Storyboard

I have made a list of Symbols of all the shots. They are highlighted as Red so it can stand out all the symbols and clearly stated what each symbol is meaning.

These are the first 3 pictures I have drawn for the storyboard for scene 8. Pic1 is a scenery scene of the traffic light that there's no characters in it. It is suppose to show the red light turned into green light. And followed by the Pic2, where Nick stopped and everyone else came and gone. Pic3 A close up of Nick looking depressed. Description will be shown under the pictures.

I had a ideas by arranging each picture. Should i draw the storyboard in a comic way or a proper way because to me, they are pretty much the same.

Scene idea

For the time froze part where the reaper finally turned back to it's true form. I would like you show this Taiwan MV below I have found really suitable for the time-freeze scene in my head. ("What's troubling you" by Soda green, MV produced by Grassjelly studio) Through the whole music video, they have used a slow motion effect and a frozen background.  It has used a gallery form to show the troubles that people have in their lives. The outsiders witnessed them, just like the reaper. In addition, the interesting part I have found is that this MV has a really powerful message, to the point that you could completely understand it without knowing Chinese. (Well, of cause you can turn on the English subtitles if you click the caption button :P)

challenge for the script

The most challenge for me is to cut down my 30 mins script into 10 mins. Then I would need to cut out some of Amy's parts as she was the supporting role, such as where we thought Nick didn't care about Amy at first but in the later scene it showed how much he loved Amy and how he did keep what she said in mind. It was also a chance for Amy to change her mind.

Scene 2

INT. Nick’s room

Nick was sitting in front of his Computer working on the design project that Danvis asked him to do. The cat is sleeping on the desk and Nick’s girlfriend, Amy ran in excitedly with a magazine.

Amy

Hey look! This is the Polaroid camera I wanted to get for a long time. It’s a SLR and you can fold it into a case when you don’t use it! And you can also use your own design for the case. I have drawn the draft for the case and I need to save money to get it…

Nick didn’t look at Amy or the magazine at all, he was just focusing on his work.

Amy

Did you even hear what I just said? What are you doing anyway?

Nick

I’m working on a web-design project, free-lance job for Danvis’ Company. They don’t have a web-designer so he asked me for help.

Amy

Oh k. I will leave you to it but please get some rest soon; it’s three in the morning already

Scene 6

INT. – Home - day

Nick took out a wrapped box on the table and pushed it towards Amy.

Amy

What is it?

Nick

Un-wrap it.

Amy un-wrapped and opened the box and took out a Polaroid camera with her design on it.

Amy

Oh my god! How…how did you even get my design?

Nick

I took it from you laptop while you were out last week. I was planning to give you a surprise so I pretended that I wasn’t listening while you were telling me about this. Do you like it?

Amy

Of cause I do! Thank you honey!

Nick

These camera and dinner thing was to make up for you as I was too busy with my work and didn’t spend time with you for the last few weeks. You didn’t mind and always even supported me in these weeks. So I want to thank you for that.

I have cut down the start where they picked up the cat in Scene 1, made a wedge that go straight into the climax where Nick got hit by vehicle.  I intended to confused the audiences that Nick had committed suicide not an accident.

I have eventually cut out 1/3 of the script, shorten the dialogue and canceled a few scenes. I think it should be 10 -15 mins movie now. I have made two endings that happened after the deal. That might go for another 10 mins.

Story plot

—-Interactive Movie

—-Two Choices for Audiences at the end of each scene

—-Movie – Reaper

—-Genre: Mystery-thriller

—-4 Characters – Nick, Danvis, Amy, the ghost reaper

—-Friendship, betrayal, hatred and revenge

—-Present + time froze

—-Place: City

—-Karma/cause + effect

—Nick(web-designer) and Danvis were friends since high school. One day Danvis asked Nick for help to work
with a design project in his company. Nick threw himself into the project and helped immensely,  however he
realized it was a trap from Danvis and Nick’s girlfriend, Amy. On same day that Nick found out everything, his mind
was tangled terribly and caused him a car accident…The Reaper appeared and gave Nick an offer to live again only if
he gave someone else’s soul in return. And when Nick died, he will need to pay for another price for this deal…

Character Development

Nick – determine, ultra, stubborn, passionate, creative

—Danvis – unscrupulous, elaborate

Amy – “Loyalty caused disloyal”, enthusiastic

—It turned out Nick has done something nasty to Danvis when they were young, that’s where this whole plan of

revenge begins. Will Nick be able to overcome the grudge and forgive Danvis and Amy then move on.

Two Ending:

1. —If he traded in another soul, when he died, his soul wont get into the reincarnation. He wont never go to hell
nor paradise, no rebirth, won’t be set free, won’t be a ghost, spirit or any other supernatural creatures, not even
a thin air. Absolutely Nothing, ZERO. And he will never know why Danvis did this to him. — 


2. If he said No to the
deal, he will have a flash back of his life, with family, friends, girlfriends and also what he did to Danvis. Then
he will be able to forgive Danvis and let go of the grudge, so he can go to a better place

Hints:

Pride is the reason to hold a grudge towards someone. But it is a punishment to yourself too. Sometime

forgiving someone and let go is a way to have a better life.

If you can let go, when you look back, you will be able to see the truth and reason behind some other people.

Bias and resentment always blocked the way.

Story from a friend

I had a friend who was an University student and worked as a freelance Graphic Artist. Let's call her Nicole. Few years ago I was having lunch with her and some Asian guy walked into the restaurant and he looked familiar but since China town is quite small so there is no surprise running into someone you have never talked to but still recognise their faces. However, Nicole looked a bit awkward after she saw him and she told me this story afterwards.

Apparently this guy, Danvis, was Nicole's client once and he has asked her to design a poster. (and some other graphic designs as well but I caoudn't remember what the products were.) During the process, Danvis kept telling Nicole to re-do the design and she still did what she has been told every time. Yet, Danvis ended up stop requesting the services from Nicole half way through and didn't even pay her for what she has done. (The clients are suppose to pay for designers even if they didn't end up using their designs. They have to pay for what the designers has done, not the only the product.) Nicole was a bit upset about this but she thought optimistically that she has learnt a lesson from this client and it could be one of her experience too. However, later Nicole found out that Danvis has even used her design she sent to him as his windows messenger's profile picture. That obviously means that he stole her design and claimed that it was his! Not merely the profile picture, Danvis has stole her concept of design and created the final poster.
This was actually the worst thing you could do to a designer. It was a swindle! And I was so angry for her after hearing this but still what could I do about it?

As I said China town was really small and I finally met Danvis through an event. Since everything you put on the internet is no longer a secret, he soon knew that I studied Multimedia. He told me that "his company" was currently recruiting folios and asked me if I could send him mine. I immediately rejected and told him that I didn't know his company and what they were looking for or working on. This made  me wonder if he was still doing the same thing to some of the designers.

This incident has been kept inside me for a long time for some reason. Reminded me to be alerted to these people/companies that came unknown origin. Therefore I chose to rewrite this story and made it a base-line for the main character. Additionally making these characters friends at the start, the feeling of betrayal was worse than just a "business related" strangers. I believed this feeling was strong enough to turn a normal good person to an evil villain.

characters

My idea was to create a story with a human making a deal with the reaper but unlike the people who make deals while they are still alive, I am going to make the deal after they have died. To order to have a desire to sell your soul after dying, is to have some of the negative emotions.

I am going to put some of my personality and interests into the main character so I could get into the emotion or environment while writing the script.
I am a cat lover so as I wrote in one of the previous blog, If I were the reaper and wanted to monitor you, I would have turn into something that you could trust. Therefore, turning into a poor stray cat will definitely be tempting me to have it as their own pet due to human's sympathy.