News Report Script

Below is the script for the dialogue that will take place when the main character turns on the TV to the news. We will use a teacher in our school who we believe will fit the role perfectly as his voice resembles many news reporters.

The body of another ex-soldier was discovered this morning in North London.

The victim, identified as James Palmer, recently served in the Iraq War as part of the 5th Infantry Battalion.

Police believe the murder to be linked to the recent ‘Poppy Killing’ across the area.

My Opinion on our Fonts and Sound

We have chosen our final font which I am really happy with. It looks like something that would relate to war with the imperfect looking letters. They look old and scratched with gaps in them which could signify gun shots or knife wounds that our main character uses to kill his victims. We have decided to use this font for our title of our film, as well as the titles and credits that will appear throughout the opening sequence. We have therefore chosen the colour black for practical reasons; so that it stands out in front of the action that will be going on in the foreground. We also chose this colour as when we tested a colour such as red, it looked to amateur and unprofessional.

The music that we have chosen for our soundtrack is Dark Wastelands by Tillman Sillescu. This was chosen as we believe it fits our sequence well. Some parts of it resemble the sound of marching soldiers which again relates to the prominent theme of war. The start of the sequence is also perfect for the beginning of our opening sequence as it’s quite subtle and we are going to have non-diegetic sounds of gun shots, screaming and bombs over the soundtrack while the protagonist is having his nightmare. It is also possible to increase the volume in parts where it is more important such as when the main character opens the draw in the kitchen and reveals the knife and poppies. This builds the tension. We can also decrease the volume where it needs to be less obvious such as when there is dialogue taking place, for example during the news broadcasting and when the protagonist is on the phone to his mother.

Overall I’m really happy with our chosen font and soundtrack and I think it fits really well with our idea.

Script

Below, is the final draft of our script; which takes place between the protagonist and his mother, over the phone. We will only be able to hear his side of the conversation, therefore we didn't write out a script for the mother.

[phone rings]

Killer:
[picks up the phone]
Hello...? Oh hi mum, yeah I'm fine.

The camera pans across the window-sill to show the blacked out photograph of his battalion, and a war medallion.

It then cuts to the killer again, tracking him as he heads towards the kitchen

I just saw it now; [ironically] it's awful how they keep finding more bodies...

[Pauses in wait for his mother's response]

I'm not a soldier anymore mum...[shows slight sign of distress] I left that behind years ago.

[Assertively; almost resentfully] Look, I'll be fine; if there's one thing I learnt out there, it was how to look after myself

[Turns to look at the drawer]

I'm just on my way out, can I call you back later?

Okay, take care, bye mum.

As he puts the phone down, he moves towards the drawer. On opening it, we see a close up of several poppies and a knife inside. He places the knife in his back pocket, picks up a poppy, and leaves the house.

Sound

Diegesis means the ‘world of film.’

Diegetic Sound: Sound that is part of the action is called diegetic sound and whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film. If something seems to be part of the world of film, it is called diegetic (what we’d hear if it was in the film world.). eg. wind noise, screeching cars etc. They may also be added in after filming, or may be exaggerated for effect, eg. louder footsteps. The audience are aware that there are things taking place in the diegetic world around the edges of what we actually see on the screen.

Non-Diegetic Sound: It's not part of the film world and is added on. Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action. For example a narrator's commentary, sound effects which are added on for the dramatic effect, mood music etc.
Sound is often added to create mood or atmosphere.

Sound Bridge: This is when the sound from one scene continues into or over the next scene. The images we see change but the sound is still from the previous scenes. A film will be very disjointed if there were no sound bridges. They create a wider, more coherent diegetic world. Gives the film a sense of linking and joining together – part of a film’s continuity.

On Screen: You can hear it and see it at the same time.

Off Screen: You can't see it, but can hear it, often in a sound bridge. Sometimes used to give us clues as to what is going on around us that we cannot see.

The use of on screen and off screen diegetic sound helps to create the sense of our viewing a three dimensional world, rather than a flat screen.

Contrapuntal Sound: This is when we hear sound that doesn’t really match what we are seeing.

Parallel Sound: The music tone and mood matches the action on screen.

Foley Track: Sound effects track. Some sounds need to be made from scratch and others enhanced. Foley artists enhance and create sounds to be added after filming.