Storyboard

Locations, props and costumes

Our opening 2 minutes had to be set in multiple locations which would represent the typical criminal setting and feel, along remembering factors like access to these areas and lighting also. The locations we chose consisted of The Crown Plaza Car Park, The Carlton Le Willows 6h form area and Gedling Village. To film at Crown Plaza, we had to get permission from the manager of the hotel prior to filming which then allowed us to be prepared for the actual filming day.


The main props we used consisted of a bag of flour which was presented as cocaine and money.


The costumes we used were to show the audience that we were still young men, but showed with style. For example, with the shots inside the school, we wore stylish casual clothing in the sense of not wanting to attract un-neccesary attention from police, but still look well dressed. Also, with my shot on top of the car park, my costume changes to a more formal and sophisticated shady look with the long trench coat, shirt and aviator sunglasses. This then presents a more typical criminal costume in British crime films.

Tuesday 28th March

2nd day of shooting and we filmed the torture scene. This scene involved Matt being the man who brought Luke in to be beat up over something that will be found out later on in the story. The 1st person view was being filmed by me instead of Luke.

The New Project (3rd attempt)

After finishing and editing our 2nd project, we were told we were not allowed to use a firearm in our film. This came at an in-conveniant time as before we were told by a teacher before we even began filming that we were allowed to use the imitation firearm as long as it was not outdoors. Also, after being watched by both media teachers, they did not mention anything about the firearm not being allowed until the head of media watched the film and told us we had to change it. 


Because of this, myself, Lewis Bacon and Oliver Cobbin decided to do a simple but different opening sequence instead. We got other people involved such as Matt Ball, Luke Morgan, Ethan Walsh and Mark Bird. 


The film is about drug dealing, kidnapping and rising to power.

First day of filming - December 2011

The first day of filming consisted of myself, Lewis and Oliver. We got permission before hand to film on the top floor of the crown plaza car park by the hotel manager. We chose this location as it had a good view of the city centre and would work well with our film. The filming took around 2 hours as we did quite a few takes. The great thing was the lighting as the sun was shining on this day so I was able to carry forward a well-presented gangster look with the sunglasses and long jacket.

Trailers and opening scenes

The Godfather opening scene

Scarface

American Gangster 

Don

Inspirations

DON (2006)

Don is a Bollywood made crime thriller. The story centers around an extremely cunning, highly sought for gangster, residing in Malaysia. Throughout the opening sequence, the protagonist, Don, is shown going  from a casual restaurant setting, being driven in a Mercedes E Class, through the streets of Paris, eventually arriving at a ballet studio. He is led to a backroom, searched, stripped of his gun (much to his dismay). Throughout the end of the scene, in the backroom, Don is talking to a fellow, criminal, business associate when things turn sour. Throughout this entire sequence, there are only 2 types of camera angles used; over-the-shoulder, and facial close-ups. This movie is an inspiration for me in regards to the type of camera shots used throughout the opening 5 minutes, due to the emphasis it places on authority and superiority. 


The opening scene uses the following shots:
- Tracking shot
- Pan shot
- Close up's
- Extreme close up's
- Over the shoulder
- Mid-shot
- Crane shot
- Following shot

Scarface (1983)

Scarface is undoubtedly one of the most  popular and recognised movies in the crime genre ever made. Starring Al Pacino, the story is set in 1980's Miami, California, about a man who arrives from Cuba (as a refugee). His story begins from a job washing dishes in a burger van, eventually becoming the biggest cocaine dealing gangster in Miami. Scarface is an inspiration to me due to the style, attitude and complexity of the main character, Tony Montana. The character, even whilst simply washing dishes, emits a powerful, dominating personality through his presence and style. The confidence and power reflected through his characteristics have enabled him to set the bar extremely high for gangster movies that came later on. Montana, fears nothing aside  from not reaching the very peak of what he wants. This element is what  I want to achieve within my movie; a fearless gangster. 

American Gangster (2007)
American Gangster is a Hollywood film entailed about the criminal career of Frank Lucas. Frank Lucas smuggled huge quantity's of heroine  into the USA on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. This film was later criticised by Frank Lucas himself in an interview in which he stated that around 1% of the film was true, with the other 99% Hollywood. American Gangster shows the high life and power seeking drug lord living luxuriously, against the dark and miserable job of a cop who is trying to bring down the criminal organisation.