Fiction Adaptation - Novel exercise

Upon request I pitched the novel Spies by Michael Frayn something to the effect of the following:

Some novels excel in one area character, plot, language or style but some novels are great because they combine all of these elements. Spies is one such novel, winning the whitbread novel of the year 2002.

The plot of the novel entails the childhood journey of the character Stephen Wheatly from the narrative perspective of  a version of himself 50 years since past the told events. Set predominantly in England engulfed in the second world war. Stephen along with childhood friend Keith, the two young boys suspect Keith's mother of being a German spy. Although the lead character is a child the novels predominant plot is added to by secret tales of filming marriage and affairs. Only revealed by looking past the child like innocence of the witnessing characters.

There are a lot of questions left unanswered by the end of the novel. The death of a character referred to as Uncle Peter towards the end of the novel would be an element that I would consider changing if I was to attempt to adapt this novel as the ongoing affair, post war life and continuing narratives of the adult characters is something In pondered and is alluded to both at the beginning and end with no answers given.

With what I know of lottery funded films I would suggest that the tone, content and themes would make Spies a strong source and contender for adaptation. Therefore I would recommend that it would be broadcast on Film 4 to bring this intriguing plot to a new and wider audience.

Fiction Adaptation - Shot breakdowns

     01) EXT. SMALL COUNTRY COTTAGE/SHACK - EVENING

   The air is calm and still, the light is slowly draining from the day. The cottage small and humble sits in the woodland, with a small fire outside the door. Through a fogged window the shape of a person can be seen. The window fogs more and so intensely that it becomes a sheet of white.

- Low angle, wide shot, Pull into focus

Summer house left of the frame; sun setting over the wall on the right.

- Two/three CU

Horse or natural items from outside

- Level with bottom of window, tracking shot  

Slow movement, soft focus as the camera stops looking through the window.

AS LIVE - SET DESIGN

AS LIVE - Workshop - Content list

Dean, Maddie, Hennie and I are working together to record a mock up news report on the subject of a fuel rise. 


The initial running order is as it follows:
1. Maddie (the host) in the studio set introduces the story reading the scripted introduction. 


2. Maddie passes the story over to Dan (on scene reporter) in front of a taxi rank


3. Dan introduces Dean (the taxi driver) 


4. Q1, What is your average fuel consumption in a week?
          
5. Q2, Are you having to work more because of this rise in price?
           
6. Q3, How has the rate of custom varied with these rises?
       
7. Q4, Do you think rates will have a long term affect on your business?

8. Q5, Does this rise make you consider a change in job?
           
9. Q6 Have you considered investing in an electric car?
           

10. Dan links back to the studio 

AS LIVE - Draft Timing Screen Plan

00:00 - Opening titles

00:30 - Introduction

02:00 - VT Action Drama

03:30 - Audience member is picked to be made over to look like they’ve beaten up which would have featured in the previous VT

04:30 - Take an interesting but simple aspect from that VT and show how it was made

08:00 - Guest comes on to plug new film

12:00 - VT showing a green screen being used (possibly using Hollywood films)

14:30 - Link into the break

15:00 - Opening for part two

15:30 - A few members are pulled from the audience and are spoken to about films

16:30 - They are put in front of a green screen and using props they’re told to re-enact famous movie scenes (Possibly done as VT but played as if live)

19:00 - Link

19:30 - VT Another more complex film making tutorial

22:00 - Link

22:30 - Short film review

25:00 Link

26:00 the audience member returns made up beaten up

28:00 Close the show

29:00 - Credits

30:00 - End

AS LIVE - Magazine Show Idea

AS LIVE

Magazine show

Title: Live, Camera, Action

Format: 30 minute AS LIVE

Channel: Channel 5

Broadcaster:

Target Audience: 10 - 50

Schedule: 8pm Wednesdays

Everyone enjoys sitting down in front on the television or going to the cinema to watch the latest blockbuster film. Film makers somehow manage to find an endless array of stories to tell yet by using their own style they still manage to guide audiences to tears, laugher or uncontrollable bursts of excitement. The successful directors are able to present styles are instantly recognisable to lovers of film. However with every passing decade films are becoming vastly more impressive visually with the qualities brought by HD broadcastings or 3D films. This combined with the ability to edit faster and shoot footage and add to footage digitally that wouldn’t have been possible even ten years ago

It is partly because of these aspects that films are increasing watched and appreciated by more and more people. Since dvd’s and blu-ray took over as the predominant forms of owning movies at home more and more are accompanied by bonus ‘special features’ giving the audiences an insight as to how monsters are brought to the screen such as creatures like ‘The Mummy’ in the 2001 film by the same name, how unbelievable car chases are achieved in films such as ‘James Bond Casino Royale’ from 2006 or simple behind the scenes footage from a vast number or big budget films. However for those people that which to turn from film fan to film makers it is often a good place to start at the beginning with the basics. In Live, Camera, Action  presenters will talk through to the audiences some of the more basic filming techniques, sound recording, editing, lighting and or general filmmaking rules and tricks for those of us that can’t afford to send an Aston Martin rolling down the road.

Not forgetting that there will be a live studio audience that will be present on the day of the record I have a few ideas that would give reason for them being present. My first idea is that a selected member from the studio audience will be pulled up on stage. They will then be put in front of a green screen and given props to aid them to act out famous movie scenes to show how a green screen works.  Have a makeup artist turn one of the audience members from person to monster or appear like they’ve been severely beaten up. In addition or pace of this we could have audience members asking a how to question relating to film making which the host and or invited guest could then answer.

This show won’t appeal to everyone but with programs like Top Gear, The Gadget Show and Got To Dance which are all quite specialised still bringing in a wide audience range in large numbers I think that Live, Camera, Action could have to potential to do the same.

Fiction Adaptation - Ted Hughes, A profile of the poet

Ted Hughes - A profile of the poet

Ted Hughes was and is still regarded as one of Britain’s most visionary and powerful poetry voices of the 20^th century.  However during his career his writing was at points overlooked with the public interested being focused more on his relationship with first wife Silvia Plath who went on to committed suicide in 1963.

From a very early age one of the closest relationships he had was with the landscape around his childhood home.  He was quoted later down the years that he viewed “A landscape without game is to me is a dead landscape” and that the “First seven years seem like half of (his) life”. His relationship with nature is a strong feature of a lot of his poetry with areas like the woodlands setting his imagination alight and changing his academic studies from English literature to anthropology his early fascination and knowledge of nature was broadened. His published work brought him high recognition as a writer that put modern readers in touch with the timeless forces of nature and became poet laureate in December 1984.