Music

Music will play a large part in my film and so it is important that I choose a suitable track. I looked at a number of songs and created a two page list of possibilites of songs which had the sound I was looking for. Then, I looked up the lyrics of each song to find one that matched the story. 

The tracks I was left with were:

'All Good Things' - Nelly Furtado "Why do all good things come to an end?" - Amy and Ben's relationship together before her hospital admission

'Analogue' - A-ha "Come back my darling one/Where did she go?" - how Amy was before she developed Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder

'Better Together' - Jack Johnson "It's always better when we're together" - Ben has experienced a number of months without Amy, and this shows how he misses her

'Brighter Than Sunshine' - Aqualung "Let the rain fall, I don't care" - despite Amy's condition, Ben still feels the same about her

'Candy' - Paolo Nutini "I'll be there waiting for you" - Ben is waiting for Amy's return home, both mentally and physically

'Chasing Cars' - Snow Patrol "Those three words/Are said too much/They're not enough" - this represents Ben and Amy's love for one another

'Growing Up Beside You' - Paolo Nutini "I don't always get the way you feel/But now I've learned to live with that" - Ben, because of his love for her, is accepting of Amy's condition

'Just Like Heaven' - Katie Melua "I'm in love with you" - the mutual relationship between both Ben and Amy

'Just the Way You Are' - Bruno Mars "When I see your face/There's not a thing that I would change" - Ben considers Amy to be perfect, regardless of her Bipolar Disorder

'Last Request' - Paolo Nutini "Remember it's just you and me" - the love between them is so strong that nothing can break them apart

'Love is Hard' - James Morrison "Cuts so deep/it hits your soul" - Amy' condition, although it has not broken, has put strain upon their relationship  

'Rocks' - Primal Scream "Ain't no use in prayin'/That's the way it's stayin'" - an upbeat message towards Amy's condition that her life and her and Ben's relationship still carries on

'Signal Fire' - Snow Patrol "I could be stuck here for a thousand years/Without your arms to drag me out" - the support Ben gives Amy is what helps her to recover

Once I have developed a more precise idea of which track I would like to use, I will research various remixes such as acoustic styles of the song so that I find the ideal sound that I am looking for.

Filming Location

The location I am going to film at is Stocking Pelham Farm, Buntingford. The farm here is owned by my family and will therefore be convenient and easily accessible for filming as other members of the public shall not prove a difficulty. As I have grown up here, I am very familiar with the area and so am aware of the land and precisely where I can shoot my opening.



This is the farm that I am intending on shooting my film opening at. It is a 20 minute drive away from my home in Saffron Walden and so getting there is not an issue.

This is a shot of the reservoir where I am planning on filming the opening few shots of my film. This will be where Ben is seen skimming stones. The large fields surrounding will useful for extreme long shots.

This wood which is next to the farm will be the location for the shots of Ben and Amy before her admission to hospital. I was considering shooting this scene at Audley End. However, upon thinking over the location of the rest of my shots, I realised it would be just as effective to use the wood at the farm, yet with added efficiency.

House 1

These are the houses on the farm where I am intending on filming shots of Ben and Amy getting ready.

House 2

 

Research: Bipolar Disorder

As the character of Amy has bipolar disorder, I thought it wise to research this condition to get a clear idea of how she would be behaving; the effects of the condition; and allowing myself to pinpoint which type she suffers from.

I found http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml a useful site to read up on this.

• Bipolar Disorder causes sufferers to experience unusually intense emotional states that occur in distinct periods, known as “mood episodes"
• An overly joyful or overexcited state is called a “manic episode”
• An overly sad or hopeless state is called a “depressive episode”
• It is possible to experience both, known as a “mixed state”
• Along with these moods, the person experiences extreme changes in energy, activity, sleep and behaviour
• It is possible to experience a long-lasting period of unstable moods
• Symptoms can be severe enough to disable the individual from functioning normally at work, school or home
• The disorder usually lasts a lifetime
• Between episodes, many sufferers are free of symptoms
• Condition worsens if left untreated
• In most cases, treatment can help reduce the frequency and severity of episodes

• Symptoms of mania/manic episode:
  - A long period of feeling “high”, or an overly happy or outgoing mood
  - Extremely irritable mood, agitation, feeling “jumpy” or “wired”
  - Talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another and having racing thoughts
  - Being easily distracted
  - Increasing goal-directed activities, such as taking on new projects
  - Being restless
  - Sleeping little
  - Having an unrealistic belief in one’s abilities
  - Behaving impulsively
• Symptoms of depression/depressive episode:- A long period of feeling worried or empty
  - Loss of interest in activities which were once enjoyed
  - Feeling tired or “slowed down”
  - Having problems concentrating, remembering and making decisions
  - Being restless or irritable
  - Changing eating, sleeping, or other habits
  - Thinking of death or suicide/attempting suicide

• Types of Bipolar Disorder:- Bipolar I Disordero Manic/mixed episodes lasting at least 7 days
  o Manic symptoms so severe that the person requires immediate hospital care
  o The person usually also has depressive episodes, typically lasting 2 weeks- Bipolar II Disordero Depressive episodes shifting back and forth with hypomanic episodes
  o No full blown manic or mixed episodes- Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (BP-NOS)o Person has symptoms of the illness but that do not meet diagnostic criteria for either Bipolar I or II
  o Symptoms may not last long enough
  o Too few symptoms
  o Symptoms are clearly out of the persons normal range of behaviour- Cyclothymic Disorder/Cyclothymiao Mild Form
  o Episodes of hypomania that shift back and forth with mild depression for at least 2 years
  o Symptoms do not meet the diagnostic requirements for any other type of bipolar disorder- Some people may be diagnosed with Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disordero 4 or more episodes of major depression, mania, hypomania, or mixed symptoms within a year
  o More common in people who have severe Bipolar Disorder and in people who have their first episode at a younger age (most commonly 4 years before)

Plan of Opening

The opening of the film is simply a black screen, with no sound both diagetic and non-diagetic. "Lighthouse Pictures Presents" then fades into the centre of the screen.

The screen then shows a long shot of the resevoir, still silent apart from natural sounds (birds tweeting, passing cars etc).

This then shifts to an extreme long shot, followed by a shot of a stone being skimmed across the resevoir. This shot will be filmed from behind the left shoulder of Ben, so we can not see his face.

The screen turns black again, saying "A Blue River Production" in the centre. Unlike the first black screen, this time natural sounds can still be heard. I am not yet sure of whether I wish the title to already be on the screen or to fade in as "Lighthouse Pictures Presents" does. Ben's non-diagetic dialogue will begin here.

A long shot of Ben skimming the stone will appear, with the voiceover on continuing.

Another black screen shows, with the title "A Film by and Directed by Annabel Gammack" in the centre. Ben's dialogue runs over this.

Close up of Ben's face, who then looks down to the stone in his hand.

The shot then shifts to an extreme close up of the stone in his hand, which he is rotating anti-clockwise. He is rotating it anti-clockwise to link to his line "go back a year and everything was perfect", as if he is turning back in time. 

There is then a close up of Ben throwing the stone into the resevoir with force.

Black screen with no titles or sound. "December 2009" appears in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, this does not fade in. The non-diagetic music will start playing here.

While the music is playing, there will be various shots of both Ben and Amy getting ready in their rooms/bathrooms including split screen. We see Ben texting Amy "6 months today! I love you, see you in a bit x" and her recieving it - this will be an example of a split screen shot. During this the actor and actress' names will appear for the corresponding character. Ben will also have a second monologue during this section, until Amy is seen arriving home. 

The location then switches to the woods where there is film of Amy and Ben laughing and playing together in the woods, displaying their happiness and innocence together.

However, this is interrupted with flashes of Amy screaming and crying.

The shot shifts back to Ben, present day, close up. The scream of Amy can still be heard as if it is his memory. He then says, continuing the non-diagetic monologue, that Amy arrives home today.

There is then a shot of Amy standing on a doorstep, but the close up shot allows only her lower legs to be in the scene. She puts a suitcase down beside her. 

As she does so, the screen goes black with the title in the centre. 

Synopsis

Amy is a 17 year old girl who is in her first year of sixth form and was diagnosed with BP-NOS (Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) when she was 13.

Ben is 18 and in his second year of sixth form at a different school to Amy.

The date is 20th December 2010.

After six months of being together (December 2010), Amy developed Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder and was admitted to hospital. Ben was unaware of her condition.

A year later, she is returning home.

'Girl, Interrupted' Opening Scene

The first two minutes of this clip show the opening to this film.

The opening two titles are written in a scrawly handwriting in a bright white against a fully black background. The colours could represent the starkness of the environment the film is set in, and also perhaps the way mentally ill patients are often said to see things only in black and white, rather than grey also; it is one way or the other. The chosen type is quite messy which could signify that it has been written in a hurry or that this film is a spontaneous account of someone's life rather than an intricately thought out and edited script. The film is, incidentally, an account of Susanna Kaysen's 18 month stay at a mental hospital in the 1960's.

The film begins with quiet and hard to hear sounds, which build to a held, shrill, violin note as a window appears into the shot. The weather outside, although seeming bleak, is very much brighter than what it is like inside of the room - similar to a heaven and hell conflict.

However, the music then transfers to a soft guitar melody as the film title shows. The use of this change in music could be representing the misleading stereotype of mentally ill people and that inside their head, although it could seem to the rest of us to be a single shrill note of madness and horror, does in fact make sense and fits together in harmony to the patient as it does in a melody.

The setting is unclear as the shots being used are mid-shot and close up. Also, the camera is generally tracking downwards. Due to the camera heading down the viewer may feel like he is being brought into this hellish world and farther away from the reality at the window. Also, by using shots which do not reveal much of the background, it creates mystery and curiousity.

As the camera does track down, we see two characters in close-up shots. Both of which have very pale skin which is accentuated by dark circles around their eyes and in one case, contrasted against dark hair, and in the other matched against pale blonde. This portrays the unhealthiness of these characters which creates mystery and a questioning of what is wrong with them.

The first diagetic sound that we hear is of a girl crying, which introduces one of the films' themes of sadness. It also suggests that it is a prominent emotion held throughout the film.

The shot shows a black cat sitting on the windowsill. Black cats can be considered to be either good luck or bad luck, depending on the circumstance. This could suggest that the fortune of the characters is unclear and is either good or bad, but never in between.

At the end of the two minute clip, the protagonist says "girl...interrupted", as she says this, she is literally interrupted by being pushed back into the next scene. It could also be a reference to her mind or thought path being interrupted or an interruption of reality and her own world.

The mundane colours used throughout this time contrast against the bright and harsh colours of when we are brought to the hospital - the dominant setting. Our eyes have become accustomed to the darkness of the film and so the brightness is a surprise and puts stress on our eyes; perhaps a suggestion that it is not difficult to get caught up and enveloped by this 'other world' of mental illness, and that recovering is a harsh and stressful experience. It could also be mirroring the mundane colours with the mundane lifestyle and how it can be a dark and gloomy time. Blacks and greys are colours associated with sin and death which could be foreshadowing future events.

This darkness is contrasted by sharp light at the end of a corridor. Perhaps linking to 'the light at the end of the tunnel'. However, the light is blocked by thick black bars and a lock, which is unlocked by what seems to be security behind the bars. This could be a suggestion that the protagonist is being deliberately blocked from reaching happiness.