Chris Rogers

IOR
• A talk with Paul 1
• The Other day Paul and I had a quick chat
about possible storylines for both our storys.
When I explained mine to Paul he said he
imaged the two films below because of the
style. The style I thought could be quite useful,
as of the moment I hadn't thought of a
possible style but with the feedback form
Paul, It's become easier to see the final look.
I'm happy that Paul could also see the story
unravelling and become fleshed out.
A talk with Paul 2
Up to this point the development of my possible storyline hadn't gone the way I would have like it to. So to cure that I used the advantage
of having a writing partner. Paul and I got together earlier and dicussed more possible ideas about where I could take this storytelling unit.
Keeping in mind about Phil's comment, we tried to find away to bring the train into more of a focus and use its potential as a machine to
create a story.

Together we came up with a few ideas that we bounced of eachother and tried narrowing those ideas down and also putting some
together. What we also did was try to find problems in the story that might lead it to not be at it's full potential. What we came up with is
in the following Step Outline;

Step Outline

Scene opens up in a old Western desert, zooming in slowly up to a train speeding down a track. Further down the track will be a person
tided up on a platform that is on the track. This train will be hurtling towards the captive on the track, the train is driven by a retired sword
swallow with a thirst for vengence. Attatched to the front of the train is the sword he used in his acts. Also at the front of the train is a
camera. In a short amount of time the train will drive into the captive, just before contact is made the camera will shoot a photo. (to save
this from being gruesome, we wont see the sword of train actually hit the victim, but it will be played in such a way that the viewer will
assume it happened. this scene will fade out.

A new scene will fade back in. The new scene is in a red light room the living quarters of the retired sword swallower. He'll remove a newly
developed image some water in a bowl. This image is the photo of the face of the captive taken from the front of the train. He'll pin this
photo onto the wall, surrounding this photo will be other photos that are simular but with different people in each image. We'll follow the
retired sword swallower out of the room, passing some newpaper articles that have photos of critics att he top of an article they wrote.
These critics will be the same people in the shocking images from before. The last thing we see is the title of the last article ( writen by the
last victim) saying something like 'what a failure!' with an image of the sword swallower looking foolish.

As we exit the room we see a quick glance of a train track with a small figure on the track with the train coming at him. ( showing he has
planned this )

I really like this idea, we came up with a lot in such a small time. I know there is loose ends that need tidying up but i'm looking to develop
it further. I interested in painting the set of a western desert area, I think the colours could be beautiful to work with. I'm also looking
forward to creating a very dramatic scene with the train. There is so much in this idea that make it flourish.
Link to our meeting on Paul’s profile - http://paularthurl.blogspot.com/2011/02/meeting-with-chris.html
The Treatment

1. The first scene opens out in a vast desert, with large brownish orange rocks in the distance and some in the foreground. Also
there will be weeds growing in the sand and tumbleweed blowing about, with several cacti around. The view will float down
slowly, and a steam train speeding along a track comes into focus. The camera will start have sudden shots of the speed from
the train. One shot of the wheels turning at high-speed, couple of shots of the steam blowing from the top of the train, also a
side view where the train speeds past. The view will then change to the top of the train and will start speeding forward, then
through the smoke and past the train.

We'll start speeding along the track fast than the train, until there is focus of a tided up man on a small platform on the track.
This man will have a contraption on head, that causes his mouth to be constantly open again his will. The device will look like a
head brace keeping the head back slightly and a jaw clamp attach from his jaw to the platform, keeping it open. We then look
down the track, viewed from over the shoulder of the tided up man. The camera will then shoot to the front of the train, were
we see a Large Format Camera attached to it. and we start moving down where we see a large sword attached to the very front
of the train. We then shoot to the window of the train, were we see the head of a man with a determined face on, we follow
him out of the window as he looks out.

We then jump back to the captive and we see over his shoulder again, we see the train come closer and closer, up tot he point
where the two are almost in contact, and then the camera will flash. Blinding the camera's view, and the vision is then faded
out.

2. This scene will fade into a red light lit room, the first thing we see is a photo image on the captive screaming head on. This
is in a bowl of liquid. A hand picks up the image and places it up the wall. Now next to this image is a range of image that look
just like it but with different people in them. This view of the images will be viewed from behind the shoulder of the main
character. The character would be wearing a dirty/dusty shirt with locked brown hair. We'll follow this character on side view
across the room. Until newspaper articles come into view, we'll zoom into these article and scan them all. One these articles
there will be two images next to the writing, each article having two different images. One of these images will be of a failed act
of sword swallowing and the other will be of the person who wrote the article. We'll make a comparison and realise the failed
sword swallower, was the guy driving the train and the critic will be one of the guys in the captive photos. this comparison will
be made with all articles. We'll hear the opening of a door.....

3. We'll see a view from outside the door, were the character comes out of. As the character leaves, we'll see a train set on a
table, on the track there will be a little model of a man with a train coming straight at him. Then knocking him of the track. Once
again there will be a fade out and credits will start.
Step Outline

In a desert scenery a train is hurting towards a tided up victim on the

track. The train is driven by a failed sword swallower seeking revenge
again his critic that ended his career. The sword he used to swallow for his
acts is attached to the front of the train. As a viewer we assume that the
train has hit the captive.

This scene is in a room in the characters living quarters, his own photo
developing facility. Through the images on the wall it noticeable that this
train crime has been done before and comparing to the article also in the
room we clock onto his revenged plan.

The scene is outside the last room, all that is in focus is the revenged plan
being shown on a train set.
The Premise

The extreme vengence of a dying act against it

critics.
 The logline
• The main character is Scott Lone; Scott is an
elderly retired Sword Swallower whose career
was destroyed by critic. He attempts to
commit vengeance on these critics in a way
they would never forget.
• Main character bio
• Name: Scott Lone
• Age: 63
• Occupation: Retired
• Backstory: He was once a successful Sword
Swallower, whose final act did not go to plan. The
critics they slated him for his pitiful act. The feedback
from these critics quickly turned Scott from a marvel
to nothing in less than a week. Now living in an old
shack in a western desert of North America, he plans
his revenge against the critics. This Revenge has been
delivered to all but one critic, that critic is next.
• Supporting Character bio
• Name: Mr Peters
• Ages: 45
• Occupation: Critic
• Backstory: One of the most famous critics in
North America, Known for his harsh opinions on
shows and acts for the last 20 years. A review
he did of Scott Lone’s Sword Swallowing act
shut down Scott’s act and banished him into
solitude. Mr peters went missing 3 days ago,
no-one has seen him since.
3 Act Structure

Act one – introduce problem –‘steam train’

In the desert of a North American desert, a steam train is hurting down its track. The Scene opens with the desert coming into view, the view
is high up over the desert. In the distance there is slight movement of a train. The view is slowly moving closer to the train.
The perspective then changes to a close view of the trains wheels spinning at a high speed. Then it jumps to a view of the smoke billowing out
of the chimney of the train. The composition then changes again to a sweeping of the side of the train, as we move to the front of the train,
the vision will become faster and faster; faster than the train. We’re sped to the end of the track where we see the distressed face of a man
tided up on a platform on the track. From a view of over the shoulder of this man, we see the train coming closer.
Our perspective then jumps to a view of the front of the train, where we see a sword sticking out, with the gleam of the sun bouncing off it.
Also above this sword we see and old camera tided to the railings. We see a glimpse of the driver, from side on. As he moves closer to the
window to poke his head out, the field of vision will move back out of that window; sticking close to this man’s (Scott’s) face at all times.
Act two – introduce obstacle- ‘making the audience wonder what’s happening’
At the beginning of this act, we jump straight back into the drama. We have a side view of the action; train coming in from the left and the
tided up victim on the right. At this point the train is extremely close. When the train gets to almost touching distance and full speed, we’ll
jump to the view of the man, were we’ll see his eyes shut but screaming to the top of his voice. Our view then changes back the same ‘over
the shoulder of the tided up man’ as before in act 1. The camera will shoot a blinding light causing the view to fill with a hazy white and then
fade out. This will give the audience an illusion that the train hit the man, without physically showing that it did.
When faded back in, the Scenery would be different. We are now placed in a red light lit room, seeing into the content of a bowl of liquid. In
the liquid is a developing image. The Perspective changes to behind the view of the main character ( Scott ). He’ll pick up the photograph from
the liquid and pin it up on the wall. The camera will move slowly over the shoulder and zoom into the photo and the wall it is on. The photo
will be from the camera that flashed just before the train hit the victim. The image will show the screaming face of the victim, with the sword
half way down his throat. Also in this shot we’ll see the same thing as the image but with different people in them.
Act three – Resolving problem – Answering the question ‘why is he doing this’
We’ll follow Scott out of the room, but before we leave, the camera will notice something on the other wall. When we’ve zoomed in, we’ll see
articles taken form a newspaper. On the newspaper articles, there will two images surrounded by writing and a striking title. The Main image
will be of Scott on the stage, choking on his sword or having things thrown at him whilst he has a glum look on his face; under that image will
be a profile picture of the critic that wrote the review. The Audience will make a connection of the critics profile pictures to those of the
witnessing ‘murders’. They’ll also notice that the man on stage (Scott) was also the train driver and the guy that was just in the room.
Our location has changed again; to outside the room. We see Scott open the door and then close it, and walking out of shot. As he passes out
of view from the camera, a small train set on a table will be shown. The camera will slowly zoom onto the train set, showing the train moving
down the track and a person in front of that train lying down. As the view fades, we just about see the train hit the person. ( This shows that
the vengeance was planned and also wonder furthermore if the man was indeed hit by that train).
Uncanny Essay
 
Introduction
This essay will go into depth into explaining what the term
‘Uncanny’ is and means. This focus on ‘The Uncanny’ will
come with views, evidence and examples to help truly lock
down on the arguable term. There are many psychologists
that have their own view on the subject, but the psychologists
that will be in most focus in this essay will be Ernst Jentsch
and Sigmund Freud. The explanation and evidence pulled
from these two psychologist’s essays will then be used to
decipher ‘The uncanny’ effects in the artwork and film (…yet
to be decided).
 
First paragraph
So what is ‘The Uncanny’? The definition of the uncanny has been argued over for so long that some would give one
definition whereas someone else would give another. Roy Sellars translated Ernst Jentsch’s essay ‘On the
Psychology of the Uncanny’, he view of the essay is, ‘Jentsch emphasises that the uncanny arises from a certain
experience of the uncertain or undecidable’ (sellars). Sellars here has summed up the essay very well. Mainly
because the whole essay is about Jentsch’s view of the uncanny being determined by how an individual views a
situation that another could see as uncanny. E.Jentsch expresses in his essay, ‘without a doubt, this word
appears to express that someone to whom something ‘uncanny’ happens is not quite ‘at home’ or ‘ at ease’ in
the situation that concerned, that the thing is or at least seems to be foreign to him. In brief, the word suggests
that a lack of orientation is bound up with the impression of the uncanniness of a thing or incident.’
(Jentsch,1906: 2). What Jentsch is saying here is that something that would be once homely to one person at
one time, might not mean it will be another time or to another person. For example an ‘incident’ could occur
clouding that person’s previous judgement.
(Paragraph needs work)
 
Paragraph 2
Freud in his essay The Uncanny, discusses when the uncanny effect arises, he explains that it happens: “when the
boundary between fantasy and reality is blurred, when we are faced with the reality of something that we have
until now considered imaginary, when a symbol takes on the function and significance of what it symbolizes”
(Freud, 2003: 150) What Freud appears to be saying is that, the uncanny happens when what we have imagined,
we are then faced with in the flesh.
However he also says that it can be when a characteristics of an object actually become the object; for example
when a childlike doll, which symbolises a child and childhood, then turns into a child.
 
Irrational thought , the thing we don’t see is what we are most scared of. (thriller)
 
Paragraph 3
Focus on an example from Jentsch and use quotes.
 
Paragraph 4
Focus on an example from Sigmund Freud and use quotes.
 
Paragraph 5
Use what has been learned to decipher an image or film ( keep to one scene at this point)
 
Paragraph 6
Contrast the last scene to a new one, or the last image to a new one.
 
Paragraph 7 and 8
Attempt to focus on the point of ‘uncanny’
 
Conclusion
Sum up all points into a tight conclusion.
• Storytelling essay
• Introduction
• In this essay there will be in depth look at the way films are
produced and edited to achieve different effects. There will be a
focus in how these effects are used to change the way the
audience views the film. The film that will have the main attention
for this investigation will be ‘The Birds’ (1963) Directed by Alfred
Hitchcock and starring Tippi Hedren. ‘The Birds’ is famous for its
limited but precise editing. To fully understand editing roles in this
film, there first needs to be understanding of the techniques. The
sources, ‘HOW MOVIES WORK’ (Bruce f.Kawin), ‘HOW TO READ A
FILM’ (James Monaco), ‘TECHNOLOGIES OF SEEING’ (Brian
Winston), will give the information needed to understand a film.
Along with these there will be a look at Camille Pagliae’s ‘The
Birds’, which is an essay she wrote on the subject.