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Final Post - The Main Things I’ve Learnt From This Module

• pitches should balance between showing passion and interest in the film’s topics and discussing the narrative and characters - do not want to over kill the activism

• it seems obvious but always question your motive for every aspect of your writing - even if it’s down to a characters movement or ways to symbolise one of their characteristic - think of how to convey things creatively no matter how small (remember: you’re the writer - you can create the entire world of the film)

• rushing your work really does lower the quality of work! Since I had around 3 weeks to come up with ideas for production design, my ideas came more naturally when I allowed myself time. Normally for most roles, I give myself time, but not this much time and it extremely helped for me to do more research and get more creative. I felt a lot more inspired. Although I won’t always have this many weeks to consider my role, I will be a lot better at prioritising my time management. I will ensure that from the moment I know the project I’m working on, I will not delay my brainstorming of ideas as this helped me to trigger ideas.

• practice and learn more about how to use lighting. don’t having lighting hit actors from the front but instead the back - unless you have the light bounce in between their collar bones. white walls are a nightmare to light.

• blocking can really elevate the film. make sure your actors and static, and use the environment to your advantage to help give them motives to move.

• figure out blocking before dressing the set, especially if you have limited sources for production design. This will ensure each shot looks interesting and we don’t have the issue of empty space or blank walls.

• eating scenes are not fun for the actors. If a character needs to eat, make sure they either love or are comfortable eating the same food over end over, or provide a spit bucket.

what a lovely note to wrap this module on :)

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Final week - feedback

https://vimeo.com/548413869

Script: everyone agreed that we selected the right scene to adapt. However, we should have maybe added more, like a post script, because it ends quite abruptly. We could have explored the world a bit more, and the stakes they characters have. Otherwise, the characters and the contrast of them are written well and well paced.

Editing - it’s well paced as we give the audience time to take in the environment in the opening, although we should have showed the environment more throughout the film. The pacing allows us not to rush into the argument, there is a build up. One critique we did have was the variety of shots as it’s constantly reverse-shot-reverse. We had filmed more close-ups but we didn’t use them because they didn’t look as good as the rest. A piece of advice we were given was to use it, as long as it’s in focus, we should get away with it because the audience should be focused on the moment full of emotion. If it wasn’t an intense scene, this might be risky, but in this context, we should have used it. In addition, if the lighting had been better, the colour grade would have worked more effectively.

Camerawork - we got positive feedback on the opening with the dynamic, handheld shots. The shots were framed well and displayed the environment nicely. However, when it changed to reverse-shot-reverse, it got a bit repetitive. If we had added more movement with our actors, this would have helped make the camera more interesting like the opening.

Lighting - too high key. We wanted to have the film look darker to fit the tone of the apocalyptic world we wanted to create. So we tried to play it safe by verging on over lighting instead of under lighting as it’s easier to adjust in post. However, we over lit and tried to make it look darker, but it didn’t look realistic. The final product now looks over lit and the tone is off. We were missing that menacing element, and good lighting would have really helped evoke that feeling.

Lighting - in the close up shot of Glen’s character, we should have lit behind him but instead we lit in front of his face. The advice we got is if we need or want to light in front, we should aim the light below the face, around the middle of the collar bones so the light naturally bounces onto the face and isn’t too harsh.

Lighting - it’s something I definitely need to work on because we didn’t know where to position the lights, and because of the white walls, the lighting was bouncing everywhere.

Performance - Isabel’s performance was extremely good, it holds the viewers attention and makes the blank white wall less noticeable. Her performance and costume really conveyed that she is exhausted, starving and desperate to survive. However Glen’s performance falls short, he is too jovial for the context of the film. His red shirt looks too new and clean, and the colour affected the colour grade because of how it was lit.

Blocking - the first part of the film has a lot of movement that works well, we just should have continued with that. They’re both survivors, and Isabel is clearly starving and the moment of her ramming the crisps in her face shows this. Moments like this, with her hunting and scavenging in the kitchen would have emphasised and kept this idea consistent, she wouldn’t have just stood there to have this argument. We should have at least had her moving around the kitchen looking for things, and then when the argument starts to reach its climax, then she could stop to get her point across.

Production design - the feedback we got was extremely positive! With what we had to work with, we had created a very realistic and detailed world, we just should have shown more of it. For example, the newspaper with the word virus on it, and the dirty cans. If we had included more blocking, we could have explored the production design more, like if we had Isabel look at the bowls of cereal on the table. The main issue was something I realised too late into the shoot is that we should have worked out the blocking better so we knew where to avoid having blank space. We should have moved the map and cardboard on the wall further from the wall with the window. Or we could have used the blocking to make her move around in front of a more decorated area.

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Week 11 - The Shoot

The prep shoot

We all arrived on time with no issues on set until there was an incident that made us unable to collect equipment. For around an hour or two, we were unsure of what to do. Luckily, another group were finished with their equipment and we able to borrow theirs. We had booked out similar equipment so there was no real issue there, we were just knocked by the time.

At around 12pm, everyone got involved in dressing our set. We started off by arranging the positioning of everything. We knew we wanted to film into the L of the room, and we wanted to use the windows. We set the tables to be positioned where the kitchen cupboards would be and we placed the table around a foot away from the “cupboards” and window to give the actors space to move.

Once we had everything positioned, we all a had a shot at using the fullers earth to dirty the things everyone else had brought, such as a tablecloth, cardboard, clothes and the set itself. Then we could clean ourselves up and focus on where everything would go. Once again, it was a team effort to board up the windows by ripping cardboard up and sticking it to the window with duct tape and masking tape. We then decided to use newspapers to cover any gaps letting light in. Any headlines we really like, we kept for the other wall, and any rubbish would go on the floor to clutter the place. To clutter the wall, Emily gave us a massive map of the world which we started to add writing, photos and leftover newspaper pages to cover it. We positioned this to the left, right beside the windows, because below it we wanted a table covered in scribbled on maps. In hindsight, we should have positioned this further away from the window because the map would have filled up the empty space in the shots with Isabel. In the initial shoot idea, Isabel would have been standing in front of cupboards, but we could have tried to have found another way to make this space less empty. 

Day of the shoot

We all got to work as soon as everyone arrived as Emily and Kate set up sound and camera, and Lilith and I worked with the actors to do hair and make-up, and dirt their costume.

At around 10am, we started to shoot, and it went extremely smoothly. However, since the last group didn’t have a clapperboard with them so Lilith and I made a makeshift one with leftover cardboard and post it notes. We tried to keep track of what shot and take we were on whilst Lilith and Emily tried to memorise the shot list. We probably should have been more organised with this, but to try and avoid not having enough coverage, we shot a few long takes from different angles. This may make the edit look jarring, or the continuity may be off, but we will have to wait until the editing is in process before we come across this issue.

Another problem, not for the crew, but for the cast, is that the actress playing Isabel had to eat multiple packets of crisps because the scene required her to stuff her face with crisps. I know she would have had to have done this at least a few times, but I didn’t realise how many packets she would have ended up eating. If I had realised how much she would have had to have eaten, I would have made sure there was different types of flavours, or crisps brands, to make her feel a bit better eating them. If we had also had known earlier, we could have arranged for there to have been a spit bucket so she could spit between takes. We didn’t do this for two reasons, 1) being that we didn’t have a place she could spit, and 2) we hadn’t prepared the shot list for her to have a moment to spit as we had prepared those shots to be long takes to help the flow and amount of coverage. The main thing I got from this is if your scene has a must have eating scene, ensure the actor really loves or is comfortable eating that same food over and over, make sure they can spit it out, or if they’re not a starving survivor, allow them to eat only a tiny bit on screen.

Other than that, the shoot went really successful. The main thing I would change if I could go back is the white empty wall behind Isabel. It’s such a shame because Glen is standing in front of such an interesting background, and Isabel is standing in front of nothing. In the re-shoot, she will be in front of cupboards, but at least we know to be careful to dress all of the set and not just limit it to certain areas. If we don’t have enough to dress the set, we need to prioritise where things go, which is what we should have done here.

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Week 9 - Finalising Costume

After doing intsnese research on costume, I created these mood boards. I have shown the actors and they have reported back to me what they do and do not have. They are both happy to use the fake dirt to cover their clothing (it is designed to wash out but just in case it stained I thought I should mention) 

what we have for Glen’s character 

the red checked shirt 

a dark t-shirt underneath

dark jeans

a dark backpack

worn trainers 

what we have for Isabel’s character:

navy green jacket 

dark top

black jeans

worn, black boots

a navy green over the shoulder bag

a selection of the boho style of necklaces and bracelets 

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Week 9 - Sourcing Props and Set Pieces

the prioritised pieces

Now that I have all my ideas, I need to find and collate my props and set pieces. At the time of organising this, I was unsure of the shoot day so I tried to make sure everything could be found off amazon. I wanted to make sure it came in a day or two to guarantee me plenty of time to experiment with how the pieces would look, such as adding the fake dirt. I made these mood boards for Lilith so she could choose what she thought was most appropriate. 

We picked the white owl as the look of the teddy wasn’t that important as long as it looked cute and embodied a sense of innocence to contrast the cruel, harsh world. 

We decided to go for the yellow truck because it stands out the most, and when Lilith was writing the script, this is what she envisioned. It may have not been the cheapest, but this item is central to the storytelling (this was before we decided what scene we would shoot).  

Lilith managed to find her own first aid kit - it was green so it fits more into the aesthetic we want.

The cat food bowl also doesn’t need to make a statement so I chose this cheap and basic one because the picture of the cat makes sure the audience know its a cat food bowl, and not just a random bowl on the floor.

fake dirt/dust

In our tutorials, we had discussed the idea of having fake dust to make the set look like it hadn’t been kept clean. When searching for dust, I found many websites selling props and materials for special effects but they were all extremely costly and it would have to risk it as to whether it would come on time. I had a look through the websites for suggestions of other things to look at, and I done further research on film forums and the reoccurring name to come up was fuller’s earth. Its a clay for face masks, but many people use it om film sets to make clothes, props and set pieces look dirty, I luckily managed to find a variety on amazon for a very reasonable price. I decided to buy 250g and started to apply it onto the set pieces and props. and it made all the pieces look worn and dirty. For future reference, I’ve left the links to the film effects websites because they have some really cool things to offer.

Dust for films

Special effects website 

planks of wood 

My grandad is very into his DIY and lives just down the road for me. Luckily, over lockdown he has been using wooden crates to build things out of, and he had a spare few planks. He left them outside of his house so I could take them without breaching covid guidelines. However, I could only take a certain amount and length because of how many other things I will have to carry to the shoot day, and since I live so far away, for times sake, I can only afford to travel through once on public transport. 

newspapers

I realised very quickly that making an authentic newspaper would be a lot more challenging. I do have access to a printer, but the printer paper would not be of the correct size or material to look realistic enough. I researched how to buy your own newspaper, but the prices were out with our budget.

Instead, my grandad also reads newspapers and left a bunch of old, but new enough to be during the COVID-19 pandemic, newspapers that I could use for the shoot. I looked for headlines similarly to the ones in my past mood boards, and I had a massive selection to choose from. I looked out for words such as “virus”, “lockdown” and anything relating to death tolls or an outbreak. Once I selected these pages, I used water and the fullers earth to make them look old and dirty. When they dried in, it made for a really nice and realistic worn look. 

clutter 

I already have a selection of old, worn books to help clutter the set. I also have a selection of unmatched cups, bowls and cutlery to make the cutlery look less organise and more look like they have been scavenged, possibly from different places. I have an old looking lamp and a head torch that I added to the set, they we’re significant parts of the set, but it adds to building a realistic set. I will bring pens, paper and maps to set so we can use them to decorate the set however we want to. I have asked everyone to bring any old clothing the don’t mind adding to set and if they have any unwanted cardboard. 

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Week 8: Hair and Make-up

Make-up

When researching post-apocalyptic hair and make-up, many of the results were very dramatic and fantasy like, when our aim is to create something that feels realistic, and could happen in our reality. By looking at these, I quickly realised we were going to have very little make-up on our actors. We debated over adding cuts and scars to our actors and actresses. but we decided against it as we worried that it would look cheap and unrealistic. Although Lilith is really good at make-up and make-up effects, we didn’t want to risk it not looking identical to a real injury as its really difficult to pull off on screen, plus, with our time restraint, we wouldn’t have had the time to perfect the look. I decided to refer back to the films and video games I had already researched for costume as they reflected the realism we wanted.

Although there are blood and cuts in these images, the subtle use of make-up, or design, on the characters makes them feel more real as they look like average people in our own society. They don’t have any dramatic make-up or significant injuries, they look like every day people who are trying to survive. It connects us more to the characters, and helps the audience put themselves in their shoes. 

The first thing I decided is that we are going to use a little bit of eye shadow to make the eyes looks tired and sad, We will also ask them to use the fake dirt as it is off the same material used for clay face masks. We will ask them to put the clay on their skin and under their finger nails to look less clean, and more like a survivor. 

When researching hair styles, I found that most were dramatic and futuristic like the make-up. When looking at characters from the media I had already referred to, there seemed to be a reoccurring themes with the male characters and the female characters. The male characters are typically unshaven and wear a baseball cap. I will bring a cap with me, but I personally think if we ask our actor to be left unshaven, it will show his messy and unkempt hair more. The female characters on the other hand, most of them have long hair, but tied up for practicality. Unfortunately, our budget won’t cover the hair band, but we will have the actress to plait or tie her hair up in a messy ponytail. Lilith also has sea salt spray to make the actors hair look more greasy and unwashed.

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Week 8: Costume

I have never focused on costume design for a project before so I decided to research different post apocalyptic costumes. Quickly I realised there are a lot of over the top costumes that fit more into a fantasy genre. Although these looks are very cool, 1) we do not have the budget to make these costumes and 2) we want out costume to look realistic and to make the characters look more like survivors of this time period. We want it to look like average people, people like you and I, have ended up in this cruel and harsh world, and to show how humans respond to it.

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To get some more guidance on where I should be looking, and how I should approach this, I found this really useful video. It explained how there are typically two types of post apocalyptic costume: the realistic and the unrealistic. And they used the comparison of The Last of Us

Interesting Points from the Video:

is it realistic or unrealistic 

what is the environment like? is it a desert wasteland, or snowy forest? what is the weather like? 

are they in thin, light clothing? 

in heavy clothing: big jackets, thick trousers? could they get frostbite if they aren’t covered? 

where are they? what country?

could help determine the weather or the style of clothing

when is it taking place? modern day? the past or the future? 

look up the best clothing to survive in - or do the survivors have very little resources to work with? 

colour patterns tend to be dark - browns, olive green, tans, black

bright colours are typically on bright when a character is in a hazmat, or uniform - white could work for winter

accessories 

what do they need to protect themselves from? what equipment do they need?

do they need gas masks, do they need a Geiger counter, weapons (we won’t be able to use them for our shoot for safety reasons)

do they need a backpack? what size, shape, colour? whats in the backpack? food, hand warmers, first aid?

you can add pins, spikes, or leather on it to look cool - careful it doesn't look tacky 

do they have googles? do they have belts? holsters, belts, sheaths?

did they make these with left overs from the world? like scraps, cloth

once you have an idea of costume: ask yourself:

do the clothes look worn enough? 

would the character realistically survive in this world? 

does everything look “cool”? 

do they say anything about the character?

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Week 8 - Building the World of Survivors

Lilith helped set the context of the apocalypse so the group were all on the same terms with regards to world building.

information about the world of “Survivors”:

we aim to keep most of the apocalypse left ambiguous but we will use this information to add subtle hints 

its a zombie apocalypse 

there are virtually no people around and electricity is gone

some areas are worse than others - the neighbourhood Isabel and Glen are in is pretty safe - but they have no way of knowing what other areas are like other than trial and error - this can be reflected on a map 

Lilith’s fake news suggestions: “government orders evacuation of cities as conditions worse”

this ties in with the conversation Glen and Isabel have about the boys leaving the city with the child  

creating a newspaper:

I thought the best way to create an authentic cover page  would be to look at how newspapers presented covid and lockdown.  

I created a mood board with real headlines from the past year that surround the outbreak and quarantine due to covid. 

pin board 

A reoccurring set piece that I saw in my research were pin boards and whiteboards. I decided to go dopwn the route of a pin board so it would be more practical for us to stick items, pieces of paper and photos on to it. 

I used this to gather more ideas for what we could add to our board. Things to consider are:

maps - with safe/danger zones, survivor camps, resources, clear paths

tally marks - possibly signifying how many days they had survived or how many “monsters” are in the area

information about the "monsters” - are they trying to figure something out/ figuring out a conspiracy

missing people photos 

ribbon or string to connect routes 

to do lists 

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Week 7 - Development

Production Design Mood Board 

Since our idea is quite ambitious and will rely on production design to create that sense of immersion and reality, I decided to create a mood board that focuses solely on production design, and not any other element such as cinematography. 

I knew the majority of the film would be filmed indoors, so I looked at images from post apocalypse media that were filmed indoors, yet it was difficult to find many images that were relevant to what we wanted to create. Most apocalyptic films are high budget, and interior scenes are rarely filmed, and if they are, its normally in large spaces. However, we have a very small budget, and only have small apartments available at the moment. So I resorted mainly to video game references and online art work as they resemble our vision more. 

 When sourcing these images I started to spot some commonalities between them, for example

wooden planks against windows

thin, floaty, white curtains

clutter, like old books, boxes

natural lighting through windows, and the odd candle and lantern 

things on the walls such as posters, pin boards

plants - the idea of the natural world taking over - greenery coming through the window or moss on the walls

Checklist 

I then had another read through of the scrip to see what we needed and I made a checklist of all the things we definitely need, and things we can consider.

Earlier today I had a call with Lilith to discuss what we needed to try and finalise the list. We decided we would look more into costume and make-up when we cast our actors, which we are in the process in. 

She also informed me that the weapons will be getting removed from the script for safety reasons, and she has let me know that most likely we will be able to get a child actor, but if not, I can bring blankets and possibly a doll to create a fake baby. 

My next steps are to find:

a brightly coloured toy truck

backpacks

lanterns/candles

cat food bowl

look into getting greenery, cardboard boxes, wooden planks

start creating the newspapers and pin boards

and this is one of the locations we are thinking of filming in

I’ve already clarified with Lilith the amount of mess we can make - as long as it can be tidied and there is no permanent damage, we can go through with it

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Week 7 - Call and Tutorial

We had a group call to discuss production roles:

director/ writer - Lilith 

producer - Kate 

cinematographer - Emily 

production design - Abbie 

editor - Bronte 

Tutorial with Andrew:

hopefully we will get some exterior shots of up town - with it being lock down, there should be fairly empty parts of town 

idea - the day and night transition in hereditary could be used 

make newspapers with headlines mentioning the apocalypse or an impending end of the world 

- find out what Lilith’s vision of the apocalypse is 

colour grading - check out

Davinci Resolve  

time and pixels.com

false colour 

google definition -  “ False color refers to a group of color rendering methods used to display images in color which were recorded in the visible or non-visible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. A false-color image is an image that depicts an object in colors that differ from those a photograph would show”

IRE false colour chart 

assigns specific colours - helps build an idea of exposure 

colour palette 

dynamic between characters could be shown through this 

use dust 

find ways to make dust safely 

back lit is the best way to see it 

cake it on different props and set

candle light

incandescent candles - that can be dimmed - not LED and non flicker 

you can always expose higher 

think about lanterns - you can make them

always place camera on the shadow side of something - the darker side

if you place the camera on the lighter side, it will make the image look flatter 

find where the sun will be positioned at specific times 

there are apps and websites that will calculate this

apps to look up 

palette cam

cats everywhere (not film related)

view finder

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Week 6 - Groups and Script Read Throughs

more subtext in the film

try to find a way to build the world outside by showing it on the inside 

production design is extremely important to convey this apocalyptic world

are the weapons needed - at least not as many or as violent weapons

dynamics between the characters are good - there is a character arc

push glens characters more 

more info about glen 

example maybe he looks at a photo of a kid holding the same toy, or he reads a letter 

his turning point should have more reasoning 

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Week 5 - Pitch Feedback

general tips 

saying at the beginning of your pitch what your film is about

mention casting - do you have anyone someone already willing to play the part or what do you have in mind for the casting (looks, qualities)

commissioners need to know the outcomes of your film - they need to know how the audience will leave the film feeling - will they leave feeling a sense of happiness, sadness, hope, inspired

you can use references to help tell the story 

like fusing different snippets from different films to show how the scene will flow, or feel, or the action - make this clear what you’re doing

never use the word “cliche” - commissioners don’t want this

is something is cliche, like a character, you want to use other words to convey this - still make the characters interesting 

if you use the word experimental - you need to explain what you mean by this as it is such a vague word 

my feedback 

although themes and identity are important - don’t overkill it

remember to balance this out, narrative and characters are just as, if not, more important 

does it need to be set in the 1980′s

its a cool setting, but could cost a high budget 

would it not be more interesting if it was set in modern day - in society, there is still a lot of bi erasure and stereotypes - it could be interesting to explore this

for bad bi representation, watch Chasing Amy

be careful with activism - you don’t want to come across as an activism film, or be too preachy 

the sound could have a few touch ups - the contrast of us speaking and the film clips can go from being too quiet to too loud 

we both come across as confident speakers - we know what we’re talking about

we are both very passionate - we have experienced the topics in the film and it comes across well - but maybe it would have been more powerful if it was set in modern day

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Week 5: The Pitch and First Draft

The pitch 

The script’s first draft

notes to self

I plan to shorten it down to keep it to that 5 minute mark

In the next draft, I think I want to build on the intensity and the characters 

maybe try and do more work on the tone of the script

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Week 4: Pitch Prep

La La Land Argument Scene 

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· editing notes for Dori - I’m not entirely sure what to show from this scene because its the whole build up i’m focused on – 1:03 to around 1:28ish but that might too long, its just whatever fits in the edit best 

· Scene invites you, similarly to our story, makes you think the couple are going on a happy honeymoon but it gradually becomes a vicious argument

Marriage Story Argument Scene 

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· 1:59-2:25 (can be shorter if needs be)

· Maybe other clips that show the setting/intensity of the scene

Pitch “Script”

Hi my name is Abbie and I’m the writer of “Michelle”, an adaptation of Raymond Carver’s short story “Will You Please Be Quiet Please”

Set in the 1980’s, Michelle gives us an insight into the young, newlywed couple, Ralph and Marian’s relationship moments before they leave for their honeymoon.

The film is told from the perspective of Ralph who is an overly organised and anxious individual who is a very different character to Marian who is an eccentric and stress free woman.

The young middle class couple are tested when past events are brought up and Marian has to reveal who Michelle is, and what she meant to her.

The film explores themes of identity and sexuality during a time period those topics were not discussed openly, and how people cope with these issues brought up.

In the source material, I was extremely invested in this argument between this couple and the way in which Marian’s past is affecting their relationship, but I wanted to create a narrative in which Marian hasn’t done anything immoral and how Ralph could react to this differently.

I want to show how Ralph does not know how to accept his wife who is so desperate to be understood and feel free.

There will be a sense of claustrophobia and unease will be conveyed to reflect the character’s different anxieties. Visually, the film should have a bright and vibrant colour palette that reminds us of the 1980’s, specifically blues, purples and pinks.

Paris, Texas (1984) - directed by Wim Wenders

Magnolia (1999) - directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (left)

The Shining (1980) - directed by Stanley Kubrick (right)

Falling Down (1993) - directed by Joel Schumacher (left)

Big (1988) - directed by Penny Marshall (right)

The dialogue and setting will be very reminiscent of the argument scene from marriage story - and is especially in the sense of the small bare living room, and the intensity of Charlie’s dialogue about their past and the risk of losing his partner

The pacing is similar to La La Land’s argument scene as the scene invites you into this warm and happy environment, but gradually the couples conversation escalates into an argument.

Michelle is written for people who struggle to identify with their own identity and trying to be understood in a world that makes this mission often very difficult.

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Week 4: Feedback from Catriona and Starting the Script

feedback:

good time constraint with the honeymoon and flight taking place very soon - keep that tension

keep the element of the wedding gift as long as it doesn't become too plot like - ex. then this happens and then this leads to that and then this happens so that happens etc

don’t show the other girl on screen - thinking of naming her Michelle (female equivalent of Mitchell from the source)

breakdown of the story beats

set up - establish 1980′s setting, they have recently moved in and are about to go on their honeymoon

inciting incident - Ralph spots the wedding gift and starts asking questions 

quest - Ralph needs to find out the truth (about the letter and Marian’s past)

midpoint - the mention of the party, Ralph has always had his suspicions  

rising action - Marian reveals Michelle did kiss her

climax - Marian explains she did have a relationship with Michelle 

denouement - Michelle says the word “bisexual” and Ralph tells her to et away from him, the doorbell goes

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Week 3: development of ideas

Important things to note

- in source material, will you please be quiet please scene starts around 2:53:30

- Scenes to include in pitch: marriage story, la la land (same sort of build up)

La La Land (2016) - top images

Marriage Story (2019) - bottom images

Ideas to note from the source

· “Ralph and Marian did their student teaching at the same high school in Chico and went through graduation exercises together in June. They were married in St James Episcopal Church two weeks later”

· Mention of their honeymoon in mexico – maybe they are getting ready to leave for their honeymoon? – waiting for a taxi

· “They considered themselves a happy couple, with only a single injury to their marriage, and it was in the past, two years ago this winter. It was something they never talked about since. But Ralph thought about it sometimes... increasingly, ghastly images would be projected on his eyes... for he had taken it to his head that his wife had once betrayed him with a man named Mitchell Anderson”

· Marian is the one to initiate the conversation about the incident that happened a few years ago

· Ralph wants to continue the conversation and Marian doesn’t see the need to

· Ralph insists that a kiss was shared between her and Mitchell

· Marian ends up describing what occurred that night – the speech about how the kiss happened - “He said should we have a go at it”

· Ralph tried to recreate other possibilities, when he opens his eyes, Marian is crying

· Just before chapter 2, the argument intensifies – borrow some of the dialogue from this

A detailed breakdown of our developed narrative

Ralph is a highly organised, straight laced, calm, patient, business like, uptight and anxious

Marian is eccentric, loud, carefree, creative, impatient, messy

· Set in 1980’s UK - Marian and Ralph are newlyweds and have just moved into their new apartment, there are boxes, picture frames needing to be hung up etc

· The pair are preparing for their honeymoon trip to Spain – waiting to leave for their flight from Edinburgh – Ralph’s mum and dad will be there to pick them up in 5

· Ralph brings a couple of suitcases downstairs to see his wife standing with a big cardboard box and reading a letter

· Ralph asks her where that came from – Marian brushes it off, stating that it’s a late wedding gift from an old friend

· Ralph is bewildered and quizzes her about who this person is, and why they have given them such a large present

· Marian reveals this friend is Anderson (surname) and was the girl that went to their school together

· Like in the source material, Ralph begins to insist there was something more between them, there was even rumours

· Marian says theres nothing more to talk about but Ralph persuades her otherwise

· She goes on to say that it all began one night at a party (during highschool), the two of them were sent to find liquor – proceeds a story about them trying to buy drink illegally – and like in the source material, they talk about “norman mailer stabbing his wife in the breast” and she would hate to be stabbed in the breast, and she would like to kiss her breast – we could maybe adapt this to suit a more lgbt theme so the girl is implying she is sexually interested without risking being “caught” for being gay in the 80’s

· Marian puts the letter down and starts checking if the house is ready to leave (checking if the heating is off, doors are locked, lights are off etc) – then she stops and says “she said shall we have a go at it?” and says she is the one fully to blame

· He closes his eyes, imagining these awful possibilities and opens them again to see her crying – he says, “why did you Marian”

· Ralphs realisation starts to kick in, and he asks, why is she still in contact

· Marian makes it clear that their romance ended the summer before the starting dating – she was experimenting but Anderson fell in love with her

· Ralph argues that Anderson is also marrying a man, and maybe she is also using him as a cover up

· Marian insists that she reckons she is bisexual and kept this information away from him to protect him

· the doorbell rings, its Ralph’s parents

[film-adaptaton-abbie-jamieson]

Week 3: feedback on ideas

“Firstly, it is refreshing to see some representation lgbtqia characters in this adaptation as in all of Carver's stories in short cuts and the other ones selected, the majority of the main characters are straight, white couples. I like that you have thought about these characters' lives before the film is set as it makes more sense as to why Ralph would quickly assume that something went on between Marian and this woman who is getting married. I am wondering however how you will portray this in the film, this is not a critique though, I am just curious and I look forward to finding out at the pitch. Additionally, and feel free to ignore this, but it could be interesting to have a moment before the husband gets home that the wife is wrapping the present. As she is doing so, there are a series of close ups of her hands slowly smoothing the edges and curling the ribbon which are interspersed with shots of memories she has with this girl and of them being romantically together. It also explains why the husband would be so intrigued before he even hears who it was for. Overall I really like your idea and I am excited to see it all come together for filming.”

Think about:

How we want to portray/suggest the events that have happened between Marian & the girl

Idea of interspersed shots suggests to the audience what Marian is thinking about as she wraps the present and what they can expect next

“I am very interested in the approach of this adaptation and how, with only a few tweaks, changed the whole original story by Carver adding a new layer of complexity. Having Marian's affair change from being between her and another man to a woman adds a few extra layers to the story. It could dive into ideas of sexual repression especially of the time period and look into the effects of homophobic views on relationships of the time. With both of these characters being victims it complicates the issue in a very interesting way.

However I am eager to see how the dialogue will play out. Will it try to stick to the short story's language and structure or be completely different? I believe with Ralph, his paranoia should come across as somewhat justified. I fear his paranoia may be lost to some at first and could run the risk of being too over the top. The expensive wedding gift mixed with him thinking back to the high school rumours is good but will have to enforce it perfectly.”