First Film Pitch

Michael Taylor

Justin Pieraldi

Daniel Afeaki

Ricky Jalilie

Logline: Adolescent boy talks about his struggle through high school as he’s forced into a role of maturity as a result of his mother’s terminal illness.
Genre: Drama
Tone: Relaxed, calm, depressed
Time Period: Today’s time period, 2009-2011
Three act structure:
1. Boy introduces himself directly to audience, he is sitting at a train station. He talks about how easy life was, having a girlfriend, captain of basketball team, straight A advanced classes. This is shown through flashbacks. He introduces his family and the fact that he never had a father but that it didn’t matter.
2. Tho boy is longer doing any of the previous activities he had previously mentioned, and his grades had dropped. He talks about the role that he has to take over, doing for his sister what his mother did for him. He talks about how his mother can’t be there as much as she should. He explains that it is constantly wearing him down.
3. The boy goes to the hospital with his sister to visit his mother. It is revealed that his mother had some terminal illness (cancer?) and that is what has been causing him all his trouble. The film ends there.

A train passes by the train station and reveals a boy sitting on a bench looking in the direction of the train. He looks around a little waiting for his train and checking his watch. We see him look in the direction of the camera and he begins to walk across the tracks towards us. Saying “I’m Ryan, you don’t know much about me and maybe you don’t care. But I’m gonna tell you my story anyway”. a Jump Cut brings him back to his bench and the train pulls up blocking our shot.

On the train we see him walking to his seat, from a front view he starts telling his story, explaining how hard things have been for him. Starting a couple years ago, i was only a freshman in high school at the time. [fade into flashback of school and activities] That’s when i really began to struggle, school was so tough. I was in all the advanced classes, played basketball, went out with the prettiest girl in school. Back then things were easy, top of the class, captain of the team... had the world on a string. I didn’t have a dad, but it’d never really been a problem cause i had my sister and mom.

[return to a shot of boy taking seat and looking out the window] Near the end of sophomore year, i knew things would be much more difficult... My grades began to suffer a little, nothing serious, just a couple A’s turned to B’s. [flash to mom working and helping around the house] Mom worked as a teacher, she didn’t make a lot but it was enough for us to get by. She was a great cook and we always had food on the table.

[transition shot and whistle sounds] boy gets off the train looking around [story pauses as he walks down the train tracks to the station and enters. [inside we see him stop and ask a woman for directions to an address, not knowing what the address means] saying thank you and walking towards the camera he walks towards the exit.

“where was i?.... o ya, it was sudden... you know, one of those ‘it’ll never happen to me’, kinda things. [flash of boy crying counselor's office]...Well it did and it was terrible. By this point in my story I'm a junior, I didn’t play basketball anymore, i broke up with my gf, and i had to pretty much care for my sister alone.

i had to grow up pretty quick. [still shot of crying, picture of basketball falls in(breaks) picture of girl and boy falls in breaks, picture of boy leaning over sister studying + picture of boy cooking). [back to boy talking, hands money to vendor and receives coffee] I even had to get a job.... (ha) sleeping became quite a luxury for me.

we see the boy walking out of the cafe and towards an elevator, sipping his coffee he enters the elevator, jump cut to his exiting the elevator on a new floor. This has been really hard on me and my Julia, my sister [nods to someone outside of camera => sister runs into shut and hugs him. She’s been realy strong and has helped me out as much as she could.

Boy and girl walk down the hall as the boy explains that as tough as it’s been he’s confident itll all work out. [stopping, and looking to the side] thank you for listening to my story, it’s been a lonely time for me and the company has been nice, maybe ill see u around [appearing on the verge of tears the boy fakes a smile and turns walking into the door].

As the camera pans to the left following the boy we see a sign on the door saying ‘Cancer Word’. We see the boy walk towards a woman laying in a bed. Hey mom, the boy and girl say in unison. [boy: how you feeling today, through muffled voice struggling not to cry] The boy and girl hug their mother, and the door shuts on the camera.

First Film Treatment

>There is a note under a phone which says something like "do homework study for SAT's DON'T GET DISTRACTED" the phone alarm then goes off and there is a reminder that today is the last day to sign up for the SAT.

 >The boy sits up in bed as his alarm goes off looking tired with messed up hair and looks up hearing their parents tell them to do their homework and not to forget to sign up for the SAT's by a certain date.

>The boy is then looking at his phone and goes on facebook, seeing several statuses about how people have done college applications and been studying all day. The boy fluffs his pillow and strongly lands back into bed. The boy is already fast asleep.

 >The boy is then sleeping in a classroom and wakes up asking to use the bathroom.

 >As he walks out he thinks about how he should do his homework and remembers the sounds of his parents telling him that he'll end up some loser if he doesn't. He walks by groups of other students talking about him and about what a loser he is going to be when he grows up.

 >Time flashes forward where he sees himself homeless.

 >He looks hurt but keeps walking pretending he never heard anything but he sees other groups of people saying the same thing and begins thinking that they aren't making fun of him behind is back. He goes to the bathroom and washes his hands and splashes water on his face, as he walks out all the people he saw are right outside saying the same things.

 >He begins to run and in the middle of running he wakes up to the sound of the alarm.He bolts out of bed and grabs a comb, only combing half his hair before he runs over to his desk and begins his homework. Through a series of jump cuts he is doing jumping jacks, writing, slouching in his chair, and the whole time the clock is ticking.

 >The clock is changing time rapidly, and the boy drops is pencil which is down to a stub with no eraser left, the boys hand is red.

 >Happy and smiling they go back to bed, but wakes up shocked when they remember the SAT sign up. They smile when they think of how easy it would be.

 >As they reach the computer and is about to finish signing up they see that they need a credit card for the online registration. Frantically he runs around the house looking for his mom or dad, he can't find either.

 >He begins rushing around the neighborhood looking for someone who would let them use their credit card, as the clock ticks closer to the cut off time. He thinks of who he could ask and relies on a woman, and thinks about the fastest route, he sighs when he realizes how far it is.

 >He pauses and looks up taking off without wearing shoes. He successfully reaches the woman is given a ride back to his house. He bolts through the door and pulls off his socks which have been worn down. He looks at the card realizing that it is a library card. He looks at the computer seeing a late registration day and falls off his chair and just lays there.

Run Lola Run Presentation-Critique

For my portion of the Run Lola Run presentations, I analyzed the Game Theory and how it related to Tykwer and the film. My interpretation was related to the film and helped people better understand the film. I interpreted the way the film is staged with three endings and how each one ends. I used other resources to understand the game theory, and compared it to the film. I mostly interpreted the use of the Game Theory as Tykwer experimenting in his films. I did a good job of using visuals that directly related to what i was saying. It definitely helped people understand what I was talking about. I also introduced my topic and gave a quick overview of where it is most important in the film. In particular the two charts i created between the films showed what i was saying better than I could explain it. It helped to have the material memorized before i presented since it made presenting and being clear easier. For the most part my presentation was well focused and summed up nicely. More examples of how the game theory related to Tykwer would have been helpful. Something about his personal life would have made the presentation have a good connection between the film itself and the director. Overall my presentation was very well made and presented.

Run Lola Run Analysis

Plot/Theme/Character	Camera Work/Visuals	Production Design	Sound	Editing and Effects
Lola is shown to be a very powerful character with almost supernatural power at times. The best example is when she manages to stabilize the guard when he is dying in the ambulance. There is also a switch in gender roles, as Lola comes to Manni’s rescue, taking charge throughout the film. Lola’s screaming also makes her seem powerful; she uses it to make Manni stop talking, and screams when she is the casino trying to guess where the ball will land.	There is a lot of camera work that focuses on clocks. Obviously an important part of the film is the 20 minute time limit that the characters have. The camera focuses on the clock to remind the viewer of time. In the first ending where Manni is about to rob the bank, the screen is split between him, Lola and a clock. When Lola just barely misses Manni, it shows how close she is to him, but how far she is from stopping him.	The film was based mostly around what Tykwer wanted to get across. Tykwer puts emphasis on side characters. This can be used to break up the scenes where Lola is just running. Tykwer has stated that he dislikes the way side characters are used and given no real meaning. For example, the woman with her baby has multiple endings between losing her baby and winning the lottery.	Sound is used to help the viewer get an idea of what is happening in the film. When Lola holds the security guard’s hand, we hear the heart rate monitor slowing down. This lets the viewer see that the guard is probably going to live. Without the sound, this scene would not really get this point across, the viewer is sure the guard will live now.	During dramatic scenes there are a lot of jump cuts and camera movement. When Lola was thinking about who she could go to for money, we see the characters flashing, and when she decides on her father, it stops. During the same scene, the camera is spinning around her, this helps build up tension before she even runs out of the room. It helps the viewer know what is happening without unnecessary dialogue.
The plot of the film is designed to the personal wants of Tykwer. He creates the buildup that most films do through a full plot arc, but instead going back in time, and having Lola act differently across the endings. He makes the characters grow and makes the audience feel for the characters in a new way.	During the bedroom scene, there is a romantic feeling as there is a red filter. It automatically sets the mood for what the characters are saying. Besides showing love, it makes the shot much more interesting to look at especially since the camera doesn’t move.	Tykwer had a central theme of love as the driving force between Manni and Lola. The only time where this is shown in detail in the bedroom scene. The red tint not only creates a feeling of romance, but it also hides Lola’s red hair. In the bed room, the two are equal. This helps show the relationship between the two.	In the first ending, the ambulance helps the viewer see just how close Lola is getting to Manni. We first hear the ambulance from Lola’s perspective, later it drives behind Manni showing that Lola is not that far away. This also helps deal with the lack of knowing where Lola is, and how far she had to run.	One effect that sticks out in the film is when Manni drops the gun when Lola dies. The sound the gun makes is off, and for a reason. It drags attention to the sound since it is wrong, it also shows how Manni has lost any will to fight or run after he sees Lola.
There are several themes in Run Lola Run, most important being love and fate. Love is what motivates Lola to find 100,000 marks in only 20 minutes. Their love is almost strong enough to get them through anything. Tykwer has said that love can move mountains and does, but he brings his film more down to earth by having Manni and Lola each die. This ties into the idea of having a set fate, and bending fate. Lola almost seems strong enough to change things that are set. Lola’s most powerful and rebellious moments occur in the final ending.	Tykwer also chose to use totally different cameras depending on what he was shooting. Scenes with Manni and Lola were shot in film. The shot looks clear, and helps the viewer’s focus on what is happening, not the quality of the shot. Other shots, in particular the one with Lola’s father and his affair looks grainy. This may represent Tykwer’s idea of what is happening that Manni and Lola are real or positive while everything is fake or wrong.	Tykwer put a lot of emphasis on time, whether it is in slow motion, fast motion, or simply being an obstacle for the characters. First off, it helps the audience see how little time Lola has, and how close she is to success. The best example is when she barely manages to reach Manni before he robs the store. Just a few more seconds and the robbery which ended in Lola’s death could have been avoided.	The music is also an important choice in this film. Most of the time it is techno/ dance music. This allows the films flow to continue. It seems like the kind of music used was best suited for the film, it was made specifically for this film. Tykwer worked very closely with two composers who he trusted when creating the music for his film. It establishes rhyme, and a dialectical relation which relates time in the film.	One of the best transitions of the film is between the first and second plots. Lola throws the bag of money in the air, and as it falls, there are cuts to the phone falling from the beginning. This provided a smooth transition straight into the action of Lola running. It also helps transition locations without confusing teh audience.

Freshmen Broadcast Critique

Pre-production: We came up with the idea of interviewing freshmen because it was the beginning of the year and interviewing the new freshmen would make a good segment. We didn't do any research for our segment, we knew that we needed medium shots and close ups. The problem was that we didn't think the film through, and the segment didn't totally fall apart, but it didn't come out to great. We planned on just interviewing freshmen, and getting b-roll of the campus in general. We didn't think of interviewing teachers that taught freshmen classes. Finding people to interview wasn't difficult because we went after siblings of people we knew. Unfortunately technical issues ruined some planning. We also needed to picture what would be said as b-roll was made.

Production: Quality: For the most part, we went after shots that were straight and static, framing both the interviewer and person being interviewed. Since we had a limited time to film, we just went with the location around us. Our b-roll was fine as basic b-roll, but it didn’t really shine or directly relate to what was being said during the interviews. As far as framing for the whole piece, it was mostly medium shots, with few exceptions. The shots really are uninteresting; it would make more sense with a more exiting interview. There was very little camera movement in the interviews, but the b-roll was shaky. Lighting wasn’t a real focus; we just wanted to avoid silhouetting and extreme brightness. Our audio was a problem at first, because it did not come out at all, but when we re-filmed our interviews the audio came out well and there weren’t any distracting noises.

Script: We didn’t include any voice overs, or music in the piece, so there is no real introduction or closure, just interviews. We didn't use the script as a tool to help us, we just went after opportunities to get shots and interviews.The script needed a lot of work before it could be of any use.

Editing: There aren’t any technical issues in the segment, as far as sound being too loud or any jump cuts. The only effect we used in the segment was a close up of an interviewee as they answered a question about Freshmen Friday to give it some horror aspect and a little comedy.  Another notable edit was zooming quickly in and out of a trash can as the interviewee talked about Freshmen Friday. During the interviews we added some writing that went with what was being said, making the more exciting to watch. B-roll was put in last minute and really didn’t add to the piece.

Overall: My favorite part about the piece is adding writing that went with what the interviewee was saying, it felt better to watch it rather than just the interviews in a regular shot. It had the same feel as b-roll. I would add interviews with teachers, or another staff member that would be important to the freshmen, the only other things I would add are necessary like music and voice overs. The most important thing I can take away from this project in picturing as you plan your piece. It may be difficult at first, but it is better to think when you are still in pre-production before having to improvise near the deadline.

Old Lady Character in Time

It's a nice sunny morning in London and it is time for Mrs. Swanson to get up. She realizes that she stayed up to late watching Saturday Night Live the day before and is going to be late to chat with her friend at the bus stop. She hurries to get dressed and thinks about all the days that she had made it to the bust stop at exactly 9:52am. She looks at the clock as it turns to 9:48. She thinks about the fastest way to get to the bus stop, remembering parts of childhood exploring the city, and as quickly as she thinks of it, she is out of the door. She runs down the stairs and realizes she has forgotten to take her pills which her doctor told her she had to take or she wouldn't be able to move her legs very well. She stands there for a second and sees Big Ben ticking closer to 9:52. She sighs and begins to jog, where to the bus stop where her friend is waiting and looks at her watch as it strikes 9:52. She sighs and looks at the ground only to look to her left where her friend is there smiling at her.

"Connected" Camera Focus

The short film that i found is called “Connected”. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, where oxygen must be filtered. There is no dialogue in the film; everything must be explained through the camera work. The film starts with close ups of each characters helmets, dragging attention to the two different initial main characters. One character has a triangle on their helmet while the other has a circle, though the camera shake may prevent viewers from fully noticing this. The two characters are established that way through just the use of camera work.

An establishing shot used early on. It effectively lets the viewer know what the situation in the film is, and what the characters are trying to do.

Continuity is a large part of this film, the characters never really stop moving, and the cuts from the camera maintain an interesting film to watch. There are several cuts that are just zoomed in on an axis. At one point, the camera looks towards the sky, and the dark moving clouds, this is used as a transition, to allow a passage of time for the characters to move towards the imminent climax. This same kind of shot is used at the end of the film, to give a peaceful though dark climax to the film. Despite the large scale establishing shots, and the wide open environment the characters are in, the characters are the main focus; as interesting and well done as the environments are. The characters move into a smaller area where they can be captured with more focus on them.

Characters are introduced in a way that makes sense for the setting

 and work well throughout the plot.

 Despite the scene, isn’t totally bright, but is perfectly well lit. At certain more eventful parts, characters are used to block out the sun, to create a more frantic shot. Before the action occurs though, cuts are more fluid, bringing the viewer into the film and letting the passage of time flow smoothly. Point of view shots are also used to establish what is happening.

The first point of view perspective shows the importance of the characters suits and hose like instruments hanging from the helmets. The shot mixed with the sounds of the character breathing make it clear that the characters have a limited supply of oxygen. Towards the end, there is a showdown; the shots establish what the characters are thinking, and what they are trying to do. The over the shoulder perspectives of the different characters establish what each one wants to achieve. Close-ups on the breathing tube gives away the motive, everything else has already been established. Overall the camera work identifies who characters are, what is happening to them, and what their motives are.

The importance here is shown by simply zooming in.

The camera work does a very good job of telling the viewer what the characters are like, and what their motives are. They aren’t given full depth, it wouldn’t help because of the short length of the film, but the characters personalities are well portrayed through their actions. The camera work of this film is very well done, and together with the short but compelling plot make this a very good film.

Here's the film: