extended step outline for film

Extended Step-Outline Sheet

Scene No 1 Page No 1

Slugline Int. The Crucible (Interrogation Room), Orange County Jail, Orlando Florida, mid-day.

Endpoint of last scene No previous scene

Characters in scene Isaac, male interrogator, female interrogator.

Point of scene To establish the consequences of an event that happened prior to Isaac being arrested.

Conflict

Both interrogators believe Isaac murdered his assistant during an illusion he was performing at a show. Though he didn't, he was framed. Isaac is attempting to prove his innocence.

Ending / central question Will the interrogators believe Isaac?

Key Micro elementsemployed and briefdescription of theiruse

Mise-en-scène.The central focus will be on body language and the expressions of the three characters, as they will be able to convey the emotions of the characters when in that setting. The lighting will also be personified to express the positions the characters are in and the roles and effects they have on one another.

Isaac's expressions will alter between rather child-like features to portray his innocence, and he will change his facial characteristics to exhibit his tested patience for being held in a situation like the current. Some of his body language will consist of leaning back in his chair to show his loss of hope in proving his innocence, leaning forward as if he were begging for the interrogators to believe him, and eventually standing up when driven to the limit.

The male interrogator will be far more aggressive and much more stereotypically masculine than the female. His expressions

will have consistency in remaining threatening, angered and impatient. This is to portray the interrogator's beliefs and develop the sense of tension between the two very macho-themed characters, he and Isaac. This would also have an impact on suspense and expectation of violence.

The female, on the other hand, is likely to be far more relaxed. As she is a returning character in the plot, it is important that her personality is to be displayed constantly, to a point where viewers would believe she is a calm and collected character. Her expressions would rarely change, though she may seem as if she looks convinced by Isaac, to settle her weakness and feminine qualities in comparison to the male interrogator.

There would be a single light on the desk, shining into Isaac's face to create the sense of exposure. Whilst the light illuminates Isaac's appearance, the interrogators would be behind the light and even shadowed over to suggest upon Isaac's vulnerability with the current situation at hand.

Scene description (without dialogue) focusing on key micro aspects (mise-en-scène, camera, sound, editing, etc)

Isaac is sat at the desk, his hands resting on the table and presented in handcuffs in front of the two interrogators. The interrogators are both sat across from him. The female has one leg crossed over the other, her foot swaying impatiently. (Mise-en-scene.) She has a clipboard in one hand, a pen in the other, both settled calmly (Mise-en-scene) onto her lap.The male, on the other hand, is leaned in with both hands locked together and on the table, staring at Isaac. (Mise-en-scene.) The male then reaches up and adjusts the desktop light. (Mise.)Wincing, (mise-en-scene) Isaac withdraws his hands from the desk and settles them onto his lap. He then sits back into his seat, returning the stare. The two seem to narrow their eyes to one another in some threatening manner. (Mise.)The female leans in slowly and presses the button to a recorder. She sits upright and presents herself, her pen at the ready to take notes. (Mise en scene.) The male interrogator begins to

question Isaac, often achieving one worded answers and rather sarcastic expressions paired with them. (Mise en scene.)The male interrogator stands and leans over the desk toward Isaac (Mise-en-scene and lighting). The woman calmly places her hand onto the male interrogator (Mise) and he sits back down. They resume the interrogation. The male interrogator asks the same question as before, and Isaac answers with the same answer, this time leaning forward (Mise). The female interrogator looks over to the male and tells him that it may not be worth it at that moment in time. Taking a deep breath (Mise) the male interrogator stands and leaves the room first. The female then stands, gestures Isaac follow (Mise), and the two take the other exit (Mise) out of the room.



Slugline Int. The Orange County Inc. (Bar), Orlando Florida, evening.

Endpoint of last sceneIsaac was interrogated for the murder of his assistant, and one of the two interrogators believed in his innocence.

Characters in scene Isaac, his assistant, the audience (extras), mysterious stranger.

Point of scene

This is a flashback which recalls the events that happened prior to Isaac's arrest, and establish the reasons behind it. It creates some dramatic irony, where the audience will question whether or not Isaac is responsible for the murder of his assistant or not. This scene will also suggest what Isaac's previous job was.

Conflict Isaac's evening show is disrupted by a trick gone wrong, and is blamed for something he claims he didn't do.

Ending / central question Who was really responsible for this mishap?


Sound.The sound will allow the audience to be told a story, even if there wasn't screenplay involved. It will help manipulate the mood of the audience in order to achieve the desired effect of the scenes.

The scene will be presented with non-diegetic and joyful music, which is associated with the entertainment factors of the club Isaac works in. This is to create a base of anticipation for the audience to build onto. There will be diegetic sounds and sound bridges of claps from the extras watching Isaac's show; these sounds will allow the scene to introduce the lifestyle Isaac lived prior to the main storyline, which

was of fame and performance.

The sounds will be consistent throughout, often followed up by 'oohs' and 'ahs' of the audience to generate the effect Isaac's skill has upon them. This is also a way in which high skill could be suggested, as Isaac's talents and cleverly designed 'tricks' are fluent throughout the rest of the plot.

However, as he leads up to his climatic trick, the sounds fall silent and it is clear that a lot of tension and the previously compacted anticipation will inevitably lead to some form of disaster. The sound falls silent because it will then settle an eerie sensation over viewers where dramatic irony may be involved again: The viewers will believe that there will be some form of mistake, and the silence turns that entertained and homely mood cold in an instant.

After a long and unsettling silence during the build up to the knife throw, a diegetic sound of Isaac's heavy breath will be loud enough to be heard, yet not overly exaggerated. If it were to be exaggerated, it could potentially throw off the concentration of the audience. However, the audience would be far more engaged if they had to listen even more out for a quiet yet audible sound, and the shock that follows would create more impact.

When the knife is thrown and skims the leg of the assistant, the sound effect of the blade hitting the wooden board breaks the silence. This is to mirror the broken concentration of Isaac when he realises he has made a mistake. The sound of his breath exhaling is louder than the breaths previously, as a sigh of relief that it could have been worse. This will make the audience believe that the accident was only minor and that the assistant is okay,

provided they will feel a false sense of security.

As Isaac runs across the stage, only his shoes can be heard, followed by the cuffs he undoes for his assistant. This can connote the pressure placed upon him in the entertainment industry and further foreshadow the pressure he will face when attempting to prove his innocence following these events. As he lets his assistant down, she announces that everything is okay, accidents happen, and the crowd begins to applause her bravery. This again builds upon that false sense of security and hope mentioned before, putting relief onto the viewers.

Through the clapping, the assistant can be heard shouting, "The show must go on!". But, her voice is quiet with the clapping. This will create the feeling that something is wrong, and that the audience are paying little attention to what she has to say. This reflects how there is little attention upon what is about to happen.

As the assistant begins to walk offstage with the help of Isaac, the clapping is still the only diegetic sound and sound bridge in the clip. However, a white noise soon overtakes the audience claps, which is almost deafening. The audience are still clearly cheering, yet the non-diegetic white noise drowns out their joy and it's then that the viewers are aware something is wrong. The white noise will have a form of internal effect, as it is anempathetic and does not match to the cheering audience, making the viewers of the clip believe that there is something wrong personally with the assistant.

When she collapses, there’s the diegetic sound of Isaac’s breathing along with the white noise. Then, as the stranger stands,

the sound seems to fall silent when he walks out of the bar. This is to revolve the events around him, which should evoke some questioning from the audience as to what his purpose serves in the story.


Isaac is on the stage at The Orange County Inc. bar, presenting his evening show. There's a jazz band playing (sound). Isaac performs very petty tricks, such as making white doves appear, his assistant disappear in a magic box, for the noisy audience (sound). The curtains shut as he prepares his next trick in silence (sound.) The curtains open again, and Isaac's assistant is strapped into an 'X' shape, on a knife wheel. The audience gasp (sound), and the jazz band begin to play tension-based (sound). There is silence, focused on the breaths of Isaac (sound) as he prepares to throw the knife.He throws the knife, and hits the board (sound). The audience gasps again as they realise that he managed to skim the knife along his assistant's leg, and Isaac runs across the (sound). He undoes the cuffs to his assistant and helps her, propping her up. She then laughs, even with the cut on her leg, and waves to the audience whilst announcing that everything is okay. The audience begin to cheer again (sound). As she walks across the stage with Isaac, white noise which overtakes the cheering (sound). The assistant pauses on the stage, and then she collapses. Isaac catches her and sets her down, patting her face and asking if she's okay. But she does not reply (sound). Isaac's voice calls out for help (sound) in the bar. People begin to chatter amongst themselves (sound) while Isaac tries to wake his assistant desperately.The clip is cut off. (Sound)



Slugline Int. Reception of Orange County Jail/Lucy's Office, mid-day.

Endpoint of last scene

There was a flashback of the event that caused Isaac to be arrested, but it didn't fully explain what happened or who was held responsible.

Characters in scene Isaac, female interrogator (Lucy), prisoners (extras).

Point of scene The antagonist who helps Isaac prove his innocence is introduced in this scene as Lucy, the female interrogator.

Conflict Lucy wishes to help Isaac, but nobody else is willing to help.

Ending / central question

How will Lucy prove who murdered Isaac's assistant?


Mise-en-scène: Costumes and appearance.

Isaac will be wearing a white polo shirt, jeans and trainers. The colour white resembles innocence and purity, and the brightness of the colour will allow Isaac to stand out in the scene and state that he is not like the rest of the convicts in the station. The colour scheme will imply that Isaac is innocent, and the fact the colour white can also mean 'clean' could mirror having a clean record and contradict the statement: 'blood on your hands', which means to be a murderer.

The convicts and extras dressed as prisoners will be wearing darker clothes with particular tones of red, black and blue. The colour red can signify danger and hotheaded, along with blood and even lust. (which would suggest more sexual crime, contrasts with innocence and purity.) Black

would resemble mystery, darkness and evil, and blue could mean cold- as in cold blooded.

The extras would also be likely to have elements of a criminal semantic field. For example, tattoos - more typically of skulls, the infamous eye teardrop, and crosses (inspired by This Is England, Combo.) - can be associated with the life of crime. If the extras were to have piercings and tattoos, their appearances would contrast with Isaac's lack of these accessories and again create the impression that he is different to them.

Lucy's outfit will consist of a standard tee shirt, skinny jeans and boots. Lucy's outfit helps her portray her character. As she doesn't look professional, it can reflect her more down-to-earth persona and how she can make a more personal connection to Isaac. She is an unprofessional character who states her beliefs, therefore she must look different to the rest of her colleagues. She will also have a green hoodie, as it symbolises health, help and safety. The colour green is positive, which reflects her nature.


Isaac walks out of The Crucible (Interrogation Room) with the handcuffs still around his wrists, with Lucy (mise-en-scène). She then walks in front, and stops Isaac before telling him she will be back shortly. Waiting in the reception, Isaac takes a seat between two convicts. One is bulky (mise-en-scène) and covered in tattoos (mise-en-scène). The other one has a red hoodie (mise-en-scène), and his face is covered in dirt. (Mise-en-scène). Isaac sits back properly in his chair (mise-en-scène), the two convicts by his sides are leaned forward. (Mise-en-scène).Lucy eventually returns with a set of documents and suggests that Isaac should follow. He eagerly leaves his seat (mise-en-scène). Several of the other criminals glare in his direction.Isaac and Lucy walk into Lucy's office, and she takes a seat

across from Isaac. She then sorts through her documents and sets out a selection for Isaac to look at. Even in this process, she has yet to remove the handcuffs. (Mise-en-scène) When Isaac looks at the different papers, Lucy explains that she believes in his innocence. She then takes a hair tie and ties her hair up (mise-en-scène). After Isaac finishes looking at the papers, he sets his handcuffed hands onto the table (mise-en-scène). There's a pause, then Lucy reluctantly undoes the handcuffs and pulls them away (mise-en-scène) and then puts her green hoodie on (mise-en-scène). After she tells Isaac that she's willing to help prove the truth. After that, the two stand, and leave her office.



Slugline Int. Orange County Global Medical Centre, Orlando Florida, evening.

Endpoint of last scene

Lucy managed to get Isaac out of the Orange County Jail under the circumstances that he would be under surveillance until proved innocent or guilty.

Characters in scene Lucy, Isaac, Doctor.

Point of scene

Lucy and Isaac are trying to learn what really happened to Isaac's assistant on the night she collapsed onstage. They have gone to the hospital she was admitted into in order to find the cause of death which will start the investigation.

Conflict It becomes clearer that Isaac isn’t held accountable for the murder of his assistant, but he can’t identify who is.

Ending / central question How did the culprit commit this murder?


Editing.

The clip will be consistent with straight cut transitions whenever it is set in the current moment of the film. This is to retain the realistic nature of the scene. Another reason is because many other transitions may be recognised by the audience, and as this is one of the most technical scenes of the film, the audience cannot have their attention withdrawn from the events happening onscreen. So straight cuts keep the scene realistic, and keep the audience focused on the significance of the storyline.

There will also be a series of shot-reverse-shots between Isaac and the doctor specifically, as the two will be conversing. Because the storyline revolves around Isaac, Lucy may not be of much importance in this scene. The shot-reverse-shots

between Isaac and the doctor will remind the audience that Isaac is attempting to prove his own innocence.

There will be one graphic match between the cut on the assistant's leg in the flashback and a scalpel on a tray to create a sequel-like connection between the incident of the cut and the consequence of medical attention. This will also create the effect of passing time to further enhance the flashback.

The clips will switch between different paces. For the flashback, I want a montage because a montage of clips represents a hallucination-like effect, which would mirror the use of poison on the assistant and tie the distorting 'internal effect' from the second scene back into the storyline. The rest of the scene based on the current film timing will be quite simple, where clips will not be too long or too short, as the mood should not stray too far from neutral.

As Isaac is told the effects of Carbolic Acid (Phenol), the clips will become a few seconds longer to mirror his concentration as he pieces together the mystery of what could have happened the night his assistant was murdered. The slower clips will also allow the audience to keep up with the thought process of Isaac. There's also a jump cut between the sample and the sample's label. With jump cuts, the audience becomes aware of the edit and it makes the film feel surreal, so a jump cut would make the audience feel distorted at the sight of the poison.


Lucy and Isaac walk through the carpark after getting out of Lucy's car and make their way into the hospital. They see a patient’s facial features (editing). When the two walk to the front

desk, Lucy requests seeing a certain doctor. She pulls out a wallet and hands the receptionist a certain ID-like card. The receptionist then sees the two into the doctor's office. When they see the doctor in his office, he gets up and greets Lucy quite warmly. Isaac and the doctor introduce themselves (editing). Their hands shake (editing).Isaac then explains what he believed happened to the doctor, and the two converse (editing). The doctor nods and then he begins to explain. He voices over the memory (editing) of the night Isaac's assistant collapsed. When the doctor begins to explain the story again, there's the same memory (editing). The doctor holds up a small container to present to Lucy and Isaac. The doctor finally suggests that, whatever happened, the knife used to throw must have been coated with a thin layer of Phenol before the show started. He then concludes that whoever did it must have had a form of medical ID in order to purchase the acid. The doctor holds up his ID to Lucy and Isaac (editing), before they leave.



Slugline Int. Lucy's car, then Lucy's apartment, night

Endpoint of last scene Isaac learned what the cause of his assistant's death was at the hospital.

Characters in scene Isaac, Lucy, voice on phone.

Point of sceneThis is the scene where the investigation to find the murderer officially begins. This is also where Isaac first comes into contact with the second suspect aside from himself.

ConflictIsaac is threatened by the second suspect of the murder case, and must track the voice down.

Ending / central question Who was the voice on the phone?


Lighting and sound.

The lighting in Lucy's car will be very low key. But every so often, the light of another car's headlights will shine through Lucy's windshield and light up the interior of Lucy's car almost like rays of hope for the two. As this happens, there will be a story on the radio playing simultaneously about the Orange County Inc. case. When these two are combined, the rays of hope disguised as streaks of light suggest that Isaac and Lucy will be able to solve the case.

When they return to Lucy's apartment block, the reception is high key lighting to create a 'heavenly effect', as if that place is a safe area for the two to be.

When they get into Lucy's apartment, it's complete darkness until Lucy hits a light switch. Then, the room is illuminated by more high key lighting. This signifies that

Lucy can be held accountable for allowing Isaac to progress in the investigation, by lighting up the darkness; it provides a way forward for Isaac and guides him around her apartment, the same way she would guide him into solving the case.

When Isaac takes a seat on the couch, he is handed Lucy's laptop. Further into the scene, the room is shut out by darkness aside from two elements providing a light source, which is the television and the laptop. The laptop's screen creates floor lighting on Isaac's face, to make him look empowered.

When the phone rings, Isaac looks up, and the lighting from the television illuminates his face completely. This suggests the same sense of exposure from the first scene. With these forms of sound and lighting in sync, it connotes that Isaac is being watched. There's a sense created that he's being preyed on. Because there's no back, key or tracker lighting, the scene shows Isaac on his own. The effect this should have on the audience is the unnerving idea that somebody other than Lucy is present in the room.

Sound.The sound comes into play later on in the evening, when Lucy has fallen asleep.The story on the television is the same Orange County Inc. news line, and the reporter says: "We still have yet to find any further suspects." This would be quiet, diegetic background noise, as it would have the same effect on the audience as the knife-throwing scene did. It would allow the audience to concentrate carefully on what happens in the scene.

A non-diegetic phone ring which is louder than the television overrides the story on the television, and this should have a shock

factor on the audience. This will begin to create suspense. When the voice begins to speak, there's a pause beforehand to help heighten the suspense and to evoke the audience to question the audience.The voice itself has quite a British accent, as British accents in film are often associated with villains.

There's a finale play on words, which is when the voice says, "And for my next trick, I will make you disappear." This regards Isaac's previous job and intends on provoking the audience. The threat alone should also unnerve the audience and make them believe that Isaac is not alone, as suggested before.

The diegetic sound of the phone beeping signifies that it has been hung up, which leaves the scene on a cliffhanger. This should keep the suspense going through the next scenes to come, justifying the thriller genre.

Scene description (without dialogue) focusing on key micro aspects (mise-en-scène,

Inside Lucy's car (sound and lighting), driving past street lamps. (lighting). The two listen to the radio news report (sound).When they arrive at the apartment blocks, they still say very little to each other (sound). Lucy walks into the reception with Isaac (lighting). They make their way up to Lucy’s room (lighting). When Lucy unlocks the door, she flicks the light switch (lighting).The two walk to the couch, Lucy handing Isaac her laptop to look into the effects of the aforementioned poison. Lucy sits down next to him, and the silence is broken by the television. (Sound)Later on, Lucy has already fallen asleep, but Isaac stayed awake in the dark (lighting) with the exception of the television and laptop screens (lighting). Whilst he's listening to the news reporter talking about the suspect, the phone rings in the background (sound), from behind Isaac. The phone begins to ring (lighting). Isaac gets up and slowly pulls the phone from the port, waiting patiently. After a while of not speaking, Isaac finally asks if anybody is on the phone. A voice (sound), begins to explain that Isaac is being watched. Isaac gets the remote and turns

down the television (sound) and then resumes listening. The voice begins to explain to Isaac that he was responsible for the killing of Isaac's assistant, and that he did it knowing Isaac would be framed for it. Isaac walks around Lucy's apartment (lighting), occasionally looking through the windows. Isaac is eventually told that his time will be soon, and Isaac turns his shoulder to the television (lighting). The man finally concludes (sound), before a bleep of the phone (sound) suggests he hung up on Isaac. Isaac looks at the phone, and the screen (lighting) that once had the caller ID, time of call and loudspeaker options shuts off, creating a pitch black (lighting) screen.

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