Story-telling | The Brief (19th September 2016)

Today we were given the brief for our first unit, 'Story-telling', which will involve creating a ten-page screenplay, either the first two minutes of what we have written, or a trailer, as well as keeping a journal for our research.  We were also given a starting point of 'The Meeting', and should focus on one main location and the meeting of two characters, but other small locations and minor characters could be introduced as well.

This made it clear that the focus of this unit was leaning toward the writing side of TV production, which sparked my interest, as most of my experience at the moment lies in editing and post-production, rather than creative writing.  Despite this, I am looking forward to writing my first screenplay, and my English A Level should mean I'm not going in completely blind, but that doesn't mean this is going to be a walk in the park.

Given the choice between a comedy, drama, or thriller, I was immediately torn between comedy and thriller, but that's the not necessarily the best way to look at it - in this instance, it would work better if I develop ideas about the story and plot before working out the tone, and genre of my screenplay.

I have had several very basic ideas so far looking at the potential meeting of two people:

• "Tinder match gone wrong"
• This came to me whilst re-watching Black Mirror recently, which focuses on the impact of modern technology and social media, and the potential dangers of it in our lives.  This could take the shape of a dark thriller, with the meeting going wrong in a sinister way, or could also take a comical route with more light-hearted issues arising from a Tinder date.
• "Meeting with a counsellor"
• Mental health is something that I take very seriously, and so expressing this through my screenplay could work out well with my own experiences, and the experiences of people I know.  This could take the shape of a drama or thriller, exploring the characters in a high level of depth due to the potentially complex nature of why the character is seeing a counsellor.
• "Family reunion"
• This idea is my most basic, but this means it could go a number of directions, whether it is a comedy, drama, or thriller, and I could draw from meetings with my own family members.
• "Videogame meeting"

• For some reason, this came to me on the train to London a few days ago, I'm not sure how or why but I quite liked it.  As with my first idea, this would focus on the impact of modern technology, but this would explore online multiplayer gaming, which I am very familiar with.  Several people I know have met their best friends through a game they played online, but there is also a risk surrounding people you meet online, as they may not always be what you expect, which could work for both a drama, or a thriller, depending on the outcome of this meeting.

I still have time to think about and refine my ideas before submitting a pitch for my screenplay, who knows, the idea I settle with could be completely different with my initial thoughts, but I think I am off to a good start in my thought process.