My ongoing research for the FMP

1. FMP – RESEARCH
RHYS SADLER-SCOTT

2. MY PROJECT CONCEPT
The concept is a 3-5 episode season of a series focusing on 4 main characters, each
suffering from a separate mental illness, DID, bipolar, schizophrenia and a
sociopath. Together, with the help of an empathetic doctor, they form a society to
try and control their rapidly deteriorating conditions. But after the death of
someone close to the group, they’re put at the center of a steadily building
mystery in a race to stabilize their conditions and stop themselves from being
institutionalized. The working title for the series is PyschoTherapy.

3. AUDIENCE RESEARCH.
To begin my research. I decided to conduct an audience survey on mental illness, how it affects people’s
lives, what interests them about it and what they’d want to see in a series focusing on characters will
mental illnesses. I was delighted to receive over 180 responses, meaning I can start to understand my target
audience fairly early on.
See the survey here:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PRP29RJ

4. SURVEY RESULTS

13. AUDIENCE SURVEY ANALYSIS
From my survey, I can deduce that the target audience of my web series is approx. two thirds female and one third
male. The primary age range by a wide margin was 18-24 year olds, which makes sense, since not only are the
characters I plan to feature in my FMP in the same age range, but it is also the most common age group in which
mental illness first develops [1] the survey also shows there is a popular demographic for seeing a series that
represents mental illness in an accurate manner. Indicated by two thirds of the audience, and therefore a majority,
expressing interest in seeing such a series. The reasoning behind this is given in the comment box beneath the
question and the answers mostly follow the same pattern, people either want to learn more about it out of curiosity
or they want to see the conditions properly represented. These are both subjects I hope to tackle in my series,
displaying a positive, yet realistic outcome for people with mental health issues. Finally, the survey shows that
mental illness truly does have a large impact on a large group of people, more than would probably be thought
common, so this is a surprisingly large desire from the public; a show that displays the true nature of those who
suffer from a mental illness. This means that my intended product fits my target audience very well, based on the
results of this survey.

14. FOCUSED AUDIENCE INTERVIEWS

15. INTERVIEW – TONI GIBSON, FEMALE, 17
1. What interests you about mental illness?
Peoples stories from experiencing a mental illness, such as their struggles and how they got through it.
2. What would you expect in a series about mental illnesses?
That the storyline is done very carefully. So that it doesn’t trigger anybody's mental Illness. Or that it doesn’t glorify a
mental illness as a thing for attention.
3. Do you think Mystery and psychological blend together well as a genre?
Yes I think it could be a very interesting storyline.
4. What makes characters interesting to you?
Knowing who they are by a basic background story. Their appearance and personality within the film.
5. How long would you expect a web series to be? (Episode length and amount)
10 minutes long and around 3 episodes
6. Do you think it’s more important to be accurate or interesting when telling a story?
I think both are very important but if I had to pick one it would have to be accuracy. Especially for the subject that you
have chosen to focus on.

16. INTERVIEW – SAMUEL SHOETTNER, MALE, 18
1. What interests you about mental illness?
I think mental illness is fascinating as it can completely alter a persons outlook on life, ability to communicate
properly, correct outlooks on social cues or behavior. To making them extremely talented artists or mathematicians.
2. What would you expect in a series about mental illnesses?
I think it is most important that mental illness is represented correctly and factually accurately. When shows just
stereo type characters with disabilities or mental illnesses it instantly makes the show cheap and removes any
immersion.
3. Do you think Mystery and psychological blend together well as a genre?
I think if it is done well it can work really well.
4. What makes characters interesting to you?
I find a character can only be interesting if they have sufficient motivation, see Walter white from breaking bad or
Pablo Escobar in Narcos, Saul Goodman in better call Saul, the list goes on. If a character has motivations and has
somewhere they want to get you can make any character interesting.
5. How long would you expect a web series to be? (Episode length and amount)
I think it can have infinite episodes so long as they stay interesting, and 3-4 minutes per episode.
6. Do you think it’s more important to be accurate or interesting when telling a story?
I think you can have some creative license as long as it makes sense with the story (for example the marvel films
make no sense on earth but within their universe they make perfect sense). Overall I’d say it needs to be interesting,
but it has to be accurate within its own world.

17. INTERVIEW – INDIA HARRISON, FEMALE,19
1. What interests you about mental illness?
How people are able to mask it in such a way that it almost isn’t noticeable that they’re going through
anything. I think it’s really admirable.
2. What would you expect in a series about mental illnesses?
I’d expect each issue to be talked about in depth so anyone that didn’t understand one of the illnesses could be
well informed.
3. Do you think Mystery and psychological blend together well as a genre?
I do yes, they’re both interesting genres that I think could work well together if the story is written well.
4. What makes characters interesting to you?
A good storyline and if they’re mysterious. I think if people don’t know a lot about a character, it can help make
them more intriguing.
5. How long would you expect a web series to be? (Episode length and amount)
Episode: 15-20 minutes Series: However long it takes to tell the story.
6. Do you think it’s more important to be accurate or interesting when telling a story?
interesting.

18. AUDIENCE INTERVIEWS ANALYSIS AND OVERALL CONCLUSION
Interviews with a focused audience correlate with the conclusions I came to from the audience survey. They
all expressed interest in a series about mental illness and thought it would blend well with the Mystery genre.
They also each expressed a desire to see well fleshed out characters, each with accurately depicted
conditions. However two out of three of the interviewees expressed that there was some room for creative
liberties with the conditions if it is in service to a more interesting or compelling story. Something I will have
to bear in mind when portraying the illnesses on screen. Overall though, the interviews serve well to enforce
what the survey already told me and as a conclusion to my audience research overall:
There is a strong market for a series that focuses on mental illness in young adults, as long as it is portrayed
accurately and respectfully. This series has the potential to be either very popular or a misfired disaster, so I
will always need to tread carefully and with respect when dealing with the subject of mental illness.

19. MARKET RESEARCH –
EXISTING PRODUCT: THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (2018)
The Haunting of Hill House [2] is a 2018
Supernatural/Psychological horror series featuring (As seen on
the poster) a relatively small ensemble cast. The series focuses
mainly on the relationships between five psychologically
damaged siblings and their parents. What’s interesting about
this series is, it largely downplays the haunting and
supernatural elements of the show, in favour of the dynamics
and traits of the main characters. The series is more about how
the haunting affected the main characters, from childhood to
adulthood, which makes this series very much an ensemble
piece, much like my own planned project.
Another useful thing to consider about the series is its focus on psychological trauma, similar to my own product idea, A lot of the characters
suffer from some form of psychological turmoil. Due to the stress and trauma of their early childhood experiences and their arcs in the
series consist of them learning to face and accept their own trauma and ultimately grow as people because of it. This directly mirrors the
planned arc for the characters I’m going to feature in my FMP. There is even a twin dynamic in the show, much like my own, which will be a
great dynamic to study for my own work. The show is a brilliant example of character development in a series, each of the five main
characters have a clearly defined arc and issues to overcome, things they want, things they don’t like etc. The audience is invested in the
characters start to finish, even when they behave in unsympathetic ways. E.g. being cruel or condescending towards one another. This is
very much the sort of effect I’d like to create when developing my own characters.

20. EXISTING PRODUCT: JESSICA JONES (2015)
Jessica Jones [3] is another Netflix produced series. This time however, the
genre is a neo-noir superhero show. The main focus on Jessica Jones however, Is
rightly Jessica herself, who serves as a brilliant and accurate depiction of a
character suffering from a mental illness in a TV Show, namely PTSD. Jessica is a
super strong, alcoholic Private investigator. Suffering from PTSD after being
abducted and raped by another super powered man. The series sees her
struggling to cope with her condition, becoming rude and abrasive towards
those she cares about and using sarcasm and drinking as a defense mechanism.
However, the main point I want to take from her character is that throughout
her show, Jessica remains a firmly heroic being. Often risking her life to save
others and being unable to stop herself from caring about others, no matter
how hard she tries. This a brilliant angle to take on a mentally disturbed
character, as they are shown as a positive character overall, fighting to overcome
their illness and being proactive about their goals. One thing that is very
important to me in my FMP is the demonstrate the good aspects of mental
illness and how people who suffer the various affliction I intend to depict can
use their experience and demons in order to serve the greater good.

21. EXISTING PRODUCT: I HAD A BLACK DOG, HIS NAME WAS DEPRESSION
I had a black dog, his name was depression [3] is a short film that uses a big
black dog as an analogy for a man suffering from depression. Throughout
the film, the man details how it wasn’t until he was able to talk about his
‘Dog’ that he was able to overcome it. The basic idea around this concept is
a good match for my own product. As it shows that ‘Normalising’ a subject
by talking about it, especially a mental illness, can help to accept, overcome
and maybe even appreciate your condition. This is, at it’s core, the exact
same message I hope to convey in my own story about mental health,
despite it being a work of fiction instead of a factual piece. While the overall
Idea might be a bit over-dramatised. (To be expected from a psychological
mystery series.) The overall premise is actually much the same. I had a big
black dog even shows a three act story structure, despite being a factual,
documentary type piece, as it established the problem the narrator is facing,
shows it escalating then is resolved in a satisfying manner. So the whole
structure of this product, if it were a fictional piece, would fit my product
perfectly, and is a brilliant product to draw inspiration from.

22. EXISTING PRODUCT: MENTAL ILLNESS (BOOK)
Mental Illness [5] is a short ‘issues’ book. Which gives a brief overview of the various social issues plaguing those
suffering from a mental illness. One of the biggest issues covered in the book is that of the general public not
knowing how to handle or control people with mental illnesses. Often a mentally ill person might be incarcerated for
their behavior, with the police unaware or unsure of their condition and how to work around it.
The book will be a useful source because of its focus on how mainstream society
treats individuals with mental health issues. As the stigmatization of their
conditions will play heavily into the motivation and backstory of the main
characters and will help massively when discussing how they have developed over
the course of their lives.
In short, the book will provide a source that helps to show why the main
characters have developed in the way the have, because of external influence on
their lives. The realism of the story in this regard is very important.

23. PRODUCTION RESEARCH – PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSULTANT.
In order to further ensure accuracy during the writing of my FMP. I have managed to recruit a professional psychologist
as a consultant to my project. This will likely be a huge help in the production as I can gain insight into the finer details of
the various disorders and affliction I intend to portray that only a professional would know. The Psychologist has
confirmed that she has had experience with DID, Schizophrenia, Bi-Polar Disorder, Sociopaths, and personality disorders.
Meaning I’ll be able to add in as much detail and accuracy as possible with her help. For example. She described the
process of ‘Normalisation’ [4] to me. In which talking about an event you are embarrassed or upset about can
‘normalise’ the experience and therefore make it easier to cope with. This gives the core plot of my FMP much more
sound reasoning, as it gives the main characters a strong reason to be drawn together by the Doctor character. I was
also taught about how mental illness is more prevalent in women due to Men generally preferring to keep their issues
secret and/or deny their existence entirely, Worried that it would make them “less of a man” in the eyes of their peers.
Little bits of information like this will be invaluable during the production, especially as the filming wears on, since any
notes the Psychologist has on the actor’s interpretations of the characters will likely greatly improve their performance.
The psychologist will also be credited in the opening title sequence of the show. To show the audience that a lot of work
and research has gone into accurately displaying the mental health issues shown in the series.

24. PRODUCTION RESEARCH – MUSICAL STORYTELLING
One commodity I was able secure early on for the project was a professional
musician to soundtrack my series and create an original theme for each of the four
main characters. As highlighted in my previous ‘Inspiration and Theories’ PowerPoint
presentation. Music can often be absolutely essential when telling a story, as it can
highlight the emotional state and can help to tell their story without them having to
say anything.
At the moment, I already have several saved drafts of the main theme’s for the main
characters, as well as a tune for the opening credits sequence and a theme for the
finale of the series. All original and improvised by myself and the musician. These
themes will actually be very helpful in the characterisation of the main cast, is it will
provide a point of reference for their base personalities going forward and will give
the actors another storytelling tool to work with.

25. PRODUCTION RESEARCH – DRONE AND CAMERA SHOTS
For this project, I have gained access to a drone through a
connection with the cameraman of my last FMP. This will allow
us to explore using aerial establishing shots in the finished
product, in order to introduce variety and to help the viewer
be more immersed in the setting of the series. I’ll have to
investigate where in York it would be appropriate to employ
drone footage. As health and safety is always a priority. I will
also have to look into where in York it is okay to use shots, as
getting permission might prove difficult.

26. BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Vikram Tarugu. (2009). The Real World: Recognising Illness in Young Adults. Available:
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/health/The_Real_World__Recognizing_Mental_Illness_in_Young_Adults.html.
Last accessed 6th feb 2019.
2. Mike Flanagan. (2018). The Haunting of Hill House. Available:
https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80189221. Last accessed 7th Feb 2019.
3. World Health Organization . (2012). I had a black dog, his name was depression . Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc. Last accessed 7th Feb 2019.
4. Anon . (2019). Normalising statements . Available: http://doctorsspeakup.com/content/normalising-statements.
Last accessed 8th feb 2019.
5. Cara Acred (2015). Mental Illness. Great Shelford: Independence Educational Publishers. 1-14.