Initial ideas

1. Short film initial ideas
Characters
Ellie McCarthy
16 year old, independent teenager
suffering from cancer, Ellie is in
love with Sam Anderson however
her father isn’t accepting of him.
Dave McCarthy
45 years old, father of Ellie. Dave
lost his wife during childbirth now
his daughter is suffering with
cancer he is protective of her.
Sam Anderson
Sam is the boyfriend of Ellie, and is
incredibly supportive of her and
her illness. Sam wants to take Ellie
to prom but Dave insists it’s a bad
idea.
Locations
Ellie’s bedroom
To be shot at Emily’s house.
McCarthy house
To be shot at Rukayyah’s house
School
Titus Salt School
Music
Non diegetic sound
Sang by Lucy Brownnutt
Played by Matthew Baldwin
Genre
Romance Drama
Similar Productions: The fault in our stars. Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene
Woodley), a 16-year-old cancer patient, meets and falls in love with Gus
Waters (Ansel Elgort), a similarly afflicted teen from her cancer support
group. Hazel feels that Gus really understands her. They both share the same
acerbic wit and a love of books, especially Grace's touchstone, "An Imperial
Affliction" by Peter Van Houten. When Gus scores an invitation to meet the
reclusive author, he and Hazel embark on the adventure of their brief lives.
Plot
Ellie is terminally ill, the
audience is aware of this
from the beginning.
Dave is protective of his
daughter as a single parent
he fears being alone after
his wife died during
childbirth.
Dave doesn’t approve of
Sam but eventually gives
in as he’s soon aware that
he needs to make the most
of the time she has left
with his daughter and Ellie
enjoying her own time
with friends and Sam.
Dave decorates the living
room in prom decorations,
as Ellie is unable to attend
the actual prom at her
school. Sam sacrifices his
own night to help surprise
Ellie.
While Ellie enjoys her
prom night with Sam, her
father finally relaxes and
meets his own friends at
the pub understanding
that his daughter wants to
live every moment to the
fullest.
Time scale
The short film will be
based over a couple of
weeks.
Cinematography
 Artificial lighting as well as natural light
 Traditional fixed camera to tripod
 Dolly/ slider
 Mise en scene will be studied further e.g.
connoting a teen’s bedroom, displaying an
illness and a school environment.
 Passing of time: shot of sunrise, light through
trees, amount of light and clocks.