Wednesday 23 April 2014

Evaluation - Finished Version

Evaluation
Script
I have created a 10 page script on a new TV series which I have named “Liabilities” set around adolescent, working class boys with the narrative describing them coming across a meteor and gaining powers from it.

I conducted 5 different drafts of my script with it getting better after each draft. I improved it from research I had done along the way. I used a variety of sources in able to make my script as professional as it could be. The sources I used were as follows: The Internet, a questionnaire, focus group and already present TV scripts all of which had significant impacts on my final outcome.

When using the internet I learnt key guidelines I had to stick by in order for it to have the correct discourse markers like you’d expect a professional script to have. I learnt that all scripts use the font: “Courier” and the standard size is “12pt” which I applied within my 4th Draft to make the format of my script look professional. The reason behind why scripts use “Courier” and in the size of “12pt” is because it was the standard font used by all typewriters. I also learnt that the script requires certain indents to indicate whether it’s a change in scene, which protagonist is speaking, scene heading etc an example of this is that for a character’s name the indent has to be “Left: 2.0 Right: 0.0" Width: 4.0" which I implemented within my 4th draft in order to make my script replicate what a published script would look like and increase its professionalism.

I learnt from the use of already present scripts such as “Being Human – Episode 1, Series 1” that they contain a variety of scene transitions in order to help the narrative flow as well as having various different plot lines running simultaneously. I learnt this and I tried to implement simultaneous plot lines discreetly via the use of stage directions and minor dialogue such as “Josh:(Aggressively)Well I’m going with or without you.” which has connotations that he is in it for himself and doesn’t need the others, which I could later develop into a huge plotline of betrayal.

I learnt from my internet research that every scene should be wrote on the script as a scene heading with a brief narrative description below it to set the scene which then has a transition underneath to introduce the coming scene. I learnt from internet research that after every new character there needs a description of what they come across as with their name in capitals such as “SCOTT a slim, tall boy wearing a heavy coat” which I implemented in my 4th draft in order to make it look like a published script whilst also giving the reader more information regarding the protagonists whether it is the character’s dress code.

When I conducted my focus group with around 5 of my peers, they helped me build my believability of my characters so that if this show was to air it would fit with at least one of the 4 main gratifications which would be to “relate” for the viewers due to how they dress. 

I helped develop my script was via the use of making my own questionnaire which I then gave out to several people in order to get quick feedback. This helped develop the actual idea, it helped suggest that my series would be best fitted being indexical with both a fantasy, action and comedy genre and I came up with the idea for three teenage protagonists in order to create a comedic effect. The questionnaire helped me specify my target audience, it appeared that this series would appeal to both genders from a working class background and that by having the comedy within the script i.e.  “If I didn’t know any better it seems like you have got a keen interest with big, dark holes…” which is stereotypical of a teenage male to make euphemisms about sexual oriented subjects which again helps build the believability of my characters themselves. I learnt that due to it being a male orientated TV drama I had to incorporate something in order to attract a female audience, I did this via the use of brief character description e.g. “SCOTT (a tall thin boy in his late teens)” which means that he can appeal to the stereotype that some girls go for and can act as the female gaze within the show if it was to air.

When I revisited my script after draft 4 I had noticed that it did not have all the features a normal script would possess. Draft 4 contained a lack of scenes (as well as stage directions) and stuck to 3 scenes at most throughout which a normal TV Drama does not which I learnt from my internet research as they instead have maybe a minute of dialogue and action before switching to another scene or returning to another plotline.


DVD Cover

Firstly the dominant signifier of the text is the image of the individual looking into the distance. With the individual being in a hood it promotes the enigma of whether this person is a villain (Like in Propp’s character scheme) and is stalking what is ahead or whether he is a ‘hero’ and watching over the city. I chose to have no anchorage supporting this as there is no preferred reading and instead I want the viewer to have their own unique connotations when they look at this text.

The title “LIABILITIES” has been done in a long narrow, linear font in a grey, eroded font, which appeals to a more masculine audience. I chose to aim it mainly towards a masculine audience (more so than a female) as the 3 protagonists are male themselves and share what the stereotype of young adolescent boys are which is: to have ‘banter’, swear a lot and insult each other.

The use of the dress code of hoodies helps put across the preferred reading that this text is aimed more around a working class background who are seen to wear hoodies. By it being set in a working class background via the dress code it helps the audience ‘relate’ to the text which means the text will be more gripping and will entice a larger viewing base.

When editing the cover’s contrast I chose to do so it brings out the light in the top left corner which has connotations of either a sun or even a meteor. However if the viewer has an oppositional reading of the text it has an anchorage in the bottom right-hand corner which looks very similar to what meteor ore veins would look like i.e. glowing and red which indicates the bright light in the top left corner is actually a meteor.

I chose to put the age certificate of my text at a “15” as after doing some research I learnt that in a 15 there is: strong violence, strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, discriminating language, drug taking etc. All of which are within the narrative of my show especially the use of strong language, violence and drug taking which help reinforce the stereotypical representation of the youth within the media.

The use of the tag line “Our Last Hope” helps reinforce that this text is within the genre of action which when put alongside the use of the meteor ore on the ground and the bright light it suggests that this can be classed as an action/fantasy text which I originally aimed to do.

When creating my front cover of my DVD cover I initially wanted to be simple but yet possess enigmas. I gained inspiration from the TV show “Arrow” which has a protagonist on the front who has a hood up covering a majority of his face which provokes questions from the audience such as “Who is he?”, which I chose to replicate on my DVD Cover’s front cover however I added my own style to it by instead of making the protagonist face the viewer like on the “Arrow” poster I chose to make him look away meaning there are more enigmas to be answered.

I took into account of the linear, narrow and masculine text that “Arrow” has been written in. I replicated this within my DVD cover with “Liabilities” which has been done in a long, linear, eroded font in order to appeal to a masculine audience which is reinforced by how I have an all-male cast with “Scott”, ”Josh” and “Liam”.

I looked at the lighting and how the light is shining down on him giving connotations of a “Hero” which I chose to replicate via a street lamp on my DVD cover so that it shows that my narrative is within an urban environment. I replicated the binary opposites that this cover is creating such as the dark lighting on the character and the bright light behind him which I incorporated into my own cover by having my character mostly dark with just a glimmer of light on the protagonist’s head which has connotations of a “hero” and references back to my tagline of “Our Last Hope” which a hero usually is.



Poster
The dominant signifier of the poster itself is the image of the town’s skyline which has another reference towards a meteor which helps determine that it is within the ‘fantasy’ genre. The placing of the meteor itself is heading towards the “9:00pm” start time which has connotations that it is “on its way to channel 4” due to it hurdling towards the channel 4 icon.

I put the Channel 4 Icon on the poster as it promotes that this text will be displayed on Channel 4. I chose to put my text on Channel 4 as it is very similar to other stimulus texts already on Channel 4 such as “The Inbetweeners” which had 4 all male protagonists which is very similar to my show itself. Shows such as “Shameless” which is on Channel 4 is a working background text very similar to my text as well.

I put it at a 9:00pm start time as it is after the watershed which it needs to be due to it being an age 15 rated text. By putting my show after the watershed it means that younger audiences such as children will not be susceptible to the qualities that my text possesses which is strong violence, strong language and drug use which are all at some point within my show’s narrative.

By the font of the poster being eroded it further reinforces that it is actually “Our Last Hope” and the effect of it being eroded has connotations of many people have tried before them and failed which helps foreshadow the narrative of my text.

By my poster being landscape I would display it on billboards due to the mass audience it would reach. Due to the simplicity of the poster itself such as just when it starts, the name of the text and a reference to an outside source, further reinforces that it would be best on a billboard due to drivers and passers-by only having a few seconds to scan read my poster and gain the important information they need and avoiding having to scan read through unnecessary text.

When creating my poster I had to have a template in mind in order to create an effective poster whilst not revealing and answering too many of the show’s enigmas. I did this by looking at examples such as “The Walking Dead” poster which has a long shot of the protagonist horseback with everywhere else deserted as well as a city skyline present which has connotations of isolation, I chose to replicate by having just a long shot of a scenic night shot of a town’s skyline with a meteor going across the sky which keeps it simple whilst relating back to my show’s narrative.

I replicated the binary opposites that this poster has on it by how on one side of the dual-carriageway it is heavy with abandoned cars but on the other side is empty apart from the protagonist horseback. I took this idea and put it in my cover by having an empty skyline and then below it having a densely populated town with the number of lights.



Wednesday 26 March 2014

Script Draft 5 - REVISITED AND CHANGED

     EPISODE 1


FADE IN:

SCREEN TITLES: “LIABILITIES”


EXT. HILL IN THE WILDERNERSS – NIGHT

The deserted city in the background, barren landscape showing no-one in sight other than the 3 main characters.
SCOTT (a tall thin boy in his late teens clearly shown by his jumper) is gazing into the distance.  LIAM (overweight, short boy in his mid-teens) and JOSH (a slim individual with large fringe) are stood on a hill overlooking an empty city where no-one is in sight, cars have crashed and there is a big crater in the centre.


                     Scott:
(Gazing into the distance)
Where is everyone?
Like no-one’s there and cars
are overturned and stuff


Liam walks over

Liam:
What are you suggesting Scott?

Josh a slim individual with large fringe buts in

Josh:
He’s obviously suggesting that
everyone has given up with this
dead-end city and decided to
leg it to the nearest city
where dreams can still be made.

Scott:
(Sighs)
No Josh. What I meant to say
is it looks like something has
hit the city and everyone has
fled or worse..

Liam:
What do you mean worse?

Scott:
Like y’know dead and stuff

Josh:
(disbelief)
Just listen to yourselves;
they’re probably fitting new
roads or something you retards


Scott:
That deep? They’re not making
a highway to hell you utter moron.


Liam laughs

Josh sternly looks at Liam who abruptly stops.

Josh:
Okay smartass, so what’s happened?

Liam:
Just stop fighting. We need to go
down there and
(stuttering) investigate

Josh:
Investigate?

Liam:
yeah.

Josh:
So? What are we waiting
here for? C’mon.

Josh grabs Liam by the arm as they walk towards the empty city

Scott runs after them in order to catch them up.

`                                    Dissolve to:



EXT. URBAN CITY – NIGHT

On the outskirts of an urbanised city where cars have been overturned and car alarms are going off. The air is heavy with mist

Scott:
Well, this doesn’t look
very ‘fun’

Josh:
C’mon lets get closer

Scott:
(dramatically)
And here he goes again,
always taking command to
drag us to an early death


Josh:
Wow. You realllllyyyyyyyy
are a pussy. Liam you comin’?

Liam suddenly looks up after looking at his feet to find Josh and Scott looking at him waiting for a response.

Liam:
Comin’? What? Sorry I wasn’t
listening

Josh:
(Aggressively)
Well I’m going with or without
you.

Liam:
(Stuttering)
but, but, but it looks dangerous
like we could get hurt or somethin’

Scott:
(aimed to annoy Josh)
For once, I agree with you Liam.

Josh:
Fine then.

Josh walks off towards the crater avoiding obstacles within his path

Scott and Liam shortly follow

Liam:
Wait up! If I didn’t know any better
it seems like you have got a keen
interest with big, dark holes…

Scott:
He was in Juvenile for too long and-

Josh: INTERRUPTING
(bluntly)
                Hahahahahahahahahahahaha no.

Liam:
(confused)
                I don’t understand..

Josh:
Good, you wouldn’t want to.
(sternly looks at Scott)


                                                           Fade to:
EXT. Urban City Crossroads

Deserted Crossroads with collapsed signposts, two cars are crashed in the middle of the crossroads with smoke coming from the bonnet. On the edge of the crossroads there is a field where there is a huge crater which has been recently made as shown by the glow coming from it.   


Josh approaches the crater cautiously where he stares down into it

Josh:
(whispers to himself)
                what is that..

Scott:
Get away from the edge,don’t
want you falling in do we?

Liam:(CONT’D)
Yeah.

Scott and Liam approach Josh to see what he is staring at

Liam:
Is that a-

Scott:
Meteor. Yes. Has to be.
But, it can’t be!

Josh:
(smugly)
                obviously is.

Josh climbs carefully down into the crater despite the distant yells coming from Scott and Josh.

Scott:
Josh! What the fuck are
you doing?! You’ll get
yourself killed!

Josh:
I’ve done stuff like this
before, I’ll be fineeeeeeeeee

A spark comes of the meteor and connects with Josh which sends him flying backwards with his arms and legs sprawled on the ground

Scott:
What the..

Liam:
Josh are you alright?!
‘cos you don’t look it

Josh:
And I’m fine, I just feel
er… weird?

Scott:
It’s about time you came
out the closet.

Josh:
Not like that. I mean I
feel like, hot and numb
almost like I’ve got pins
and needles in my arm

Liam offers his arm out to help Josh out the crater

Josh connects his hand onto Liam’s arm which Liam screams in agony and shrugs Josh off him

Josh falls back down into the crater where he stares at Liam with confusion


Liam:
Josh! What the fuck man,
that hurt!

Josh:
What hurt?

Liam:
You know.

Josh:
I honestly don’t

Liam:
You squeezed my arm!

Josh:
No I didn’t! I had hardly
any grasp on it.

Liam:
well whatever you did it
really fucking hurt.

Scott climbs down into the crater to get a closer look at the meteor, where Liam is still stood on his own grasping his arm in pain whilst watching on.

Josh:
(Angrily)
Oh yeah, just climb closer
to the meteor, don’t give a
flying fuck about me.

Liam feels isolated on his own and quickly jumps down into the crater alongside Scott and Josh

                                                Dissolve to:

EXT. WITHIN THE CRATER

The crater has an orange and red glow being created from the meteor veins. The crater itself has pipes and street lights sticking out of the base of the crater which the protagonists carefully manoeuvre around throughout the scene.  

Liam:
(As he is climing down)
I see what you did there 

Scott:
Shh. From what it seems something
has connected into you, like, an
electric shock or something.

Josh:
Electric? From a meteor?
Next joke.

Scott:
(bragging)
I did GCSE science, I’m
being serious

Leans backwards onto one of the slanted streetlight with a tooth pick in his teeth.

Liam:
Thought you failed that?

Scott quickly stands back up after being leant on the streetlight.

Scott:
(Sternly)
I did, but that’s not the
point.

Liam walks over and stands alongside Scott at the centre of the crater.

Liam:
So what actually is it?

Scott:
I’m not sure what it is
but whatever it is, has
totally messed up Josh.

Scott tries to get Josh’s attention

Scott:
(Shouting)
Josh… Josh…. JOSH

Josh purposely gives a delayed response

Josh:                                                                                            
Yeah, sorry, I’m still
here just slowly dieing.

Liam:
But you aren’t.

Josh:
Shutup.

Liam is gazing at the meteor which the other two characters notice and stare at Liam before Josh speaks up.

Josh:
(Directed at Liam)
What the fuck are you looking at

Scott:
Who? Me?

Josh:
(Pointing at Liam)
No. Him!

Liam:
(Unaware of what’s happening)
Err. What. Sorry wasn’t listening

Josh:
What were you staring at?

Liam:
(Almost certain)
The Meteor, it’s glowing

Scott:
No it isn’t...

An explosion goes off which Scott and Josh turn around to see where it came from

Scott:
(In fear)
What the fuck was that?!

Josh:
(Bluntly)
Like I’d know

Scott and Josh turn back around to talk to Liam

Scott:
Liam, Do you know wha-

A slight pause

Liam:
What?

Scott: (CONT’D)
Liam?..

Liam:
Yeah?

Liam cannot be seen to the characters but Liam can see them

Josh and Scott frantically climb out of the crater and return to the crossroads as a safety point. Liam follows with the other two unaware.

                                                     Fade to:

EXT. CITY CROSSROADS

The scene is unchanged. However the smoke coming from the cars bonnet has now distinguished and there are no longer any car alarms going off.

Josh:
Where the fuck is he? I can
hear him talking about stuff but
he’s like not there

Josh keeps turning around frantically to find sight of Liam

Scott:
(Bluntly to Josh)
No shit. I can hear you but
you’re like not there

Josh:
(Interupts)
I must be trippin’ balls man

Josh holds his head in his hands dramatically whilst giving a muted groan.

Liam:
Are you two okay?

Scott:
(Stressing)
Are we okay? You’re the one
fucking hiding

Liam looks baffled and is constantly looking at his arms and legs

Liam:
(Unaware)
How am I hiding? I’m stood
right in front of you

Josh:
But we can’t see ya..

Scott:
Did you touch the meteor?


Liam:
I don’t think so, not that
I know of

Josh:
(Making it clear to Scott)
Of course he has! He’s fucking
invisible for fuck sake

Liam:
(In shock)
Me? Invisible? Awesome.

Scott:
He can’t be! You haven’t been
affected like he has!

Characters focus on Josh’s arm

A electic ripple goes along Josh’s arm

Josh:
(Cheekily and cockily)
Are you sure mate?

Scott:
(Starts to panic)
IT CANT BE! SUPERPOWERS ARE
NON-EXISTANT AND DON’T EXIST
IT’S JUST FOR COMICS AND STUFF

Liam:
(Mockingly)
Ooooo someone learned a new
word, Mr Fancyyyyyyy

Scott:
Shutup! You can’t just trot
along over to the meteor and
touch it like this-

Scott touches Josh’s arm

                                                           CUT TO
INT. CITY MAIN STREET
Where a car is hurling towards Liam where Josh fires an electric bolt at to prevent it from hitting Liam

                                                           CUT TO

EXT. CITY CROSSROADS
Returns to where they were prior to this flashback-like scene

Josh:
Scott, Scott, are you okay Scott?
Wouldn’t want our little baby all
hurt *graps his cheek mockingly*

Scott shoves Josh off him

Scott:
Wow…

Liam:
What?

Scott:
I think I just had a flashback
Or something

Josh:
Oh yeah? Of what?

Scott:
(struggling to remember)
There was a car. It was flying towards
Liam and you shot it back with a bolt
or something

Liam:
But that hasn’t happened so how is it a
flashback?

Scott:
(Dazed)
I don’t know, it just, just
happened alight?

Josh:
Whatever you’re on. I need some
of that shit.

Another explosion goes off in which the camera has an over-the-shoulder of Liam which a car is heading towards him

Josh quickly steps in and without thinking shoots the car back with an electric bolt

The characters fall to the ground where they try to make sense of what Scott said and what happened

Liam:
(Dazed)
What. Just. Happened.

Josh:
What you said-

Liam and Josh:
(synchronously)
Happened.

The 3 protagonists slowly climb back to their feet whilst dusting off their pants and knees.

Scott:
I know, I knew something happened
to me when I touched Josh’s arm!

Josh interrupts and brings Scott’s aloud thoughts to a halt

Josh:
So let’s get this straight. I can
somehow shoot electric bolts,
Liam can turn invisible and you can
see into the future?!

Scott:
(Unsure)
It seems that way I guess

Josh:
(Slyly)
Do you realize what we can do?!
We can be whatever we want to be!
We’re fucking superheroes!

Liam:
(Extremely Happy)
This is going to be sweeeeeeeeeeeet

Scott:
We have powers now I guess. You know
what they say, with great power comes
great responsibility

Josh:
(Quickly catches on)
You robbed that off Spiderman


Scott:
It’s relevant though

Josh:
I couldn’t give a flying fuck if it’s
relevant, we’ve got a 3 different powers
and we’re sat here in a ditch wondering
why we’ve got them. Let’s get out there
and fuck shit up

Liam:
Amen.

Scott:
We’re (reluctant to say) ‘superheroes’ now.
We’re not criminals.

Liam:
Didn’t stop us before.

               

Scott:
That was different, we had nothing
to do with our lifes: no aspirations,
hopes etc we were washouts with no
purpose but now..

Liam:
(Confused)
                “now” what?

Scott:
Now. We sort this mess out and find out
what’s really going on.


Fade out