Treatment Charlotte Page & Jamie Whitbread

TreatmentThis treatment is a proposal of ideas about our media package, which we will present, to a production company in an attempt to persuade them why they should fund our production.

Working Title: Ancestors

Genre: Horror

Certificate: 15

Proposed Duration: 93 minutes

Completion Deadline: 28th March 2013

Target AudienceTarget Audience: Our film is aimed at both a male and female audience aged between 16 to 25. Audience members are most likely to be students, either studying at college or university and are likely to have a part-time job. This means that these consumers will have a small disposable income meaning that will have some money to spend on our media package. Consumers are passionate about films of various genres, but show a particularinterest in horror, as this is a genre, is onewhich works best when watched as group asemotions can be shared together. This genre is therefore suitable for this type of audience who are always around other people as a student. Furthermore, our young target audience are fun, outgoing and adventurous which reflects how our film would be exciting to this target audience.

Background

Background: We are creating this product because we feel that there is a niche in the market for a product of this style. A typical convention of horror is to have a female play the role of the victim however in our film, Ancestors, we plan to portray the female protagonist as strong and powerful, which although this isbecoming more popular within thehorror genre, it has never been fully explored. We feel that our film would appear unique amongst competitors because the use of a prop, a doll, as the antagonist is unexpected, as usually a male would adopt the villainous role in horror.

ResearchResearch: The location for our film will be set in a modern day house as this is something that our audience will be able to relate to. As consumers can relate to the setting they will be able to imagine themselves in the position of the character, as hopefully the location will look familiar to them. We will ensure that the setting appears familiar through the use of props suchas perhaps through phones and laptopsas technology is popular amongst this audience and part of modern day society.Usually a house connotes an idea of comfort and safety so this will allow the audience tofeel relaxed which will make any shocks or surprises exaggerated and more frightening because they are unexpected.

Research Continued… Research: The main prop that we will be using in our film will be the doll as this central to the plot of our film. The doll is another aspect which will be shown in an unexpected way is usually it is something associated with childhood and memories however we will portray this prop with a more chilling and sinister feel. Another prop that we are planning to use is old photographs as part of our film is to be set in the past so this will reflect the part of the film where the toy has been involved withdifferent generations.

With regards to laws, when shooting our film we will ensure that we have the permission of the owners for any locations that we choose to use such as the permission of the homeowner or if we chose to film in any public places. Similarly, we will also have permission from parents, as it is likely that we will include children as extras during the opening scenes to show previous generations.

Synopsis• Synopsis: Ancestors is a story based around the theme of

family and generations. Opening with a scene set in the past, consumers are introduced to a doll that has been passed down generations. Shifting to the present day, the main protagonist comes into possession of this doll and realises the history and secret’s this doll holds. Trying to avoid its curse, the main character dismisses the doll only to find it keep coming back to her. Is it trying to tell her something that she should know?

Style Style: The style of this film is to be serious as this will help to create the tense and eerie atmosphere that is associated with horror. We will portray this serious style through the use of lighting and colours, as these will create a moody ambience. For example, low lighting will help to create a feeling of unknown whereas high key lighting too will We are also planning on creating this serious style through various camera angles and editing. Camera shots and angles that will help to create a serious atmosphere include extreme close-ups, as this will create an intense and uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience. Similarly, canted camera angles will too, create a feeling of unease and seriousness, which are emotions, associated with horror. With editing, scenes will be cut in a fast way and include cuts that are quite sharp to create feeling of shock and surprise.

Budget Requirements Approximate budget requirements: The total budget for our film is £75,842,80, which will be used to purchase various equipment and the hiring of cast and crew. The equipment that we have chosen to hire includes a HD Camera, lighting kit, microphone kit, and a tripod, as these will help us to make a professional trailer as they are of a high quality. The majority of our budget is to be spent on the hiring of crew who specialise in certain areas that are essential to our production, helping to make our trailer more professional as these crewmembers are best in the business. Some of these roles include a camera assistant, camera operator, lighting assistant, researcher, sound operator, director and an editor. Collectively, these members of staff can help to create a trailer that is of a high standard as they can share their knowledge of the industry. Some of our budget will be used on props such as the doll, which we have tried to find one which of good quality as this is central to our plot and therefore it is crucial that we get this correct. Costume are also important to reflect the culture and time period of the film which as our film is modern, we have chosen to use a contemporary shop to purchase our costumes from as this is relevant to and will reflect the target audience.