📋 Day Overview
Total Scenes
13
Indoor (Botswood)
10 scenes
Outdoor
3 scenes
Estimated Total
6–7 hrs
Strategy: Shoot all 10 interior scenes first at Botswood (Blocks 1–4), then break for outdoor if time allows today, or schedule outdoor for tomorrow. Indoor is ~70% of the film — get it locked.
🩸 BLOOD SCENES — SHOOT LAST IN THE ROOM
Scene 10 requires stage blood on Life's hands, the blade, and possibly the table. Once blood is on set, it's very hard to clean for pickups. Always shoot SC1–6 and SC8–9 BEFORE SC10. Have backup linen for Life's costume if blood splashes.
1
THE FIRST CONTACT
~60 min
est. shoot time
🔧 Setup Before Rolling
Location
Botswood — The Room set
Lighting
Edison bulb ON (practical), cold blue fill from door crack left wall. Haze machine low. Dust in beam.
Camera A
Mohau — 24mm wide establishing → 50mm OTS → 85mm ECU
Camera B
Dimpho — 65mm CU reactions → 35mm medium for Life's entrance
Sound
Lame — boom. Room tone wild track first (30 sec). Silence is critical.
Actors call
Death (Tebogo) + Person (Bezile) first. Life (TBC) on standby for SC2.
Props for This Block
Heavy wooden table
3 chairs
Edison bulb + wire
Whiskey bottle + glass
Clay pot
Baby photo (framed)
Cigarette (herbal)
Haze/incense
Book of Life (Life enters SC2)
SC 1
Death Waits — Person Arrives
~25 min
Cast: Death (Tebogo), Person (Bezile)
Death is seated, still, waiting. Person enters through the door. Cold breeze. Death reveals himself: "I am the end of your calendar." Person processes — laughs, disbelief, then dread. Person picks up baby photo — "What have I done with my life?" Death's devastating response: "You loved. Poorly sometimes."
WIDE establishing — room empty then Death seated (KF01)
MED handheld — Person enters door (KF02)
OTS Death → Person (KF03)
ECU Death — "I am the Angel of Death" (KF04)
MCU Person + baby photo (KF05)
🎭 Roland: Death must NOT play villain. He is calm, amused, almost tender. Think: a tired surgeon who has seen this a thousand times. "You're early" is said like a host greeting a guest — warm, not threatening. The stillness is the weapon.
📌 Katamelo: Shoot the wide establishing FIRST with the room empty, then Death seated alone (hold 10 seconds of stillness before Person enters). This silence is the film's signature. Let the room breathe.
SC 2
Life Reveals + Flashback
~35 min
Cast: Death, Person, Life (TBC)
Life appears — enters focused on Death. "I am the one who delays." She challenges Death's comfort: "Far too comfortable in a place that is not yet his." Death gets frustrated, gives Person a cigarette. CUT TO: flashback of Person's traumatic memory (abstract, 2–3 shots — dutch angles, motion blur). CUT BACK to Person, traumatised.
MED low angle — Life enters, dust swirls (KF06)
MED two-shot — Death & Life face off (KF08)
CU Person between them (KF09)
ABSTRACT ECU — flashback fragment (KF07)
🎭 Roland: Life's entrance must be FELT before seen. Camera shift, dust stirring, air pressure change. She walks in like she owns the room — and she does. Death is annoyed but respects her. Twins who love and hate each other. The cigarette moment: Death shares it like offering communion — a small shared human ritual between immortals and a mortal.
📌 Katamelo: Flashback can be shot HERE in the room with different lighting (strobe, 90° shutter, dutch angles on Person's face). Keep it abstract — 3 shots max. This saves an exterior location. Shoot flashback LAST in this block so you can change lighting without resetting.
📐 STORYBOARD — Grid 1: The Summoning (KF01–KF09)
KF01 Room establishing → KF02 Person enters → KF03 OTS Death → KF04 ECU Death → KF05 Baby photo → KF06 Life enters → KF07 Flashback → KF08 Twin face-off → KF09 Person between them
2
THE GREAT DEBATE
~90 min
est. shoot time
🔧 Setup Changes from Block 1
Lighting
Same Edison + haze. No changes needed. Continuity from Block 1.
Camera A
Mohau — wide lockoffs for circling (KF10) + slow push-ins for seduction
Camera B
Dimpho — CU ping-pong between Death and Life + ECU inserts (book pages)
Props add
Book of Life must be ready with visible Setswana text on pages for insert shots
Key note
NO RESET between SC3–6. These flow as one continuous debate. Shoot in script order.
SC 3
Twin Standoff — "It is not yet his time"
~20 min
Cast: Death, Life, Person (background)
Death and Life face each other. "How are you, sister… or should I say, twin?" Life insists his lifespan has been extended. Death: "No one ever is. That is my advantage." Rapid-fire dialogue — escalating tension. Ends with them facing each other, Person caught in the middle.
WIDE slight overhead — twins circling Person (KF10)
OTS Life → Death and back (ping-pong)
CU Person watching, overwhelmed
📌 Katamelo: This is the fastest dialogue in the film. Let actors build rhythm — rehearse the ping-pong 2–3 times before rolling. Person stands frozen — he is a prop in the immortals' argument. Camera A stays wide, Camera B catches faces.
SC 4
The Book of Life — Reading the Pages
~25 min
Cast: Death, Life, Person
Death and Life circle Person under the bulb. Life opens the Book and reads: "He must forgive himself for becoming him." Person responds with his list of unfinished business. Death counters each one. Life reads more. Person learns he has 95 pages total, 8 remaining. A human life measured in paper.
Symmetrical MED — Person centre, Death left, Life right (KF12)
MCU Life reading Book (KF11)
ECU insert — Book pages, Setswana text (KF13)
OTS Death → Person for each counter
🎭 Roland: This is the emotional engine. Person's list — "I need to forgive my father" — must come from a real place. Coach the actor: what does HE need to forgive? Use his truth. Life reads with fierce maternal tenderness. Death counters not cruelly but honestly: "Love delayed is useless" is a TRUTH, not an attack. Both angels are right. That's the tragedy.
SC 5
Death's Seduction — "Come. End the Chapter."
~20 min
Cast: Death, Life, Person
Death shifts from debate to seduction. Voice softens. "No fear. No memory. No tomorrow." He extends a hand — an invitation. The amber light seems to warm. Person is tempted — "It sounds peaceful." Death: "Come. End the Chapter." Silence. Person does not move.
ECU Death — seduction face (KF14)
Slow push-in on Person considering
MED Life watching, holding breath
🎭 Roland: Death's most dangerous moment. He is offering genuine relief. No tricks, no manipulation — real peace. The audience should WANT Person to say yes. That's how good Death must be. Voice: barely above a whisper. One hand extended, palm up. The softest thing in the room.
SC 6
"Not Yet" — Death Exits — Life's Farewell
~25 min
Cast: Death, Life, Person
Person says the two quietest, most important words: "Not yet." Death respects it — delivers his final speech about always answering when called honestly. Life gives Person the farewell: "The ink is yours. Spend your pages carefully. Fail, and still continue." Death exits through the dark doorway. Person stands alone in the amber light.
CU Person — "Not yet" direct to camera (KF15) ⭐ HERO FRAME
MCU Life — farewell speech (KF16)
WIDE — Death exits to dark doorway (KF17)
MED — Person alone at table (KF18)
🎭 Roland: "Not yet" is the quietest most important line in the film. No shouting. No defiance. Just a man who is not ready, saying so honestly. Shoot it three ways: (1) barely audible whisper, (2) said while exhaling, (3) said with eyes closed. Pick in edit. Death's exit: he walks SLOWLY. Unhurried. He will be back. He always is.
📌 Katamelo: After Death exits, hold on Person ALONE for a full 10 seconds. Let the audience sit in the silence with him. The whiskey glass, the clay pot, the empty chairs — the room remembers what just happened. This is the emotional peak of Act 1. Then CUT — hard — into Block 3.
📐 STORYBOARD — Grid 2: The Debate & Departure (KF10–KF18)
KF10 Circling Person → KF11 Life reads Book → KF12 Symmetrical altar → KF13 Book pages insert → KF14 Death seduction → KF15 "Not yet" ⭐ → KF16 Life farewell → KF17 Death exits → KF18 Person alone
☕ BREAK POINT — Reset for Dice Game
Blocks 1–2 are done. Person (Bezile) wraps — thank him, he's done with the room. Now swap in Third Person for SC8–10. Quick reset: clear baby photo, cigarette props. Add the bone-white die and confirm knife props are on standby. Life actor: refresh costume, check headwrap. Stage blood on standby but DO NOT open yet.
3
THE GAMBLE & THE KILL
~75 min
est. shoot time
🔧 Setup Changes
Cast swap
Person (Bezile) OUT → Third Person (TBC) IN. Death + Life stay.
Lighting
Same Edison. Add: bulb rigged to SWING on cue for SC10 aftermath (fishing line or hand-push).
Camera
Mohau: overhead lockoff for table (KF22) — may need ladder/apple box. Dimpho: ECU inserts.
Props add
Bone-white die, knife ×2 (retractable), Soul Catcher. Stage blood READY but sealed.
⚠️ Blood
SC10 is the LAST scene in the room. Once blood is out, no going back. Confirm all clean shots are DONE before opening blood.
Props for This Block
Bone-white die
Knife ×2 (retractable)
Soul Catcher
Stage blood (500ml)
Table + 3 chairs (same)
Edison bulb (rigged to swing)
Clay pot (tips over in SC10)
SC 8
The Game is Set
~15 min
Cast: Death, Life, Third Person (TBC)
Three chairs, three figures. Death appears, knife at side. Life already seated — "I've been waiting." Third Person sits nervously. Life proposes: "A game of chance… whoever rolls one first wins." She places the die on the table. Death: "How human of you."
TOP-DOWN WIDE — table, three chairs, three figures (KF22)
INSERT — die placed on wood (KF23)
SPLIT ECU — twin faces, same bone structure (KF24) ⭐ HERO
📌 Katamelo: The overhead shot (KF22) is the god's-eye view — fate looking down. Get this angle first while energy is fresh. May need a stepladder or shoot from a window/balcony above if available at Botswood. Third Person: coach them to grip the table edge, eyes darting, sweating (glycerin).
SC 9
The Rolling — Death Wins
~20 min
Cast: Death, Life, Third Person
Life and Death roll in turns. Life: "Do you remember when we were younger?" She tries to reach the brother beneath the angel. Death: "I saw too much… mercy unchecked brings chaos." On the 6th roll — Death hits ONE.
ECU inserts — die rolling, hands, face reactions (×6 rolls)
CU Death — "Something changed" confession
CU Life — "Necessary… or afraid?"
ECU die shows ONE (KF25)
🎭 Roland: Between rolls, Life reaches for the human in Death — "You used to hesitate. You cared." This foreshadows his confession about the Lady later. Death's response — "I saw too much" — is the first crack. He's not a machine. He's damaged. The die should be LOUD on the wood for each roll — sound design will amplify it.
SC 10
Life Kills — Blood on Her Hands
~40 min
Cast: Death, Life, Third Person
Death stands, knife in hand. "This will be gentle." He kneels beside Third Person. Life lunges — "No!" — her knife strikes. But Death pulls the victim sideways. Life's blade finds the wrong body. Third Person goes still. Life stares at her hands. "Your first kill." Death collects the soul with the Soul Catcher. Life, alone, staring at bloody hands. Bulb swinging.
LOW ANGLE — Death stands with knife (KF26)
MED handheld — Life lunges, bulb flickers (KF27)
WIDE LOCKED — wrong body, nowhere to hide (KF28) ⭐ HERO
ECU — Life's bloody hands (KF29) ⭐ HERO
MED ORBIT — Life alone, bulb swinging (KF30)
🩸 BLOOD CHOREOGRAPHY — PLAN BEFORE ROLLING
1. Rehearse the lunge DRY 3× minimum — choreograph exact blade path
2. Apply blood to Life's hands + blade ONLY when ready for final take
3. Have backup linen top for Life in case of splashes
4. Clay pot tips in this scene — protect camera from shards
5. The bulb swing: attach fishing line, have grip pull on cue after the lunge
6. Shoot KF28 (wide) first, then KF29 (hands ECU), then KF30 (orbit) — wide to tight
🎭 Roland: This is the TURN of the film. Life — the protector — becomes the killer. The irony must LAND. Death's reaction is the key: he doesn't gloat. He's fascinated. "Your first kill" said almost with wonder. Then he HELPS her — covers for her with Father. Why? "Because if Father finds out, we both answer." They are siblings. They protect each other even here. Life's final image: staring at her hands. She finally looks like her brother.
📐 STORYBOARD — Grid 3: The Gamble & The Kill (KF19–KF30)
KF19 Coffin exterior → KF20 Life reads at coffin → KF21 Life strangles Death → KF22 Overhead table → KF23 Die placed → KF24 Twin split ECU → KF25 Die shows ONE → KF26 Death stands with knife → KF27 Life lunges → KF28 Wrong body ⭐ → KF29 Bloody hands ⭐ → KF30 Life alone, bulb swinging
☕ BLOCK 3 WRAP — The Room is Done (if clean)
If all 10 room scenes are in the can, the Room set can be struck or held for pickups. Check with Katamelo: any inserts missing? Any alternate takes needed? Once blood is cleaned and lighting reset, the room is available for Block 4 (INT Night confrontation about the Lady). This is a different emotional scene — same room, different energy.
4
LIFE CONFRONTS DEATH
~40 min
est. shoot time
🔧 Setup Changes
Cast
Death + Life only. Third Person wrapped.
Lighting
Same Edison bulb between them. Slightly colder feel — blue edge heavier. This is after the park, Death is vulnerable.
Props
Clean table. Blood cleaned up. Minimal — just the room and two people.
Blocking
Life stands, interrogating. Death against wall, arms crossed, face turned away. She circles him.
INT
Life Interrogates — Death Confesses
~40 min
Cast: Death, Life
Life demands answers: "You circle her. You watch her breath. You count her heartbeats like they belong to you. WHY?" Death says nothing. Life threatens: "I will tell Father you stalk the living." Finally, Death speaks — low, unsteady: "I love her. When she hums, it sounds like home. She reminds me of our mother." Life, shocked: "Careful, brother. You're starting to sound alive."
MED two-shot — Life stands, Death against wall (KF34)
CU Death — mask gone, "I love her" (KF35) ⭐ HERO — most devastating line
CU Life — "You're starting to sound alive" (KF36)
🎭 Roland: KF35 is the most important close-up in the film. Death's mask is completely gone. Eyes red-rimmed. Voice barely there. The angel who collects the dead has fallen in love with the living. "When she hums, it sounds like home" — this line must break the audience. Coach the actor: think of someone he can never see again. Use the real feeling. One take may be enough if it's true.
5
EXT — THE COFFIN
~45 min
est. shoot time
🔧 Setup
Location
Compound/courtyard near Botswood — quiet yard, dry ground, one tired tree for shadows
Time
Morning or golden hour. Natural light. Reflectors for fill.
Cast
Death, Life, Woman in Coffin (Katlo or TBC)
Key prop
Black coffin — must be on set, positioned on dry earth. Book of Life (Woman's version).
Choreography
Life strangles Death — rehearse blocking carefully. His push-back is gentle but firm, not violent.
Props for This Block
Black coffin
Book of Life (Woman's)
Flowers
SC 7
Two Angels Over One Coffin
~45 min
Cast: Death, Life, Woman
EXTERIOR, golden light. Black coffin on dry earth. Death kneels, caressing the coffin surface — "I told you it was time to learn my name." Life enters carrying the Book, kneels opposite. She reads the Woman's life: "She planted flowers that would bloom after she was gone." Tension builds — Life demands: "Why are you after souls?" Death: "I stay relevant by collecting souls." As Death prepares to exit, Life strangles him. He holds her at bay: "You cannot fight me, sister."
WIDE — coffin on earth, Death kneeling (KF19)
MED — Life reads opposite Death at coffin (KF20)
MED handheld — Life strangles Death (KF21)
🎭 Roland: The coffin scene is the first time we see Death outdoors, in natural light — he looks smaller, almost tender. His kneeling beside the coffin is not collecting — it's grieving. Life reads the Woman's story and BOTH of them are moved. The strangle is born from Life's frustration — she's losing, she knows it. Death's response "You cannot fight me" is said with sadness, not power.
6
EXT — THE LADY IN THE PARK
~60 min
golden hour shoot
🔧 Setup
Location
Village park or large tree with bench — Rasesa area or Botswood compound
Time
GOLDEN HOUR ONLY (16:00–18:00) — the script demands "gentle sun." Do NOT shoot midday.
Cast
Death, Lady (Katlo), Life (watching from distance in Park A)
Makeup
⚠️ Lady aging effect — as Death approaches she ages. Option A: shoot multiple passes with progressive makeup. Option B: performance only (posture bends, voice weakens). Option C: VFX in post.
Sound
Natural ambience (birds, wind). Lady's humming is KEY — record clean.
Props for This Block
Wooden bench (bring if no bench at location)
Bread/crumbs
PARK A
Death Watches the Lady
~25 min
Cast: Death, Lady (Katlo), Life (distant BG)
Golden hour. Lady sits on bench, scatters bread, hums softly. Death stands in the trees, watching. Vulnerability. "My mother used to hum when she waited." He steps closer — the light cools, the Lady ages, her hand trembles. Death STOPS, horrified: "This can't be happening." He retreats. Life watches from a distance.
WIDE — bench, tree, Lady scattering crumbs, dark figure far right (KF31)
MED telephoto — Death through branches, golden dappled light (KF32)
MED — Death steps closer, Lady ages (KF33)
🎭 Roland: Death is TERRIFIED for the first time in the film. He has never been afraid of himself before. When the Lady ages as he approaches, he discovers that his proximity IS the weapon. He can't love without killing. Coach the actor: the horror of realising YOUR presence destroys the thing you love. Pull back like touching a hot stove.
PARK B
The Final Question — "If death was sitting next to you…"
~35 min
Cast: Death, Lady, Life (distant, watching)
Final scene. Death sits beside the Lady on the bench. A foot of space between them. She scatters the last crumbs. He leans forward, head bowed. They talk — she doesn't know who he is. "The sun feels gentle today." Death: "Endings are heavier than beginnings." Then the question: "If death was sitting next to you… what would you do?" She does not know she is speaking to him. He does not move. He is frozen. Life watches from the edge of frame. Camera pulls back slowly. THE END.
MED — Death and Lady on bench, golden hour (KF37)
OTS Lady → Death, "gentle today" (KF38)
WIDE slow pullback — final question, Life at frame edge (KF39) ⭐ LAST FRAME
🎭 Roland: The final question is the ending of the film. It must land in silence. The Lady asks it innocently — a philosophical musing, nothing more. But Death KNOWS. And the audience knows. And no one answers. Hold the wide pullback for as long as possible — 15, 20 seconds. The bench gets smaller. The tree gets larger. Life watches. The golden light dies. Cut to black. Do not rush this. The ending IS the silence.
📐 STORYBOARD — Grid 4: The Lady (KF31–KF39)
KF31 Lady on bench, Death watching → KF32 Death through branches → KF33 Death steps closer, Lady ages → KF34 Life confronts Death INT → KF35 "I love her" ⭐ → KF36 "You're starting to sound alive" → KF37 Death & Lady on bench → KF38 OTS Lady → KF39 Final pullback, the question ⭐
⏱ Suggested Schedule
08:00–08:30
Set ready. Room dressed. Actors in costume + makeup. Room tone recorded.
08:30–09:30
Block 1 — SC 1–2: Death meets Person, Life reveals (60 min)
09:30–11:00
Block 2 — SC 3–6: The Debate + "Not yet" (90 min)
11:00–11:20
☕ BREAK — Person wraps. Swap in Third Person. Reset props.
11:20–12:35
Block 3 — SC 8–10: Dice game + the kill 🩸 (75 min)
12:35–13:15
🍽 LUNCH — Clean blood. Reset room. Third Person wraps.
13:15–13:55
Block 4 — INT Night: Life confronts Death about the Lady (40 min)
13:55–14:15
🚐 MOVE — Wrap indoor. Transport to outdoor location. Setup coffin.
14:15–15:00
Block 5 — EXT Coffin: SC 7 (45 min) — can shoot in flat afternoon light
15:00–16:00
⏳ WAIT FOR GOLDEN HOUR — Lady makeup, rehearse blocking, move bench to park tree
16:00–18:00
Block 6 — EXT Park: Lady scenes (60 min) — GOLDEN HOUR or it doesn't work
👥
CAST CALL TIMES
DEATH (Tebogo)
Call: 07:30
Costume + makeup: 30 min
On set: ALL DAY
Wrap: ~18:00
LIFE (TBC)
Call: 07:30
Costume + headwrap: 30 min
On set: ALL DAY
Wrap: ~18:00
PERSON (Bezile)
Call: 08:00
Costume: 10 min (own clothes)
On set: Blocks 1–2
Wrap: ~11:00
THIRD PERSON (TBC)
Call: 10:30
Costume: 10 min
On set: Block 3 only
Wrap: ~12:35
LADY (Katlo)
Call: 14:00
Aging makeup: 60–90 min
On set: Blocks 5–6
Wrap: ~18:00
WOMAN (coffin)
Call: 14:00
If same as Lady: covered
On set: Block 5 only
Wrap: ~15:00
🎥
CREW QUICK REFERENCE
DOP A (Mohau) — Lead camera. Wides, establishing, overheads, hero frames. The eye of the film.
DOP B (Dimpho) — B-cam. CUs, reactions, ECU inserts. Dynamic handheld for Life's energy.
DOP C (Benedict) — C-cam + production support. Third angle when available.
Sound (Lame) — Boom. Record room tone first. Silence matters more than dialogue in this film.
Props (Aobakwe) — Table, chairs, bulb, all hand props. Soul Catcher build. Coffin logistics.
Costume + Prod (Faith) — Linen costumes, headwrap, backup wardrobe for blood scene.
BTS (Losika) — Behind-the-scenes stills + video. Stay out of camera lines.
Roland — Acting mentor. Available for all blocks. Key moments: SC1 (Death intro), SC4 (Book reading), SC6 ("Not yet"), SC10 (the kill), Block 4 ("I love her").
✓