an introduction to what you will be doing this year.

1. FMP
A N I N T R O D U C T I O N

2. WELCOME TO YOUR
FINAL MAJOR PROJECT
What is FMP?

3. WHAT IS
FINAL MAJOR PROJECT?
FMP is a 1 year project where you have to work alone to produce a video.
You will be marked on your ability to produce your video – what is a
video producer? What skills do they need?

4. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO?
(AND HOW ARE YOU MARKED]
• Deliver a punchy, exciting pitch for a creative and well-developed idea
• Write a detailed, creative proposal
• Conduct detailed and useful research for your project from a range of sources,
explaining what you have discovered and how it will impact your project.
• Plan and organise your project independently (with a full, detailed pre-production
portfolio)
• Film!
• Edit!
• Write a detailed analysis of the whole project, measuring your success, achievements,
failures, weaknesses.

5. WHAT CALIBRE OF WORK DO I
EXPECT?
• Planning should be thorough, detailed, complete, creative, imaginative, well presented
• Pitches should be engaging, exciting, atmospheric, tell a well developed story but leave
the audience pumped and wanting to know more.
• Films should be technically perfect (focus, exposure, grain should be perfect, sound
should be crisp, clear, well mastered, the exported movie should be festival ready)
• Films should meet their own aims (Horror? Scary. Thriller? Thrilling. Documentary?
Interesting)
• Films should meet my aims (run-time, deadline)
• Films should adhere to their plans – if you pitch someone an idea you have to produce
that idea.

6. PAST WORK - PITCHES

7. What Do These Films Have in Common?
These films are all Horror/ Thrillers with plots that focus on
Serial Killers!

8. Murder In My Veins
FMP Short Film Pitch

9. Logline
An interview with a serial killer sparks an unhealthy relationship between a journalist and the man
she was hesitant to meet.

10. Plot
A journalist interviews a serial killer. She is at first hesitant but decides to visit him in order to keep
her job. During the interview, she starts to sympathise with the killer, believing he is a good person
deep down and continues to visit him, beginning an unhealthy fixation with him.
On the last visit, she agrees to carry on his work.

11. Genre & Themes
My film will be a psychological thriller with the intention to create suspense and tension in the mind
of the viewer, keeping them on the ‘edge of their seat’ throughout the whole film.
Characterisation is an important element of thriller films as the conflict between characters is one of
the main plots that drives a thriller film. The main types of characters in thriller films are convicts,
criminals, stalkers, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, people involved in
complicated/ twisted relationships, people with careers in Law (police, detectives, FBI/CSI agents,
lawyers etc…)
The themes of my film are obsession, manipulation, love and revenge with many plot twists and
turns to take the audience on a journey of fear and suspense when watching my film.

12. Narrative
‘A story should have a beginning, middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order’ - Jean-
Luc Godard
Instead of the audience following a story in a chronological order of a beginning, middle and an end,
my film will purposely have a nonlinear narrative to tell the story through an unconventional
structure, to emphasise on the films drama and suspense. The nonlinear narrative will allow for
the film to focus on more plot twist and events whilst also allowing the audience to have a deeper
connection to the characters in the film as the film explores the characters. The film will also
include flashbacks, with the film mainly focusing on the past rather than the present, inspired by
How To Get Away With Murder.
As the nonlinear narrative means the film will have an out of order sequence, the film will still need
to focus on the overall plot to create an effective and suspenseful psychological thriller film that
audiences can understand each time, the film goes out of sequence.

13. The Ending
The majority of people who took my
survey prefer to see either a happy
ending or a cliffhanger in Thrillers.
My personal preference is to have
either a cliffhanger, open or a
bittersweet ending as this is what I
find most interesting in this genre.

14. Target Audience
I have decided to give my film an age rating of 15 because it is a psychological thriller meaning the
film will be playing with people's minds rather than being graphic or violent. Although it will be a
15, the film will be targeted towards the more mature fifteen year old who enjoys films of the
thriller and horror movies.
I am hoping for both male and females to enjoy my film although from the survey I conducted, my
film seems to appeal more to a female audience in the demographic category E of unemployed,
students and casual workers.

15. Characters
The main character in my film is an anti-hero called Evelyn Anderson who is a journalist and the
daughter of a notorious serial killer which is the reason to why she is not only hesitant to do the
interview but also explains her fixation on the serial killer.
The antagonist in my film is a serial killer called Johnny who is the subject of Evelyn’s interview and
uses his manipulation and lying skills to manipulate Evelyn into becoming his assistant.

16. Character Inspiration
The two characters in my film are inspired by the relationship between the Suicide Squad version of
the Joker and Harley Quinn because of their relationship being based on manipulation, obsession
and deceit. Harley had a good profession but threw it all away to be with the joker.

17. Research
I have researched a couple of mental disorders to help create the character of Evelyn. These
disorders are Stockholm Syndrome and Histrionic Personality Disorder.
Stockholm Syndrome Histrionic Personality Disorder
●Victims sympathise with their
captors.
●Problems connecting with
people, emotionally/sexualy.
●Defending the kidnappers
actions.
●Act as the ‘victim’ or ‘princess’ to
cause drama.
●Refusal to testify against the
kidnapper.
●Like to bring attention to
themselves and often
exaggerate.

18. Inspirations
Zodiac (2007), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Gone Girl (2014) and Nightcrawler (2014) are some
of the films that inspired me to make a short Psychological Thriller film because of their plots
focusing on serial killers whilst also being psychological thrillers themselves. I would like to film in a
similar style to these films as the cinematography in these films are also inspiring with the choice of
colours and camera shots adding to the films suspense and tension.

19. Cinematography
I want to film the interview scenes in my film in a similar style to the scenes between Coolio and
Michelle Pfeiffer in the Gangsta’s Paradise music video. In the music
video, Michelle and Coolio are seen in the dark with only light showing
on their faces as the camera pans around them in a circular motion.
I will use close ups and extreme close ups to capture the
the characters emotions and also to make the audience feel slightly uncomfortable. My film will
also mainly include dark colours to give it an eerie and tense feeling to it.

20. Locations
I am looking to film in a location that will resemble a prison cell or a prison visitor room for the
scenes between Evelyn and Robbie.
For the scenes outside of the prison I will likely film inside college or an office where there are
computers as this will represent Evelyn's job as a journalist.

21. Moral
Think for yourself!
Don’t Let Others Control You!
Be Your Own Person!

22. Any Questions?...

23. PAST WORK - PLANNING

24. PAST WORK – FINAL FILM SHOWING
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MzRoIPElVA&t=0s&list=PLEnB3aaVyTZXX94wTZ1Ux3WZ3XC93HtWw&index=2
Behind Closed Doors – Vicky Terry (short film / PIF)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KT9oeuEOcI&index=80&t=0s&list=PLEnB3aaVyTZXX94wTZ1Ux3WZ3XC93HtWw
Reckless Notions – Serena White (short film)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_C7AFVrwFc&index=70&t=0s&list=PLEnB3aaVyTZXX94wTZ1Ux3WZ3XC93HtWw
Gone – Daryl MacNeill (short film)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j6xkQWfm3Q&index=46&t=0s&list=PLEnB3aaVyTZXX94wTZ1Ux3WZ3XC93HtWw
Papatunde – Sylwia Hudyma (music video)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8S4u1sQEQU Shaqs – Taijahn Smith (music video)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdwLscpcH0U WorldBall – Ethan Horton (documentary)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8-DImkz9gA&t=0s&list=PLEnB3aaVyTZXX94wTZ1Ux3WZ3XC93HtWw&index=12 –
Arden Firewood – Jake Chambers Tobin
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUrZ2_EomrU&t=0s&list=PLEnB3aaVyTZXX94wTZ1Ux3WZ3XC93HtWw&index=11 –
Skyride – Sammi Caven (promotional video)

25. TODAY
I want you to think about what format of video you are going to produce for your FMP?
Music video?
Short film?
PIF?
Documentary?
Promotional film?

26. FIRST STEP
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BECOME?
A music video director?
A screenwriter?
Do you want to work in drama TV?
Do you want to produce documentaries, or factual
programmes?
Discuss this with the person sitting next to you….

27. NEXT STEP
YOUR STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES
On the paper in front of you write out 2 lists:
1. Your strengths as a video producer
2. Your weaknesses as a video producer

28. WHY DO YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND
YOUR WEAKNESSES AT THE START OF THE
PROJECT?
Your strengths will help you produce a better project, but your
weaknesses will bring your project down if you do not
acknowledge them and work towards improving these skills.
In FMP people are let down by:
• Poor organisational skills
• Indecisiveness
• Poor drive
• lack of confidence.
• Poor technical skills with the camera
• Bad time management

29. THINK ABOUT YOUR CAREER GOALS.
IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS.
ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR WEAKNESSES.
What type of video will you make for your FMP?
By the end of the lesson I want you to produce a short powerpoint presentation,
explaining:
1. What your best video was last year.
2. Why it was a success.
3. What your weaknesses were last year.
4. How you will improve at these areas this year.
5. What format video you will do for your FMP, and why this is.