While I was writing the script for our preliminary video, a few movies helped me out in designing the character of the psychopath. These include 'Fight Club', 'Se7en' and 'Silence of the Lambs'. Each of these movies features a different kind of psychopath with different level of mental illness. Yet, each character also portrays common attributes such as they are all calm in normal conditions and do not reveal that they suffer from some mental disorder.They do everything for a reason or appear to be able to explain all their actions through logic,and they usually speak softly. But once they are provoked or are bringing out the violence hidden in them, they prove to be very wild and hyper active.
For example, in 'Se7en', the psychopath(John Doe) murders people who have committed one of the 'Seven Sins'. He brutally murders the victims but later he gets himself arrested as he walks into police station covered with blood. He then appears to be calm and composed during the rest of his scenes. He acts as if he is innocent and tries to justify his actions by claiming that whatever he did was for a good cause.
In 'Silence of the Lambs', one of the psychopaths shown in the movie(Dr. Hannibal Lecter) assists an FBI detective in solving a case. He is a prisoner held in a psychopathic ward and he himself was once a Psychiatrist. He is also shown speaking calmly most of the time and has powerful dialogues that not only help the detective with the case but help her with her personal problems as well, In fact, she is some what influenced by his character. Yet he resorts to brutal violence in some scenes.
Keeping in mind these aspects of a psychopath, I added more detail to the background of my character and rephrased my script in such a manner that my character also behaves and speaks in a similar way. This also helped me to create some suspense in the scene.
Trying out effects
I was going through the video effects in adobe premier so I made two videos using 'Linear Wipe' effect and 'Speed and duration' effect. Links are below:
Creating Script and Mise-en-scene
I have decided to make a more mature video this time than the practice video we did with the bully. Therefore I came up with characters that have a proper background and did not just come into existence without much thought like in our previous video.
The scene is about a mentally ill (possibly psychopathic) character who has committed two murders and has been restrained in a secluded cell. The doctors are trying hard to breakthrough to him but have had a little success. At first sight, he seems to be a calm and normal person but he has forgotten a lot of the common things for example where he lived, who his parents were and even his name. He remembers the crime he has committed but the court can not execute him for the crime since his lawyer argues that he is mentally ill and did not commit the crime deliberately, in cold blood. The mentally ill character was shot in the leg before he was caught, so he limps as well.
The second character is an interrogator who is investigating this case. He failed to found out anything in his previous interviews with the subject so now he is conducting the interview in a different way, in the hope of knowing about whatever memory is left in psychopath's mind. He deliberately calls the psychopath 'Rick' (which is not his actual name but he has accepted it as his name). He asks 'Rick' who Bob Marlin is and whether 'Rick has any information about him. At the end of the video it is revealed that 'Rick' is Bob Marlin himself.
After I was done with the script, we arranged for props and stuff that would be required to make up the mise-en-scene with the appearance of the characters and the interrogation room. The clothes assigned to the psychopath was a grey shirt with black sleeves to make up the uniform of a prisoner and covered his hands, feet and face with dust to add the detail untidiness to his character. We assigned a formal shirt with a waistcoat vest for the interrogator so that he looks like a professional sort.
We had to film the scene in our school during the daytime, so we had to black out a classroom by covering windows with black chart papers. The light was provided by a torch which hangs directly above the table where the two characters sit so it looks more like an interrogation room.
There is a file that the interrogator takes out from a drawer in the table, which contains a profile on Bob Marlin. This is how we reveal that the psychopath is Bob Marlin.
The scene is about a mentally ill (possibly psychopathic) character who has committed two murders and has been restrained in a secluded cell. The doctors are trying hard to breakthrough to him but have had a little success. At first sight, he seems to be a calm and normal person but he has forgotten a lot of the common things for example where he lived, who his parents were and even his name. He remembers the crime he has committed but the court can not execute him for the crime since his lawyer argues that he is mentally ill and did not commit the crime deliberately, in cold blood. The mentally ill character was shot in the leg before he was caught, so he limps as well.
The second character is an interrogator who is investigating this case. He failed to found out anything in his previous interviews with the subject so now he is conducting the interview in a different way, in the hope of knowing about whatever memory is left in psychopath's mind. He deliberately calls the psychopath 'Rick' (which is not his actual name but he has accepted it as his name). He asks 'Rick' who Bob Marlin is and whether 'Rick has any information about him. At the end of the video it is revealed that 'Rick' is Bob Marlin himself.
After I was done with the script, we arranged for props and stuff that would be required to make up the mise-en-scene with the appearance of the characters and the interrogation room. The clothes assigned to the psychopath was a grey shirt with black sleeves to make up the uniform of a prisoner and covered his hands, feet and face with dust to add the detail untidiness to his character. We assigned a formal shirt with a waistcoat vest for the interrogator so that he looks like a professional sort.
We had to film the scene in our school during the daytime, so we had to black out a classroom by covering windows with black chart papers. The light was provided by a torch which hangs directly above the table where the two characters sit so it looks more like an interrogation room.
There is a file that the interrogator takes out from a drawer in the table, which contains a profile on Bob Marlin. This is how we reveal that the psychopath is Bob Marlin.
OCR- Preliminary task
We have now started working on our Preliminary video for OCR. This time, I wanted to try using different camera angles and take more shots. In our previous video, I felt that one thing that made the video boring was that I shot both the characters from the same angle through out the video so the dialogues and scene felt very long and monotonous. Now that I am more comfortable with the basics of camera and editing, I have decided to use a greater variety of shots even for a single dialogue so that I can hold the audience's attention.
I was recently browsing Youtube and I found a group of guys who are making action videos and are using some really cool effects which they uploaded on their channel known as 'Pwnisher'. I am already subscriber of Freddie Wong's channel. Freddie Wong also makes action videos but is more creative and has better expertise with visual and audio effects. The useful thing about both of groups that I found is that they also post videos in which they share information about how to achieve the visual effects and do the editing.The links to both the channels are below:
Freddie Wong's Channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/freddiew?blend=2&ob=1
Pwnisher's Channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/pwnisher
Freddie Wong's Channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/freddiew?blend=2&ob=1
Pwnisher's Channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/pwnisher
First project video and Group Name
I have finally come up with a name for my group too. Its called Mediatronics and you can also see it at the end of our video. I am trying to make the group name distinctive rather than just writing it in simple fonts.
First video
I have uploaded the script of our first video. The dialogues may vary from the actual video since the actors improvised a few of them for ease of delivery.
A young boy is shown sitting on a sofa outside the Principal’s office. The is dressed in a school uniform that is in a very untidy condition. He is also chewing a gum in a very insolent manner.
It is implied that someone walks past him and he stares and snorts at him. Further, he rhetorically asks a boy( not seen on screen), “watcha lookin’ at?”
The school bell rings and the boy stands up with an expression on his face that seems to say he’s fed up. He walks into the office where the Principal waves to him to sit on a chair.
Principal: Hmm, Mr. Tyler Blake. So I have you in my office… Oh for God’s sake spit out that gum.
Tyler(spits out the gum): Sorry about that sir.
Principal: Tyler you know that you are a 10th grader now, not a 3rd or 4th grade kid. You are a grown up and its time you start acting like one. (He opens a drawer and pulls out a piece of paper). I believe your History teacher gave you an assignment to write a 2 page summary of Napoleon’s expeditions. (He unfolds a piece of paper) Is this drawing your complete assignment? (He shows Tyler the drawing)
Tyler(grins at first and then makes a serious face) : Umm, sir, actually I misunderstood what my assignment was, I thought I could be a little creative. I guess it did not turn out that well.
Principal: Oh yes obviously you did not know that Napoleon was never a pirate. God! I don’t know what to do with you? (he pauses) That’s not it. As usual, you have been reported as bullying three kids. I am sure you have an explanation to that too.
Tyler: Sir I never bullied anyone. In fact, other kids bully me. They make fun of me, they try to take my money and then when I react, they say I am bullying them.
Principal: Oh so you are the only person telling the truth and all the others are lying, I suppose. Very convincing. I am calling up your parents now. I am sure they will find your stories interesting.
Tyler: Sir but I…
Principal(speaking on the phone): Can you call Mr. or Mrs. Blake for me please. Yes, it’s about their son Tyler again. Tell them they need to see me urgently as their son will remain in detention until they arrive.
Tyler: Sir, believe me please, I did not do anything.
Principal:(puts down the phone and shouts) Why should I? I know you very well so don’t think that you can get away with your lies! Oh, and yeah, you have added something new to your list of mischievous acts. Vandalism? What is up with that? It is reported that you were responsible for breaking a chair, breaking a door knob, scratching a black board. And what happened to the poster in the hallway that you stole? That is simply too much for one week!
Tyler: Sir, if I may, I did not break the chair deliberately. I fell of it and it broke. I was lucky I did not hit my head on the ground.
Principal: That is so unlucky for us. And the poster? Did it run away?
Tyler:(laughing) That would be funny.
Principal gets angry and is about to say something but then the phone rings. Tyler smirks.
Principal(speaks on the phone): Yes? Mr. Blake is on his way? Good! Please will you also take this jerk outside and send him to the detention room. Thanks. (He puts down the phone). I’ll see you soon. By that time, come up with something that would actually help your future.
Tyler(grin on his face): Well I can answer to that right now.
Principal(shouts): Just get out of my office!
Practice preliminary task
Our next assignment was to make a practice video before we move on to the preliminary task. The outline for the video was the same as the OCR preliminary requirements, that is, a person enters a room and he will have conversation with another person already present in the room. Each of our group members wrote a script and we chose the one that we thought would be most possible to make with limited resources. We shared responsibilities for completing the task and I directed and edited the scene. The scene is about a bully who is being questioned by the Principal over recent complains. I will put up the video in the next post.
Character assignment
Name: Dominic Martini
Ethnicity: White
Appearance and Accent: Broad shouldered with a height of 6 feet. Has black hair peppered with white. Mostly prefers to wear a coat, blazer and a Rolex watch on his hand. Has a British accent.
Martini is an intelligent person with a sharp mind. He has married twice and does not have any children or siblings. He was divorced a few years back because he knew that he could not get immersed in his job and keep his marriage healthy at the same time, so he preferred to concentrate exclusively on his work. His current marriage is about 2 months old and his relationship with the new wife is going well until, again he gets burdened with his job’s pressure. The couples encounter few quarrel with each other but the wife, Emma, knows that these quarrels will stop once Dominic achieves what he wants so she is trying to be supportive of Martini. Martini is not very organized in handling his articles and his room and his office are usually untidy. He is smoker and drinks occasionally, especially when his team wins.
After the ownership of the club is taken over by an industrialist, he has to face numerous problems. Martini has worked hard over his team and staff since 5 years and has managed to bring them into one of the most prestigious events of European football. Since the owner wants to hire another manager for the club, Martini has to win the tournament to prove he is the right person for the job; Martini now has to counter the toughest teams of England in the tournament, the issues within the teammates as well as the issues with newly found fame of his club, the pressure from the owner and club sponsors and the impact of indulgence in his job upon the newly married wife. Being short tempered, many people dislike him. Martini himself regrets this quality but finds it difficult to control it and does not work on overcoming it since it also establishes a commanding personality. Yet his ability to make smart decisions quickly makes him a valuable member of staff. He is not the type of person who sticks to just one plan. Instead he has a diverse approach and makes more than one plan that suits whatever the situation is. He is very supportive and friendly with the teammates and treats them as his family members. But he gets angry whenever someone breaks the discipline. He also has a habit of unnecessarily arguing with people that also makes him unpopular among some. But his wise planning and determination in striving for tournament’s cup and the trust in his team allows him to overcome his problems and be a role model for others.
The character of Dominic Martini came up in my mind because of my own interest in football. Since I watched one of the movies from ‘Goal!’ trilogy recently, where story revolves around a player, I decided to show the issues within a club from perspective of a manager. These days, football has become a very popular sport especially amongst the teenagers and young adults therefore this is also one of the reasons I made a character related to football. To make my character interesting for audience, I decided to put him in midst of chaos and difficulties and made him solve each problem with the help of his unique abilities. Yet I gave my character some negative qualities since a personality with no flaws seems a bit unrealistic. The target audience, that is the teenagers, young adults and football fans, will find themselves looking at a real life club Manager as he stands by the field giving instructions to his players and tries to calm down chaos among some stubborn players back in the changing room. In addition to this, he is also shown trying various ways in keeping the fans happy so that the audience is given a sense of what an actual manager goes through. He is an ideal example of a manager intensely loving his job and sport and the audience will definitely enjoy watching him.
Ethnicity: White
Appearance and Accent: Broad shouldered with a height of 6 feet. Has black hair peppered with white. Mostly prefers to wear a coat, blazer and a Rolex watch on his hand. Has a British accent.
Martini is an intelligent person with a sharp mind. He has married twice and does not have any children or siblings. He was divorced a few years back because he knew that he could not get immersed in his job and keep his marriage healthy at the same time, so he preferred to concentrate exclusively on his work. His current marriage is about 2 months old and his relationship with the new wife is going well until, again he gets burdened with his job’s pressure. The couples encounter few quarrel with each other but the wife, Emma, knows that these quarrels will stop once Dominic achieves what he wants so she is trying to be supportive of Martini. Martini is not very organized in handling his articles and his room and his office are usually untidy. He is smoker and drinks occasionally, especially when his team wins.
After the ownership of the club is taken over by an industrialist, he has to face numerous problems. Martini has worked hard over his team and staff since 5 years and has managed to bring them into one of the most prestigious events of European football. Since the owner wants to hire another manager for the club, Martini has to win the tournament to prove he is the right person for the job; Martini now has to counter the toughest teams of England in the tournament, the issues within the teammates as well as the issues with newly found fame of his club, the pressure from the owner and club sponsors and the impact of indulgence in his job upon the newly married wife. Being short tempered, many people dislike him. Martini himself regrets this quality but finds it difficult to control it and does not work on overcoming it since it also establishes a commanding personality. Yet his ability to make smart decisions quickly makes him a valuable member of staff. He is not the type of person who sticks to just one plan. Instead he has a diverse approach and makes more than one plan that suits whatever the situation is. He is very supportive and friendly with the teammates and treats them as his family members. But he gets angry whenever someone breaks the discipline. He also has a habit of unnecessarily arguing with people that also makes him unpopular among some. But his wise planning and determination in striving for tournament’s cup and the trust in his team allows him to overcome his problems and be a role model for others.
The character of Dominic Martini came up in my mind because of my own interest in football. Since I watched one of the movies from ‘Goal!’ trilogy recently, where story revolves around a player, I decided to show the issues within a club from perspective of a manager. These days, football has become a very popular sport especially amongst the teenagers and young adults therefore this is also one of the reasons I made a character related to football. To make my character interesting for audience, I decided to put him in midst of chaos and difficulties and made him solve each problem with the help of his unique abilities. Yet I gave my character some negative qualities since a personality with no flaws seems a bit unrealistic. The target audience, that is the teenagers, young adults and football fans, will find themselves looking at a real life club Manager as he stands by the field giving instructions to his players and tries to calm down chaos among some stubborn players back in the changing room. In addition to this, he is also shown trying various ways in keeping the fans happy so that the audience is given a sense of what an actual manager goes through. He is an ideal example of a manager intensely loving his job and sport and the audience will definitely enjoy watching him.
Character
Our first assignment for the course G321 was to come up with a fictional character. I planned and made a rough draft for my character that I envisioned as a typical hero but when I reviewed what I had written, I realized that the character lacked realism since he did not have any negative traits. So I came up with another character, one that had balanced traits and was more versatile. I will put up my assignment in the next post.
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