The document discusses plans for a short film opening that will depict a character slowly going mad due to mental illness. It will show the character experiencing a flashback to childhood trauma while doing a daily activity like drying dishes. This will connect the present to a past event shown through intercutting shots of the character dropping a plate and a toy to symbolize the linkage. The film aims to build empathy for the character and their declining mental state over time through representations of neglected mental illness and the vulnerability of children to abuse.

1. By Harriet Stubbs

2. Our narrative is solely based on our main character
going slowly mad. This escalates slowly throughout
our opening. It demonstrates the development of a
mental health condition. We are hoping to have the
character taking part in a normal daily activity, we are
currently thinking of having them be drying up a
plate. During this sequence we are hoping to have a
flashback sequence that links to the current time
sequence. This will show a trauma suffered by our
main character earlier in their life. We are going to
use props to show this, the character will drop the
plate and we will cut between shots of the plate
being dropped and the toy being dropped to
symbolise the connection between the times. An
example of a film that effectively uses flashbacks is ‘I
am legend’. I believe it is effective because it builds
empathy for the character. A good example of a film
using mental illness is the film production of ‘The
streetcar named desire’ which demonstrates the
main character, Blanche, slowly losing grip over her
sanity.

3. Our two most important props are the plate and the
toy that will be dropped in co-existing scenes. This
connects the two time frames. Other than that, we
are not looking at using any other significant props.
Our main character will likely be dressed in plain and
average clothing with minimal makeup in a way to
not draw attention to them. Our younger version of
our main character will not have to be costumed
because we will be using POV shots. Our antagonist
will be in a dark costume which will appear to be
more like a silhouette.
We have decided on two settings currently. One is in
Bradwell, Derbyshire. This is because they have caves
that are available to be used by the public and we
feel this will be a good setting to base our traumatic
event. We will also be using Beth’s house to base our
daily life.
The body language of the antagonist will be
intimidating however you will not be able to see
the face as it is from a child’s perspective. Our main
character’s body language will most likely be quite
introverted which reflects the characters persona.
We are going to be using extremely dull lighting in the
cave because it is obviously dimly lit naturally. We will
have to use some lighting facilities because otherwise
the scene will not be visible but we would like to keep
it as authentic as possible. An example of a film in a
cave is ‘As above, So below’. In this they use head
torches to give realistic lighting. In the daily life we
will most likely be using natural or white light to
connote the harshness of reality.
The most significant composition will be of the
antagonist. This is because the view of him will be a
POV from a child perspective so he will appear very
tall and powerful as his face will not be visible.

4. Our target audience is between 15 and 24 years and is
directed towards a more masculine audience. This is
because horror films are intended to give the
audience a rush of adrenaline. Stereotypically, males
are the more thrill seeking sex and watching a horror
film may give them a similar sort of buzz that they
may achieved from a dangerous activity. However,
women may also enjoy our opening as, stereotypically,
females are more interested in intellectual films that
involve thinking and understanding connections. This
is why we hope our opening will appeal to both
genders. This age range is also one that provides the
audience more spare time to watch the genre of film.
Also, this age range connotes that they are unlikely to
be living alone and may live at home with a family or
at a student accommodation. This means they will
have more disposable income to spend on the media
text as they are unlikely to have to run a household or
support a family. This also might mean that the
audience watches the film for the purpose of
solidarity. This is because, for example, they are
unlikely to be watching the film alone because, as
previously mentioned, the person would more than
likely be living with others.

5. As we are using the sensitive subject of sexual assault
on children, we believe our representation of women
follows Laura Mulvey’s male gaze idea. This is
because the male antagonist objectifies the child in
our flashback sequences in a perverted manner and
takes advantage of her innocence which leads to a
decline in her mental health later in life. This also
means that we are showing male characters in a
predatory and selfish way. Our film also demonstrates
a representation of mental illness. We are presenting
it in a way that it has been neglected by society and
‘brushed under the carpet’. This is what allows the
illness to escalate to a dangerous level. In the film
‘The silver linings playbook’, director David O. Russel
presents mental illness in a way in which the
characters are receiving help which means they can
carry on living life as ‘normal’ as possible. We are
going to subvert this and have our character receiving
no help in the opening which leaves them struggling
to live their life. We are also going to be looking at
the representation of children as vulnerable beings
which a susceptible to abuse and violation.