Katie McQuillan proposes a short film titled "Empty" about a dog that is neglected after being given as a Christmas gift. The film would follow a young girl, Chloe, who receives a "toy" dog for Christmas but loses interest in it. The "toy" is later abandoned on the side of the road. A teenager named Beth finds the damaged "toy" and takes it home, revealing to the audience that it is actually a real dog. The film aims to promote the message that dogs require long-term care and should not be treated as disposable gifts.

1. Short film idea 1
By Katie McQuillan

2. The working title
• My chosen working title for my short film is ‘Empty.’
• I feel that this title represents how pets may feel when abandoned or not cared
for correctly and would be more likely to highlight the gravity of neglect.
• I believe this title reflects the message I would like to present due to the use of
“Empty” implying that the actual dog within my film is being treated like a toy
due to abandonment and presents the message that a dog is “not just for
Christmas” as it needs to be greatly considered whether a dog is right for a
lifestyle. Additionally, the symbolism of the toy presents how the dog was
brought with the intention of a Christmas gift rather than as an actual pet which
needs to be cared for.
• I feel this is an appropriate working title for my short film’s genre as it is similar to
other drama films such as ‘The Revenant’ which focuses on the protagonist
returning from his supposed death which is reflected to the audience in the title.
Therefore, I believe the title ‘Empty’ is similar in the sense that it leads the
audience to believe the “toy” is going to be abandoned at some point within the
short film which thus the reveal, that the toy is actually a dog, more dramatic and
thus more memorable for the audience.

3. Tagline
“Dogs are for life, not just for Christmas”
“Don’t treat them like a gift.”
I chose these two taglines as I want to promote the well-used
phrase of dogs not just being for Christmas as I strongly agree that
it is a very big decision that should be thoroughly considered
before they have decided to buy a pet
Additionally, they should not be treated like a toy, which is why I
used the word “gift” to signify that they hold much more
importance than just another present under the tree
Film length:
Around 6 minutes as I would not like it
to be too long in order to keep
audience interest, however I would like
to have it long enough to ensure that
the audience can keep up with the
story.

4. Key Characters
• Chloe – the young daughter (aged 7-10) who receives the “toy” as a
Christmas present.
• Beth – the teenager (aged 18) who finds the “toy” to take home.
• Jacqui – the mother (aged 51) of Chloe.
• Paul – the father (aged 51) of Chloe.
• Pepper – the abandoned dog.

5. Synopsis
Act 3 - Beth looks after the dog by giving it a warm home and a bath to present to the audience the clear difference between a good home
and a bad home for a pet.
Act 1 - Chloe receives a “toy” dog as a present for Christmas and it is stressed how excited and interested she is in her new present. However,
she does appear to lose some interest when she returns to school and when her parents are back at work the toy is almost abandoned.
Act 2 – Paul receives a letter (which is not shown to the audience but is clearly bad news as shown by his facial expressions) and, in an attempt
to cheer him up, Chloe leaves the “toy” for him to find in his car for him to take with him when he leaves to drive to work. Once he gets in the
car it is clear he is positively affected by the “toy’s” presence and he happily takes it with him for a drive. However, he receives a phone call
while he is driving so stops the car on the side of the road to answer it. As he gets out of the car to find some signal, he leaves the door open
and the toy would fall out. With Paul clearly distressed from the phone call he doesn’t realise the toy is missing until further into his journey, in
which case he is already late for work (due to the phone call), and cannot turn back. With the toy abandoned by the side of the road it begins
to get dirty and starts to fall apart.
Act 3 – Beth is going for a walk in the forest where she comes across the “toy” which is looking very damaged and in need of some care. She
takes it home with her where she gives it a bath, in this scene it will be revealed to the audience that the “toy” is in fact a real dog. Here, the
dog will be fed and embraced to symbolise they are in a better home and that the animal has had a happy ending. However, this will be
contrasted by the end tagline which is that “Dog’s are not just for Christmas” to follow the well known phrase people say when considering
getting a dog. This will then be followed by the second tagline “Don’t treat them like a gift” which stresses the importance of considering
before investing in a pet, and through reviewing your lifestyle before making the decision the audience would understand if they would really
be able to get a pet.

6. Target audience
• Regarding the target audience I suggest for this film they would be from young
adults and older as it would be addressed to people who may be considering
getting a pet but may not have properly considered the importance of dedicating
time to the animal in order for their pets to have the best opportunity for having
a long and happy life.
• Regarding the NRS scale the target audience would vary as I would like to appeal
to those who may not be able to afford the maintenance of a pet (meaning they
would be lower down the scale) but also those who are in full-time employment
and may not be able to dedicate enough time to their pet (meaning they would
be higher up the scale).
• Additionally, regarding the 4C's model the audience would be the aspirer as their
core need in life is status. I would want to appeal to this audience type specifically
as they may be looking to get a dog (or other pet) and viewing it as a materialistic
item rather than a living being and I want to stress to them the importance of
dedicating enough time to an animal.
Example of a young
family that I am
aiming to appeal to
through the message
within my short film.

7. Form and style
• In order to make it clear to the audience that the genre of my film is
Drama I would use realist shots and use quite simple editing to
make it more relatable for the audience in order to make the
message of the film more successful. This will be achieved through
having realistic colour and lighting throughout the majority of the
film in order to stress realism, however as the toy is isolated I will
use slightly darker lighting to promote the mistreatment's affect on
the “toy”.
• A key feature of my film will be symbolism (regarding the toy) in
order to stress the message that dogs must not be treated like an
inanimate object such as a toy. This will be able to raise awareness
of mistreatment of pets (specifically dogs) by shocking the audience
with the revelation at the end of the short film that the toy was a
dog all along.

8. Marketplace
• Regarding my films position among other films that have already been released my
film would be an amateur, independent film which would be likely to be exhibited
on the YouTube platform. This would be in order to increase publicity by gaining a
number of views from audiences who may be considering getting a pet or who are
already concerned about the mistreatment of animals and are watching my film in
order to gain further insight for research purposes.
• Additionally, my competition for this genre of film would specifically be films which
already stress the mistreatment of animals and are hoping to raise awareness for
the cause. However, I believe my film may hold some originality by including
symbolism in order to promote the idea that dogs must not be treated like a toy.

9. Storyboard – Key scenes

10. Script – Key scenes

11. Chosen music ideas
I have chosen this as my first music idea as I want to enforce that this scene is at
Christmas time. Additionally, I feel that there is a subtle creepy undertone at the
beginning of this piece which would foreshadow the later catastrophe in my short
film.
This piece of music would be used within the more uplifting parts of my short film
as I believe it would lead the audience to believe the household is a happy place
for the characters.
I believe this piece of music would be useful within the scenes that contain elements
of disruption to the storyline. Such as; the scene where Paul receives the letter and
when the toy is abandoned. Furthermore, I believe this would work well with the
previous music as they use similar instruments, such as the piano, which would make
the overall film flow better.
“We Wish you a Merry
Christmas” - Incompetech
“Piano Moment” - Bensound
“November” - Bensound