Storyboard Animatic

Costumes

Props List

• Laptop- Will feature on screen early on in the opening sequence.
• Book (Life After Life)- Will appear during the opening sequence.
• Broken glass tumbler- This will appear in the later half of the opening sequence.
• Flash cards- They will be used by the character Ava during the opening scene.
• Fold up chair- Will be used by the character May throughout the opening scene.

Storyboard

Script: First Draft

[Blank Screen]
Smashing of a glass followed by footsteps that go to the front door. The door opens then is pulled shut with loud thud.
The ambient sound consists of traffic outside and the sound of a gas stove to the left.

[Shot of the front door.]
The hallway is empty and the setting is motionless.

[Cuts to the kitchen.]
The kitchen is abandoned yet clearly lived in. A bag of pasta is messily positioned on the countertop while a saucepan filled with water is being heated on the stove over a gas flame. While untidy, the surroundings are visibly clean.

[Cuts to the bedroom.]
The bedroom appears to be pristine with clear attention to detail as objects are placed in specific order. A series of objects are placed in an aesthetically pleasing formation on top of a wooden fold up chair by the side of the bed. Framed photographs are positioned around the room which contain both family and friends of the character, showing her as social.

The exception of this is a working laptop which is positioned on top of a neatly made bed. The laptop is open on Facebook, showing the profile of the character. This alludes to the character’s name, age, relationship status, education and employment.

[Cuts to Livingroom.]
The Livingroom is tidy though showing visible signs of habitation. A coloured tea light is burning on a side table. A book is placed ajar on the coffee table (Life After Life).

Broken glass is moderately spread across one side of the room, this is accompanied by the character, who is deceased although has no visible signs of their cause of death.

The saucepan in the kitchen begins to boil over and the ambient sound of the traffic outside becomes more prominent, this continues as a woman enters through the front door. The woman is dressed in all black, formal attire accompanied with heels that make a distinct “clop” with each step.

The women then grabs hold of the fold up chair and drags it out of the bedroom towards the Livingroom, pushing all the objects off in the process.

Chaos appears to ensue as the water continues to violently boil over and the mysterious women pursues the body in a threatening fashion, this is interrupted with the repetitive smashing of the glass tumbler.

Finally the woman approaches the corpse, reaching out her right hand towards it while still dragging the chair with her left hand behind her.

[Cuts to the candle]
It has remained lit throughout the sequence. It is then abruptly blown out with an audible breath.

[Blank screen]

[Cuts to May sitting on wooden chair in the Livingroom]

May
(Wakes up suddenly with a loud gasp. She then proceeds to look the woman in front of her up and down.)
Who the fuck are you?

Ava
(Whips out printed flash cards)
Hello. I am Ava and I am your after-buddy.
(Makes eye contact and smiles slightly)
Due to unfortunate circumstances your life force has unfortunately seized to prevail… Quite unfortunate!
(Turns to next card)
And as result you currently reside in limbo. Please stay calm, after your relevant papers are faxed through to our dimension you will promptly be rehoused and integrated into our necropolitan society and reunited with your corresponding relatives.

May
Necropolitan?

Ava
Yes.
(Turns to next card)
Terms and conditions apply!

Silence.

Ava
Now, I know this might be difficult-

May
I have a headache… and I can’t breathe enough.

Ava
Ah yes, symptoms of the type of death remain for a bit.

May
Right?

Ava
We uninspiringly call it the death hangover.

May
Death hangover?

Ava
Or if your last moment were at the gallows we can them a hanged-over.
(Laughs at self)

Silence.

Ava
Okay.

[End.]

Risk Assessment

This is the risk assessment for during the filming process:

Location Recce

I have chosen three possible locations that would be available for me to film my film opening sequence in. I will weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of filming in each location before picking one of them to film in. This choice will come down to the difficulties each location may provide for the production process as well as how fitting each location seems for the character.

Out of the three possible locations I have chosen location 3. This is because the location has the least disadvantages that will need to be avoided during filming. The location would also fit the younger character making the film seem more realistic for the audience.

Independent Research: Surreal Comedy

Surreal humour is a subcategory of comedy that is used to derive humour from scenarios or concepts that are completely illogical and nonsensical. The style deliberately rejects rationality and thus creates situations and interactions that are not particularly realistic.

The humour is present by deviating from the audiences' expectations, this means that entertainment is drawn from unpredictability above all. In a sense the genre has appeal due to the completely ridiculous situation the audience is submerged in.

Examples of surreal comedy

Several television shows have used surreal humour in creating situations that would appear unfathomable for certain viewers. This includes the likes of Monty Python's Flying Circus, which has a running gag of a knight appearing and hitting characters on the head with a rubber chicken; The Mighty Boosh, which was described put simply as, "If Dali made a show, hopefully it would look like this."; and Community, which revolves around the ridiculous experiences of students attending a community college. The show community even features many mediums such as episodes made in clay animation and puppet replicas of the actors.

Audience Research

Out of the 3 initial ideas previously discussed I have chosen to continue with idea 1. This is due to the fact that the story is relatively contained compared to the other two idea, which both would require several locations that could not be sourced. I have also chosen this idea over the third because the it would be difficult to effectively replicate the time period and it would require too much time to try to avoid anachronisms.

Upon choosing this idea, I created an online survey with the aim to identify the possible target audience of the film and research how the plot could be improved to maximise the enjoyment of the viewer.

Find the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WVHYGW6

After being given the synopsis for the idea respondents were then asked several questions based on what they'd read. The key questions were "What do you dislike about the synopsis?" and "Who would this appeal to?", these are to identify what can be done to improve the idea for the respondent and what demographic the film should be aimed toward.

When asked to state what aspect of the synopsis they believed they would not enjoy, most answers were irrelevant. The majority were aspects of the story that could not be changed or were so vague to the point that their answer was incomprehensible! However, some of the answers had picked up on fact that they dislike the concept of a cult within the plot. To refine the idea I will eliminate this specific element of the plot to spend more time to focus on the murder mystery, which seemed to be well received based on the responses to the question of what appeals to them the most regard the synopsis:

Having been asked what kind of audience the film may attract respondents stated that the film would appeal to young adults:

Treatment

Synopsis
The film begins with a character who had been murdered by an unidentified character. The character has no apparent signs of how she died. After waking up in purgatory she is then paired with an eccentric guide, who has been tasked with officiating her transfer into the afterlife. However, after some disruptions the pair must investigate the circumstances of her murder. After this she uncovers the truths behind what some of her friends and relatives think of her as well as the reasoning for er disposal.
Setting
The film, and specifically the opening sequence, will be focused inside and around the flat of the character.
Characters
The film will consist of two main characters, the first being May. She is a character who was content with her position and understanding of the world, believing that life is all there is. This means that she has become a realist over time.
However, upon finding out about her predicament her entire understanding of reality and her ambition is turned on its head.
She is presented as a strongly relatable character for the audience and consistently points out the ridiculous aspects of the scenario she is in. This puts her on equal footing with audience, who would also note the surreal elements of the concept of the film.
The second main character is Ava. She is the polar opposite of the character of May. Having become accustomed to the concept of the afterlife she is desensitised by the ludicrous situation at hand.
The character herself is excited in being able to help a newcomer although is attempting to show the professionalism that had been advised to her. While being a highly positive character she is also naive about the living world around her and is shown as almost alien to the audience due to this.
Opening
The opening sequence will set the tone for the film. As the opening sequence is meant to take place in the "real world" as opposed to the post living one that May experiences for the rest of the film, the setting will appear to be darker and gloomy in comparison.
The genre should be evident within the opening sequence as the scene where May is murdered takes place at the start. However, as the audience can merely hear the scene, they will be faced with questions within the first few seconds.
The narrative of the film will be somewhat shaken up as the opening takes place at, what would be considered, the end for the character however, as the story progresses the duo find themselves looking into both the past and present to find answers. The way in which the opening sequence unfolds will also mimic the way in which the film will progress. This is where it begins calm and almost lighthearted due to the happy pictures of the character and her friends that will be positioned around the setting however there begins to be a more sinister and ominous element to the story that eventually shows itself.
The way in which the storytelling will be organised will mean that initially the audience will find themselves to be rather confused at the what is happening, this will match the feelings of the character May.
Characterisation will be somewhat focused around the dynamic of the two characters and how they bounce off each other through the story. As the two of them have quite separate personalities they will be shown almost as though they are programmed differently, especially in the opening sequence. The opening sequence will have a focus on May's characterisation though. As the opening progresses the audience will be shown sentimental pictures of her with friends and relatives as well as seeing her social media page which will give the audience some understanding of the character at hand.
During the opening sequence there will be some hints towards later revelations within the movie for instance, the book May was reading is called "Life after Life" which has a clear meaning. Later on May also complains of having some uncomfortable symptoms which are later to lead to the way in which she had died.
Props and costumes
The amount of props specifically in the opening sequence will be limited to that of everyday objects that would be found from the setting. These include a laptop, chair, and glass tumbler. These each have separate uses throughout the sequence.
May will wear the clothes which she had died in. These will be casual clothes. This will be contrasted with the formal clothing worn by Ava as she is dressed to appear professional.
Conventions
The film will primarily be part of the mystery genre. As a result the conventions that it will follow will consist of the whodunit story arc and eventually lead up to the big reveal of information at the end on the film. Also the convention of a team of two investigating the scene will be followed and Ava provides support for May throughout the story.

Initial Idea 1

Initial Idea 2

Initial Idea 3