Coursework: Preliminary exercise 2023

Coursework: Preliminary exercise 2023

1) Choose at least three TV dramas similar to your concept and watch at least one scene from each. Make bullet-point notes on everything you watch, commenting on camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.

• Never Have I Ever

The show has an Asian representative who is able to show her emotions visually.After a traumatic year, an Indian-American teen just wants to spruce up her social status. This show enhances knowledge about mental health about this Asian character. It also explores how she struggles through her high school life and over come obstacles. I am going to take inspiration from this TV drama and apply it to mine. 

Camerawork:

• Closeups 
• Tracking shot as group of friends work
• Long shots are mostly used  

Mise - en - scene 

• South Asian clothing
• Western American clothing 
• Bright lighting 
• School environment
• Friends and main characters houses
• Typical/conventional characters for a high school Rom com TV drama

Editing

• Speed of editing changes depending on the narrative
• Montages are used to explain events quickly

Sound

• Uses both diegetic and non diegetic sounds
• Tamil songs and dances

• Luther The Fallen Sun:

Luther The Fallen Sun is a movie that is inspired from the TV crime drama Luther. It has a similar narrative to my concept as there is a detective and a murder case.

Camerawork:

• Medium close ups 
• Long shots of the setting
• Extreme close ups of the main character
• Drone clips of London
• Tracking of police cars
• Back shots

Mise-en-scene:

• Blazer and tie
• Professional clothing
• Prison clothing
• Dimly light rooms
• Low key lighting
• Dark setting
• Dull 
• Use of guns, weapons

Editing:

• Fast paced editing
• Slowly increase as suspense and tension builds
• Lots of montages

Sound:

• Overlapping of dialogue
• Heart beat sound as montages are being shown
• Music building up

• The Capture 

A young detective is assigned to the case of a British soldier who is charged with a crime. As she unfolds the situation, she begins to discover a conspiracy. Very similar to my concept of unrevealing the truth as the main character tries to figure out what happened to her friend.

 Camerawork:

• Hand help camera 
• Tracking 
• Extreme close ups
• Watching a CCTV camera in their perspective

Mise-en-scene

• Black clothing
• Professional clothing
• Low key lighting
• Back lighting
• Dimly lit
• Wet London streets
• Female lead

Editing:

• Fast paced editing
• Slowly increase as suspense and tension builds

Sound:

• Has its own musical
• Very catchy music
• Builds tension

2) Write a script for your TV drama scene. You'll find guidance for writing a script in the BBC Writers' Room (click on the Script Library to read real examples of professional TV scripts). Lay it out like a real script (see right) - it will add a level of professionalism to your production.

Intuition script 

3) Write a shot list containing EVERY shot you plan to film AND additional shots to create flexibility when editing. These additional shots are often close-ups, cutaways, alternative angles or similar. I advise using a simple table on Microsoft Word to set out your shot list - you can find an example here. 

Shot No.	Shot	Filmed?
1	Tracking shot of main character walking towards the door	yes
2	match on action and medium close up as the main character opens the door	yes
3	main character sits down medium close up	yes
4	medium close on the receptionist	yes
5	medium close up of the receptionist	yes
6	medium close up of main character	yes
7	match on action when main character gets up and walks towards the receptionist	yes
8	medium shot of the receptionist talking to the main character tacking shot	yes
9	medium shot of the receptionist talking to the main character	yes
10	closeup of the telephone	yes
11	closeup of receptionist	yes

4) Plan your mise-en-scene: what iconography are you including to ensure your audience understands the genre? Plan your cast, costume, make-up, props, lighting and setting. For this preliminary task, use just one location to keep it simple.

• Costume

There will be multiple characters in my 1 minute clip. The first two characters that will be filmed are the police detectives who will be wearing uniform to show authority and power and to communicate that they are in charge to the case.

The next character that will be shown in my clip is the main character. Who is a typical teenager wearing a black hoodie and black cargoes. 

• Lighting

The investigation in a dull room which is lighter than the murder scene. The office will be dimly lit however there would a clear binary opposition between the two locations. Night and dark scenes while murder happens at night.local lighting mainly used. Street lights and car lights mainly used when filing shots on the road.

• Actors characters

5 characters. The main character who is the protagonist who will be a female lead and the antagonist being a male. The best friend who is being murdered.  Following two detectives.

• Makeup 

    The main character will have minimum natural makeup compared to the rest of the cast. Their would be fake blood used during the crime scene when there is a flashback.

• Setting

starts in the detectives office where female lead states that her best friend was not killed. the setting then returns to where the crime actually took place. Which covers the compulsory requirements. 

5) Plan a shooting schedule that will ensure everything is filmed by the deadline. Include when, where, who is required and what shots you will complete at each time/location.

Location :

 Office

• Having the scene start at the office where female lead explains that her best friend was not murdered.

• Greenford high I block waiting room

• The main office - classroom

Motorway

• Filming at night to enhance the night scene. 
• Use of street lights and car lights tom show murder was happened at night.

Shots

• Use of close ups to show facial expressions. 
• long and medium shots as well as tracking from one place to another. 
• 360 degree will allow me to film flashback transitions.