Daniel Arkell FMP Proposal

STORY
My story is about two teenage boys who have been set the challenge of doing
some volunteering for the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme. Their plan was to go and
help and elderly Lady at home with jobs around the house and other things to
make her life easier. But when her usual care worker leaves they are set with a
job with risks that none of them could dream of.
The film starts with the two boys walking towards the elderly ladys house. Dan
has a flashback and it is him in his room talking to a care agency on the phone, it
flashes back and they are at the front door. They are introduced to the care
worker at the front door and meet the old Lady, there is a plumber working in the
kitchen on the sink. He finds some money under the sink and moves it on top of
the fridge thinking nothing of it. The care worker goes into the kitchen when the
plumber leaves (The Plumber is coming back the following day) with intentions of
getting the money but finds nothing, he immediately thinks that she has found
out he has been stealing and he leaves the house. When the carer leaves the
elderly lady sets them with a task of getting the money back from the carer. The
old Lady gives them guns.
Boys drive to house of carer. He notices salesmen walking around and ignores
the doorbell when they ring. The salesmen walk off and the two boys ring the
doorbell. He angrily gets up and walks to the front door thinking its the
Salesmen again. He swings open the door and finds Charlie pointing the gun
directly at him. Charlie pulls the trigger but the gun clicks as it was not loaded.
The carer faints and hits his head. With the help of a random passer-by they lift
the body into the boot of Dans car but completely forget to find the money. They
decided to hide the body in the elderly ladys shed and plan to go back the
following day.
The next day they come back to the house to tell the elderly lady that they killed
him. Surprisingly she is completely okay with it which stuns them. They go to the
kitchen to make her a cup of tea and are met with the plumber who is just
finishing off working on the sink. He casually grabs the money from the fridge
and hands it to the boys, explaining why he moved it. The boys immediately
think that the Care worker never took the money in the first place making them
feel even worse about the situation. Meanwhile in the shed the Care worker
awakens and spots the plumber handing the money to the boys. The care worker
then believes that the boys were going to take the money so he stumbles to the
house and bursts through the back door. The boys look completely confused and
the Care worker looks furious and goes to grab the money. As he does so the old
lady walks in through the door from the living room. She looks around and sees
the pile of money on the kitchen table. She then pulls out a modern pistol to
finish the film on a cliff hanger.

INSPIRATION
I have gathered a lot of inspiration from a range of teen comedies I have
watched over the years. I enjoy these films because it is possible to relate to
some of the things that happen in them, although many are exaggerated to

make it more exciting. I believe that this is the reason why young people enjoy
these films. For example in Superbad they need to get alcohol for a party but
they are all underage and one of them get a fake I.D. When I was in year 11,
especially after Prom many people found it difficult to get Alcohol if their parents
were not willing to get it. One thing from Superbad that inspired me though is
the two main characters, one that is considered clever but really awkward, and
another who is completely opposite. I want to use this idea in my film because I
think that it will appeal to a range of people.
I am also taking inspiration from the film 21 & 22 jump street. Like Superbad
there are two main characters, one who is considered intellectual and one who is
not. What inspired me the most from these
films though are the use of guns and
fighting which is not that common in action
comedys which contain young adults or
teenagers.
In most Action Comedies/ Teen Comedies I
have watched they are filmed using
standard angles without tracking or
panning shots. The only times when they
use shots which contain movement are
intense action scenes when there are fights to emphasize the danger and to
make it more engaging. A common theme I have noticed is when the shot looks
up or down at someone to show their strength or their weakness. I plan on using
this in my film to indicate to the audience who is a stronger or weaker character.

TARGET AUDIENCE
My target audience is primarily teenagers and young adults. I think that this is
because teenagers enjoy the excitement from the action and because mine has
two teenage protagonists they may be able to relate to the humour. I also did
some research and found that 21 Jump Streets target audience is those aged 15
to 24 I feel as if this age range fits well with my film as there are many
similarities. My film will appeal to both sexes as Action Comedies are popular for
both and are not directly linked to a certain gender although both main
characters will be male. For many Action comedies I have noticed that it is most
commonly two male lead actors. After looking at the Mosaic Classification Chart I
have decided specifically who my target audience is so that I can make it appeal
to them.

J Category is appropriate for my audience because it concentrates on a younger

Like the J Category I have focused on the younger people in the chart. One of
these is O61. I have specifically chosen this one because they may be able to
relate to the main characters, in particular Dan, the smarter boy out of the two.
Another group I believe is an important audience is O66. After looking on the
BBFC website, I have decided that my film should be a 15. The main reason why I
chose 15 is because I would be using swear words, which can only be said in a
certain manner in a 12 film. One issue I face with having my film at a 15 is my
audience, because of this age I am limited to who can watch my film which
decreases the amount of viewers compared to if it was a PG film. I am willing to
do this because I believe that if it is done well it will prove popular for people 15
or older meaning hopefully it will get shared more increasing the views. This also
links to my demographics because I think that my audience will be people who
can relate to the main actors.

AUDIENCE RESPONSE
Preferred
If the viewer felt that after watching my film it changed their view on elderly
people. Although this could mean that they may think that all Care workers are
similar to the one in my film.
Negotiated
The viewer finds the film funny and understands the comedy. They realise that
the elderly lady with a gun is humorous and does not indicate that we are
creating a stereotype.
Oppositional

The viewer finds that the elderly lady having weapons is offensive and they
believe that this is how we are portraying all elderly people. They may also feel
as if we are showing that all care workers take money from the elderly.

SECONDARY RESEARCH
To assist my Primary research I asked 20 people in a questionnaire to find out
what things I should include in my film and what characters I should have.
17 People responded with Male
which I found interesting as that is
a common theme for Action
Comedies. The second question I
asked was why they prefer the
gender they chose. Most people
said that it was because they are
shown to be confident and other
people also said that they can
associate men with guns and
violence. One person said that a
female character would be good
because they are easy to
sympathise with and are easy to
care for engaging the viewer. I have
chosen to have two male teenagers because it is a common feature in action
comedy films so people will automatically understand the genre.
Similar to the second question I
asked why they picked that
gender. Most of the people who
put Male said was because it
goes against stereotypes and
mixes it up a bit which is why I
want to use a male actor.
Someone who picked female
said that it brings in more
female characters and that it is
easier to show that they are a
carer which I can understand but
I feel as if the Male actor will
challenge stereotypes and will
research extensively into
clothing.

The fifth question that I asked was if the old lady should have guns. And then
after that I asked what type she should have. I personally wanted her to have
guns to add some randomness to the film. It was nice to see that others like that
too with 16 saying that she should.
The people that said she should
have guns said a variety of answers.
From old guns to resemble her old
age which is a smart way to add
small jokes in, but also larger
modern guns which people may find
funny as they would not expect it.
One thing that someone said that
was helpful is that she should have a
large knowledge of firearms which
you would not expect, I think that I
am going to develop this idea
further and integrate it into my
script.
I then asked where the
teenagers should dump the
body. My original idea was in the
shed and I was glad to see that
others liked that idea. Where I
put somewhere in the house,
someone came up with the
interesting idea of the body just
lying in the bath tub and she is
completely oblivious because of
her poor eye sight. Although I
think that is a fantastic idea, the
house that I have chosen for
filming has a perfect pathway
outside the kitchen to the shed
in the garden. I also asked why
they picked the places they did,
and those who said the shed said that its close enough to the house and it is
unlikely she goes in there often and it changes up the location
One theme that is common in action comedies is one smart guy and one dopey
guy. Many people put this and that was my original plan. Although someone took
this idea a step further and said that the smart boy could dress like a hipster
and acts like he knows everything although his friend who is the nerdy one out of
them both is constantly correcting him. The nerdy one would dress casual like a
common middle class person, for example, jeans, plain shirt and some skate
shoes. Other people said I should have two completely different people, one
person wearing trendy clothing and the other wearing tracksuits which could be
stereotyped as being a chav.

FORMAT & DESTINATION PLATFORMS

One thing that I would like to do when I have finished the film is send it to
Encounters Film Festival in Bristol. This is a good way for me to showcase the film
and get my name out there for future films. It is also a good opportunity to meet
other film makers and get advice for future projects. I will also bring copies of the
film on DVDs to give to different production companies who may be there in the
hope that I will be able to work with them.
My film will first be put onto YouTube; this is because it is an extremely popular
website where people will be able to view my film easily for free. It also means
that I am able to share the link on other social networking sites to increase the
views. One feature on YouTube which is helpful is that I am able to see how
many views I am getting daily and where from, this tells me if my film is reaching
further than the local area. I am also able to monetize the film if it gets popular
which means that I would make money from people viewing my film if there is an
advert from Google at the start. I would also have a copy of the film on Vimeo.
The reason for this is because Vimeo does not compress the video or audio which
means it keeps the quality it was exported in. This gives me a simple way of
linking my film to production companies so that they have a high quality version
of the film to watch.
I would like my film to be on Channel 4. On their remit it says that their channels
content should appeal to the tastes of teenagers and young adults, and they are
my primary target audience so I believe that Channel 4 is a strong platform for
my film.

CHARACTERS
Dan Main Character
Dan is one of the main characters in the film. Out of the two boys he is the
smarter one with common sense. I want him to dress quite smart but with
random mismatched clothing. For example I would like him to wear a blazer with
a comical shirt and some jeans with a casual set of shoes.
Charlie Main Character
Charlie has a lot less common sense out of him and Dan. He relies on Dan a lot
of the time which is proven throughout the film. I want him to dress quite scruffy
wearing some 3 quarter length shorts, and a striped shirt. I would like to have
him wearing some shoes that may be considered cheap to give off the
impression that he does not really care how he looks.
It is a common theme in Action Comedys that the two main characters are best
friends. I feel as if their completely different personalities will make them two
lovable characters which appeal to a range of different teenagers.
Doris
Doris is the elderly lady in the film. I want her to have a quirky dress sense with
bright vibrant colours which do not match at all to possibly show the viewer that
she may be confused.
Aaron

Aaron is the care worker in the film. He is presented as being quite a jolly person
and is quite trendy. I want him to wear casual clothes although I believe that a
care worker style top to go over his clothes might add the effect of him being a
care worker.
The Plumber
I want the Plumber to be quite a big built person wearing scruffy clothing that
looks like it hasnt been properly washed in a while. I want him to be presented
as being a kind a genuine man who likes a laugh. I think that he will be a strong
character for humour in the film.

CONTIGENCY PLAN
Potential Problems

Resolution

Absence

Have the actors number and email.

Actors decide to drop out

Keep in contact with local acting schools and contact friends or family if needed.

Loss of files

Back up any footage as soon as it has been filmed onto hard drive.

Weather

Change day of filming, consult cast and crew first

Costumes do not work

Let the actors try the clothing before filming. Take some test shots
And then decide if the clothes need changing.

Continuity

Have someone on set taking pictures of the actors costumes.

Struggling to meet the

Plan to finish a week before the deadline to ensure all work is completed.

BUDGET
Personnel Numb
er
Director
1
Producer
1
writer
2
DOP
1
Talent

Paym
ent
300
276
60
320

Day
s
6
6
10
6

Total
1800
1656
600
1920

Lead
Actors
Extra
Actors
Crew
Camera
Operator
Boom
Operator
Lighting
Director
Lighting
Assistant
Camera
Assistant
Audio
Assistant
Post
Productio
n
Assistant
Editor
Editor
Total

260

1560

200

600

309

1854

190

1140

262

1572

180

1080

240

1440

180

1080

280

12

1680

350

12

4200
22,18
2

SCHEDULE