Idea Development.pptxfjffdjvjfhdjvhfjdhvkfdvhfj

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1. Idea Development In this Presentation I will be trying to definitively figure what my short film will be about so I can plan out the best possible short film/documentary I can create. I will achieve this by looking at some examples of films and the criteria that Sunderland Culture has given me to make a final decision.

2. Sunderland Culture Criteria/ Short Film or Documentary In the Brief that was given to me by Sunderland Culture, the product I must create can either be a Short Film or Documentary that is meant to be approximately 15 minutes long and has to be tied to the Northeast meaning at least use locations in the Northeast, the cast being from the Northeast and having themes relating to the Northeast. This means the film  can be about almost anything as long as I film in the Northeast, but there aren’t that many films that are set in the Northeast with the only ones that really come to mind being Billy Elliot and Purely Belter. Both of which aren’t set in Sunderland, so perhaps just focusing on the people of Sunderland and the City itself could be a unique selling point for the film as there has been series that have focused on Sunderland like ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’  but not a film. ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’ is also a documentary about Sunderland Association Football Club, so by creating a short film I can differentiate from other pieces of media that people have seen before about Sunderland.  I plan on utilising local shooting locations and a local cast in my production, but I will have research themes that could apply to the Northeast by researching the area and films set in the Northeast like the ones previously mentioned, as well as other films that I could draw inspiration from in terms of creating an effective storyline that will resonate with audiences. Pieces of media that represent people of the Northeast in a way that doesn’t look down on them are rare. So, I feel that giving a realistic but sympathetic tone to my project could be a breath of fresh air for the intended audience.

3. Inspiration For The Product There are multiple things that I have watched about the northeast or about working-class communities that have a certain realism to them that I want to be able to achieve to tell a story that can resonate to local audiences as well as other audiences from different parts of Britain. The most notable two that are inspiring me the most are ‘Purely Belter’ and ‘Trainspotting’.  Both films deal with young men having to deal with poverty/bi-products of poverty and have heavily thick accents with Purely Belter taking place in Newcastle and Trainspotting taking place in Edinburgh. While Trainspotting focuses on escaping daily life by using Heroin, Purely Belter uses Football as a way of escapism. So potentially I could have the plot of the film be about The working-class community of Sunderland’s desire for escapism as well as the struggles of their situation. In addition, Trainspotting has a lot of infamous moments like 'Its Sh *** Being Scottish' and 'Lust For Life' that I could reference but put a spin on it so it is relevant for the film. Other products that I have watched that are about the Northeast have their own message are ‘Billy Elliot’ and ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’. Billy Elliot takes place in County Durham, where I am from, during the miners strike in the 1980’s. The Film is about how negative and toxic male stereotypes perpetuated by a lack of education can hinder young people's progress as the main character, Billy Elliot, becomes a ballet dancer against the wishes of his father. Most scenes were shot in Easington which is the next village over from Murton, where I am from, so using the same locations may be a good easter egg as well as effective story telling. Finally, Sunderland 'Til I Die is it a documentary series about Sunderland A.F.C 'S 17/18 and 18/19 seasons. In the documentary, they have interviews with Sunderland fans about their stories and how the club has an effected them. These interviews could be useful for basing different characters off of. Also, in these interviews they use famous locations in Sunderland like the painting of Raich Carter in Hendon, so  using these places to shoot in will also help with setting the scene 

4. Different Plot Lines For this project, I have 3 important details in mind for it. That being the beginning, middle, and final scenes. The first scene will be the main character walking around his messy house begrudgingly getting ready and going around the different rooms while the intro credits show on screen in ways that fit with the environment. The scene in the middle of the short film will be the main character arguing with the supporting character while at Penshaw Monument. And finally, the last scene will end with the Main character in a bathroom dying from a drug overdose. My only problem is trying to connect those dots and make a cohesive story out of it. Some of my ideas are between the main character hating where he lives and because he doesn’t have the money to move away, he becomes frustrated with his situation and his friend tries to convince him that the Northeast is not as bad as it seems. The two characters will show the duality of perspectives on the Northeast, with the main character having the stereotypical negative outlook on the Northeast while the supporting character will play devil's advocate. Another plotline I have in mind is the main character being a drug addict and his friend trying to help him to get sober. This is heavily inspired from Trainspotting and would be somewhat of a homage to the film. The whole film would be cat and mouse chase around the Northeast with the main character running away from the supporting character with some slower scenes when the two characters have verbal confrontations. With the fast-paced nature it will also be like Boiling point in that respect. This storyline would be good for the short format of a short film and could prove itself entertaining for the full run time. The last plotline I am considering is the short film being a day in life of the main character will a full Voice of God monologue from the main character. He would give his own opinion on his surroundings, people, and events around him. The purpose of the constant over voice would be to show that the main character is dissociative state and doesn’t care about his reality anymore, With some people being completely just faded out of scenes and silenced because he doesn’t want to deal with them anymore.

5. Why I Am Going For A Short Film During my Audience research, most of the focus group answers regarding documentaries came back as negative as most preferred watching a short film over a documentary. I took this into account when I was making decisions as to what the product would look like as creating a project that is going to be enjoyed by 16–25 year-olds is the one of the aims given to me by the brief. I have also already made a documentary previously and I would like to test my skills and try something a bit different this time round. This will be beneficial for me as it will lead to me having more experience in film production as I will have filmed two different film types.  Also, with Short Films I am allowed more flexibility as I can make the people in the film say and do as I please and not have to depend on actual events to get a good final product. The downsides to short films however do depend on a lot of other factors such as different shooting locations, actors, script writing and camera men. However, I have experience in script writing and getting locations to film on and I can find suitable people for these roles as I have a few people in mind already who could help out during the production phase. Some things I could look at doing while doing a short film is showing a visual difference when the Main character is on screen as to when the supporting character is on screen like for instance perhaps in using shadows and other visual ques to show what certain characters are feeling in certain scenes.