2. Pre-production
• What are you making? (explain what you have been asked to do)
An audiobook with an additional comic strip component if I have time.
• Why? (What is the purpose of making your Film)
Because I enjoy it and want to see what I can do with part of one of my
already established stories.
• Who is it for? (Audience)
Young Adult Fiction audiences (Young Adults and above). Also anybody
interested in sports, dramatic media or themes around some of the
serious ones included in the plot
• Where will it appear/on what? (How will audience see it)
It will be an audio piece I will upload to YouTube
Reflection:
3. Pre-production:
In pre-production I had to decide who would voice certain characters if I chose to
give them individual voices, or at least who would be my narrator would be. My
thinking was that my options would be something like this
Narrator – Aaron Scott or myself
Hana – Lydia Smith or Millie (last name)
Kiki – Gee Gibbs
Haruki – ??
Sho – ??
Fuji – Myself (Ethan Colman)
4. Style sheet/mood board
• There would be no font as I would not be
putting speech bubbles or text on my artwork.
• The style would be as shown in quite
simplistic colourless manga as it would save
time and since I am colourblind I despise
trying to use colour in my art.
7. Contributor information
Narrator – Aaron Scott – aaron-scott1@student.yorkcollege.ac.uk
Backup narrator – Myself (Ethan Colman) - ethan-colman@student.yorkcollege.ac.uk
Voice for Kiki – Gee Gibbs – george-gibbs@student.yorkcollege.ac.uk
Voice of Hana – Lydia Smith – Lydia-smith@student.yorkcollege.ac.uk
Voice of Haruki – Did not get cast.
Voice of Fuji – Possibly myself (Ethan Colman) - ethan-colman@student.yorkcollege.ac.uk
8. Location Plan
N/A – The only locations used will be studios and quiet areas that are good for recording. I
simply need clear crisp recordings of voice lines and narration and access to software to edit it
together with all of my sound effects.
9. Contingency plan
If I should run out of time – I will make sure that I focus on the audio parts first so that the comic
part can be dropped if I don’t have enough time to complete it all
If equipment should break – I will attempt to perform recordings with enough time to redo
them should there be any issues, this includes needing to get new equipment or any equipment
malfunctions ruining a recording. Then I will have time to replace and complete the work
If I should have trouble getting the voice lines together the narrator can read all voice lines and
if I cannot get a narrator to do the voice lines, I can do the voice over all myself.
10. Script 1
I exhaled heavily. "Track practice..." I muttered to myself.
I held my sports bag tightly against my side as I pushed the door to the changing room open with my foot. My stomach began to knot as the sweat and laughter hit me. The room fell to silence as everyone turned to
face me, all I could hear was my heart beating its way out of my chest. As my eyes met the ground my long hair flowed down over most of my face, like a bubble saving me from drowning. I shuffled deeper in and
dropped my bag on an empty piece of bench as close to the door as I could find.
"Look who turned up." A familiar feeling washed over me, like the feeling when an elevator lurches into motion and your stomach feels like it’s about to float out through your throat, and for a moment you can feel
that lightheaded pressure, as though you're on the edge of passing out. Except this feeling doesn't fade almost instantly...
This immense twat was Fuji, he was every predictable film stereotype of your classic jock. From the extreme ridiculous athleticism that he was just born into, to the super popularity, except this jock was Japanese. And
of course, he was a total prick. I know we covered that, but it's satisfying to say.
"Thought you had finally left the track team, but you somehow found the nerve to crawl back in here after almost five weeks." I could see part of his shadow casting across the bench beside me, even as I kept my eyes
on my bag.
"And?" I replied as I unzipped my bag and pulled out my track shirt, trying to keep my hand from shaking visibly.
"Stop wasting everyone's time first year! Put your shit back in that bag and leave!" he turned aggressive quickly, like a chained dog barking at you as you pass its house. "You're the laughingstock of all the sports clubs.
Your times are embarrassing, pathetic even and you're not even here enough to count towards club activities!" everyone in the room was watching him. Watching me. They were watching like this was the dramatic
finale to the tv show they were watching this week.
"I like to run... I'm not here to set a fancy new time..." my voice betrayed me as I tried to defend myself.
"Can you really even call what you do running?" the room laughed, I clenched my shirt tightly in my trembling hand.
"Alright, everyone. Gather around," Haruki popped through the door. I sighed in relief slightly, but that tightness wouldn't leave me. That layer of sweat on my palms, that fast beating of my rabbit heart.
"Saved by the captain... again," Fuji snarled, discreetly bashing me with his elbow as he turned to head over to Haruki.
Despite what might have been a fair assumption, especially with the way everyone happily kisses Fuji's ass, this almost perfect jock was not in fact the track team's captain. That would be Haruki. Definitely less
muscular than Fuji, however, standing almost an entire foot taller, Haruki could often be mistaken for a teacher in that moment before you noticed his uniform or saw his young face.
"Good to see you back with us Sho," he said giving me a brief smile, "Get changed and then meet us out there, the rest of you should already be out there warming up by now."
Haruki stood ominously by the door as it clicked closed after the last of the team. "When did you last show up for practice?" Haruki asked.
"We did a practice relay race that day..." I said quietly as I took my shoes off. Haruki paused as he appeared to be calculating something.
"So that would mean you're almost turning up once a month now," he said. His voice didn't share the malice that Fuji's had, when he talked of my rare appearance, his voice was soft and relaxed.
"Something like that..." I mumbled putting my slightly tatty track team shorts on.
"We have a competition with a couple of other schools coming up soon, you think you might show?"
"Probably not... You know I don't do competitions," I replied, carefully taking my shirt off.
"The whole team will be there to cheer on our runners," he said.
"I'd probably just forget anyway..." I said quickly pulling my vest down to straighten it out.
11. Script 2
"Alright, I won't push you." Haruki left without another word leaving me standing in the changing room alone. I grabbed my shirt and threw it on stuffing my school clothes back into my bag and tucking it under the
bench out of sight.
--------------------------------------------
By the time I made it out there, the rest of the team had already finished warming up and four of them were heading out onto the track, Fuji had the back position, followed by Itsuku, Kenji, and someone new. My
assumption was that this was the infamous new second-year transfer student I had heard about.
Fuji, Itsuki, and Kenji were the team's official fastest runners, excluding Haruki. The new kid definitely looked athletic, but I couldn't help but feel a little sorry that Haruki was measuring him up against our top three on
his first day.
I headed over to the bleachers where the rest of the track team was watching from. I scanned the crowd quickly for my friend Kiki. He was what people would call a calm spirit; he could quite easily be compared to a
breeze in that his presence was gentle a strangely comforting to a few. He had short, light dirty blonde hair, however unlike most people you'd find in Japan his was natural since his parents were foreign although he
had been totally raised in this country. His eyes were also blue so you could imagine he was quite a rare commodity if you know much about the gene pool in Japan. He was certainly popular amongst the girls although
he had never showed any interest in them, he was married to his books.
He wasn't a member of the track team, but there was an open policy for other students to come to the track area and watch the club so long as they didn't disturb proceedings, so, when an interesting race like this
was taking place, the bleachers would end up packed with tons of students from all over campus. Kiki however would come most times so he could sit with me on the bleachers and read a book while keeping me
company.
"Looks like Fuji is out for blood..." Kiki said to me as I sat down next to him.
"His concentration face is unnervingly psychotic," I agreed, trying to straighten out my shorts.
"You want the rest of my sandwich? I don't think I can finish it?" Kiki asked with an outstretched sandwich in hand.
"What's in it?" I asked taking a peek.
"Just cheese,"
I took it from him gently and began nibbling. Food was probably one of my favourite things, other than running, I somehow felt like I could close my mind as I ate, but that's probably just the dopamine release for ya.
"On your marks! GO!" I looked up as Haruki brought his arm down signalling the start of the race, over the top of my new cheese sandwich. The racers all set off at once, breaking the tension held like when a gazelle
and a lion are staring each other down in that moment before the chase.
Most of our top track members talked frequently about looking to start a career as a professional track runner, and I could imagine the new kid was the same as I watched him fighting neck and neck at the first corner.
"Sho! You didn't tell me you were going to come to practice today!" Hana exclaimed. She was a childhood friend, dating back before even Kiki, we were friends because her parents knew mine and they had always
sent us to school together since elementary, otherwise I could never have imagined a girl like her stepping out of the popular circles to associate with anyone like me or Kiki. Don't get me wrong, she was the nicest
thing to walk the earth, but she had been gifted with so much natural talent, beauty and charisma that it would be like a wolf fraternising with a chihuahua . Her hair was brown as were her eyes, she was an excitable
energetic type that was nobody could help but love. She waved and jogged over as the rest of the girl's team came out of their changing room.
"Hey," I greeted her, "I didn't really know I was coming today either..." I admitted, finding my eyes unable to lift even to look at more than her shoes, which were tied in her usual double knot and long loops
resembling bunny ears flopping part way down the side of her shoes.
"Wow. The new guy is fast huh?" she remarked. I looked back to the race, they had already started nearing the last stretch now. Fuji of course was still in the lead and looked like he would finish that way. but the other
three were close together straining to pull ahead of one another in an endless attempt to break away. As they blasted down the last stretch Itsuki's efforts were rewarded as he gained a small lead and was able to take
second place, however still closely followed by the new guy who ended up beating Kenji by a hairs width.
12. Script 3
"Looks like he will probably be taking the fourth slot on the relay team doesn't it?" Hana said. She was a second-year runner, as well as one of the fastest on the girl's team and also a part of the "pretty girl's group".
Being around her was always an uncomfortable thing for me. There was nothing wrong with her, she in fact was an amazingly sweet friend as I mentioned before and a great personality to have around, but her
presence came with a certain amount of eyes due to her curvy figure and the number of incredibly horny boys in our school. At track, was one of the worst times for that since some of her fondest admirers would turn
up semi-regularly to see her in the standard girls two-piece track uniform.
"Yeah, I guess he will" I agreed, turning my face ever so slightly so that my hair blocked my face from her pervy admirers.
"First years!" Haruki exclaimed, "Let's have you guys all on the field against the new kid."
"Shit..." I muttered as I got up from my seat.
I shuffled forward awkwardly onto the track trying to mingle with the ten or so other first years while trying to find a position that was far enough from the bleachers that nobody would pay me any attention. I wiped
my palms on my shorts before placing them on the grass and taking my position.
I took three deep breaths, "calm down!" I told myself in my head, the race hadn't even started yet and I was already sweating buckets. The new kid arrived at the field a moment after everybody else, peeling himself
away from the fan crowd that had already started forming for him out of the girl's team, he took the empty track beside me. "Shit!" I cursed in my head, "Everyone is gonna be looking at him!" I looked around
desperately for an opportunity to move lanes but there were no free lanes free near me and I could already see Haruki taking his position at the side of the track.
"On your mark!" Haruki shouted.
"Shit!" I hissed, I imagined this was somewhat like the dread untamed horses felt when their freedom came to an end.
"Get set!"
My heart dropped, I could feel eyes on me, I felt like the prey I had thought of before, being watched by predators beside me and lining the bleachers. I felt like a poor lost rabbit that had found its way into the middle
of a feeding ground. The moment I moved, it felt as though they would all pounce on me. I felt sweat run down my neck and onto my shirt.
"Okay," I told myself, "You just have to keep up with the main pack, that's all,"
"And... GO!" Haruki shouted.
We set off, I fumbled my take-off and watched as the new kid rocketed off from the start line. Like me, the other first years were staring at him in shocked awe for a moment. But my nightmare got worse as the rest of
the first years took this as a challenge like a bull, speeding up trying to match his pace.
"Just keep up,"
"Just keep up,"
"Just keep up,"
I began to chant these words over and over to myself in my head as I moved faster and faster until I was almost with the pack, we were starting to near halfway and my heart was racing. I was managing to keep up
with enough of the first years so that I didn't stick out like a sore thumb, but then I suddenly stopped, doubling over as I felt my stomach eject its contents out onto the track.
"My god Sho! I didn't think you could get worse!" There were a chorus of screams and laughter as I heard Fuji's mockery, clutching desperately onto my stomach and praying for all of this to stop. But it never does.
"Sho? You alright?" Haruki asked jogging over onto the pitch.
"Shouldn't have eaten that... sandwich..." I said between deep breaths as I wiped my mouth.
"Go take a seat. I'll clean this up," he said flashing me a nervous smile as he went off to find cleaning supplies.
13. Script 4
"You okay?" Hana asked rushing over to me as I headed toward the bleachers.
"I'm so sorry..." Kiki apologised looking rather distraught, "I didn't know you were going to get called out so soon..."
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it Kiki," I told them both.
"Do you want me to get you a drink?" Hana asked trying to comfort me.
"That's alright, I have one in my bag," I replied, "Can we just talk about something else?" my voice was shaking almost as much as my legs as I begged them to just carry me to my seat.
"Uh... Are you ready for the exams next week?" Hana awkwardly tried changing the subject.
"Ughhh," I groaned, "I forgot we had exams coming up soon..."
"Hey!" she exclaimed, "You have always done better than me so no complaining, and I actually try studying lots unlike you!"
"That's the only thing I've ever done better at than you and it enrages you doesn't it?" I chuckled slightly taking my bottle from my lips.
"Sounds like somebodies’ ass is still sore from being knocked on it so many times all those years ago!" Hana gloated smiling at me while crossing her arms and feigning anger.
"When will you come up with a new retort? That was a decade ago now!" I jabbed her with my elbow playfully.
"Then maybe I'll just have to knock you on your ass again sometime soon!" She jested waving her hand about as though she held a fake sword.
"Don't make a challenge you'll regret!" I laughed out loud as she continued fake fencing the air between us.
"Well-" she started but she was interrupted by Haruki shouting, "Okay girls let's run your practice relay now!" he whipped his brow as he finished cleaning up my vomit, "the track is clear, and we need to make sure
we don't have any more failed baton passes like last time."
"See ya!" Hana said as she hurried over to the track. Out of the corner, I saw her pervs watching with glee as she stepped out onto the track.
"Must be hard having people perving on you like that all the time huh?" Kiki said following my eyes.
"Oh... Yea," I said a little startled that he hadn't been nose deep in his book. "How are you feeling about the exams?" I asked him.
"Fine," he replied, "I only have maths left to revise, and then I'm set."
"It shocks me that you even have to revise maths, aren't you always the top of the class, in like everything?" I joked although, I wasn't kidding when I said he was the top.
"I probably wouldn't be at the top if I didn't study," he said, pulling out his book.
"Is that why you do it?" I asked curiously.
"What? Revise?"
"Yeah."
"No, I don't care about being in the top spot, my parents just keep nagging me about how "good grades will make my life" if I don't show them brilliant results," he almost laughed at the idea.
"I didn't think so," I replied, "Are they too hard?"
14. Script 5
"My parents? No... I don't think so. They nag and they nag but they also let me do basically anything and give me an allowance every week, so it feels like a fair trade," he said delicately.
"GO!" Haruki cried waving his arm.
The girls lurched from their start lines. They weren't as fast as the boy's team, but that made sense considering they were all at least a few inches shorter than the majority of the boy's team super athletes. The race
was over pretty quickly and Haruki called them all back in. Our girl's track team didn't have a captain, since we shared a track, Haruki ran both teams but had an assistant on the girl's team that basically did his part of
taking care of the girl’s locker room since he couldn't go in there. Although pervs would of course always joke that if they had his position they would "accidentally walk in there", but Haruki always did an amazing job
of managing the girl’s team even though they often voiced desires to have their own track and captain.
"That was much better!" he exclaimed happily, "We clearly have a little work to do on taking the baton, but we can keep working and then we shouldn't end up with any unfortunate mistakes like last time."
My hands worked idly changing my shoes as my eyes lost focus, not even examining the floor as I went on autopilot. I slung my bag onto my back and wandered out of the schools main entrance.
It was the end of the day now, and I had a routine that I followed each day so much so that my mind would leave me and I would continue to do it in a haze such as today. As soon as I had passed the gates and gotten
far enough from the school grounds I pulled off my gakuran (a black jacket commonly part of school uniforms in Japan) and stuffed it into my sport bag and then proceeded to tuck in my shirt, glancing around to check
nobody I recognised was within sight. Once I had done that I pulled out my phone and put on some music putting my earbuds in and tying my hair back.
I sighed in relief; the day was over. I started to walk and then quickly picked up speed until I fluidly made my way into running. As the wind blew against my face I began to grin, this was the kind of running I enjoyed
most. The free kind. I felt none of the judging eyes of my peers nor did I feel any overwhelming expectations. The only people who would see me were bystanders who would soon forget me and continue about their
day.
I turned a sharp corner keeping my speed up and began my favourite stretch. It was one of the prettiest stretches of road, nature brimming on either side of the paved ground and reaching over to create a beautiful
array of broken rays of light. The wind always blew strongest here, and when I ran it felt as though I was about to take off. This was one of the most exhilarating feelings ever and was why I knew I would always come
back to running.
I ran all the way home and collapsed on my bed. I kept my headphones in to drown out the sounds of my family moving around the house. I lay there on my phone scrolling through the internet idly when a message
popped up on my phone. It was from Haruki. I tapped on the message curiously with my index finger.
"Wait for me tomorrow after school!" I read aloud.
"Why?" I replied simply. Haruki never asked to hang out with me outside of school, because he knew I always said no. My parents never let me go out with friends.
"Just wait for me!" he said again. I sighed, I guess I'll just have to tell him no in person tomorrow
15. Sound Effect List
1. Main narration
2. Heart beating sound effect
3. Throwing up sound effect
4. People chattering in the background sound effect
5. Opening door sound effect
6. Running/breathing sound effect
17. Contingency Planning
Potential Issue Solution
Running low on time Can cut out the comic strip part
Not getting voice lines I need from voice
actors/actresses’
Can record a narration myself so that I have
content if I cannot get it from other people
Audio gets ruined by background sounds Can remove background sounds with software
using software like audacity.
Equipment breaking Replace it early enough that I can still get the
work done.
Recordings being unusable due to background
sounds
Record a narration voice over myself in studio
space so that I have a clear version that can be
used under the event I cannot get the right
quality of recording in time
18. Health and Safety
Potential Issue How will the issue be
avoided?
N/A there are no potential risks with my
project, it consists mainly of sitting in front of a
microphone or computer
N/A there are no potential risks with my
project, it consists mainly of sitting in front of a
microphone or computer
19. Production Schedule
Day/Lesson Tasks
First week, April 25th – 27th Get script written into a word doc and edit it ready to
be sent off to possible voice actors to read and send
test recordings back.
Second week, May 2nd – 4th Listen to test recordings and plan next steps e.g.
contacting them and asking them to meet at a certain
time to record under review so I can criticise and get
them to try and do it the way I want it in a controlled
studio space for quality recordings. Also begin editing
these recordings
Third week, May 9th – 11th Continue recording and editing recordings from voice
actors. Possibly still trying to get voice actors for
certain lines/characters so still contacting people and
listening to test recordings
Fourth week, May 16th – 18th Getting the finalised audio in. Last version recordings
and getting them edited into the project with diegetic
audio to go with it. Begin working on the art for the
comic strip side of it and a cover so that the project
has a visual aspect to improve it
Fifth week, May 23rd – 25th Any last-minute editing/recording and continuation of
creation of art for the project and getting that edited
in at the parts I want it at plus evaluation PowerPoint
Editor's Notes
Use this space to document whatever pre-production work you did for your project. It will vary from person to person and project to project.
