Oathless

From the outset I always wanted music to play a significant role in the overall production. Looking at the script and storyboards the car scene, hotel corridor and sex sequence seemed the appropriate choice in which to implement the music. Having the first scene play without music in order to capture the raw emotion, the car scene would then act as the breathing space in which would justify the use of a suitable score, another layer to the scene to emphasise her situation. This score will transcend into the sex sequence where the tone will remain the same beautiful but harrowing to contrast with the distressing sexual montage. The slight ambiguity of having an alluring score played over Sugar uncomfortably fornicating with a client having previously and having poured her heart out to an unknown phone recipient has an interesting clash of emotion both strong and very different but compliment each other when synchronised together.

Before shooting the film I trawled Soundcloud and the MusicBed in order to find a track that would fit the piece until I stumbled on a composer 'Simon Housley' with his Soundcloud alias as 'Oathless'. His Bandcamp description read that he was a recently graduated student that had studied music technology, I felt he was the perfect person the approach, he also had a extensive collection of tracks to listen through giving me confidence that he was more than capable of scoring our film.

I sent him an email regarding the production including all details of our situation, deadline and style of the piece including a mood board that I showed in the pitch and another I put together with our casting video of the chosen actor, in which he replied swiftly. Later on in the semester once we had a fine cut he was able to send me a track that was custom fit to the film. However it was far from what I had envisioned so proceeded in further contact to create something that really worked. Using pieces from both tracks we could find the perfect tone for the film. The email process was difficult as I could only send him links to tracks that sounded close to what I wanted and describe vividly what I wanted, obviously having Simon sit down in person would have been much better however I feel that despite the email communication I was still able to get Simon to produce a track that was highly suitable for the film. From this I have learnt in future to approach artists earlier on in the production and possibly meet face to face to discuss the criteria and fine details.


Below is one of the tracks from Simon's album titled 'Peripheral - music for an imaginary film'.

Poster

Though creating a poster wasn't a necessary undertaking on my part I find it has importance when it comes to the publicity of the film and as we may be submitting to festivals, having a piece of work to gain the interest of festival organisers aids this progression to further exhibition. I made the poster as part of a mood board with Francesca De Sica's (female actor) casting video played alongside a "An Ending (Ascent) - Brian Eno" this mood board could then be sent to members of the group, Simon Housley and other people that may be working on the piece as a contractor to give them a clear understanding of how the piece will look and sound before they agree to any participation in the film, the mood board captures the emotion of the film summarising it in a brief 2 minute video, I used a similar mood board in my pitch to strengthen the concept and narrative I was pitching, the sound and image express a lot more than a vocal description could offer which I feel helps to reduce a lengthy explanation. 

This was the final poster design that I had printed.

Casting

I knew for this piece the actors were going to have to pull off a very strong performance due to the way in which the script is wrote and nature of such a emotional piece. The minimal dialogue meant that the actors would have focus on facial expression and body language, this also meant that the producer George Dupays was under a lot of pressure to find actors that were suitable for such a demanding role and having the set back of George joining the group late we would have to work very efficiently to pull the film off. Before the script was wrote I had a lengthy discussion with George about the films overall style so that he could grasp what type of actors would suit the characters they would be playing. I knew that if the actors couldn't pull off the dialogue in the script the piece would feel amateurish, this is why George made sure that we would never cast an actor without a face to face conversation with a casting performance or alternatively a casting video, I told George to get any actors submitting a casting video to perform the first scene with the confrontation with the pusher so that I could see if they could give a convincing performance. Myself and George watched the videos that were submitted which is when I saw Francesca De Sica's video which was astonishing, I then proceeded to with a Skype conversation with Francesca to discuss the fine details of the film, filming dates, payment and availability, her train tickets were booked during the conversation and we prepared the necessary proceedings for her arrival. Though I was aware that George had let the actors applying for the role that we would require nudity and that there was a sex scene planned I confirmed the explicit details with Francesca on the Skype call so that she knew exactly what would be happening come the filming. The same was done when myself and George had a meeting with Michael David Worden, we fully disclosed the details and what I had storyboarded so that David was fully aware of what was required from his performance. Having worked with David before on a previous project he felt comfortable participating in what I had planned, his confidence in myself made the next few days of filming an easy task, having never filmed or directed a scene this explicit I used the advice from Chris Hall. He talked to myself and Tom Newsham about how to approach actors regarding these themes, in which he made it clear that there is no exact way however the key point he made was to be professional, clear and most of all give the actors confidence that you can pull if off so that they feel relaxed around the crew. Which is why we benefited having George Dupays as the producer, his confidence and people skills meant that both actors were comfortable before, during and after the filming. Knowing that George was taking good care of the actors I was able to work on directing the film and assisting Tom's camera work, this whole process became stress free with the whole crew working effectively. I knew that taking on a film with these themes would be a challenging experience for everyone in the crew and that the final film had to be carefully constructed so that I could get the right reaction from viewers, though the risk would be worth the extra work and due to this style of film being what it is I expect the reactions will be mixed.

The film required that we have three actors to play the characters scripted however we encountered a problem where by no one was interested in played the role of the client, this was understandable as there was no dialogue nor was the character explained in huge depth in the character descriptions that I gave to George. In order to tackle the fact that we weren't going to have enough time to wait for a reply or any interest in playing the character I made the decision to work around using Michael David Worden to play both male characters, seen as the client had no dialogue I creatively resolved this issue by directing Tom to frame the doorframe in the first scene in such a way that it cropped David's head off by doing this his identity was concealed. We let David know that he would have to be taking on two roles before we went ahead with any shooting which he had no problem with, we made this clear to Francesca also, this somewhat worked to our advantage as the extra costs of having another actor was minimised. David and Francesca were also then able to see one another throughout the whole project which meant they had trust in one another, as the sex scene was done before the violent first scene the actors bounced off each other really well providing input into how this scene would be choreographed.


Character profiles

Sugar - Mid 20's, a weathered survivor with a weak knee for cocaine. On the verge of breakdown, her degrading career leaves her isolated and impassive. A once innocent girl led astray by a manipulative pusher veiled by her seductive stride. [Short skirt, high heels, and warm coat, black eyes, with bruises and eyeliner]


Vance - Mid 30's, intrusive and manipulative flesh peddler that values his tainted business. Uses violence as a means of discipline. Physically intimidating, chizzled facial structure suggestive of drug use. Frequent smoker with unnerving presence. [Short hair or bald, 6ft, chizzled face]


Client – Mid 30’s, an indistinct character, well dressed, confident but quiet. [smart casual clothing]

Shot List

Having worked on previous projects shot lists and storyboards I only felt it was right that I worked closely with Tom Newsham the DOP for the film so that we could achieve the look I visualised. Having done some previous research into other films styles of cinematography and ideas of my own I had a vivid idea of what I wanted, I showed Tom films and examples of shooting styles before attempting to create the storyboards. We then set about breaking the film down and acting out the scenes to see what would work we also did test shots when drawing up the storyboards to get a feel for the way in which it would play out, doing this allowed Tom to clearly understand the desired aesthetic of 'Still in the Night'.





Scene 1

Camera tracks from outside doorway, in through door and down to the right to a CU of SUGAR

Scene 2

Steady pan from the right as estate pulls up next to SUGAR

Steady pan from the passengers seat framing SUGAR in the back of the car and the back of the CLIENT'S seat.

Static shot from the outside of the car looking in at SUGAR as the car drives the to hotel.

Scene 3

Slow motion following CLIENT leading SUGAR to hotel room. Shuts door, camera fades to black as we hit the door.

Track to the right from behind a curtain. SUGAR is getting undressed.

OTS of SUGAR getting undressed in front of CLIENT.

CU of CLIENT'S face looking her up and down.

LOW ANGLE tracks up her body from in front as she's dropping an item of clothing, up to her face. She looks uncomfortable.

Medium CU of dischevled bed sheets.

LOW ANGLE of the still dressed client sat in a chair watching SUGAR pleasure herself.

SLOW TRACKING in shot toward SUGAR'S face as she begins to pleasure herself sat against the curtains.

CU of SUGAR's upper body and face as she is lay on the bed, she looks shameful.

Heavily lit shot of SUGAR'S body, rays of light exposing into the lens.

CU of CLIENT's face as we see SUGAR's hands place a blind fold on him

OTS of SUGAR placing a blindfold on the client, she reaches for a knife out of her bag on the bedside table, TRACK up to her from a low angle, SUGAR holds the knife over her head, she thrusts the knife into the CLIENT.

POSPONE SHOT TO BUILD TENSION

Scene 4

Wide shot tracking up from the sink framing SUGAR staring into the mirror. She is distressed and breathing heavily.

Pitching

Below is the pitch that I wrote with Tom for the working title 'Ties' that we will be filming next semester. When writing the outline for the piece I always wanted to make a film that ultimately revolves around relationships and then find a scenario in which to place this drama. With family and relationships being the main focus in terms of the films overall theme, the expression of emotion will be vivid and carefully executed. I wasn't keen on making the film with conventional styles both narratively and cinematically however influences from existing pieces of cinema will resinate throughout.

When I pitched the idea there was only myself and Tom Newsham in the group, with myself down as the Director and Tom as the DOP. I had confidence that the idea would get picked and once the drafts were released I set about finding other students to work on the project, prior to pitching I had already spoke to George Dupays about producing the film though it wasn't until later on in the semester that George was able to work as the producer though we overcame this slight setback.

PROJECT TITLE: Ties DATE: 2/10/13

FORM OF PROJECT: Narrative Drama LENGTH: 15-20 mins

TAGLINE:

STUDENTS INVOLVED:

NAME ROLE

1. Tom Newsham Camera

2. George Beattie Director

3.  _____________________________

4.  _____________________________

5. _____________________________

6. _____________________________

PROJECT SYNOPSIS:

Our protagonist Shawn returns to his empty childhood home after being disconnected from his family dishonourably discharged from the Armed Forces. Pouring himself a drink he proceeds to watch old home videos of his younger sister and himself on the VCR. Reliving these memories motivates Shawn to reconnect with his family. Pouring himself a generous second drink he makes a call to his sister Adrianne. After a heated and emotional conversation Shawn finds out his mother’s whereabouts and Adrianne stresses that Shawn has no idea what she has had to do to keep her and her mother afloat. After trying to compose herself, Adrianne leaves the bathroom and quickly flees a flat, leaving a suited client laid waiting on a bed. He meets his mother at her new home, a cramped flat with not enough light. Living with dementia she no longer recognises her son, Shawn is overcome with guilt at leaving her and too ashamed of himself to be able to talk to her. Adrianne comes to her mother’s to find Shawn still there. The two talk and Adrianne confesses that she’s been working as a prostitute and she blames Shawn for leaving but admits that she needs help. Shawn meets with Adrianne’s procurer (Roland Vance) at his restaurant and tries to buy her out from him. Vance angrily explains that he’s got nowhere near enough to buy his most valuable whore and proposes Shawn can buy her out by working for him, killing a drug competitor. Shawn agrees to work for him with the intention of killing Vance himself.

Shawn lures Vance out to meet him under the guise of showing him the competitor’s body, only to kill Vance and ensure his sister’s safety.

OUTLINE OF VISUAL STYLE

We intend for the visual style to create a sense of separation between the characters, in order to suggest this the use of wide shots will be implemented. Slow tracking shots will also be used throughout in particular in the city scenes where Shawn proceeds in confronting his sisters pusher at his restaurant, these tracks will serve as a means for building tension as Shawn enters a darkened environment. Prior to Shawn meeting his sister and pusher a distanced shot of the city skyline will be used, the intention of this shot will be to incarnate the city as a way to illustrate how his sister has fallen victim to its lurid underbelly. For Shawn’s home scenes and scenes where Shawn is alone we’ll be using mainly static or slow tracking wide shots to show the emptiness and stillness of this old house and to emphasize how alone Shawn is. Then for the more intense scenes featuring the drama between Adrianne and Shawn we want to use uncomfortably close shots to show the unease of Adrianne’s situation. Though the narrative of the film revolves around the duty of the soldier to help his sister escape her tainted lifestyle and career, I would like strong focus on the emotion of the characters, to convey their ethos I plan to use the technique of neo realism where by the camera will hold on a character without cutting thus sustaining a more profound relationship so that the audience can value the person in real time and space rather than a fiction character.

OUTLINE OF SOUND STYLE

To compliment the simplicity of the wide shots and slow tracks we intend to use a minimalist soundscape that enhances the emotional theme resinating throughout. The tones in the soundtrack will dictate and heighten the mood depending on the scene, for example the pitch will fluctuate to higher pitch tones in the scenes where we witness the characters sorrow or solitude, however in the scene where Shawn meets the pusher the tone will become darker to introduce the element of fear whilst sustaining the anguish that surrounds his sister with instruments such as organs and heavier tones. With a distinctive difference in the tones used in different scenes, the scenes will have the ability to exist as individual pieces of emotion. The soundscape will lean towards the genre of contemporary classical, choral and sacred. To keep the film feeling polished and to retain a constant flow we intend to use sound bridges over the visuals, in particular the phone call scene at the beginning of the film, the conversation will play over Shawn in his house reviewing old video tapes of his childhood as it then cuts to him sat in tears whilst conversing with his sister.

Listen to Arvo Pärt - De Profundis as a reference to the sound style.

OUTLINE OF KEY THEMES

Family, self worth, duty, values, pride, neo realsim.

Synopsis and intention

Struggling prostitute who goes by the name 'Sugar' finds herself at the end of her tether. Tormented by the perpetual abuse from her dictating flesh peddler Vance she is left bruised and hollow, she frantically attempts to contact a distant companion, but its clear their relationship is decayed as the phone rings out from which she begins to leave a message “...Hey Jonny its me again. I don't know if you got my last messages, not heard from you, I dunno. I could just, I'd love to see you. It's not like last time, I'm OK for money, really. I just need need to get out of here. Please Jonny, call me back... I love you.” Following on from this Sugar goes to meet a client, he picks her up and they go back to a hotel room which results in his demise. 

I would this piece to illustrate the bitterness of human relationships and how they sometimes break down, yet we long to make amends often to no avail. I would like strong focus on the emotion of the characters, to convey their ethos I plan to use the technique of neo realism where by the camera will hold on a character without cutting thus sustaining a more profound relationship so that the audience can value the person in real time and space rather than a fictional character. I would like for the piece to sustain a simplicity of visuals and sound therefore wide shots and long takes will resonate throughout, the first scene will be shot through a doorway restricting the audiences view of the violent opening, serving not only as a stylistic choice but voyeuristic opportunity for the viewer. (Refer to 'Blue Valentine' and 'Shame'). The visuals will accommodate a vivid colour palate with punchy uses of red and gold, the grade throughout will be high contrast. A minimalist soundtrack will compliment the simple photography, building tension witnessing the tainted nature of her callous trade. The opening will set the tone for this beautiful but agonising short which transcends into a bleak finale.

Chromatics - There's a light out on the horizon

This song was one of the first pieces that gave me inspiration, halfway through there is an answer phone message left by a female, its sorrowful and suggests a relationship thats maybe failing I knew from this point on I wanted to use a phone call of some sort with nameless characters to leave the audience with an ambiguity. 

On Set

Myself and Tom stood in for the actors as we tried to work out the shots and angles so that the actors weren't standing about. 

Initially I had the idea that we would light the room ted with subtle shades of purple, however once I got on set and abandoned the idea switching to gold another colour I had in mind when I developing the piece. I felt the red would make the scene feel to surrealist and fabricated, also I wasn't sure that we had enough red to colour the characters and room how I wanted if I went down that route. The room already had a yellowish tint and so playing on that with the gold made the lighting a touch easier. 

We tried some of the shots with the actors wearing there underwear and when Tom got the angle right it was convincing enough for people to believe they were fully nude. However in the later shots we had to have the actors naked for the shot to work, having spoke to both the actors prior to filming about doing a fully nude sex scene this wasn't a unexpected request, however all the crew had to make the actors feel comfortable before and during the filming, having George Dupays as a producer was great as he kept both actors in good company allowing the filming process to run smoothly. 

Directing the actors in the sex scene was fairly simple, I showed the actors a shot list and storyboard draft so they understood what I was after. As both the actors felt very comfortable around each other it allowed us to get the shots efficiently, once i had all the shots that had been written on the shot list I was then able to gather extra shots, Tom having a vivid understanding of what I was after was able to get the shots without over direction from myself. 

We used two 200 Kino lights to light the sex scene, I used gold and yellow gels to cover the lights, though there was a great difference in the two gels the blend didn't look unsuitable, due to the native ISO of the cameras being very low the lights had to be turned up very high however we could still achieve the desired look despite this. Once Tom got the shot set up I was able to light the shots and then confer with him after he had took a picture. Rather than lighting the actors completely I liked the shadow the light cast when lighting more from one side, a much more vivid look but it worked on this harrowing sex scene. 

This is an example of how many of the shots were lit.

Steve setting up his sound equipment.

Originally we had asked for the single floor Mezzanine suite however despite our pre booking one of the staff members released the room and so we had to make do with the double floor room, which actually proved to better in some ways as the bottom floor could be used as a equipment floor and for the actors to take a break while myself and Tom set up shots.

Me

The room came with bath robes, these came in handy between shooting.

Lighting Michael David Worden.

We tried out the red filters for the last scene, but again I felt it looked out of place and too artificial for what I wanted. 

Shame - Steve McQueen

'Shame' was a huge inspiration for this piece stylistically and narratively, I like the way in which Steve McQueen has tackled a daring subject matter where by the finished piece feels so polished and watchable.

The camera work in 'Shame' is simplistic and careful almost a direct reflection of the main protagonist 'Brandon' that Michael Fassbender plays. Its a style that I've spoke to Tom Newshsam about (DOP for 'Still in the Night' our first film), I wanted long shots that create a distance from the character with a lack of POV shots so that the audience feel restricted from the action taking place, a voyeur thats refused interaction. This is seen throughout "Shame' shots from a distance and through doorways are used that hold there position without cutting. Again another stylistic choice that I would like to implement in our film is extended takes, I often feel that cuts are unnecessary, and so until they are really needed I'd like to abandon the convention of multiple cuts in scenes. The extended takes in 'Shame' capture the emotion of 'Brandon', we are able to engage in what he could possibly be thinking or feeling, he often looks removed from the environment lost in his own world as he tries to cope with his addiction. I feel that these long shots of the characters face provide more than a sequence of dialogue, the situation seems more real and less fabricated we believe what we see rather than a forced sense of realisation.

The film begins with a long take of Brandon lying in his bed staring up past the camera the shot holds until we hear an alarm go off Brandon then gets out of bed shortly after this. The shot is rather cropped in framing only the centre of the bed where he is lying, instantly we are presented with a troubled character evident by the empty look on his face and lack of music to suggest a mood, the audience are allowed time in which to consider what he could be thinking. 

Once Brandon is out of the bed we are left with the shot of the dishevelled sheets, we hear Brandon open his blinds simultaneously lighting the sheets with the films title 'Shame' appearing across the bed. This title sequence not only serves as a stylistic introduction but a direct statement of the characters addiction.  

Following from this the film progresses into a a train scene where again recurring shots of Brandon are used, a bombardment of his emotion. The train scene is intercut with his ongoing escapades with prostitutes and sexual partners. This sets the tone for film revealing what his life consists of, a the routine amount of time he spends dealing with his addiction. The intercut scenes of sex on screen thus far Brandon appears in control and comfortable with what he's doing however once cut back to the train he looks hollow and lost a sense of self loathing as he looks on, tis however transcends into what almost becomes a sexual encounter with a passenger on the train.

The first shot of Brandon waiting for the train is held again for an extended amount of time, Harry Escotts soundtrack is played against this scene, a composition of string instruments creates a mood of anguish.

 
Once Branson is on the train we see him start to notice a woman across on the other side of the carriage he looks over and continues to stare at her, at first she accepts his attention as a harmless exchange of eye contact and then reciprocates with subtle gestures and expressions.

She bares a smile enjoying the attention from Brandon holding her stare suggesting that this interaction may then transcend into another of Brandon's sexcapades.

The scene cuts back and forth from characters to character however on a cut to Brandon the shot is now out of focus, this technique is used later on in the film where by Brandon is for filling his last sexcapade before he overdoses on his addiction however I'm still left wondering why its still used. Possibly to suggest he's becoming faceless or removed from feeling other emotions besides his sexual desires of lust. Though I don't feel that the director intended for the audience to read too much into this stylistic choice from watching interviews with Steve McQueen. 

Brandon continues his attempts to seduce the woman and until this point he appears to be succeeding in his seduction, the camera tracks up intimately from her legs to her face as a POV shot.

Again she welcomes Brandon's intent however looking away with a smile.

Though the allurement takes a swift transition, Brandon's facial expression becomes more provoked though very subtly, his eyes are more open with very slight raised brow, the change is so slight but noticeable, a talent Michael Fassbender possesses. This understated animation of his face is a common occurrence in the film, combined with music or an extended shot the cognition of the character can be speculated.  

The woman then becomes distressed and upset, she gets up quickly as the train pulls into the station, before she was engrossed in the flirtatious exchanges but now aware of her situation. 

This is sudden change in emotion is revealed as the camera follows her movement framing her hand which bares an engagement ring and wedding ring, Michael's character isn't concerned about this ignoring the girls disinterest and dismissal in which is proceeds on following her off the train, this scene shows the persistent nature of Michael's character and his disregard for the girls feelings, he has no ability to engage on an intimate level, he sees her purely as a sexual partner, this intensive first scene helps to encompass the character of Brandon often this is seen in films where a character is explored in a situation or encounter to exhibit the traits to gain a clear understanding of how they interact and behave. 

As the doors open the female character exits the train quickly and ascends up the stairs away from Brandon, he attempts to catch up with her pushing past passers by, the shot has been filming using a steadicam, we become a part of the chase keeping up with Brandon, we get a sense of his determination to pursue a sexual encounter with this girl. The choice of camera work again playing a huge role in the portrayal of the character and understanding there emotion, I feel that if this scene was edited using cuts the outcome would be far from what we experience compared to the long take in this particular scene. 

In the last shot of the scene Brandon looses the girl in the mass of people walking around the station, his frustration is suggested with a spinning camera angle as he turns frantically to find the girl there are no cuts so we can observe the character completely taking in his facial expression and body language. 

Riding Like Lightning: Derek Cianfrance Breaks Down a Key Scene from THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

Derek Cianfrance talks about the power of music in this particular scene of the film, there is a POV shot from another man watching Ryan Gosling's character, the music goes from diegetic to a soundtrack from Mike Patton to get a feeling of how it is to be one of those characters. The music gives an instant sense of this, no dialogue is exchanged until the end where the mic is set back as Robin shouts up to Ryan Gosling, an outsider entering into forgone space. This use of music to suggest a certain atmosphere or mood is something I plan to use in the sex scene whee by no dialogue will be used just a montage of two characters interacting in a close and harrowingly intimate sexual encounter. 

Be Near Me - John X. Carey

EVERYDAY - Gustav Johansson

What is neorealism?

Neorealism is a theory that I had been interested in previously, I mentioned that I intended to utilise the techniques of such a style in my initial pitch for the film we would be doing in the second semester. I feel that this Italian film movement would be a suitable technique for the portrayal of the characters in our short film. Neorealism is traditionally characterised by the stories of the poor and working class in which the themes of changes in the Italian psyche and conditions of everyday life, including poverty, oppression, injustice and desperation are represented. These quintesential themes that surface in neorealism are present in the characteristics of our film, in particular oppression, injustice, and depression. The video above talks about the contrast between the Italian film director Vittorio De Sica and an american producer Selsnic if they were to make a film using the same actors, location and plot. The difference is clear, with De Sica choosing to use extended shots of the characters but revealing far less, the camera would often observe the characters in simple situations or actions such as a lengthy walk through a restaurant, these shots will also hold with cutting even after  the character had left the frame, the empty space is focused on a as extras occupy the same space they once did to give a feeling of there lack of presence that once was.

In terms of replicating this in my film I don't feel that some of the techniques of neorealism will all be useful, the techniques I intent to use would be the extended takes that follow the character and observe them in a situation which won't reveal a great amount however I feel that these long shots will provide an interesting viewpoint for the audience complimented by minimal cutting, more of a neorealist inspired style rather than a true representation of neorealism. The long takes in a typical neorealist film give the sense of observation and distance from the character, this is something I plan to explore, to do so I plan to shoot at a distance ideally through doorways, so that the audience are refused any interaction. 

COME4 - THE LOVER

Script

This is the final version of the script that everyone had a copy of before shooting. Though the script is only two pages in total I planned for the sixth scene to be a montage of the sex within the hotel room that would occupy a page worth of script. The scenes prior to this scene are also of little or no dialogue, this was down to both the style and nature of the piece I had in mind. I interrogated the fact that these scenes would be silent questioning whether there would be any exchange of dialogue or conversation between the characters ultimately deciding that it would't make sense. I felt that the first scene would be the initial insight into the the prostitutes life exposing the torment and perpetual abuse she suffers for her dictating flesh pedaler. With this first scene being violent shot in a single take to capture the raw emotion of the character dubbed 'Sugar' in the script, I then felt that the next scene would benefit by being silent and refused dialogue to then slow the pace of the film giving the audience time to breathe and take in what they've just seen, in addition this pace shift is intended to set up the hotel scene, my aim was to leave the audience in an active state so that they were unsure as to whether more violence would ensue or the film would progress into a more gentle tone.

To tackle our brief "show violence as a means to an end" I aimed to create a direct relationship to one of the characters in the film I would be directing next year, with a strong focus on the themes so that the piece could be seen from an alternate view from the sisters perspective (Sugar) as well as its own piece of cinema. Initially myself and Tom storyboarded the hotel scene with a shot of Sugar raising a knife to an unknowing client as a final shot which would then lead to the end scene of her sat crying with the knife to her side. However I decided against this shot due to the narrative concept feeling out of place and amateurish, I wanted to suggest the violence again presenting the viewer with a simple scene in which they have to deconstruct. Therefore I drafted the idea of shooting a still POV or locked off shot of the handbag placed on the bedside as a final shot in the sex scene sequence, I felt a long take of the bag after a shot showing Sugar look past the camera would encourage the idea of her intentions, this is confirmed by the final scene capturing Sugar crying in the bathroom stained in blood with a knife to her side a conclusion to her affliction and callous sexcapades.