Drama!

This was our original treatment and the one we pitched, however as we tried to develop the project we soon ran into problems. There were a few major fundamentals that we felt wouldn't work. While we wanted a simple concept from which we could create something technically sound, I believe we went too basic and the finished film would have been too mundane and uneventful to warrant really making it in the first place. 

None the less, here is the original treatment;

Treatment (Idea one)

A short drama that explores the struggle of three friends when the power cuts out and tension begins to rise. After swift negotiation it is decided that Desmond will embark to the corner shop to top up the power as the cold and isolation begins to set in at the house.

Narrative Development: The film begins with an introduction of the characters at their home, after establishing the group dynamic and learning a little about each of them by observing them in their ‘natural environment’ the electricity meter runs out, causing each of them a level of disruption. With this being the catalyst for the disequilibrium, it is decided by way of various methods i.e. rock, paper, scissors that Desmond, the most naive member of the group will go to the shop to top up the meter.

The middle of the film will revolve around the journey of Desmond, cutting back periodically to the two friends at home. Desmond, being a simpleton, is easily distracted on the way to the shop and takes a long time meaning that the two friends at home quickly get bored and begin trying to entertain themselves. When finally Desmond returns to his irritable friends it turns out he’s forgotten all about the electricity and has instead brought back some milk.

Through simple, light hearted comedy we’ll take this otherwise mundane task and transform it into a playful, feel good and relatable short film.

Visual Style: Considering the film is set at night, interior lighting is a key component to stylistic control. We hope to emulate Guy Richie films in terms of cinematography and mise-en-scene with smooth edits used throughout. Lighting and mise-en-scene will be tightly controlled in the house scenes where props will play a large part in telling the story eg. Candle melting away showing passing time/chessboard changing etc. Flashbacks will also play a major part in developing character construction, providing quick glances into the past of the characters. We plan to make use of alot of camera movement and homemade dollies eg. Rope around lampposts/boom pole tripod etc. To give the film a unique feel and keep viewer interest high.

Audience: We believe that this short would appeal to a wide audience, due to its relatable content however we are aiming the film at a mainly university student demographic.