Research: Job Roles in the Production of movies

Preliminary Task - Review Part 2

Review part 2

Preliminary Task - Review Part 1

Review part 1

New Preliminary Task Based On Response Sheet

Based on our what went wells and Even Better If's, we have created a video of the preliminary task. The video includes comments based on the response sheets that we have received from our audience on where we can improve for next time.

Response Form For Preliminary Task

This is an example of a response form that was collected after showing our preliminary task. The form tells us what people thought about our preliminary task; what went well and how we can improve for next time. This is beneficial as we are able to understand from the audiences perspective and what they thought about our preliminary task.

Based on the responses from the audience we can understand what they liked and disliked about our preliminary task. So, we know what to include and not include in our main task. For example, in this particular response they have identified that the lightening is dark. So, for our main task we will make sure that the lightening will be brighter

Preliminary Task - Video Bloopers

Preliminary Task - Video

Preliminary Charector Considerations

In our preliminary task we only have two characters. The protagonist is played by a black female and the antagonist is played by another female of Indian heritage. We wanted to do this to challenge the stereotypes in movies. Typically females are portrayed as the weaker ones, who are in need of constant attention from the males. They also depend on the males to get them out of dangerous situations. So, instead of  casting a heroic male protagonist, we chose to cast a female, who is black. By this character being black we also challenge the stereotypical ideas of blacks being presented as the best friend of the main character, or a brassy woman. As our protagonist has none of these attributes we believe that the audience would be more intrigued in our film, as we do not follow the conventional patterns of the movie industry.

We have also have made the antagonist a female as well. The most successful antagonists in the movie industry are typically male. We thought that it would be unique to have a female antagonist, especially one from a Indian background. The common stereotypes of Indians in movies are beautiful maidens, magical medicine men and bloodthirsty warriors. Additionally, in major blockbuster films, the antagonist rarely Indian but usually Caucasian men. So, to have a female playing the role of a villain, especially one from a Indian background challenges the stereotypical ideas, of  a successful antagonist being a Caucasian male.

Interrogation techniques research

Interrogation Techniques

With a few exceptions, the police are allowed to lie to a suspect to get them to confess. The belief is that an innocent person would never confess to a crime he/she didn't commit, even if confronted with false physical evidence of their involvement. However, that's not always the case, but it's a big part of the reason why the police are allowed to employ deceptive tactics in interrogation.

The psychological manipulation begins before the interrogator even opens their mouth. The physical layout of an interrogation room is designed to maximise a suspect's discomfort and sense of powerlessness from the moment they steps inside. The classic interrogation manual "Criminal Interrogation and Confessions" recommends a small, soundproof room with only three chairs (two for detectives, one for the suspect) and a desk, with nothing on the walls. This creates a sense of exposure, unfamiliarity and isolation, heightening the suspect's "get me out of here" sensation throughout the interrogation.

The manual also suggests that the suspect should be seated in an uncomfortable chair, out of reach of any controls like light switches or thermostats, furthering discomfort and setting up a feeling of dependence. A one-way mirror is an ideal addition to the room, because it increases the suspect's anxiety and allows other detectives to watch the process and help the interrogator figure out which techniques are working and which aren't. Before the nine steps of the Reid Interrogation begin, there's an initial interview to determine guilt or innocence. During this time, the interrogator attempts to develop a rapport with the suspect, using casual conversation to create a non-threatening atmosphere - people tend to like and trust people who are like them, so the detective may claim to share some of the suspect's interests or beliefs. If the suspect starts talking to the interrogator about harmless things, it becomes harder to stop talking (or start lying) later when the discussion turns to the crime.

During this initial conversation, the detective observes the suspect's reactions - both verbal and non-verbal - to establish a baseline reaction. The detective will use this baseline later as a comparison point. One method of creating a baseline involves asking questions that cause the suspect to access different parts of their brain. The detective asks non-threatening questions that require memory (simple recall) and questions that require thinking (creativity). When the suspect is remembering something, the eyes often move to the right - just an outward manifestation of the brain activating the memory centre. When he/she is thinking about something, the eyes might move upward or to the left - reflecting activation of the cognitive centre - the detective makes a mental note of the suspect's eye activity. The next step is to turn the questioning to the task at hand. The detective will ask basic questions about the crime and compare the suspect's reactions to the baseline to determine if the suspect is being truthful or deceptive. If the interrogator asks the suspect where they were the night of the crime and he/she answer truthfully, they will be remembering, so the eyes may move to the right; if they're making up an alibi (requiring thinking), the eyes might move to the left. If the interrogator determines that the suspect's reactions indicate deception, and all other evidence points to guilt, the interrogation of a guilty suspect begins. Because my group and I are limited for time and resources in regards to what we can include in our preliminary task production, we will likely be unable to use features such as a one-way mirror and the majority of dialogue (e.g. casual conversation) which would have helped to create tension and is common in a lot of interrogation scenes. Instead we can pick out important elements of this typically structured interrogation scene such as using evidence and questioning the suspect until found guilty.

Preliminary Task - Story Proposal

Working Title:
‘Cold Case’

Production: 
opening title sequence

Genre:
Crime

Duration: 
1 minute 12 seconds

Target Audience:
15 to 60, male

Director/Editor: 
Rachel Fillon-Payoux

Outline:

DETECTIVE walks into a dark questioning room and sits down opposite SUSPECT (Jessica) to question her about the murder of her friend earlier that month. This conversation lasts roughly 1 minute. During this time, the DETECTIVE moves around the room, sitting on, and leaning over the table.

Cast:

DETECTIVE - Tia Weeks

MURDER SUSPECT - Ellie D’Sylva

Characters:

DETECTIVE - a middle aged black woman 

MURDER SUSPECT - a teenage girl named Jessica

Setting:

An interrogation room that is low-key lit and inside a police station.

Visual Elements: 

• lighting
• camera movement
• editing
• setting
• actors
• props 
• costume

Audio Elements:

• synchranous sound (diegetic)
• vocals

Equipment:

• Canon camera
• SD card
• mobile phone 
• torch

Props:

• chairs
• table
• folder
• printed photograph of MURDER SUSPECT in an alleyway

Rationale:

This idea was chosen because it isn't a conventional confrontation between two people; it has a plot and a resolve. A crime genre has strong senses of tension and anticipation as well as being unique because it is not frequently used or with the same story-line.

Budget: 

All equipment and props are borrowed. There are no added effects and actors are volunteers. Total cost = £00.00

Preliminary Task - Script

INT builing day

DETECTIVE 
walks into a dark questioning room and sits down opposite 
SUSPECT
 (Jessica) to question her about the murder of her friend earlier that month. This conversation lasts roughly 1 minutes. During this time, the 
DETECTIVE
 moves around the room, sitting on, and leaning over the table.

DETECTIVE: 
So, Jessica…. Do you know why you’re here?

SUSPECT: 
No I don’t! I already told you people everything.

 DETECTIVE: 
I think you do Jessica. Now, can you tell me your whereabouts on Saturday 17th of December?

SUSPECT: 
Uhhhhh I’ve explained this. I was at home most of the day, and then I went to the mall to shop for some clothes. That’s it! I went straight home afterwards and got there at like 5:30.

DETECTIVE:
Explain this then (lays out images). If what you say is true, then why do we have CCTV footage of you leaving Parkson Lane at 9:43 pm? Hmmm.

SUSPECT: 
I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.

SUSPECT: 
Okay I'm sorry, I did it! But that girl got what she deserved.

DETECTIVE: 
I think we've found ourselves a murderer.

Preliminary Task - StoryBoard

Preliminary Task - Camera Shot List

Shot No.	Type of shot	Actors	Props	Costume	Sound	Other comments	Used?
1	-	-	-	-	-	Blank text clip	YES
2	Long shot	Detective	Folder	Smart attire	Diegetic synchronous sound “tap tap” on stairs as detective walks up stair set 1.	High angle	YES
3	Long shot	Detective	Folder	Smart attire	Diegetic synchronous sound “tap tap” on stairs as detective walks up stair set 2.	Low angle	YES
4	Close-up	Detective	Folder	Smart attire	Diegetic synchronous sound of door handle opening.	Hand on handle	YES
5	Mid-shot	Detective	Folder	Smart attire	Diegetic synchronous sound of door handle being released and door slamming shut. “tap tap” of shoes.	Walking through door	YES
6	Mid- shot	Detective	Folder	Smart attire	Diegetic synchronous sound “tap tap” of shoes while walking	Walking across room	YES
7	Close-up	Detective	Table, chair, folder	Smart attire	Dialogue “so Jessica, do you know why you’re here?”	Sitting down	YES
8	Close-up	Suspect	Table, chair, folder	Smart attire	Dialogue “ no I don’t, I told you people everything!”	Sitting down	YES
9	Close-up	Detective	Table, chair, folder	Smart attire	Dialogue “I think you do Jessica, Where was you whereabouts on Saturday 17th of December”	Sitting down	YES
10	Close-up	Suspect	Table, chair, folder	Smart attire	Dialogue “I already told you. I went shopping and then I came home at like 5.30”	Sitting down	YES
11	Mid-shot	Detective and Suspect	Table, chair, folder	Smart attire	Diegetic synchronous sound of turning page. Dialogue “explain this to me then, why do I have CCTV footage of you leaving parkson lane at 9.45PM” “I don’t know what you’re talking about” “this is you isn’t it?” “	Walking round and sitting on table	YES
12	Mid-shot	Detective and Suspect	Table, chair, folder	Smart attire	Dialogues “explain yourself!!” “ o- o –okay! Sorry I did it but that girl got what she deserved!”	Sitting on table	YES
13	Mid-shot	Detective and suspect	Table, chair, folder	Smart attire	Dialogue “I think we found our murderer!”	Sitting on table	YES
14	-	-	-	-	-	Blank text clip	YES
15	-	-	-	-	-	Blank text clip	YES