Short film initial ideas Emily and Kayyah

General outline The female protagonist is identified as terminally ill. Although this

will show signs of female weakness , we feel that we can develop her character to show how the illness will not keep her from being a normal teenage girl . The girl is portrayed to have feelings for a boy at her school, this would contradict the usual narrative of a man wanting to peruse a relationship with a woman. However, we also are made aware that the feeling is mutual and the boy has intentions to ask the girl to prom. Although, the girl does want to go to prom she feels restricted by her illness and the ending will show how she conquers her inner obstacles to attend the prom, inferring to be a stronger female character. Amongst all of the action there is a continous conflict between father and daughter . The girls father is a widower and feels very protective over his ill daughter however is seen to not be coping well with the fact she is ill. He pushes the boy away when he tries to help the girl.

Characters: Ellie McCarthy

• Ellie is the female protagonist, she is the character who tells the story from her point of view and reveals the most information to the audience , as she is the one who is in the situation.

• She has developed a strand of cancer • She is sixteen years old and so still a teenager. Ellie still

attends school and is more than likely at the independent studying stage.

• Although a typical teen, she has a terminal illness that restricts her from day to day activities as the film progresses and she reveals she would give anything to go to the prom .

• In love with character Sam Anderson.

Characters:Dave McCarthy (The father)

• ‘Dave’ is just like another other father, caring supportive and just wants the best for his child, however doesn’t seem to be coping well as a widower to help his ill child.

• Dave is abrupt towards Sam when he tries to offer his help. When Sam eventually comes into the house , he sees bills everywhere , empty bottles of alcohol and eviction threat letters on the table.

• Dave realises that his daughter is not getting any better and help would be beneficial for them both. But he feels like its his duty with the absence of his wife to take care of Vanessa.

• He decorates the lounge knowing that Ellie’s dreams of going to the prom and invites Sam over showing his true caring a paternal nature .

Characters:Sam Anderson ( The boyfriend)

• Sam is Ellie’s knowing date to the prom . He arrives at the end of the film with flowers and dressed in a tuxedo.

• Selfless, he sacrifices his prom night to spend it with Nessa.

• Also 16, and still in school.

Locations Ellie and Dave’s household, this will be a combination of rooms from two different houses. Ellie’s bedroom will be Emily’s bedroom because it’s a south facing bedroom which allows more natural light in. The other household locations will be in Kayyah’s house i.e. the living room because its more family friendly which will show how a family used to be happy together and how the illness destroyed the family unit. • Consequently we will use the woods for symbolic shots of winter

deteriorating life . • We will also use Titus salt school for the locker scene in which we

establish Sam’s loyalty towards Ellie and the hash reality that she will not be attending prom.

• To use these locations, in advance we will contact the establishment leader. For example for the school shots we will ask for permission from the head teacher to avoid any possible trespassing claims.

Influences • The Fault In Our Stars is a mainstream film that we got some

inspiration from because they share the same target audience . We liked the idea of a young innocent love developing between an illness and how the illness would effect it in a short period of time.

• Short film, I Miss You- This is based on the breakup between a boy and girl . It begins with the ‘honeymoon period’ and the deterioration of their relationship. We thought their idea of using an email as though to talk to another character would be effective and show a modern approach.

• Short film, The Most Beautiful Thing – Also a short film, this narrative is based on how a lonely boy’s life is fulfilled by the presence of a girl , proving to us how our teenage characters are more than likely in need of an innocent romance to show their age.

• A monster calls is a novel based upon a young boys nightmare who becomes a reality while coping with his ill mother. This novel has influenced our short film as the father is surrounded by the harsh reality that his daughter is going to die.

Book trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8-psqOON-Y

Cinematography • Traditional fixed camera and tripod – this

will ensure that we create a steady and sophisticated looking shot.

• Using a dolly track will add suspense to particular shots.

• Natural lighting will allow us to establish a certain time of day , however using artificial light will be more dependable than natural light.

Audience • 12 BBFC rating as our short film contains material that is

not generally suitable for children aged under 12 due to distressing scenes and inappropriate content.

• Our audience will typically be female because of the young romance in the storyline however it could also appeal to a male audience due to the importance of the male characters. The age of our audience is aimed towards 13+ because of the prom and the affection from the boy can be related to a typical teenage girl due to social appearance as well as the idea of going to prom.

• Our target audience interests will be similar to our main characters therefore they can relate to their personality.

Music • Non diegetic music –shows emotion to the

audience rather than just a background sound.

• Dialogue throughout, including voice over from Ellie.

• Lucy Brownnutt singing : ‘Fight song’ by Rachel Platten while Matthew Baldwin plays the instrumental version to avoid any copyright issues.

Scenes outline. Scene 1 – Shots of daughter and fatherScene 2 – Father goes upstairs speaks to daughter notifies her that he’s going to shop ‘but I’ll be back for your injection at 3 o’clock’ Scene 3- Girl in bedroom, looking on the internet ‘how to deal with cancer’ Scene 4 – Boy comes aroundScene 5 – The next shot is used to clarify her illness somewhere in the proceeding, he says ‘id like to take you to the prom’ to which she reply's ‘I cant even promise I’ll be here’. Scene 6 – He leaves awkwardly. Scene 7 – Dad returns: see’s the cup the boy has used, goes mental about infections ‘If he has a cold..’. She takes him being OTTScene 8 – Another day, passing of time. Scene 9- The girl gets a text/call from the boy saying he would like to come see her (hasn’t seen her in a week) Girl really pleased.Scene 10 – Boy turns up at the house with flowers. Dad turns him away angrily ‘Just leave her alone’. Scene 11 - Girl comes down, confronts her father and has an argument. Father says ‘I’m here to protect you’ but her key line is ‘You don’t understand’ repeated quietly. ‘He asks what’ tension raises. She reply's ‘ In a months time I could be dead without ever having felt someone touch my face. I could go through the whole of my life without feeling the love you and mum shared’. Scene 12- Girl cries upstairs

Scene 13 – Dad sobbing downstairsScene 14- Time passes. Shot of boy chatting to 2 girls by lockersScene 15- Kayyah (Slang) asks boy to the prom. Boy says no I’m still waiting to her from Abi. Kayyah says meanly ‘no ones heard anything from her in 3 weeks there isn't much chance she’ll be going to the prom’ Scene 16- Boy meets dad by chance in the park/shops. Has a conversation which ends with the boy saying ‘If there’s anything I can do..’ Dad says ‘No there's nothing you can do’ Turns away, turns back ‘Actually there is something you can do’ Scene 17 – Dad goes upstairs asks Abi how she is. ‘ It would be your prom tonight wouldn’t It’ the father asks, Abi reply's ‘Yep’ . Father encourages her to put her dress on. Abi reply's ‘no’ Father says ‘please just for one photo’. Scene 18 – Abi comes down the stairs, father takes her into the decorated room and speaks to her suggesting he could be dealing with things better. Father says ‘all you need now is a dance partner’ Scene 19 – Door bell rings, Boy comes in smart wear. Scene 20- Father leaves looking back once and shutting the door.