Pitch Presentation

1. The Salesman

2. Placebo Productions is the production
house that I have chosen to distribute
my film with.
The production company has only
recently been established and strives to
make a breakthrough in the short film
industry, as it has only released a few
student films. i have selected Placebo
productions as its works have been of
good quality and it is quickly becoming
a reputable and reliable business that is
already that has clearly identified its
target audience, making it a great choice
for “The Salesman”.
Placebo Productions has been
named so as it encourages more
complex and diverse films and
wishes to go against the grain,
the Hollywood one-dimensional
storytelling. Another reason is
the associations with the feel-
good effect as it encourages
emotional over logical from the
audience.

3. In to a friendly welcoming suburban neighborhood, where all family members
complete their daily cliché tasks, a young aspiring door to door salesman is
coming in to cut his teeth. This neighborhood is known as “The Bullet Ant
Glove”, a kind of rite of passage for the travelling salesperson, names so after
the first naïve attempt to sell anything to anyone in this area with sorrowful
consequences for the poor saleschump. Although once a college dropout, Bob
the ambitious salesman, is assigned to this notorious neighbor in order to prove
himself, his bosses and colleagues as quickly as possible and get on with his
stage of greatness in life. After a few failed attempts and staking out the
neighborhood for the best target, he chooses a large family home which is the
nest of a young insecure female, a late teen chav, who is a stereotypical celebrity
wannabe. Bob the salesman successfully convinces her to try out his product;
however, there is an unplanned turn of events.

4. The short film also comments
on contemporary society and
its archetypes, superficiality
and emphasis on the
celebrity-pop culture. The
iPhones represent that as
they are built on cheap labor
and sold at a huge mark-up
price due to the brand name
instead of quality while
buyers ignore the social
problems regarding the
product.
The story focuses on Bob, an
up-and-coming businessman
who doesn’t really know how
things work in the corporate
world, that’s why he is
inspired by Bob from “The Big
Kahuna”. As a result of the set-
up we can see how Bob is
tainted by the business world
as he goes through his rites of
passage.
The power struggle
between Bob and Casey is
the catalyst in the film
that changes the
atmosphere and tone
The office represents the
position of power and the
apathetic reality of the
corporate world.
One of the main the
themes within the
film is power and
who controls. Mr.
Smith is presented
as the one with
power however he is
seen enjoying it and
abusing it showing
the corruption of
modern society and
the treatment of
corporations
towards the regular
people. This not
only represents the
lack of values in
todays society but
also the misuse of
power and how the
common man is
made o struggle,
almost
dehumanizing them
and masking them
into something they
are not so they can
adapt to the system
that promotes and
enforces inequality.

5. The target audience for my short film is mainly the younger audiences from 16-30 that
are currently seeking employments in the contemporary corporate society, which is
completely profit motivated and is determined to show its power over the common man.
The film appeals to both males and females as it is not gender specific and does
stereotype both. With the genre being comedy it attracts any demographic as it is the
most popular and demanded genre in the modern film industry. The film branches out to
people who are seeking employment to warn them of the exploitative nature of the
corporate industry and their lack of care for both consumers and employees. The
audience should be active in order to avoid interpreting this film as a superficial comedy
and see the underlying themes of power and exploitation.

6. Scenes 1 and 5 Scene 3Scenes 2 and 4
Bob Mr. SmithCasey

7. Camera style-Throughout the film there will be a heavy emphasis on the
handheld camera style in order to follow the mockumentary codes and
conventions and to allow the audience to follow the story of Bob, creating
empathy as the handheld allows the audience to immerse with the character.
Furthermore to add to the immersion I will also be using the POV and over the
shoulder shots in order to better explain the characters motivation and allow
the audience to empathize with them. .During the scene 3 makeup sequence
there will be a lot of reaction shots and close-ups in order to increase the pace of
the film and build up tension, as it will increase the dynamic between the two
main leads. The film will also employ the use of medium, medium-long and
long shots to show the journey and struggle of Bob to avoid being monotonous
and uninteresting but also to establish the personality of Bob and those around
him. The use of long shots will also help introduce the new locations to the
audience immediately.

8. Social Media- through the sue of social media such as Facebook, Instagram and
Twitter I can more efficiently reach my target audience which is a younger and more
technologically adept demographic . Through social media the news of my film can
spread rapidly as all interested potential consumers can share it with their friends
and family. Promotion through the internet is also very cheap which suits me due to
my budget constraints. Another advantage is the ever-increasing use and reach of
social media, which therefore increases my potential and target audience.
Creating my own website would be good for establishing a contact and increasing
the audience base, however it would not be able to reach enough people on its own
that’s why the content must be shared through social media and a trailer on
YouTube as it is the largest free video platform.
Another method I could use is the distribution of leaflets, as they are cheap to print
and easy to distribute, however they only achieve local promotion and are usually
looked over by the consumers.

9. The film main distribution will be through the internet as it will make use of modern
online video sharing platforms such as YouTube, which will allow it to increase its
potential audience due to the high traffic, and Vimeo which is much more specific and has
a more unique audience, therefore it is the preferred platform for new film directors who
haven't been able to establish themselves within the film industry yet. The short film will
also be distributed through social media, however that will act more as a promotional
agent.
I will also attempt to have it screened as a commercial before the featured movies in my
local cinemas such as Cineplexx Usce and Tuckwood. Having an experienced film
audience see it can be good for word-of-mouth promotion which will increase the films
exposure. Lastly I will apply the short film for any local short film competitions in the
region such as the “Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival”, allowing it promotion
through good critical acclaim and the ability to reach my target audience.