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Synopsis and Logline

Logline: After losing their child, a grieving father confronts the temptation of suicide, but learns that healing comes from accepting loss and treasuring memories, not giving in to despair.

Synopsis: The film follows Matt, who struggles to cope with the loss of his daughter, Sophie. He contemplates suicide but realizes the impact it would have on his wife, Sarah, and others. With the help of a therapist, Matt works towards finding acceptance. He and Sarah learn to honour Sophie's memory by scattering her ashes at her favourite spot, the duck pond. Through these tough times, they work together learning to love and cherish the old times they had with Sophie.

ORIGINAL IDEA
09/03/24

Synopsis: A story about a guy who seemingly kills himself at the start due to the pain caused in his life. We then take the story through his loved ones perspective, the pain this suicide has caused in their lives now. We see how killing yourself doesn’t end the pain at all, instead it just passes it onto someone else. We then reunite with the protagonist at the end at the moments before he killed himself yet this time he decides to set back as he doesn’t want to cause any more pain in this world, especially to the ones he loved.

What Changed

In the Original Idea, my protagonist supposedly dies and we see them grieve his death throughout the film. We then reunite with him at the end where it seems it was all just going round his head and showing how guilty he would've felt for killing himself. Instead, in the Final Idea my protagonist seems to have killed himself at the start again however this time we get flashbacked to the time when their child dies and it shows them all, including the protagonist, mourning over the child and it showcases the events leading up to why my protagonist wanted to kill himself that night. We then reunite with him at the end as he hasn't gone through with it.

Final Pitch

You can see clearly throughout the Final Pitch where I took inspiration from the film 'Empathy' in my Final Film, specifically at 7:39, using the Blue Hour to capture the same shot as Jordan's.

Planning Experimentation

CASTING ACTORS

For my first Planning Experimentation, I looked into experimenting with Casting Actors. I found two different methods: Casting Calls and Agency Agencies putting them both to the test in the detailed video below explaining about each method and which one has been most effective for my Final Major Project.

STORYBOARDING

For my second Planning Experimentation, I experimented with different ways of creating Storyboards. I narrowed my choices down the two most popular methods: Hand Drawn Storyboards and Picture Storyboards, putting them both to the test in the detailed video below explaining about each method and which one has been most effective for my Final Major Project.

HAND DRAWN

PICTURE BOARD

Casting

For the Casting of my Film, I had made Casting Calls and emailed Acting Agencies for my Planning Experimentatio, to try and find suitable actors for Acceptance. I was successful with the Casting Calls where I found both lead roles through a Facebook Post.

CASTING CALL

DAN MISSING

LOIS GARDNER

Here is the first emails where I had been contacted from Lois, she sent her Spotlight account which was great to see some of her previous work. From this me and Lois communicated back and forth for a week where she brought up the idea of her boyfriend playing the lead male protagonist. She sent me over his details where I could see the films he had been in previously. As they were playing a couple in the film, I knew there would be nothing better than to have an actual couple play a part in my film as they would already be comfortable with each other.

I provided them with the Planning Documents beforehand to ensure they were prepared going into Production.

When I sent the script over to them, I kindly asked if they could provide a Tape of them both reading out the therapy scene towards the end of the film so I could get an idea of who would be suited best for the role, in case it would better as the woman becoming the protagonist. However, I felt Dan could take on the male protagonist role best with him portraying a very closed and emotionally reticent character which fit my description perfectly.

SIAN PRYDDERCH

The second person who contacted me from the Facebook post was Sian. She wanted to play a support role and seemed keen on the only one available, the therapist. We emailed back and forth for two weeks and I sent her the script to get familiar and memorise the lines to ensure we don't waste time when it comes to Production Days.

Casting List (28th March)

DAN MISSING
Matt Clark

Sian.jpg

SIAN PRYDDERCH
The Therapist

LOIS GARDNER
Sarah Clark

Charlie.jpg

CHARLIE HOOKS
The Doctor

Casting List (2nd April)

DAN MISSING
Matt Clark

Sian.jpg

SIAN PRYDDERCH
The Therapist

Sian.jpg

VIOLET WRIGHT
Sophie Clark

LOIS GARDNER
Sarah Clark

Charlie.jpg

CHARLIE HOOKS
The Doctor

MABLE WRIGHT
Lily Clark

I found the two child actors by my uncle generously allowing them to be in the film as he said it would be something they would love to do and show off to their friends.

FINAL Casting List (5th April)

DAN MISSING
Matt Clark

Ez.jpg

EZ HEMMINGS
The Therapist

Sian.jpg

VIOLET WRIGHT
Sophie Clark

LOIS GARDNER
Sarah Clark

Charlie.jpg

CHARLIE HOOKS
The Doctor

MABLE WRIGHT
Lily Clark

Sadly my previous actor, Sian, whom I found off of Facebook for the therapist role had to step back from the part as her uni required her presence.

Screenplays

FINAL SCREENPLAY
01/04/24

FIRST DRAFT
19/03/24

SECOND DRAFT
24/03/24

What Changed

SECOND DRAFT
24/03/24

In the Second Draft, I had finally come up with the name of my film 'ACCEPTANCE'. I came up with this as I knew one of the themes of my film is learning to accept the fact you can't bring a late loved one, and after reading over it a few times I came to the conclusion that this was the most important theme by far. The next change I made, was adding an additional scene of my protagonist, Matt, running in the introduction. The reason I decided to add this scene wasn't to add anything to the narrative it was simply down to adding a range of different shot types to showcase my Cinematography ability. I wanted this to be a fast dolly-in which could really show off how well I operate a Gimbal. I also worked on a rough outline for the dialogue of the therapy scene. This wasn't close to being the final dialogue however, it gave me a good outline of what to talk about in that scene, and a starting point to make it sound natural on Production Days.

FINAL SCREENPLAY
01/04/24

In the Final Screenplay, I added the song that I thought was going to be the best fit for the Opening Sequence of my Film, The Shape of Birds by Phillip Daniel. I always found finding the songs beforehand was the best way to go as I could visualise in my mind if they were going to be a good fit or not and I have high hopes for this one. I also decided to remove the Car Scene just after my protagonist walks down the stairs. This was due to the fact that I didn't want to make my character profiles too specific, requiring them to need a car and driver's licence, as I thought this may be too difficult to find as a student without any budget. Fuel costs a lot of money! 

The main change in the Final Screenplay however, was I changed in Scene 5 instead of having Matt feel fine after losing Sophie, Matt deals with it worse than Sarah does. I felt there was unnecessary confusion with how this was before, so I simplified it and personally I believe it is more effective.

Production Schedule

FINAL SCHEDULE
05/04/24

These became a huge help when it came to Production, it improved my filming workflow as the actors were already prepared with what scenes are being filmed each day.

FIRST DRAFT
28/03/24

SECOND DRAFT
03/04/24

What Changed

SECOND DRAFT
03/04/24

In the Second Draft, I changed around all the dates of when each scenes were being filmed, this was due to my child actors were only available on Wednesday, so I had to play everything around them which was not an issue at all. Dan and Lois were both absolutely free whenever, so they were not an issue either.

FINAL SCHEDULE
05/04/24

In the Final Schedule, I showed interest and gathered permission from my Grandad to film at his house, Barn Mead. I showed most interest in his house compared to others such as mine as I found his house more aesthetically pleasing plus he was normally away at work so we would have a whole house to ourselves unlike my house, where my mother works from home so she is always present.

Equipment List

FINAL LIST
03/04/24

FIRST DRAFT
28/03/24

SECOND DRAFT
02/04/24

What Changed

SECOND DRAFT
02/04/24

In the Second Draft, I added the Selens Reflector to my Equipment List. The main reason for adding this into my Equipment List is I had seen the potential for it in my Experimentation. Where I stated I wouldn't use this outdoors when the sun is shining, I see potential when it comes to that Golden Hour time of the day, when the sun is shining its warmest tones. This may not get used when it comes to Production, but I thought I'd include it as if I get the right opportunity to use it, I know it can produce incredible results.

FINAL LIST
03/04/24

In the Final List, I added the NEEWER Monitor to my Equipment List. I decided to add this so I could find it easier to see my shots, specifically when checking they are in focus and not soft, as my LUMIX S5 camera only features a small screen.

Shot List

FINAL LIST
22/03/24

FIRST DRAFT
19/03/24

The only thing I changed from the First Draft to the Final Shot List was I decided to Colour Code the days of when each shot was being filmed. I knew this would be a massive help on set when ticking off shots to ensure I don't miss any.

Storyboards

As you can see from these Storyboards, my artistic skills are very underdeveloped. The storyboards will be documents I most likely won't take onto set with me, as I believe my Shot List is detailed and sufficient to acquire the particular shot I am going for.

Model Release Form

I have sent a copy of this form to be completed by all my actors to ensure I do not end up with any legal issues when it comes to showcasing their faces on my YouTube Channel, this was especially necessary with the under-18, child actors in my film as I would need consent to show their face from their parents.

Risk Assessment

I have sent a copy of this to all of my actors and crew as I want to stay away from being sued due to potential hazards that could occur across the Production Days.

Location Recces

FINAL RECCE
04/04/24

St Marys Church is a beautiful scenic Church. It provides a wide open space to really captivate on that Cinematic Look. It is featured in the film as a venue for the gathering of Sophie's passing.

Finchingfield is an olden, but stunning village. Just being there is bound to cheer anyone up, which is why it is Sophie's solace place to be cherished.

Barn Mead is a well-decorated house, following a fairly modern theme to fit with the age of the couple, Matt and Sarah.

Hatfield Peverel Station is a gloomy but well lit station, the lighting is going to be perfect to create that lowkey look on my protaganist.

FIRST DRAFT
09/03/24

St Marys Church is a beautiful scenic Church. It provides a wide open space to really captivate on that Cinematic Look. It is featured in the film as a venue for the gathering of Sophie's passing.

Marshalls Park is an aesthetic and clean park, with the right sunny weather this is a location that will ensure the flashbacks of Sophie stay happy and cherished.

SECOND DRAFT
15/03/24

St Marys Church is a beautiful scenic Church. It provides a wide open space to really captivate on that Cinematic Look. It is featured in the film as a venue for the gathering of Sophie's passing.

Finchingfield is an olden, but stunning village. Just being there is bound to cheer anyone up, which is why it is Sophie's solace place to be cherished.

What Changed

SECOND DRAFT
15/03/24

In the Second Draft, I changed the place where Sophie's happy memories are shown to Finchingfield instead of Marshalls Park. This was due to the fact I believe Finchingfield looks like a much more happy and pleasing place to be, and I wanted to find the place that represents this the most.

FINAL RECCE
04/04/24

In the Final Recce, I gathered permission from my Grandad to use his house as a setting for my film and I also located a suitable Train Station on Google Maps. Hatfield Peverel Station caught my eye as I knew it would be a quiet location not being set in a highly-populated town. The bridge over the two platforms was also a key factor in choosing this as I knew I could acquire various angles of trains passing through, giving me better options for my cinematics.

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