Character Profiles

Connor (played by Brett Cooper)

Name: Connor Mason
Age: 18
Occupation: Actor
Characteristics: A successful, young actor who seems to have the perfect life. Rich, nice car, huge house, and girlfriend.
Part if film: He is the main role in this film and the film is about how he handles the pressures of fame in society today.

Lucy (played by Lauren Smith)
Name: Lucy Spencer
Age: 18
Occupation: N/A
Characteristics: Smart, caring, kind and supportive.
Part in the film: She is Connors girlfriend, and is very supportive of him and his actions, until he pushes her too far, and she leaves him.

Top 10 Drug Films - By Rachael Whittaker

I have been researching through the Google website to look for a site show the best top 10 drug films. I came across this website, if you'd like to more then click on the link provided that i have used to help back up this post.

Top 10 Drug Movies

1. Requiem For A Dream
Requiem For A Dream Trailer

2. Scarface
Scarface Trailer

3. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Trailer

4. Blow
Blow Trailer

5.Trainspotting
Trainspotting Trailer

6. Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction Trailer

7. Spun
Spun Trailer

8. Dazed and Confused
Dazed and Confused Trailer

9.Half Baked
Half Baked Trailer

10. Friday
Friday Trailer

The Last Scene - By Rachael Whittaker

Referring to Brett Cooper's post 'The Last Line Last Scene'. I have found something similar but there are differences as well such as the actors are in the characters of the film. The situation may be different but i like the wy they have the scene set up which i think would be suitable for what we want to show to the audience.

Mr & Mrs Smith Title Sequence

Certificate 15 - By Rachael Whittaker

Our film is a certificate 15, this is due to the guidelines from the BBFC about classifying films that contain certain features which means there are aged group audiences. Our main issue with the film of drug usage, which is mentioned the majority of the 5 minute film. The 15 certificate states that a 15 film will shows use of drugs which our film will posibly show at some point. However there must be no way of promting dug use that it is "cool". as if the wrong message comes across to the audience they may be impressionable. For more information on the guidelines on classification certicate click on the link below BBFC

The Last Line's Last Scene

For the last scene of our film we wanted to film the actors telling the viewer why this film has been made because we wanted to show our viewers what we as a culture are like towards celebrities and how we are changing there lives. After seeing the film Fourth Kind i came up with the idea of a actor telling the viewers how she played the part and what the film is showing them. The Link Below shows you what this interview is like and how we would like to show our interview. The interview starts 6 seconds into the clip.

The Fourth Kind Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcDN2Q-d-E4&feature=related

Similar style films and TV Programmes

Our film is relating to the pressures of fame and the general chaos that surrounds anyone in the media spotlight. Many celebrities have died from drug overdoses and excessive use of alcohol. Some of the most famous are:

Jimi Hendrix
Marilyn Monroe
Bruce Lee
Elvis Presley
Keith Moon
Sid Vicious
Brittany Murphy
Heath Ledger
Anna Nicole Smith
George Best
Janis Joplin
Howard Hughes
Judy Garland

Nearly all of the people I have included in this list have died of drugs overdoses etc, but all have been hounded by the press and had their lives constantly scrutinized by the public. That is why we have decided to create a film to show how the pressures of this can be enough for people to resort to extremes and kill themselves.

Similar films and television programmes to ours would be:
Dirt - TV Programme, starring Courteney Cox about a glossy tabloid editor and her photographer who aim to get massive celebrity stories on the front of their magazine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-hiZZggpMY

Walk The Line - Biopic film starring Joaquin Pheonix about the life of Johnny Cash and his downturn into prescription medication and alcohol.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsvZGwd8vrI

Citizen Kane - Film starring Orson Welles about the life of Charles Foster Kane a wealthy media proprietor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_rAqlqotQ

Celebrity - Film starring Melaine Griffith about people do anything to get famous... or stay famous. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120533/

Ali - Biopic starring Will Smith biography of sports legend, Muhammad Ali, from his early days to his days in the ring. Showing again being followed by press.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raNQZlrA2wA

Entourage - TV show starring Adrian Grenier about a film star Vince Chase that navigates the vapid terrain of Los Angeles with a close circle of friends and his trusty agent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ5wtKr3LWE

Teenage Paparazzo - Documentary that examines the relationship between celebrity and society from the view of 14-year-old paparazzo Austin Visschedyk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtGLgH6jv9U

The Aviator - A biopic film depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career, from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s and also how the fame affected him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zikFDK4cuQA

Title Ideas - By Rachael Whittaker

Starting off with we need a good title for our five minute film, something that's catchy. i had a few ideas such as:-
- Accused
- Accusations
- The Last Straw
- Flash
- Headline

Although I introduced these title ideas to the group the others then contributed. We decided on a name that Brett had though up of and we all agreed. Our film title name is 'The Last Line'. This does represent the film as it indicates a relation to drugs as that is how the actor does die from his last line of drugs after all the bad publicity got to him.

Video example's of pap scenario's.

Fictional:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAa6vLlt5iE (4.24-5.20)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAFAg_wWCC8&feature=related (3.50-4.50)

These are taken from the hit series "Dirt" produced by and starring Courteney Cox. These are both examples of celebrities being mobbed by paparazzis and shows that paps are very eager to catch celebrities' every move and get the latest on all of the gossip (true or rumored). This also shows that the media don't care how annoying or offensive they are to the celebrities, they just want the pictures.
Our film will be similar to this as we want to portray the fact that this celebrity is constantly bombarded with paparazzi's, wherever they go and his life is not completely perfect as it may seem.

Real life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF8TfwBcnUE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG5sF1wQRNQ

These are videos of real-life celebrities who have lost it with the paparazzi's and have had enough of them following their every move. We would like to incorporate this feature into our film also.

Press Mob - Brett Cooper

In one of the scenes in our film 'The Last Line' the press surround our character Connor and to try and recreate the type of press behavior i have got this photo to show what we are trying to create with our press mobs. So what we want to create is a mob where are character is in the center with nowhere to go just like the biker here in this photo.

Drug overdose statsitics - By Rachael Whittaker

This is an image of the drug classification system and there is a category that tells you how many deaths have been a result due to that certain drug.

(click on image to see bigger)

The Fall Title Sequence

The Fall Title Sequence I like this title sequence as its very slow motion to show the expression on the actors faces to show how dramatic the scene is. We have the idea of putting characters name up when their on the scene so then the opening is very clear on which character is which. The Fall sequence does it at times and I like this idea. Also it creates more impact with the scene being slow motion.

Treatment Ideas - By Rachael Whittaker

Although i created another treatment and didn't complete it as i couldn't think of an ending. But i did base my treatment on major issues that are becoming more common to society that should remain to be punished upon and not tollerated.
The issue ideas are:-
Violence
Illegal Drugs
Alcohol Abuse
Adultery
These are some ideas that came up.

My Other Treatment - By Rachael Whittaker

Title:
Duration: 5 minutes
Genre: Drama

It’s starts off with a black screen and text titles is coming up, You can hear some foot steps going up the stairs and banging. The scene appears to some wardrobes, someone comes storming into the room but you do not see their face. The wardrobe door swings over to a girl cowering inside. She is then yanked by her arm out of the wardrobe and hits her head whilst being dragged around, the girl is unconscious. She then narrates about her situation, how drink & drug has become to ruin her life.
When she eventually comes round it’s in the morning and its time for college, so the girl is rushing around to get ready. She has to run out of the house to the sound of abuse being shouted. She has a typical day at college at a break though, the girl buys some drugs behind a college site, so once again she is feeding her addiction. She then later on goes back home feeling a bit hazed. She then gets ready to go out round the town; she has a good night forgetting her troubles at home until, she goes back that is. When she returns she creeps up the stairs in the dark. Once she reaches the top of the stairs her boyfriend turns on the light, looking not pleased at all. She tries to get past him but he just pushes and holds her up against the wall. He accuses her of cheating and asking where has she been.

Treatment - By Brett Cooper

Title – The Last Line

Audience – Male and female audience because it is showing the life style of a star, and the way the world media is these days from magazine dedicated to stars life’s to programs on their day to day life, both male and female will be interested in this film.

Certificate – 15

Because we want the younger audience to see what the press do to their idols and also what drugs do to a person.

Duration – 5mins

Summary – The film shows the viewer how a young Actors career is ruined by pressure from the media. After the pressure from allegations towards the young star he cracks and turns to something that will ruin his career for sure an after he becomes addicted to this type of substance to make all of his problems go away he greets the worlds press in this state. Connor then is approached by the press shouting comments about the allegations the star cracks and in an outburst of aggression he attacks one of the photographers however we all know that they have turned him to this state. This just makes matters worse and gives the media more fuel to print stories about him. This turns out to be the final straw in the young man’s life he decides that this is enough for him and he has a drug overdose and kills himself behind the doors of his home. The ending to the film is a black out and the sound of a ambulance and then a radio broadcast putting the news out to the world that Connor has died.

Story Line:

Title Sequence

Here we see lots of shots of newspapers being put on a door step about a young man’s rise to fame in the Film industry, but over time and the more and more news papers that are placed on the step the headlines turn from good to bad the young 18 year old has now been accused of Drug Dealing but because of this it now means he has more to face than a full cinema.

The second scene shows the young actor Connor arriving back at his mansion where the worlds press are waiting for him to question him over these allegations for yet another day. However shocked at the amount and way that the press form a mob around him Connor realises how this is getting bigger by the day, so fighting his way through the press to get to his door the actor is been shouted at by the press for just some sign for them to whether they can take this any further.

We now see the actor’s house while he is on the phone to his manager to see where all of this is going to stop. Connor pleads his manager to help after he cannot cope much longer with this type of criticism and doesn’t like this kind of media attention at such a young age. Over the phone we can tell that the manager is not buying any of his talk from the bluntness of the convocation and on the spots decides to walk away from Connor leaving him alone. Storming straight out of the door and into the car and being chased by the mob the young actor heads off to get something he believes can take all of this away.

Arriving in a quiet and dark alley Connor purchases some drugs from a unknown dealer who is keen to get away from the star as the press are hot on his tail and he does not want his ID revealing.

Again arriving home with slightly less photographers as most of them have gone home ready for tomorrow’s story. After getting into the house Connor starts to take the drugs and the last we see of him is sleeping over the top of the mess he has left from taking the drugs.

The next day he wakes up again to take more of what we expect to be crack cocaine. But this time makes matters really worse for him by going to get in his car in this sate with all the press back on shift to see how he looks this morning. But in a state of no control all the shouting and commotion gets too much and he hits out on one of the photographer adding petrol to the fire that is already lit. He stumbles back into the house leaving the door open and a shot inside we can see him taking mass amounts of the drug and also here the press talking about his outburst of aggression to the photographers. Then the young man drop to the floor unconscious with a loud bang. Outside the press here and run inside because instinct tells them that something isn’t quite right.

As they run into the house we see a blur image of a photographer over the top of us which we are clearly looking through Connors eyes and then a black out and just the sound of a ambulance and then a voice what we believe is a news reader reveals the news that Connor died this morning of a what is believed to be a drug overdose.

This marks the end of the film showing the ending titles.

Changing the plan..

At first we decided to do our film based on the treatment named "The undisclosed", but after a discussion with each other and our teacher, we decided to change the idea as this might have been too complicated for a five minute film and also may have been quite difficult to follow for the audience, however we may incorporate some original ideas from this treatment into our final film.

My Treatment - By Rachael Whittaker

Title – Unnoticed

Duration – 5 minutes

Audience – PG, appeal to the female teenage audience as it’s a chick flick.

The Storyline:

The film opens up with photos of the two main characters as children, the photos to be starting from young ages to getting older to the current age they are now. The scene after will start off in a cafeteria at a college. There are different clicks all around the room that are separated by the tables that they sit at, the camera angles start with cutting between the tables then focuses on one table, this table has one girl sitting on her own studying. The girl suddenly looks up and looks to a table in the middle of the cafeteria at a boy surrounded by his friends. There is then narration of what the girl is thinking, and explaining some of her story.

Later on it shows the girl going home after college, when she gets in the house is a scenario of the little brother on a game system in one room, and the mother cooking dinner in the kitchen. When the girl sits down at the table the mother asks questions such as ‘how was college’, etc. The scene flicks to what the boy is doing; he’s sat in McDonald’s having a laugh with his friends. The girl goes up to and gets ready for bed where as the boy is only just driving back home with music on full blast with everybody in the car singing.

The next day at college the two are in the same lesson and they get paired up by their teacher to do a project together, that has to be completed in 2 weeks. At the end of the lesson the lad rushes off with his friends while the girl leaves the classroom with a smile on her face. When she gets home she starts to write down ideas all night as to what they could do for their project.

When they have their next lesson the girl has lots of ideas but is too shy to say anything to the boy. She keeps thinking of ways she can come out with them but no words seem to be coming out when she opens her mouth, but at the end of the lesson the boy starts a conversation to the girl asking if she would like to go round to his one day after college to start work on their project, he gives he girl a time and place and then leaves. The girl then leaves to go home and starts to rummage through her wardrobe to see what she can wear that day, her red blouse? Skinny jeans? Converse?

The day comes and the girl is really nervous, he asks her to follow to his car. She feels all eyes looking at her, eyes stabbing into her back but she doesn’t care. They drive to his place in silence. They eventually get to the boy’s house, they then begin on their project and the girl is surprised on how the boy is actually quite intelligent himself and they start to get on well.

After the two weeks of the project together they start to get close friends and the girl’s personality starts to shine through and she is getting noticed more. Later on the boy asks the girl to go out with him and his friends going out. The boy meets the girl later on and that night at her house, the girl comes down the stairs looking stunning, like a completely different person. They both go out and meet the friends in a sort of lounge bar and all sit together. They’re all having a good time together giggling. The scene then ends with a zoom out of the group and the girl narrates the ending.

Suggested elements: Teen, Romance, College life

Treatment

Title: The Undisclosed

Duration: 5 minutes

Audience: My film will be rated at 15 Certificate. My film will be similar Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone and The Black Dahlia. It will be aimed at 15 to 30 years old who are interested in mystery or whodunit films with an updated character base. Our film will be aimed at both males and females because there will be 4 main characters 2 male and 2 females.

Synopsis: My storyline for my five minute short film will centre around 4 main characters who are potential suspects in a murder enquiry. The film will start with 5 characters all successful in 5 areas, but one is suddenly killed. The man killed is a rich banker. As the only other people in the house at the time of murder are the 4 they are instantly suspected. One female character is celebrity magazine editor (Lucy), the other is a model (Kira), the first male character is a footballer (Matt) and the other an actor (Jake). They all know each other through various means and have gathered together on this evening to celebrate the rich banker (Ryan) new lucrative deal. When Ryan is killed the detective in charge identifies a reason why each of the four would have attempted to kill Ryan. Lucy is having a relationship with Jake that must be kept under wraps for both their careers, although Jake secretly wants people to know they both have motive as Ryan minutes before his death found this information out. Also Lucy had some information on Ryan that could have ruined his lucrative deal so this is another motive. Kira the model had motive as she had a relationship with Ryan that turned bitter, she thinks that somehow his success has stemmed from their relationship and she wants a cut of his new found wealth. Matt the footballer has reason to kill Ryan because the both spend time with the same group of people, but when Matt cheated on his then girlfriend Ryan rejected him from the group and this act has been held personally by Matt so again he had the motive. The inspector must then establish each characters motive through a series of flashbacks and uncover the one murderer. Through these flashbacks the inspector relives each characters’ hatred of Ryan, which then helps the inspector establish the murderer. The murderer is a dominant character that knows that by killing Ryan they can solve their ‘problem’ by eliminating Ryan.

Suggested Elements: The unique selling point of my film is the murder mystery theme because this is an updated version of a old style murder mystery with characters that are more relevant to current times. This should attract people because there will be an element of suspense as well as the audience trying to work out who the killer is.

Treatment

Treatment for Media – Teenage drama/schizophrenia

Title:
Genre: Teen drama

Duration: 5 minutes

Audience: This film will be aimed at teenagers as it is centered on a teenager’s life and is a teen drama. Adults may be interested in it also however this is not our main audience. There is not a particular gender in which we aim this short film at.

Synopsis:
We are introduced to Kate, a teenage girl who is laid down on her bed, with eyes wide open. Her hair is slacked back and she looks tired/down. She has a secret that only her family, and her doctor know about.

Her mum shouts to her, from downstairs, to take her tablets for today, as she is a paranoid schizophrenic and has been for the past 2 and a half years. She was sectioned with the disorder a few months after symptoms started showing and has had to take tablets ever since. Kate takes the tablet from her mum and goes back into her bedroom. She opens her jewellery box, where we see a pile of tablets; she throws the tablet in to join, shuts the box, and lies back on her bed.

Her phone rings and she answers. She begins talking to her friend and her friend asks her what is wrong, but does not get a helpful answer.

After a while, her friend shows up at the door. She and Kate’s mum have a conversation about Kate. Kate hears this, and goes downstairs to confront them, with the encouragement of her imaginary “friend”.

Kate’s mum and friends continue to worry about her and go upstairs to find she is not in her room and nowhere to be seen. Kate’s friend goes home, and Kate’s family have a serious discussion about Kate’s behaviour and maybe that her schizophrenia has returned. Worried, they go out to look for her, to find her talking very loud to herself and standing on a high hill, looking reckless and uncontrolled.

We then hear the voice of Kate’s hallucination and change to see and hear from her point of view, and it seems that her schizophrenia has returned, with nobody knowing except but is it too late? Her family realise they haven’t been watching over her as carefully as they should have been and start to blame themselves. Although will they get to her and save her in time…

Suggested elements:
Paranoia
Schizophrenia
Unawareness

Sub-genres of a Drama film

We decided that the genre of our film would be a drama, however there are many sub-genres of a drama film. These are:

(Taken from Wikipedia)
Crime drama and Legal drama - Character development based on themes involving criminals, law enforcement and the legal system.
Historical drama (epic) (including War drama) - Films that focus on dramatic events in history.
Docudrama: the difference between a docudrama and a documentary is that in a documentary it uses real people to describe history or current events; in a docudrama it uses professionally trained actors to play the roles in the current event, that is "dramatized" a bit. Not to be confused with docufiction.
Comedy-drama: is in which there is an equal, or nearly equal balance of humor and serious content.
Melodrama: this uses plots that appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. Melodramatic plots often deal with "crises of human emotion, failed romance or friendship, strained familial situations, tragedy, illness, neuroses, or emotional and physical hardship." Film critics sometimes use the term "pejoratively to connote an unrealistic, pathos-filled, campy tale of romance or domestic situations with stereotypical characters (often including a central female character) that would directly appeal to feminine audiences." Also called tearjerkers, or "chick flicks". If they are targeted to a male audience, then they are called "guy cry" films.
Romance: a sub-type of dramatic film which dwells on the elements of romantic love.
Tragedy: a drama in which a character's downfall is caused by a flaw in their character or by a major error in judgment.