Cilla Black Biopic: Cilla

I have included this show as part of my ‘research and development’ work. I believe that it touches on a couple of the areas that I wanted to focus on in section three of our summer work book. One being Scriptwriting , Cilla has a well-developed script that depicts the time and characters correctly giving  the audience a great understanding of what was going on in Cilla’s Life. Secondly, we had to watch something not at the multiplexes that we wouldn’t usually go out of way to watch (option e), for me this falls in to that category. Part one was well made and gave me a great understanding of what she went through and I also enjoyed how the show sets the era of time when it all happened. As a first part it has left me waiting for the next instalment.

Cilla

Cilla is a new Biopic three-part drama show airing on a monday night on ITV at 9.P.M

“The ITV series depicts how Cilla Black’s friendship with The Beatles helped her cross paths with manager Brian Epstein (played by Ed Stoppard). It also charts her romance with future husband Bobby (Aneurin Barnard) and also reveals how Cilla could be ruthless in her determination to make it to the top – and then to stay at the top”(Tv.uk.msn.com, 2014)

Sheridan Smith as Cilla Black(above)

I haven’t watched many biopic based shows and I think thats one of the reasons I decided to watch this to learn a bit more about the genre and view some ITV based Programing. Cilla has a certain charm and in my opinion a great warming script that shows off the period of time well and adds a touch of comedy which must be appreciated in this day and age.

The story shows an era in time when music wasn’t considered to be a great choice financially , it was more seen as a hobby. Cilla (Smith) is shown to still have the dream of singing at a higher level and the drama shows her journey towards this goal. After getting past the scouse accents , which was expected with a  show based in Liverpool , an accent that is probably toned down for TV , this show was quite entertaining.

It’s interesting to watch this as my Knowledge  of Cilla black is limited. I know she was famous for hosting  ‘Blind Date’ and ‘Surprise Surprise’ but that was after she had been recognised. Information on her younger years of singing and how she got in to the entertainment business for me is limited, So this show was a real eye opener.

I enjoyed two parts of this story , one was watching a love story begin between Cilla and her future husband and manager Bobby. There was  a great amount of chemistry between the two characters and one that will evolve in a three-part series. Secondly , I enjoyed seeing ‘The Beatles’ being portrayed in this show, taking a back seat to the life of Cilla . The Beatles as a unit come across a bit arrogant with their success , maybe this is done to make Cilla look more of an underdog in her early days, Or maybe that s  how ‘The Beatles’ represented themselves.

I’m interested to see how the story evolves and how Cilla gets to where she is now.  Apparently Cilla becomes more ruthless with her decisions making and  what she want has to do to reach her goal. This will make great  drama. I expect part two will continue the love story between Cilla and Bobby as well.

Theres a nice use of colour, almost draining out all pretty colours and replacing them  with dark browns,Greys and more bold colours making the show feel like its almost archive footage, . Then Cilla’s bright red hair shining through the monotone looking crowd of people.

My rating for this Biopic, is 6.5 out of 10. It  was a n entertaining and highly  detailed show that kept my attention through out. It didn’t have as much drama as I thought it would , however their intention was to set the tone and introduces the characters in her life. I think the next episode will lead in  more controversy and outline the ruthless dependency of Cilla , opening up more possibilities for the show to impress me more..

---

References

Tv.uk.msn.com, (2014). TV biopics: Sheridan Smith tackles Cilla Black. [online] Available at: http://tv.uk.msn.com/drama/tv-biopics-sheridan-smith-tackles-cilla-black [Accessed 18 Sep. 2014].

Scriptwriting: Formatting and researching

SCRIPTWRITING 

Scriptwriting has always been a great passion of mine , this is an area that I have always considered to be one of my stronger points in Film and Video Production. With  that being said I’m aware that I have a lot to learn about scriptwriting and except that there’s always room for improvement and knowledge to gain in this area.  I believe that before picking up a pen and paper and putting your ideas in to the form of a script you should research into the factors that help you produce a script.  There are many issues that people don’t think about that can cause problems with writing for screen , from how the script is formatted/laid out to the actual key elements that are required in story telling.

FORMATTING A SCRIPT

It’s unfortunately not as simple as looking at a script and copying that style in to your script , you must have an understanding of how a script is laid out and what programs are ok to use to format your script.  When sending a script away they can be very picky about the lay out and format of your script, the script could be the best story in the world but if it looks like its laid out in-correct then they won’t bother reading it.

“Presenting your work appropriately suggests a professional approach and an understanding of the medium and format for which you are writing.

Deciding which format to use will be determined by the type of script you are writing. Formats are dictated by technology, and there are good reasons for using them. A correctly formatted script makes an executive’s life easier and a writer’s life simpler – especially during the long process of rewriting.” ( Bbc.co.uk, 2014). 

 

Programs that are frequently used in Scriptwriting are Celtx(free software),Final Draft ,Script buddy and Microsoft word(less excepted)  Most of these programs will also help with they layout, making it easy to add Actions, Characters and Dialogue by the click of a button instead of uncomfortably formatting everything yourself to look like script.

RESEARCHING YOUR IDEA

Before you actually begin to write a script you have to make sure your idea has been heavily researched. You might think you have the best idea in the world until you find out that you had all the incorrect information about your subject.

For example don’t start writing a script about World War 2 if you haven’t heavily researched the topic first.  This may sound like it’s a lot of work before getting to the exciting part but it will save a lot of time in the long run. Theres nothing worse than having to start all over again. Stephanie Jolland talks about how an idea can be unappreciated by an audience if you’re not careful:

“That’s why I believe that screenwriters should stretch themselves, step out of their comfort zone, and write about things they don’t know about.

However, if you write stories about something you don’t know from your own perspective and experience, it will feel fake. And that’s the problem I have with a lot of scripts I read. Screenwriters write about gangsters, mobsters, and art dealers, but it’s clear they are just rehashing things they have seen before in movies or TV, so their screenplays sound cliché”(Jolland, 2014)

It’s  a good idea to watch movies in the same genre  and see how they have produced the film and look at how the script is portrayed . I know it’s not easy to get a completely original idea in this industry , we don’t want lots of films that are about one thing that have been released already, more likely with a bigger cast and budget than our ideas.

Moreover , Find out as much information as you can about the subject and people who have experienced what it is that your writing about .This will make the story better when people watch and you wont hit as many writers roadblocks.

Experiencing something for yourself can help as a form of research. I wouldn’t write a film about football if I’ve never watched a live football match.I would want to experience the whole environment, including the atmosphere of the fans , the people who work there , watching the teams play etc.  Writing notes on these experiences can help in the idea process later.

 

References

Bbc.co.uk, (2014). BBC – Writersroom – Formatting your script. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/send-a-script/formatting-your-script [Accessed 17 Sep. 2014].

Joalland, S. (2014). 6 Rules of Screenplay Research. [online] Raindance Film Festival. Available at: http://www.raindance.org/6-rules-of-screenplay-research/ [Accessed 18 Sep. 2014].

Disclaimer

The views expressed and materials presented represent the personal views of the author and should not be taken to represent the opinions, policy, or views of the Department of Media, or of Coventry University , nor any of its employees or other students.

All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The author of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site, or found by the following any link on this site.

Neither the Author nor host will be liable for any errors or omissions in this information, nor for the availability of this information. The Author and host will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.