short film idea 2 (sonder) treatment

1. Sonder
By Rachel Moffat

2. Working title:
My working title for this film is ‘Sonder’
Length of the film:
Length of the film: Approx. 10 minutes.
This should allow enough time to develop my story
whilst still keeping the audiences interest.
Tagline:
The tagline for this film is ‘endlessly connected in
our separate journeys’. This brings across the main
theme in the film. I have chosen to have four main
characters who live in Brighton and somehow end up in
the same train carriage on a journey to London. Each
character has their own obstacle such as parents or
Job security. My story focuses on sonder (the
realisation that each passer-by is living a life as
vivid and complex as your own) which I think is
something a traditional story would not show.
Key characters:
 Jamie- young business man who dreams of leaving
his awful boss and moving away.
 Katie- young woman living with her Mum after her
Dad left them. Katie is looking at university’s
but thinks it might be too late for her as she is
25 and does not want to leave her Mum.
 William- Old man who’s ex-boss/friend is in
hospital in London, William struggles with
weather or not he should let go of his grudge and
go to see his friend for what could be the last
time.
 Lara- 35 year old woman who is planning to move
in with her long-distance girlfriend of 10 years.

3. Synopsis:
This film begins with the same shot that we see at
the end of the film, 4 people in one train carriage
on their way from Brighton to London. Throughout the
film we explore the lives of four completely
different characters who have ended up on the same
journey literally and metaphorically. We start with
Jamie a young business man who dreams of leaving his
job and his awful boss. We see him at a computer at
work looking for other jobs. He is called into his
boss’s office and you see through the window as Jamie
is shouting at his boss until he finally walks out.
He walks through the street of Brighton and makes a
phone call accepting a new job in London. As he hangs
up a young woman (Katie) bumps into him, she
apologizes and carries on walking the other way, the
camera follows her back to her flat where she lives
with her mum.
At Katie’s flat we see a conversation with her mother
as her mum passes her some university prospectus’s
and tells her that it is not too late to study is she
wants too. Katie argues at first but then decides to
go to the train station to get tickets to London to
have a look at Goldsmiths and London central. At the
train station we see Katie waiting to buy her ticket
behind Lara (35 year old woman) who is on the phone
to her girlfriend discussing moving plans.
Lara walks out and makes her way to the retirement
home where she volunteers part time still on the
phone to her girlfriend complaining about how hard it
will be to leave Brighton as she has lived there her
whole life. As she walks into the retirement home she
passes a man waiting at the reception. Lara walks on
and the camera stays on the man (William). William
waits for a phone call from his sister, she tells him

4. that his ex-friend and boss is in hospital in London
with a terminal illness and he is asked to go and
visit, William struggles to let go of his grudge and
go and see a man he once cared about very much. We
see him later make his way to the train station.
William gets on the train and sits down and we
realise that it is the same shot as at the beginning
of the film. We see a close up of all of the main
characters faces and then it cuts to black.
Target audience:
The audience of this is very broad as it focuses on a
wide range of characters both male and female.
However I do think that it will take a certain level
of maturity to appreciate. So although it will be
rated between PG and 12 I think it will mostly appeal
to audience member aged 15+
Form and style:
Consent matters is a drama film so I would like to go
for the most natural look I can to ensure that people
don’t feel like they are just watching a flashy film.
I will use lots of ambient light and ensure I have
good continuity editing. I want my audience to be
able to relate with some of the characters and try to
understand how they might be feeling.
Marketplace:
My film is a low budget short film so I shall make it
accessible on the internet through platforms such as
YouTube or other short film websites. I could also
enter my film into some film festivals to get it out
there as that is a good way to get your film seen in
the amateur film making business.