Initial Ideas

Anna's version of initial ideas

Through my research and looking at existing soap trailers, I have decided to have a quick montage of sequences with one main storyline running throughout. These are some initial narrative ideas for the different montage sequences:

·         Running scene

·         Fighting scene

·         Bed room scene (girl waking up after party with guy)

·         Bed room (breaking up, clothes over suitcase)

·         Couple breaking up

·         Couple getting together

·         Smoking

·         Party scene

·         Run away

·         Goodbye (train station)

·         Fighting scene (two guys and one girl)

·         Two people kissing with girl behind them

·         Top of a building (jump off?)

·         Girls putting on make-up and guys getting ready

·         Classroom scene

·         Canteen scene

·         Shopping scene

      This is an initial idea for the main storyline;

Storyline – Group of 7-9 people are in trouble, I used this number because looking at similar soaps such as “Skins”, and “The Cut”. The group will be in trouble, resulting in them getting chased, threats and fights, however why they are in trouble will be a mystery to create intense and attract the audience to watch the show.

Location ideas:

Looking at my research into existing TV soap, I want to pick realistic locations that fit my representations of teenagers.

Initial location ideas:

Alex park (reservoir), Hollywood park, overview of centre and hill, Stockport shopping centre, Mersey walk side (under bridge), train station, college classrooms

Alexandra park is a large park containing a reservoir, hills and lots of greenery.

Stockport train station would be good to use, the pillars can create good framing. This setting could be used for chase scenes, or someone running away scene. However, permission for shooting in Stockport train station might be complicated and not permitted, in that case, similar locations such as a bus stop could have the same effects.

Mersey River has a walk pathway next to it that travels under bridges such as this one that contains graffiti, this gives representations of rebel youths.

Heaten Norris Park is located on a hill next to Stockport centre, therefore is has the great view of the whole Stockport centre. This will make a great establishing shot. Additionally the park has lots of hills and courts such as basketball courts that we could use for male characters to be playing a match in, giving messages of competition and masculinity.

We could also use my house that is close to Stockport centre to do indoor scenes such as a bedroom scene, bathroom scene, kitchen...

We can also use Aquinas College for a setting, however we would have to do this within college opening hours and with Aquinas students, limiting our shooting hours and cast. However if we do not get all our scenes shot, or have to re-shot some scenes that this is easily done at Aquinas College.


Emma's Version of Initial Ideas

• Visit your interesting locations (think of the background-Mise en scene) and take images, think about camera placement and movement.

• Continuity, think about weather conditions from one day to the next, film at the same time.

• Coverage, 2 cameras and move angles and more options in the editing stage. Have more than one take to rely on.

• Rehearsals with actors are prepared with a script.

• Could have make up and costumes

• Have to get permission if filming in public places for example Stockport town centre and train stations.

• Think about sound.

A trailer has to be one minute-(ish).

Locations- Alex Park (reservoir), Hollywood Park- overview of the centre of Stockport, Stockport shopping centre, Mersey walk side (under bridge), train station, college classrooms.

Different Scenes that we could use...

• Running Scene- Chasing

• Fighting Scene- Two guys over a girl

• Bedroom Scene-breaking up (throwing clothes from a suitcase over the guy) and (couple waking up)

• Couple Breaking up- self explanatory

• Couple Getting Together

• Party Scene- drinking too much

• Goodbye Scene- someone getting on a train and the other person all upset (never going to see them again)

• Girls getting ready for a party.

• Classroom Scene/Canteen Scene

• Shopping in Stockport

Have writing in the cuts between scenes saying questions for the audience.

Summary

• Group of people are in trouble, they have done something very bad and have been mixed with some dangerous people. At the end a girl leaves the town on a train to start fresh and breaks up with her boyfriend??

Script

• Begins with a guy and a girl on a bench at the train station ‘We’re in trouble’...

• Someone running away from 3 or 4 people from under a bridge. From the dark into the light- they keep looking back to see how far back they are. WEATHER: raining- give a better effect when running.

• ...

• ...

• Another guy gets woke up by girlfriend throwing his clothes at him, saying ‘what have you done?!’ She runs out and the guy follows shouting her name but she doesn’t look back...

• The same couple from the beginning end with the girl saying ‘I’m leaving you’ and ends with her getting a train??? WEATHER: needs to be evening time or at dusk with the sun setting.

Locations

We are going to use many different locations as we are shooting several scenes that cut to and from each other. We will base are main locations in the Stockport area for example, Hazel Grove, Grand Central, Mersey Walk Side and Aquinas College.

Hazel Grove and Grand Central train stations are a good place to shoot for one of our story lines where maybe a couple are about to break up because of what has happened within the storyline. Many shots can be taken from the camera such as: tracking the train, long shot as the train goes in the distance, two shot of the couple and establishing shot of the actual train station with framing of the couple. Using the train station maybe an issue as they are very noisy which means the trailer won’t look very professional.

Mersey Bridge is an ideal place to shoot another of our scenes. The chasing scene of a group/ gang of people will be appropriate to shoot in this location, it shows graffiti which suggests our soap trailer is targeted at a more younger audience- the characters and actors that will be acting in our trailer will be our age (around 17-19) which also targets teenagers rather than adults. The graffiti also shows mise en scene. 

The picture shown below shows a lake in the area of Stockport. This could be shown with another couple, maybe getting together. It is close by to one of our houses which are suitable to shoot there.

Costumes and Props

For our soap trailer to look professional we will need to make the actors look like their characters, this will include what they wear, makeup and hair, props and settings.

Our soap trailer is aimed at teenagers which is a similar product to the series Waterloo Road therefore teens and people of a similar age will relate to this.

Many college students wear hoodies, jumpers, jeans and joggers; this implies that the props and costumes used are the usual cast's daytime clothes.

Our props that we will use when shooting our soap trailer will include daily items for example mobile phones, this suggests that we are targeting a teenage audience as many other people around this age range relate to their mobile phones and social network sites such as Facebook. Other practical prop items are things for instance a bench for couple scenes, a bed and suitcase for a break up scene.

This is a map of our locations. Heaton Norris park, Stockport Train station, my house, Mersey pathway.
All of them, are easily accessible, and within 10/15 minutes away from each other making it quicker to switch between locations and easier to get all shooting done on one day.