Equipment list

Pathways equipment list

Stuff from yesterdays group meeting

Here are a few of our groups ideas for character backstory and possible script plots that we decided yesterday:

-Introducing Character
“oh i used to work at.... they used to call me....”
Or the gambling hint to open it “yeh its got really out of hand”
Then onto stuff about himself
then to ben
“bens always tagged along” “Used to go drinking quite often with the lads, ben used to join too” “used to be quite fit, went jogging, Ben would come along”

-Family
He then starts to introduce his family. He maybe gets out a something from his trolley (which we don’t see) and it reminds me of the beach holiday (which he has a photo of) here is the audio flashback of the beach
He mentions hes not too close to his family anymore but he says it in a light hearted manner. Shows us pictures of his kids, mentions his son is a bit clumsy like himself, chip off the old block. Its from here that he mentions his mother used to say ”ahh gary what you broken this time”
Talks about a story of a football match in his childhood, and how he managed to break 3 windows in his granddads greenhouse with a football.

-brief mention of the trains+ how he collects things he finds on his journey
Mentions his football cap here and how he kept it because it reminded him of the football matches his dad used to take him to see. Although he isn’t a fan of the team on the hat, it is that team his dad supported.

-Gambling + other interests
He mentions he used to be really into betting on horses( / any gambling you can think of) but now hes abit short on the dosh,
He also likes to keep up to date with current affairs, stems back to when he was small watching his dad read the Sunday newspaper at the table. He brings out this old crinkled newspaper. (another possibility is he is standing outside a tv shop watching the news through the window on the new tellies)
Keen football watcher and player, loves a good kick about.
He mentions he liked to fish when he was really younger, but as he approached teen years his interest in this declined, much to his father’s disappointment,

-Goes to show us a pic of him with a fish he caught but as he does so a heap of scratch cards fall out of his pocket he laughs it off, “you weren’t meant to see them “
Shows us the picture still. Then he goes on to talk of his parents and how they got abit concerned when they saw the scratch cards too. Stopped his allowance, didn’t like him spending his money. But he tells us it was his hard earned cash. “well most of it was “ laughs
Talks of how his decisions on whatto spend money on have got him into some trouble in the past. Nothing he cant handle though.
Pause here
He would quite like to see his kids though.
Pause again.
“its hard you know, when you know where they are, but you cant let them see us like this.”
“i suppose i could of spent a little less time at the races, or games, more time at home”
“...and then theres the money...”

-Flashback of the letters flying through the door.

“but hey, I have won £300 on one race so its not all bad ey!” laughs it all off.
“funny story, thats the weekend i got kicked out, the one weekend i win, and the wife kicks me out, its ridiculous really when you think of it” laughs it off again

-Flashback of him standing in the garden getting covered in clothes and his junk thats being chucked out of the window by his wife(we never see)
“just wish the kids hadn’t seen, ya know?”
Pause

-Back to ben, “but its not all bad, theres always ben to talk to, hes always here for me, good old ben,
Revelation that bens a dog. Pats him on the head and walks off, with his trolley and dog.

Drama - Initial tutorials

We had quit epositive feedback from Debbie during tutorials, sheparticularly liked the fact that our idea was fairly simple, which is a good for a short 5minute film.

Debbie suggested drawing out a timeline, so we can see the structure of the piece.We also will need to be aware of pace and movement within the piece.
We were warned not to use too many flashbacks, as too much within a 5 minute film can distort the films perspective.

Our 3 structure narrative:

-Gambling and his old life with his family
-Him being kicked out of his family home
-Becoming homeless, the reveal that he is homeless

Pathways Schedule

Clarice and Emma have made a Schedule:

Week
starting 26th March

• 29th - Got given the brief.
• 30th - Created a Facebook group.
• 30th - Researched into existing short dramas.
• 31st - Researched in existing short dramas.

Week
starting 2nd April

• 2nd - Sorted out roles.
• 3rd - Decided on an overall set up of the narrative.
• 4th - Started coming up with different ideas.
• 5th - Started mind mapping different ideas.

Week starting 9th

• Chose 3 ideas to work with.
• Spoke about what style everyone thought would work best.
• Focused on ideas to develop

Week Starting 16th

• 17th - Group meeting to decide on final idea.
• 18th - Sorted out the treatment, character backstory and what needed to be done by who.
• 19th - Pitch idea. Group meeting on storyboards and script. Book equipment.

Week starting 23rd

• Filming from the 23rd till the 30th.

Week starting 30th

• Edit image and audio from the 30th till the 9th.

A few contributions to script

These are a few of my ideas i had to contribute to the scriptwriting/character backstory process, just a few of garys ramblings really..

When I was younger I wanted to see the world, reckoned if I got myself a little train driving job thatd be what get me there, drive one of those cross-country ones, and then when id earnt some cash I could stop off somewhere on my day off and look round whatever city I was in, sit in a little café somewhere and take it all in. but train drivers make a fair bit of cash, and that’s what happens when theres money in it, everyone wants to do it, makes it too difficult to get into it, you’ve got to have this qualification and that one, I don’t know why, all they’ve gotta bloody do is press a button and watch the track as it passes em by. So I got myself a little job checkin tickets, thought itd lead to something else eventually, but it didn’t and I got bored wit being polite to every tom dick and harry in a suit that was off to somewhere they thought was more important, and why does being in a hurry mean suddenly you’ve gotta be rude about everything, all I wanted to do was check their tickets and send em on their way, but no it was too much hassle reachin into their pockets to show me theyd paid for that tiny bit of card to get em where they needed to be. That’s around the time I started gambling it all away, just for a release really, pop down to the races, stick it on a dog, always the wrong dog though.. dog races aren’t for me, and don’t get me started on the casinos, I tried there plenty of times, but they know what theyre doing, they’ve got most of em rigged so you barely get your money back, and when you start winning too much they start watching you and put you off your streak, that’s when you lose and its ‘sorry sir your going to have to leave’..

I don’t gamble big anymore, I cant afford it really, but I still go bac to the scratchcards, they’re my first love, It’s a bit like Charlie and the chocolate factory when he thinks hes got the winning ticket- when ive got a scratchcard in my hand. That’s when I feel the most alive, that’s how I get my kicks. My heart beats twice as fast, my pulse races, I can feel the beads of sweat on my forehead. The feel of the card between my fingers – and it feels different to anything else, sometimes I can see my hand shaking as I scratch it off. I don’t use coins, just my fingernail, that way Ive got the little silver dust under my nails for a little while and I can almost smell the adrenaline ive just had pumping through my veins. This one could be it, this one could be the one that makes my day, that means I can hold my head up high and say ‘yeah ive finally got something for myself’, Ive finally made it, I can take (sons name) out to the football and maybe if it’s a big one I could buy a flat so he can come to see me and I can say ‘I did that, I put that smile on his face’. I win pretty often, but ive never won big, not yet anyway, which makes me think that maybe, if my lucks going in the right direction, maybe I will win it this time, maybe if I put the winnings down on another one or two cards, maybe if im having a good day, ten cards, eventually one day ill have it, ill have than winning ticket I need to sort me out and fix everything.

Me and Ben, he’s my best mate, we sit at the train station and just watch them, all of them going to work, rushing about, not getting the chance to just take it all in. It makes me think maybe ive picked the right route, and Ben agrees with me, most the time anyway. All those people rushing to work to sit at a desk and type or phone people up and ask for money, all that stress, all that waste of energy, and for what? They don’t get anything for it, yeah they get paid and they can afford to buy what they want, but they dont need it, not all of it anyway, they waste all that money on train tickets and packed lunches and £3 coffee, £3! And not one of em notices us, just sitting here, watching them waste all the prime of their lives going to and from somewhere they don’t even wanna be. So maybe we’ve got it right, taking in the atmosphere, enjoying the sunshine or the smell of the rain, or watching some bloke slip up in his shiney shoes and fall arse over tit just because hes in a hurry..

I go out on the trains pretty often, I like it, I jump on anywhere I like, wait til the conductor gets down to the carriage im on and just hop off, im not in a rush so If I fancy popping up to Scotland for the day, that’s what I do. The conductor might get near me half a dozen times in a journey that far, but so what if he does, I can jump off, go for a wander and then jump right back on again, and the more trains I get on, the more likely I am to find something. Doesn’t really matter what it is, one mans junk is another mans treasure, eh. I might find a book or a sandwich or maybe a jacket or gloves, a few weeks ago I found a hat, perfect for my lad, itll be just the right size, hell love it, brand new it was, or nearly new, but he’ll never know, probably wont care anyway. Im gonna drop it round at his house soon, maybe take him to the park so he can show it off to his mates..

Group Backstory Ideas

During our meeting yesterday, we decided to use the character development sheets used in class, a lot of the questions were quite similar but hopefully this will have helped flesh the charcater out a little:

• What do you know about this character now that s/he doesn’t yet know?
• What is this character’s greatest flaw?
• Started gambling at an early age, started with scratch cards.

• What do you know about this character that s/he would never admit?
• He is a failure - self doing.
• What is this character’s greatest asset?
• He has a positive attitude to life.
• If this character could choose a different identity, who would s/he be?
• To be rich and successful business man.
• What music does this character sing to when no one else is around?
• Anything from 60’s music to the present day chart music.
• In what or whom does this character have the greatest faith?
• His dog who is his best friend.
• What is this character’s favourite movie?
• The classics, old gangster films, in particular Oceans 11.
• Does this character have a favourite article of clothing? Favourite shoes?
• Baseball Cap?
• Does this character have a vice? Name it.
• Gambling.
• Name this character’s favourite person (living or dead).
• What is this character’s secret wish?
• He had never started gambling from an early age.
• What is this character’s proudest achievement?
• His family and kids.
• Describe this character’s most embarrassing moment.
• What is this character’s deepest regret?
• Losing everything, e.g. family, friends, job, house.
• What is this character’s greatest fear?
• Bumping into his kids in the street and they not recognising him, he doesn’t want them to see him in the state he is in.
• Describe this character’s most devastating moment.
• Being kicked out on the street, while his kids was in the upstairs window watching them.
• What is this character’s greatest achievement?
• His children
• What is this character’s greatest hope?
• To sort his life out, and reunited with his kids.
• Does this character have an obsession? Name it.
• Collecting things he finds on his travels and on the streets, also his gambling.
• What is this character’s greatest disappointment?
• That he let himself get lost within the gambling world and that he could have changed.
• What is this character’s worst nightmare?
• Not ever be able to see his children, because of his own downfall.
• Whom does this character most wish to please? Why?
• All he wants to do is to change his life around to be able to please his kids and wife.
• Describe this character’s mother.
• Loving motherly figure, would do anything for him, if it wasn’t for his father.
• Describe this character’s father.
• Cold hearted, independent man. Disappointed with his son, favours the youngest son. Feels like his son should work things out himself rather than get peoples help, his own wrong doing.
• If s/he had to choose, with whom would this character prefer to live?
• Would love to be able to change the past and live with his family still.
• Where does this character fall in birth order? What effect does this have?
• The first child. Parents thought he should be a role model for his younger brother.
• Describe this character’s siblings or other close relatives.
• Younger brother, independent and very successful, with a happy family.
• Describe this character’s bedroom. Include three cherished items.
• His dog, his hat?
• What is this character’s birth date? How does this character manifest traits of his/her astrological sign?
• May 24th 1981 - Gemini.
• If this character had to live in seclusion for six months, what six items would s/he bring?
• Dog, Picture of his children, a watch?
• Why is this character angry?
• That he didn’t do anything to sort his life out before it was to late and he lost his family to his own misdoing.
• What calms this character?
• Having his dog for company.
• Describe a recurring dream or nightmare this character might have.
• Kids never know who he is.
• List the choices (not circumstances) that led this character to his/her current predicament.
• Chose gambling over his family.
• List the circumstances over which this character has no control.
• Lost his job and home, wife left him and kicked him out, lost his money.
• What wakes this character in the middle of the night?
• People on the streets giving him abuse just because he is homeless.
• How would a stranger describe this character?
• Mucky, homeless, failure, scrounger.
• What does this character resolve to do differently every morning?
• To stop gambling and sort his life out, however when people leave him a pound he does nothing but buys scratch cards. Wants to win money to get his life back, however in result of buying the scratch card loses more.....vicious circle.
• Who depends on this character? Why?
• His dog is loyal to him, even though he is homeless his dog still loves him and sticks by his side.
• If this character knew s/he had exactly one month to live, what would s/he do?
• He would get in touch with his kids whether his wife likes it or not.
• How would a dear friend or relative describe this character?
• Chatty, friendly, caring, positive look on things.
• What is this character’s most noticeable physical attribute?
• What is this character hiding from him/herself?
• He is not has happy as he makes out to be, puts a front on in front of people.
• Write one additional thing about your character.
• He loves to travel, however can’t afford it, he tries to use trains without paying. He also loves to walk with his dog.

Pathways

We now have a working title for the drama short, Pathways..
Emma has written a treatment for it:

Pathways is a one character driven story based around one a middle aged man named Gary who through his captivating life stories which he’s telling us we learn his true predicament and how he arrived there. He’s walking and talking to camera about his life and past events with comical value to them. His only companion is his dog called Ben who follows him wherever he goes. He’s an upbeat kind of guy with a sense of humour as he laughs at his own comical stories. The music you will hear during this will be acoustic guitar track of happy major chords strumming away. Although, he uses humour to cover up his back story which is quite dark and sad. As the story develops the slow revelation of his situation unfolds and the music will change in suitability of the mood.

Intended audience 16-45 Working class as most could relate to his stories as they are from all stages of his life and he comes from a working class background.

Intended purpose: showing stories of homeless guys that you pass in the street everyday. Homeless people do seem to go unnoticed by society as you walk past them on the street and pay them no attention. We want to make awareness that these are humans with stories just like yourself.

We want to keep the fact that he is homeless withheld until the very end. People do not need to know of his predicament to get to know the character.

Shot like Sign language, + Barry +_ about a girl. We knew from early on we wanted a character talking to camera like a kind of diary. Shooting style would include lots of close ups, depth of field, shallow focus, cut aways, subtle flashbacks.
SOUND, the soundtrack being upbeat and happy acoustic guitar track, very much like that in the sign language piece.

Drama Meet-up

So our drama group has just met up to discuss our ideas for the drama project, we've decided loosely on Connor's idea of a homeless guy's journey and have all gone our seperate ways to brainstorm it further to give the guy a little more character and flesh it out a bit with plans to meet up tomorrow..