LO1: Script

Testing/ Place holder script:

 ASTRALITE: A HISTORY

By

Joel Dawson

Scene 1: 

Scene One will mainly consist of dialogue with a mixture of videos and pictures added in post. The added media will relate to the subject matter and help the reader understand what Tony is referring to in the documentary. 

Scene One the sun will act as my key light, I will also use a reflector in order to create a natural warm feeling to the documentary, it also connotes the documentary as informal and homely as if Tony is just engaging in conversation.

FADE IN FROM BLACK: 

Title screen with credits plays over footage of different models of the Astralite Wheel on display in Tony's workshop/garage. 

This scene connotes initial intrigue and enigma for the audience as most people watching the documentary will not be familiar with the wheel nor the name 'Astralite.' The workshop setting connotes the documentary is in the motorsport and racing genres. 

Jazz music will play in the background to connote the documentary relating to the past and also reaffirms the calm informal atmosphere. The Jazz isn't a real song as such rather a audio clip I found whilst searching on Freesound.org. I decided to use sound from Freesound.org in order to prevent the legal issue of seeking copyright. 

Once the Title/Credit Screen is over the documentary will properly begin with a fade from black transition which will lead into a medium close-up or close-up of Tony. 

Only Tony's voice will be heard throughout the interview so other people's voices (i.e., interviewer's) need to be cut out. This is to further imitate the format of a casual conversation rather than a formal interview. 

CAMERAWORK:

FADE FROM BLACK:

INT. WORKSHOP - DAY

In focus shot of TONY sitting on chair

Medium Close-up of Interviewer from a slight high angle.

INTERVIEWER

So tell us your background

Medium Close-up of Tony from a slight low angle.

TONY

Anecdote about childhood and growing up

Medium Close-up of Interviewer from a slight high angle.

INTERVIEWER

And what got you into biking 

Medium Close-up of Tony from a slight low angle.

TONY

Anecdote about biking and the biking scene when he was younger such as his influences, what appealed, what got him into biking.

Medium Close-up of Interviewer from a slight high angle.

INTERVIEWER

Who are your biking heroes?

Medium Close-up of Tony from a slight low angle.

TONY 

Talks about biking heroes

Medium Close-up of Interviewer from a slight high angle. 

INTERVIEWER

How did you come up with the idea for the Astralite Wheel

Medium Close-up of Tony from a slight low angle.

TONY

Retells about the creation of the Astralite Wheel 

Medium Close-up of Interviewer from a slight high angle. 

INTERVIEWER

And how was it used later on?

Medium Close-up of Tony from a slight low angle.

TONY

Goes on to explain what happened with the Astralite Wheel how it was used and how people recognise it in the biking world.

Medium Close-up of Interviewer from a slight high angle. 

INTERVIEWER

Well Tony, thank you very much for your time today.

Medium Close-up of Tony from a slight low angle.

TONY

Always a pleasure. Thank you for listening.

FADE TO BLACK: 

Voice Over Script:

Ellicia: So how did the name, Astralite come into being? Well the name symbolises what the wheel is made of. 'Astra' comes from Greek meaning from the stars or like the stars referring to how shiny the wheels are. 'al' is short for aluminium the metal used to create the wheel. The 'lite' refers the lightness of the wheels only weighing 3.5kg for the front 3.9kg for the rear wheels. 

Ellicia: So how lightweight were the Astralite wheels?. Well Fred Willingham of Bradford demonstrated this in 1980. He equipped his Yamaha 250cc sprint bike with a pair of Astralite wheels, which saved 12 pounds in weight in comparison to his old wheels. On its first outing he became the first ride in the world to achieve a time under 11.5 seconds for a standing start quarter mile on a 250cc bike fuelled by petrol. 

Ellicia: Later in 1980; and Rheola would shortly be manufacturing wheels, under the new name of 'Astralite.' The agreement was signed by Dawson-Harmsworth Limited and brought the design and technical excellence of Tony Dawson, the inventor of the new lightweight wheel and British Aluminium. British Aluminium were, at the time, the only company with the manufacturing capacity to serve the world motorcycle market. 

TV and Short Film Production

You will watch and analyse 5 short films (5-15  mins), for each one you will write a brief analysis of how the films use/covers: 

They Fall (2022) - YouTube

Narrative - A man dies and is transported to a grey scale forest full of dead people, a rotary phone rings and he is chased down by an antagonist with a bag on its head. 

Characterisation - The main protagonist (prince?) seems to have recently died due to the dialogue at the start of the film and the fact that the comatose body we see at the start resembles the man in the forest. He is portrayed as fearful, confused and in pain throughout. The second character the main antagonist is disguised with a bag on their head, as well as wearing gloves and a coat to hide any distinguishing features. Can be perceived 

Camerawork -  Quite intimate it makes you feel like you are there. 

Editing - Simplistic with the cuts and transitions between scenes and locations but that is all that is needed. Simple but executed flawlessly. Made Black and White could be from the camera 

Visual Effects  - Don't think it has any has camera blur and goes out of focus. 

The Traveller (2022) - YouTube

Narrative - The last man left on Earth or at least that we see. Roams the wilderness surviving and using a homemade device in order to locate something. 

Characterisation - The main heroic protagonist is wearing warm clothes, that are mismatches suggesting that some of them have been taken. 

Camerawork - Begins with establishing shots.

Editing - There is a common use of eye-line matches 

Visual Effects-

Room 8 - Winner of the BAFTA for Short Film 2014 - YouTube

Narrative -

Characterisation -

Camerawork -

Editing -

Visual Effects-

1. Working title – what is the name of your film? At this point this may differ from your final name (e.g. Star Wars’ working title was ‘Blue Harvest’, The Avengers was ‘Group Hug’) 

My working title for my film is History of Astralite. 

2. Genre – what genre will your film work in, how will you explore the genre conventions. (NB: Documentaries work well, Comedies are hard!) 

my film works in the documentary, history, non-fiction, and motorsport genres. 

3. Synopsis – This is a short summary of what the film is about, this will be within 200-300 words. 

The film is about the history of Tony Dawson and his invention the Astralite Wheel.

4. Cast Required – Who will you need in front of the camera, what roles will they be taking (this won’t be you) – ideally you will cast ACTORS for any narrative film. 

5. Crew Required – Who will you need behind the camera, what jobs will they take on (you must be in control of the camera & direction) 

6. Locations – Where are you planning to film? – This should be a list of places that could be used for your film. You should have a description of the style of place with various options. They should fit the genre and be accessible to you (NB: filming at UTC is a LAST RESORT) 

7. Properties (Props) & Costume – Here you will explain what you are going to need in terms of props and costume – why they are needed and who is going to utilise them. 

 8. Equipment – What technical equipment are you going to use to shoot the film, why is it needed? 

9. Schedule of production – This can be produced as a table, but will outline the schedule of pre production, Production and Post Production – this should be broken down into tasks, deadlines, milestones and have contingencies

Treatment

What is the film going to be about?

My documentary will be about the planning and creation of the Astralite wheel and how  it has been used since its inception in the biking. My documentary will also feature Tony Dawson the creator of the wheel  and go into detail about his life and how he came up with the idea. It will also feature the film on the Astralite wheel. 

• Props 

I will use a real existing model of the Astralite Wheel to showcase what it looks like. i will feature photos of Tony when he was younger and when he was working on the project; as well as this I will also showcase the original plans and blueprints for the wheel too.Thirdly I will feature the original script from the film about the Astralite Wheel. 

• Costume 

Tony will wear a normal outfit preferably smart casual in order to connote the documentary as professional standard. The other option is biker leather/ biker gear however despite this fitting the brief it isn't as comfortable and wearing it for the whole time of filming would be impractical. A possibility is having a biking helmet and gloves in the background next to him. 

• People 

The person the documentary is about and the only person we will see on camera is Tony Dawson. I, Joel Dawson, will be doing the majority of the behind the scenes work, photography, camerawork, lighting and editing. 

• Equipment 

The equipment we will need is;  an attachable microphone. DSLR camera at least one possibly two. SD card (s) for camera(s). tripod(s) for camera(s), sound pack attached to one of the camera(s), spare batteries for camera(s), microphone(s). boom stick for sound and dead cat attached. 

• Location 

The two main locations of the documentary will be Tony's workshop as it fits in the brief with the connotations of engineering, building, designing and planning it also has personal connections to Tony. The second will be Tony's house this is because the workshop is quite cold and dependent and cramped so depending on weather and how much space is required the house may be a better fit  for the documentary.  

Report

Script - for a narrative film use script conventions: 

Location, ToD, Stage Directions, Character Names, 

Edits For Documentary: Location, ToD, Questions, 

Space for response, narration monologue, Edits