Context
- Brainstorming -
Upon being given the brief that I was allowed to do essentially whatever I wanted as long as I showcased the set of skills that I had been learning over my time on the course, I began to comb through the serious amount of ideas that I had. I was also including older projects that I either never had the time or ability to film or just didn't give enough love to.
Overall I came up with a selection of ideas for my CMP that ranged over a selection of five different mediums including short film, television, music video, radio drama and documentary.
Some ideas I brainstormed for CMP included a music video inspired by Lorn by Acid Rain. A mockumentary about an unhinged theatre director and his obsessive assistant. And also a Donnie Darko inspired short film about a boy who sees premonition and dreams about a dying girl who he doesn't know, in the end, he realises that the girl is actually his sister and the events are happening in real life.
-My ideas-
Idea #1 - Music video
This is the fire idea I have for my CMP. It will be a music video inspired by the trippy, surreal, Lynchian-Americana style of the music video for Acid Rain by Lorn. I would like to make the video in this style as it has always been one of my favourite music videos for its continuous shots and slowed down action using a much higher frame rate such as 120 FPS.
I've got little to no experience with making music videos so I think something in the style of this video would be helpful for my launch into the music video genre of filmmaking as it's experimental enough to give me a challenge but not so much that it would cause me discomfort or stress to film, it's been done before so I can make connections and references if I'm really struggling, and last but not least it's fun. The problems I could face if I were to pick this idea would be sourcing non-preexisting music that fits the vibe for what I'm trying to go for and also trying to justify the project in areas of research etc.
Idea #2 - Horror film
The second idea I had for my CMP was to create a Donnie Darko inspired horror short about a boy who has premonitions of the death of a girl who he doesn't know. Stylistically I would probably shoot this in 4:3 and use a very undersaturated colour palette to give the illusion of winter as we'd be shooting it in April/May.
There are some obvious issues with this idea. The main one is that it's a completely brand new idea which doesn't give much time to figure out the plot which would really crunch me for time. I think that while it would be fun to write and film I should prioritise a project that already exists and i'm familiar with.
Idea #3 - teen crime pilot
My third and final idea for my CMP is to create a teen crime drama inspired by an old project of mine called 'Catalyst.' It tells the story of lifelong best friends, Chester and Calvin as their relationship becomes strained after the disappearance of Emily Garret, a good friend of both of them. As Chester begins to obsess over solving the disappearance and rescuing Emily, Calvin resorts to old and dangerous habits which put herself and everyone she loves in danger. sTYLISTICALLY I WOULD USE A COLDER COLOUR PALETTE TO SET THE SCENE IN THE MIDST OF A CRISIS.
This project would be amazing to make. It's three years old and I've got plenty of previous drafts to back up the plot and my knowledge and understanding of the characters is very extensive. I think this would be the easiest to write and most fun to create.
- my proposal-
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my proposal
Section one: Rationale
I have acquired a strong set of skills from the beginning of the course. I started the course back in 2019 with a strong passion for writing and film however that passion only got me so far without the practical knowledge of the actual production of film and media, my knowledge was limited and extremely amateur. For the three years that I have been studying the UAL course, I believe that my knowledge and experience has increased from amateur to sophisticated and competent. I have a greater knowledge of cinematography and how it can affect the story, I have gained a practical ability in sound, lighting and camera rigs (specifically how to set them up and make them look aesthetically pleasing), and in my personal opinion, I have a much greater understanding in storytelling.
I think that writing, which is an element I focus on the most out of all, has also changed a lot. It has improved in the flow and specificity of production compared to how I used to write whatever I wanted, not thinking about elements such as the description of location and clarity in dialogue. The course has made me think realistically about what I will be able to do for my CMP. Most projects that I have done have taught me a lot about time management regarding pre-production (particularly location scouting, casting, and kit and prop acquiring); and production (particularly spending the right amount of time setting up and shooting and not wasting time on takes that aren't necessary). In terms of how my skills will affect the production of my CMP, the skills in lighting, sound and cinematography will increase my workflow and help me produce a script that has an impactful aesthetic while remaining feasible.
Section two: Project Concept
My Concept Idea
My idea is to create a short film based on a television series idea that I've had for three years. It tells the story of two life-long best friends, Chester and Calvin, whose relationship is strained to its breaking point by the investigation of their missing friend. It will be a twenty-minute short that will cover the most significant areas of the story. Every scene will need to matter so I will look through older drafts of the scripts and, almost complication like, I will pull out the most significant moments and weave them into a more defined narrative.
My creative influences
The original idea was inspired by the 2015 video game Life is Strange which tells the story of two friends, Max and Chloe, who try to solve the disappearance of Chloe’s girlfriend using time travel. However over the years, I’ve worked on it, other works have lent themselves to give a stronger influence.
These influences are the 2001 film Donnie Darko for its trippy and complex narrative that sends the audience back and forth throughout, Top boy for its gritty authentic methods of showing London that I try to weave into my scripts where I can, and most significantly Sam Esmail’s psychological techno-thriller Mr Robot. Mr Robot has become a heavy inspiration for the production. Stylistically it’s a masterpiece, it unapologetically breaks the unwritten rules of framing and composition and uses it as an aid to visually demonstrate the fracturing and unstable mind of the protagonist Elliot Alderson. I will adopt this style of cinematography and adapt it in a way that will serve my production. I think it will help to show the fracturing relationship between Calvin and Chester very well.
My Target audience
My target audience is teenagers and young adults aged 16-25. It will be effective in drawing a young audience because not only is it about young people but it’s about the struggles (particularly around mental health) that are often misrepresented in the media which the younger generation are particularly passionate about. It will draw the attention of those who are interested in true crime and psychological dramas due to the undertones of mystery and crime.
What Key themes I intend to outline
I aim to outline the themes of grief and guilt in my film. Throughout the short, it would slowly become more and more obvious that Chester is still working through the grief from the accident in his younger years. It will also manifest itself in the form of addiction within Calvin and how she deals with the loss of their friend. I will show a realistic outlook on how grief and guilt and change ones life and turn the host of it into something much less than what they were.
How my primary research will affect my production.
The Primary will revolve around surveys and gathering knowledge about the subject matter. This includes missing person cases and police involvement. It will also inform me how people enjoy teen crime media, including shows such as Pretty Little Liars, Riverdale, and One of Us is Lying. I will also conduct interviews with people I know who have experienced grief and how it affected them as well as considering my own experiences.
How my Secondary research will affect my production.
The Secondary will revolve around research that has already been conducted. This will include case studies into real-life missing persons and homicide cases. I will also look into how film and tv have managed such topics in the past. I will investigate the successful shows that have put thought and effort into how their teenage characters act when having to face mental health issues, such as in the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2013, dir. Stephen Chbosky). I will also research unsuccessful attempts, such as the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why. It will be beneficial for me to research the good, the bad and the ugly of teen dramas to get a further understanding of what makes one better than the other and how I can apply the thought process to the creation of Catalyst.
The technical skills I will need for this production
The resources required for this production come in the dozen. However, I'm in a lucky position where a lot of the kit won't be too difficult to get as I have access to a wide range of cameras, tripods and other filming equipment from the school, including the one camera I have. One concern that has been playing on my mind is numbers. In an ideal world, I would like a crew of at least half a dozen and full cast with understudies in case of dropouts or last-minute cancellations. I plan to post advertisements around the school and contact people I know who have experience in the industry. I am also in contact with musicians I know for an original score to be created. An original score was something that I was keen on having as I really think it will cement the production together.
I plan for this to be a video file. It will be shot on mainly Canon DSLRs with a range of lenses with different focal lengths. I will edit most of it using Adobe Premiere Pro to compose and edit the production and Adobe After Effects to create graphics or effects such as opening title sequences. I think this production will be a strong example of my abilities.
My aesthetic and visual style
I will be adopting a gritty and authentic aesthetic for my production. I will use it to show how the investigation Chester is conducting is taking a toll on his mental and physical health as well as how it’s affecting Calvin who finds herself returning back to old destructive habits.
I will study the cinematography of Peaky Blinders and Malcom and Marie due to their fantastic ability capture tell a story within a frame. It will help me further my agenda of telling the most amount of story is so little time.
Section three: Evaluation
I want my evaluation process to cover as many areas as possible, as I want to show my production process in great detail. I will achieve this by keeping a close track of my work using my Gantt chart and updating it directly as I am doing the work. I have never used a Gantt chart before, so I am interested to see how it will affect the process of research, pre-production, production and post-production. I think it will be a fascinating insight into what I tend to gravitate towards regarding workflow, and I will better be able to structure myself for future projects.
I will be taking plenty of notes throughout the production in my notebook and transcribing those notes into a document that will go on my sight. Although Note-taking is a habit I recently adopted, it has changed how I work as nothing is an afterthought. I can write down a thought and go back and evaluate it whenever.
I make a habit of exclusively using pen and paper for note-taking as it's proven to make a better imprint in your memory than on digital. Voice memos, photographs, and video recordings are the three main mediums I will use to document the production. I have considered creating a behind-the-scenes documentary, but that is something I will only do if I know I will have the time. To document my thought process from script to screen, I will create side by side comparisons of scripts and storyboards to the final cut. I will also make a director's commentary while I re-watch the episode myself while giving small secrets and observations. When concluding my evaluation, I will have a lot to consider. I will my original idea from 2019 and comparing the scripts from the first draft to the final. I will consider the expectations of filming to reality and think about what I would do if I were to re-do the project all from scratch.
treatments
Catalyst treatment test3.pdfOld Treatment
This treatment is an older one that I originally made back in 2019 when I was first learning how to create treatments using Adobe's InDesign. It's a very basic treatment and it shows enough of an idea to get a good overall impression of what I want Catalyst to look like, i believe that i can expand on several areas. At the moment I've covered CHARACTERS, PLOT AND TONE, and SOUNDTRACK.
I think that for my second treatment i think I would separate plot and tone into two individual slides and add AESTHETICS, INSPIRATIONS and GENRE.
The reason why I am updated the treatment is because I believe that since I created this treatment a lot has changed in my own writing style as well as my expectations for what I can create. I plan on using the treatment as a crutch when I enter the stage of funding for the production so a strong treatment will be necessary for me to try and get my thesis across clearly.
New Treatment
This is the new and improved treatment for Catalyst. I think it captures what the production has become very well since I made the original back in 2019. It's a lot more honest and gives more detail to what I imagine Catalyst will be when i make it.
Catalyst Treatment (2).pdfContext Video Essay
context video essay.mp4