Storyboards/Update and Sneak Peek

So far the project has been pretty smooth, everything's on schedule and there are currently no speed bumps. The production is really a matter of learning and relearning things that I've used before, and it's basically just a joy ride. Making something from scratch feels pretty darn good, and I'm positive that this project is going to be absolutely great. For those of you who are reading, my current work habit is like this; I start with one character of the film, and finish each and every shot with that version of the character. After that, I move on to the next, and what's great about this strategy is I think is that every time I move on to another character, the amount of work for that person gets shorter.

What I'm saying is that I'm working on the character with the most shots, and moving down the list of characters who have fewer shots. The more I work, the more the outlook of this project becomes clear to me. I'm just glad that I'm used to killing hours of time editing items, because if I hadn't this project would have already driven me crazy ages ago. But this entire process of creating objects in Illustrator and animating the parts in After Effects is just too much fun. If the video works, below is a clip of the first official shot of my film (I'll bring it to class on Wednesday). Note: this isn't how the final product of the footage will look like after post-production.

Also, my storyboards. Please don't judge my crappy drawings!

Story Outline/Act Structure

Recall: Act Structure in Segments

Before I organize the story of my film in the ‘act structure’ format, I wanted to clarify that this film doesn’t have a structure to begin with. The story itself is a continuously loop from beginning to end, with cuts so rapid that any structure is almost unclear. Actions from every version of the same character in the film carry the plot towards the end; the actions are the story. There is no real conflict, no resolution (it’s open-ended), and no separate acts to begin with. But for the sake of the assignment, here is a glimpse at what my film would look like if it was formatted as a three act structure.

ACT I:

In the first act, our protagonist is waking up in a dark alley, covered in glass with blood soaking the forehead. Our protagonist’s vision is blurry, but the foggy vision clears up after introducing the present-day version of the protagonist, or TWO. Two wakes up, and fixes the blurry vision issue by putting a pair of glasses on. The film cuts back to One, who sits up from off the ground while shaking off small shards of glass; One then sees a pistol, and after grabbing and studying it, sets it back on the ground. The film cuts back to Two, who is sitting by the bedside, and after standing up Two starts walking.

ACT II:

In the second act, as Two continues to walk, the film cuts to the past version of the protagonist, or THREE. Three walks at relatively the same pace as Two, reaches the end of the study and sits in a chair below a desk. The desk has an assortment of papers scattered on it. There is one blank page that stands out from the others, and Three decides to examine it. The film cuts to One, who stands up and is immediately cut off by Three’s current action of studying the page. The film cuts to One, who is still unable to remember what is or had happened. One then notices someone next to him face down on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding the body. The film cuts to Three, who puts the page back on the desk. After a few short moments of thought, Three slides the chair away from the desk. The film then cuts to the future version of the protagonist, or FOUR. Four is seated in a similar fashion that of Three’s. Four removes a tablet from a jacket, and skims through a message that’s displayed.

ACT III:

In the third act, the film cuts back to One, who is panicked from hearing people in the distance closing in on the location. One is forced to pick the side arm off of the ground. The film cuts to Four, who puts the tablet back in the jacket pocket, and cuts back to One who is also tucking the weapon in the jacket. One is entranced by the identity by looking through the corpse’s wallet. The ID has a red X on it. The film cuts to Four, who reaches for a tracker and turns it on; One hears a small beeping sound, and turns to find and object with a blinking red LED on the back of the jacket. The film cuts back to Four, who stands and removes a side arm from the jacket after hearing the confirmation noise. One grabs the side arm from his/her jacket, loads it, and sprints forward. Four walks forward. Shots are heard from behind One, to continues to run in the opposite direction.

Treatment & Character Bios

Recall Treatment

Alleyway Perspective :

Our protagonist wakes up in an alleyway with no recollection of what is or has happened. Certain actions made by alternate versions of the protagonist effects what he/she does in the unclarified timeline. He/she wakes up (sight is foggy at first, lapsed by TWO’s glasses*) covered in blood and glass, and sits up while shaking off small shards of that glass. He/she then picks up the pistol on the ground, and after studying the weapon’s exterior decides to place it back on the ground. ONE stands up and pauses, but then (lapsed by THREE’s blank page*) struggles to remember exactly what is going on. ONE then sees an inanimate body just a few yards away, a pool of blood surrounding relatively close to the corpse. After a slight panic, ONE hears a group of people (in this case “headhunters”) close by, and quickly picks up the side arm from off the ground. Tucking the weapon (3^rd lapse) inside his/her jacket, ONE shuffles through the dead assailant’s pockets and finds a wallet. He/she shuffles through the wallet, and finds an ID with a red X and the word “never” written on it. A (4^th lapse) small beeping sound is heard nearby, and ONE turns to find his/her jacket marked by a tracker with a blinking red light. ONE grabs his/her side arm, cocks it, and runs.

Bedroom Perspective (PRESENT DAY):

The first alternative of the protagonist seen in the film is the present day setting of a bedroom. Sitting up covered in notes (one of which contains a clue/marker about the ending <being the word>) and recollecting every page. Placing the notes in a folder, and sets it aside away from his/her bed. Finds his/her glasses (1^st lapse), and puts them on prior to standing by his/her bedside table with the folder of notes. He/she puts on a pair of shoes (boots or slippers), and walks.

Study Perspective (PAST):

The second alternative of the protagonist is an older individual from the past. Following the arrival of TWO, and as a continuation THREE walks past a vast amount of books (the second clue concerning the ending will appear on any shelf <being a forcefully noticeable bible, or something else>) on his/her wall, and sits in a chair in front of his/her desk. THREE scrambles through a pile of notes spread all over the desk, and then separates a blank page (2^nd lapse), studying it somewhat attentively. THREE then sets the page back down, just above another page that is communicating the word “will”. After pausing, THREE slides in his/her chair away from the desk but does not stand up.

P.L.B Park/Lot/Bridge Perspective (FUTURE):

The final alternative of the protagonist is set in either one of these three locations; the settings include a park, lot, or a bridge. Still seated from THREE’s perspective, FOUR is also seated; on a bench to his/herself, FOUR stares at the floor in front of his/herself. FOUR then pulls out a tablet and reads a message with lettering in code. After reading the message, FOUR (lapse for tucking the weapon) tucks away the tablet in his/her coat, and reaches for a tracker. FOUR then (lapse for the red tracker) pushes the button, and waits patiently for a signal to be heard from the tracker as a target confirmation. After FOUR tucks his/her tracker away, he/she stands and removes a side arm from his/her coat pocket. There is an inscription on the barrel of the pistol with the word “end”.

ONE's Bio:

One is trying to remember what is happening in his/her situation. The protagonist wakes up in an alleyway, but with every second gone by an action is made in either the past, present, or future that directly effects the protagonist's own actions. Covered in shards of glass, a broken window, someone lying face down a few yards away, and sirens wailing in the distance. What could they mean? Please don't cringe at that.

TWO's Bio:

Two lives in the present era of the film; this alternative of the protagonist is a middle-aged individual who is woken up by the connection with One. This alternative of One is the representation of stability, setting the very foundation that the other two (three) alternatives will mentally trample over. We see very little of Two in the film because of the amount of disparity between the other three.

THREE's Bio:
Three is essentially the protagonist's wiser self. This alternative represents the past in the film, and is set in a Victorian era (for now, unless I change it to Ancient Egypt); THREE is currently in a study of some kind, with books trailing in shelves on the wall behind the protagonist. These shelves lead up to Three's desk, where there is a stack of papers and a clue about One's situation (barely). 

FOUR's Bio:
Four is the final alternative to One, and is responsible for creating the link that loosely explains the majority of One's situation. Four's body is set in the future, not common with One's current timeline. Four is a 'headhunter', one who takes contracts and kills people for a living. That being said, Four never really kills anyone in this film. Four's purpose is to complete the cycle that is linked between the other two (three) alternatives.