2. TREATMENT
WORKING TITLE Take Me Back
LENGTH OF FILM Approximately 6 minutes
TAG LINE Is it worth messing with time
KEY CHARACTERS Twins sisters Alex and Sophie
3. THE TARGET AUDIENCE 14-25 year olds
THE FORM AND STYLE clean cut professional feel to the
film quick moving
MARKETPLACE Film festivals
4. SYNOPSIS
ACT ONE Them at their grandparents house going through
their Mums old bedroom- Sophie picks up the
watch.
ACT TWO Wake up after fainting feeling disoriented and hears
shouting outside the room
ACT THREEHow they are going to get home- going into the forest
near the house when Sophie feels a pull towards
something again.
Working title is ‘Take Me Back’ as the short film is about time travel and I think this title will draw in the target audience as its quite mysterious and makes the audience question what it could be about- there are many different things is could be about.
Length of the film will be at least 6 minutes although I don’t think it will be much longer then that as I haven’t come up with enough content or storyline that could make it longer- although 6 minutes is still quite a long time so there will be plenty of storyline and plot actually happening. I would like there to be more time for act one and two then act three as I think there is more action in one and two.
The tag line is ‘Is it worth messing with time’ I think this tag line is perfect as it’s a play on words and funny in a non-funny way as the film is about a watch that takes them back in time as well as them changing the timeline.
Key characters are two girls aged 16 who are twin- Alexandra who prefers to be called Alex and Sophie. Alex is adventures, always out of the house, never stops being active, she isn’t studious but she is smart and perceptive. However, Sophie is the opposite and although she does spend time out with her friends most evenings she prefers to stay home and study, she loves watching films and reading, Sophie is also very studious and although not as naturally as smart as Alex she works hard and get better grades because of that- she has bigger ambitions such as university and a good career. The other key characters are their mum and aunt- Emily is their mum and is 18 in 2018 and 41 in 2041 and Rebecca is their aunt Becca who is 15 in 2018 and 37 in 2041.
The target audience I feel is mainly teenagers/young adults 14-25 as I feel they would enjoy this kind of story more then and adult audience would. I also believe that they are more likely to be on YouTube and stumble across a film like this or if I advertised the short film on social media they are more likely to see the advert and look into it- watch it. As its quite short as well there is more chance a teenager will watch the whole as they may feel that 6 minutes is not that much time and it’s therefore an easier watch then a 20 minute film. The target audience are also more likely to promote the film to their friends through word of mouth which is a good way to promote a film as if your friend tells you to watch a film you are more likely to watch it then if you see it randomly on YouTube even more so when teenagers are around each other all day at school so have more opportunities to share it.
The form and style is going to have a cleaner cut and be quick moving. I want to use quick, short shots that creating a sense of exciting through the quick movement. However, I will also include some slower shots such as when Sophie goes to pick up the watch at the end of the short film and at the end of act one.
Its marketplace is probably more likely going to be more film festivals and for awards as it’s the type of film a director would use to show their style and their abilities as a director rather than to get a message out to the public as there isn’t really a strong message or moral behind the film.
Synopsis- act one starts with the twins staying at their grandma’s house for the night in their mum’s old room- even though the room has been redecorated for use as a guest bedroom it still has their mums old things in boxes in a closet and in the drawers. Alex is bored as she can’t go out and feels trapped in their grandma’s house, whereas Sophie doesn’t mind being stuck at their grandma’s house as there’s good Wi-Fi and it’s peaceful- they aren’t asked to do chores. As Alex becomes more restless she decides to go through their mums old things and find out more about her childhood which Sophie is pestered into doing as well however she feels a bit strange going through their mum’s old things- she feels like she invading their mum’s privacy which will be shown through how she is hesitant in her actions and through dialogue between the two sisters such as Sophie- ‘Alex I really don’t think mum would be happy with you playing with that’. However, its Sophie who suddenly sees a watch that speaks to her- I will show its speaking to her through the camera as it will zoom in on the watch in a jaws style warp, I am also going to add some coloured after-effects to emphasise that the watch is special. Sophie is called to the watch in an almost trance and as she puts it on both Sophie and Alex suddenly faints and everything goes black.
Act two begins with them waking up a bit dazed and unable to focus on anything around them which I will show through the camera being faced up – looking at the ceiling – as is goes from a dazed white to slowing trying to focus on what is happening around it. As they both come to and are able to actually take in their surroundings they realise they are in a really outdated and old room – ‘it looks like it’s from the 20s ew’. As they are looking at the room they suddenly hear shouting which is concerning as they were meant to be home alone. Alex wants to investigate the noise and find out what’s going on whereas Sophie is freaking out and wants to find not adventure out ‘it’s the start of a horror movie why are you doing this to me?!’. Alex huffs and gets annoyed at Sophie and storms out of the room towards the shouting and then runs back into the room looking really shell-shocked, Sophie looks at Alex really worried and when she won’t talk goes to investigate. As Sophie walks out the camera follows as Sophie turns around as shocked as Alex was. The two people shouting they figure out is their mum and aunt but 20 years younger.
Act three is based around them trying to find a way home. They start act three running out of the house and into a nearby forest in a panic about how they are going to get home. Sophie will be panicking and stressing about how they get home and all the different possibilities- what will happen if they are stuck there forever, how are they going to work out how to get home (I will also add a reference to back to the future- ‘ugh its like that old film mum and aunt Becca are obsessed with what’s it called ‘into the future’ ‘back to the future’ or something like that’)… Whereas Alex is completely calm and is very helpful in trying to calm Sophie down (or tries to be) and is very logical about how to get home. As they are stumbling through the forest Sophie suddenly feels the same pull towards something and as she is following it with Alex staying close behind her confused on what is happening Sophie suddenly stops and looks down to see the same watch that transported them to 2018. Sophie warily bends down to pick it up (shown through her actions being hesitant and slow) she waits for a second before she picks it up and the screen goes black with any background noise/music stopping suddenly as the credits start coming on screen.
In conclusion I believe this would be a good short film to create as there is many opportunities where I can show my technological knowledge and abilities through a fun and hopefully entertaining short film.
