Storyboard Ideas

A few places within the script call for long periods of dialogue, back and fourth between two characters. Rather than filming these scenes with a one-two, back-and-fourth, style, I'd like to take inspiration from The Shining and use simple long takes to shoot these conversations. I believe my approach is justifiable as just as with The Shining the location is an important element of the story, so is the castle market in our own film. Due to the interesting and large spaces in which Kubrick's story is told, it was important that as much of the building was shown off as possible. This is much the same with our film, we chose the market and built a story around it due to its interesting architecture therefore not to show it off would be a big mistake.

One such shot I have in mind imitates one seen in The Shining;

The characters are across the room from the camera, walking and talking as they are shown around the hotel, the camera following the action by way of a sideways track. They then reach the back wall art which point they change the direction of they are waking and move towards the camera, finishing the conversation stood just a few meters from the camera. Aside from showing off the hotel, the shot gives the impression of being a POV, like much of the film, its cinematography suggests an entity that constantly watches the inhabitants. Since our 'ghost' is going to be somehow linked with or trapped in the market, i'd also like to incorporate shots that hint at being someone's or something's point of view. 

The pictures below depict where in the market I would hope to achieve a similar shot. It would be easy to use several track and dolly kits to create a very long track on which the camera can move along, following actors as they share long conversations.

 Here is how I envisage the shot working in a practical sense;

The beginning of the screenplay calls for the depiction of our protagonist walking through a busy market, on his way to a meeting with the manager, aka, his new boss. With regards to my wish of including a number of long takes I looked for inspiration as to how I could film his walking around without needing to cut. Instantly I thought of The Shining and Kubrick's long takes, made possible though the use of a steadicam. The most obvious shot to imitate would be the one that follows Danny around as he cycles through the hallways.

After being introduced to A Single Man (2009) in class as part of the two minuet character study, I discovered further material that would, in part, inspire elements of the ten minute film. The scene inn question includes a lovely looking shot that follows Firth's character as he walks though a busy school. The scene grabbed my attention for a number of reasons, firstly, the crowded location makes for a visually interesting shot, a sharp contrast to the desolate Overlook hotel. Secondly, unlike Kubrick's framing, Ford's shot is composed much higher up the body than the example above. Obviously this is partly because the actor is taller but it has the effect of the camera seeming to be looking down at Firth, resulting in a completely different feel to the 'eye-level' framing of Danny (above).

I imagine that the beginning of the film would start as a tracking shot of the floor of the market then, as the actor enters frame, begin panning up, dissecting his appearance before resting at a similar height as the examples above. As seen in the screen grabs, when the character reaches his destination the camera will start to pull back, allowing him to get smaller in frame before going through a door at which point the camera will stop completely and cut to the next scene.   

The Shining

There are a few ways in which Kubrick's The Shining has inspired the production of our ten minuet film, for me, mostly in the way the cinematography portrays a supernatural entity within the film.

Famously, Kubrick's use of a Steadicam to 'chase' Danny around the hotel has the effect of giving the impression its the hotel itself that's tormenting the residents. This is amplified by the slight shakiness of the shot, employed to give it a human manifestation. A more obvious tactic used to show Danny's powerlessness to the hotel is the way in which the camera is often looking down at him, a well established technique though poignant none the less.  

Taking from Kubrick's use of long takes, when appropriate, it's my intention not to shy away from holding one shot for a long period of time. As there are a few places in the screenplay that are fairly dialogue heavy I'd like to simplify the production by making use of long static and moving takes in which the actors move through the interesting space that it castle market.  

A recent trip to the market confirmed our belief that there would be easily accessible power sources for lighting equipment. Even throughout the night these sockets remain live. I spoke to the managers and they've given us free usage of any mains power outlets we find around the market. 

Shot List

This is a shot list I made following the storyboard process - This picture was taken after shooting therefore the handwriting represents alterations that occurred out of necessity in order to work around problems faced when on location.

Storyboards

I apologize for the sketchy drawings but you get the gist...

Change of Plan

Due to unforeseen circumstances we've had to change the location for the two minuet exercise at the last minuet. Fortunately the new kitchen setting is very similar to what we had been working with so the purposed story boards can be more or less kept the same.