Planning and Pre-Production Short Film

By Laura Dalaimo

Contents:

 Production Schedule (Page 3)

 Shooting Production Schedule (Page )

 Shooting Script (Pages )

 Storyboard (Pages )

 Props List (Page )

 Equipment List (Page )

 Sound List (Page )

 Crew List (Page )

 Audition Notes (Page )

 Character Profiles (Page )

 Location Recce’s (Pages )

 Clearances and Confirmations (Page )

 Contingency Plans (Page )

2
Production Schedule

3
Shooting Production Schedule

4
 Shooting Script

INT.BEDROOM-AFTERNOON

Focus on a record player, a set of hands put a record onto the player and start the needle.

At first, a crackling noise can be heard, followed by a soundtrack of NASA Astronauts

speaking.

HARRISON BAILEY sits on his bed, on a space related duvet. He is holding a small

cardboard rocket, and making it fly around him. Focus is placed onto the rocket, it is

named ‘ ‘. HARRISON BAILEY brings the rocket towards the bed, to simulate a landing.

HARRISON BAILEY

One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. ---- has touched down on

the moon surface.

Title sequence starts to play. Rocket green screen footage starts to play. The rocket flies

around the screen, with the flames revealing the names of the actors and crew involved with

production.

ANGELA BAILEY (O.S)

Harrison! Dinner.

HARRISON BAILEY puts the rocket down on his bed and gets up, focus stays on the

rocket as he leaves the room.

INT. DINING ROOM-AFTERNOON

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HARRISON BAILEY walks into the front room and sits at the dinner table.

Food is placed on the table in-front of him. HARRISON organises the food, separating it

so it doesn’t touch. As he does so, the camera switches so we see ANGELA BAILEY,

who is eating the same meal. HARRISON is then seen eating his food. They sit in silence

whilst they eat. The television can be heard quietly in the background.

NEWS REPORTER ON TELEVISION (quietly)

Breaking news from NASA space agency.

HARRISON BAILEY quickly looks up and grabs the television remote. He turns up the

volume and watches the television.

NEWS REPORTER

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA is

looking for candidates for their next space exploration campaign.

HARRISON watches silently, thinking about becoming an astronaut.

NEWS REPORTER

So, if you can meet these requirements, then apply to NASA and try your luck

at becoming an astronaut.

Close up shot of HARRISON as he smiles at the television, still holding his food on his

fork.

ANGELA

Harry, if you are interested, why don’t you look into it a little bit more. We all

know how much you love space. But first, finish your dinner.

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 HARRISON quickly ate his dinner and rushed out of the dining room.

ANGELA (O.S)

Plate!

HARRISON rushes back into the dining room, grabs the plate he was eating off and

quickly rushes back out. He enters the kitchen.

INT.KITCHEN-AFTERNOON

HARRISON moves quickly into the kitchen, and opens the dishwasher. He puts the plate

inside and shuts the door. As the dishwasher door shuts, the camera cuts.

INT.BEDROOM-EVENING

HARRISON is back on his bed, using toilet roll and paper to make a new rocket. He

reaches over to his bedside table and touches the top of the radio. A slight crackling

sound can be heard.

NEWS REPORTER (O.S)

NASA has released the requirements that they need for a person to become one of

their astronauts. These are very tough requirements, and only 10 candidates will

make it to the next stage.

HARRISON reaches back over and touches the top of the radio again, getting himself into

bed. The camera looks down onto HARRISON as he lies on his back in bed. The screen fades

to black.

INT.BEDROOM-MORNING

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HARRISON opens his eyes quickly and gets up and out of bed quickly. Tracking

shot follows HARRISON as he briskly walks to his bedroom door.

INT.HALLWAY-MORNING

The camera follows HARRISON as he walks into his bathroom, wearing his pyjamas. The

camera stops at the door, and the door is shut, creating a barrier between HARRISON and the

audience. The hallway is silent, and we can hear the toilet flush on the other side, followed by

the running tap.

HARRISON then unlocks the door and walks out. He has changed out of his pyjamas and is

now wearing a t-shirt and trousers. He walks towards the camera, creating a tracking shot, as

he follows the camera down the stairs.

INT.OFFICE-MORNING

HARRISON walks into the family office room and picks up a small stack of paper from the

printer. He looks at it and quickly flicks through.

INT.KITCHEN-MORNING

ANGELA is in the kitchen, pouring cereal, when HARRISON arrives at the door, still

holding the papers. ANGELA passes HARRISON the bowl of cereal to take.

ANGELA

Morning, how was your sleep?

HARRISON

I didn’t sleep to well Mum, I was way too excited for today.

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HARRISON holds up the paper in his hand, showing it to ANGELA.

ANGELA

What does that paper say?

HARRISON

It is the NASA application form; I am going to fill it out and send it off today.

HARRISON leaves the kitchen, and walks into the dining room, he sits down at the dining

room table.

INT.DINING ROOM- MORNING

HARRISON sits down at the table, with the papers in his hand. He reads through them whilst

eating his breakfast. He picks up a pen and starts to fill out the paperwork.

Close up shots of HARRISON’S pen as he fills out the paperwork. One of the questions is a

science question. HARRISON fills the answers out no problems and gets to the end of the

paper.

EXT. POST-BOX- MORNING

HARRISON has left his house, and walked to a post-box, he posts the forms into the box, and

smiles.

EXT.FRONT DOOR- MORNING

HARRISON returns from the post-box and knocks on his front door. ANGELA opens the

door.

ANGELA

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 Did you post your application?

HARRISON

Yes, now I will just have to wait for a reply.

The next sequence is to show the passing of time whilst HARRISON waits for his reply letter

to his application.

INT.BEDROOM-MORNING

HARRISON jumps out of bed, and goes to the desk in his room, he crosses off the date on his

calendar.

This same sequence occurs three times, with HARRISON crossing off subsequent dates, to

show the passing of time.

On the third time, HARRISON goes to his laptop, and opens the screen. He is scrolling on

social media and comes across a news video.

NEWS REPORTER (O.S)

The first two NASA candidates, Teddie Dotson and Pixie Foster have been

announced. How does it feel to be selected as an astronaut candidate?

PIXIE FOSTER

It really feels like a dream come true, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity

and I am just so thankful that I was selected.

TEDDIE DOTSON

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 Absolutely! I agree. Becoming an astronaut was something that I

had wanted to do for a long time, and I still cannot believe that I was chosen.

EXT.PARK- AFTERNOON

HARRISON has gone out to the park and is sat on the rocket equipment. He looks miserable

as he eagerly waits for his reply. A phone ping sound can be heard.

HARRISON looks into his pocket and takes out his phone. There is a text message from

ANGELA.

ANGELA (Text message)

There’s something at the house for you, a letter came.

HARRISON worryingly smiles, but quickly rushes off the play equipment. The camera un-

focuses itself and comes back into focus at the house.

EXT.DRIVEWAY-AFTERNOON

HARRISON arrives back at his house and runs up the driveway. ANGELA opens the door as

he reaches the step, and hands HARRISON a key. HARRISON takes the key and uses it to

open the post-box. Inside, there is a singular letter, addressed to HARRISON, with NASA

branding on the envelope.

INT.HALLWAY-AFTERNOON

HARRISON runs up through the hallway, clutching the letter, up to his bedroom. He quickly

shuts the door and jumps onto the bed.

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HARRISON starts to open the letter, ripping the envelope open.

HARRISON (reading)

Dear Mr Bailey. Thank you for your recent application to the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Astronaut candidate programme. We

regret to inform you that we are not able to accept you into our programme.

We received over 20,000 applications for these roles and unfortunately, we do

not feel that you are what we are looking for…

HARRISON puts down the letter, looking devastated. He picks up the cardboard rocket next

to him and breaks it. He also picks up the duvet from the bed and replaces it with a fluffy

blanket.

HARRISON lays there under the blanket, upset about the fact that he will not be able to

become an astronaut.

A crackling noise can be heard from the radio, which turns on.

NEWS REPORTER (V.O)

Breaking news! NASA has sent out all of their offers to potential astronaut

candidates. The full list of candidates has now been announced: Nellie

McLaughlin, Cristian Pearson, Vivian Albert, Teddie Dotson, Elliot Charles,

Indiana Roberts, Gary Carillo, Vickie Handley, Pixie Foster, Floyd

Whitworth. These ten candidates are onto the next stage of NASA training.

We are all excited-

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HARRISON reaches over to the radio and turns it off. He hides further into the

blanket. There is a knock at the door and ANGELA walks in. ANGELA sits on the bottom of

HARRISON’S bed.

ANGELA

Harrison don’t give up yet. You might not have got in this time, but you could

be selected next time.

HARRISON

This is a once in a life-time opportunity, maybe I should just find something

else.

ANGELA

Do whatever makes you happiest.

ANGELA gets up off the bed, and leaves the room, she shuts the door behind her.

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14
Storyboard

15
Props List

Prop Used by Shot number

Lego Rocket Ship Harrison Bailey
Cardboard Rocket Ship Harrison Bailey
Computer Harrison Bailey

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Equipment List

Equipment Shot Number Do I need to rent?

Canon Camera No

Tripod No

Green Screen No

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 Extension Cord No

Sound List

Sound Name Foley Downloaded Shot

Sound? ? Number
NASA Radio Chatter yes

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Crew List

Name Role Characte Contact Confirmed

r Name Details ?
Laura Director Teddie Dotson lauradalaimo@hotmail.com yes
Dalaimo
Tori Dalaimo Character Angela Bailey toris28@hotmail.co.uk
Harrison Character Harrison Bailey Harrisonolney03@gmail.co
Olney m
Michael Character News Reporter mdalaimo@
Dalaimo
Mia Curtis Character Pixie Foster mrlcurtis@hotmail.com

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 Audition Notes

Name Suitability for Role Availability

Mia Curtis Mia has been in a lot Mia is available on
(Harrison Bailey) of my productions Tuesday-Saturday
before and was keen to after 6pm. And is
audition again. She is available all day on
a good actress and I Sunday and Monday.
feel that she could We can work around
work well for this role. this schedule to make
However, I feel that it things work if I do use
may be time for me to Mia as my main
use a different actor in character.
my production, and I

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 am going to use Mia
as an understudy.
Harrison Olney Harrison is a keen Harrison attends
(Harrison Bailey) actor, and he would fit Stoney Dean 6th form
the role quite nicely. in Amersham, which is
He had a good open from 8:45am
audition, and I have until 3:30pm on
worked with him weekdays. I would be
before. In secondary able to work with
school, Harrison was Harrison on the
always involved in the weekends, or around
productions, once these hours.
taking the part of Zeke
in High School
Musical. I know that
Harrison has a good
work ethic, and I
would be keen to work
with him.

Character Profiles

Name- Harrison Bailey

Age-

About-Harrison is the protagonist of the story, who grows up with the dream of becoming an astronaut, but

he realises that he will be unable to fulfil this dream. He becomes hurt by this, and starts to try and find a

new dream.

Interests- Harrison is interested in space, and wants to become an astronaut when he grows up. He is a

smart and creative character but is quiet and reserved with others. Harrison is also neat and organised, he

21
enjoys spending time with rocket models that he created. Harrison also enjoys watching

television, and playing games. He likes to spend time with his family, and his pets.

Name- Angela Bailey

Age-

About- Angela Bailey is the mother of Harrison. She is not shown much throughout the short film, but is

there to console him when he is unable to become an astronaut.

NASA News Reporter

Age- unknown

About- This man is the NASA News Reporter, who appears on the television. His voice can also be heard

multiple times throughout the production on the radio.

Pixie Foster

Age- unknown

About- Pixie Foster is a minor character in this production, she is one of the first candidates announced to

be accepted for the NASA Astronaut space programme. She appears on the television for one interview.

Her character is blonde, and happy due to her acceptance.

Teddie Dotson

Age- unknown

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 About-Teddie Dotson is also a minor character in this production. She is the other candidate to

be announced on the third day of waiting. She appears on the television for one interview with the news

reporter to talk about her joy of being accepted for the programme. Teddie Dotson is shorter than Pixie

Foster, with brown hair.

Location Recce’s
Type of room/area: Bedroom

Location Address: 39 Clapton Approach,

Wooburn Green

Sat-Nav Details (Post Code): HP10 0DW

Nearest Train Station: Bourne End

Nearest Bus Stop: Loudwater Hedge Lea

Site name and Contact Details: Availability:

Laura Dalaimo This bedroom is always available.
07809589155
Permissions:
As this is my bedroom, I will not need to ask for any permissions to use it. However, I will be telling my
family that I will be filming. This will be out of politeness to the other members of my household.

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Suitability/Shots for Production:
My room is a very plain room, so it will be very suitable for my production. The walls are grey and empty, so
I can put up posters relating to space. The room is spacious, which means that I can fit my actors and the
lighting and camera set up nicely. I will be able to change the bedding in this room.

Lighting Information Solutions

In this room, there is lots of natural lighting from the If the natural lights are not enough, I can plug in my
Velux windows and the main window. There are 6 own lights around the room that can be positioned.
lights in the roof, and two lamps.

Sound Information Solutions

This room is in the loft of my house, so the area is I will tell the other members of my household that I
usually quite quiet. Usually, the area is louder when will be filming, so hopefully they will be quieter.
there is more general noise in the house.

Power Information Solutions

In my room, I have a lot of different plug sockets I will not need any solutions, I can just plug my
situated in different corners of the room. equipment in. If the cable doesn’t reach, then I can
get an extension cord.

Hazards Solutions
As this is my bedroom, there is no real hazards that I
need to be careful of.

Location Recce’s
Type of room/area: Park

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Location Address: Wooburn Manor Park

Sat-Nav Details (Post Code): HP10 0ES

 Nearest Train Station: Bourne End Train

Site name and Contact Details: Availability:

Beaconsfield Town Council This park is always open and available to the public.
https://beaconsfieldtowncouncil.gov.uk/contact/ There is a small area of the park that is sectioned off
for the Cricket Club, but this is only a small area.
Permissions:
As this is a public park, I will not need to ask for permissions to use it. I will also be going in the middle of a
weekday, to avoid the general public. I am likely to encounter dog-walkers at this time of year, as there is lots
of space and the weather is not too warm yet.

Suitability/Shots for Production:

I feel that this area is very suitable for my production, I will be using the play area, which features a play
rocket.

Lighting Information Solutions

This park is in a very open space, and there are not
many trees to create a shadow. This means that in the
daytime, there will be plenty of natural light entering
the park. It will start getting darker in the early
evening, so I will need to be careful about the time of
day I am shooting.
I will go to the park earlier on in the park, so I can
have the majority of light for the day. Luckily, I do
not need to be in this location for very long, so I do
not need to worry so much. However, if I need to, I
can bring my own lighting or a bounce so I can be in
more control.

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Sound Information
This park is generally quiet, especially at the times of
the day when children are at school. There is a main
road that runs past the left side of the park, so I will
need to stay away from that to avoid traffic noise.
Power Information
There is no public source of power in this park.
Hazards
There are some hazards that I will need to keep an
eye on in this park. Firstly, there will be a few dog
walkers about, who may be walking their dog off-
lead, this may cause a disruption to me if they run
into shot, or disturb the actors. There is also the
cricket pitch, where a cricket ball could be hit
towards me. Finally, there is a small stream that runs
through the left side of the park.
Location Recce’s
26
Solutions
I need to go to the park at the quietest parts of a
weekday, where there will not be too many people
walking, and there should not be too many cars on
the road.
Solutions
I will bring a power bank to the park, so I can keep
my equipment plugged in when necessary. However,
if I need power, I can ask the Cricket Club if I would
be able to use one of their power sources.
Solutions
There is not much that I can do about dogs disrupting
the filming, it is a minor issue that can be
overlooked. The children’s play area is away from
the cricket pitch for safety issues, but I will still keep
my eyes out for the safety of my actors. I will warn
my actors of the stream in the park, and keep my
equipment away from it.
Type of room/area: Kitchen
Location Address: 39 Clapton Approach,
Wooburn Green
Sat-Nav Details (Post Code): HP10 0DW
Nearest Train Station: Bourne End
Nearest Bus Stop: Loudwater Hedge Lea
Site name and Contact Details:
Laura Dalaimo
07809589155
Permissions:
I will ask my family members if they are comfortable with me filming in the kitchen, as this is a room that
they often use as well.
Suitability/Shots for Production:
This location is not seen often in my production, so it will be perfect.
Lighting Information
In this kitchen, we have 6 spotlights in the ceiling.
There are also two large windows that let light in.
Sound Information
This room does tend to get louder at mealtimes, as
members of my family will use it to cook and get
some food. There are also occasional noises from the
appliances we have in there, such as the washing
machine or microwave.
Power Information
Due to the fact that this is a kitchen, there are lots of
plug sockets that I can plug my equipment into. This
is because we have a variety of appliances that need
to use power.
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Availability:
This kitchen is available most of the time.
Solutions
If the lights that I already have are not bright enough,
I can plug some other lights in to brighten the scene.
Solutions
I will tell the other members of my household that I
will be filming, so hopefully they will be quieter. I
will also ensure that I am not filming when the
appliances are being used already. If the washing
machine is on, I will film at another time.
Solutions
I will not need any solutions; I can just plug my
equipment in to one of the empty sockets or unplug
an unused appliance. If the cable does not reach, then
I can use an extension cord.
Hazards Solutions
There are no major hazards in this area. I just need to
keep any electricals out of the way of the sink, so it
doesn’t get wet.

Location Recce’s
Type of room/area: Driveway

Location Address: 39 Clapton Approach,

Wooburn Green

Sat-Nav Details (Post Code): HP10 0DW

Nearest Train Station: Bourne End

Nearest Bus Stop: Loudwater Hedge Lea

Site name and Contact Details: Availability:

Laura Dalaimo My driveway is always available.
07809589155
Permissions:
I will ask my family members if they are comfortable with me filming on the driveway. I will also give my
parents the opportunity to move their cars if they wish. I will not need permission from anyone else, as I will
be filming the front of my own house.

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Suitability/Shots for Production:
This location is not seen often in my production, so it will be perfect. I need to use the door, and the post box.

Lighting Information Solutions

As this location is outside, I should not need to worry I should not need to have any solutions for this, I will
about lighting. There will be natural lighting from need to just film in the daytime.
the sun outside in the daytime. However, if I need to,
there is also a sensor light when it gets darker.

Sound Information Solutions

As this location is outside, there will be noise from
cars and pedestrians passing by the front of the
house. Fortunately, I live on a quiet road, so there
should not be too many people, especially in the
daytime when my neighbours will be out at work.
I will need to film in the middle of the day, on a
weekday, when my neighbours will be out at work.
Because the location is outside, I should expect some
noise from traffic, and it would be odd if it was silent
outside the house.

Power Information Solutions

I should not need power, however, if I need any
power, I have an outdoor plug that I can plug
equipment into.

Hazards Solutions
There will be hazards of vehicles on the road. But
my driveway is very secure. I will not need to worry
about any hazards on my driveway.

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Clearances and Confirmations

I sent this email out to my respondents regarding their

auditions.

30
Contingency Plan

If I can’t use the locations I have planned, then I will use back-up locations.

The first back up location is a substitute bedroom. I contacted and confirmed with Mia Curtis that I would be

able to use her bedroom as my backup.

I also need to sort out back up actors. My main character is going to be played by Harrison Olney, however, if

he becomes unavailable, I will use Mia Curtis and cut her minor role later on.

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Location Recce’s
Type of room/area: Bedroom

Location Address: 20 Clapton Approach,

Wooburn Green

Sat-Nav Details (Post Code): HP10 0DP

Nearest Train Station: Bourne End

Nearest Bus Stop: Loudwater Hedge Lea

Site name and Contact Details: Availability:

Mia Curtis I will need to use this room when Mia is available to
07540331343 give us access.
Permissions:
I will need to ask for Mia Curtis’ permission before I use this room. As this is her bedroom, it is
understandable that there will only be certain times when we are able to use it. I have been in contact with
Mia, and she is willing to let us use this room as a back-up.

Suitability/Shots for Production:

This room would be suitable for my production. It is a large room, in the loft of a house, which would allow
space for the camera equipment. The room itself has plain white walls, that are empty. This would mean that,
with permission, I can hang some posters on the walls.

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Lighting Information
In this room, there is lots of natural lighting from the
3 Velux windows. They provide a lot of natural
lighting into the room. There are also 5 lights in the
ceiling, that can provide more light.
Sound Information
This room is in the loft of a house, with a ladder and
hatch to gain entry. This means that the room is
generally very quiet, unless the windows are open. If
the windows are open, there tends to be a little bit
more noise from the surrounding areas.
Power Information
In this room, I have a lot of different plug sockets
situated in different corners of the room.
Hazards
This bedroom is in the loft of the house. The room
can be accessed by a ladder from the middle floor.
This ladder can be considered a hazard, especially if
the hatch is left open.
33
Solutions
If the natural lights are not enough, I can plug in my
own lights around the room that can be positioned.
Solutions
I will ensure that the hatch stays closed, and I will
keep the windows shut in this room.
Solutions
I will not need any solutions, I can just plug my
equipment in. If the cable doesn’t reach, then I can
get an extension cord.
Solutions
I will need to ensure that my actors are aware, and
capable of getting up and down the ladder into this
room. Also, I will need to ask the room-owner for
help getting the equipment up and down, which
shouldn’t take too long. Once everyone is in the
room, I will close the hatch, which we will later
reopen to let everyone leave.