Studio shoot: finalising idea

DEVELOPMENT

The first drawing I did based on our new/further developed idea/ the first time the bench was mentioned

I have added the story board I did before the final script was finished (after the shot list). I did these based on the shot list made by Kaitlan, which I have added below. If your read through it you will get an idea of our story, and what my drawings are all about. This shot list was never finished and now the idea has been changed quite a lot.

After talking with the group about what the void looks like, I changed the colours a bit. I made it darker and the spotlight stronger. This would be the opening scene, where we first see our character. He is sleeping on a bench, in darkness with a bottle of alcohol by his side. I light shines on him wakes him up.

For this scene we talked about having a tracking shot which would be cool. I had a quick look at some tracking shots as research, for example: 
https://www.shortlist.com/news/the-10-coolest-tracking-shots-in-film

We did have quite a lot of debate about this. How would we track him, from where to where, how big would the set bit and how far would the bench be from it. I was worried that the distance wouldn't be long enough and it would look weird. We even had a look at the studio and tried to decided where the bench would be from the set.

He would walk into the room (at this point it was still undecided how we would show that) and see a box in the middle of the floor. The room is otherwise empty, apart from the hanging lightbulbs and a couple of wilted plants.

Here are some reference photos I had a look at. I did also talk with the group about what the box should look like.

For the next scene I drew we were sure how we would make it. We wanted to have shadows coming our of the box as soon as the man opens it. (I used Pandoras box as an example and reference). We thought about having a light inside the box and to maybe have carboard cutouts to create dramatic shadows. We also thought about cutting shapes into a lampshade that we could spin around. I think this effect couldve looked very interesting.

Pandora´s box

I took some time trying to imagine what the shadows would look like. Here I had a light in the box, blue light coming from the window and the hanging lightbulbs. I also added the wilting plants to the set on top of the chest of drawers we decided to have (window sill would´ve been too hard to make). I also have the bottle of alcohol on it, that the character bought inside. In one corner I also added the 2D painted bookshelf that we were talking about at the time. 
After opening the box we would have a couple of intense, chaotic scenes with louder sounds and shadows dancing everywhere. The man would be afraid and look for a way to run away. At this point we didn't think we´d have a door so we would´ve shown how he has no way out.

                                        

The man would try to escape but sees a shadow at the window who eerily points at the box. The shadow watches him as he goes back to the box and begins to unpack it.

This is a later version I did after showing it to a group. I added some more text to show what I had been thinking.

The last frame I drew before our presentation to Rosie. The man would look through various objects he pulls out the box. One of them is a photograph of a family, his face is blurred out or with pin holes with light coming through it. 

I was happy Rosie liked my drawings. It was then decided that I would just have to do a lot more of them, and obviously with less detail. These were mainly to visualise what the film would look like. I then started to think about the proper storyboard.

MORE DEVELOPMENT

After speaking with the group I had to make a couple of changes to (what was beginning to be) the storyboard. I also talked to Flora to clarify what the set would look like. It was planned to look like what the grey lines are showing, but in my drawings I had been drawing it with the window on the other side, the blue lines. The blue thing in the middle is the box.

The planned set design

The way I had been imagining it

Here is the storyboard I started to make after speaking with Rosie.

Closer up on the bench

He walks towards the light

We had decided to keep the tracking shot.

He wipes the condensation off the window. I think the art department is set on having condensation. 

We then had two options for how he would walk into the room. This is clearer where I have put all the drawings together below. This option he just walks in and out of frame.

The second option is Lauras more complicated one and my favourite. (If we could get it to work). We see his reflection from the outside as he´s looking in and we zoom into and "through" the window. We then end up on the other side, where we again see his reflection, but this time the reflection is coming from the inside.

                                       

FINAL IDEA

After I made this however, our idea was changed quite a lot again, but hopefully for the last time. The writers Victoria and Ellie finished the script and sent it to u already on the 23rd of November:

This is now the script I am basing my storyboard on. It has changed quite a lot but as you will see I have tried to use some old drawings to speed up the process.

The first page:

1
The original drawings:

The first scene now will be the shadow taking things out of the box

We then go to our character on the bench. In this script he has his face in his hands. We also decided that he should be dressed in a way that clearly shows he is not in a good place. I gave him pyjamas, a hospital wristband and bare feet

I tried to think of ways to cover him up, we can´t see his face at any point in the beginning.

We know have a trail of festoon lights showing him the way from the bench to the house. This scene would also be good to show the hospital band more clearly.

2

                                       

He sees the shadow after wiping off the condensation. He knows nobody else is meant to be in there so he confidently bangs on the window. 

                                       

3

We are now sure that we will have a door. How are we going to turn all the lights on when he walks in?

Random things scattered across the patchwork floor

I added another child, like in the script. I also think it makes more sense to keep the frame. So he can hang it up on the wall as it is. Why have it fall out the frame, only for him to put it into another one?

He should be curious and confused. He feels like he has been here before but he doesn´t remember

4

Another shot where we could potentially show the wristband

We should actually make the sheet so that it´s stuck, not just the actor pretending

Hand references I used for the drawing above. They´re hard to draw and I seem to be doing them often

I hope we will make this very eerie

5

Close up of his concentrated face, also shows he hasn´t noticed the figure at the window

He uncovers the chair that probably has some great significance to him, he doesn´t remember though

Him getting up should feel like a lot of effort

6

7

The door has to have a lock now

Unfinished things:

8.12

We finished our groups risk assessment for now. It hard to know exactly what the risks will be as we haven't fully finished planning the shoot and we don't know what the situation with covid will look like after Christmas. Rosie said in our meeting on the 4th that the storyboard should be finished ASAP. I´m not sure how fast I can make it, especially seeing as I have the second AVID exam coming up and an essay to write. Also the deadlines have been changed so I don´t think it´s the most important thing right now. I will have time after new years. Ive been drawing it every once in awhile though. 

10.12

I will put all the pages together on another blog posts once I´ve finished some more, to have them all in one place. I think it might be a little hard to follow in this format. I´m quite happy with what I´ve done up until now. There was a moment where I wasn´t much drawing the storyboard, because I was focusing on the avid exams, maps and networks idea development, the essay and flying back home for Christmas. I think now I will have more time to draw so hopefully it won´t be too long until I´ve finished at least all main scenes, if not the complete shot by shot. (For after the holidays though). 

We have the meeting tomorrow with Rosie. I´m not sure how she´ll react seeing that the storyboard at the moment is nowhere near ready. I think she will understand though. I will make a blog post after it.