planning

In order to properly prepare for the production process of my pilot, I needed to plan. To do this I created:

• A Treatment 
• 3 script drafts 
• A location reece 
• story boards 
• And a risk assesment 

Treatment:

• Title:  Employees- The Night Shift
• Genre: Mockumentary TV Pilot
• Target Audience- 18-49 year olds from the UK
• Outline: Assistant Manager, Reggie the Dog (Conor Blake) has been tasked with selecting two members of staff to cover the dreaded hotel night shift that evening. Nobody wants to do it and they are all trying to get out of it.
• Characters: While the pilot will have a large ensemble, it will mainly focus on four main characters
•     Reggie the Dog
•   Blu the Monkey
•    Otis
•    Lucy Westbrook

• Reggie the Dog- Is the assistant manager at the hotel. He is four years old which is around 28 in dog years. Reggie is the straight man or dog in and amongst all the madness, he is the very much like Kermit the frog in the sense that he is trying to keep the show running smoothly while being surrounded by a group of crazies. In the pilot he will be tasked with selecting the members of staff that will be doing the night shift,  he usually ends up doing it himself so he has assured himself that this this time it will be different. He is well liked by all the staff and is best friends with Otis and Blu the Monkey
• Blu the Monkey- is a sarcastic American monkey. He is 38 years old although he claims he’s between 29 and 34 years old. Blu works at the hotel as a barman and he claims that he owns the bar and because of it he plays by his own rules. He is best friends with Reggie the Dog and Otis, whom he also shares an apartment with.
• Otis- Loveable but incredibly slow and dim-witted, Otis works at the hotel , as a waiter and occasionally works behind the bar with Blu. He is around 24 years old and considers Blu the Monkey to be his best friend and he looks up to him as well as Tobey Maguire.  In the pilot Otis will be one of the human characters
• Lucy Westbrook- Lucy is one of the human characters on the show. She is an aspiring actress however she is quiet and pretty shy which has prevented her from getting anywhere in her career. So she works at the hotel as a waitress and receptionist so she can earn a living while she is out auditioning.
• Visual Elements
• Lighting: Because my mockumentary is set in a workplace, I want the lighting to reflect that workplace, realistic setting in the production. In order to do this I do not want to have studio lighting to make it look nice and bright. I’d prefer to use the florescent lighting that is already in the room because that would make it far more realistic for the mockumentary workplace feel
• Cinematography: I am going to being using handheld camera in order to get that authentic documentary feeling and to allow for the camera to pan around the room easily and capture moments and reactions and we may not have gotten if the camera was stationary on a tripod. I want to the use two cameras, one for the main focus of the scene and the other for B-roll and filming the rest of the cast.
• Setting:  I want the pilot to take place in a conference room because it is a suitable setting for a workplace and most hotel chains have a conference room for staff and guests to have business meeting. This is also appropriate in order to fit a large ensemble cast of around 10 people and will also be large enough to also accommodate 4 or 5 puppeteers.  I am hoping to use the conference room at the college, because it easily accessible for me and other members of the college who are helping me out either as a cast or crew member.
• Props and Costumes; Props are going to be limited due a small budget and the fact that there isn’t really a need for props. There will be paper work on the desk to make it feel realistic that work is done in the room. Another prop that will be used will be a banana
• Because the pilot is set on a Saturday, the staff members will all be on a day off meaning they will be in there normal everyday clothes.  Except for the post credit scene where my character Blu the Monkey will wear a red and grey stripped dressing gown exactly like Ferris Bueller wore in the 1986 film Ferris  Bueller’s  Day Off
• Audio Elements
• Soundtrack and Music: Currently, I am not planning on using any music in the project. Any music that may be used must be diegetic, I want the “documentary” to feel as authentic as possible meaning that no external music can be played unless it’s actually being played on set (EG: through a characters phone or computer)
• Foley: Currently I am unsure on what Foley I may have to use, but I am defiantly planning on using some Foley
• Rationale:  I have chosen this project because it is one that I have been developing for nearly 5 years and I care about the show and the characters. And I feel that there is currently nothing being made like this for a project and it will be completely unique
• Primary and Secondary Research: I have conducted a survey in order to understand my demographic to aim my show at.  And I am also researching into shows such as The Office, Parks and Recreation and The Muppets among other mockumentaries in order to understand troupes, conventions and codes of a documentary in order to make mine as professional as it possibly can be.Requirements and Resources: I will require:  Two handheld camera operators ,a sound person, 5 external monitors and 5 mic packs.  I want a cast of around 10/15 people including 5 puppeteers. Currently nobody has been cast.
• Constraints and Contingencies: One of the biggest constraints for this project will be the puppetry. Puppetry is a very difficult skill and I am very persistent on having the puppetry to a high standard and I am going to have a hard task of finding performers of that standard and capture my characters exactly how I envision them.  However due to circumstances we all find ourselves in with COVID19, I have been allowed extra time for the project, meaning that I have been allowed extra time to find and train puppeteers.
• Legal and Ethical Considerations: I have no legal or ethical issues to worry about, because all the characters ae completely original and the puppet characters are mine. I don’t have to worry about getting clearance on music because I do not intend to use any. 

The Night Shift- 1st Draft:

the night shift Written and Directed By Conor Blake Fade IN: Scene 1 Ext Day: College of west Anglia Tower block, the camera slowly zooms in, into one of the windows. Int: Inside we see Reggie the Dog, the hotels assistant manager, standing in a corridor next to the conference room having a conversation with Paul Williams, the manager of the hotel, Paul then walks away; Reggie breathes heavily, preparing himself. He walks through the door, inside the room lots of noise and commotion Reggie The Dog: Alright guys, Thanks for coming in on such a short noti- Reggie is stood speechless as he stares directly in front of him the camera pans to reveal to employees Blu the Monkey and Otis standing in front of a white board with the phrase SHAG MARRY KILL in big bold writing. Below that are pictures of Sue Barker, Ferne Cotton and Basil Brush. The entire room is silent .Blu and Otis look at each other and then back at Reggie Blu The Monkey Reggie, don’t worry I can explain Otis interrupts Blu Otis No don’t worry, I’ve got this… You see Reggie, it is a simple game of shag, marry, kill and these are our 3 choices. Blu the monkey looks embarrassed as Otis continues Otis cont. I’d personally kill Ferne Cotton and then do it with both Basil and Sue While Otis is speaking: Pan on entire office, Who all look shocked and disgusted otis Cont. Cause I’m not really looking for anything serious right now just a casual thi- Blu (interupting him) Otis. Otis Yeah? Reggie Please stop talking, just please stop talking. Otis      Really? blu: Yep. We’re done. He guides Otis back to his seat as this happens’ Reggie walks up to the front to address the staff Reggie Right guys, Thank you all for coming in on such short notice. I know for the majority of it is your day off so I appreciate it. Craig Why are we here anyway? Reggie Well… I have been asked to select two off you – to uh do the night shift this evening Everyone erupts directing their frustrations at Reggie Reggie Talking head: REggie Well, the night crew have gone off sick and management have told me I have to pick two other members of staff to cover for them. It never goes down well. We cut back to the conference room, everyone is still shouting Reggie Guys, come on settle down. I don’t want to be here either but the quicker we decide. The earlier we go home. Also just a quick reminder that the camera crew are filming so be extra careful what you say Blu Camera crew? Blu talking head Camera crew? How long have you been filming? Oh god, this is-. This is bad… I got to speak to your producer and tell him to delete all the footage. Cut back to conference room Reggie Anyway. Who cannot cover this evening? Everyone raises their hand Reggie Of course Reggie talking head Am I surprised by the number of hands raised? Of course not, this happens every time we need to cover and I’m always the one who ends up doing it.   Reggie Right, go on then Blu. Why can’t you do it? Blu stands up Blu Well it’s quite simple really. I work hard Monday to Friday. I am here before any of you every day and I believe I’m entitled to my weekends off. Reggie You came in at lunchtime yesterday right? Camera pans onto Blu who looks embarrassed  Blu No comment He sits down, Craig stands up  Craig I can’t do it because I got a gig tonight Everyone look happy for Craig, Blu interrupts Blu Ooh, yes! This is my new excuse. I’m going to his gig craig Oh wow, thanks man I really appreciate it Blu Oh I’m not really. I’ve just said to get out of this. But hey good for you though Lucy Hey Reggie, I’m really sorry but I can’t help out tonight as I have a date Reggie A date? Yeah tha- that’s totally fine. Go have fun, enjoy yourself     Reggie talking head Reggie Lucy? Well she’s a nice girl, we get on well. We’re friends Blu and Otis Talking head blu Oh yeah Reggie like’s here. He always has. It’s fairly obvious right? RIGHT? Otis Oh. Yeah he likes her Lucy talking head Lucy Yeah Reggie is cool, He asked me out once a few years ago but I said no. I would’ve been weird to do it with someone you can have as a pet. Cut away to the conference room everyone is either talking or on their phone Reggie talking head   Reggie Well, this has gone exactly how I expected it too. Blu thinks he’s too good to be here. Otis zoned out an hour ago and the rest of them want to go home. But I’m still confident that I won’t be doing it this time Cut back to the conference room, Ned and Christopher are talking Christopher Why are you shirtless? Ned: Well I’ve been at first base with Wendy for a while and this afternoon I was finally getting somewhere with her Christopher What’s first base with Wendy? NEd I get to blow her kisses from the other side of the room Christopher Oof. That’s rough Wait, haven’t you guys like 20 years? The camera pans round to the door as Reggie walks back in Reggie Right guys, come on we gotta sort this out so we can all go back to enjoying our weekend Blu     Hey, here’s a suggestion… Why don’t you do it? The conference erupts in agreement, everyone is talking at once. The camera focuses on Reggie who looks defeated. Pirate Guy Hey guys, sorry I’m late Suddenly the conference room is silent and the camera pans to the door where there is a man standing dressed as a Pirate. Blu What the hell? Pirate Guy Yeah, I was on my way to a fancy dress party when I saw the messages. Reggie A fancy dress party? At half two in the afternoon? Pirate Guy? Yes Awkward silence Pirate Guy Do you want me to go? Reggie That would be best yeah He leaves, the conference room, remains silent for a few seconds after he’s gone then they all erupt again.     Reggie Guys, come on Reggie Guys They continue to shout Reggie GUYS! They go silent Reggie Thank you. Now I’m not doing it. I do it every time. Most of the time I don’t even ask you guys because we end up in a situation like this. Now I know this isn’t ideal but surely we can come to a solut- hold on… I may have had an idea We then cut to a little while later, people are getting up and leaving and walking at the door. In the corridor, we see Paul waiting for Reggie. Reggie walks out. Paul Williams Well Reggie, Did you decide on who’s going to cover the night shift?         Reggie Uh, yeah about that We decided that.. you’d do it Reggie runs off                              Paul What? Reggie See ya! Roll Credits- Defunct-Tv theme plays as Credits roll.                         The End Second Draft:  The Night Shift” Written and Directed by Conor Blake The Night Shift”                                                                       Fade IN: Scene 1 Ext Day: College of west Anglia Tower block, the camera slowly zooms in, into one of the windows. Int: Inside we see Reggie the Dog, the hotels assistant manager, standing in a corridor next to the conference room having a conversation with Paul Williams, the manager of the hotel, Paul then walks away; Reggie breathes heavily, preparing himself. He walks through the door, inside the room lots of noise and commotion reggie The Dog: Alright guys, Thanks for coming in on such a short noti- Reggie is stood speechless as he stares directly in front of him the camera pans to reveal to employees Blu the Monkey and Otis standing in front of a white board with the phrase Do IT,MARRY,KILL in big bold writing. Below that are pictures of Susanna Reid, Ferne Cotton and Basil Brush. The entire room is silent. Blu and Otis look at each other and then back at Reggie Blu The Monkey Reggie, don’t worry I can explain Otis interrupts Blu Otis No don’t worry, I’ve got this… You see Reggie, it is a simple game of shag, marry, kill and these are our 3 choices. Blu the monkey looks embarrassed as Otis continues Otis cont. I’d personally kill Ferne Cotton and then do it with both Basil and Susanna While Otis is speaking: Pan on entire office, everyone looks shocked and disgusted otis Cont. Cause I’m not really looking for anything serious right now just a casual thi- Blu (interupting him) Otis. Otis Yeah? Reggie Please stop talking, just please stop talking. Otis       Oh really? blu: Yep. We’re done. He guides Otis back to his seat as this happens’ Reggie walks up to the front to address the staff Reggie Right guys, Thank you all for coming in on such short notice. I know that it is your day off so I appreciate it. Craig Why are we here anyway? Reggie Well… I have been asked to select two off you – to uh do the night shift this evening Everyone erupts directing their frustrations at Reggie Reggie Talking head: REggie Well, the night team decided to go off sick and management have told me I have to pick two other members of staff to cover for them. It never goes down well. We cut back to the conference room, everyone is still shouting Reggie Guys, come on settle down. I don’t want to be here either but the quicker we decide. The earlier we go home. Also just a quick reminder that the camera crew will be filming so please be extra careful what you say Blu      Huh? Blu talking head You’re a camera crew? How long have you been filming? Oh god, this is-. This is bad… I got to speak to your producer or something because this could ruin me. Cut back to conference room Reggie Anyway, who cannot cover this evening? Everyone raises their hand Reggie Of course Reggie talking head Am I surprised by the number of hands raised? Of course not, this happens every time we need to cover and I’m always the one who ends up doing it.  Reggie Right, go on then Blu. Why can’t you do it? Blu talking head Blu: Oh I have hundreds of excuses. I spend my entire morning writing five pages of notes. Let me give you some examples… I’ve got a dentist appointment- fairly simple but been used a million times. I’ve got loads of hugely controversial excuses that are pretty vile, I probably won’t use them but if it comes to it… I will .And my favorite one - I am off assassinating the final three members of Take That for inflicting their terrible music on the world.   Cut back to conference room Blu stands up Blu Well it’s quite simple really. I work hard Monday to Friday. I am here before any of you every day and I believe I’m entitled to my weekends off. Reggie You came in at lunchtime yesterday right? Camera pans onto Blu who looks embarrassed  Blu No comment He sits down, Craig stands up  Craig I can’t do it because I got a gig tonight Everyone look happy for Craig, Blu interrupts Blu Ooh, yes! This is my new excuse. I’m going to his gig He writes it down in his note book craig Oh wow, thanks man I really appreciate it Blu Oh I’m not really. I’ve just said to get out of this. But hey good for you though Lucy Hey Reggie, I’m really sorry but I can’t help out tonight as I have an audition this afternoon at three and then I’ve date tonight. Reggie Oh… right. Yeah tha- that’s totally fine. Go have fun, enjoy yourself and hey, good luck on your audition. I’m sure you’ll smash it     Reggie talking head Reggie Lucy? Well she’s a nice girl, we get on well. We’re friends Blu and Otis Talking head blu Oh yeah Reggie like’s here. He always has. It’s fairly obvious right? Otis doesn’t answer. He has zoned out Blu Right? Otis Oh. Yeah he likes her Lucy talking head Lucy Yeah Reggie is cool, He asked me out once a few years ago but I said no. It would’ve been weird to do it with someone you can have as a pet. Cut away to the conference room everyone is either talking or on their phone Reggie talking head   Reggie Well, this has gone exactly how I expected it too. Blu thinks he’s too good to be here. Otis zoned out an hour ago and the rest of them want to go home. But I’m still confident that I won’t be doing it this time Cut back to the conference room, Ned and Christopher are talking Christopher Why are you shirtless? Ned: Well I’ve been at first base with Wendy for a while and this afternoon I was finally getting somewhere with her Christopher What’s first base with Wendy? NEd I get to blow her kisses from the other side of the room Christopher Oof. That’s rough Wait, haven’t you guys like 20 years? The camera pans round to the door as Reggie walks back in Reggie Right guys, come on we gotta sort this out so we can all go back to enjoying our weekend Blu     Hey, here’s a suggestion… Why don’t you do it? The conference erupts in agreement, everyone is talking at once. The camera focuses on Reggie who looks defeated. Pirate Guy Hey guys, sorry I’m late Suddenly the conference room is silent and the camera pans to the door where there is a man standing dressed as a Pirate. Blu What the hell? Pirate Guy Yeah, I was on my way to a fancy dress party when I saw the messages. Reggie You’re going… to a fancy dress party. At half past two in the afternoon? Pirate Guy Yes Awkward silence Pirate Guy Do you want me to go? Reggie That would be best yeah He leaves, the conference room, remains silent for a few seconds after he’s gone then they all erupt again.     Reggie Guys, come on Reggie Guys They continue to shout Reggie GUYS! They go silent Reggie Thank you. Now I’m not doing it. I do it every time. Most of the time, I don’t even ask you guys because we end up in a situation like this. So I’m going to go back out there and in 15 minutes. When I come back in, you will have decided on who is doing the night shift. Reggie Leaves. The staff looks at each other. 15 minutes has passed, Reggie returns to the conference room Reggie Guys listen… Blu No Reggie, look we’re really sorry. And we have decided that, *sigh* me and Lucy are going to cover the shift.  Reggie No you’re not. Everyone is confused  Reggie Look. I was wrong to drag you in here and ruin you’re Saturday. But don’t worry, I have an idea… We then cut to a little while later, people are getting up and leaving and walking at the door, they are all saying goodbye to Reggie. In the corridor, we see Paul waiting for Reggie. Reggie walks out. Paul Williams Well Reggie, Did you decide on who’s going to cover the night shift?         Reggie Uh, yeah about that We decided that uh... you’d do it Reggie runs off             Paul What? Reggie See ya! Paul looks on as Reggie runs through the automatic doors. Roll Credits- Defunct-Tv theme plays as Credits roll.                         The End   There aren't really many huge change. Most notibly I haveadded a few more talking heads and a couple of jokes. But overall there was nothing major added to the script   I sent my script to a couple of people in order to gain some feedback and I recieved some very good feedback that was very helpful and that I took in to make my third draft. One of the biggest crictisms that the character of Lucy, who is one of the major characters on the actual series, was lacking any plot relevance or character in this version of the script. This is something that I totaly agreed with as although I never intended for her to have a big role in the pilot, I was struggling to write for her becuase unlike Blu the Monkey, Otis and Reggie, I had never intended to have her as a major character but decided I needed a strong female lead as well as the three guys.Because of this, she wasn't as fleshed out as the others meaning I was finding it a challenge to give her any sort of character and this was something that I really wanted to change. Another piece of feedback I had received was from a fellow puppeteer, in he stated that the show needed to include more "puppet" elements. This meant that he felt that some of the puppet characters felt too human and that I shold include some ore moments to justify having puppet characterss otherwise I may as well have just have used human actors instead.  These were the main two things that I wanted to address, as well as a demand for couple more jokes here and there.  Third Draft: The Night Shift” Written and Directed by Conor Blake Fade IN: Scene 1 Ext Day: Shot of a hotel building, the camera slowly zooms in, into one of the windows. Int: Inside we see Reggie the Dog, the hotels assistant manager, standing in a corridor next to the conference room having a conversation with Paul Williams, the manager of the hotel, Paul then walks away; Reggie breathes heavily, preparing himself. He walks through the door, inside the room lots of noise and commotion Reggie The Dog: Alright guys, Thanks for coming in on such a short noti- Reggie is stood speechless as he stares directly in front of him the camera pans to reveal to employees Blu the Monkey and Otis standing in front of a white board with the phrase Do IT,MARRY,KILL in big bold writing. Below that are pictures of Susanna Reid, Ferne Cotton and Basil Brush. The entire room is silent. Blu and Otis look at each other and then back at Reggie Blu The Monkey Reggie, don’t worry I can explain Otis interrupts Blu Otis No don’t worry, I’ve got this… You see Reggie, it is a simple game of shag, marry, kill and these are our 3 choices. Blu the monkey looks embarrassed as Otis continues Otis cont. I’d personally kill Ferne Cotton and then do it with both Basil and Susanna While Otis is speaking: Pan on entire office, everyone looks shocked and disgusted otis Cont. Cause I’m not really looking for anything serious right now just a casual thi- Blu (interupting him) Otis. Otis Yeah? Reggie Please stop talking, just please stop talking. Otis       Oh really? blu: Yep. We’re done. He guides Otis back to his seat as this happens’ Reggie walks up to the front to address the staff Reggie Right guys, Thank you all for coming in on such short notice. I know that it is your day off so I appreciate it. Craig Why are we here anyway? Reggie Well… I have been asked to select two off you – to uh do the night shift this evening Everyone erupts directing their frustrations at Reggie Reggie Talking head: REggie Well, the night team decided to go off sick and management have told me I have to pick two other members of staff to cover for them. It never goes down well. We cut back to the conference room, everyone is still shouting Reggie Guys, come on settle down. I don’t want to be here either but the quicker we decide. The earlier we go home. Also just a quick reminder that the camera crew will be filming so please be extra careful what you say Blu      Huh? Blu talking head You’re a camera crew? How long have you been filming? Oh god, this is-. This is bad… I got to speak to your producer or something because this could ruin me. Cut back to conference room Reggie Anyway, who cannot cover this evening? Everyone raises their hand Reggie Of course Reggie talking head Am I surprised by the number of hands raised? Of course not, this happens every time we need to cover and I’m always the one who ends up doing it.  Reggie Right, go on then Blu. Why can’t you do it? Blu talking head Blu: Oh I have hundreds of excuses. I spend my entire morning writing five pages of notes. Let me give you some examples… I’ve got a dentist appointment- fairly simple but been used a million times. I’ve got loads of hugely controversial excuses that are pretty vile, I probably won’t use them but if it comes to it… I will. And last but not least my favorite one - I am off assassinating the final three members of Take That for inflicting their terrible music on the world.  Cut back to conference room Blu stands up Blu Well it’s quite simple really. I work hard Monday to Friday. I am here before any of you every day and I believe I’m entitled to my weekends off. Reggie You came in at lunchtime yesterday right? Camera pans onto Blu who looks embarrassed  Blu No comment He sits down, Craig stands up  Craig I can’t do it because I got a gig tonight Everyone look happy for Craig, Blu interrupts Blu Ooh, yes! This is my new excuse. I’m going to his gig He writes it down in his note book craig Oh wow, thanks man I really appreciate it Blu Oh I’m not really. I’ve just said to get out of this. But hey good for you though Lucy Hey Reggie, I’m really sorry but I can’t help out tonight as I have an audition this afternoon at three and then I’ve date tonight. Lucy talking head lucy Yeah, I’m an actress. I’ve been acting professionally since I was 18. I’ve not done anything massive, just a couple of small roles here and there. However, I’m very lucky to work in a job where they support what I do. Reggie Oh… right. Yeah tha- that’s totally fine. Go have fun, enjoy yourself and hey, good luck on your audition. I’m sure you’ll smash it     Reggie talking head Reggie Lucy? Well she’s a nice girl, we get on well. We’re friends Blu and Otis Talking head blu Oh yeah Reggie like’s here. He always has. It’s fairly obvious right? Otis doesn’t answer. He has zoned out Blu Right? Otis Oh. Yeah he likes her Lucy talking head Lucy Yeah Reggie is cool, He asked me out once a few years ago but I said no. It would’ve been weird to do it with someone you can have as a pet. Cut away to the conference room everyone is either talking or on their phone Reggie talking head   Reggie Well, this has gone exactly how I expected it too. Blu thinks he’s too good to be here. Otis zoned out an hour ago and the rest of them want to go home. But I’m still confident that I won’t be doing it this time Cut back to the conference room, Ned and Christopher are talking Christopher Why are you shirtless? Ned: Well I’ve been at first base with Wendy for a while and this afternoon I was finally getting somewhere with her Christopher What’s first base with Wendy? Ned I get to blow her kisses from the other side of the room Christopher Oof. That’s rough Wait, haven’t you guys been together for  like 20 years? The camera pans round to the other end of the table. Blu is making notes in his notebook. Blu There... Done! Otis Wow, that’s a lot of excuses. One of those is bound to work. Otis Exactly Craig Hold on, why is your tail covered in ink? Blu talking head Blu Yeah okay. I use my tail to write with. But apart from that I’m a pretty normal guy just like everyone else. I’m not your stereotypical monkey who eats bananas and gets people to pick fleas off his back. Cut to Blu eating a banana and Otis picking fleas off his back Blu Ooh, Ow. Be careful Hey! Don’t eat it that’s disgusting   Camera pans round to the door as Reggie enters Reggie Right guys, come on we gotta sort this out so we can all go back to enjoying our weekend Blu     Hey, here’s a suggestion… Why don’t you do it? The conference erupts in agreement, everyone is talking at once. The camera focuses on Reggie who looks defeated. Pirate Guy Hey guys, sorry I’m late Suddenly the conference room is silent and the camera pans to the door where there is a man standing dressed as a Pirate. Blu What the hell? Pirate Guy Yeah, I was on my way to a fancy dress party when I saw the messages. Reggie You’re going… to a fancy dress party. At half past two in the afternoon? Pirate Guy Yes Awkward silence Pirate Guy Do you want me to go? Reggie That would be best yeah He leaves, the conference room, remains silent for a few seconds after he’s gone then they all erupt again.     Reggie Guys, come on Reggie Guys They continue to shout Reggie GUYS! They go silent Reggie Thank you. Now I’m not doing it. I do it every time. Most of the time, I don’t even ask you guys because we end up in a situation like this. So I’m going to go back out there and in 15 minutes. When I come back in, you will have decided on who is doing the night shift. Reggie Leaves. The staff looks at each other. 15 minutes has passed, Reggie returns to the conference room Reggie Guys listen… blu No Reggie, look we’re really sorry. And we have decided that, *sigh* me and Lucy are going to cover the shift.  Reggie No you’re not. Everyone is confused  Reggie Look. I was wrong to drag you in here and ruin you’re Saturday. But don’t worry, I have an idea… We then cut to a little while later, people are getting up and leaving and walking at the door, they are all saying goodbye to Reggie. In the corridor, we see Paul waiting for Reggie. Reggie walks out. Paul Williams Well Reggie, Did you decide on who’s going to cover the night shift?         Reggie Uh, yeah about that We decided that uh... you’d do it Reggie runs off                             Paul What? Reggie See ya! Paul looks on as Reggie runs through the automatic doors. Roll Credits- Defunct-TV theme plays as Credits roll.                         Post Credit Scene: We see a corridor ala Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Blu the monkey, dressed in a red and grey stripped dressing gown appears from around a door. Blu You’re still here? Blu slowly moves closer to the camera Blu It’s Over… go home. He begins to walk away. He turns back around towards the camera. Blu Go. Go (gesturing them out) He leaves The End In this third draft, I wanted to focus on the feedback that I had recieved from my second draft and wanted to make sure that I included those elements that people wanted to see in my piece. I mainly focused on adding in more "puppet" elements and more diaglouge and backstory for Lucy. Although I still wanted to keep her role in her pilot small, I felt that I needed to give her some more character development in the script about being an actress. And I wanted to include more puppet elements to justify the use of puppetry and I've added a small gag with Blu the monkey which should help justify this. Another addition to this version of the script is a post credit scene whih pays homage to the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Although it is unrealted to the overall story of the Night Shift, I thought it would be funny note the end it on. After writing my drafts, I was very happy with  my third draft and decided to go ahead with the rest of my planning and begin to map out how the project would be shot. I decided to map out the seeting arangement for the shoot. I then decided to do an Audio/Visual script in order to properly map out my shot types: Audio/Visual script (In progress) Visual Audio LS- Shot of a hotel building, the camera slowly zooms in, into one of the windows. n/a MS- Shot through the blinds into an office, we see assistant manager Reggie the dog having a meeting with Paul Williams, the manager, Reggie leaves and he begins to walk to the conference room. He takes a deep breath before the walks into the conference room. (One take, camera follows Reggie) Lots of commotion and separate conversations in the conference room Pan of all the characters in the conference room, talking, throwing Lots of commotion and separate conversations in the conference room MS- Reggie walks into the conference room. He stops speechless as the camera pans round to reveal Blu the monkey and Otis standing in front of a white board with the phrase Do IT,MARRY,KILL in big bold writing. Below that are pictures of Susanna Reid, Ferne Cotton and Basil Brush. “Alright guys, Thanks for coming in on such a short noti-“ Shot of the entire conference room, everyone is silent and embarrassed MS-Otis and Blu look at each other and then look back and Reggie MS- Reggie is still standing there staring at them speechless MS-Cuts back to Blu and Otis. Blu steps forward to speak Otis stops him The camera tilts down and zooms into the face of Blu the monkey who looks mortified as Otis continues Pan the camera to the staff who look shocked and disgusted “don’t worry Reggie, I can explain” “No don’t worry, I’ve got this… You see Reggie, it is a simple game of shag, marry, kill and these are our 3 choices.” “I’d personally kill Ferne Cotton and then do it with both Basil and Susanna” “Cause I’m not really looking for anything serious right now just a casual thi” MS- cut back to Blu and Otis. Blu interrupts Otis “Otis” “Yeah?” “Please stop talking, just please stop talking.” “Oh really?” “Yep, We’re done” Camera pans to Reggie as he walks to the centre of the room to address the staff “Right guys, Thank you all for coming in on such short notice. I know that it is your day off so I appreciate it.” Cut to Craig Why are we here anyway? MS- Reggie Well… I have been asked to select two off you – to uh do the night shift this evening MLS- cut to the staff at the table all screaming and shouting at Reggie Inaudible shouting Reggie talking head outside the conference room Well, the night team decided to go off sick and management have told me I have to pick two other members of staff to cover for them. It never goes down well. MLS- We cut back to the conference room, everyone is still shouting Guys, come on settle down. I don’t want to be here either but the quicker we decide. The earlier we go home. Also just a quick reminder that the camera crew will be filming so please be extra careful what you say Zoom into Blu the monkey Huh? - Blu talking head outside conference room You’re a camera crew? How long have you been filming? Oh god, this is-. This is bad… I got to speak to your producer or something because this could ruin me MS Reggie Camera zooms out and pans to the staff who all have their hands raised Anyway, who cannot cover this evening? Cut to Reggie MCU Of course Reggie talking head Am I surprised by the number of hands raised? Of course not, this happens every time we need to cover and I’m always the one who ends up doing it.  MS- on Reggie Right, go on then Blu. Why can’t you do it? -Blu talking head Oh I have hundreds of excuses. I spend my entire morning writing five pages of notes. Let me give you some examples… I’ve got a dentist appointment- fairly simple but been used a million times. I’ve got loads of hugely controversial excuses that are pretty vile, I probably won’t use them but if it comes to it… I will. And last but not least my favorite one - I am off assassinating the final three members of Take That for inflicting their terrible music on the world.  Cut back to conference room, Blu stands up (MS) Well it’s quite simple really. I work hard Monday to Friday. I am here before any of you every day and I believe I’m entitled to my weekends off. Cut to Reggie You came in at lunchtime yesterday right? Cut back to Blu, zoom in on his face As he sits down, the camera pans round to Craig who is standing up No comment “I can’t do it because I got a gig tonight” (everyone is happy for Craig) Cut back to Blu who stands up again, excited, (camera looking from Craig’s perspective Ooh, yes! This is my new excuse. I’m going to his gig Cut back to Craig  (Camera from Blu’s perspective) Oh wow  thanks man, I really appreciate it Cut back to Blu  (camera again from Craig’s perspective) Oh I’m not really. I’ve just said to get out of this. But hey good for you though Lucy stands up (MS from across the table) Hey Reggie, I’m really sorry but I can’t help out tonight as I have an audition this afternoon at three and then I’ve date tonight. Lucy: Talking Head outside the conference room (MCU) Yeah, I’m an actress. I’ve been acting professionally since I was 18. I’ve not done anything massive, just a couple of small roles here and there. However, I’m very lucky to work in a job where they support what I do. Reggie (MS) Oh… right. Yeah tha- that’s totally fine. Go have fun, enjoy yourself and hey, good luck on your audition. I’m sure you’ll smash it Reggie talking head from outside the conference room Lucy? Well she’s a nice girl, we get on well. We’re friends Blu and Otis talking head Oh yeah Reggie like’s here. He always has. It’s fairly obvious right? Right? Oh. Yeah he likes her Lucy: Talking Head (MCU) Yeah Reggie is cool, He asked me out once a few years ago but I said no. It would’ve been weird to do it with something you can have as a pet. Cut away to the conference room:  Medium close ups shots of people talking and some close ups of people on their phones Shot of one of the extras, who is asleep Reggie talking head: Outside the conference room Well, this has gone exactly how I expected it too. Blu thinks he’s too good to be here. Otis zoned out an hour ago and the rest of them want to go home. But I’m still confident that I won’t be doing it this time Cut back to the conference room: Ned and Christopher are at the table talking (MCU) Camera begins to pan round to the other side of the room to Blu the Monkey and Otis “Why are you shirtless? “ “Well I’ve been at first base with Wendy for a while and this afternoon I was finally getting somewhere with her” “What’s first base with Wendy” “I get to blow her kisses from across the room” “OOF that rough” “Wait haven’t you guys been together for 20 years” “There…Done” “Wow That’s a lot of excuses. One of those is bound to work” “Exactly” Cut to Craig who’s sitting opposite them (MCU) Hold on, why is your tail covered in ink? Cut back to Blu, the camera zooms in on his face as Otis and Craig laugh Blu talking head “Yeah okay. I use my tail to write with. But apart from that I’m a pretty normal guy just like everyone else. I’m not your stereotypical monkey who eats bananas and gets people to pick fleas off his back.” Cut back to Blu the monkey, eating a banana, while Otis sat behind him picking fleas off his back. Camera pans round to the door as Reggie enters Ooh, Ow. Be careful Hey! Don’t eat it that’s disgusting   Right guys, come on we gotta sort this out so we can all go back to enjoying our weekend Cut to Blu the monkey with Otis still picking fleas off his back The camera zooms out from Blu to show the rest of conference room erupting in agreement. Everyone is shouting at once   Hey, here’s a suggestion… Why don’t you do it? Inaudible shouting Cut to Reggie who looks defeated, the camera zooms in on his face as the shouting The conference room goes dead silent as the camera quickly pans to the door to show a man dressed in a pirate costume “Hey guys, sorry I’m late “ Blu the monkey  (MCU) What the hell? MCU: Pirate Guy Yeah, I was on my way to a fancy dress party when I saw the messages. Cut back to Reggie who is so confused You’re going… to a fancy dress party. At half past two in the afternoon? Pirate guy  (MCU) Awkward silence as the camera stays on Pirate Guy Yeah Do you want me to go? Reggie (MCU) “That would be best, yeah” As pirate guy leaves the camera cuts to the rest of the staff who are stunned with what they have seen,  they erupt again seconds later Reggie MCU: As the shouting continues the camera zooms in a little The camera zooms in even further as they continue to shout They fall silent Reggie leaves as the camera follows him to the door and then pans round to see the staff looking at each other Guys Guys, come on GUYS! Thank you. Now I’m not doing it. I do it every time. Most of the time, I don’t even ask you guys because we end up in a situation like this. So I’m going to go back out there and in 15 minutes. When I come back in, you will have decided on who is doing the night shift. 15 minutes have passed, Reggie returns through the door Guys listen… Cut to Blu and Lucy who are stood opposite him (MS) No Reggie, look we’re really sorry. And we have decided that, *sigh* me and Lucy are going to cover the shift.  Cut back to Reggie who’s still standing by the door No you’re not Cut to everyone looking at each other confused Cut back to Reggie walking back into the centre of the room Look. I was wrong to drag you in here and ruin you’re Saturday. But don’t worry, I have an idea… We cut to outside the conference room about 10 minutes later we see people getting up and leaving saying goodbye to Reggie.  Reggie is the last to leave. Reggie walks out of the conference room We see Paul Williams stood waiting for Reggie (MS) He and Reggie are stood facing each other Reggie runs off Camera pans to the as Reggie runs out the door as Paul watches him leave Well Reggie, Did you decide on who’s going to cover the night shift? Uh, yeah about that We decided that uh... you’d do it What?! See ya Location Reece Completed by: Conor Blake Location address: Tennyson Ave, King's Lynn PE30 2QW Scene/purpose of filming: The Night Shift pilot Picture of location: Google maps screenshot of location: Date of shoot: September/October 2020 Time of shoot: N/A Brief description of content of production: Mockumentary TV pilot for the show employees titled The Night Shift Additional requirements for shoot: Actors and puppeteers Any issues that may affect production: COVID19 Any issues that may affect noise: People working outside the conference room How will you power the equipment at this location? Battery packs in camera Do you need permission to use this location? Yes Do you have booking confirmation? Not yet Issues which may affect access for cast/crew: Being allowed access to college if they aren’t students How will you deal with these issues? Gain permission and make sure they have a visitor badge What are any potential hazards? Camera’s being dropped Covid19 How will you avoid/respond to these hazards? Make sure cameras are secure by wearing the strap Making sure people are at a safe distance I believe to the best of my knowledge that this location is suitable for this production. Yes 100% Date: 15/06/2020 Signature: Conor Blake