The Meeting Synopsis #3

The first two paragraph are the same as the previous draft but upon Simon's recommendation I have reworked the third paragraph as to read in the same style as the first and second.

Football is the greatest passion in the young life of Luke Wood. He will play anywhere he can. So when he comes across an empty goods yard on a journey home it proves simply too tempting an opportunity to pass up. One powerful kick is all it takes to start a chain of events that leads him into terrible, life threatening danger. It is that one kick that sends the ball high up onto the roof of an old derelict factory. The decision to retrieve it is the step that triggers a devastating series of events that will remain with Luke forever and inevitably touch lives other than his own. When he steps onto a rotten wooden cover it suddenly gives way and he is plunged into a dark and threatening abyss leaving him trapped, frightened and yearning for the light and safety of the outside world.

Britain’s fire fighters engage in countless hours of training in preparation for every conceivable scenario. So when the call comes in the members of the specialist urban search and rescue team move swiftly and seemingly effortlessly into action. But on duty today is a fire fighter who has his own particular reasons for wanting to secure a successful outcome to this job. Oliver knows only too well the heartbreak of losing a child through a senseless, tragic accident. Having just returned to work after an extended absence and still raw from the loss of his own daughter he understands the fragility of young life and is plagued by the realisation that this shout could turn out just as badly. With complete disregard for his own safety this rescue attempt will either help him find closure for his daughter’s untimely passing or end his career and destroy his soul.

As the terrifyingly dangerous and rapidly developing events of the present come crashing down around the cowering young boy are intertwined in Oliver’s mind with the painful details of his past, he will be continually tested to his extremes. Not knowing if he can overcome physical, emotional and spiritual barriers Oliver must let himself be taken over by an unexpected and unformulated determination. To do anything possible to snatch Luke from the jaws of death, that focused and unchangeable goal which he must complete to save himself as well as the injured boy. 

This is the result of not blogging

Between my last blog entry and this there have been a lot of developments in my life but I’m sure you’re all more interested in the developments of my ‘the meeting’ production. As I disclosed previously I was faced with a rather large predicament when some of the members from Maidstone’s urban search and rescue team were sent to assist with rescue efforts after the tsunami that ran through Japan. Left not knowing what to do I was close to breaking point my cast was gone, my shooting schedule was therefore gone and unless they returned my storyboard would be rendered useless. Well what could I do? Not knowing how long the team would be in action I could only see that I was left with two options. Firstly I thought that I could create a totally different trailer to that which I had intended to create originally with the later half focussing heavily on the USAR team. Alternatively I could hold my breath and hope that the team would return in time for me to film and edit what I needed to before the deadline.

Looking back I probably shouldn’t have taken the more risky of the two options, but, that is what I did. I would watch the news daily to see updates about the events unfolding in Japan, one of those days I did see the men from the team that I had intended to be my cast being interviewed on the BBC South East today news program. During this time of not knowing I was asking my father who remained my first point of contact with the Fire service to find out how many members remained of the team remained here and whether he’d be able to talk them into being my new cast. Through this time the efforts in Japan where brought to its end but by the time I had been able to arrange to film with them again I would be in a great rush as I would be sharing the camera with other people from the course, as well as doing it before I went to Amsterdam. It was all getting very intense but low and behold before the team even returned home my father informed me that a temporary USAR team had been formed from members from various smaller USAR teams from around the county. Was my luck really going to be in? Yes it was the temporary team agreed very kindly for me to film them the Sunday of that week.

But you know that good old thing about life nothing ever did go exactly to plan because the problem I was now faced with was that this happened on the Thursday and I knew neither Simon nor Helen would be in on the Friday in order for me to get the camera signed out for me to film. PANIC! So I turned to this very blog to seek the Yoda like wisdom of Simon on my next step. He told me that Lauren Howard had a camera booked out and if I could get hold of the camera she was using BOOM my problem would be solved. So this is what I did, but it wasn’t until Friday morning that Lauren called me back ‘she was walking to the studios and as much as she wanted to the twenty minute walk from the home to the studios carrying both camera and tripod simply wasn’t going to happen. But Lauren being the diamond that she is said if I could get someone with a car to drive to her house over lunch she would had the camera and tripod over to me and I would be able to get the use of the camera over the weekend. So I turned to another diamond Fran who agreed that if I bought her some lunch that she would drive to get the camera for me and God bless both of them because that is what we did.

So Friday evening I convinced my father to come with me and my younger brother Luke who was to be the star of my trailer to Maidstone fire station on Saturday afternoon after I had finished work to film the outside scenes and he happily agreed. So Saturday afternoon went so smoothly I was given a renewed enthusiasm for the project. I got the shots that I wanted, so now secure in the knowledge that I had something that I could use in the final edit I was happy but I didn’t begin to relax no sir not yet as the next day I was going to have a onetime only chance to film with the members of the mish mash USAR team that had agreed. Happily the Sunday shoot went as smoothly as the Saturday and I got some shots that I dare say some people would have been sceptical about me getting if I had told them before shooting.  

So I had my footage and I had a sound track picked out I thought the next section would be the easiest of the whole process. WRONG AGAIN! I got my footage onto the mac and some of the outdoor shots were sadly over exposed, this is somewhat heartbreaking for me for two reasons. One I know that due to location, time, and permission I won’t be able to reshoot those clips and probably more heartbreaking is that if i had used one of the filters on the camera the footage would be as close to perfect as it ever could have been. But after a rough edit I thought that I was making the images work for the purposes of the trailer. It was at this point that Simon reviled to me that the soundtrack with to epic and grand for the images that I had created. Slightly disheartened I set about looking for a new piece of trailer music. This is where I made my second mistake I decided that the Batman - the dark night trailer music would work. “ERRR NO!” not only was it still to grand this piece was also to recognisable. Right being a little bit stuck for ideas as for music to use I though ... “hey why don’t I go for an emotional bit of music, that’ll defiantly going to be less epic”. So that’s what I did but rightly pointed out the footage I shot wasn’t for an emotionally trailer. So that brings you to the point at which I am at now. I still haven’t found that piece of music that will marry with my trailer but at least I have an idea of what I am looking for.

What a difference a day makes

So yesterday I wrote on this blog that I was going to commence shooting for my trailer on Sunday. Those plans may well have gone straight out of the window. For those of you that haven't been paying attention today a huge earthquake in Japan measuring 8.9 has caused a devastating tsunami with waves expected to run across the Pacific region in the coming hours. I wouldn't for a second suggest that my project should interfere with any rescue efforts but the Urban Search and Rescue team at Maidstone fire station may well be flown out to the affected areas. This leaves my trailer ideas redundant as if they do go to help I will be faced with the challenge of shooting my trailer without the largest aspect of my script. Anyway will be sure to keep a close eye on the situation and should they be deployed out I will put some of my world famous creative mind to the challenge and come up with a method to shoot the trailer without them. Those of you that have read my script anyone got any ideas how you would create your trailer if you was in my position?

The Meeting Synopsis #2

So I've finished the first draft of my script I'm quite happy with it not sure how Simon will respond to it if it’s anything like my synopsis he’s going to find far too many things wrong with it. Speaking of the synopsis I have written up my second attempt taking on board the notes that Simon made on my previous. So here it is:

The Meeting

Football is the greatest passion in the young life of Luke Wood. He will play anywhere he can. So when he comes across an empty goods yard on a journey home it proves simply too tempting an opportunity to pass up. One powerful kick is all it takes to start a chain of events that leads him into terrible, life threatening danger. It is that one kick that sends the ball high up onto the roof of an old derelict factory. The decision to retrieve it is the step that triggers a devastating series of events that will remain with Luke forever and inevitably touch lives other than his own. When he steps onto a rotten wooden cover it suddenly gives way and he is plunged into a dark and threatening abyss leaving him trapped, frightened and yearning for the light and safety of the outside world.

Britain’s fire fighters engage in countless hours of training in preparation for every conceivable scenario. So when the call comes in the members of the specialist urban search and rescue team move swiftly and seemingly effortlessly into action. But on duty today is a fire fighter who has his own particular reasons for wanting to secure a successful outcome to this job. He knows only too well the heartbreak of losing a child through a senseless, tragic accident. Having just returned to work after an extended absence and still raw from the loss of his own daughter he understands the fragility of young life and is plagued by the realisation that this shout could turn out just as badly. With complete disregard for his own safety this rescue attempt will either help him find closure for his daughter’s untimely passing or end his career and destroy his soul.

It is a fast paced race against time as the fire fighters are tested to the extreme as each action packed scene unfolds and one problem follows another. Will it be time for Luke to meet his maker? Will the fire fighters be able to snatch him from the jaws of death? Will Luke become their latest success story or will they suffer the frustration and despair that accompany defeat?

Let me know what you guys think.

Writing, editing, writing, editing, writing, editing, and so it goes on

I’ve not blogged in a little while so I guess it’s time for an update. Been working hard lately trying to get my script for the story telling unit into an understandable state as well as keeping it as interesting  and exciting narrative as possible.  I still have four days until I have to hand in my first draft of the meeting script but I must admit I am expecting to use each of those days to work on it. On a related note I got my pitch and synopsis back today with notes in relation on the improvements that can be made. In fairness I agree with the notes that Simon made regarding my synopsis and will get to work on improving that but I do have my reservations about how necessary the changes to the pitch will be. I guess I will have to query this with Simon when I next see him. Anyway today was the first time I used final cut pro and another first I actually had some instruction in regards as to how to edit video. Granted I have done a fair amount of editing in the past however it was completely self taught so nice to have someone so me a couple of features to the software that may speed the process along when I comes to editing my trailer together and other video projects that are yet to come. So with the new editing techniques and the camera workshop we did at the beginning of the week my ‘the meeting’ trailer should be far stronger that it would have been otherwise. We did a couple of different edits during today using random video, sound and text clips from sea world this is my absolute first final cut pro edit enjoy.

Pre-writing nearing complesion moving onto the script.

Today was a very informing day I’ve now got all the information I need in order to start writing my script for the meeting. But there are so many decisions to be made before I start. For example I need to decide whether to use the two or three act structure. Happily having done the recommended pre-writing tasks I am very secure with my story and characters’ I even have some shots that I know I what to shoot, however writing a script still feels like a very daunting task ten pages may not be a lot but having to put all the little tricks of the trade that I’ve learnt over the past couple of weeks into my script my prove more difficult than I would have anticipated. Anyway I’ll keep you updated with how it goes.

On another note during my tutorial with Simon the other day he asked me to upload a link to my YouTube account as I wasn’t interviewed by him and he wanted to see some of my previous stuff. So here you go Simon. Has anyone else got a YouTube account with some of your own created videos? I’d like to see what other people have done in the past.

        

First draft of 'the meeting' synopsis

After a number of tweaks I finally finished my first draft of my synopsis for the meeting so here it is.

Playing football with friends after school on a spring day was a regular occurrence in the young life of Luke Wood. Having played for an hour or so he would walk home with his little buddy James laughing and joking along the way. That was the typical, enjoyable and invariably safe routine that had never given rise to a problem before. But one day James didn’t come into school and Luke’s routine went out of the window with potentially disastrous consequences. A gap in the fence surrounding an abandoned factory was too tempting for the youngster to resist, particularly as the goods yard would make an ideal football pitch. A powerful kick of his football, however, which sent it hurtling into the sky and come to rest on a roof top, was the first step in a chain of events that would lead him into terrible danger. Making the decision to climb up onto the roof top of the run down factory building the naive boy would not realise the consequences of his actions until it was too late. When stepping on an old and rotten wooden cover that lay on top of the factory roof it suddenly gives way sending him plunging from the safety and light of the outside world to the dark, threatening abyss that lies below. Meanwhile his mother begins to worry when her little boy doesn’t return home and sends her other older son, Jack, to look for him. Knowing the route his brother usually took home it doesn’t take long for him to find the school bag Luke has left just inside the fence. A build up of gas which has leaked into the factory from adjacent cylinders adds an extra dimension to Luke’s predicament. Conscious but unable to see or move the terrified little boy has no idea how he will get back to safety and all he can do is cry out for help. From a distance Jack hears the faint cries of his brother and launches his self over the fence and runs toward the factory but before he gets there an explosion rips through the building causing parts of it to collapse. Jack calls 999 not knowing if his brother is hurt or worse. The everyday hero’s of the Fire and Rescue Service jump into action. It’s a race against time to locate and reach Luke in this unstable building. Will it be time for Luke to meet his maker? Will the fire fighters be able to save him from an untimely death? Will Luke meet salvation or will the fire fighters meet defeat?

What you think? Any ideas on how I can improve it?

First draft of 'the meeting' PItch

I have to admit I have found writing this pitch very difficult to convey the amount of tension and drama in 25 words is close to impossible, but here's what I came up with.  

A race against time as the fire services’ finest fight to save a trapped boy’s life, this meeting will change the course of lives forever.  

What you think? Any ideas on how I can improve it?

Character Profile of Luke Wood

As I said in my previous blog entry I have two lead characters in mind but I'll only planning on using one. So here is the second character profile for my records.

Character Profile of Jack Wood

After finding out about the pre-writing stages of the pre-production stage yesterday I set about planning the most important element of any fictional drama production, the characters! I have two lead characters in mind but I know I only want to use one and as I'm not settled on which one that is I thought it wise to think about the elements that make up both. This mind map depicts the first possible contender Jack Wood.

And the alarm goes up... for the BAFTA awards and the meeting.

So tonight is the night of the Orange BATFA awards and as much as I would have loved to be up in London to stand alongside the red carpet to see the celebrities and film makers, well if I’m being totally honest I would rather be one of the film makers walking down it. But alas I could n't be one of them, well not yet anyway! I’ve been to work and now I remain at home thinking about the nominated films and daydreaming that one day it will be one of my films that all the news and review shows are saying that is the front runner to win all of the big awards. Until then I will just have to put my effort into my story telling unit and I guess I should start putting some thought into my essay project. 



My Grandfather who retired after
30 years with the fire service.



As for my story telling unit I have been thinking and focusing on one idea quite a lot. I’ve not quite worked out the ins and outs of the plot yet but it revolves around the meeting of a boy that is trapped and the hero’s of the fire service as they fight to save him. There are so many elements that and variables that I have been thinking about both from a creative point of view as well as having a practical and logical approach as some of the elements that I write in my script I’m going to have to recreate in my trailer. As the entire script is only going to be for a ten minute film beginning, middle and end the extravagant feature style film that I had originally envisioned is simply going to be too much for this project.

Having worked with the media team at Kent Fire and Rescue Service last summer and having strong family links with the fire service as my mother worked in the call room when I was growing up and my father still does and his father before him worked as fire fighters and fire officers I would love to portray the fire fighters as the hero’s that the men and women in that profession are. Anyway still lots of work to before I get close to having a working script or I even think about shooting but I am really looking forward to pushing ahead and exploring some of my ideas on this subject.

Lets have a meeting about 'the meeting'

I have started thinking about the different narratives that I could pursue that revolve around the title 'the meeting'. Obviously the first thought that came to me was the predictable image of professional people sat round a table having some form of business meeting. This of course was far less than inspired so I continued to expand my ideas trying to think outside of the box so that my story telling unit would be individual don’t want to have the same idea as someone else on the course after all.

So has anyone else been thinking about their 'the meeting' project, anyone onto a winner?