PROPOSAL

TWO
Who is my production being produced for?

In order to produce a piece of work that is not only of a high quality and standard, but also
meets the expectations of the examination boards, I have decided to make my Final Major
Project for a client/competition. While analysing both clients and festivals that I could produce
for, I have settled on UK Film Festival. This is an established film festival which is held in Great
Britain, known for bringing un-recognised filmmakers into the film and television industry.

Competition

On the official website, the UK Film Festival states that they aim to ‘champion great films’ but
is mainly targeted to highlight ‘work from filmmakers who might not yet have the chance for a
prestigious public screening’. The competition is held in ‘the heart of London’ where the films
are shown to an audience of other filmmakers as well as the British public and official judges.
Overall, the festival is designed to celebrate the cultural diversity of the United Kingdom and
welcome other productions into our industry from all over the world. The past five years have
been very active for the UK Film Festival (otherwise known as the UKFF), with their
engagement establishing a tradition of of promoting productions that have later gone on to
becoming Oscar and BAFTA nominees and winners. They also have connected new
filmmakers to the media industry, especially television exposure by leader British broadcaster:
Channel 4.

There are five different deadlines for the UK Film Festival. These deadlines apply to all of the
categories and outline how much entry will cost. The deadlines are:

 Early bird deadline (1st May 2018)

 Regular deadline (24th July 2018)
 Late deadline (10th September 2018)
 Extended deadline (24th September 2018)
 Fast Track Late Submission (9th October 2018)

There are seven different categories for the UK Film Festival. Applicants can only enter one
production into each category, so only the best work can be submitted to win. These are:
 Short Films (under 40 minutes)
 Feature Films (40 minutes and over)
 Short Documentaries (under 40 minutes)
 Feature Documentaries (40 minutes and over)
 Student Shorts (under 40 minutes)
 Animation Shorts (animations over 40 minutes should be entered in the Feature Films category)
 Music Videos
Depending on the date of entry, the cost to enter the competition ranges in price.

Cost of Entry
Category Additional May 1 July Sept Sept 24 Oct 9
information 24 10
Short Films Under 40 minutes £30 £40 £45 To be To be
confirmed confirmed
Feature Films Over 40 minutes £60 £65 £80 To be To be
confirmed confirmed
Short Under 40 minutes £30 £40 £45 To be To be
Documentaries confirmed confirmed
Feature Over 40 minutes £60 £65 £80 To be To be
Documentaries confirmed confirmed
Student Shorts £20 £25 £30 To be To be
confirmed confirmed
Animation Animations over 40 £25 £30 £35 To be To be
Shorts minutes should confirmed confirmed
enter in the
Feature Films
category
Music videos £20 £25 £35 To be To be
confirmed confirmed
Idea Generation (so far):

The initial idea behind my Final Major Project was first thought of during the last unit (Unit 10:
Engage with target audiences in creative media production) when I was originally planning to
produce a short film. The original film was supposedly a fantasy/adventure short, with a plot
line that follows: A young girl runs into the woods after witnessing her parents’ fight, where
she stumbles across a fairy-tale book. As she reads, she becomes the lead character – a
knight who is trying to slay her first dragon. Eventually, she has to go home, so she takes the
book with her. When she gets to the house, she sees her father beating up her mother, so she
calls the police. As they arrive, she talks to the camera about domestic abuse and violence.
After I realised that I wanted to use the idea for my Final Major Project, I developed the idea
slightly over time. I adapted the ending so that it has a more fairy-tale section before the facts
and statistics are implemented. The knight idea (whilst in-keeping with the theme) was a little
too extravagant to be produced to a good standard without costumes and props looking tacky,
so I altered it to a story of a lost boy who tells the girl about his ‘dragon’. These small changes
resulted in a better narrative and a more interesting concept that suits the target audience.
From then, I submitted the concept to an online survey which would collect feedback and
opinions from my classmates. Most of the feedback was positive, however there were a few
comments which made me rethink the idea and change slight aspects of the narrative. One of
the comments stated that I was ‘belittling’ the concept of domestic abuse and ‘patronizing’
those who deal with it, which is obviously not the vibe that I was going for with my Final Major
Project. To tackle this, I changed the ending of the production to a girl picking up a sword. This
would symbolise that the fight for justice of the girl and her mother was not over (like the
previous ending implied) but the fight has just begun. Another comment mentioned that I
should include more authority figures that are positive, just like in the short film ‘Nadia’, her
teacher is a positive influence on her life and shows her that she has access to help. I changed
the mid-section of the narrative (where the lost boy shares his story about his dragon mother
to guide Mattie into getting help) to a wise old man/wizard (in keeping with fantasy themes)
who explains her situation and gives Mattie advice, but then at the end of the film (back in
reality) he appears as a social worker when the police turn up. Finally, I added shots at the
start of the film which should the girl’s bedroom filled with knights, princesses and fantasy
character. This easily establishes the fantasy aspect of the film. Then, at the end of the
production, I changed the narrative so that the social worker gives the girl the sword, instead
of her picking it up herself. This highlights how the knowledge he gives her allows her to fight
back.

:
Synopsis:

Girl runs away from her abusive father and she discovers a wise man who teaches her about
facing her demons.

Plotline (as of right now):

The film centres around the experience of a young teenage girl, Matilda (otherwise referenced
as Mattie). While seeming like the perfect family to the outside world, secretly she lives in fear
of her abusive father who routinely takes his anger out on her mother. We enter the film in the
middle of a fight between the two parents in the living room. Mattie is hiding in her bedroom.
The camera pans through the room, which is filled with fantasy memorabilia and other fantasy
related item (for example; there are Zelda posters on the walls and Merlin collectables on the
shelves). When she hears her mother scream, she runs out of the house, down the road and
into a local field nearby. There are old crumbled buildings and bits of debris littering the area.
Mattie literally stumbles across an old book that is covered in rubble and dirt. She sits down
to read the contents (which will be a close-up) and discovers a story about a knight facing her
dragon. She reads a couple of lines, reaching a section about the knight seeking help from a
wise man. As the camera pulls out, the audience see a man sat beside her. From that shot,
the entire production is wildly colour corrected so that the visuals are bright. The girl jumps in
shock and tries to run away, which is when she runs into the open fields. Camera’s circling
her which gives the illusion of her being trapped. The man calms her down, trying to explain
her situation. He touches her shoulder, which is when she turns around to face him. The girl
gets defensive, but the man talks to her about the help and support that she can receive from
her local council, and the laws that should help protect herself and her mum. She get a phone
call, and looks down at the caller ID. The second that the Foley sound is heard, the colour
correction is dropped and the visuals go back to the dreary and drab of reality. The caller is
her father. When she looks back up, the wise man has disappeared. The girl walks back
towards the house, where she sees the father (through the window) still beating her mother.
Hiding behind a bush/hedge, she calls the police on her phone. While she waits for the police,
the girl talks to the camera about the help that she is going to receive from the government,
and what will happen to her father. Once she has finished her monologue, a hand is placed
on her shoulder. The camera looks up (highlighting position of power and authority) and the
hand belongs to the wise man from her story. The camera zooms into his social worker’s
badge and suit. With his other hand (previously placed behind his back) he brings out a sword
and hands it to the girl. The screen cuts to black, with white text reading help & support lines
for domestic violence and what to do.
Why my production should be made:

I feel that my production deserves to be made as it will help to raise awareness about the
effects and laws of domestic abuse, especially what can happen to young children such as
the girl in the short film. This is something that I have not tried before, and while many have
said it is risky producing a short film for my Final Major Project, I know that I have the ability
to create something worthy of my two years studying Creative Media Production. As I am not
entirely sure what field exactly I would like to progress into after college, making a short film
that allows me to develop skills such as:

 Cinematography
 Narrative
 Storytelling
 Foley Sounds
 Scriptwriting

While I have produced other short films, both in Year 1 and Year 2, this is the first short film
that I feel I have the ability to produce how I have imagined it. All of my learning for the past
two years has led to this moment. It is a brilliant opportunity to make myself proud, as well as
the teachers who have guided and supported me throughout.

Another reason that this short film deserves to be made is that there are very few of a similar
style available. While there is a lot of content about short films, and a lot of content about
domestic abuse/domestic violence, I have yet to see a successful production in which the film
talks about the domestic abuse and how to get support. The majority of these films tend to
implement aspects of support, without context or a strong narrative structure. My aim is to
make this short film the first successful story that focuses on domestic abuse/domestic
violence, without it being cringe, misinformed or of a poor quality.

I want to change the stereotype on informative films. They don’t have to lack in a decent
storyline, with poor cinematography and a weak narrative structure. If all goes to plan, this
short film will highlight, just as films like Nadia and Eviction, that informative productions
needn’t be boring, but can actually engage the audience and teach them with integrated
knowledge.