Storyboard for the Last Post

Here are the storyboards for my pitch idea. Although I wanted to work on my brothers project I think that it is important to show my development leading up to the pitching stage.

I only wanted to use black and whites for the storyboard itself as I wanted emphasis on light and mood. The mood within the story is very dark and an atmosphere of shear hopelessness is present throughout the film.

I presented the script to a few people before presenting and there reactions and feedback were positive. For example my mother and father emphasized the fact that the piece was contemporary and relevant to the tragedies occurring in the middle east.

When writing the script I wanted the reader to feel a sense of urgency and despondency, the relationship between a parent and their child. I thought I made a good attempt at character build up. I was especially pleased with the ending when the soldier gets closer to the drop zone. The helicopter itself is taking fire and the soldier can do nothing. He is at the mercy of forces outside of his control. He has been a father to his daughter, loving and supportive guiding her to adulthood, now the tables have turned. He is under control by his superiors whose objective is unsympathetic. Although the daughter never appears in physical form during the course of the story, she is present in mind. The letter is symbolic of the fathers love for his offspring.

Although there may be a few frames missing I tried to draw up the main beats of the story that would help explain the soldier's predicament. Some frames could be re drawn as I am unhappy with the camera angles and composition, however on the whole I am pleased with their outcome. The techniques and knowledge I learned during the storyboard stage can be applied to other projects in the future. When drawing out the boards I considered both lighting and composition to get the most out of each shot.

I cannot stress the importance of the script when creating a story. Some of the tutors believed that the script was not essential in the pitching process. It is paramount that the script is completed before any pre production work can go ahead. The script determines the look of your film as well as the pacing. If no script is present then the film is doomed from the start.

I was only able to draw up some interesting boards and character designs because I had the script at my disposal that dictated every shot. There was also a certain amount of belief in my characters as well as the story that augmented the design stage.