This is a PowerPoint that I created for media studies which is about a film idea that I have come up with. I did this as I was asked to create a opening scene for a film that we had to come up with.
2. Genre Conventions and Target
Audience
◦ The genre that I have chosen for my film idea is drama. The conventions for
the genre drama are storylines that present real life situations with the use of
realistic settings, stories and characters, something that portrays a journey that a
character has been on, a story line that is dramatic and emotionally moves the
audience and something with intense social interaction. The conventions that I
will have in my film idea are a dramatic storyline that emotionally moves the
audience and a storyline that presents a real life situation.
◦ The film opening for my film idea will inform the audience that the genre is
drama by the way that the character will inform them that she has cancer.
◦ The target audience for my film idea is young adults (12A) and adults as the
target audience for drama films have this target audience. Another reason my
target audience is young adults and adults is because my film will not contain
any violence so it will be suitable from the age of twelve upwards.
3. Plot
◦ The name of my film is The Wish List. Sophia an ordinary girl who has an
ordinary life. She is in university studying to be a nurse, surrounded by loved
ones, enjoys life and has a full life ahead of her, until she is diagnosed with
the illness that no one wants to hear. Cancer. Her whole life is turned upside
down and decides to look back on her life. Sophia realises that she has done
nothing with her life and it hits her that she may never be able to do anything
that she wants to do as she may not have a long future. Suddenly, she quits
university and creates a bucket list of things she wants to do which include
going off on journey’s to countries such as India and Africa. Sophia sets out
on completing the bucket list before her life comes to an end with the help of
her friends.
4. Distinct
◦ Settings- The setting for the film opening will be in numerous places. This because the opening scene
will contain some flash backs of Sophia's life. Some of the flash back will be in the day and some
will be at night. Some flash backs will be Sophia out with her friends at destinations such as town
centre, Southend and at university. The setting for the parts of the film opening that are in present
day will be a doctors office and a waiting room.
◦ Themes- The themes in the film are sadness, friendship and illness.
◦ Icons- The significant object in the film is the bucket list. This is the significant icon as it is the main
object in the film. Without it there would be no storyline as nothing interesting would happen in the
film.
◦ Narrative- The main character is a girl called Sophia that is twenty one years old. She is studying to
become a nurse and is diagnosed with cancer. Her personality is a fun, shy, nice girl. Sophia has
three friends – Anna, James and Katlyn. James is nice, a gentlemen and is best friends with the girls.
However, he is very close with Sophia and their relationship and keeps his feelings for her a secret.
Anna is a kind person with a gentle personality and Katlyn has known Sophia since she was sixteen.
She has got a bubbly, warm hearted personality and is an activist.
◦ Textual analysis- The light in the doctors office and the waiting room will be dark to portray Sophia's
emotions to the audience which will be sadness and scared. Every where else in the film will be high
key lighting. Sophia will be positioned so that she is in front of her friends to show that she is the
most important person in the film. Her and her friends will be positioned in the middle of the frame
towards to front to inform the audience that they are the most important people in the scenes. The
clothes the characters are wearing will be modern as the film is set in the modern day. Sophia’s
body language and facial expressions will be portray that her confidence has been knocked by the
5. Film Inspiration
◦ The films that inspired my film plot theme of the
illness are My Sisters Keeper and The Fault In
Our Stars. I was inspired by these films as they
are films which have a completely different subject
from films that you would not normally see such
as action films. This is what made me decide
that my film was going to be about a girl who
gets cancer as I knew that it would be different
to what other people’s films would be about.
◦ My film inspiration has also been inspired by a
real life situation that has been on the news
about the boy called Stephen Sutton. This story
is the main reason why I was driven to this part
of the genre drama.
6. Representation
◦ In my film I have used the classic stereotype of having three friends – one weird, one
who’s a boy and one who’s gentle/shy. However, the only stereotype that I haven’t used in
my film the boy is not gay. This is a common stereotype of a boy how’s friends are girls.
I have not used this representation as I want to have a boy the friendship group who
has a close bond with Sophia. This is because I wanted Sophia to have a romantic
interest and to have someone who is quite protective of her which is James.
◦ At the beginning of the opening scene Sophia will be introduced. The audience will think at
first she is a normal dog with nothing wrong with her. However at the end of the opening
scene it will become clear to the audience that something is wrong with her. The audience
will stereotype her as a normal girls as she wears normal clothing, makeup and acts
normal, but underneath know one suspects that she might have cancer.
7. Narrative
◦ The opening of the film will start with Sophia being introduced through a close
and a medium long shot of her in a waiting room.
◦ She will have flash backs of what she has done in the past including studying
at university and having fun with her friends. The flash backs will have a voice
over of Sophia talking about her life. Throughout the flash backs and the
scenes with Sophia in the waiting room there will be titles coming up on the
screen to introduce the actors and the crew who created the film to the
audience.
◦ The opening to the film will end with Sophia in the waiting room with tears in
her eyes. A doctor will come up to her whilst she is sitting down in the
waiting room asking her to come in to his/hers office. It will end with a close
up of her face her face and Sophia looking scared and worried. The opening
scene will end there as it will end the opening scene to the film without
revealing what is wrong with her. This will make the audience ask questions
which will make them want to watch the film to find out what happens to her.
8. Institution
◦ I chose 2Oth Century Fox Productions make my film as it is a well known
production company which is known for good films. This would help bring
people into cinema's to see the film. I have also chose 20th Century Fox
Productions as it is one of the big six which means that the film which would
insure that the film would be a hit as they as it is one of the best production
studios.
◦ Based on previous films such as Fury and Gone Girls, I have found that the
production companies that mainly produce and distribute drama films are 20th
Century Fox, Sony Pictures Studio, Warner Bros, Universal Studios and Columbia
Pictures (owned by Sony).