1) The document provides an overview and synopsis for a short film called "Benchmark" that is centered around a life changing event for the main character and hints that the story is predominantly about benches.
2) The synopsis outlines a three act structure where Act 1 introduces the main characters of Connie, Ben, and Stacey and shows Ben getting involved with the wrong crowd. Act 2 shows the group drinking which leads to a girl fatally falling and hitting her head on a bench. Act 3 shows the aftermath and consequences for Ben.
3) The target audience is identified as vulnerable teenagers who may be susceptible to peer pressure, with the goal of showing them the potential worst case scenario of falling in with
2. A Few Notes
My working title is ‘Benchmark’, I have chosen this because it is centred around a life changing event for the
main character, but it also hints to the fact that the story is predominantly about benches.
The film will be around 5 minutes long.
The tagline: ‘Try not to fall.’ This hints to several points in the story, such as Connie falling for Ben or the girl
who suffers a fatal fall.
Introduction of key Characters:
Connie- The narrator of the story, Connie provides the perspective for the viewer, everything is
told from her point of view. She appears to be quite talkative as she spends the film talking about
Ben, without allowing Stacey to get much of her opinion across.
Ben- As the focus of Connie’s attention he has a large role, yet doesn’t have any input in the telling
of the story. Most of the film is centred around his life and misfortune.
Stacey- She is the aim of Connie’s chatter, her best friend, and provides a subtle balance to
Connie. She is quiet and not very outspoken.
3. Synopsis
Act 1
The camera pans in to two girls sat on
separate benches, these girls turn out to be
Connie and Stacey, and they are having a
conversation. The audience are witnessing
the girls reuniting after a while of not
talking, and the topic of conversation is the
hot, popular boy, Ben. Connie is obsessing
over him, and mentions how he is the most
popular out of the three of them, due to
where he always sits. The next shot shows
him surrounded by people, sat on a bench.
Connie then explains how recently he has
connected with the wrong crowd and they
are leading him astray. We then see Ben on
the same bench with a small group of
people, all with bottles in brown paper
bags, some smoking.
Act 2
Act 2 starts with the group drinking
and laughing about, showing a slight
time lapse over a few days, until one of
the girls is too drunk and falls, hitting
her head on the edge of the bench.
Connie recalls how Ben was so good
and kind, how his new friends left him
with the girl. Stacey asks “why didn’t
he call an ambulance? It could
have saved him from these
consequences!”
“He doesn’t have a phone, that’s
what makes him unique, he says it
drags life out of people.”
Act 3
Act three shows flashes of people arriving
and calling the police, it’s all very blurred
and fast, Ben is shown being taken away
from the bench. Connie admires how he
doesn’t make any fuss and walks away
calmly, relating to Stacey how much she
misses him now he sits by the lake, and how
he was such a good person. Connie and
Stacey, who’ve been slowly fading on their
benches throughout, stop talking, and two
passers by become the focus of the last
scene.
“Wherever did that lovely bench by the
gates go?”
“The one dedicated to Ben? A girl hit
her head on the arm rest and died. It’s
been deemed too dangerous and has
moved down by the lake.”
4. Target Audience
Due to the moral of the story, my target
audience is vulnerable teenagers, they would hit
D or E on the NRS scale, due to having a low
income and very little experience. In regards to
the 4 C’s they would be either the Struggler or
the Aspirer. This is because they would be the
most likely to turn to new friends and alcohol to
fit in with who they perceive to be “cool”, this
film would be an attempt to divert them from
falling into the wrong crowd by presenting them
with the worst case scenario. I will reach this
audience by sharing my film online, on a page
such as filmsshort.
Form and Style
Most of this film will be in a modern style,
with certain aspects in a sepia effect, to show
the past tense better and highlight it for the
viewer. Following the conventions of my
chosen genre, I will use high and low shots in
order to establish times where Ben is control,
versus times where he is experiencing
unfortunate events. I will use a simple
handheld camera for most of the filming,
alongside a tripod for steady shots. The use
of a tripod will be most beneficial for filming
bench scenes in order to allow me to edit a
fade later in the film.
5. Marketplace
I feel that this film would do quite well as it’s quite abstract and would
appeal to a wide range of people for different aspects.
Due to the fact that this film is about benches, and that it isn’t revealed
until the very end, a sequel or prequel would be very difficult to pull off
successfully. There isn’t much scope for a prequel because there is very
little storyline available without it following a typical teen storyline and
being very predictable.
