2. Proposal and pitch
This template is to allow you to structure your proposal
and pitch. You should be using the work from Stage 1
to help you to complete Stage 2. As such your
proposal should be a summary of the info collected in
your research.
It is important you provide as much product information
as possible (content outline, target audience,
resources, cast and crew requirements, budget,
project schedule, market fit).
This template constitutes your proposal, it will be the
basis of your Video Pitch/Presentation.
4. Plot synopsis
The plot centres around a lone recluse man walking
back home from his daily shopping only to be stunned
by the sight of the front door of his house to be wide
open. Even more so at the sound of a stranger inside
potentially stealing his possessions. The rest of the
film is about this man compensating of what should he
do to handle this situation that he has never been in
before. Told through theses sequences that turn out to
be imagination sequences of the man thinking of how
should he handle the situation, such as the man
walking into his house to either tackle the criminal or
calling the police.
5. Market fit/Genre
I would consider my film as a thriller because there is nothing
funny or delightful about the situation my character is. Any
rational person would most likely be terrified if they where in
a situation like this but this is not a horror film so it only
makes sense to make this film a thriller. My film will also
include some genre techniques that you would also see in a
thriller film including tracking shots, low angle shots, eerie
music, and I am shooting the film in black and white which is
sometimes a style you would see in thrillers.
6. characters
My main protagonist is very silent and very lonely and as the
film develops you get to learn that he is flawed and in a lot of
way’s very damaged. The end of the film reveals that the
events of the film where instigated by the thoughts in his
head which where a manifestation of his fear of going
outside. As he stands by his door preparing to go outside
you get a sense that he wants to go outside but by creating
these bad thoughts in his head, his fear has increased
significantly and he is physically unable to step into the
outside world.
7. Target audience
After doing further research I have learned that the age range of
demographics for thrillers are people who are aged between their
30s and 40s and a lot of the best thrillers ever put on screen have
(Panic Room and Zodiac are a popular example) popular appeal
within that audience however because my protagonist is going to be
played by someone who is aged between 19-21 I feel my film is also
going to gain appeal to people aged between 16-26 because those
people will find it easier to project themselves onto the main
character because they are close to the same age as he is and the
same applies to any number of people who watch a film because the
main character is the same race/gender/age as them.
8. locations
I am going to do the shoot in my house in my front
garden mainly cause its cheaper then hiring a location for
loads of money. I am going to be shooting during the
weekend because there is a construction site facing my
street and its only on the weekends where they are not
active, so I am going to film it where there will be a higher
chance of their being silence in my street. I am also
considering filming mid afternoon where light is at its
strongest, unlike early morning and evening where the
lighting becomes dimmer and more of an issue to deal
with. I am probably going to have to move the cars on the
front drive to make more room for the camera and tripod
so I can block the scene better without the 2 cars in the
way.
9. resources
I tend to obtain recourses by booking them from the
college instead of spending a lot of money buying
them. It helps saves money but you have to reach the
deadline. I will need a DSLR camera a long with a
tripod and possibly a shoulder rig or a Steadicam to
get some slick tracking shots. I may also need a
microphone to help balance out the audio and the
background noise so that it doesn't become a
distraction for the viewer in the final product.
10. Crew requirements
Because my film is very small scaled and is only taking
place in only one location and is very no budget. I may
only require one crew member who has experience in
general camera work and cinematography and can
help me with the blocking, camera placement and the
overall staging of each scene. I am going to hire a
friend of mine who has experience in cinematography
and general camera work and has studied film in
London for a few years, making him the most
professional and experienced in my cast/crew.
11. Cast requirements
My brother who is a inspiring actor is going to play the
protagonist. Because I don’t know anyone who is
experienced in acting other than my brother. Because
he isn’t a fully professional actor I am going to have
him not say a single line of dialogue and he will have
to express his feelings through emotion. My burglar is
probably going to be played by me seeing how the
face will be covered to a point of being unrecognisable
and I feel I can perfectly mimic the body language of a
thug instead of having my camera man ( who is not a
experienced actor) doing so and giving him directions
on how to do the movements.
12. budget
I don’t have any budget or money, all the equipment is
booked from the college and any other location that
you want to film in would require a bit of money to gain
permission from the location owners but because I am
shooting the film in my house in my front garden,
having a budget wont be necessary. I wont even have
to pay my crew and cast member because I know
them so well that they will be accepting of helping me
without any pay.
13. schedule
You have a rough schedule already in place due to the college
calendar. How do you intend to use this time? How are you
going to keep track of this?
I am going to use my time wisely by filming some establishing shots
of my location a week before the actual shoot. This will save me a
lot of time for me and my cast and crew member and It will keep me
on track with timing and finishing it. It will even help if something
happens and my cast/crew member can not make it. I would have
filmed something and saved us some time and there wouldn’t be
any pressure of us not finishing it. Doing the establishing shots
would also give me something to put on the edit and show to my
tutor and prove that I have done some filming. Doing this will also
save time during the shoot. There maybe a chance where we wont
get everything done on the day of the shoot so filming a week in
advance would save a lot of time.
14. Why are you the best person to make this movie? What is the reason that you
decided to tell this particular story? Share your enthusiasm and your empathy
for your characters in your pitch.
What is the heart of the story? What is the central conflict?
Why did you choose these characters? What makes them compelling? Speak
about the personal connection you have as a filmmaker with the characters.
How will your film be different than others on the same topic? Find a way to
make your film stand out.
Your pitch should not explain your trailer, but add more details about your film
and process.
