Music Research

Whilst looking for inspiration to create a soundtrack for my film, I found that most Drama films feature classical music, normally with a slower tempo to create more effect and drama in the piece. I managed to find a copyright free source of music, in the form of www.freeplaymusic.com. I then condensed these tracks into the four most appropriate, which were:


Should Have Known By David Flavin: Eloquent strings and rich piano weave an emotional melody. Drums add a dynamic texture to the lament.


A Story In May By Arnaued Ray: A sweetly waltzing piano piece with hints of questions and mysteries that resolves warmly, accented by dancing strings and French horn, with a wry working of the melodic structure.


Satie's Gymnopodie No.1: A piano piece infused with deep emotion; immersed in memory and musical sensitivity.


As One By Dave Greendale: Piano plays a calming, reflective meditation, a cello joins the halting, poignant melody, pausing as if in a dance together.

Storyboard Description

1 - Opens with a still of a family photo, with a voice over by main character. ‘It’s funny the way life turns out. I was the eldest, and now I’m the last one left. It is funny isn’t it?’, in a sad, slightly monotonous voice, attempting to make light of something most obviously not. The picture then fades out to black as she says the last line. Behind the speaking their will be a dull droning of background voices, which are not distinguishable.

2 - As photo fades, the image of a slightly cluttered, lived in dinning room fades in behind. The camera is positioned at eye-level, looking over the room, tracking through it slowly. The distant murmuring grows louder, with the introduction of music and voices coming over it. The voice continues in the same manner, ‘Oh, I’m not saying I’ve had a hard life, far from it; two children, a loving family’ at this point a voice shouts out off camera ‘Mum you’re ruining my life!’, ‘I’m not complaining at all’.

3 - The camera continues to track through the room into a corridor, looking into side rooms, ‘I’ve lived in this house all my life, and I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else’ the voice continues, another voice shouts out once more ‘Why do you have to be so stubborn Mum, a (Nursing) home will be much easier on the whole family!’ A figure then fades in to the shot, running down the corridor, before freezing and then fading out.

4 - The camera pans to look up the stairs, and as it begins the ascent the same figure appears, the voice returns once more, this time intentionally NOT talking to the viewer, instead to the voice shouting, ‘This is OUR home, for me and your father’ a childish giggle comes as the figure climbs the stairs, followed by the camera. The figure disappears as it reaches the top of the stairs. ‘Dad’s dead Mum, and you need someone to look after you properly!’

5 - The camera then climbs the stairs, moving to an open door, the figure has now completely disappeared. The murmuring intensifies to a fever-pitch as the camera reaches the door. Below the tangle of voices comes a faint beating, to be reminiscent of a heart beat.

6 - The camera moves through the open door, the heart beat growing louder, now louder the murmurs. The camera moves towards a shape on the bed, the room shadowy, but not dark. The heart beat grows and then the camera freezes.

7 - The camera then retraces itself at high speed, murmuring and ‘heart beat’ now gone. The camera returns to where it began and a white frame replaces the view.

8 - The frame fades out, with the camera filming a cup falling to the floor and smashing in slow motion, a new female voice calls out ‘Grace’ shocked, and the cup smashes. The scene ends with the cup smashed on the floor.

Sound and Vision Line

Inspiration for my Film

With my film I set out to challenge the typical stereotypes of age, especially in concern to the elderly, and also youth. My film features both young, Diana, and old, Grace, and it is the relationship between the two which will feature as the pivotal theme of my film. The majority of the film focuses on Grace's life, and the growing influence of her daughter on her. My inspiration for the film began with 'Fried Green Tomatoes', but in a much more serious light. I wanted to create a film which effects the audience in a positive way, and by doing this generate the atmosphere of a feel good film, but not using only positive methods. Grace's attitude to being diagnosed with Parkinson’s is not that of fear, as most react with, but that of survival, and although it takes its toll on her, she remains the same woman. Diana remains an exceptionally closed character throughout at least the first half of the story, and when she finally does 'open up' to the viewer, it is found she is a very lonely woman, all of her family having passed away, the viewer is expected to feel sympathy for her, and also witness her resilience of character.
The inspiration for my film trailer comes from the Tim Burton film, Sleepy Hollow. Throughout the film, the main character experiences flashbacks, in a broken, dijointed manner throughout the film. This is the inspiration for my trailer - I have taken the disjointed aspect of flashbacks and melded them into one (roughly two minute) trailer, which aims to entice the viewer into viewing the film, because the trailer should be edgy and unique.