done.

Sach and I will collaboratively write the script. For now we decided to each prepare a few scenes for the different times in the film, and compare and patch them together later.

The storyline so far is still fairly vague and needs to be filled with locations and exact details.

1. Cait receives the call from Adrian's mother, telling her that he has died.
2. Time passes, and we see Cait go through the various stages of grief within her room.
3. Adrian returns - Cait reacts emotionally confused, both happy and sad.
4. They have a reunion, and enjoy the abilitiy to spend time together again.
5. After some happy hours together, tension arises. Small things ruin the good mood a little.
6. The start fighting. Little things are blown out of proportion.
7. The couple is upset and questioning their relationship.
8. Cait decides to break up.
9. They spend some time mending each other, saying goodbye. Their break up was mutual, understanding and forgiving. They leave on good, almost loving terms, but decide that this must be their final goodbye.
10. He disappears in the morning.