DIRECTIONS UNIT: SCRIPT BREAKDOWN AND CHANGES

When planning out my shoot, I broke down my script for both acting directions, camera work and changes within the script itself. Below you can see my breakdown:

I used red pen to write out the camera moves and black for general notes and notes on the actor. As you can see, I actually cut out the close up sequence as this is Edgar's style of directing. But I didn't want to do this but still wanted to show the passage of time with Shaun and Ed getting drunk and the pub closing but without needing to show long and boring clips. So after my research into Breaking Bad's montage style I decided to do this to replaced the close up sequence. I decided on having quick shots between the two characters to show them getting more drunk which can lead nicely into the next scene. As well, I decided on how to have the camera movement between Shaun and Ed from my research into The Walking Dead between a scene with Rick and Shane and decided on having a very simple shot reverse shot to do this and focus on the actions from the characters to bring the scene to life. As well I noted that I would need royalty free music for the Jukebox and the montage and that Shaun's one line in this would need to be delivered with him sobbing and crying since he has just been dumped in this part of the film.
With the opening I decided to have it as handheld but with cuts between his front and back just to lead into learning who the character is. Slightly like the introduction to our main character in 'Taxi Driver'.

This page of the script I didn't have to note down much. Camera work stays the same here with the shot reverse shot again to go with the speed and mood of the scene. The main part I focused on here was I need the characters to 'whisper' after John asks them to be quiet, we've also got a comical line for Ed which is 'what a bitch' to focus on when it comes to that. Shaun's biggest delivery in this scene is where he explains what Liz said to him which leads into Ed talking about the 'interesting characters' in the pub. Here I won't need any extras in the background other than a woman, snakehips and John. But I knew for the other seen I'd need a couple and that's why I asked some classmates to just sit in and help bring the pub to life more. It just helps to make it more believable. The Man with a Mullet I changed to just have an interesting feature, which could be a coat, rings, etc. instead because I don't see why a mullet shows him as someone who is like the way Ed describes. As well, having someone with a lot of rings would help with the line 'strangled his first wife' giving the idea he's had multiple.

This page was mostly look at the camera work. I chose a tilt up shot to reveal snakehips and add to the 'mystery' of him. The next character is the woman, so we haven't seen this person yet and by the looks of the location I didn't think we would, as well she wouldn't really need to be seen. But the location is very small and I couldn't think how we could have her in the background so I decided that she'd just have a single shot of herself. As well in this scene I decided on John's shots and chose to cut Bernie (John's wife) because I feel she's not needed. She doesn't benefit the story and is never seen again in the script. She doesn't even have lines so I felt she wasn't needed.

With this part, we have Ed's biggest delivery which leads up to the zombie knocking on the window. But after this we go back outside the pub. This scene I want to try and get in one shot since we had the opening shot as hand held so I think it would look good as hand held and one shot here as well.

This next scene is the beginning of the morning after they've been in the pub. I wanted to have a pull focus shot here to go along with Shaun waking up and then coming into focus. I like this and it gives the idea we're waking up with him after this long night. So the biggest change I did to this scene is I chose not to have the street scene as 1 shot. I kept the shop sequence as one shot but I wanted to cut up the rest of the scene and show different things such as a body on the ground and show the zombies before hand. I also chose to have Shaun leaving and going back into the house as hand held. This was just to get the scene started and is a good way to show the first zombie and reencounter it again.

With the end of the scene. I decided on a final shot being all the zombies coming to the house after we see Shaun go inside to end the film on a cliff hanger.