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 way she
will be trying to hide her self behind her friends and the way she sometimes has a straight face and always looking behind her back. This will
portray to the audience that she is worried what people will think and that she is worried of people looking at her.
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).
