Day 9 Assignments

[Mark Hawk]

Mark Hawk’s Budget

What I learned from this lesson is that budget considerations shouldn’t impact that much on the story being told, but could create a lazy situation where you could add unnecessary scenes or shots that don’t add to the story.

1. Variables that might decrease the budget:

Eliminate Simone from the story.

Change the drill room floor upheaval to use camera shake.

Remove all external shots.

2. Variables that could be added if budget was quadrupled:

All shots to be on a special sound stage for interior shots.

Add shots of Carol, Jeffery, and Simone getting on the drone taxi and interaction between them on the journey to the research station.

Add special effects of the drone taxis arriving with Carol, Jeffery, and Simone.

Add helicopter or drone shots of drone taxis landing and leaving the station.

Add special effects on the unknown substance that breaks into multiple pieces and reassembles itself.

Add wind and snow shots outside while stacking the dead bodies.

[Monica Arisman]

Subject: Monica’s Budget What I learned doing this assignment is that this is the first time I’ve actually seen the variables that go into the budget and the explanations!

For this assignment, assume the producer asked you to accomplish two opposite purposes – cut costs by 25% in one version and quadruple the budget in a second version.

1. Run through this list and tell us how many ways you might be able decrease the budget for your project if that was required.

MAIN VARIABLES

Number of Locations: 2
Expensive locations: 1 – the Vatican – could use
just a church
Number of characters: 3 main characters; 3 secondary
ones
Special effects: No
Number of pages: 90
Crowd scenes: No
Stunts, Chase scenes, and Fight
scenes: Yes – Fight scenes –
a couple
Special sets: Special
Archives but could use just a library

SECONDARY VARIABLES

Rights to music, brands, books,
etc.: No
Explosions and Firearm: Yes –
when she brings down the Vatican
Kids — shorter work days,
tutor on the set: No
Animals – need a wrangler, more
time to shoot, Humane Society: No
Weather — Rain, snow, wind,
tornados: No
Water and underwater scenes: No
Night scenes: Yes
– a couple when she escapes the Vatican
Helicopters, aircraft, drone
shots: No
Green screen work: Maybe
when she brings down the Vatican walls
Extensive Make-up: No
Archival Footage: Maybe
Anything else dangerous that
increases preparation time and/or Insurance: No

2. Then go through the list and tell us what you might add if your budget was quadrupled.

MAIN VARIABLES

Number of Locations: 2 –
The Vatican and Rome
Expensive locations: Yes
– The Vatican and Rome
Number of characters: 3
main; More various secondary characters, priests, Swiss guards, etc.
Special effects: Yes
– bringing down the Vatican walls
Number of pages: 120
Crowd scenes: Yes
could have a special mass being said in St. Peter’s Square
Stunts, Chase scenes, and Fight
scenes: Yes – fight but
could add a chase scene
Special sets: Yes
– Special Archives

SECONDARY VARIABLES

Rights to music, brands, books,
etc.: No
Explosions and Firearm: Yes
– explosion
Kids — shorter work days,
tutor on the set: No
Animals – need a wrangler, more
time to shoot, Humane Society: No
Weather — Rain, snow, wind,
tornados: No
Water and underwater scenes: No
Night scenes: Yes
– could have a chase scene at night
Helicopters, aircraft, drone
shots: No but
could use a drone when she brings down the Vatican
Green screen work: Maybe
Extensive Make-up: No
Archival Footage: Yes
– background on the news story that broke
Anything else dangerous that
increases preparation time and/or Insurance: No

[Madeleine Vessel]

Madeleine Vessel’s Budget

What I learned doing this assignment is I really need to pay attention to all the budget variables as I outlinem the script and later when I pitch the story.

For this assignment, assume the producer asked you to accomplish two opposite purposes – cut costs by 25% in one version and quadruple the budget in a second version.

Run through this list and tell us how many ways you might be able decrease the budget for your project if that was required.

I could decrease the budget by –

· Limiting the number of locations to two: Inside the pool area and in the street intersection.

· Limiting the number of characters to 5.

· Limiting the number of pages to 90.

· Limiting the crowd scene to twenty-five people.

· Eliminating all stunt scenes.

As it is, I do not need –

· Rights to music, brands, books, etc.

· Explosions and firearms.

· Kids

· Animals

· Weather

· Water and underwater scenes.

· Night scenes

· Helicopters or aircraft of any kind.

· Green screen work

· Extensive makeup

· Archival footage.

· Anything else dangerous.

If the budget were to be quadrupled, I could add –

· Three more locations.

· Two more characters.

· Kids in the swimming pool.

· Monsoon weather

· Night scenes.

[Mark Lynch]

What I learned from doing this assignment: It is a good policy to be aware of how a producer thinks in terms of budget, if you are writing a contained story. The story outline should keep all of the variables in mind first.

Marc Lynch’s Budget: Current Budget 11 MIllion.

Decrease Budget

MAIN VARIABLES

A. Number of Locations: I would keep all my locations in the Wilderness. Daytime Exterior. I would decrease locations for the Search & Rescue Team, Balloon Festival Headquarters, the Pilot’s house, Doctors Office.

B. Expensive Locations: Limit the amount of space for all scenes in the Wilderness.

C. Number of Character: Limit the Balloon chase crew and the Search & rescue crew.

D. Special Effects: N/A

E. Number of pages: 120 to 100 pages.

F. Crowd Scene. I would use stock footage of crowds at the balloon festival.

G. Stunts, Chase and Fight scenes. I would keep the stunt of the balloon crashing and the final battle between Helen and El Leon. The balloon crash could be an SFX, then just show the balloon on the ground.

H. Special sets. Use a straw bale house already built and rent it out.

SECONDARY VARIABLES

I. Rights to Music, Brands, Books. N/A

J. Green Screen. N/A

K. Explosions. N/A

L. Firearms. N/A

M. Kids. Reduce the number of kids watching the schoolyard fight between Helen and the school bully.

N. Animals. The mountain lion is the antagonist.

O. Weather. Daytime exterior/interior. Good weather.

P. Water and Underwater scenes. N/A

Q. Night scenes. Have the story take place in one 24 hour period.

R. Helicopters, Drones. One Search and Rescue helicopter. A drone for aerial shots.

S. Special Make-Up. N/A

INCREASE BUDGET

I would increase the number of actors on the Search and Rescue crew, add an animal wrangler for the trained Mountain Lion, special fight training for Helen, a special stunt crew for the balloon crash, hire extras and news reporter broadcasting the balloon festival, add the Search and Rescue helicopter and drones, a make-up artist for the pilot, little Joe Begay, and Fatu.

[Hope McPherson]

Hope’s budget

What I learned: It was good to look at the components as having dollar signs attached. In previous scripts, I didn’t consider the components with this much care (i.e., no care), even though I don’t tend to write big explosions and such (a few crowd scenes, kids, animals). This exercise does, though, make me consider other options, which in turn forces creativity.

Main variables

· # of locations: one location (a campus); four scene locations on that campus

· Expensive locations: A college campus?

· # of characters: Four main roles; three bit parts

· Special effects: snowstorm

· # of pages: 90-95

· Crowd scenes: N/A

· Stunts, chases, fights: N/A

· Special sets: N/A

Secondary variables

· Rights to music: Unknown, but nothing special needed.

· Explosions: N/A

· Kids/animals: N/A

· Weather: Snowstorm

· Water: N/A

· Night scenes: One

· Helicopters/drone shots: An aerial campus shot via drone.

· Green screen: For blizzard

· Extensive makeup: Too make characters look cold?

· Archival footage: N/A

· Danger shots: One door smashed open

The biggest expense I see now is the snowstorm, and because this story needs a storm to set up an empty campus, I’ve considered other ways to put a character is a deserted location. Maybe the campus needs to be somewhere else – perhaps a hotel, or all-girls school.

I can probably do without the university president actually being onscreen, and maybe the two walk-on cops could be eliminated. I’m happy to say even as I work on the initial pieces of the script, I’ve been trying to eliminate as much as possible.

2. Quadrupled budget additions:

My primary additions would be for A-list actors for two of the four main roles, and probably for really good music to be used, and aerial shots of the attempted escape.

[Micah Delhauer]

MICAH’S BUDGET

What I learned doing this assignment is to be mindful of all the little things that drive the budget up, and also how much fun it is to make things more expensive.

MAIN VARIABLES

• Number of Locations – 3 (two identical cabins, woods) / omit scenes involving neighbors’ cabin; omit body burying scene in the woods / add a lake; add more neighbors

• Expensive locations – none / N/A / turn cabins into fancy lodges, or set everything on an exclusive retreat or club property

• Number of characters – 3 major, 2 minor / cut scenes showing cop / give pimp a bodyguard; add more interfering neighbors; add another client that shows up later

• Special effects – car crashing into tree, gore effects / keep off screen / have car accidentally roll off a steep hill; make shoot-out with pimp more elaborate; make cabin explode at the end

• Number of pages – ?

• Crowd scenes – none / N/A / add police, paramedics, and nosy neighbors to the ending

• Stunts, Chase scenes, and Fight scenes – scuffles, minor car crash, stairs fall / keep car crash and fall off screen

• Special sets – none / N/A /

SECONDARY VARIABLES

• Rights to music, brands, books, etc. – None / N/A / specify music for striptease; have Selena dress as a trademark character

• Explosions and Firearm – minimum gunplay / change gun to knife / more gunplay and squibs; blow up or burn down cabin

• Kids – None / N/A / give neighbor a kid

• Animals – None / N/A / give neighbor a dog; add wolf, bear, or other wild animal to woods scenes

• Weather – None / N/A / add increasing rainstorm

• Water and underwater scenes – None / N/A / add a river or lake to try and dispose of body

• Night scenes – all night / minimize number of exterior scenes, cut grave digging scene / create new obstacles that force Jennifer to go outside

• Helicopters, aircraft, drone shots – None / N/A / encourage DP/Director to go crazy

• Green screen work – None / N/A / blow up cabin at the end; have car go over cliff with Selena dangling off the ledge

• Extensive Make-up – gore makeup on dead client / make less gorey / make more gorey

• Archival Footage – None / N/A / have something playing on a TV during striptease; Selena watches TV to calm herself, maybe has a favorite movie or actors she looks to for inspiration

• Anything else dangerous that increases preparation time and/or Insurance. – None / N/A / get really coked out before going to set

[Michael Masurkevitch]

Michael’s Budget

I learned that once you have come to understand what changes a budget, and how to substitute things in your writing, it becomes very easy to change things around to adjust for budget.

MAIN VARIABLES

Number of Locations – can show a field with a fence as “outside the Mint,” the roads on the ashram, and the ashram, thats it

Expensive locations – the Ashram could be just some yurts in a natural area

Number of characters – could just have Guru + two monks, and only have the boss bring 1 thug, and the FBI send a single agent the first and second time

Special effects – just the bird poop and drone shot, which are cheap, and a wound on George. Could do the ghost as just a single green screen shot of “Fred” and fade it in/out, and George’s “hallucinations” as just him walking around ashram with the colours all messed up

Number of pages – could take out some of the scenes of exploring the ashram,

Crowd scenes – n/a

Stunts, Chase scenes, and Fight scenes – the car ride at the beginning could just be a motionless car in the dark, and we don’t see outside of it

Special sets

SECONDARY VARIABLES

Rights to music, brands, books, etc. – can work with mostly just meditative music at the ashram, easier to compose

Explosions and Firearm – thugs have guns at the end but could avoid firing them

Kids — shorter work days, tutor on the set – N/A

Animals – need a wrangler, more time to shoot, Humane Society – no “bird” just a drone shot and the poop effect

Weather — Rain, snow, wind, tornados. n/a

Water and underwater scenes n/a

Night scenes – mainly the chase in the opening which could just be the car sitting in a studio room, and we only see in the car / a roto-light to imply trees flying by

Helicopters, aircraft, drone shots – one drone shot, should be fairly cheap

Green screen work – just the ghost

Extensive Make-up – can have the ghost hooded/not show wound

Archival Footage – n/a

Anything else dangerous that increases preparation time and/or Insurance.

Bigger Budget

MAIN VARIABLES

Number of Locations – we show the edge of a fenced compound, with lights and explosions, as the thieves escape the mint. We show flashbacks to different parts of casey and george and gerrys’ lives, in different parts of the city

Expensive locations – the Ashram could be an ancient place with ancient stone buildings, or a set of modern building with modern conveniences – but ancient stone buildings in a beautiful remote place would be ideal

Number of characters – add a few monks, have Boss bring a couple extra thugs, and a team of FBI agents that come in at the end

Special effects – explosions when they are escaping the mint, some diy explosives that Gerry sets off to defeat the bosses thugs

Number of pages – lay into the characters’ flashbacks, potentially add some scenes to get into the guru’s back story

Crowd scenes – FBI have more of them

Stunts, Chase scenes, and Fight scenes – add some cars to the chase scene in the opening, and fight scenes to when the boss’s people show up – possibly even a showdown with the FBI

Special sets – create somethign

SECONDARY VARIABLES

Rights to music, brands, books, etc.

Explosions and Firearm

Kids — shorter work days, tutor on the set

Animals – need a wrangler, more time to shoot, Humane Society

Weather — Rain, snow, wind, tornados.

Water and underwater scenes

Night scenes

Helicopters, aircraft, drone shots

Green screen work

Extensive Make-up

Archival Footage

Anything else dangerous that increases preparation time and/or Insurance.