E. Fictional Adaptation - Adaption Development and research

Idea's

1. Before we had the briefing I looked over the poems and choose the poem 'A poison tree'. At first, I wanted it to be about a relationship with alcohol and how it can tear a relationship apart, looking at the aspects of the content, it seemed that it would be more like a script to screen unit rather than an adaptation of the poem. I started a storyboard to try and figure it out:

After the briefing, it was made clear that we could experiment and use more of a creative flair to our film, this was a challenge because all of the projects I have worked on have been 'Matter of Fact'.

I went back to the poem.

2. I thought about music composition and how I could use that instead of heavy Dialogue, Yet I still wanted the film to be based on relationships as the poem expresses more about friend and enemies and how it is easier to make it up with your friends then it is your enemy.

So I thought about a personal story of mine and how having a child leave you to live with there other parent is heartbreaking and how easy it is to forgive your child yet hold a grudge on the parent.

I was thinking of having a mother in the background watching as her child grows and realising that he is in a good place, all the while it ends up that the mother had actually died and is there is spirit still angry with the other parent, it was the pain that killed her.

Below are my notes for this idea:

3. It was after I was writing this idea that I studied the writer and the poem in more depth than I really come up with more of a creative vision for my next idea.

These are the points which came up a lot whilst I was researching:

• Religion.
• Faith.
• Negative energy.
• Poison.
• Reflection.
• Relationship.
• Resolution.
• Fruit.

(insert a quote from the poem)

From these points I visioned a church and spiritual meanings, I still wanted to keep the relationship aspect into the film but indirectly, I created a mood board to get my visions started:

REFERENCE SCREENSHOTS

From my mood board, I am going to create a film about the sanctuary of marriage and no matter what is argued about a partner is for life in the eyes of the lord, arguing can make the relationship poison like fruit if you eat a bad one - 'until death do we part' is what I will name the film.

my vision is:

• The couples individually walk into the church where they got married.
• kneel at the alter, there will be a bowl of fruit in the church that is slowly rotten away.
• I will have inserts of symbolic spiritual signs throughout, such as the fire, which will be a symbol of the burning desire.
• As the film progresses I will have the dove (which may have to be archive footage).
• The camera will come upon both couples kneeling at the altar and the fruit has ripped again as they exit the church.
• Then cut away to the two gravestones.

I looked at some films for inspiration for the fruit, I understand that I may have to insert the fruit rotten away as the video I watched to 74 days to film then was time lapsed.

REFERENCE FILM

Like the fruit erroding 

The challenges I will face with this idea will be:

• Getting permission from a church to film, as they have strict rules about their privacy.
• Costume - I will need to get 2 wedding dresses, one black, one white and a male wedding suit.
• Getting permission to use some archive footage.
• Not interfering with the general public who come to the place of worship.

How will I resolve this issue?

• Visit as many churches as possible and speak to the person in charge, find out what the criteria are to film and when.
• Put an advert on Facebook to see if anyone can lend me the costume for the project.
• Ensure that I film on a day on a quiet day so I don't intrude on the public.

Location Reece's

I needed to find the perfect looking church, roughly about the same built before my poet in the 1700's, this is because I want to bring some aspects of the era into my film to stay true to my poet.
I looked at 4 locations but before I went to look at them I read up about the policies on filming in a church:

This information gave me a positive outlook about being able to seek my location and I had the confidence to go forward.

I visit four Locations:

• Rochester Cathedral.

"Rochester Cathedral is the second oldest cathedral in England having been founded in AD 604.  The present building was initiated by Bishop Gundulf in 1080. The architecture is Norman, Gothic and Early-English Perpendicular with a fine crypt, medieval wall paintings and a magnificent 15th-century chapter room doorway." REFERENCE

Reference 

I have had many visits to Rochester Cathedral in the past and I know how difficult it is to get this location, I had to email the Public Relations lady - whom I haven't yet heard back from.
The only concern of mine about filming at the cathedral is that it is open to the public every day and have many passing tourists, this will mean a very long process of having to avoid the public and respecting the heritage of the building.

I also have to take into account of the building architect aspects such as the floor tiles and furniture, this will limit my equipment in which I can use.

The building does fit in with the times that my poet William blake lived in, however this is going to be a challenge to film if we had permission.

• St Micheals church of the Arch Angles.

"In 1795, the first Catholic mission in Medway was founded in Brompton. It created by a French priest. At first, the chapel was housed on Westcourt Street and later on Manor Street. The mission would remain there until St Michael's Church was built." REFERENCE

I went to recce the church on the 24th of November, whilst I was there I spoke to the priest about possibly using it as a location. My concerns about filing at this location were very complex as the priest wanted to interview my actors about their faith before he gave me an answer, although my film has religious aspects I feel like the act of religion is sensitive, I am going for the creative visual aspects not a change of religion. He did give me some advice to go to a Church of England parish because he said they are more willing to partake in such events.
I don't want my actors or crew to have religion thrown at them out of respect for my actors.

• St Peter & St Pauls Milton.

"The present church was built in the early 14th. Century, about 1320-25. The tower was a later addition, thought to be added towards the middle to end of the 14th. century. The porch on the south side is thought to be of a later date, possibly Queen Mary’s reign. It was later closed and turned into a vestry." REFERENCE

REFERENCE MY OWN PICTURES.

On Arrival to the Church, I knew that it was pre-era of my poet, the grounds felt historical and the tree in Fig 3. Could represent the name of my poem.
The church was closed and there wasn't anyone who I could contact but I took note of the church to contact later on.
Visually the colours spoke to me in a creative way with the Winter browns and the Summer greens still in view, a contrast which can be symbolic of positive and negative.

• St Mary the Virgin Chalk.

"The parish church of Chalk village is St. Mary the Virgin. The present structure is of Early English style dating from the 11th to 13th centuries with a late 12th century north aisle. The dormer windows in the north aisle are the 19th century the roof previously sweeping down to a low north wall.

The tower with its projecting stair turret is typically Kentish and major 15th-century addition. The porch, with its quaint tippling figures that so intrigued Dickens, is of the same period. The site was occupied by previous churches as recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) and the Synod of Chalkhythe (785). The church was greatly enlarged during the 14th and 15th centuries with a bell dated 1348 originally part of the structure.

The Reformation saw the end of any architectural expansion. The church lost its southern aisle in 1759 when the arcade arches were filled in. The porch cornice is Victorian; previously there was a pointed roof. The church suffered from a drastic Victorian restoration and lost its screen of 1660 and until the middle of the 20th century remained in a poor state. It underwent further considerable restoration in the early 1950s.

The Rev. William Joynes with the help from Lord Darnley paid for the restoration of the church in 1874. Other major benefactors to the church included William Martyn (d.1416), William Pokle (d. 1496), Richard Allen (d. 1510), the various Patrons of Chalk e.g. Priory of Norwich and Cobham College, the Earls of Darnley and present parishioners the Bishop of Rochester and the Pastoral Aid Society.

The church has a nave of three bays with north aisle, the western end of which is now a vestry for choir and priest. On the south side of the chancel is a 13th-century sedila and piscina with shelf. Inside the west, door is a holy water stoup.

Chalk Church is in the Diocese and Archdeaconry of Rochester with the Rector of Milton being the modern patron since 1934. The Church is now in the Deanery of Gravesend but before 1846 it was in the Deanery of Rochester. During 2008 thanks to a major grant from the Colyer-Fergusson Trust Chalk Church has its roof totally repaired, and the tower restored using original cement mortar which replaced the damaging concrete used in the 1950's restoration.

St. Mary Woodland owned by Chalk Church since July 2002. The barns which are used for fetes, meetings and events were opened in 1997 and 1989. These are both fantastic community resources which are situated next to the churchyard." REFERENCE

                                                 REFERENCE MY PICTURES

The fourth church I visited, my mind was blown in regards to the secluded area, it looked like a castle which was overwhelming with history and although the parish was closed I called as soon as I had the chance and spoke to the warden Peter Bull who was more than. accommodating.

I had yet to see the internal structure of the church but I know I can make it work with the exterior if we cannot, make the inside work.

25th November - Development.

I spoke to the warden at St Mary's Chalk and he gave me the victory number to call, I need to phone him at 8pm tonight to confirm details, however being an optimise I contacted another church who seem more willing to go ahead with the filming. 

• All Saints Church - Maidstone 

"A Christian Church has stood by the River Medway in what is now the middle of Maidstone, since about 650. The first church on the present site was an Anglo-Saxon building. It survives only in references in manuscripts such as the Doomsday Monachorum at the Chapter Library, Canterbury. By reference to this document, the late Dr Gordon Ward showed that this church of St. Mary was important enough by the eleventh century to be at the head of an organisation resembling the modern Rural Deanery. The church on this site became called St. Mary's and was a minster church, the base for a community of clergy serving seventeen villages from Detling to Goudhurst. The Archbishops of Canterbury were Lords of the Manor of Maidstone from about 750 until the 1530s and from 1200 they lived in the Manor House they built just to the north of the church." REFERENCE

REFERENCE THESE SCREEN SHOOTS.

After speaking to the Reverend at St mary's, I was feeling deflated so I contacted All Saints in Maidstone, the Warden seemed more than happy to help out with my project because he believed in working with the student community (Always a good sign). I had to send an email outlining what I was intending to shoot, how I was going to shoot it and send a copy of our insurance from the UCA but I am efficient and have all documents to hand.

The church was built many years before my poet and holds a lot of history, I aim to take advantage of the surrounding areas for visual. creativity, such as the River Medway running through and ancient bridges.

All that is needed now is to what for confirmation from the Warden to okay with my criteria as they said that they have had an event from our course shown at there place of worship in the past, so this could be a good omen.

Cast.

The criteria for my cast is not that they have much acting experience, it is that they have a connection with each other to demonstrate the feeling of my film.

I put out an advert on Facebook to ask if there were any couples willing to be apart of my production, I had a great response but in the end, I opted for a couple whom I know would be great for my film:

The reason for picking this couple is because I know that they have been through up's and downs during their marriage and I know that they are both creative in the performing creative world, I want my film to be as real as I can possibly get it so to cast a 'Real' couple I don't think I could get any closer.

Costume

For the opening scene, I need to have my bride and groom dressed in black, then. a change to white.
My actress is helping me out with the white dress however I think I have found the black dress for her for the opening scene.

For the man:

• Black suit
• Black Shirt
• White Suit 
• Pink Shirt  
• Buttonhole: Black Flower
• Buttonhole: Pink Flower 

The women:

• Black dress
• White dress
• Black vale
• White vale
• Black flowers
• White flowers                           

Having chosen my idea and had time with my actors it was true to say that I had really gone into depth about my vision.

My actress helped me source out the costume, my DOP was briefed all the way through the process and I was certainly happy with my final decisions.