Project Four - Year 3 Graphics - Final Major

“Major Project” Short Film

Major Project Treatment for BA Hons Graphic Design

By Lauren Richards-Evans

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 Premise

A young woman wakes up upon a presumed abandoned rail line, in the middle of nowhere – where she meets a man who refers to himself as the “Guardian”. Having discovered she had perished, it’s through him that she learns about the true afterlife and how she got there in the first place; having no recollection to the events before finding herself dead.

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I have always been drawn to the incomplete stages of a film, or music video – specifically the talents put into motion graphics, motion capture, animatronics and even special/after effect.

I feel the means of dissecting a music video into parts; capturing the sketches; storyboard, character development, photographic pieces, and the concluded finalization as multiple contributions to the production of this major project, would like a genuine behind the scenes footage of a music video, or even film allow the different, individual elements to one story; become stand-alone pieces of their own.  Not only showing the process, but the great detail and time placed upon even the smallest feature. 

However in placement for a behind of the scenes video, I feel a structured companion book that contains all the effort I placed into this potentially unsuccessful outcome will be a better and far more professional demonstration rather than loose imagery scattered across a wall.
Companions books are noted as publicized documentation which in the television and film industry the likes of David Cameron (Avatar, Titanic, Terminator), Tim Burton (Dark Shadows, Alice in Wonderland), Ridley Scott (Prometheus, Alien), and Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek) have released to show those of interest a detailed “journey” on the process of the film/television series, notably a film/television project that has a historically and culturally inspiring event.   

With this in mind, the purpose of this Final Major will be my attempts to construct a five minute short film; inclusive of the details stated above to help the viewers of my completed outcome understand the process taken. I will be delving deeply into researching and deciphering the progression of screenwriting, and technical advancements towards filmmaking; using books about various genres, such as Teach Yourself: Screenwriting by Ray Frensham, Subversion: The Definitive History of Underground Film by Duncan Reekie, and Underground Film: A Critical History by Parker Tyler, all of whom are known screenwriters, film makers and film critics within the industry, as well as inquiring to the opportunity to view professionals behind the scenes of a short or feature length film, to physically and visually captivate the techniques used when dealing with appropriate equipment; enhancing previous knowledge from behind the scenes documentaries.

Background & Inspiration

The plot is a recaptured approach to an old first year project “UEL Feature Shop”, where the outline was to write an original script/story, with the final being a visual presentation of a trailer or a scene. Accompanying the story, and script alone there had to be references to the ideal locations, characters, actors. I never managed to complete the film, and after three years – the concepts I created have been instilled in my memory, making me decide to salvage an incomplete idea.

Prior to landing upon the draft of “Wreckage”, I previously wished to make an adaption of a favored book; The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff, and before that began writing an elaborate introduction to  an original piece; the later struck off from its extremely complexity.

Despite disagreements with tutors upon my approach with the project – going forth with the former – they demonstrating my conceived script a misconception, I temporarily went ahead with what could’ve been a “film adaption”; approaching friends, and acquaintances for potential roles, both the acting and technical sides…then realized I should’ve simply gone ahead with an original concept, concluding the late progress as the result for no final outcome becoming made. 

In the speeded attempt to get the written work out the way, to come up with visual references; I searched websites; DeviantArt mainly for images to co-inside with the character design, something I sadly found no time for, and District London to assist with locations. Wanting the locations to be local to myself, living in East London – I ventured into abandoned train lines, tunnels, stations and towns i.e. Uxbridge Road, Silvertown Station, and Connaught Tunnel.  

The ideas of wishing for areas that represented “nowhere” I feel were subconsciously inspired by music videos such as ‘Weight of the World’ by Young Guns (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVg5GFINVpk); whenever I think of the opening scene of the short film “Wreckage” I always look back to how this video was developed, the train leaving an unused station. Because I had watched said music video very near the time I was writing out the original layouts of “UEL Feature Shop”, the imagery may have been playing on my mind.

Recent research had led me to an artist named Zeiva who owns her own company Zeiva Inc; whom I follow through DeviantArt and Facebook; she collaborates with other artists under the franchise, creating Abode Flash run “choice” games, where the player has multiple endings to unlock by deciding upon one particular answer. There was one game they worked on last year – “Train to Afterlife”, a theme that shared many qualities to the original outline of Wreckage, and by then I had no knowledge of the game in progress. Themes such as the idea of losing knowledge of who the decease once was, and in this case, how they died, having to rely on a guide (or more) to discover an element of that memory. What differs is that her plot uses tarot cards, each card representing a particular memory. https://www.facebook.com/#!/zeivainc?fref=ts 

Characters

Mercy (formerly “Marie”) – the main protagonist - born and raised in Northwest London, in a four year relationship, engaged and due to marry the following month prior to perishing in a train collision after drunkenly walking along an abandoned train track; waking up not remembering anything from the night before.

Dionysus i.e. The Guardian – the main dueteragonist – a mysterious man who appears upon the train track where Mercy finds herself, who only describes himself as someone who helps “the lost”, unveiling later his true purpose, the guardian of the afterlife. He is the one that assists Mercy into remembering the events before she dies.

Cedrick (formerly Tom) – the main tritagonist – fiancé and future husband of Mercy, he was the last person to see her alive, losing sight of her the night she died. Remorseful, he is unaware of his fiancé’s presence in the nether world, they co-existing in two separate plains. He finds out the truth when Dionysus enlightens his fiancé from her amnesia

Phantoms – extras – these are the souls of those who have died, or supernatural creatures protected by the Guardian.

©
Lauren Richards-Evans
University of East London
BA Hons Graphic Design and Illustration

thechocolatier@hotmail.co.uk

Wreckage Screenplay (First Draft, preview)
Wreckage Screenplay (Second Draft)
Wreckage Screenplay (Third Draft)

 

 

 

 

 

Opening credits, theme: Lunatic Soul V- Impressions V
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY9i5cdcTbM
Ending credits: Riverside - Living In The Past
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlbLusaf304

Project Three - Year 3 Graphic Design - Audience