Early Script and Directorial Ideas

Early Script and Directorial Ideas

For our A2 Media Studies project, we took a number of weeks to come up with a general idea for the film. Our film will depict 'The Ferryman', a mythical being (from ancient Greek mythology) who transports people, from this world, into the afterlife. However, our film will depict him as an ordinary man, living in Belfast, tasked with transporting the dead to the afterlife, as his day job. The other lead character in the film will be a recently deceased young man, who will have to be taken to the afterlife by The Ferryman. Both I (as the director), and our screenwriter, were tasked with coming up with the initial ideas for the film; trying to come up with the idea for our other lead character, how the dialogue will be written, as well as outlining different shots that will be used, dependent on the dynamic between the two lead characters.

Throughout this task, the characterisation of the two leads was of prime importance. We watched many films from a number of different genres, in order to inspire us for the character dynamic between the two lead actors. We sought inspiration on how the dialogue between the two should play out, and what type of shots should be used when they are on-screen together. One of the main films that inspired us, during this stage of the idea-making process, was the 2012 Quentin Tarantino film 'Django Unchained'. This was due to the portrayal of the relationship between that film's two lead characters, Django and Dr King Schultz, played by Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz respectively. When Schultz meets Django, he is initially confused by the situation and the intentions of Schultz. Over the course of the film, Django begins to fully understand Schultz and the situation that they are facing. The dialogue between the two is a combination of witty and comedic, as well as serious and dramatic, with most of the humour coming from Waltz' character, and most of the film's dramatic moments being based around the character of Django. Throughout the production process for our film, we aim to take inspiration from this character dynamic, when writing the script and coming up with the shot list. We are hoping to portray The Ferryman in a similar light to Schultz, as any of the film's humour will more than likely come from him, while he will also be the driving force behind the plot, having to explain everything to our other lead character. He also travels the area collecting people for the afterlife, just like how Schultz roams the south of the United States as a bounty hunter. The other lead will be similar to Django, in a sense, as he will meet The Ferryman toward the beginning of the film, which will trigger his character arc. He will be initially confused, like Django, and will eventually be tasked with a number of emotional situations en route to the afterlife, similar to how Django's path, of freeing his wife from slavery, plays out.