6. Film Overview
The Film Sker point is about the grand-daughter of Coxswain
William J Gammon.
She sets out to discover the truth of what happened on the
23rd April 1947.
Eight lifeboat crew-members from Mumbles, including her
grandfather, go out to Sker Point to rescue the crew of
the S.S Samtampa.
They never return.
9. Opening Sequence Overview
- Mention of previous disasters.
- 23rd April 1947- great storm
- Modern day – granddaughter
- Visual change to beginning
- Middlesbrough docks
11. Location Research
For my location research I took photos of
different locations along the South Gower,
Swansea and Porthcawl.
I have chosen the three following locations for
my opening sequence…
17. Certificate Rating
• The tragedy of the narrative
would be unsuitable for children
under 12.
• Dramatic situations depicting
death are not sustained.
• No extreme violence, sexual
nudity or drugs.
I brainstormed names for my Production Company and quite quickly I became attached to the name Cine Inspirado which translates to inspirational cinema. The first logo I created on the right was put together using Photoshop CS6, I believe it captures the creativity I wish to express. As well as the inspiration I want to put across by the use of inspirational quotes on the 3D buildings. The second logo is a more modern, sharper logo which connotes the professionalism of the company. Which therefore will ensure the trust of the audience viewers.
I believe the strengths which will allow myself to achieve my targets and aspirations in the coursework task are: Organization and planning. Able to think creatively and ‘outside the box ’ . Skill in developing a strong narrative. Expertise in photography. Inter-personal skills with the story-tellers.
When researching my title for the film I looked through the history of the S.S Samtampa PowerPoint I had put together previously and came up with the following names: The Great Storm The S.S. Samtampa Sinking of the Liberty Sker Point Overall I chose the name ‘Sinking of the Liberty’ as I felt it summed up the intense drama within the film.
The Genre I have chosen for my film is biographical which is slightly different to a “true story” movie or “historical” film as it strives to effectively tell the story of someone’s life or an event. In my case I have chosen the event of the S.S. Samtampa Disaster in 1947, however following the story of two peoples experiences before, after and during the event. In order to keep the original message I want to convey with this film ‘The risk Lifeboat men and women face day in and day out out of charity not paid work’. I have chosen to keep to the facts and the truth of what happened as much as possible.
The Film Sker point is about the grand-daughter of Coxswain William J Gammon. She sets out to discover the truth of what happened on the 23 rd April 1947. Eight lifeboat crew-members from Mumbles, including her grandfather, go out to Sker Point to rescue the crew of the S.S Samtampa. They never return.
Here are a couple of similar existing films. The first is ‘The perfect Storm’ and relates to my film as it is is about a killer storm in the north Atlantic and is a true life drama. The second is ‘The Pianist’ which is similar in terms of genre as they are both biographical films. Thirdly ‘Walk the Line’ is similar due to genre as well, but also due to the narrative structure which I have captured in my own film.
There are three main characters which will be featuring in my film: Name: Artaith Gammon (Welsh for Storm) Age: 17 Gender: Female Relations: Granddaughter of William J Gammon – Coxswain on board the Edward, Prince Of Wales during the S.S Samtampa Disaster 1947. Artaith is the main character and narrator throughout the film and is alive in present day Swansea, Wales. Name: William .A. Atkinson Age: 30 Gender: Male Occupation: Chief Engineer of the S.S Samtampa Liberty Ship Name: William J Gammon Age: 47 Gender: Male Occupation: Coxswain of the ‘Edward, Prince of Wales’ lifeboat at Mumbles, Swansea (Wales). Artaith continues the story of the S.S Samtampa disaster, retelling through William Gammon the loss of the whole Lifeboat Crew.
Begins with the Crewmembers names of lives lost in first two Mumbles lifeboat disasters, with dates – black background New date – 23rd April 1947 – storm and establishing shots Modern day – grand-daughter + Sker Point (Porthcawl) looking out, then the trigger for her search his revealed to the audience. From Modern day the Mise en scene visually changes back to 1947 The film will jump to where the S.S. Samtampa began its journey at Middleborough docks in 1947
For my location research I took photos of different locations along the South Gower, Swansea and Porthcawl. I have chosen the three following locations for my opening sequence…
This is where the shots of the storm and other establishing shots will be taken as well as further round the coast towards the centre of the town ‘Porthcawl’.
This is the main location for my opening sequence as this is the location of the disaster back in 1947.
This is the final location for my opening sequence which will begin the main narrative for the film as a whole.
During the section of my opening sequence set in modern day Mumbles I will use this location of the pier, lighthouse and the old lifeboat house.
Target Audience: Adults Mixed Gender White Collar Workers
In particular the main reasons why my film would be a 12A are: - The tragedy of the narrative would be unsuitable for children under 12. - Dramatic situations depicting death are not sustained. - There is no extreme violence, sexual nudity or drugs within the narrative.
The Challenges I may face during production are: -Access to Location (Middleborough) for example travel and time -Weather – suitable for the mood of the piece however not affecting the quality of the footage. -Finding suitable actors – which have access to my locations and fit my character’s roles.