Casting and Avatars

Once we had decided on our plot for our film and the characters involved we needed to decide on appropriate actors to portray these characters. I have gave a description of each character in the opening sequence, their roles and other factors such as the costume they will wear. We created avatars using a website called Pickaface to give a clearer representation of what our characters will look like.

Lucy -main character
Played by: Emily Driscoll
Role: Lucy is the older sister of Josh who gets murdered by child collector after an attempt to save her younger sibling.I play this role, I thought that I would be best to play this role as I was always available to film when we needed to and I also have blonde hair which is considered a convention in horror films that blonde women are the victims.

Costume: Average Clothing of a 17 year old teenager. She wears a red scarf that suggests that she is in danger.





Female friend 1Played by: Renya Szczodrak
Role: Friend of older Josh at the beginning of the opening
This will played by one of the group members as she is also the same age as the character and as shes part of the group she knows how best to play the role to our desire.
Costume: Average clothing of a teenager, clothing was not specific and we came in what we would normally wear because this is the age group we want to represent.

Older Josh - Protagonist
Played by: Ryan Spencer
Role: Plays the older version of Josh who has a flashback to a past horrific event at the park.
We thought that this actor would be best for the role as he is of the same age as the older version of Josh and can play a believable role.
Costume:  Average clothing of a teenage boy

Female friend 2Played by: Abi Nash
Role: Female friend of the older Josh at the beginning of the opening sequence.
This will played by one of the group members as she is also the same age as the character and as shes part of the group she knows how best to play the role to our desire.
Clothing: average clothing of a teenage girl in 2013

 The Child Collector - AntagonistPlayed by: Renya Szczodrak
Role: The antagonist of the film who is set out to murder Josh. In the opening they murder Josh's older sister.
Costume: Wheres a mask of a baby face. The clothing that she will wear will be baggy dark male clothes and a 'hoodie' to disguise the fact that the Child Collector is a played by a female

Younger Josh
Played by: Matthew Driscoll
Role: the main character of the opening sequence who witnesses the murder of his sister after she attempts to save him from the Child Collector, he survives.
Costume: Average clothing of an 11 year old

Role Allocation

Director:  We decided that we would all direct the film because we all have our own individual ideas, if one person was to direct the film may not be created to the best of our ability, we all need input into the directing. 

Writer: We all wrote the script and plot because they were both a combination all our ideas and by writing it together we could expand on our ideas as we went.

Cameraperson: We decided as a group that we would all film some scenes, we allocated ourselves particular scenes because we all had acting parts in the film and therefore we will be unable to film ourselves. I personally have a big acting role in the opening sequence and therefore it was better for me to film the opening scene and the end scene in which I am not involved in. However, we all had input even when we were acting as to where the camera should be placed and what angles should be shot.

Editor: We all decided we would edit the film together so that we can all have some input in to the film so that it is edited to the best of the groups ability.

We thought that by allocating roles evenly all of our individual ideas could be taken in to account so that our film involves the best of our ideas. 

Storyboard

Scripts

As a group we decided to change our original script and idea that involved a mother and father watching their children at the park to a brother and sister, it follows a similar story line but we had to change it because we couldn't find actors of the age that we wanted to act in our film.

New Script:

 At the park during the evening

 Group of friends- Josh why are you standing there come in you idiot

 Josh – I can’t

 Cuts to flashback of lifeless body (screaming) then a cut back to a medium close up of Josh’s face

 Group of friends – like what

 Josh – Bad things have happened in my child hood

Group of friends – What happened (they all heckle and made jokes)

 Flashback of park at twilight with distant ambient sound of families walking way.

 Lucy– Josh, it’s time to go home now

 Josh- No, I don’t want to go home yet. Let me go and play on the swings

 Lucy– all of the other families are leaving

 Josh – only because it’s getting dark

 Lucy– that’s not the only reason

 Josh – what do you mean?

 Lucy– have you ever heard of the child collector?

 Josh – who?

 Lucy – There is a legend about a man called the child collector who haunts this park seeking and kidnapping children like you who don’t leave the park by nightfall

(fade out dialogue)

Child collector – little did they know I was watching them

(Fade in)

 Josh runs off to play on swings 

 Lucy – (frustrated) Fine, let the child collector catch you

 (Lucy gets up to leave)

 (Cut to Josh going up to a man on the swing)

 Josh – can I have a go on the swing?

 (Man starts to turn, then a cut to close up of josh’s face he then screams and cuts back to his sister Lucy walking away)

 (Lucy hears a scream and runs over to where he heard the scream to see a man on the swing facing towards him with his head down but no josh in sight)

 Lucy - where’s my brother?

 (Slow zoom which speeds up rapidly to the child collector looking up towards him)

 (Lucy turns to run away but child collector is faster than him so he grabs him by the neck)

 Child collector – I told you so

 (Makes his way over to the slide, laughter going down the slide)

Child Collector - it’s time for round two josh (laughter)

Old Script:

At the park during the evening

 Adult Josh – (to wife) c’mon, let’s get the kids and go home (anxiously)

 Sally – don’t be silly Josh, the kids are having fun don’t ruin it for them.  What’s wrong with you?  Why are you always anxious here?

 Cut to flashback of lifeless body (screaming) then a cut back to a medium close up ofJosh’s face

 Adult Josh – you know I don’t like to talk about my childhood

 Flashback of park at twilight with distant ambient sound of families walking way.

 Tom (older brother) – Josh, it’s time to go home now

 Josh - No, I don’t want to go home yet. Let me go and play on the swings

 Tom – all of the other families are leaving

 Josh – only because it’s getting dark

 Tom – that’s not the only reason

 Josh – what do you mean?

 Tom – have you ever heard of the child collector?

 Josh – who?

 Tom – There is a legend about a man called the child collector who haunts this park seeking and kidnapping children like you who don’t leave the park by nightfall (fade out dialogue)

 Child collector – little did they know I was watching them

 (Fade in)

 Tom – that’s why we should go

 Josh – no, I don’t believe you (runs off to play on swings)

 Tom – (frustrated) Fine, let the child collector catch you

(Ambient sound of mobile phone)

 (Exaggerated loud breathing)

 (Extreme close up of phone saying ‘I will’)

 (Cut to Josh going up to a man on the swing)

 Josh – can I have a go on the swing?

 (Man starts to turn before a cut back to Tom)

 (Tom hears a scream and runs over to where he heard the scream to see a man on the swing facing towards him with his head down but no josh in sight)

 (Slow zoom which speeds up rapidly to the child catcher looking up towards him)

 (Tom turns to run away but child collector grabs him by the neck)

 Child catcher – I told you so

New opening sequence plot

We decided to change the plot of our film because we struggled to find actors that fitted the original characters, it follows a similar story line but we've altered it to fit the new younger characters.

The opening sequence of our film begins with an establishing shot of a horizontal pan and ariel shot of Tamworth park, we will be immediately introduced to the Child Collector through flashes during these shots giving hints of who the killer will be. We will then be introduced to a group of teenagers walking towards the park, this will be a horizontal tracking shot of them entering the park but the older version of 'Josh' will stop before he enters as he thinks about the consequences of going in because of something that happened in the past. There is then a shot reverse shot between the group of friends and 'Josh' and they ask him why he isn't coming in. There is then an over the shoulder shot from the point of view of the two female friends where Josh says "i'm not coming in" 

   It then cuts to a flash back night time long shot of an average 17 year old girl called 'Lucy' who is being dragged away by an unidentified figure.

Shot reverse shots are used againn while the conversations between the group and Josh continue to interrogate him, an over the shoulder shot will be used again where Josh claims that “Bad things have happened".

   The film then cuts rapidly to a black flash of twilight pans of a park where a close up shot is then shown of a 10 year old boy and his sister. Lucy will insist on leaving the park because of the urban legend of 'The Child Collector' who was brutally murdered at the playground where they are now. She continues to say that if they don’t leave the park by nightfall then the child collector will appear and collect any wondering children and kill any adults with them.

   The dialogue then fades out where a voiceover saying that he is watching them, giving the audience an idea that something bad will happen to these character later on in the film. The dialogue then fades in to 'Josh' the younger brother saying he rejects this story and thinks his sister has made this plea to get him to leave.  Josh then runs off to carry on playing. 'Lucy' looks frustrated and shots “fine let 'The Child Collector' get you” there is then a voice over of 'The Child Collector' making a threat that he will get Josh like she said.

   There is then a cut to a shot of someone’s back who is swinging on the swing, 'Josh' goes up to him and asks if he can have a go on the swing, 'The Child Collector' lifts his head towards the front wide shot of the camera that shows 'Josh' behind the figure on the swing. The figure turns but we don't see what happens to Josh but instead hear his screams when it cuts to a shot of Lucy about to walk away. She runs hurriedly to where she hears them. Its cuts to a hand held shot by 'Lucy' where you can see the ground as she is running and it’s accompanied by her heavy breathing, this is done to emphasise the panic that she is feeling at this time as she doesn't know what has happened to her brother but knows it may be to do with the fear Child Collector. She asks  'The Child Collector' on the swings looking down at the floor with his hood up where her brother is. There is a slow zoom in and becomes rapid when the male looks to reveal he is wearing a baby mask. 'Lucy' screams and then turns to run however 'The Child Collector' stands up and grabs 'Lucy' by the neck and pulls her to the ground, this is shown through another hand held shot to show the panic of the situation. There is then a close up that moves into an extreme close up to show 'The Child Collector' cutting 'Lucy' and removes his hand away and reveals that she is bleeding the shot is then zoomed out as 'The Child Collector' drags 'Lucy' away by her legs while the camera pans in the opposite direction of where he is dragging her.

   Then a shot is shown of 'The Child Collector' making his up the slide he then goes down the slide laughing creepily. A shot is shown which reveals Josh is hiding within shrubbery with a shocked face after he has just witnessed the murder of his sister, with this an over the shoulder shot is revealed of 'The Child Collector' which then zooms in to show Josh running away in fear.

Fade out back to a close up of the older 'Josh's' face and a voice over of the child collector saying “Time for round two Josh”, leaving the opening with a cliff hanger.

  

Original opening sequence plot

Media opening sequence plot (original)

   The opening sequence of our film shows an establishing shot of a man called Josh asking his wife Sally to leave the park and go home however she is adamant to leave as she says “stop being scared of park Josh,  the kids are having fun”

  It then cuts to a flash back night time shot of an average 17 year old boy who is Josh’s older brother Tom(this flash back was from the past when Josh was 10 years old), who is being dragged away by an unidentified figure.  

   It then cuts back to present where there is a medium close up of his face showing a shocked and fearful expression and josh replies “you know I don’t like to talk about my childhood”

   The film then cuts again rapidly to a flash back of twilight pans of a park where a close up shot is then shown of 10 year Josh and his older brother Tom. There is then a shot of  other families leaving the park, the older brother then talks about an urban legend of THE CHILD COLLECTOR who haunts the park where they are now, taking young children. He continues to say that if they don’t leave the park by nightfall then the child collector will appear and collect any wondering children and kill any adults with them.

   The dialogue then fades out where a voiceover saying “little did they know I was already there watching them”. The dialogue then fades in to Josh the younger brother saying he rejects this story and thinks his brother has made this plea to get him to leave.  Josh then runs off to carry on playing. Tom looks frustrated and shouts “fine let THE CHILD COLLECTOR get you” he then hears a beep from his phone which is a text message from an unidentified number which reads “I WILL”.

There is then a cut to a shot of someone’s back who is swinging on the swing, young josh reaches up to tap him on the shoulder and says “can I have a go on the swing” then male slowly turns around but we don’t see his face.  

   It then cuts to a shot of Toms scared face who is looking around for his brother and then hears a scream. Tom runs to where he hears the scream expecting to see Josh but sees a man on the swings looking down at the floor with his hood up. There is a slow zoom in and becomes rapid to a medium close up when the male looks to reveal he is wearing a baby mask. Tom screams and then turns to run however THE CHILD COLLECTOR stands up and grabs Tom by the neck and pulls him to the ground before saying “I told you so”. He then kills him by bashing his head with a rock and drags him away. A shot is shown which reveals Josh is hiding within shrubbery with a shocked face.   

   Then a shot is shown of THE CHILD COLLECTOR making his way over to the slide he then goes down the slide laughing creepily, with this Josh we see starts to run away and THE CHILD COLLETOR turns his head. 

Final Pitch

The film will be set in Tamworth park, we chose this area because its somewhere associated with young children where they go to with their families and where adolescents may socialise. It will be where the whole of the opening sequence will be set. We chose this particular park because its easily accessible for all of our group to get to and includes all of the aspects of a park that are essential for our film such as only one swing because our protagonist will go up to the antagonist on the swing and ask if he can have a go which wouldn't make sense if there was a swing right next to him. 

We have finally decided as a group to continue with the initial idea of the masked antagonist, the mask will be of a babies face. We chose this idea because it proved one of the most frightening aspects of a horror films, this down to the fact that their emotions are covered by the mask and creates a sense of the unknown, something which many are scared of. It proved very effective in the highly successful horror film 'Saw' and we wanted to create a similar effect. 

To the left is the kind of mask which we are hoping to get, we will buy this off a site such as eBay.
We chose this idea above others because of the pure fear factor that a mask of this kind will produce and it links nicely to the setting of the park.

The protagonist will remain a young eleven year old boy who will be murdered by 'The Child Collector', we chose this because it was most fitting to the setting of the park and a boy of this age comes across more vulnerable. To open our film this character will walk towards the park with his friends but refuse to go in because bad things had happened in the past, where he witnessed the murder of his older sister. The sister will be played by a 17 year old girl with blonde hair,  we chose this character after researching other horror films such as 'Candyman' we found that young girls with blonde hair are often the victims in such horror films.
Josh will then go into the horror convention of a flashback where we will see this event occur before the opening ends leaving a cliff hanger for the rest of the film.
We have also decided to involve a voice over of the 'Child Collector' himself, we will make sure that the person who does the voice over can create a deep frightening tone to his voice to represent the child collector.
The music will also be slow and tension building and fast pace at times of panic, we chose this because its a common convention in many horror films and we thought that it would work better with our film especially at the time of the murder of Lucy, Josh's older sister