1. Proposal
1
Working Title:
Unfocused.
Audience:
My target audience will be lower to middle class people aged 16-24 of any gender, they will enjoy
watching dramatic, fast paced films and live in the UK. The film I am making will revolve around
teenager struggling with depression and anxiety, which is more common among teenagers in the
middle and lower classes. The film is not targeted at any particular gender, as depression affects
both sexes, though women do tend to suffer from depression more often. The film is aimed at
audiences who enjoy dramatic themes; this is due to the dark themes and gritty subject matter it
deals with. This also makes the film unsuitable for younger viewers.
Rationale (approx. 100 words)
This year I have picked up a massive amount of knowledge about the tropes and techniques used
in filmmaking. Including how the language of the camera and the shots used, don’t always have to
connect with the subject matter of the film. This is done to make comedies look scary, at least
initially, to give the film a twist. I haven’t learned as much as I’d have liked about personally
shooting a film, so this production will be my chance to gain more experience in filming. I have also
had brief stints with both depression and anxiety this year, which means I have a strong
understanding of the rationale and motivations of the main character, who suffers from the same
afflictions. This year has also given me new talents in postproduction, which will allow me to s hoot
with a green screen if necessary.
Project Concept (approx. 200 words)
For my film, I will be making a short drama about a young teenager, suffering from depression and
anxiety after experiencing a heavy loss in his life. He is ignored and chastised by his peers, while
he, in turn, is completely unable to properly focus on the world around him. The film will be shot
with a lot of close up’s and POV shots. To show the intensity of the teen’s afflictions. As the film
draws closer to its climax, the shots will cut more and more rapidly. Until he reaches a ledge, when
the film will go mute and still for a moment. Until he sees a young woman, in colour and in focus,
who smiles brightly at him. The film will end as the teen decides between life and death. Smiling at
the camera. For this film I will research other one-minute short films, focusing on a dramatic
subject matter. This will be in order to see how a dramatic story can be compressed into the span
of just 60 seconds. I will also research silent films, to see how music might be used to convey the
emotions, thoughts and feeling of a main character. This will be especially useful, as my film will
not feature any dialogue. Finally, I will do some research on other shows that feature troubled
teenagers in the age bracket I am catering to, in order to better understand the phycology of the
main character.
Production Techniques (approx. 150 words)
What specialist techniques do you need to consider? (e.g. green screen, Steadicam, post-
production, sound, etc)
Does this require any specialist equipment/training/demos?
I will probably need to use a green screen for the opening scene, which takes place in a cemetery .
I’ll be shooting the film with a lot of close up shots and cuts, so it might take a while to film, sound
wont be an issue however, as all effects and music will be added in post production. This means I
wont have to worry about noise at all when filming my shots. I will add any unfocused or coloured
effects in postproduction as well, which means I won’t have to worry about keeping the shots
perfectly focused on the main character and not the scenery around him. None of these
requirements will take much training or demos, but I will need some lights and a green screen for
the opening shot. And I will also need to use steadicam for tracking shots.
2. Proposal
2
Schedule
WEEK OVERALL PLAN SPECIFIC TASKS
1 -Initial Response
-Production Experiments
Complete the initial
response.
Begin work on
producing production
experiments.
2 -Product
-Audience Research
-Proposal
-Begin Pre-production
Finish filming
production
experiments.
Begin work on
proposal and
research.
Edit the production
experiments.
3 -Pre-production
-Filming
Continue research
Finish proposal.
Outline story and
scenes.
Start filming short
film.
4 -Filming/Editing Finish research
Complete filming
5 -Post-production
-Screening/Evaluation
Edit film
Complete evaluation.
Bibliography
At least 7 sources total and should include books, videos/films/video games, magazines and
newspaper articles etc.
1. Rhys, Sadler-Scott. (2018) Target Audience Research Survey (conducted on 18/01/2017)
2. Leah, Ellis. (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 18/01/2018)
3. Sam, Schottner. (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 18/01/2018)
4. Liberty, Whitehorn (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on 18/01/2018)
5. N/A. (2013). 10 Fantastic Short Films That Are Only A Minute Long. Available:
https://filmschoolrejects.com/10-fantastic-short-films-that-are-only-a-minute-long-75d42a8e00dd/.
Last accessed 25th January 2018.
6. Hans Zimmer. (2017). Inception:Music from the motion picture.Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception:_Music_from_the_Motion_Picture. Last
accessed 25th January 2018.
7. Jay Asher. (2017). 13 Reasons Why. Available:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13_Reasons_Why. Last accessed 25th January
2018.
Evaluation (approx. 50 words)
I plan to evaluate my work based on how well the shots I take blend together. Since my filming
schedule is spaced out a bit. I’ll also evaluate based on how well the main characters thoughts and
feeling come across based on how the film is shot and the music that is employed. Overall, the film
will be judged on how well it keeps its tone and whether the quality of the acting will be good
enough to carry the short film.
