SOAPThe Pitch

Introduction

• Underlying Themes and Ideas

– To make fun of conspiracy theorists (such as myself)– To make people think about what they are seeing.

• Synopsis

I intend to create a short animated mocumentary in which the VAT money raised from the sale of soap is used by the government to pay for the unjust war in the middle-east so they can attain oil and land which they can sell for even more money (this could then lead into the MP expenses scandal).

Look of the filmIdeally I would like to make something of high production values. Something verycrisp and neat so that it appears to be a professional piece of work. The animationwill be simplistic however the images should be fairly detailed.

I will be looking to use a cream coloured background because white looks too cleanand glaring. The colours used for the images will be deep and dark such as blackand blood red.

Basically, something like this…..

However I have little experience of animating so this may not be possible. LuckilyI’m a fairly good drawer so I should be able to make something very simple buteffective if anything goes wrong.

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AudienceThe easiest audience I will be able to reach is anyonethat is friends with me or subscribes to me on YouTube.

After that it will be shown at the Degrees show(s) at thePiccadilly Apollo Cinema and possibly Hendon Campus.

And at the other end it will be seen by those judgingmaterial for Film and Animated Film Festivals and thenhopefully those that attend them.

Context - Previous Work

Earlier first year Flash animation.

Documentary module taken last year. (Example of myfilm is coming up in Research)

Personal Blog has reference to Conspiracy Theories(I’m a conspiracy nut)

Is it relevant today?/Interesting approach?

Not really relevant. Because it is all made up. However I will beMaking reference to modern day events and people

• Expenses scandal• War in the Middle-East (just for oil?)• George Bush, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Dick Cheney, etc.

Interesting? I hope that the humour brought out through such anobscure/random idea will make it fun and enjoyable while having asemi-serious message.

ResearchI had great problems coming up with an idea in the beginning because I’mnot a very good ideas person. So my research took me back to some workI did in Sixth-Form Film Studies. There was a film I saw on YouTube(which is coming up shortly) and a short mocumentary called ‘Delusions inModern Primitivism’ (Daniel Loflin, 2000) which really makes you questionwhether what you are seeing is really happening.

My research has been mostly style based. This is because the content ofthe film has been created entirely by me. However I have listened to andtranscribed and attempted to mimic the voiceover styles from the range ofshort films I have been influenced by.

Research - InfluencesFirst saw this film four years ago. Then this one a few years later.

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I have also been influenced by typography motion graphics.

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I hope to recreate something like this for the opening sequence of my film. I

would most likely use key words with out narration to highlight what the rest of

the film will be looking at.

The Shock Doctrine (Alfonso Cuaron, Jonas Cuaron,2007) was a major influnce on my Documentary that Imade last year and has again with it’s use of text to addextra information to a scene without the need for avoiceover.

The Shock Doctine Football Violence

Pre-production

I started of pre-production with research. Then moved onto sketching.

I then got a tablet.

Step Outline• Soap is the most profitable household product on the market, this is because every household has at

least three bars or pumps on the go at one time. The VAT made from this is also the biggest earner for the majority of Governments worldwide. Pictures of money and soap, several of the wealthiest countries in the world.

• However it has been theorised that soap doesn't do anything, but simply act as a lubricant to remove dirt and grease from people skin. Soap is advertised to kill 99.9% of germs however it is common knowledge that only bleach can do this and bleach is corrosive and would burn your skin. Lots of rapid pictures of products and hazard signs and people burning.

• This has led people to believe that soap is a government produced product and is made on the cheap to make as much money out of VAT as possible in order to fund their other projects. Refer to specific people.

• The war on terror is one of the most infamous projects that many world governments have used this money to fund. More recently in the UK, this money has been used by Mp's to fund their own lives buying ridiculously expense items for themselves. Lots of newspaper cuttings and graphic images and over the top items bought by MP's.

• DON'T BUY SOAP.

Script (All a constant Narration)The Governments of the most powerful nations in the world are all funded by taxes, mainly raised from the sale of household cleaningproducts. This goes to show how important it is to a country's economy that people continue to look after their own appearances andthat of their homes. If this were to stop then we could see the beginning of a change in world power.

These countries have an insatiable appetite for money and power. They have been dealing with each other for hundreds of years inorder to keep their status and to repress others by either stealing their produce or by going to war with them to halt their economicgrowth.

Soap is the biggest selling household product in the world. With the majority of first world homes having at least three bars or pumps inuse at any one time. The VAT made from these products pays for other money making ventures.

With soap we see a product that cleans and kills germs. However the only product known to man that can effectively kill 99.9% ofgerms, like soap is advertised to do, is bleach. But bleach is a corrosive chemical that burns through skin. Leading many to theorisethat soap is a 'Placebo' product, placed into circulation by Governments in order to make money.

It is believed that the War on Terror was completely funded by the money made from the sales of soap. And this in turn was only doneto make more money from the acquisition of oil fields. In recent years there has been money left over as it was not needed in Iraq andwas left over for MP's to spend on themselves.

Is this a conspiracy? Quite the opposite. It is a view taken by the London Action Group. Backed by people like (list of names of peopleto go here), all being major players along with scientists, left wing thinkers, (something else) who are determined to reveal the truth tothe worlds population whatever the implications.

And so, what's next you wonder? Attacks on India for its Tea sources? Australia for shrimp? The former British colonies becauseBritain is bored of not ruling anyone? Or anywhere, for suspected Nuclear Weapons.No one is safe.

Don't buy SOAP.

Some Pre-After Effects Art Work

Methodology

• Sketches and planning will all be done in my sketchbook.

• The entire animation will be produced on my laptop using a drawing tablet. (No scanning of pictures/completely digital)

• I will be using two programs from the CS4 package.– Photoshop– After Effects

DecemberFinalise ideas.Start concept work.Work on blog.

January Begin script. 1st draft by mid Jan.Finish script by end of Jan (very early Feb at latest)

Keep blog updated. Drawings/inspiration videos/pictures.

February Start animation.Keep blog updated with rough animations. March Continue with animation.

Keep adding up to date work to blog.

AprilFinish animation.Find suitable voiceover/narrator.Record.Add voiceover and sound effects.

April End/May StartHand in.

Schedule

ContingencyQuickly make a film out of one of the stories from ‘TheBook of Other People’ (Zadie Smith).

I liked the one we talked about in class. I think it was‘Frank’. I got a strong feeling about the style of it. A darkcomedy, sort of like Dexter.