PLANNING: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

In order to develop our character, in our film trailer, we decided to interview them. This will in turn create a backstory for them, this is turn provides depth to the characters.
We were inspired by an article written by Charlie Sierra, on his website Film Escape, about building the back story to film characters and providing depth to characters. He was inspired by Riding the Alligator written by Pen Densham, an Academy Award nominated filmmaker. In one particular chapter in the book he provides a check list of questions every writer and director should ask of themselves when they are developing their characters The purpose of this is to outline a deep understanding of your characters for both the actors and director, and as a result what motivates a character’s choices or actions. Whilst Densham advocates scripting and questionnaire, we thought it would be more creative to 

Military Personnel, Daniel, Tim, 
Script:
Military: Are you lads ok?
Daniel: No not really
Military: Would you mind informing me why you did not travel to your local bunker?
Tim: It was too far away and we did not have enough time, we would have died if we went to that bunker. It was just too far.
Military: You should have properly timed your journey to the point at which you would have made it in time.
Daniel: We are trying to explain ourselves is all
Military: Well would someone please give me a good enough reason to explain the reason why you did not make it to your local bunker.
Tim: We were told at 9:00 am that there is a national emergency. We got home at 10:00 but we weren't really taking the whole situation seriously
Military: Any emergency issued by Her Majesty's Government should be taken with the up most seriousness and urgency. 
Daniel: Yea well it was a pretty new situation for us all
Military: Am I right in saying that there was three of you? May I ask where this third member is?
Tim: Benji is in hospital as a result of the events
Military: I was unaware of that
Tim: Can we see him?
Military: I am being told that he is in quarantine and he will remain like that until he is cleared
Daniel: How long before we can see him?
Military: I am unable to disclose that information to civilians 
Tim: What is the purpose of this interview if you cannot provide any information?
Military: This interview is a post attack , psychological check up. This is for your benefit and no-one elses.
Daniel: When can we leave then?
Military: Not until you have been cleared?
Daniel: What do you mean?
Military: You will have a similar interview with a different member of medical staff every week. And when you are cleared by at least 4 of them then you may leave. Your friend Benji is another story and his status will remain classified. Interview 1 28/11/2027 

PLANNING: DEVELOPING OUR TREATMENT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgTFoe_xpZ4

0.01-0.10
3.12-.315

Further Research

We considered making our film as relevant as possible to current news stories, we then stumbled across the sudden development in facial recognition and the development of AI. With the news following the Russian involvement in the US election we thought it a good idea to have some AI involvement in our trailer. However in the end we decided not to include it due to it not fitting in with the main theme of our trailer with the threat of North Korea and the threat of nuclear war.
Scene: Boys at home, watching TV broadcast
News Broadcast Max Tegmark presenting is new book, Life 3.0, to TV journalist MT in answer to journalist question: We are facing a form of silicon mind that is like ours in its creativity and capacity for insight, but totally alien in its processes. 
I (interviewer) So the next frontieer for AI is mastering human language, using algorithm?
MT: this has already happened
Cut to fake Obama 
MT to camera: North Korea is our threat. It has already carried out cyber attacks. It will be missiles next. 
Cut to boys exchanging looks heading out the door.

Developing the chronology of out trailer

The boys are watching TV, either Netflix or terrestrial television,, and the show is interrupted by a PSA, public service announcement, explaining the serious threat of North Korea and that the government is expecting an immediate nuclear strike from North Korea. All civilians should move immediately to your local bunker.

PLANNING: OUR VIEWER PROFILE

Today I made an audience profile for my trailer, in this I took in to account various factors to put into my trailer in order to catch their attention:

Age group: 18-35, young adults

Gender: Both

They are likely to watch TV programmes such as Game of Thrones, Narcos, Breaking Bad, Daredevil and Punisher.

They are likey to see at the cinema: IT, Deepwater Horizon, Dunkirk, Red Dawn, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, American Sniper. The films that they watch are all action and disaster movies, with elements of threat and terror in them as well. 

In their leisure time, they will visit YouTube, play video games, download movies, use online streaming services such as Netflix, eat at Pizza Express, McDonald's, Subway and Nandos. 

Clothes: Primark, Superdry, Asos, Adidas and Next

Media: iPhone, Mac Book or iPad to see movies and to play games, use social media sites such as Instagram; Snapchat and Facebook, browse and shop. 

RESEARCH: AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

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PLANNING: OUR TREATMENT

Title Names

-The Countdown
-Imminent Threat
-The Launch
-Terror
-Blast Zone
-Genocide
-Shockwave
-Nuclear Winter

Production Names

-Blast Zone Productions

-Winter Productions

-Impact Productions

-Crater Productions 

-Shockwave Productions 

-Launch Productions

Treatment

The year is 2027 and Daniel, Timothy and Bartholomew are foster children living within the centre of London. In recent years there has been a lot of tension between the US and its allies between North Korea. The UK defence system has detected North Korean missiles. It has been broadcast around the UK that there is only a certain amount of time before one hits London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff. The country has descended into chaos; there is economic ruin. The foster children are able to get into their bunker in time only a few minutes before the missiles arrive in the specific locations. The bomb hits; two weeks later one of the boys opens the door to the bunker… the trailer ends on a cliff hanger.

Topline 

Three foster children face death as they race against time to make it to their bunker to survive the nuclear missiles only to face complications throughout their journey.

Big Question 

Will they make it in time? What goes wrong? Will they all make it to the bunker? How many other people will survive the missiles?

Research

As part of my research into how to devise a treatment I watched a FutureLearn Video by Frank Ash. In this video Frank Ash talks about how to make your film interest the audience but also to make your film relevant to current social trends. This made us consider the Disaster genre and mix it with the very real North Korean threat that the world faces. I also visited Movie Outline in which it mentions similar methods. Movie Outline think that the most important element of a film is to make it topical but also ensure that it fits under the genre that is most popular at the moment.