Our group had suggested several ideas such as:
1) A homeless man witnesses a murder and he makes a noise which reveals where he is providing a cliffhanger.
2) A man is dreaming - based on memories of him and his girlfriend - and it suddenly changes to a nightmare and when he wakes up, his girlfriend is sitting at the end of the bed.
We then put it to a class vote and idea 1 was seen as more of a thriller and therefore gained the most votes.
We will begin with the homeless man walking around in places that suggest he comes from a poorer background. We will put them in wrecked and tatty clothes which then suggest the homeless aspect of his life and although this may appear stereotypical, it will best visually tell a story about the character for the audience to understand. Tracking shots will be used to show how the character never has a settled place and we will create a time lapse, alternating between him sitting down on bench with people walking past and him walking which will represent his day. This will be shot during the day so artificial lighting will not be used and we will experiment with dark filters when editing to suggest a depressing and dull atmosphere. Ellipsis would then be used and we will shoot when it is getting dark where the homeless man is settling for the night and will be hidden in the shadows of the artificial lighting. This will make it appear more atmospheric and mysterious. Our group is yet to decide how he notices a murder but we will develop this idea further into the planning. An idea we have suggested is that he falls asleep and is woken up by the sound of the scream and then witnesses a murder. The homeless man will then make a noise and reveal that he has witnessed the whole thing and it will end with a cliffhanger leaving the audience to wonder if he will escape or not.
You need to edit your idea down to a disciplined shot list as this will help you think cinematically/visually.
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to shoot in a public space you are going to have to be careful about what action you include. It may be wise if the homeless person were sheltering in a shed or garage, opens the door and witnesses some gruesome crime. This would be easier to shoot, could be done in somebody's garden shed, or garden or garage - your focus could be on camera angles and lighting.
Shot list is the next stage.
The homeless man could witness a murder/or assault from looking through a window. He could be taking shelter in somebody's garden shed (thus he is in a double bind as he has trespassed). This would provide some great over the shoulder shots, close ups.
ReplyDeleteEllipses - a few days later he is stumbling down an alleyway, he turns round and the villain is behind him......