1. A
TREATMENT
FOR
‘Purgatory’
Prepared by Lewis Herd of LGN Studios!
23/03/15
It is proposed that the film will be 1 to 2 minutes
in duration, and will be filmed down Carlton
Gore Rd in the late evening. We chose this
location because we noticed that at nighttime
the phone booth on the side of the road has a
very atmospheric look to it.
Our film would take place in close to real-time
over the course of a few minutes, so we will
have to make sure that the lighting and
conditions are consistent throughout. This may
require us filming over multiple nights.
This film will include the following
conventions of thriller films:
• Ambiguous ending: Our survey of teenagers showed that the most popular
type of film ending was a twist, with ambiguous in second place. Since we are
only making the first few minutes of a feature length thriller, an ambiguous
ending to our sequence makes most sense, as it will capture the audience’s
attention and set up the film.
• Sound: Another of our survey questions asked about the importance of sound,
with over 90% of responses agreeing that sound is necessary to create
suspense. We plan to use slowly building ambient sound throughout the
2. sequence to create the effect of rising tension, as used in films like ‘Ex
Machina’ (2015).
• Setting: As is common in the thriller genre, our film will be set at night. This is a
popular creative choice as it a time when darkness and low-key lighting occurs
naturally. In the case of our film it will also add a feeling of isolation and
mystery.
Research:
After watching the opening sequences of many films, I have noticed that with
atmospheric psychological thrillers it is very common to have simple and
nondescript credits that appear on the screen alongside tone-setting music as
the protagonist is traveling. Two examples of this are ‘The Silence of the Lambs’
(1988) and ‘The Shining’ (1980). My take on this is that overly flashy credits can
distract from the atmosphere of the film. This can be avoided if the appearance of
the titles coincides with on-screen action (like footsteps).
Possible problems:
Our film has a relatively simple premise. Location-wise, our biggest constraint will
be the fact that we have to film during a small window at a specific time of day,
meaning we will have to be careful to avoid continuity errors and inconsistent
lighting. Since we are filming in a residential area we will have to limit the amount
of noise we make so not to disturb those that live in the area.
Filming at night might prove to be problematic from a health and safety
perspective, as the limited lighting could make us more prone to accidents. Street
lights should provide ample light for this though.
3. Our film would have very little need for special visual effects, but audio effects
will be a necessity, meaning we will have to be very focused on how we record
sound and create ambient music and effects. Background noise or unclear audio
would detract a lot from the final product.
The film will include the following:
Character names and their motivations/representation in the film:
Our film will have one protagonist, a 16 year old boy whose name we do not
learn. He is walking in the evening near his home when he sees and hears
certain things which make him believe he is being targeted. This prompts the boy
to try to call someone for help, but his phone battery is dead meaning he must
use the phone booth.
Ideology:
Themes of mental instability (paranoia) portrayed in the protagonist’s perception
of the world, causing him to interpret regular events as personal threats. This is a
real issue that people face and our film will show this mindset from a first person
perspective.
Mood and Tone:
The tone of the sequence will be unsettling and suspenseful, with a slow-building
intensity conveyed through the score and camera movement.
Camera shots, camera movement/lighting/angles, lighting:
As the protagonist becomes more and more panicked, the camera movements
become more jerky and uncontrolled. POV shots will be most common
throughout the sequence to show the events from the perspective of the
protagonist. We will use low-key lighting to suit the dark tone of the film.
4. In this shot, there is a low angle two-shot looking up at the people pursuing the
protagonist. The low angle is used to show that they have a position of
dominance over the boy.
This is an overhead shot, which shows the boy to be in a position of weakness.
We chose to do this shot because we wanted to make it clear the boy has less
power than the people stalking.
5. A tracking shot is used here to give the audience a sense of the boy being
stalked. This creates an uneasy feel and builds suspense because at this point
we haven’t seen the people stalking.
6. Themes and motifs:
The image of a telephone will a recurring theme, used to convey the
protagonist’s need for help. His desire and failure to make a phone call
represents his isolation.
Narrative:
The narrative used in the film will be used to convey themes of isolation and
suspense. The sequence will be the setup for a feature length film, so the
delivery of plot points is vague and mysterious to leave the audience in doubt as
to what is really happening.
Mise-en-scene/setting:
The protagonist will wear casual clothes. The film is set both in a busy street and
a quiet suburban street. There is a phone booth in the film where the protagonist
will call someone. He has a mobile phone on him which he uses to try to call
7. someone until it runs out of battery.
Symbolism:
There are frequent reminders of time throughout the film, on his phone he is
checking the time. In the film there is non-diegetic sound of people talking when
he is alone, this symbolises his loneliness. He can’t seem to be able to call
someone throughout the film and this explains his disconnection from reality and
other people.
Sound and music:
As the film progresses the ambient score will grow in pitch and volume to parallel
the mental state of the protagonist. The things that he hears will be inaccurate
due to his paranoia, so we will use sound effects like unintelligible whispers and
malicious laughing to show his interpretation of what he hears.
Use of credits and logos:
The opening of our sequence will include our group’s logo on a black screen,
followed by credits/titles at the same time as the action occurs. We do not want
the titles to be distracting, so the typeface, colour, and presentation will fit
thematically with the tone of the film. The final shot of the opening sequence will
be the film’s title.
Editing:
The start of the film is smooth and uses continuity editing to make the sequence
flow well. As the film progresses shots are shorter in length, jump cuts are used
and the film feels more unnatural. This represents the protagonists character,
showing his instability. In the sequence a shot of the empty phone booth is
8. repeated for a short amount of time.
Plot summary:
BEGINNING:
The sequence begins with the protagonist walking along the street. He checks
his phone but sees that there isn’t service, unusual for a residential area.
CONFLICT/TENSION:
As he walks he sees a group of people on the street having a conversation, and
he hears snippets of their voices. His paranoia causes him to think that they are
plotting to kill him, and he checks his phone again (still no service). The pace
increases, and he hears their voices and laughs in his head while the ambient
music builds in intensity.
END:
The protagonist runs to a phone booth and closes himself inside. The voices and
music become muffled to show that he’s blocking them out. He calls the
emergency services and puts the phone to his ear in panic. On the line we hear a
raspy voice that tells him to watch his back. He drops the phone and the long
beeping tone is heard as the film cuts to black.
