Shooting our short drama went relatively well however lighting was a key concern. Due to our complete collective knowledge of lighting resulting in no past experience it was a highly trial and error based method. As the shoot continued we gradually improved our skills and began to counteract the shadows which meant filming was initially snail paced. Apart from lighting filming went surprisingly smooth, apart from the camera battery/memory card running out at the worst possible time, but sods law is acceptable in these situations. We generally worked well as a group, succesfully negating any issues that arose and keeping in high spirits regardless of progression. We encountered a huge difficulty with the steadycam we were using, primarily that the shots weren't steady, so we enlisted the aid of an office chair. Although this improved the shot it was still highly shakey meaning we had to do what we could in the edit. Although disliking our script idea i thoroughly enjoyed the shooting proccess, especially considering the lighting and mise-n-scene elements, which gave a lot of value added.

Drama Project

Initial Treatment

Below is our original treatment in which we pitched to the class, though through the process of further narrative development we have encountered various problems. We felt as a group that the concept wasn't viable because of the plot incoherence. I believe our attempt to draw significance to such a minor social issue would be illogical and unsuccessful.


A short drama that explores the struggle of three friends when the power cuts out and tension begins to rise. After swift negotiation it is decided that Desmond will embark to the corner shop to top up the power as the cold and isolation begins to set in at the house.
Narrative Development: The film begins with an introduction of the characters at their home, after establishing the group dynamic and learning a little about each of them by observing them in their ‘natural environment’ the electricity meter runs out, causing each of them a level of disruption. With this being the catalyst for the disequilibrium, it is decided by way of various methods i.e. rock, paper, scissors that Desmond, the most naive member of the group will go to the shop to top up the meter.
The middle of the film will revolve around the journey of Desmond, cutting back periodically to the two friends at home. Desmond, being a simpleton, is easily distracted on the way to the shop and takes a long time meaning that the two friends at home quickly get bored and begin trying to entertain themselves. When finally Desmond returns to his irritable friends it turns out he’s forgotten all about the electricity and has instead brought back some milk.
Through simple, light hearted comedy we’ll take this otherwise mundane task and transform it into a playful, feel good and relatable short film.
Visual Style: Considering the film is set at night, interior lighting is a key component to stylistic control. We hope to emulate Guy Richie films in terms of cinematography and mise-en-scene with smooth edits used throughout. Lighting and mise-en-scene will be tightly controlled in the house scenes where props will play a large part in telling the story eg. Candle melting away showing passing time/chessboard changing etc. Flashbacks will also play a major part in developing character construction, providing quick glances into the past of the characters. We plan to make use of alot of camera movement and homemade dollies eg. Rope around lampposts/boom pole tripod etc. To give the film a unique feel and keep viewer interest high.


Audience: We believe that this short would appeal to a wide audience, due to its relatable content however we are aiming the film at a mainly university student demographic. 

carls super power:the ricky gervais show: Although not drama the interactions between the characters was a style i hoped for. The laughter between them and small gestures show they are good friends, something hopefully replicated

Character Construction CHARACTER NAME: Douggie                         
AGE 33
APPEARANCE 'average' looking with honest character. 'Mr pleasent' / always happy but never clean trim or clothing

1. What do you know about this character now that s/he doesn’t yet know? 
2. He's going to catch the biggest tuna ever recorded.

1. What is this character’s greatest flaw? 
The denial to himself that he is content with current life.

1. What do you know about this character that s/he would never admit? 
He longs for a different lifestyle, far from his small fishing village.

1. What is this character’s greatest asset? 
Friendly and calm nature.

1. If this character could choose a different identity, who would s/he be? 
Traveller.

1. What music does this character sing to when no one else is around? 
Musicals.

1. In what or whom does this character have the greatest faith? 
the ocean.

1. What is this character’s favourite movie? 
Into the wild.

1. Does this character have a favourite article of clothing? Favourite shoes? 
yellow fishing wellies.

1. Does this character have a vice? Name it. 
Dads dead and he cannot let him go, ashamed he'll let him down.

1. Name this character’s favourite person (living or dead). 
his dad.

1. What is this character’s secret wish? 
To travel the world and see other cultures.

1. What is this character’s proudest achievement? 
Inheriting his fishing boat 'the longhorn' from his dad

1. Describe this character’s most embarrassing moment. 
Loosing a 25 pound salmon he hooked off the coast of normandy.

1. What is this character’s deepest regret? 
Not telling his dad how he felt about him/real feelings

1. What is this character’s greatest fear? 
returning with an empty haul

1. Describe this character’s most devastating moment. 
when his brand new dinghy sprung a leak

1. What is this character’s greatest achievement? 
spear fishing a porpoise using only a tooth pick and an empty packet of wrigleys gum.

1. What is this character’s greatest hope? 
To explore the world finding a small island where he can live by his own rules and admissions

1. Does this character have an obsession? Name it. 
he cannot stand the texture of moist corregated steel.

1. What is this character’s greatest disappointment? 
his inability to please his late dad

1. What is this character’s worst nightmare? 
thrush

1. Whom does this character most wish to please? Why? 
His village as they are all 'very proud of him'(he feels he has few acievments)

1. Describe this character’s mother. 
Completely loyal to being a mother however died at an early age due to an unfortunate incident involving a defunct freezer at the local Lidl. 

1. Describe this character’s father. 
Strict and distant with extremely high expectations. Always wanted the best for Douggie however held a hidden secret he believed to devastating to share.

1. If s/he had to choose, with whom would this character prefer to live? 
On his own but as the owner of an alternative B+B somewhere abroad.

1. Where does this character fall in birth order? What effect does this have? 
He is the oldest of 3 siblings, the only boy of a 'proud' scottish family.

1. Describe this character’s siblings or other close relatives. 
2 sisters, both moved on. One married to the local butcher the other living life in the city as a social psychiatrist.

1. Describe this character’s bedroom. Include three cherished items. 
A small, increasingly ramshackled room slowly filling with relics from his life. three cherished items are a small hook handed down through generations, a copy of an ancient travel mag from thomas cook and an originl piece of william wallaces tarten underalls.

1. What is this character’s birth date? How does this character manifest traits of his/her astrological sign? 
Capricorn...he has horns

1. If this character had to live in seclusion for six months, what six items would s/he bring? 
A paddling pool, 12 coy carp, a fishing rod, a copy of nuts,20 B+H silver and a yorkie fruit and nut.

1. Why is this character angry? 
hes not angry in the slightly...why is this questionair putting words in my mouth.

1. What calms this character? 
zoloft

1. Describe a recurring dream or nightmare this character might have. 
A large coy carp catching him and turning the tables.

1. List the choices (not circumstances) that led this character to his/her current predicament. 
turned down the chance to join the navy aged 16 to take over his fathers failing dynasty. Believing his own lie that he is content and not buying a lottery ticket the day his numbers came in.

1. List the circumstances over which this character has no control. 
the cooking time on rustlers burgers,the weather,erectile dysfunction

1. What wakes this character in the middle of the night? 
Father donald who believes something spookys goin down at the old warehouse

1. How would a stranger describe this character? 
cheerful, helpful, bfg

1. What does this character resolve to do differently every morning? 
breath the sky and taste the rainbow

1. Who depends on this character? Why? 
No-one specifically however many of the village expose his helpful nature, sometimes asking to much as he never says no.

1. If this character knew s/he had exactly one month to live, what would s/he do? 
Travel to the middle east as the character has a hidden love of curried food.

1. How would a dear friend or relative describe this character? 
Absolutely loveable. a bfg

1. What is this character’s most noticeable physical attribute? 
His large size yet gentle demeanor.

1. What is this character hiding from him/herself? 
Rejection from his own wants, needs and ambitions.

1. Write one additional thing about your character. 
loves socks with holes in the big toe

Shameless: Even in series 9 shameless continues to create interesting, hilarious and outrageous storylines which are often held together by interesting character interactions. Its these interactions and the involvement felt by knowing the characters that draws you into the episodes. It also shares similar inter-twinning stoylines as clerks, cutting between the edits seemlessly. Its this style of script which applies natural, free flowing interactions that i wish to utilize for our own final piece. Its also usefull looking at the  characters within scenes as they are often polar opposites who share similar goals; eg.Frank and Latitia and Mickey and Jamie Maguire. I hoped to also emulate this style within or short allowing for realistic and funny character interactions which reveals hints of their past. Whilst building our connection with the characters, further involving the audience, this also works to create a sense of understanding. Knowledge of someones past allows you to predict their future actions making you feel involved in the unfolding action as you see it, almost as if you are part of the social group. Our group changed the original idea to a one character setup meaning this character interaction was impossible. Although slightly unmotivated by this change i still blieved we could create an easy going short, relying upon creating this empathetic connection with the character.

Clerks: Researching clerks helped cement the idea of our original idea together, helping within idea creation and inspiration. I found it highly entertaining and inspirational in terms of creating a low/no budget film. I found the character interactions far more interesting than the storyline, which was also exceptional. From this i realised its these character interactions and glimpses into their identity that really gain a level of connection between the viewer and the audience. As what you know about the characters increases you build up a relationship with them in a similar fashion to reality. This means you can predict a characters future actions dependant upon what you have already seen, creating the feel that your envolved in the group as you understand their dynamics. I specifically liked the interjoining storylines and how they were edited together which i hoped to copy for our work.