So, my visit to the Museum went quite well, they were unable to find any information in their museum but gave me some very handy researching tips! They also suggested I use the Town Hall for some of our footage, this is because an old Gaol still stands in that building. We could definitely use this to get some good shots, perhaps as flashbacks of what the cinema used to look like. My visit to the library was also quite exciting. The staff were able to show me some old newspaper clippings of the many Theatres our town used to have. This wasn't really what I was looking for but it still got me thinking of ideas.
It wasn't until I got home that night and began to do my own researching, advised by the Museum, that I came across exactly what I was looking for.
Firstly, I found a plan of the Old Gaol, where the cinema now stands. Here is an image of the plan that I found...www.smuggling.co.uk/gazetteer_se_14.html
Dover Goal – Plan dated 1818 for a new Goal in Dover
I think that this plan is great! We can use this at some point in our film, perhaps during the interview with the 'cinema worker' he could show this to the film maker.
My research didn't stop there! I continued to dig and finally I found some amazing information. I found out that the cinema once had a huge mob wreck the Gaol to break out some Smugglers. They literally pulled the prison apart to free the smugglers. There were many deaths and tragic happenings on this day. Eventually the smugglers were released but meanwhile outside, the mob continued to rampage through the town, smashing windows. The gaol was damaged beyond repair and a new one had to be constructed. The whole
event was commemorated in a Folk-song...
We smuggling boys are merry boys
Sometimes here and sometimes there
No rent nor taxes do we pay,
But a man of war is all our fear.
'Twas on the 21 st of May,
As you will understand,
We sailed out of Boulogne Bay,
Bound for the English land.
But to our sad misfortune,
And to our great surprise,
We were chased by two galleys,
Belonging to the excise.
Oh then my boys for liberty,
Was the cry of one and all,
But soon they overpowered us,
With powder and with ball.
They dragged us up to Gaol,
In irons bound like thieves,
All for to serve great George our King,
and force us to the seas.
The wives for their husbands
Were in such sad distress,
For children round the gaol
Were crying fatherless.
And sure the sight was shocking
For any one to see,
But still the cry came from the mob,
For death or liberty.
Oh then a hole all in the wall,
Was everybody's cry.
And Lillburn and McCullock's men
were soon obliged to fly.
For bricks and tiles flew so fast,
From every point you see,
And these poor men from Dover gaol,
They gained their liberty.
And now they've gained their liberty
The long wide world to range,
Long life to the women,
Likewise to the men.
I couldn't believe it when I found this information and I knew that me and Michelle had to some how put it into our film. As you can guess, we did have to change our story line slightly but we now have a final narrative.
Final story:
The first part of the film will be very similar. We will show a clip of the cinema being used by people on the 21st May in the 1950's. It will then appear that they were never seen again. Another black screen appears, telling the audience that on the 21st May, every year since then, unexplained events occur. It will then cut to numerous newspaper reports, news footage up to the modern day , showing how still, unexplained events such as, power cuts, fires keep occurring at the Cinema every 21st May. it then appears that Michelle, the young student film maker, wants to know more and is not satisfied with the idea that this is just a coincidence...
She decides to contact someone who worked at the cinema during the time when the group of 15 went missing during a viewing, in the 1950's. A man arranges to meet her there, to show her around and tell her what he knows.
Michelle arrives at the cinema and for a while nobody turns up but finally as she turns around he is standing by the doors unexpectedly. They go in and begin to talk about why she is investigating the place and why she finds the whole situation weird. She asks him where he was the night the people went missing, he explains how he was stood outside and he could smell burning. The film then cuts to a black screen showing people in the town being interviewed about the cinema. One woman says, "No, I no longer go to the cinema. Not after what Iv'e heard about it." After more clips of town people it cuts back to the man speaking about what happened that night. He says that when he went into the cinema, nobody was there. No film was playing. No nothing. Michelle becomes very uneasy around this man and asks many direct questions. He begins to ignore them and wanders around the foyer. He then offers to give her a tour around the viewing area.
They sit down in the cinema seats and there is silence for a long period of time. He eventually begins to mutter the date, 1826. He tells her that this is a new date for her to remember. 21st May, 1826. He goes on to tell her how this cinema marks the spot of the old Gaol where hundreds of smugglers were brought to justice that day. He goes on to tell her about the mob that raided the Gaol and how their loved ones broke them out but many were also killed. He tells her that he never talks about this because he doesn't know who's listening. Suddenly the fire alarm goes off and cuts their conversation.
Screen cuts again to interviewing people on the street. Michelle asks what they think of the occurrences that happened on the 21st May. Some reply that they don't want to talk about it. Others say that there is nothing wrong with that date and they've had no experiences in the cinema.
Back to the cinema, the man shows Michelle the projector room. He talks about when he used to work at the cinema and how he used to place the film, ready to be projected, leave for 5 mins, come back and the film was tangled across the floor. He begins to laugh and find this funny. Michelle stands there looking at him blankly. He reaches into his pocket to show her a map of the Gaol and as he does Michelle notices an odd marking on his hand...
He pulls away and walks out. Michelle sits in the room for a while and talks to her camera. Asking herself why she is here and how she feels uneasy about the situation. She suddenly hears a banging. She follows the noise and realises that there is someone standing at the door. She opens the door and the man says, "Hello nice to meet you, I'm Andy, I'm here to show you round the cinema." Michelle stands there in shock and tells him that he can't be the person, as the man has already arrived and shown her round. She freaks out as she realises there is nobody but her in the cinema. The camera cuts off.
The final scene, shows a black screen once again, telling the audience that a few days later, this information was found. A picture of the man who showed her around the cinema appears on the screen but underneath is an article that dates 1846. He is dressed in a prisoner outfit and the headlines reads...'SMUGGLER DIES IN GAOL AFTER MOB BREAKS OUT' The picture zooms in on his hand, where the mark that she saw on him is also on this photo. The next shot is black for several seconds. Michelle's face then appears as she is talking to her camera looking extremely distressed. She tells the audience that she doesn't understand what she has discovered and she doesn't know if she's solved the case of the 21st of May, but what she does know is that it happened. Maybe she broke the cycle for that horrible, horrible date or maybe she didn't. This silences her but eventually her last breath mutters, "Sometimes questions are better left unanswered." The film ends with an abrupt black screen and as the credits begin to role, the folk song of the event plays eerily in the background.
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