2. PRODUCT OVERVIEWFor my FMP, I am going to make a short film based on the theme of homosexuality and the struggles of
coming out. It will be based around the two main characters who are two kids in high school who are both
very different people. One is a bit of a loner who doesn't have many friends, struggles with mental health
and is looked down upon by most kids in his school. He has come out to his parents and people know that
he is gay which leads to some bullying now and again. The other main character is one of the more popular
boys in school, he plays football and has very masculine and homophobic friends. He has never questioned
his sexuality as everyone around him is very masculine and homophobic, this includes all of his friends and
his family. This is all until the boys accidently become friends when waiting for the bus. After this, they start
to notice each other more and start to hang out with each other. The start to become closer and closer
however, they only hang out together out of school times as the popular boy doesn't’t want to ruin his
reputation. As their friendship progresses, problems begin to occur especially for the popular boy. Both
boys start to question whether if it is just friendship which is drawing them so close together. This is a
problem for the loner boy as he doesn't’t want to ruin their friendship be expressing his feeling to what he
thinks is a very heterosexual person. Adding to that, this is a problem for the popular boy as he doesn't’t
want to be gay, it will ruin his reputation, he feel she will lose his friend's and also his dad is extremely
homophobic meaning he thinks he will disappoint his parents. They both try to hide their feelings however,
as they continue to be around each other their feelings for each other only develop. After a long time
weighing his options, the loner boy finally comes to the conclusion that he needs to tell his friends how he
feels it it is killing him to keep it secret anymore. When he bumps into his popular mate, he finally tells him
how he feels however, he picked the wrong time as the rest of the popular group just walk round the corner
as he expresses himself. Instantly, the start to bully the loner boy and taking the mick out of him. To
maintain his reputation, the popular boy joins in. The loner boy leaves in despair and goes to back a very
4. LOVE, SIMON-CONCEPT
I chose Love, Simon as one of my researched products as it includes some
similar themes to my product most recognizably the idea of coming out as
homosexual and the struggles which come with it. The film is able to portray
this theme very effectively through the use of clever writing and incredibly
effective acting. Nick Robinson doesn't’t overplay the character making his
performance painfully real. He does very well to not portray as if his character
is craving attention from the audience, Robinsons seems as if he only wants
us as the audience to try and relate to his situation. This is extremely effective
as gives the film a very grounded and real feel allowing the audience to
believe his story more. As well as that, I feel that this way of acting will in fact
increase the emotion that the film conveys as its believability will really allow
the audience to relate to and understand the character significantly more.
Because of this, I need to include some of the techniques that Robinson
includes in his performance as it creates an overall much more emotive and
realistic atmosphere.
This film is also a very successful teen-drama which fits the genre of my film
perfectly. Because of this, I can pick up different films techniques to see how
this can film can be portrayed effectively. The film heavily concentrates on its
characters. This is because it wants the audience to be able to connect with
theme and feel as if they build a relationship with them. This is effective as it
5. LOVE, SIMON-AESTHETIC
Love, simon includes quite a bright aesthetic through the majority of the
film. This is clever as it represents the positivity of coming out as gay and
how we should not change our view on people if they come out as
homosexual. This colour scheme works well with Love, Simon as it is mainly a
positive film therefore its positive colour scheme foreshadows the tone of
the film effectively. Despite this, I much prefer the darker shots which are
included in the film. These are normally filmed whilst the characters are
inside. I overall prefer these as although I don’t want to convey a negative
message, I would much prefer to have a darker aesthetic in my product. This
would be to match the mental health and the struggle of both of my
characters. My film also ends on a very negative tone therefore the colour
scheme of the product would foreshadow the rest of the film.
Love, Simon includes a range of different music throughout its duration.
However, a common theme is that all of the music included is very emotive.
For example, the song Wild Heart by Bleachers is very positive and seems to
create a significant sense of inspiration. This is very effective for the film as
this is played in the final shots creating a very positive tone for the end of
the film. This ending may inspire some of the audience who are struggling to
come out to face their fear and open up to the world as it shows how happy
6. LOVE SIMON-MUSICThe film Love, Simon includes a range of different music. The most memorable
piece used is included at the very end of the product. The song used is called
Wild Heart by Bleachers and conveys a very inspirational tone. This has cleverly
been done to end the film on a positive note to show the positivity of coming
out. The idea of the music be so inspiration will have also been included to try to
inspire any of the audience watching struggling with their sexuality to come out
and express themselves. The way this song has been included at the very end of
the film is extremely effective as this allows the inspiration to conveyed to the
audience just as they are about to leave meaning the message will still be fresh
in their minds. This will be effective as when they are leaving, this will be the last
idea from the film they will remember therefore I feel a higher percentage of the
audience will be inspired from this.
The music in the rest of the film is mainly quite positive. I feel this will be because
the directors are trying to portray the positivity of coming out and showing the
world who you really are. The passivity of the music is trying to convey how there
should be no negativity or tension around the idea of sexuality which I think is
incredibly effective. I would like to include an element of this in my product.
When I show a montage of the two boys getting on I want to include positive
music to portray the love growing between the two boys. However, my film is
significantly more negative than Love Simon meaning that there will be more
7. THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER-
CONCEPTThe perks of being a wallflower is very similar to my product in some ways.
The film includes a sub plot about two boys wo are secretly gay together,
both are from completely different social groups. This idea heavily links to the
most dominant theme of my product therefore I can collect different features
and techniques which Perks of being a being wallflower include. For example,
the way the director Stephen Chbosky shoots this film is so unique and
different. This creates a very authentic feel and allows the product to stand
out from other films in the same genre. The film creates a very relatable feel, I
think it manages to convey this emotion as it doesn't feel like a big Hollywood
film. Although there clearly was a fairly sized budget, the way Chbosky shoots
the film creates a very real and pure feel giving the audience a completely
different experience of film. Because of its real and relatable tone, I feel the
film allows the audience to get significantly more indulged in the product.
The actors also give good performances, they manage to portray high school
students very effectively especially Ezra Miller’s character Patrick . Miller’s
performance allows me to collect different ideas and techniques which works
incredibly effectively to portray the struggles of dating someone in secret.
Logan Lermans character Charlie also allows me to see how to portray a loner
character well. He conveys that child like image which allows the audience to
8. THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER-
AESTHETICThe perks of being a wallflower includes a very unique aesthetic, its colour scheme
conveys an almost rustic theme. This creates a very old fashioned look which I find
incredibly interesting. Even though the film was made in 2012, I feel the director
wanted it to seem vintage, this is because the films vintage tone is not only
conveyed in the aesthetic of the film but also in what the characters are wearing.
This gives the product a completely unique and authentic feel which make sit
stand out from other films in same genre. I want try and include a similar idea in
my product as although I don’t want it seem vintage, I want to try and make my
product authentic and completely different than others in its genre.
The product is clearly quite a dark theme. This is cleverly done to portray the dark
ideas displayed throughout the film. This includes the themes of depression,
secrecy and hurt. Despite this, this film does include also some slightly more
vibrant shots. These suggest connotations of happiness and love which relates to
the friendship between Charlie and his friends. The overall colour scheme is dark
which definitely the aesthetic I want to include in my final product. This is because
I want the films colour theme to symbolize the tone of the film and since my film
is based on the conflict of coming out and mental health issues I feel the need to
create very negative atmosphere through the use od dark lighting and
desaturated colours.
9. THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER-
MUSIC
In The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, the product includes some
unknown music without any lyrics. This is included when it is quite an
intense scene where the acting is the predominant element., However,
the film does include some very famous songs, this includes Come on
Eileen and Heroes by David Bowie. I feel these songs were included
first of all to convey Sam's music taste which is a common theme
throughout the product but to also portray the classic and authentic
tone of the film. These two very famous songs also will attract a lot of
attention to the product as they are so well known. This gives the
product a bigger audience and a higher status.
This is not that similar to what I would like to do or my product.
Although I like the idea of it, I don’t want to include songs with as
much status as Come On Eileen. This is because I want the songs I
include in my product to be able to be related heavily back to the
product, this means that I will have to chose songs which aren’t s well
known in society so that their mean connection is to the events of my
film.
10. THIS IS ENGLAND-CONCEPTI chose This is England as one of my existing products to research as although the
theme of homosexuality isn't relevant in this series, the director Shane meadows
manages to capture the development of growing up so effectively. He does this
by directing in such a way that portrays a very pure tone for the series. Over the
film and the 3 series, us as the audience managed to build up such a relationship
to every single character. The way Meadows builds up his characters throughout
the whole journey is incredible, this is very important for a product as it forces the
audience to care for the characters therefore when events do happen good or
bad, us as the audience care deeply. Overall, this creates a much more immersive
film experience.
I feel This is England works so well because of its relatability. Throughout its film
and television series so many different realistic problems occur which allows the
audience to really relate to the characters. This also allows the audience to create
a much better relationship with each other characters.
The way that Meadows shoots This is England creates a very realistic tone. This is
achieved by using a lot of hand held shots. This almost creates the image of that
us as the audience are there with the characters. I feel like this another aspect of
the series which makes it so relatable and the product is loved by so many. In my
opinion, this technique is incredibly effective which I definitely want to incorporate
11. THIS IS ENGLAND-AESTHETIC
One of the key aspects I love about This is England is colour scheme
especially in the 90s series. The product includes the quite dark and
desaturated aesthetic which I love. The editors have clearly colour
corrected the product to convey the events which occur on screen. This
symbolizes Kelly's downfall with drugs in the series and also the death of
Combo in the very last episode. I feel this technique works perfectly for
the tone of the product therefore I definitely need to include a similar
technique in my final product.
Although the events which occur in This is England is different than in my
product, I feel as if both products do share some similar themes like the
idea of struggle with mental health and the development through life.
Because of this, in my final product I think I will use a similar colour
scheme to This is England as I feel it works very effectively for its purpose.
As well as that I love how this specific aesthetic looks meaning I will be
more passionate about my project.
12. THIS IS ENGLAND-MUSIC
In the This Is England series they use a real mix of songs. The series is quite
unique in the way that it doesn’t really use music. It conveys its story
through its realistic acting and compelling script. However, when the series
does include music it uses it to fit the different time period in which each
series is based. For example, in the 90s series, a lot of The Stone Roses are
played, this is to convey the popularity of the band at the time. The creators
of the product will have done this on purpose to portray the 90s theme
effectively to the audience, this mixed with the way that the product is
filmed makes the audience feel as though they are there in the series with
the characters.
For my product I would like to include a similar element in the way that the
series makes the audience feel inside the product. I feel this is an effective
technique to use as it allows the audience to build up better relationships
with the characters meaning more emotion is conveyed when watching the
product.
13. SKINS-CONCEPTI wanted to include skins in the products I researched as if feel it is one of the best
television series ever to convey what growing up as a teenager is really like. The
series manages to capture the element of youth perfectly through its complex
relationship and gripping storyline. The product includes 7 series however each
cast is changed after every two seasons. I want to concentrate on generation 2
which is series 3 and 4. This is because I feel the way the director allows us to build
a connection with each individual character is extremely effective. For each of the
first seasons episodes, each episode is dedicated to each of the main characters.
This allows the audience to get a detailed insight their lives therefore allowing us to
create a much stranger relationship which each individual character. Overall, this
means that we feel much deeper for the characters meaning when something does
go good or bad, the audience feel significantly more emotion about what they are
watching. Although I am not planning to use the same technique, I want to try and
create a powerful relationship between the audience and the main characters as I
want the audience to be immersed in my film and care deeply for the characters. I
feel this will be quite hard to do in only a short film however with the different
techniques I am collecting from all the existing products, I feel I may be able to do
so quite effectively.
Skins works so effectively because of how people can relate to it. This includes
teenagers and adults as teens may relate it to their everyday lives now whereas
adults may relate it to how they used to be. This is good as it allows them to
14. SKINS-AESTHETICThe skins aesthetic changes through the different series and episodes. In the fist
series of the second generation, the colour tone is quite bright. This is because
although the different characters are experiencing problems they are not
significantly severe problems. However, during the second series the main
characters start to really experience some serious problems. Because of this the
aesthetic becomes much darker to symbolise the events which occur in the series.
This includes the fall of Effy’s mental health, cooks arrest and family issues and
then to end the series Freddie's death. This is very clever from the directors and
editors as it allows the audience to really get indulge in the tone change of the
series and realise the importance and seriousness of the events which occur.
One of the darkest scenes is the start of the “Freddie” episode in the second series.
The scene is heavily drug based and shows Effy and Freddie sat in her house doing
drugs together. The shots are extremely dark and de-saturated and give off a very
brooding tone. This I feel is purposely done by the editors and director to try and
enforce the message that drugs are a bad and leave us in very bad places. This will
have been done as the prime audience for the series will be teenagers similar to
the ages of Freddie and Effy therefore the directors feels it important to spread
this message to the younger generation.
The aesthetic of series 2 is similar to what I would like to include in my product.
This is because I feel it manages to symbolise the negative events which occur in
15. SKINS-MUSIC
The skins series uses a range of different music, I feel that it changes to fit the
mood of the events happening on screen. The series uses a quite popular and well
known array f songs. I feel this is because the creators of the series wanted to
create a sense of familiarity for the audience. This is effective as it gives them a
sense of home within the series therefore engaging them more significantly into
the product.
The one choice of music which is not that popular which the series uses is the
actual theme song. This is a very clever choice by the creators as it forces the
audience to instantly connect that song to the characters and the series. This is
because the audience have no other links to the song as they have never heard it
before therefore the audience don’t have a choice than to link it instantly to the
series. After watching the series for a song time, the theme song will then start to
become very familiar to the audience and perhaps working more effectively than
the already popular songs included in the product.
I feel I would like to include very similar features to what Skins has. I want to
include some songs that people have heard to create that familiar and relatable
feel. However, I also want to include songs that no one has heard to add a
17. SECONDARY RESEARCH-GENDERSFrom the two demographics I have collected on the left, there
are few films which fit into the same genre as my product. This
includes The Danish girl. Firstly, this is similar to my product as it
is a drama based film whilst including a very strong apparent
love story. Also, The Danish Girl links to my product heavily, this
is because it fits in to the LGBT genre meaning that it should
definitely have a similar audience to my product. From the data,
I can see that this specific film has a much stronger female
audience. I feel this is because of the theme of gender in the
film which stereotypically men might not be as interested in as
woman. This is because stereotypically men are much more
homophobic and close minded than women. Nevertheless, it is
still a drama love story therefore this does give me a clearer idea
of my audience.
As well as that, the data I have collected includes the girl on the
train which is a very drama based product. It also includes quite
a dark theme similar to my product. Again, this products
attracted more females than males. This is giving me a much
clearer of which gender I should target my product at. The film
Eddie the Eagle is also a drama however it is a bit more light-
hearted. This product is also more popular for females however,
18. SECONDARY RESEARCH-AGE RANGE
This demographic contains a list of how different ages
prefer different genres. The genre I am concentrating
on is drama and romance as I feel these link most of
my product. From the data, I can see that all ages do
enjoy drama however, the older generation seem to
enjoy it the most. I feel this is because most dramas
are quite complex and mature themed therefore
appealing to a much older audience. This is different
to my product as although my product will be
complex and drama based, its characters are much
younger than a normal drama therefore attracting a
younger audience to the product. However, because
of the statistics from the demographics, I can see that
the older generation would also be attracted to my
product. From the data, I can see that Romance is
popular across all age ranges as the data is quite even.
Despite this, it is most popular with 30-44 year olds. I
feel this is because of all the people at this age going
through a mid-life crisis will want to watch romances
to try convince them into what love is supposed to
look like.
19. SECONDARY RESEARCH-HOMOSEXUALITY
I decided to research different gay demographics as I felt that I
would be able to pick up different ideas from already existing data.
The three different sets of data which I collected are the statistics of
the LGBT community think that being LGBT is a negative thing. I felt
this was an important piece of data to collect as this idea heavily
relates to one of my main characters in my product. I was interested
to see how many who have come out as homosexual hate
themselves for it. I felt this was important to research as it I now
know I can use this as a question to ask in primary research to try
hear people in the LGBT communities on the idea.
As well as that, I also collected data about when men and woman
came out and when they found out. I felt like this was an important
as want to know what age I can target my product for. I feel it is
important for the audience to be able to relate to my product
therefore finding out what age people came out is crucial to
complete this task. I decided to research the different of data
between if gay people had to their parents about heir sexuality and if
so which parents they have told. From my data, I can see that people
who want to come out are more comfortable coming out to their
mothers than their fathers. In my opinion, I think is because
stereotypically older men normally have very closed minded views
20. PRIMARY RESEARCHFor my primary research I wanted to do a survey. This was
because I felt it would allow me to ask people of similar age
to me what they thought on the primary subject of my
product. Their opinions and insight is important as they fit
into the target audience meaning that what they think can
really effect my film. A survey also allows me to gather a large
array of audience research allowing me to get a better
understanding for the subject as a whole.
I first asked in the survey if people think its easy for people to
come out in todays society. The data tells me that more
people think it is easier to come out. I feel this is because in
this day and age homosexuality is a much more accepted
thing especially with the younger generation as we have been
brought up with these new open minded beliefs. However,
25% of voters think that it is still not easy for people to come
out as gay. I feel this is because there are still a large majority
of people in the world especially the older generation who
still can’t understand homosexuality and won’t tolerate it. This
may be due to religion or the fact that they are still staying in
the past with their beliefs. Their close minded thinking is a
huge problem as it gets passed down through generations
21. PRIMARY RESEARCH
Next in my survey I asked if anyone had/knew anyone
who had trouble coming out and then if so, why did
they struggle. I felt this was important to ask as it allows
me to really see how people of a similar age to my
characters have struggled with coming out with their
sexuality. From the information I have collected, I can
now create a much more believable story, this is
because I am learning about real experiences and real
emotions. The realistic aspect of the film is effective as
will allow the audience to really relate to the product
and therefore create a better connection with the
characters. This creates a much more immersive film
experience for the audience. Some of the answers I
collected linked heavily to some of the ideas I was
planning to include in my product. This is good as it
22. PRIMARY RESEARCH
For the next question in my survey I was interested to know if
anyone had any homophobic relates. This is because this topic is a
very heavy theme in my product therefore I wanted to see if
others would be able to relate. From the data I managed to
collect, there wasn't much evidence to support the father
character which I want to include in my product. The majority
stated that they didn't’t have any homophobic members.
However, there were a few who said the older generation of the
family were. This is clearly because of how homosexuality was
frowned upon when they were younger therefore these narrow
minded beliefs have stuck with them throughout their lives. Others
have said that some family members are homophobic because of
their religion. All this information is useful as it provides evidence
that my product is realistic with its story which is a theme I want to
convey. However, most of the homophobic family members are
grandparents which doesn't relate to my product as it is the dad
who is homophobic. Despite this, this till links o the idea of how
the older generation have very narrow minded homophobic views
on homosexuals.
23. PRIMARY RESEARCH
In this section of the survey I wanted to know how
people of a similar age to my target audience view how
people who come out in school are treated. From the
results, I received mainly negative responses to how
students react. There was a very common theme of the
idea that students are picked on or bullied about being
gay. This is good for my project as it again creates that
very realistic tone for my product. This question is
especially useful, this is because it heavily supports the
theme of bullying in my product and provides good
evidence that there is still a prominent homophobic
problem in schools. I want my product to be able to
relate and connect to the audience but I have also
chosen to do this specific product to create awareness
for how gays can still be treated in society.
24. PRIMARY RESEARCH
For the final question, I wanted to know if anyone had
questioned their sexuality and then how they reacted to this. I
felt like this would be a good question to ask as their responses
would allow me to gather some inspiration from real events.
From this, I could try and incorporate some of the different
ideas in my product. This would really secure the realistic and
relatable which I want to convey in my product.
One person who responded stated that they were incredibly
scared to come out as they thought everyone they care about
would hate them. This heavily relates to the story of my product
meaning that I can defiantly take inspiration. It also shows me
that my product will be relatable as some people will have
experienced very similar experiences throughout their lives. I
felt this specific response was useful therefore for subject
research made sure to interview that very person.
26. INTERVIEW 1
I decided I wanted to interview different people who had come out as homosexual. I wanted to
do this as I felt interviewing real people who have gone through real experiences would
significantly benefit my product. This is because I can take aspects of their experiences and
incorporate into my final product. Overall, this would add a much more realistic feel and
atmosphere to the film therefore creating a much more believable and relatable story.
Firstly, I interviewed a student in my class called jack. From him I learn a lot about the subject. His
experiences as coming out was quite successful. This was because before he came out people
would bully him for acting camp and looking at boys in class. People would not accept how
feminine he was, this was all until he finally came out when he was 16 years old. As soon as he
came out, everyone around him accepted it, the bullying stopped as people now understood his
situation. His family were very supportive and created no conflict around his sexuality.
Although this story doesn’t perfectly the ideas related to the coming out issues in my film, I can
still take different little ideas from jacks story. The idea that he was bullied about being gay
before he came out shows the immaturity of people in schools and how the idea of being gay is
still looked down upon with some people. This also supports the theme of bullying in my product
as it is evidence that this still does occur in schools, this is a positive as it shows me that the
audience will definitely be able to relate to at least one idea included in my final product.
27. INTERVIEW 2I decided to collect another interview, in my second I interviewed an assistant in my lesson called David
who had a very different story to jack. He didn't actually come out till his later years, this was because
of all the negative stereotypes that came with the idea of being gay in the 80s. He felt very trapped
with the idea of his sexuality because of the homophobic environment there was at school and how he
felt everyone around him would react. David never really officially came out people just started to
realize as he was very camp growing up and when he moved out, he always stayed with gay couples
which showed his attraction to these kind of people. He clearly felt at home when he was around other
homosexuals as they may share similar experiences and interests. David also experiencing bullying, he
loved gymnastics as a child ,meaning people picked on him because of this as it stereotypically a “girls”
sport. This obviously lead to people calling gay from a young age not knowing the struggles he was
dealing with. He also told me he still deals with a lot of homophobic abusive from students and
colleagues. People will drop comments about what he is wearing or how he speaks as though there is
a massive problem just because he doesn’t fir in as much as everyone else. This shows the still current
on going problem in society with accepting different people.
From David's experiences I have managed to pick up different ideas. Again, his experiences have
provided evidence that homophobic bullying still occurs in todays society. This benefits my product as
it means that the events in my product are similar to real experiences making the product much more
relatable and realistic. His struggle with coming out because how he thought people around may react
is similar the my product. This is good as it gave me a real insight on someone else experience
allowing me to add a strong realistic element into my final product.
28. MENTAL HEALTH
I decided I wanted to research how the LGBT community deal with mental
health and if they struggle with it like heterosexual people. From my research
I have learnt that the LGBT community actually deal with bigger mental health
problems much more significantly than heterosexual people. My research tells
me that LGBT are twice as likely to feel suicidal and over four times as likely
to attempt suicide. It also tells me that 10% of school kids report feeling
depressed but this increases to 30% in the LGBT community. I feel these
statistics stand like this as many people who come out or are struggling to
come out feel trapped and feel that they will be treated different. In society,
there is still a negative stigma about LGBTs making people who are GBT feel
that they will be treated differently if they do come out as their true self's. I
see this as a huge problem hence why I am creating a product based on this
theme, I am not just interested in the topic but I also want to raise awareness
about the still current issues with homosexuality and the LGBT community in
