Extended Step-Outline Sample/Guidance (Extract)

Scene No.1 Page No.1 of 6

Slugline: -

Int. Laurens Car as she's driving on a country road.

End point of last Scene: -

N/A

Characters in Scene: -

Lauren

Point of Scene: -

Introduction to threat to Lauren

Conflict: -

Lauren is starting to feel vulnerable

Ending/Central Question: -

What ran out infront of Laurens car?

Key micro aspects: - Camera, and camera angles will be used to show the seemingly normal situation that Laurens in, but also to set the scene. Lots of close-up shots will be used to show Lauren driving in the car normally, to a close-up onto the radio to reflect the late time at night she is driving, to a close-up outside the window to show the setting of a dark lonely country lane, and also to a close-up of the rearview to show her glancing in and out. An over the shoulder shot will be used where you can see her hand on the steering wheel and the road where a white flash will dash across the road and without the camera moving you see Lauren hit the brakes and fling forward as she skids to a halt. Close-ups are used for the effect to make the scene intense from the start. It is a classic technique with extreme close-ups used in the horror genre so easily recognisable. The camera will be handheld for the sense of realism or reality.

Scene Description: - The scene will open with an over shoulder shot [camera] of Lauren driving where you can see her hand on the steering wheel and also the road. The shot will then cut to a mid-shot[camera], the camera[camera angles] positioned from the middle of the backseat where it will be the back of Lauren driving on the right, and a view of the road and the front of the car in the rest of the shot. Lauren will then look at the radio and the shot will switch to a close-up[camera] of the radio, showing the time of night. The camera then switches to a close-up[camera] of the rearview mirror as Lauren looks into it then away to the road. The scene will end with the same over-shoulder shot from the beginning of the scene where you see Lauren driving from behind her, however it will be towards the left slightly[camera]. A white flash will dash across the road, where the camera will move forward and follow it panning round to the right[camera movement] where you will see Lauren from the side view hitting the breaks and skidding to a halt, the right window will be behind her and you would have had a view of the white flash going into a bush. The shot then will fade to black.

Scene No.2 Page No.2 of 6

Slugline: -

Ext. of Laurens car, as she's skidded in her car along the country road.

End point of last Scene: -

A white flash had dashed across the road causing Lauren to hit the breaks and skid.

Characters in Scene: -

Lauren

Point of Scene: -

Wondering what Lauren is going to do and what the white flash was. Causes more threat and, because she's on her own, vulnerability, and also mentally because she dhasn't had immediate physical threat yet. It's to represent how alone she is in the middle of nowhere.

Conflict: -

Lauren is trying to start her car but it's not starting. She hears something in the bushes, and goes over for a second, but it's dismissed when the car makes a noise so she carries on trying to fix it.

Ending/Central Question: -

What's in the bushes? Will Lauren be okay?

Key micro aspects: - Sound is key within this scene, to illustrate Laurens naivety and also how vulnerable she is becoming as she is losing control. At the start of the sequence she was in strong control, where then music is diegetic from the radio driving along in her car home and light, but now she is alone on a country road, late at night, and the only light around is her car light. Loud music will be mixed with complete silence as they are the two extremes of sound which is used in horror, but also music is built up to show vulnerability and threat which is how I will start to use it here and carry it on building through-out the sequence from this scene. An example of this is when Lauren is walking towards the boot, and slight music starts to show the fear, threat and vulnerability of Lauren and as the music builds, these do too.

Scene Description: - The scene will start with Lauren getting out the car, in silence except for her footsteps [diegetic sound], she will be complaining and opening the bonnet of her car where she will be complaining when she can't see what's wrong. She will start walking over to her boot, and then there will be a noise rustling from the bushes [diegetic sound] when Lauren turns her head around sharply, there will be a high pitched music note, which signifies danger[non-diegetic sound/music]. The music will then settle, and as Lauren walks towards the bush slowly and cautiously, the notes will progressively higher [non-diegetic music], and when she is at the bush moving the leaves out the way, the notes will be at their highest and loudest [non-diegetic music], until the car makes repeated tapping sounds of the engline cooling down [diegetic sound], and then Lauren will walk away towards the car and the music/sound will progressively fall and deteriorate. Then the scene transitions to black.