anonymous storyboard: draft

STORYBOARD: DRAFT

THE SHOT OPENS WITH A MEDIUM SHOT OF THE FEMALE CHARACTER SAT ON THE FLOOR, ROCKING BACK AND FORTH. THE DIEGETIC SOUND IN THIS SHOT IS THE FEMALE CHARACTER’S INAUDIBLE WHISPERING. THE USE OF A ZOOM ADDS DRAMATIC EFFECT CREATES AN ELEMENT OF SUSPENSE AND FEAR BECAUSE THE AUDIENCE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO SEE NEXT, AND IT MAKES THEM ANXIOUS TO SEE THE CHARACTER’S FACE.

THIS SHOT SHOWS THE TITLE CREDITS AND IT IS IN A SMALL FONT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BLACK SCREEN. THIS REPRESENTS THE FEMALE CHARACTER’S IMPRISONMENT, AND IT ALMOST SEEMS AS IF SHE IS BEING ENGULFED IN THE DARKNESS.

THE MOVEMENT AND PLACEMENT IN THIS SHOT IS IMPORTANT. THE PANNING SHOT NOT ONLY PROVIDES INFORMATION BUT ALSO TO ENGAGE THE AUDIENCE IN THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. THIS SHOT ESTABLISHES THE SCENE, AND ALLOWS THE AUDIENCE TO SEE THE “AFTERMATH” AND PIECES OF WALLPAPER THE FEMALE CHARACTER TEARS OFF THE WALL.

A SERIES OF CLOSE-UP SHOTS ARE USED IN THE BEGINNING AS THEY SHOW THE IMPORTANCE OF CERTAIN OBJECTS IN THE ROOM. IT CREATES AN INTENSE ATMOSPHERE, THUS HEIGHTENING THE FEAR AS THE AUDIENCE IS ABLE TO FOCUS ON THE DETAILS IN THE SHOT.

EXTREME CLOSE-UP SHOTS ARE USED TO PUT EMPHASIS ON AN OBJECT AND PART OF THE CHARACTER’S FACE OR BODY. THIS SHOT FOCUSES ON IS THE CHARACTER PICKING UP THE PENCIL, WHICH IS A HUGE SIGNIFICANCE TO THE FILM, AS IT ALLOWS THE AUDIENCE TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THE CHARACTER’S MADNESS. THIS SHOT ALSO CREATES AN INTENSE MOOD AND PROVIDES AN INTERACTION BETWEEN THE AUDIENCE AND THE VIEWER (FEMALE CHARACTER).

A MID-SHOT GIVES A MORE PRECISE VIEW OF THE CHARACTER AND EASILY PORTRAYS THE CHARACTER IN THE ENVIRONMENT THEY ARE SURROUNDED IN. IN THIS SHOT, THE FEMALE CHARACTER IS SEEN CRAWLING TO HER DESK AND SHE IS NOT YET REVEALED.

THE CAMERA FOLLOWS TO THE BACK OF THE FEMALE CHARACTER’S HEAD, AND THIS TRANSITIONS INTO A POINT-OF-VIEW SHOT. THIS ENABLES THE AUDIENCE TO SEE THE FILM THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CHARACTER. THE SHOT THEN SHOWS THE FEMALE CHARACTER WRITING “I’VE GOT OUT” IN HER JOURNAL.

FURTHERMORE, TO CREATE A SMOOTHER TRANSITION TO THE POINT-OF-VIEW SHOT, THE CAMERA WILL FADE IN AND OUT TO MIMIC THE FEMALE CHARACTER’S BLINKING.

AT THIS POINT, DEMONIC VOICES CAN BE HEARD AND GRADUALLY GET LOUDER. THIS IS MAKE THE AUDIENCE FEEL UNEASY AND DISTRESSED BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE NOISE IS COMING FROM. THE USE OF NON-DIEGETIC SOUND ALSO CREATES AMBIGUITY. IN THIS SHOT, THE FEMALE CHARACTER CAN BE SEEN TRYING TO BLOCK AWAY THE VOICES BY COVERING HER EARS.

FOR MY FILM OPENING, I LIKE THE IDEA OF BUILDING UP TENSION WITH THE USE OF DIEGETIC AND NON-DIEGETIC SOUND. I HAVE PAIRED THE SOUND OF THE PENCIL SCRATCHES (IN THE SCENE WHERE THE FEMALE CHARACTER IS WRITING IN HER JOURNAL) AS IT MAKES THE SCENE APPEAR MORE REALISTIC.

TO MAKE THE AUDIENCE FEEL AGITATED, I WILL GRADUALLY BUILD AND MAKE THE SOUND OF THE DEMONIC VOICES GET LOUDER, THEN ABRUPTLY STOP WHEN THE FEMALE CHARACTER HEARS SHUFFLING BEHIND HER - SHE THEN LOOKS BEHIND HER. AFTER THIS, SHE CLOSES HER JOURNAL AND THE SCENE CUTS TO BLACK.

THE SCENE THEN OPENS SHOWING THE FEMALE CHARACTER CRAWLING BACK TO WHERE SHE SAT IN THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM.

IN THIS SHOT, THE FEMALE CHARACTER LOOKS DOWN TO HER LEFT AND THEN SAYS, “YOU’LL BE OK YOUNG MAN...REST WELL DEAR.” AGAIN, THIS MAKES THE AUDIENCE FEEL APPREHENSIVE AS THEY DO NOT KNOW WHO SHE IS TALKING TO.

A ZOOM OUT IS USED AND REVEALS WILL (HER HUSBAND), LYING ON THE FLOOR, UNCONSCIOUS.

A LONG SHOT IS USED TO ESTABLISH THE SETTING OF THE SCENE AND AGAIN, SHOWS THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE CHARACTERS. IN THIS SHOT, THE FEMALE CHARACTER IS CRAWLING BACK TO HER DESK AND HER HUSBAND CAN BE SEEN BEHIND HER.

AN OVER-THE-SHOULDER IS USED IN THIS SHOT TO SHOW THE FEMALE CHARACTER FLIPPING TO THE VERY FIRST PAGE OF HER JOURNAL. THE CAMERA THEN FOLLOWS FROM BEHIND HER TO THE FRONT OF HER FACE.

A VERTICAL PAN IS USED TO REVEAL THE FEMALE CHARACTER. HOWEVER, THIS TIME, HER APPEARANCE IS MUCH BETTER AND HER HAIR IS SHORTER. THIS INDICATES HOW THE FEMALE CHARACTER WOULD LOOK LIKE AT THE START OF THE FILM.

FURTHERMORE, THERE IS NO MORE LETTERBOX, BUT MAKE THE AUDIENCE FEEL ENCLOSED, A CLOSE UP OF THE FEMALE CHARACTER’S FACE IS SHOWN.

THE DEMONIC VOICES GRADUALLY GET LOUDER AGAIN, AND THE SHOT CUTS, SHOWING THE TITLE OF THE FILM: ANONYMOUS.