The document outlines the pre-production plan for a documentary titled 'The Mystery of Molly Moselle', focusing on the cultural backdrop of Sunderland and the story of a woman who mysteriously disappeared. It details filming locations, such as the Sunderland Empire theater and Beamish living museum, and discusses marketing strategies, including social media promotion and poster design. The documentary aims to blend factual storytelling with creative cinematic elements while engaging its target audience through themes of love, betrayal, and ghostly intrigue.

1. Creative pre-production

2. What is Sunderland Culture?
Sunderland have a vast variety of culture venues
and events from the Sunderland Empire to
Washington Art Gallery with the dedicated team
of Sunderland Culture as my client I aim to make a
product that not only highlights Sunderland's
culture but features the Sunderland Empire and
its reputation as one of the most haunted theatres
in Britain.

3. Initial shot/scene list and documentary timeline idea

4. Location Scout
Outside the Sunderland Empire
Eden Street
Garden Place
Home Garage
Beamish Living Museum of the North

5. Sunderland Empire
Sunderland Empire is not only a main location for my
documentary but a main location in the story of
Molly Moselle. She worked here on the touring
production of The Dancing Years, and this is the
location of her suspected hauntings. Filming the
outside of Sunderland Empire doesn’t require any
permissions however inside the theatre I will have to
contact Sunderland education in order to gain
access.
Beamish Living Museum of
the North
When Molly Moselle disappeared, many people
reported possible sightings of her at various
different railways stations. For these scenes I will
film at Beamish Railway not only will it allow it to
be historically accurate, but filming doesn’t
require any special permissions as long as no one
else is in the shot.

6. Eden Street Garden Place
Both Eden Street and Garden Palace are
located near the city center next to
the Sunderland Empire. These are both key
areas in the story of Molly Moselle both of
these areas are accessible and don’t
require permits to film.
Detective Office
Garage
For the fictious elements to the
documentary, I aim to transform my
garage into a detective's office set in
order to showcase my passion for
cinematography and eye for detail. As
it is my family's garage, I am able to
work on creating the world and
planning shots for quite some time as
well as being able to film freely for as
long as I want.

7. Inspiration photos for documentary

8. Evaluation of inspiration photos
The photos I have chosen as my inspiration aim to capture the essence of
what I intend for my audience to think of when they think of the
documentary. The main subject of my documentary is the story of Molly
Moselle so it was only right to include her photo I have also included a picture
of her job role as an ASM as I personally love technical theatre and want to
pursue it therefore, I can add my personal knowledge to the documentary. I
have also added images of ghosts in theatres this will also be a theme
explored in my documentary as she is believed to be one of the three ghosts
that haunt Sunderland Empire this will also engage the audience as through
research, I have learned that the target audience enjoy ghost stories and true
crime therefore this will be another pull to engage the audience in my
documentary.In my inspiration photos I have also added images of
letters, love and betrayal, letters were thought to be a key element to the
ultimate disappearance of Molly Moselle and through these letters I will aim
to explore the themes of love and betrayal that ultimately left Molly in a hole
she couldn’t escape from. In my inspiration photos I have also included
images of a 1940s detective and their office this part of my documentary will
be closer to a short film than documentary and will allow me to showcase my
love of cinematography without creating a full short film it will also add
diversity to the documentary and break up the typical conventions of a
documentary keeping it entertaining and engaging for the audience.

9. Wording for title card and cover photo
For the wording/title options of my documentary I had two ideas in mind the first being ,"Missing Molly Moselle" and the second
being "The Mystery of Molly Moselle".
M
issing
olly
oselle
Missing Molly Moselle would provide not only a catchy name for the
documentary but through the use of alliteration would make the documentaries
name easy to remember for the audience not only would the alliteration make
the title easier to remember but it could also lead to more inventive title ideas.
The Mystery of Molly Moselle provides the title with an element sophistication
reflecting the audience transitioning from a teenager to an adult as well as the
level already being there for those who are adults already. This title also plays on
the use of alliteration and although is not as direct still impacts the catchiness
and how memorable the title is.
The mystery of
Molly Moselle
Overall based on the age demographic and style I have decided to call the documentary "The Mystery of Molly
Moselle". The title provides the viewer something that is memorable and catchy as well as something that is
suitable for the target age demographic. I felt that having the title of Missing Molly Moselle especially when laid
out like above although it would be catchy and easy to remember it has an element of childishness to it which
would not suit my target age demographic and that was ultimately the deciding factor between the two titles and

10. Cover photo inspiration and evaluation
For the cover photo of my documentary, I want to create something that engages and entices the audience into watching.
The layout for my poster will be very much like the poster seen above this will reveal to the audience the character of
Molly Moselle and me as the documentary maker without revealing anything specific to her story this will also be very
similar to the poster for the documentary. The background of the poster will not be plain like the example poster as I will
aim to include elements of theatre to the background however no to where it stands out these elements, I will aim to
blend into the background almost like as you look closer there is more than what first meets the eye which links to the
genre of a true crime documentary where a story is explored. Above is also an image of the title card of the popular
Jaqueline Wilson book transitioned to TV show "Hetty Feather" the style of the writing of the title of the show is a theme
I will aim to include when creating my documentary as not only is it pleasing to look at and easy to read but to me it has a
theatrical element to the writing linking back to a major theme laced throughout the documentary.

11. Cover photo
flat plan
The mystery of
Molly Moselle
On the left is my original
idea drawn roughly to
allow me to imagine
what it would look like I
then found images
(placeholders) online in
order to digitise my idea
to be able to understand
the concept I was going
for which can be seen on
the left.

12. Title card inspiration photos
For the title card of my documentary, I want to create something that reveals slightly more of the plot than the
cover photo to keep the audience engaged and wanting to keep on watching. Above is an image of the title card of
the popular Jaqueline Wilson book transitioned to TV show "Hetty Feather" the style of the writing of the title of
the show is a theme I will aim to include when creating my documentary as not only is it pleasing to look at and
easy to read but to me it has a theatrical element to the writing linking back to a major theme laced throughout the
documentary this type of lettering will also be used in the cover photo and promotional material. For the title card
although including iconography of the genre I have decided to strip it back to the title a black background and
elements related to crime scattered in and amongst it. As the audience have already watched the opening of the
documentary, I want that alone to be the hook to keep watching therefore meaning I can strip back the title card
creating diversity between the busy opening of the documentary and the remainder of the documentary also
allowing time for the audience to understand what is going on before they watch the next part of the documentary.

13. Title card
flat plan
Molly Moselle
The mystery of

14. Archived footage
I will be using archived footage from the
documentary above this documentary
explored three disappearances including
Molly Moselle and has footage of her
sister Gertrude Freeman discussing what
happened this will be essential for my
documentary as it allows for a personal
account of what went on by a family
member Molly Moselle was close to this
not only provides a different angle to
the story but plays on the emotive factor
of that Molly Moselle was a real woman
with a real family who was effected by
her disappearance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWkGbprhBSk
In Suspicious Circumstances Maundy Money with Edward Woodward

15. Marketing
strategies and
campaigns
For my documentary

17. Social media Gorilla marketing
Posters
Trailers

19. Social media is an easily accessible and cheap way to advertise used by all
demographics of film companies from billion-dollar companies such as
marvel to independent short films. Social media can be used for both still
and moving image advertising material/content. Once a social media page
is created content can be shared straight away such as posters and trailers
to try and gain more engagement with the page therefore attracting more
attention to the project. On social media another method that can be
used is the use of hashtags this can be used by the audience to engage
with the project on social media. When using hashtags trying to use
relevant and popular hashtags when promoting a short film or
documentary such as #shortfilm, #indiefilm, #filmmaking as well as the
title of the project in the hashtags so that people can easily find it. When
advertising on social media it is also important to remain consistent with
posts as to not bore or disengage your audience keeping them eager to
see it. It is also important to use visual marketing tactics. This could
include posters, stills from the film, or even GIFs. Whatever visual that is
chosen to advertise the project you have to make sure it's eye-catching, a
good high-quality poster is essential for promotion as it allows for the
audience to foreshadow in their minds the quality of your project.

20. Film trailers are first shown at the cinema to the audience who are obviously already
willing to go to the cinema. Trailers are targeted to be shown prior to a similar film to
an audience who are already interested in that particular genre of film. When showing
the trailers on the television they use the same technique. For example, the new
Scooby Doo film being released would be advertised on daytime and weekend morning
television to target the younger generation. Men In Black 2 however will be shown in
the break of a Science- Fiction film, purely to appeal to that particular audience.
Trailers can also be used to advertise documentaries often used by platforms such as
the BBC and ITV this allows for the audience to understand what the documentary is
about before watching the full documentary this enables the target
audiences' attention to be grasped enticing them to watch the documentary.

21. A movie poster can either be designed to attract a brand-new audience or to
change the attitude of an already known audience towards the film. In the
first case, the poster can be anywhere; the larger the audience it reaches, the
better the chance of generating interest in the film. But in the second case,
the poster should be presented in a location where the viewer is able to
calmly process the information. When creating a poster for a short
film/documentary it needs to include elements that makes it stand out from
its competitors whilst also sharing common ground with other posters from
the genre. Payoff movie posters usually show the protagonists of the film and
some hints to the kind of universe they live in and the issues they face.
Posters are also featured as marketing techniques for documentaries they can
be stand alone or paired with a trailer to promote a documentary. The aim of
the poster is to reveal the genre of product often using iconography to do this
or reveal the theme of the documentary the aim of a poster is never to reveal
the full plot but reveal enough to engage an audience and get them excited
and anticipating the documentary.

22. Guerrilla marketing is a marketing tactic in which a
company uses surprise and/or unconventional
interactions in order to promote a product or service.
Guerrilla marketing is different from traditional
marketing in that it often relies on personal interaction,
has a smaller budget, emanates from an original idea to
engage the target audience, and focuses on smaller
groups of promoters that are responsible for getting the
word out in a particular location or locations rather than
through widespread uniform marketing campaigns.
Guerilla marketing is typically used my big corporations
such as Mcdonalds and films such as the dark knight.
When considering marketing my documentary this may
not be the best approach as not only do, I not have this
kind of budget, but it wouldn’t be able to convey the
message of the documentary as as such wouldn’t be a
successful marketing strategy for this particular product.

23. Evaluation of Marketing Strategies
Social media is a quick effective and free way to advertise a documentary
although not as commonly used for documentaries compared to short
films it is an easy way to target an audience and get content across to
excite and engage the audience into watching the documentary. Trailers
can be an effective way of revealing information and snippets to engage
an audience however can be very time consuming and cost money to
produce. Through research however my target audience are less likely to
watch trailers compared to engaging with content posted on social media
therefore this may not be the most suitable marketing technique to
engage my audience with the documentary. Posters are a relatively cost-
effective if not free and easy way to engage an audience in a product their
use across a range of media products, genres and target audiences prove
their effectiveness in engaging an audience and making them interested
in a documentary. Guerilla marketing although can be effective in shock
value and making an impact can be extremely range in price to produce
and although works for big corporations such as Mcdonalds and Warner
Brothers it may not be the best tactic for a self-produced documentary.
Overall, I have decided to go ahead with creating a poster intended to be
shared across social media this is not only the most cost-effective
marketing technic but the most effective when trying to engage my target
audience in my product making them want to watch the documentary.

24. Inspiration photos for poster and evaluation
For the poster of my documentary, I want to create something that not only
links to the topic of the documentary but the style of the documentary
without revealing everything just enough to engage and entice the audience
into watching. The layout for my poster will be very much like the poster
seen at the bottom left-hand corner this will reveal to the audience the
character of Molly Moselle and me as the documentary maker without
revealing anything specific to her story. However, the background of the
poster will not be plain like the example poster as I will aim to include the
Sunderland Empire and an investigation board. Not only will this show the
audience the location of the documentary, but the iconography of the
investigation board will reveal to the audience what genre the documentary
is. At the middle of the left-hand side of the page is an image of the title card
of the popular Jaqueline Wilson book transitioned to TV show "Hetty
Feather" the style of the writing of the title of the show is a theme I will aim
to include when creating my documentary as not only is it pleasing to look at
and easy to read but to me it has a theatrical element to the writing linking
back to a major theme laced throughout the documentary.

25. Poster
flat plan
Molly Moselle
The mystery of
Releasing June 2024
On the left is my original idea
drawn roughly to allow me to
imagine what it would look
like I then found images
(placeholders) online in order
to digitise my idea to be able
to understand the concept I
was going for which can be
seen on the left. During the
digitalisation process of the
flat plan, I added common
conventions of a poster as well
as rearranging elements of the
poster such as the release
date and the position of the
characters in order to look
more aesthetically pleasing
whilst not covering up or
missing out any key details.

26. Shot/scene list Developed
Opening to documentary: we are in a 1940s detective office (establishing shots)
Phone rings
Detective picks up the phone
After a few seconds he goes to find a missing person report
For the remainder of the time on the phone he fills out the report leaving the
name until last
He fills out her name in which it transforms into the title sequence by zooming in
then out
(dark overshadow on the scene)(Non-diegetic soundtrack fades in)During the title
sequence we see the detective putting pictures up on the investigation board and
connecting them with string until all the pictures are placed this is where the title
card appears
After the title card the dark overshadow is removed along with the non-diegetic
soundtrack that plays over the title sequence fading out
We come to an over the shoulder shot of the detective pinning things to each
other and connecting them with string he then picks up the photo of Molly which
the camera zooms into
The background changes and the camera zooms out to reveal the documentary
maker holding the picture
(Editing-the photo should match exactly so that the transition is seamless)

27. Shot/scene list Developed
The documentary maker gives a quick overview of the story and then
delves deeper into Molly as a person such as where she was born when
she was born her relationships her actual name her job and how she
ended up at the Sunderland Empire (possibly some archived footage of the
dancing years
(Transition back to the detective office)
The detective connects a string between the picture of Molly Moselle and
the picture of Bunny Doyle which again the camera zooms in on
(Match on match transition again between pictures the same as Molly
Moselle's picture transition)
The documentary maker discusses the relationship between Bunny Doyle
and Molly Moselle and what led to their break up
(Transition back to the detective office)
The detective connects a string between the picture of Molly Moselle and
the picture of Walter Hattersly which again the camera zooms in on
(Match on match transition again between pictures the same as Molly
Moselle's picture transition)
The documentary maker discusses the relationship between Walter
Hattersly and Molly Moselle and what led to their break up
(Transition back to the detective office)

28. Shot/scene list Developed
The detective picks up the phone and makes a call​
"There has been a report of a missing girl Molly Moselle she was 33 and was
last seen turning into garden place, I need officers at Garden place, the
Sunderland Empire, Sunderland train Station, Eden Street and someone to go and
tell the family. Let me know what you find"​
The detective hangs up the phone
(as he is naming the locations, they appear on screen simultaneously until all 6
appear on screen and then vanish when the detective hangs up the phone​
(transition of time)​
The phone rings as the detective put his ear to the phone there is a cut to
the documentary maker talking about garden place once the documentary maker
is done the phone is hung up again and the 6 locations appear on screen
again however garden place now has a red X through it.​
This continues for all of the locations and family some in more detail than
others until all have red X's over them and more and more pictures and pulled
from the investigation board until only the image of Molly Moselle remains.​
He takes down the photo of molly writes impossible on the back of the image
and puts the image away in the draw.​
As the draw shuts a door shuts in the Sunderland Empire​
The documentary maker appears and discusses how it is now thought Molly
Moselle is one of the three ghosts that haunts the Sunderland Empire

29. Shot/scene list Developed
(Transition to interview)
Interview with someone who works at the Sunderland Empire discussing
sightings and stories of her as well as how her story impacted the local area
(Sequence happens very quickly)A noise is heard (non-diegetic)Documentary
maker asks what was that dark shadow comes over the screen and a ghost of
Molly that I will create in Adobe After Effects will pass through the
documentary maker and consume the screen
Screen will go black
5 second wait
And the credits will start to roll
End of documentary
Things to also keep in mind when writing the script and story boarding
Archived footage of Molly Moselle's sister will be included somewhere
It is a true crime story that if not done correctly could offend people as
stories like this still occur where there is nothing the police can do

30. Key information and links
Non-Diegetic soundtrack for the title card sequence and credit roll
Anticipation
https://www.fesliyanstudios.com/royalty-free-music
Interview with Molly Moselle's sister
Gertrude Freeman
In Suspicious Circumstances Maundy Money with Edward Woodward
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWkGbprhBSk
Footage from "The Dancing Years"
Start time:30:58 End of clip time:40:52
Tv adaptation of the show
The Dancing Years (1979)
The Dancing Years (1979) - Part I - YouTube
Sunderland Ghost stories -
Grisly tales from
Sunderland's most haunted
places
(sunderlandecho.com)

31. Storyboards
These are some digitalised story boards with placeholder images from the internet
to be able to show my idea and aesthetic for the documentary.
Opening to documentary:
we are in a 1940s detective
office (establishing shots)
Phone rings
Detective picks up the
phone
After a few seconds he goes to
find a missing person report
For the remainder of the time on
the phone he fills out the report
leaving the name until last
He fills out her name in
which it transforms into
the title sequence by
zooming in then out

32. Storyboards
These are some digitalised story boards with placeholder images from the internet
to be able to show my idea and aesthetic for the documentary.
(dark overshadow on the scene)(Non-diegetic
soundtrack fades in)During the title sequence
we see the detective putting pictures up on the
investigation board and connecting them with
string until all the pictures are placed this is
where the title card appears
After the title card the dark overshadow is
removed along with the non-diegetic soundtrack
that plays over the title sequence fading out
We come to an over the shoulder shot of the
detective pinning things to each other and
connecting them with string he then picks up the
photo of Molly which the camera zooms into
The background changes and the camera zooms out
to reveal the documentary maker holding the picture​
(Editing-the photo should match exactly so that the
transition is seamless)

33. Storyboards
These are some digitalised story boards with placeholder images from the internet
to be able to show my idea and aesthetic for the documentary.
The documentary maker gives a
quick overview of the story and
then delves deeper into Molly as a
person such as where she was born
when she was born her relationships
her actual name her job and how
she ended up at the Sunderland
Empire (possibly some archived
footage of the dancing years
The detective connects a string
between the picture of Molly Moselle
and the picture of Bunny Doyle which
again the camera zooms in on​
(Match on match transition again
between pictures the same as
Molly Moselle's picture transition)​
The documentary maker discusses the
relationship between Bunny Doyle and
Molly Moselle and what led to their
break up
The detective connects a string between the picture
of Molly Moselle and the picture of
Walter Hattersly which again the camera zooms in on​
(Match on match transition again between pictures
the same as Molly Moselle's picture transition)​
The documentary maker discusses the relationship
between Walter Hattersly and Molly Moselle and
what led to their break up

34. Storyboards
These are some digitalised story boards with placeholder images from the internet
to be able to show my idea and aesthetic for the documentary.
The detective picks up the phone and makes a call​​
"There has been a report of a missing girl Molly Moselle she was 33 and
was last seen turning into garden place, I need officers at Garden place,
the Sunderland Empire, Sunderland train Station, Eden Street and someone to
go and tell the family. Let me know what you find"​​
The detective hangs up the phone
(as he is naming the locations, they appear on screen simultaneously until
all 6 appear on screen and then vanish when the detective hangs up the phone​
(transition of time)​

35. Storyboards
These are some digitalised story boards with placeholder images from the internet
to be able to show my idea and aesthetic for the documentary.
The phone rings as the detective put his ear to the phone
there is a cut to the documentary maker talking about garden
place once the documentary maker is done the phone is
hung up again and the 6 locations appear on
screen again however garden place now has a red X through
it.​
This continues for all of the locations and family some in
more detail than others until all have red X's over them and
more and more pictures and pulled from the investigation
board until only the image of Molly Moselle remains.​

36. Storyboards
These are some digitalised story boards with placeholder images from the internet
to be able to show my idea and aesthetic for the documentary.
He takes down the photo of molly writes impossible on the
back of the image and puts the image away in the draw.​​
As the draw shuts a door shuts in the Sunderland Empire​
IMPOSSIBLE
The documentary maker appears and discusses how it is now
thought Molly Moselle is one of the three ghosts
that haunts the Sunderland Empire

37. Storyboards
These are some digitalised story boards with placeholder images from the internet
to be able to show my idea and aesthetic for the documentary.
(Transition to interview)​
Interview with someone who works at the
Sunderland Empire discussing sightings and
stories of her as well as how her story
impacted the local area
(Sequence happens very quickly)A noise is heard (non-
diegetic)Documentary maker asks what was that dark shadow comes over
the screen and a ghost of Molly that I will create in Adobe After Effects
will pass through the documentary maker and consume the screen

38. Script
Draft One
PAGE 1 PAGE 2

39. Script
Draft One
PAGE 3 PAGE 4

40. Script
Draft One
PAGE 5 PAGE 6

41. Self- Assessed Script
For the script I decided to self-assess my work. I went through my script and
annotated not only where I could make improvements, but sections I was happy
with and didn’t want to change as well as where I could add elements to improve
the script and make it more coherent.
Some improvements for my next draft:
Find soundtrack for non-diegetic addition
to title card sequence
Add specific locations for shooting
Check grammar and spelling
Find places to add archived footage

42. PAGE 1 PAGE 2
Script
with
improvements
highlighted

43. Script
PAGE 3 PAGE 4

44. Script
PAGE 5 PAGE 6

45. Obtaining and making props
For the product even though it is a documentary there is an element of short film
to it and for these scenes I needed props such as:
Brief Case-Obtained
Newspaper-Obtained
Type Writer-
Obtained
Investigation Board-To Make
Magnifying Glass-
Obtained
Telephone-
Need to Obtain
Hat-
Obtained

46. Making the Investigation Board
I then found material more related to the subject matter such as a photo
of Molly Moselle, a photo of the program from The Dancing Years and a
photo of Bunny Doyle. To be even more accurate I then visited
Sunderland Archive where I got photos of Sunderland from 1949 along
with newspaper articles and bus routes. To create my investigation board
once I had all my images and text, I cut them all out and started to create
a plan for what it could look like and the positioning of the images which
can be seen at the top left of the page. I then repositioned them again
adding the string and pins and ultimately decided that the new format
(above) was the more appropriate option for filming.
To make my own investigation
board I wanted to create something
that would be time accurate to the
piece. Upon conducting research, I
found inspiration photos to base
my board off and then looked
through newspapers for the text
and headlines that could be used.

47. Why am I
changing the
script?
When in the stages of late pre-production, I realised that I
had to change the script due to being unable to obtain the
necessary props in order to carry out production of the
original script. I had obtained the brief case the necessary
equipment for the investigation board and the brief case
however after a few weeks of searching I could not obtain
a telephone as this was an integral part of the original
script it meant that the original script was rendered
unusable. Therefore, I had to change the original script
from using a phone to being handed notes as even though
I have a phone that could have been used this was not
possible as it would not only break the continuity of the
piece but the mise-en-scene of the shot, as the piece is set
in 1949 with props and set matching the time period the
only logical solution to keep production moving was to
alter the script and change the script from a telephone to
the more accessible prop of notes.

48. New
final
script
Page 1 Page 2

49. New
final
script
Page 3 Page 4

50. New
final
script
Page 5 Page 6