This document provides a proposal for a short film titled "Unloved" about a mother who neglects and abuses her child due to relationship issues. The film will show the impact of abuse and neglect from the child's perspective and encourage intervention from witnesses. It will have a linear structure with flashbacks and focus on the climactic moment when a neighbor decides whether to help the child. The film aims to convey that abuse can occur behind closed doors and influence victims long-term.

1. Short film
proposal
Unloved

2. Director: Samuel Todd.
Camera: Jackson Smith.
Sound: Lisa Hall.
Editor: Melissa Bates.In life I believe that if a person decides to bring
a child into the world then they should stand by
that child.
As well as fulfilling the child's basic needs they
should create a relationship with them and
make them feel safe and secure
in their family home.

3. My film will show
this in action by
showing
examples of how
a child may not
be treated in the
correct way and
what people
who see it can
happen can do
instead of not
getting involved
which is usually
the case.

4. The main conflict
is between the
mother and the
child and how the
child wishes for
the mothers
attention and
does everything
to impress her
but she's not
interested and
takes her
frustration with
her failing
relationship out
on the child.

5. Ultimately I want the
audience to feel as if
there is something that
can be done regarding
child abuse and that but
most of all
sorrow for the child.
And understand that
even though it may not
be very obvious that
child abuse is
happening in certain
families it may be
obvious in other ways
rather than physical
abuse but neglect as
well.

6. Topic
My short film is about a mother, in a failing
relationship, who neglects and abuses her child
due to the frustration that she gets from her
aggressive partner (who is not the child's
father) who also abuses the child. The biggest
issue in the film is that the child thinks that
what is happening is normal behaviour from
any mother and that everything he gets he
deserves, this is why he never speaks up about
it and continues to try and get attention from
his mum and impress her as she is all that he
has. While trying to show his mum that he loves
her she just gets annoyed with his constant
efforts and the mother turns to violence.

7. This sequence is a very
important part of the film as
it leads to the child’s death
whereas if the neighbour
hadn’t of stepped down it
would of saved the child
life. The facts that the
audience must gather from
this is that they can make a
difference and if they
believe something is not
right then the right thing to
do is call the police or social
services because it could
save a child's life.

8. The key, representative
imagery that I want to
capture is that after the
child dies the neighbour
feels guilt for not helping
and the hunch that the
neighbour had was
correct all along. Not all
families are what they
appear and anything can
happen behind closed
doors.

9. Action Sequences
The activity is abuse and neglect, it will be set in what looks like a normal family
home. The story will be from an outsider's perspective and the hints that the
outsider gets that the family isn’t as happy as it seems. The expected structure
of events will entail the neighbour who realizes all is not okay, she then attempts
to step in to protect the child but after the intimidation from the step father
(who makes it very apparent that he doesn’t appreciate her concerns) she
begins to back down due to fear of the man.

10. Main characters
character Relationship to
child
Where do they
come into the role?
What role do they
play?
ben n/a throughout victim
lisa mother throughout abuser
derek Step father throughout abuser
Pc jamison policeman Towards the end outsider
Sally neighbour Towards the end outsider

11. conflict Ben wants his mothers love and attention and Lisa
(his mother) wants the attention of her boyfriend
and is not interested in her sons wellbeing.
The principles that ben stand for is that parents
should dhow their children as much love and
attention as possible and should look after them in
the best possible way they can. The mother stands
for the fact that no parent should choose their
partner over their child due to the effect that it has
on the child.
Lisa’s principles are not a key subject in the film as
she continues to choose her boyfriend over her son.
The film puts the principle that the mother should
stand by her son rather than her boyfriend in
opposition of the fact that her opinion is her sons
wellbeing is not her concern.

12. The boy cries out for his mothers attention as he
is perfectly entitled to do so. Showing your child
love and attention is a motherly duty that she
should fulfil. However the step father steps in and
punishes him for not doing as he’s told which isn’t
right takes drives a wedge in between the mother
and son and there relationship as he is not giving
the child the opportunity to bond with his mum;
not that she's interested anyway.

13. From the mother
watching the
confrontation is could
then develop that his
mother realises how
controlling the
boyfriend is and that
she’s not happy with
the way in which he
treats ben as she
slowly starts to feel
remorse and guilt for
the way that he had
been treated.

14. Audience Biases
Biases (may be positive or negative)
A biased opinion that the audience may have about the mother is that she is
loving and caring and looks after her children in the best possible way that
she can. They may also automatically think that the mother is a bad mother
but it may also be a possibility that she is in a bad relationship and is being
forced to neglect her child. Due to the fact that the family lives in a council
area the audience may also assume that they are a rough family as they are
not a high class.

15. One of the main things that the audience need to understand is the
fact that this upbringing that Ben has is all that he has ever known and
with his young brain not being fully developed yet he doesn’t
necessarily know right from wrong yet. He totally thinks that the way
he gets treated by his mother and step father is completely normal in
family life.

16. During the course of the short film I will show how the life that the
child lives has an impact on him as he gets older and on his social and
love life in the future. The abuse that he endured had a major impact
on him and the person he later became.

17. Structure
When structuring my film I will be using
linear and flashbacks to show his life
from very early from when the abuse
started when his mother got with his
step dad and how this part of his life
and the decision that his mother made
to stay with him had a huge impact on
how things progressed. The climatic
sequence will be when the neighbour
tried to intervene as she suspected
something wasn’t right and got scared
off by the intimidating step dad.

18. The climatic part is
where the neighbour
has to choose
weather to back
down because she’s
scared or do what she
thinks is right and
save the little boy.
The falling action
after this sequence
will be how ben has
to suffer due to the
fact that the
neighbour didn’t do
anything to help.

19. Form and styleThere are special
considerations in this
project when filming. This
is that ben is the victim so
the camera needs to be
looking down on him to
emphasise his
vulnerability, this is called
a high angle and the
camera looking up at the
parents to show the
power they have, this is
called a low angle. The
flashbacks will be intercut
into the film when it is
relevant to the story.

20. resolution
I envisage my film to end very suddenly with the death of the
young boy and emphasis of the guilt that the neighbour has that
she didn’t intervene and help ben when she knew that he was in
danger. Ending the film this way will encourage people to help
helpless victims in the future and it will leave the shocking story in
the viewers minds. The ending is important as it will have a very
influential impact on what the film stands for.

21. Budget
Costs:
Camera hire/ one day:£76.50 hireacamera.com
Cast: peopleperhour.com
Actor no.1 – £25/hour.
Actor no.2 - £7/hour.
Actor no.3 - £15/hour.
Actor no.4 - £25/ hour.
Policeman outfit hire:

22. Logistics
The location that I require will be easy
to attain due to the fact that the home
is owned by a member of the crew and
is feasible. Make up will be used in able
to make the abuse more realistic. There
will also be a schedule so that the crew
know when they will be needed. Burger
bar that could be driven on set for the
crew to be able to eat in their breaks.