AS G3: Pitch

Sub-genre:

• Our chosen sub genre is "psychological" horror.

Treatment: Identity [Working Title]

• Plot:
• "Identity" is the tale of a young man (16-23 years old) who wakes up in his home without any memories of the last few years of his life. He looks around to attempt to establish his identity and notices a number 5 carved into his hand, wound into a bandage. He decides to follow the lead, following the numbers as they count down from 5 to 1 as he is led to the plain living room, where he finds himself holding a TV remote with only the "1" left unscratched. Pressing it, he sees himself through a webcam on the TV and instructions appear, telling him that "If you ever want to gain your lost memories, if you ever want to see your family again, if you ever want to get your life back...do as I say."

• Character(s):
• Male lead, instead of the original female lead. The name has not been decided yet - to keep with the idea of identity, our character might not even have a name to begin with. This coincides with the title and the main plot of the film. Below is the chosen actor to play the lead.

Alex Derry, our group member and actor

• An antagonist, who we will not see but only hear. This will happen through the video recording.

•  Costume
• Will most certainly be modern day clothing. In order to connote the idea that the protagonist has been abducted and has had his memory wiped, but has also put up a struggle, the clothing will have to be slightly rugged - which can be achieved through a bit of wear and tear and lack of washing.

Key group findings:

Form:

• Shot: The Ring: Telephone Long-Shot: This long-shot allows action to be going on in the background but still keeps it out of focus. Switching between focus is also possible (as this clip shows) and is effective as this also allows the clip to be longer. This specific clip forces all the audiences attentions towards the phone; shows the significance of it. The storyline is also made clearer.
• Shot: The Ring: TV Reflection: This shot relates to our storyline as there is a TV involved. Having the TV reflection looks very effective as the audience is given proof that the happening is mysterious and not caused by a character; the audience can also see the reaction of the girl; the audience understand further that this is an alien situation and puts them in the 'character's shoes'. However, there is the issue of creating the shot as the right angle, distance and presence of the mirror need to be though through.
• Shot: The Ring: Clock Close-Up: This particular clip has a fast zoom in which increases the pace of the scene and causes the scene to intensify. Also, the phone is ringing; the audience makes a clear connection (with the close-up) between the phone and the clock (time); the storyline is made clearer for the audience. Just like the phone, the clock also is shown to be significant. 
• Shot: 28 Days Later: Waking Up Close-Up: Breathing also is layered with the silence; the fragility of the scene and tension of the scene is made clear. Also, as it is this character who appears in the scene first for one of the establishing shots, so close-up and for quite a long clip, the audience figure out that this person may be the protagonist or the main character. The light on his face also highlights the warmth and innocence of waking up (which every one can relate to); this is in contrast to the situation. 
• The Woman In Black: Amplified Noise: having certain noises forced upon the audience causes them to focus on the visual more. The Woman In Black noises specifically make the audience feel uneasy as the actions are alien to the dominant behaviour expected of young girls; the idea of them crushing toys is odd and is further enhanced and made creepy by the sound effect amplification. We could use sound effects such as the TV turning on and off .e.t.c.

Conventions:

• Silence is used in almost every single horror movie ever made. The clear reason being that is a very effective technique for building tension as a sense of foreboding occurs. Silence also emphaises the fragility of the situation.
• Black Mirror is a TV show which has separate storylines for the different episodes. One episode in particular inspired us, the episode which includes symbols. This idea is creepy, plays with the mind and is mysterious; it links in well with the psychological sub-genre of horror. Instead, we have decided to use numbers which has the same enigmatic feel.
• Clip: The Ring: Establishing House Shot: At the beginning there is a typical shot and location of a house for this film. There is a slow zoom as the house is made to be the centre of the following action. Dialogue is also heard; a relatable sense of comfort and warmth is shown, however, the vulnerability of the house being on it's own creates foreboding; there is also a contrast in the location and situation. The shot is also in the evening, which is very conventional of a horror film, and the sense of being watched is conveyed through each of these techniques (zoom, centre shot, location, night, dialogue).

Technical Ideas:

Mise-en-scene:

• Location: An urban setting is ideal for the situation
• Props: The furniture in the room, remote control and TV
• Symbols: Numbers. Symbols are normally associated with antagonists and remain relevant to psychological horror
• Lighting: We are filming during the day; lighting will be bright and white instead of yellow room bulb light
• Costume

• Sound: 
• In order for our film to stand out, we discussed the use of a foreign language in our dialogue, to stand out from the other films. In this case, we have considered using Danish, as the actor is fluent in the language.
• In terms of non-diegetic sound, we have yet to decide whether or not we will go entirely for diegetic sound, completely omitting the idea of the use of music, or include a score to set the scene. Upon further consideration we have decided to use a soundtrack (in parts at least) as we notice a hiss coming from the microphone when filming silence, which a soundtrack would cover up.
• Editing:
• As it is an opening sequence, the ideal cutting rate of the scene will be slow enough for the audience to absorb the atmosphere and setting of the film (and for it not to look like a trailer), but keeping it fast enough for the story to develop.
• Subtitles
• Effective and professional looking font (typography) (1942 reports)
The title should be at the beginning to avoid it looking like a trailer
• Camera:
• An establishing shot will help establish the setting and the genre.
• Close-up of protagonist's face for intensity and establishment of lead.
• Close-ups of objects linked to the storyline to make it the situation clear to the audience
• High-angle shots to make protagonist to seem small and vulnerable
• Use of panning achieved by a dolly

Locations:

• Isaac's Dad's flat
• This will give the feeling of false security, as the character will be in an environment that the audience can relate to - the bed, for example, connotes safety, sleep and calm.

Ideological discourse/representation:

• We have decided to go for a male protagonist instead of a female protagonist, as to break the common convention of female leads in horror films. However, instead of going for a stereotypically "strong" male lead, our lead will be what some might consider an everyday person, who will experience some level of character development . Given time constraints, we're going to have to establish this through the non-verbal language and dialogue. 
• Most importantly, we want our audience to be able to connect with the protagonist. As mentioned above, we want our lead to be an everyday person thrown into a horrific scenario. Ideally, we'd like our audience to take upon a dominant reading of our character.
• As our character is supposed to be an everyday person in a terrifying situation, we would ideally want our ideological representation to be emergent, challenging the dominant ideology - in this case, the protagonist is not a hero-figure, but a frightened man. Someone who the audience can relate to.

VFX:

• The number 5, carved into the hand of the protagonist.
• Video of an unknown antagonist, played after the protagonist presses the "1" button on the TV-remote

Key findings from audience response:

• The majority of the voters were interested in having a female protagonist. This tells us who the audience expects as a protagonist in a psychological horror. 

Key issues in achieving proposed treatment:

• The idea of using a foreign language may throw the audience off, or otherwise confuse them. It may be distracting for the audience to keep up with what is going on in a scene, if they have to read the subtitles as well. However, if we keep the dialogue short and precise, we can keep the audience focused on the scene and 
• The opening title will have to be integrated into the opening shot, so we can utilise as much of the two minutes we have for the opening as possible. If we do not do so, we risk running out of time or limiting the time we have of establishing the story.

To ensure that our opening sequence does not look like a trailer:

We have considered the following:

• Putting the titles in the first shot/before the first shot. This minimises the risk of the sequence looking like a trailer or TV spot.
• Ensuring that each of the shots are far from too short or otherwise choppy.
• Establishing the opening narrative, keeping the story open for the audience to want more and for the story to continue on the basis of the established character and setting.