This document outlines a group's proposal for a short film called "Countdown" in the thriller and romance genres. The film will tell the story of a boy who appears to be stalking his girlfriend by crossing off days on a calendar and watching her out of his window. Through atmospheric camera work and sound, the story builds suspense that the boy plans to attack or kill the girl. However, the film surprises viewers by revealing at the end that the boy's "gift" for the girl is actually a special present, subverting expectations. The group believes their film will appeal to and relate to their target 16-23 year old audience. They have researched elements of effective short films such as structure, characters, and camera

1. SHORT FILM PITCH

2. OUR GROUP
Our production team is called ‘Mango Productions’ and our
short film is called Countdown
PRODUCTIONS
Kate Young & Olivia Duffield

3. THE TASK
PROPOSAL- Our group proposes to create a short film in a multi-genre of
thriller and romance.
The intended audience for our short film is young adults of both genders.
Their ages will range from around 16-23. The typical age range for people
who enjoy watching short films is 15-25.
The film will be exhibited and distributed on YouTube.

4. INITIAL IDEA
Young character throughout the film (perhaps a young boy of around 7 years
old). We see shots of the child hiding something which looks very suspicious.
The twist at the end is that what he is hiding is a present. The young boy
seems very suspicious because he is acting out of character and also is hiding
something from his family.
We changed our initial idea because it was
too similar to something we had previously
watched. This was the Christmas advert for
John Lewis. We also felt that some aspects of
the production would be difficult. We
therefore then decided to build upon our
initial idea and develop it into something
else. Although we took inspiration from the
John Lewis advert, we no longer feel the
need to mirror its structure.

5. OUR IDEA
This story is about a boy and his girlfriend. Through various camera shots we
see him stalking her. He crosses off days on the calendar indicating he is
counting down the days until a certain event. Also we see him watching the
girl out of the window and following her around alongside acting very
suspicious. In the last scene the boy waits for his girlfriend after work and
takes her to a secluded area for a ‘surprise’.
Through the use of camera work, dialogue, acting and sound the story is
atmospheric. It seems that the boy is stalking the girl and possibly plans to
attack or even kill her. So at the end when he takes her to the woods we
assume he will do something along those lines. However what he actually does
is give her a special gift.

6. OUR IDEA
Genre- Thriller/ Romance
Target Audience- 16-23 year olds
Title ideas; A Gift, Secret Surprise, Someone’s watching you, Countdown
Tagline- ‘Do you ever feel like someone’s counting down the days for you?’
‘Do you ever feel like your time is coming up?’
We think that the genre of the film and the narrative will both interest and relate to the
audience in some way. For example a lot of young people are in relationships and it may be
of interest to them to watch how they can go wrong or what to possibly look out for. Also
we think that the idea of a stalker is quite mesmerizing and interesting for young adults.
Our film will be a success because we have done lots of research into what makes a good
short film and what sorts of things are good to include. We continue to research what sort
of camera shots to use within this genre to create atmosphere and believe that through the
use of sound it will be very effective.

7. RESEARCH
In order for our short film to be a success we have carried out research to
identify key areas needed to make a good short. We needed to come up with
an idea that is simple yet effective, so we chose to carry out a stalker theme
throughout and use a twist at the end to conclude the film. We also realise that
a strong script is needed. We need to develop both the characters and the
narrative within a short space of time so a good script is needed to achieve
this. It would be helpful to use actors that have experience in the field. Not
necessarily professional actors but certainly those with an interest in drama
would be perfect examples. The structure of our film needs to be clear. A
clear beginning, middle and end will support the overall narrative of the film.

8. CAMERA SHOTS

14. STORYBOARD

15. Thanks for watching our pitch we hope you liked our idea.
Do you have any questions?