Major Project- Alex's Addiction.

Something I want to explore in my series, is Alex's addiction to cocaine. The second episode contains flashbacks which allude to Alex's addiction to cocaine which is brought on by a number of factors, including pressure from his dealer (who is later revealed to be Mitch), the stress of having to live up to his father's expectations, and his problems with drink.

In order to fully explore how it would be possible for Alex to become addicted to cocaine, and what kind of effect cocaine would have on his body, I decided to do some investigation into what the drug can do.

I browsed some health forums, and found that the general consensus among users was that it is very possible to become addicted to cocaine from the first try, meaning it would not take a lot of usage at all in order for someone to become reliant on it. This is something I think would be useful for the story I would like to tell, as I need to be able to show Alex becoming hooked on the stuff in a relatively short amount of time.
I also needed to realistically come up with a way for Alex to begin taking the drug. Afterall, the decision to take cocaine isn't one that someone could take lightly. Therefore I decided to investigate the idea that perhaps Mitch spikes Alex with the drug somehow, and Alex becomes addicted that way. In a way, I prefer to idea of Alex becoming addicted due to something out of his control, as not only does it add to his character as being somewhat naive to Mitch's ulterior motives, it also adds to Mitch's character of being a very cold, and calculating person that has no real loyalty to anyone.

Finally, I decided to check out what kind of effects the drug has on the human body, so that I could create a realistic depiction of a person under the influence of cocaine in my series. In finding this information, I found the following sites useful:
http://www.healthboards.com/boards/addiction-recovery/455748-cocaine-use-how-soon-do-you-get-addicted.html  (Information on the effects cocaine has on loved ones as well as abusers.)
http://www.talktofrank.com/drug/cocaine (FRANKS official website with a section on cocaine, listing the positive and negative effects. Also contains stories from users explaining the reason for them taking the drug, and the effect it had on themselves and the people around them.)

All in all, I found that the effects of cocaine include;

• A feeling of being "on top of the world" which leads to risk-taking behaviour, followed by a horrible come-down that can last for days.
• A tendancy to become more "social".
• Increased body temperature.
• Heart palpitations. 
• Hallucinations.
• Sleeplessness
• Reduction of appetite (leading to excessive weight-loss)
• Paranoia

These effects give me a lot to experiment with and use to tell a story in my series. For example, before the cocaine is even introduced to the audience, I can have subtle hint to show that Alex is a cocaine user, such as having him complain that the temperature in the room is too hot (even though everyone else is cold) or have him look comparably thinner compared to a past version of himself. 

A more obvious and interesting effect I would like to play with are the hallucinations and paranoia. 

I think some very interesting imagery could be shown with Alex experiencing some hallucinations in the barren Scottish Highlands, and the paranoia aspect could be used to add some conflict between himself and the characters around him.

All in all, I think the idea of Alex being a cocaine user opens the door for story-telling opportunities throughout the series (and in particular episode 2, which will explore how he became an addict, and the effect it has had on himself and his family).

I am looking forward to exploring the ways I can show his symptoms of addiction through his actions and interactions with the characters and environment around him, and I am particularly looking forward to seeing what kind of hallucinogenic effects I can come up with for him to experience during his time at the lodge. 

Major Project- Researching Treatments

As I am near to finishing the 2nd draft of episode 1 of Ascension, and because time is quickly passing, I have decided it would be worth me checking out some script treatments online in order to get a better understanding of what exactly makes a treatment successful.

One particularly useful source I found was this PDF by Screen Australia which explains the differences between a synopsis, an outline and a treatment. In the past I have had some trouble differentiating between a synopsis and treatment in particular, and as such I found this information to be incredibly useful.

The PDF also gives an example of a treatment from the drama; Lantana, and gives some very useful information on the length a treatment should be, as well as the kind of language and phrases that are suitable to use in a treatment document.
From what I have discovered, a treatment seems to be a mirror opposite of a script, in the way that while a script is all about showing and not telling, a treatment is very much about telling, and not showing. The actual style in which a treatment is created (third person and including events from different perspectives) is also very much done in a way that makes it seem similar to how a person would describe the events of a television series to one of their friends (albeit in a much less opinionated, more formal style.)

When creating my treatments, I will have to bare in mind that I will not be able to use any lines of dialogue for effect, due to the fact that treatments do not include dialogue, and as a result, I will have to think of other ways I can create atmosphere and a compelling story that would keep a reader engaged enough to want to learn more.

It is important for me to remember that the aim of my treatments is to keep the viewer interested, and give them a clear, understandable idea of the story I am trying to tell in my series. Therefore I will need to completely understand my story myself before I begin creating my treatments, so that there can be absolutely no confusion or misunderstandings.

Another useful site I found is this one, which actually gives detailed explanations of how to format a treatment, and further elaborates on the kind of language that should be used. For example, unlike a script, terms such as "We see..." or "We hear..." and camera directions are strictly prohibited.

By investigating treatments from different sources online I am slowly getting used to the kind of language and styles treatments are written in, and I feel that very soon I will be ready to begin writing my own.

Major Project- Too Much Description!

Something I have noticed in my scripts is that I have a tendency to become extremely (some might say overly) descriptive when describing locations and characters. Whilst in most written media (such as novels and other story-books) this would be a great thing to have, when writing for a script, it is important to consider that only the bare essentials of description are needed and only the most important things about a room or person should be described in order to save time, and make the script isn't bloated with too much detail so that the reader (in this case a director, actors and anybody else that would be reading the script) can easily understand what is happening without having to sift through unneeded description.

I came across this website; https://scriptcat.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/avoid-the-bad-habit-of-overwriting-your-screenplay/ which gives a "before" and "after" example of a script segment that has a lot of un-needed description, and a script that has had it's description cleaned up for easier reading.

After checking out this website, I decided to apply the suggestions I had found there to my own script, and found that a lot of the descriptions in my script were unnecessary. In the future, I will be sure to limit my descriptions in order to make my scripts easier to follow, and I will be sure to keep only the most necessary descriptions. For example, for a scene that takes place in a kitchen, I would not need to mention that there is a sink, or a fridge and freezer, as this is usually assumed simply from the location the scene takes place in. Therefore it could be left out of the script. 

Major Project- Constructing Flashbacks

Something I have found difficult is using flashbacks to effectively tell a story. In the first episode of "Ascension", each character has a flashback sequence (besides Mitch, who merely appears in Alex's flashback) but I have found that this only really works in the first episode, as they are used to introduce some of the character's initial traits and characteristics.
I feel that having multiple characters flashbacks in other episodes would cause some confusion as to what is happening. So many flashbacks in different time periods, telling different stories for different characters could be incredibly confusing for viewers.
I have found a potential solution to this though.
The television program "Lost" uses flashbacks to effectively tell the stories of character's pasts, and does so by only showcasing one particular character's flashbacks per episode. This means that a viewer understands that one particular character's story is being showcased, and they can follow the progression of said story easily, without confusion.

My original idea was to simply have multiple character's flashbacks in each episode, but after writing down the "Moments" that would appear in each episode in a style that involves every characters flashbacks, even I found it difficult to follow what was going on.

I feel that one particular character having flashbacks per episode mean that the character's backstory will be easier to follow, and as such, I think this is the route I shall take with my writing.

Flashbacks could be structured in accordance with each episode and done in a way such as this-
Episode 1- Contains flashbacks introducing each character.
Episode 2- Contains Alex's flashbacks explaining how he became a drug addict, and his motivation for wanting to have a get-together at the mansion (part of a self-rehab process).
Episode 3- Contains Cindy's flashbacks explaining how she was treated in her workplace and her motivation for leaving for the lodge. (Had enough of being mistreated, decided to quit and left for the lodge to prolong having to explain her quitting to her father.)
Episode 4- Contains Jairo's flashbacks explaining why he was so unhappy after leaving school. (Couldn't connect with people in the workplace, felt like an outcast due to his race etc. And why he wanted to visit the lodge- Lonely and wanted to reconnect with friends)
Episode 5- Contains Mitch's flashbacks showing why he is racist, how his dreams of being a footballer were broken, and why he turned to being a drug dealer (and in particular targeting Alex as a potential client.)
Episode 6- Contains Stanley's flashbacks explaining how he was wrongly accused of a massacre in the Falklands, and how he decided to take Alex up on his offer to come and stay at his lodge in Scotland,in an attempt to lay low and avoid the law.

Major Project- Researching Cambridge Graduation Ceremonies

Based on the first script draft I submitted, I have chosen to do some research into the way the Cambridge graduation system in the past was performed. The reason for this is so that my depiction of Cindy's graduation can be historically accurate.
The ceremony I previously scripted was based on my own interpretation of the graduation ceremony, which I believe I may have based on the many depictions of the process which I have seen in movies and television shows. The main problem with this, is that the movies and television shows I have seen ceremonies in are often located in the USA, a place where the graduation process is very extravagant, especially in comparison to the much more formal, low-key British graduations.

I began my research on the internet, and came across this article by Marie Beard entitled; "A Don's Life- Degree Results" in which she describes the past process of collecting degree results.
She explains that the process basically involved the students results being available to be seen on some kind of notice board for all to see. This is a far cry from the graduation ceremonies I am used to, which usually involve the results being confidential, and the receiving of them being overly extravagant, and a big deal.

Marie also names the actual building where the results could be found, which is called the "Senate House"

Now that I know exactly what the process would have been in the past for collecting degree results, as well as having several images of the actual location the results would have been collected at, I should be able to craft and script a story that is much more historically correct.

Major Project- Screenwriting Research, What do I Capitalize?

Based on feedback received for the first draft of my series; Ascension, I have begun to put some more thought into how exactly I should structure my script, most notably, what and why I should capitalize certain words in screenplays. This is an area I have yet to explore, and so I decided to do some online research into why certain words and phrases are capitalized in scripts, and therefore learn where I should capitalize in my own work.

I came across this website: https://www.screenwritinggoldmine.com/forum/threads/capitalization-in-action-lines.3451/ which features many discussion boards which are frequented by screenwriters and people in the industry where they can share ideas and their own scripts. I found this thread where the subject of what to capitalize is brought.

I believe this post in particular is fantastic reasoning for capitalizing certain words and phrases;

The main reason for the capitalization of certain words and phrases seems to be to add emphasis to certain aspects of the description. It almost seems to be done this way in order for the words to stand out from the page, as if someone skim-reading the script would automatically pay attention to the few words that are capitalized and get a general idea of the actions happening, and the general atmosphere of the scene without having to fully read the script.

With this in mind, I returned to my script and made a few changes

As you can see, although the changes are minimal, there is much more emphasis on certain words thanks to my usage of capitalization. This means that if I were to submit my script to a production company (who assumingly has many scripts, and doesn't have time to read through all of them) they would be able to skim read my work, and still get an idea of what is going on, and the feel of the scene I have created without having to spend too much time reading it.

I also came across this website; https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/CAPITALIZATION-in-Screenplays which discusses the idea that the usage of capitalized words in terms of sound is quite subjective. The general consensus seems to be that as long as the script reads well, and emphasis is placed on certain aspects that make sense, capitalzation can be used to accentuate certain words or not, depending on whether or not the script writer feels it necessary.

Major Project- Draft 1 Script Feedback

I recently received feedback from several sources about the first draft I created for "Ascension." below you can find the complete first draft of the series.

The feedback I received mostly revolved around the realism of the scenario I had created, most notably these aspects;

• The period of time between Stanley shooting Sergeant Dreizer and returning to the UK (Three days)
• The fact a cable car exists in the Scottish Highlands.
• Some of the dialogue used. (A lot of characters say certain phrases and speak in a way that sounds "Americanised") I need to focus on researching exactly how English people speak, and make it seem authentic for the location and time period the series is set in.
• I need to make every flashback have importance, and make them interesting. Some of the flashbacks, particularly the one with Cindy, seem unrealistic and straight-up boring. I need to focus on making every flashback an experience, and use them to further the story.

It was also suggested that I pay careful attention to my script format, making sure to use proper punctuation in scene headings, and also making sure the content of my script makes sense when taking the scene heading into account. For example, in Scene 2, the heading reads;

2. INT. MESS HALL. APPROACHING EVENING.

And the scene description begins immediately with the words; "Inside one of the buildings...".

This sentence is completely redundant, as the scene heading already establishes that the scene takes place inside a location, as evident by the INT. part of the heading. Avoiding this problem in the future will allow me to remove a good portion of unneeded text from my script.

My script was praised for having a strong beginning and ending, and it seems most of the problems seem to revolve around the stuff that happens in the middle.