Character Bio’s and Casting

Daniel:

Daniel is the main character in the present day plot, and is the son of Cynthia and Grandson of Lukas. Throughout the film, he is searching for the truth behind the mysterious photograph he has found in his attic, and the horrifying truth that it hides about his own Grandfather. 

Cynthia: Cynthia is the Mother of  Daniel and the duaghter of Lukas. She knows part of the truth about her father, but wants to shield Daniel from the truth. She does not fully know the extent to which Lukas was involved with plannning the Holocaust.

Lukas: Lukas is the main character in the 1942 timeline. He is the father of Cynthia and Grandfather of Daniel. He was directly involved with planning the holocaust, but had second thoughts and defected to Britain under the name Joseph Banks.

Herman: Herman is a high ranking Nazi official present at the Wannsee conference. He is superior to Lukas and is completely devoted to the Nazi cause.

Casting:

It is a lot easier and convenient for us to use close family members or friends for the roles in our film, as it allows for easy planning and availability for filming and re-scheduling.

Daniel: For Daniel, we used one the members of our group Sam Tyler to play him since he was experienced in drama and has the look of a fairly young teenager and would be proficient at performing the role.

Cynthia: We decided to use Sam Tyler’s mother for the role, which was convenient as we were filming the first scene at his house.

Lukas: For Lukas, we used Andy Hawkins, who is actively involved in theatre productions whithin school. We thought that he would play the character well and fitted what we would ideally have liked the character to look like. 

Herman: For Herman, we chose Edward Wills-Wood, as he had a suitable appearance for the character and would be able to play quite a menacing character effectively.

Shooting Script

Present Day Scene:

Scene – INT, Daniel’s Loft and House
Shots	Shot description	Audio and dialogue
1	LA Jump shots, LS, showing Daniel clearing loft
2	Side angle shot of Daniel blowing dust of photo
3	CU of Daniel looking bemused
4	OTS shot of Daniel looking at back of photo see date 1942
5	LA see him leave, down ladderLong shot, seeing Daniel going down the loft
6	LS Daniel going down stairs
7	ECU Hand on door
8	LS Dan coming into room
9	MS Mum looking up from newspaper	Mum – are you alright?, have you done
10	2S of mum and Dan, Dan holding photo
11	MS Dan	Dan – Mum
12	OTS HA reactionary shot of Mum	Mum – Yes dear
13	MS Dan holds photo to Mum	Dan – Who are these men
14	MS Mum looking at photo,	Dan – I have never seen them before
15	CU Mum looking worried, flashback

 

1942 Berlin Scene:

Scene – Outside Wannsee conference
Shots	Shot description	Audio and dialogue
1	(Effect – camera flash), LS of Two men standing together
2	MS, photographer asks for money	That will be 20 reichsmark, your photo will be ready next week
3	Pan S,  men give the money,CU of  money exchange	Thank you – Lucas
4	Tracking Shot, men walk off into back alley
5	2S, Lukas gives him suitcase
6	Mid shot, looks down at suitcase	Is this the transcript – herm
7	CU, of Herm face smiles
8	Mid shot, puts suitcase by side	How did it go- herm
9	OTS, we see Lukas	As planned no interruptions- Lukas
10	Shot reverse shot, CU, Herman smiles	Good then it is in action- Herm
11	CU, of Lukas, looking worried and concerned	Yes- Lukas
12	OTS, Herman sees Lukas’ expression
13	CU, Lukas still concerned look, Reaction shot, Herman speaks. Lukas quickly changes to reassure Herman	Don’t you agree- HermYes- Lukas
14	CU , of Herman looking suspicious, reactionary shot, hear Lukas	Yes my allegiance is with the Fuhrer- Lukas
15	LS, 2S, Both salute then shake hands and Herman leaves	Heil Hitler- Both
1617	CU, Lukas looks guiltyTracking shot behind Herman stops and goes over the shoulder we see him looking at transcript. Nazi symbol in red

Date:

Shooting Location

Since our film is set in the early 1940’s, we need to find a location that will look authentic and at the same time, not have the problem of pedestrians walking through our shots, which would break the continuity. We have decided on using an old path in Ringwood, that travels along an old disused railway path, that still has the old bridge. This is a great setting for the film, as it is firstly set in a rural area, and the old bridge looks as though it would belong in the time period that we have chosen. However, there several potential problems with this area, the main one being that the location is quite a popular cycling and dog walking area, with residential housing nearby. This problem can be easily dealt with though, as the part we plan to film at is quite a long path closed off on either side by trees and the housing can not be seen, and also we have planned to film quite early in the morning to bypass any pedestrians that will be coming down the cycle path. Even with these potential complications, the extra effort is worth it as this is a prime location with everything we need, as the real place that it is supposed to be set in Berlin is similarly a heavily wooded area.

Also, we were able to take some footage of the actual Wannsee building in Berlin, which greatly adds to the believability and make our film look a lot more authentic.

For the present day scene, the location is extremely easy as we will be filming the whole present day part at one of our team members houses, so we will not have any complications with the public or any continuity issues.