Planning - Initial Film Ideas

The method our group used for the initial planning of our film idea was the “flip-chart method” used by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End). This video explaining the method is an extract from the Hot Fuzz DVD extras:

This method appealed to me because I felt like it was a good way to get ideas down on paper to base the film’s premise on. Even ideas that would not end up featuring in the film if we actually made it could be written down and allowed to shape the final product. Some individual ideas might be better than others, and I think this method makes it easier to spot the better ideas and develop upon them more, so they become a large part of the finished product and the less relevant ideas can either form a small part of the final product or not be included at all, producing a better film at the end of the process.

Another feature of this method I found useful was the detailed character profiles that could be included in the planning. Having a full idea of a character means you know how they will react in certain situations, which would make a finished film seem more realistic. Without this, characters could react to situations in ways that don’t match their personality, negatively affecting audience reception. This will help us in producing a trailer which shows viewers what our characters are like in the short space of time that we have. As audiences would have more of an idea what our characters are like, they would be more likely to be interested in seeing the full length film.

Below are pictures of our planning notes that we produced using the flip-chart method:

Initial ideas on genre, premise, setting, characters, and the conflict which would disrupt the equilibrium in Todorovian theory.

Brief initial synopsis for the full length film.

Character profiles for our two main characters featuring ideas for names, appearance, dress codes, and motives.

Initial ideas for the main events of our trailer, the style of editing, and use of sound. 

Modifications to our trailer planning which we added after feedback.

After we had formed a basic plot we used aspects of the plot (e.g. setting, characters) to give us ideas for the film's title and put them into a mind map. The title we decided to use was North Chamber.