Music Video Pre-Production and Planning Paperwork

Planning Paperwork

Pre Production Paperwork

Blood Relations Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Blood Relations Production Schedule

Location Recces

Recces

Blood Relations - Talent Releases

Releases.tif

The Sounds of Silence - Finished Music Video

Music Videos - Styles, Conventions and Techniques

Music Videos – Styles, Conventions and Techniques 2

The Purpose of Music Videos

The Emergence of Music Videos

The blueprints for music videos date back to 1941 with the Panoram Soundie which was a jukebox that played short video clips whilst unrelated music was being played. As music-centred films took off in 1956 including Shake, Rattle and Rock (Cahn, 1956), the idea of featuring musical performances alongside video became very popular. This lead to the creation of music television in 1962 with shows such as Top of the Pops where bands would be seen performing as-live and gain a great deal of promotion as a result. As the record industry began to produce promos for bands in 1970, these early examples of music videos became more popular until 1975 when Queen released the first example of what we call the modern music video to accompany their song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. In this essay, I will explore how music videos grew more and more in the creative industries, becoming what we know today.

Promotion

Music videos are a fantastic way of promoting an artist and their songs as fans can have a visual association as well as an audial one. Artists will often want their video to be as iconic as they can so that people it sticks in people’s minds more identifiably as that artist’s song. It is a good opportunity to promote their name as well as their image which will be communicated through the way they act, perform and dress. Music videos often also feature the director’s name so that they can also be promoted and credited for their work in the film industry and other areas. It is a good way to showcase the director’s style to encourage word of mouth and potentially more work for them as a result. An example where a music video has been pushed as promotion is R-Kelly’s 45 minute pop soap opera, showing audience members his style and identifying characteristics.

Producers’ Strategies

Different bands and artists are marketed differently according to what type of artist they are. For example, a mainstream artist such as Justin Bieber is unlikely to be marketed in the same way as an independent artist such as Radiohead. An artist signed to a major label has a lot of money and publicity behind them allowing for their music videos to be high budget featuring common conventions such as dancers, celebrity cameos, a good quantity of props & costumes and grander locations. As well as being available on online outlets (such as YouTube, Vevo and ITunes), mainstream artist videos will also be seen on Pop music television channels such as MTV Hits. An example of a grandiose music video of this standard is Psy – ‘Gangnam Style’ which features a lot of interesting locations and choreographed dancing. This would contrast to a low budget video like Madness – ‘House of Fun’.

The expansion of media outlets has given rise to self-produced artists who produce and distribute music and videos by themselves. Some artists such as The Midnight Beast find fame on YouTube from their own videos. Whilst this method does give a lot of scope to be unique, the disadvantages may include a poor budget and a larger piracy problem than signed artists may have. However, some artists have artistic goals rather than commercial ones; they create a music video as an artistic statement. The outcome tends to be fairly surreal and theatrical and do not necessarily hit the mainstream viewers as they tend to be shown late at night with other alternative music videos.

Extension of Income

Artists receive royalty payments every time their track is played on the radio. If that song has a music video to complement it then they also receive payment for every time that it is watched. This is only theoretical as the task of tracking an individual video’s consumption is implausible due to the huge quantity of media outlets that exist now. Instead, an estimate is made according to the popularity and sales of the track in order to pay the artist their royalties accordingly. This system makes it more difficult for alternative or un-established artists to get the airplay that they desire. This is because the radio stations and television channels play what they think people want to see and hear meaning that there are a lot of repeats on major stations and channels. I think that the best ways for new talent to make money is for them to be unique and do something big to get publicity. An example may be Okay-Go’s music video for ‘Here It Goes Again’ implementing a quirky dance using treadmills to entertain the audience. Also, by distributing their work on free media outlets such as YouTube, they are cutting down on the costs incurred with getting their work heard and seen.

 

 

Extension of Media Outlets

Media outlets are sources that people can use to access and view a media text such as, in our case, a music video. There are many types of media outlets, examples are shown below:

- Internet sources such as YouTube, ITunes and Vimeo are fantastic, free ways of watching music videos and, with modern innovations in technology such as smart phones, they can be viewed this way almost anywhere.

- Television channels such as Scuzz and MTV Hits play music videos almost all of the time. This is a great way to see a variety of artists in a similar genre or era. For example, Scuzz deals with genres of hard and alternative rock.

- Artist’s DVDs and CDs often have bonus features. These sometimes include digital discs with music videos to accompany certain tracks for the audience to watch and enjoy. An example of this is the special edition soundtrack to the film School Of Rock (Linklater, 2003) which included an extra music video of the film band playing another original composition, mentioned in the film.

- Some places such as Pubs and Clubs have public screens where people can watch sports, the news and even music videos!

 

The huge amount of contemporary media outlets has both advantages and disadvantages. It is advantageous because it means that anyone can watch music videos any time they like which means potentially more income for the artists as well as more advertising space or external companies to use. The problem here is that piracy can be a big problem and, due to the amount of file sharing that happens, artists can end up losing money. There is also more choice for the viewers. However, this means that audiences become fragmented and watch different things. Whilst the large amount of outlets gives new artists more platforms to get recognised, it means that there is so much material going around that it can be very difficult for new talent to actually get noticed.

 

Synergistic Marketing

Synergy is when a subsidiary product to a main product or company is promoted and sold through licensing deals. This means that you can promote a media product such as a song, album or music video through the production of other products related to it. A good example of this is Pink Floyd’s album ‘The Wall’. After its release in 1979, it gained huge commercial success and to further promote it, a series of promotional music videos were released which even lead to a film adaptation being released in 1982. As well as this, a lot of merchandise was released including conceptual artwork and other merchandise such as clothing, accessories and other images such as framed lithographs and posters. Synergistic marketing has a lot of benefits as a form of promotion. Firstly, potential or existing fans of the original product can access other memorabilia to further their enjoyment. As well as this, the rights holders will potentially increase their income by a great deal due to the extra products sold and the extra customers that they could potentially receive.

Conclusion

Since their birth, the popularity of music videos has only grown stronger, providing more content for fans and more income for artists and their record labels. As well as providing the artists with promotion for their songs, it also opens up the possibility for promoting the directors of music videos. These facts, when combined with the growth of media outlets and widely accessible technology, mean that new artists can also get popularity and recognition due to the additional platforms of distribution that they now have access to.

 

Single Camera Group Pitch Feedback

After pitching our group presentation, we gained some useful feedback which we used to update our prezi. The updated version is embedded below:

Other information that we also updated on our notes cards included:

Personnel requirements including 3 young adults, 1 child (8-12 years old) as the main characters and a further 3 young adults as extras in the 'Deal' scene.

 

Below is a scanned version of the written feedback that we received for our pitch.

 



Pitch Feedback

Single Camera Techniques

In this essay, I will be writing about the techniques involved in single-camera productions to develop a better understanding of the process that these products go through from script to screen. I will first be focussing on production techniques and then linking these ideas into the scripting process and the genres, formats and narrative structures that these techniques may apply to. To further consolidate this understanding, I will compare the single-camera techniques with those used in multi-camera productions.

Techniques

Single-camera productions only use one camera except in some cases with a particularly difficult scene (this could be a scene with a stunt or one that is heavy on dialogue).That is so both characters can be caught at the same time, improving the quality of the audio and reducing the time for shooting. With the example of a stunt, financial and logistical issues could mean that you could only do a stunt once; this means that multiple cameras would be used to capture as many interesting angles as possible. The purpose of this is to create a more intimate feel for the scene and to give the audience a greater sense of realism. When filming a scene for single-camera production, that scene is re-acted multiple times with the camera being placed differently to capture a variety of angles and shot lengths. If using film stock, this repetition makes filming much more expensive; such a problem would not be relevant if shooting digitally. From a director’s standpoint, a single-camera production is advantageous as it gives you the ability to set up every shot individually. Lighting is also easier for a director to control as you can also light each shot individually. This intricate process allows individual scenes to develop a lot more in terms of the tonal and stylistic features that you can apply. This contrasts to a multi-camera set-up such as American sitcom, Friends, which can appear flat and unrealistic due to the lighting requirements that need to be set up for every camera in the scene. If this were not done then lights would be visible, further spoiling the sense of realism for the audience.

The sound element of a single-camera production is often done using a central microphone such as a boom mic. When recording sound, it is important to leave an amount of overlay to guarantee that all of the audio for the scene is captured. It is often the case that a single take of audio is used over multiple shots of film. As with any production, sound effects can be added or enhanced in the post-production stage of the process. Multi-camera productions can be edited quite simply, even live using a vision mixer. In a single-camera production, however, all editing must take place separately to the filming in an editing studio. Editing can take a long time due to the amount of footage that needs to be looked through but many scenes can be edited individually. That is because most scenes that have the same logistical requirements (such as equipment, cast, crew and location) will be filmed at and around the same time.

 

Scripting

As with any production, planning is essential to make sure that everything runs smoothly. If you do not get the right coverage for a scene then you may have to either reshoot it or cut it all together; both of these scenarios can create huge problems. Single-camera television scripts follow the same formatting conventions as a film script and separate shooting scripts are also created to help the production stage run more smoothly. On set, any changes that are made are checked by a script supervisor whose job it is to make sure that everyone on set who needs a correct script has one in their possession on set. When building a story, it is important not to overlook any elements that are integral to making it believable and, more importantly, enjoyable. The first elements to think about are the plot and characters involved in your story because these are the initial building blocks. A story that is too short is not ideal, particularly for a script because you need to keep your audience interested. Therefore, it is common practice to not make your plot or characters too linear; the more intricacy involved in the construction of them, the more to the story there is overall. Sometimes the best stories are ones that mess with the conventions such as when Pirates of the Caribbean portrays pirates (who are notorious characters throughout history) as the protagonists. As a story develops, it will gain its own style and once it does, it is important to keep the rest of the story consistent with this.

When building a story, you also have to build every scene individually. A scene is made up of five main parts. You need to establish what part of the story the scene is serving and the way in which it will develop your story in the direction that you want. These elements of a scene enable you to ascertain a definitive purpose so that you can figure out what ingredients will be needed to help the scene fulfil that intention. These will come in the form of the characters and locations around which the scene is going to be based.  

Genres and Formats

There are many genres connected with single-camera production that are broadcasted to huge audiences every single day on the television. Period Dramas use the props and costumes of the specific historical period (around which they are based) to fuel the realistic atmosphere and style of the production. In some ways this can be likened to Drama Documentaries which also use factual information combined with creative interpretation to stimulate their audience into learning about certain issues. Crime Dramas (such as CSI and Silent Witness) also have an element of a didactic purpose to their subplot regarding morality; they are more focussed on the intrigue that surrounds law and order, whether they are from the perspective of the criminal or their pursuers. Many comedies use multi-camera techniques, however many use single-camera techniques to capture a more intricate style to the media text. A prime example of this is Peep Show which has a documentary-style of shooting, using overdubbing and setting up every shot as a POV.

These single-camera productions will also follow a format in preparation for how they will be broadcasted. This will be the basis for story from its conception. When pitching and planning a story, it is important to decide whether it would work most appropriately as a single, a series or as a serial. A single drama, as the name suggests, is a stand-alone story which is told in one episode. An example of a single drama is Dirty War (2004). This differs to a series which has several episodes put together each with their own self-contained narrative. However, a series will also have an overarching, continuous narrative that runs for a particular amount of episodes such as Derek. Both of these formats differ to serials because a serial does not run for a certain amount of time because they are continuous. Soap operas such as Eastenders are examples of serials. However, many serials use multi-camera techniques due to the rate at which they need to be filmed as they are broadcast so frequently.

Narrative Structures

There are a variety of narrative structures that a production can follow and this is still the case with single-camera productions. Linear narratives are perhaps the most basic of these structures as they follow the beginning-middle-end format and go through the story in chronological order. This differs greatly from non-linear narratives as they do not follow a direct sequence of events; this can include numerous pieces of flashback narration. A prime example of a non-linear narrative film is Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994). Some media texts may follow a realist narrative which has the purpose of offering a realistic portrayal of its subject matter; this can sometimes mean that the action takes a long time to get started. Contrary to this, an anti-realist product does not try to present itself to the audience as non-fiction; it is openly fictitious like Spongebob Squarepants.

The way a media texts ends is crucial to the tone and impact of the product’s narrative on the audience. They can be closed endings or open endings. A closed ending offers a resolution for the audience, characters and storyline. This means that the audience can get the full enjoyment out of the film in one sitting and the story goes no further. However, an open ending does not offer this sense of closure, opting instead for no conclusion. This could be to allow room for a sequel or a deliberate technique employed to keep the audience thinking about the story after it has ended.

Multi-camera Techniques

If a media production is not shooting using single-camera techniques, the other option is to use multi-camera techniques. This means that a director can get the maximum coverage for the editing process. The use of multiple cameras also means that a vision mixer can be used to broadcast the show live such as with News broadcasts. One of the main benefits of using multi-camera techniques is that products can be generated at a much higher rate than ones that are shot with single cameras. Also, using more than one camera limits some of the constraints you may have with single-camera shows such as continuity errors as all of the same action is captured from a different angle at the same time.

The issues with media texts that are shot with multi-camera techniques are related to the creative control you have over the individual shots, even as a director. You need to ensure that the lighting is sufficient for each and every camera that is shooting which can cause a set to become saturated and gain a flat, anti-realist feel to it. An example of this is Friends which has very few locations due to the logistic concerns of using multiple cameras; all of these locations have very saturated lighting so that all of the action is easy to see and take in no matter what angle you are seeing it from. Other logistical concerns include equipment restrictions due to the financial limitations you have for filming; this can include locations as well. However, using single camera techniques enables you to film in a greater variety of locations with less equipment and crew which is ideal when filming a low budget media product.

The Commissioning Process for Writers in the Film and TV Industry

In this essay, I will be looking into the process that a writer must go through in the film and television industry when having their work commissioned. I will approach this by looking at the commissioning process and the commissioning bodies that operate within it. I will also be linking this through to the roles and responsibilities that the writer has during the production process. Through this research, I hope to gain a valuable insight and understanding of the process and how I would go about having work commissioned if I were to try and fulfil my ambition to do so.

 

Job Roles within the Commissioning Process:

There are several job roles that exist within the commissioning process as many different people play their part in the work that gets made early on. The process begins with a writer who could be either freelance or already be working for a producer or studio, 89% of workers are freelance. Once they have a selection of work they will pitch their ideas to different commissioning bodies until they spark someone’s interest. However, work that gets commissioned does not always get made. Agents have the role of quickening this process for the writer as they use their connections with commissioning bodies and production companies to get the writer work. The final decision of the approval of a proposal lies on the commissioning editor who may change his mind at a later date due to an issue such as financial viability. A producer is often the one who finds and finances a script allowing it to be optioned or commissioned. They then work closely with the script editor and together, they make sure the script is in order and appropriate to be made. When it comes to what the product will look like when it makes the transition to screen, the director is in charge of shooting the script and using their visual creativeness.

 

Commissioning Bodies:

Different commissioning bodies vary in their forms and size ranging from small independent production companies to major corporations such as the BBC. Some of these corporations offer other prospects for getting your work seen such as the BBC Writer’s Room. However, other corporations also commission. You may prefer to pitch to an independent production company such as Bedlam Productions Ltd[1]; whilst they do sometimes get money from larger corporations, it helps to be a new or unknown writer as you will be cheaper to work with.

Independent directors have more power over the final product when producing their own screenplays. Directors like Quentin Tarantino and Ricky Gervais have written and directed their own screenplays. However, they also have involvement with other directors. For example, when working in television, Ricky Gervais writes and directs with Stephen Merchant. Independent Producers have the power to find and finance a screenplay but they are answerable to the product’s financiers at the end of the process. However they may not get that far as not all of the work that is commissioned necessarily gets made.

Some organisations exist to offer advice and help new or potential screenwriters in developing their writing and getting it seen. Two good examples of these organisations is The Script Factory and the aforementioned BBC Writer’s Room[2]. Some of these organisations run competitions (both nationally and internationally) to find prospective writers and offer them a chance of recognition. This would usually result in the winner a prize such as an Option. When a screenplay is optioned, it is bought by another individual entity for a fixed cost and duration. During this time, the screenplay is exclusive meaning the writer cannot sell it to anyone else, even if the work does not even progress into the pre-production stage. However, once that duration has expired, the writer can continue looking for interest in the work.

The Role of the Writer throughout Production:

A writer is involved in the pre-production planning, establishing exactly what creative promises need to be achieved in the script. To avoid confusion, the screenplay will usually be page locked at the start of this process meaning that even though additions and deletions can still be made, scenes will still always fall on the same page. The writer may then work with the producer and script editor to ensure that the script is suitable for the target audience that they want the final product to reach. The director and producer will offer advice to the screenwriter during the script editing process.   However, when the script is making the transition to film, the director or producer may sometimes still ask the writer for advice on certain aspects of the final product. A good example of this is J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter films where she would stay heavily involved throughout the process to make sure that the films stay true to the books’ vision. During the pre-production planning, they will work with the director to create a shooting script for the production process; the shooting scripts include movement and camera angles. They will often stay involved with the process for when the director also requires script adjustment during the shooting stage; this may be related to the story or even the logistics of filming. Sometimes, difference in opinion can cause conflict between the writer and the filmmakers. However, this will often be resolved with a compromise which could possibly improve the overall final quality of the media product.

Working as a Writer:

If you have agent representation, you have a better chance at getting your work seen by producers, whether they be independent or already working for a large corporation. Agencies, such as Knight Hall Agency Ltd, exist to help you get work as a writer. To get agent representation, you need to send them your completed works and wait to hear from them if they’re interested. Their contacts can help to get your work seen by the right people. Royalty payments from sales will be a percentage of the profit that is split amongst the writer, agent, producer etc. When working as a writer, professional presentation is an important factor. This is in terms of both the way that the script is presented and the actual pitch itself. With the script, it is important to do it in a conventional format for the medium you are writing it for such as television or film. A mastershot format is often used so that the reader knows what is going on at all times. When it comes to pitching the finished product to a commissioning editor, it is important to have good presentational skills, making sure you are concise and understand your work inside and out in case they have any questions. Preparation is integral to the quality of your pitch and this even comes into your choice of attire. You should dress smartly, however pitches are not necessarily totally formal.

As with most jobs in the creative media industry, there are budgets and deadlines that you need to be conscious of and working towards. This is no different for screenwriters who need to meet their deadlines and make changes swiftly during the pre-production and production processes. If those deadlines are missed, legal action can be taken to reclaim the money of any of the film’s investors. Other considerations that you need to be aware of as a writer include legal and ethical issues. One of the most obvious issues is with copyright and plagiarism. Plagiarising someone’s work is using it as your own and in the very likely event that someone picks up on it; you will be faced with legal action. Copyright is also an issue. For example, if you’ve written a screenplay for a creative adaptation for a novel without getting any of the necessary permissions or rights, you will have a difficult time with being taken seriously by a commissioning editor. You must also be careful about the messages that are contained within your work. Anything that insults a group or individual could land you in a lot of trouble in terms of controversy and legal issues due to libel and defamation laws in place that prevent you from slandering specific groups, companies or individuals. The problem stretches further when working for companies such as the BBC who have an unbias policy meaning that you would have to meet that policy in your work when it comes to matters such as politics. Otherwise your work may not be valid for commissioning. You must also know who you are writing for. You need to know how your work will be broadcast and the target audience that it will be aimed at. This is due to censorship laws and the watershed, regulated by companies such as the British Board for Film Classification who can refuse to air a product if it is deemed inappropriate for audience members. If you are writing for a television channel that is broadcasting before watershed, then your work will need to reflect that with suitable content. For example, Ofcom regulations state that no taboo language or intense amounts of frightening material (such as gore) can be broadcast before the watershed cut-off point.

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[1] http://www.bedlamproductions.co.uk/

[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/

Screenplay - Final

Chris Tuck Screenplay - Final

Single Camera Drama Planning

Below are photos taken of our early stages of planning. This includes a mind map of ideas regarding elements of our Crime Drama including characters, props, potential locations and personnel.

 

 

From these early planning stages, we moved into presenting ideas to our clientelle in the form of a moodboard. 

Also, the notes for our presentation have been photographed and inserted below.

 

 



Researching Materials for Scripts

Before creating a script, it is important to consider the way in which scripts are written and the relevant information that would be invaluable in aiding you. To get this information, you may wish to look at a variety of primary and secondary research sources such as questionnaires, internet research, books and other published materials.

Published Scripts

Looking at published scripts is a form of secondary research as you are analysing already existing materials. By looking at already published scripts, it will help me to write my own as I will learn the techniques involved in the writing. For example, I will learn about the necessary image detail that needs to be included for the on-screen action that will accompany the dialogue. In particular, it is good to look at screenplays in a similar genre – in my case crime drama – or screenplays of the works that inspired me such as Sherlock.

 

Factual Information

1) There are at least 23,000 nuclear weapons in existence: sufficient to wipe out the entire human population of the planet many times over.

2) Of the 23,000 nuclear weapons in existence, around 2,500 are on High Alert. This means they are ready to be launched at a moment's notice.

3) One 5 megaton nuclear bomb has as much explosive power as all the explosives used in WW2.

There are 5 nuclear states that have signed a Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which is trying to deter and disarm states around the world. These nuclear states are the US, the UK, Russia, China and France.

Opinion and Speculation

There have been hundreds of demonstrations and protests over the years against nuclear weaponry and testing. It is a highly controversial topic but many governments wish to keep the weapons as a retaliatory measure if they are ever attacked. There are many organisations and campaigns against nuclear weapons such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons (ICAN). They run many demonstrations, protests and petitions to abolish nuclear weapons world-wide.

There has been speculation over the years of research going into other uses for such weaponry including the 2004 Tsunami Bomb conspiracy. There has also been speculation in the past 10 years of other countries, particularly in the middle-east, obtaining nuclear weapons. These countries include Syria, Iran, Israel etc.

 

 

BBC Crime Drama - 'Details' Screenplay by

Script Proposals and Writing a Synopsis

Introduction

Whether you wish to write scripts for film or television, you will need to produce a script proposal to be pitched to a production company so that they can decide whether they want to turn your script into a media product. Your proposal could be for a feature length film or it could be for a factual or factual entertainment programme. This could be reality TV shows such as I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here or even a quiz show like Family Fortunes. You may also wish to produce a script proposal for a fictional entertainment programme such as a BBC sitcom like Coupling or a drama like Sherlock and Downton Abbey.

When you know what your script proposal is going to be, you need to think about how you are going to present your idea to the people who you want to invest in it. Therefore, it is important to gather relevant research about the people you are pitching to as well as other scripts that are similar to yours. For example, if you are producing a script proposal for a period drama then it would be wise to research currently and previously existing period dramas. You can present your proposal in the form of a written report such as this blog post or perhaps create a verbal presentation backed up by other multimedia such as a PowerPoint. You may then be required to amend your proposal according to the brief you receive or the demands made by your client.
 

Script Proposal

The title of my proposed script is 'Details'. It is a crime drama inspired by the previous BBC drama Sherlock. I was taken by the idea of a character with such attention-to-detail and wanted to flip the dynamic so that the character with this ability was not working with the government but against them instead. I think that this change in dynamic is the unique selling point of the script. I had some concern that this idea could be seen as sensationalising criminals but my main character, John Mason, is a good person who has had his life and family taken away from him by the government and he only commits crimes when necessary in his pursuit of finding his family and taking his revenge. I want John Mason to be in his early 20s so I think that the lower range of the target audience will be of a similar age. The primary audience will therefore be people aged 18- 35 but it could very well appeal to other ages as well. The narrative would begin 6 years before the main story at the event when John’s father and older brother are taken by a government organisation called ‘Neptune’ whilst he watches. Once this has panned out, the story would shift to the present day where the main story takes place but flashbacks would be a feature in this narrative so by no means is this time line set in stone.

I think that my product would be best proposed as a series as the story is too broad to sufficiently fulfil as a one-off and the concept does not offer enough scope for progression into a serial. I think that this narrative will not only be entertaining but I hope that it also offers the potential for thought provocation regarding real issues such as media representation and the emphatic nature that is devoid from our perceptions of people. To communicate my product, I will create my characters based on a relatable level to my target audience including making them young and realistic. This also means that I will not overcomplicate the language of the product. This approach is similar to Sherlock upon which my idea was inspired because in that series, whilst the character is extremely clever, he still speaks in a way that an audience can easily follow. Whilst there is no intended message in this product, I have already mentioned the underlying societal portrayal that would be shown in the narrative. The back story of my main character could also be considered political as it displays government corruption.

The main character is John Mason. He is 22 years old and on the run from a government organisation called 'Neptune'. His mother left when he was young and when he was 16 years old, his father and older brother were taken by 'Neptune'. He has spent the past 6 years of his life, hiding from 'Neptune' whilst simultaneously trying to find out what happened to his family and why. My inspiration for this character came from 2 that I have seen previously on television. One of them is Benedict Cumberpatch's portrayal of the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, as I liked the way that he hid his emotion and shifting his character in dramatic ways whilst maintaining a piercing, interrogative glare. The other is Richard Armitage's portrayal of John Porter in the television action drama adapted from a novel of the same title, Strike Back by Chris Ryan. John Porter is a roguish ex-SAS soldier who goes off-the-rails in order to find out the truth about what happened to his dead friends for which he blames himself.

Another of the key characters in my drama, Matthew Connolly, was based on a concept that I have always been keen on in film and television works that I have seen previously. Matthew Connolly works for 'Neptune' as the personal assistant of the chairman but a later shift in the narrative reveals that he is John's long lost older brother who is trying to protect him whereas, up until this point, the audience would see him as John's enemy. This kind of plot twist has been featured many times in popular culture including the character of Mac in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Synopsis

John Mason is at home eating with his father and older brother until the father hears something outside. He goes to the window and quickly tells John to hide underneath the table. The house is then raided by armed men who take away John’s family as he watches. All he sees is a badge on their uniforms showing they are from ‘Neptune’.

6 years later, John is awoken by his alarm at midnight (Wouldn't it be nice - The Beach Boys). He leaves his ‘hideout’. We then see the title sequence. Afterwards, we hear John’s voice narrating over shots including a terrorism report, riots and people in a public place. He will be talking about the state of the world and introduce himself. We then re-join John as he walks through the streets, checking to make sure no-one sees him. He arrives at an industrial area and hides nearby with a pair of binoculars and a notepad. He takes notes on guards changing shifts and a man (Matthew Connolly) leaving his car and entering.

He thinks that he is seen and backs away so quickly that he stumbles and knocks himself out. We then cut to inside the facility where Matthew Connolly is asking for a progress report from a female scientist working at a computer. She says that it still isn’t working but she can’t do it without him”. Matthew says that they’ll have to find him.

Upon awaking, John finds that he has been lucky enough not to have been discovered. However, he now needs to walk back through the streets in broad daylight. He finds a discarded ‘hoody’ in a large garbage bin nearby and puts it on. He travels back to his ‘hideout’ and arrives to find it has been broken into. He uses his abilities for the first time in the series to notice who has been there before realising their still there. The light turns on and a shady man apparently from ‘Neptune’ says “Welcome back”.