Stage 2

1. PRODUCTION
MANAGEMENT
STAGE 2
PROPOSAL
& PITCH
YOUR NAME HERE
YOU SHOULD USE THIS TO STRUCTURE YOUR STAGE 1
RESPONSE. ADD SLIDES WHERE NECESSARY AND
ILLUSTRATIONS. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CLICK ON THE
BOX UNDER THE QUESTION/INFO!

2. PROPOSAL AND PITCH
This template is to allow you to structure your proposal and
pitch. You should be using the work from Stage 1 to help you
to complete Stage 2. As such your proposal should be a
summary of the info collected in your research.
It is important you provide as much product information as
possible (content outline, target audience, resources, cast
and crew requirements, budget, project schedule, market fit).
This template constitutes your proposal, it will be the basis
of your Video Pitch/Presentation.

3. OUTLINE
Synopsis of your proposal – what is
your film about? What happens in it?
Man bored of office job and searches
for a new experience. Ends up joining
social experiment where a Doctor
puts a chip into his temple that
allows him to see how long people
have left to live. He becomes a hero
when noticing a woman with 10
seconds left on her clock and saves
her from being hit by a car. He turns
and sees his own number, which is
less than a day. He begins to panic
and freak out, isolating himself from
anything that could cause him harm.
His clock counts down and the
screen goes black. He wakes up back
in the clinic, the chip has been
removed and he is told it was part of
the experiment . He realizes that
when faced with his death, he has
regrets about things he hasn’t done.
The penultimate shots are from the
doctors POV, she can see his clock
as he’s about to leave, it counts down

4. MARKET FIT
How does your film fit within it’s
market/genre?
Consider your research and justify your
position.
My film is going to fit within the dystopian
subgenre of the science fiction genre,
along with programmes like ‘Black mirror’.
It is going to be aimed at a young adult
audience, and will not include any horror,
thriller or gore elements that some sci-fi
films such as ‘Life’ contain. I am going to
be using elements from psychological
thrillers but keep it toned down to a level
where the audience is simply perplexed
and forced to think about themes such as
mortality and how they spend their time.
This is why I think my short film will best fit
within the market of ‘Black Mirror’ as it is
designed to make the audience think about

5. CHARACTERS
Details on characters, their motivations, backstory, etc .
Michael Jones – A young adult male who works in an administrative
company for a print/photocopier manufacturer. He dropped out of
college at 17 and got a job in an office with a moderate wage but little
time off. He has been at the company for years but has never been
promoted and has few friends within his workplace circle. He sees all
his school friends out living interesting and busy lives. He is bored
and unsatisfied with his life and seeks change.
Dr Rose Grant – Female, age unknown. She is a scientist and
businesswoman, who is obsessed with immortality and extending her
own life (hence why her age is unknown). She took over a
psychological study based on how a subject would react when faced
with the mortality of the people around them and even their own
mortality. However, she has since used this experiment to her own
personal gain, stealing lifetimes for herself from unsuspecting
subjects after they have completed the experiment. (this is barely
scratched upon in the film and is the plot twist)

6. TARGET AUDIENCE
Who is your film aimed at? You could summarise your research
and use this to justify your choice of audience. How does you film
fit/target this audience?
My target audience is 18-24 year old males and females who
typically watch sci-fi, action and fantasy films. I have surmised this
from my primary and secondary research, using the survey to see
the opinions and preferences of a small group of people, then
doing secondary research into products similar to my proposed
idea. With this research I was able to find a larger range of
information about the consumers of these products such as their
age, gender, social class and what other media they enjoy. I was
unable to use YOUGOV LITE as the products most similar to mine
were more niche and have apparently not been added to the
system yet, however IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes allowed me to see
the overall rating of the film and reviews from fans and viewers
with a variety of opinions. Overall, I found that black mirror is
almost gender neutral as far as sci fi goes (although like all sci-fi, it
does have a lean towards male viewers) therefore I have chosen a
neutral target audience. I hope that having main male and female
characters will attract male and female audiences. I chose the age
range based mostly on my survey results and with the venue in
which it will be viewed (York College) in mind. However the
certification of 12 would make the film more accessible for
everyone.

7. LOCATIONS
Details on proposed shooting locations and images from recces and
research. For extra detail explain how you intend to use the
environment, where are you going to put the camera, consider time
of day for shooting and practical considerations [is it busy? Do you
need to book it? Are there any legal restrictions/permissions to
consider?].
House environment: I intend to use the spare bedroom / my
brothers old bedroom in my house and change the bedding and wall
art to fit the style of a young man living alone. As it is a small space,
I will use lots of close up shots, mostly of the alarm clock going off
and being turned off, his feet hitting the floor as he gets out of bed
and the hand pulling a shirt and tie from the back of the chair. As
this room is mainly featured in the opening of the short, there will
only be short shots of the room as I attempt to give the idea of the
protagonists daily routine. I will also use the bathroom, stairs and
kitchen for this, once again mostly close up, rapidly cut shots to
introduce the viewer to the characters’ life, without spending a vast
amount of time on it. This setting will again feature towards the end
of the short film as the character is having a breakdown. This scene
will be shot in either the bedroom or the bathroom, and will be again
medium shots and close up’s, this time focusing on the character,

8. RESOURCES
What resources do you need/intend to use for you production?
How do you intend to obtain these
I will need a camera, sound recorder, tripod and slider mount. I
would also like to use a shoulder or body mount to be able to get
smooth pan shots that may be out of the range of the tripod. I will
be able to obtain these through college if I book it out in advance
from the technician. To use this equipment I’d also need an SD card
and a battery, perhaps with spares.
I will also need access to a computer which has Premiere Pro,
Photoshop and After Effects installed in order to do the post
production and editing for the project. Photoshop will be used to
create the hologram effect numbers above each persons head and
After effects will be used to complete the motion graphic.
Location is important as the realism of the film depends on the
location in which it is filmed. I will be filming in my house, college
and at a local bus stop. I will need to get permission to film in
college in advance.

9. CREW REQUIREMENTS
Details on requirements for production team and any specific skills needed. Who
are you going to use?
Camera Operator: I plan on filming the majority, if not the entirety, of my short
film, I am planning on framing each shot in a fairly specific way to create a
style/atmosphere within my film. To do this properly I will need to do a detailed
storyboard and shot list and stick to it as closely as possible.
Sound Operator: As I will be directing and operating the camera, I will need
someone to operate the sound recorder for scenes that contain dialogue. I don’t
want to rely on the camera, as the quality won’t be as high as a sound recorder
would be, and the camera will be moving close to / away from the cast
throughout the scene, meaning that the sound will be louder / quieter in certain
elements depending on where the camera was, therefore making the sound
recorder a more reliable option.
Set help: I intend to use extras as set help if they can, as I will be constructing a
gazebo in my garden for the science lab environment and it takes four people to
construct. I will also need someone to drive the car in the scene where the
protagonist becomes a hero.
Editor: I will predominantly be editing and doing all the visual effects for my
short film. I will need peer and tutor feedback throughout the editing process to
ensure it is the highest quality it can be. I may also need guidance when using
After Effects as I found a few problems when doing my VFX tests that I will need
assistance to resolve.

10. CAST REQUIREMENTS
Michael Jones – Played by Jack Higgot, 18, Performing arts student at
York college, Yorkshire. He has featured in several student short films
and is aware of the environment created when filming. I first learned of
him after seeing a short film made by Phoebe Steen in which he plays
the protagonist. He has also been in several music videos and plays a
diverse range of characters, which will be useful for the range of
intensity needed in my film. My back up actor for this role is Ethan
Payne, as he has previous theatrical experience and would be
available on my filming dates.

11. CAST REQUIREMENTS
Rose Grant – Played by Leah Taylor, 19, Acting student at University of
Central Lancashire, has previous acting experience including theatre
performance of Guys and Dolls in which she played a lead role. Leah is
into sci-fi and action films and more roles / experience would benefit her
portfolio, so I felt like she would be the perfect fit for the character. The
main constraint would be time and transport as she would have to travel
from Preston to film. . Back-up: Phoebe Steen, 20, is currently playing
the role of ‘woman who nearly gets hit by car’ and will stand in for Leah
if necessary.

12. CAST REQUIREMENTS
Extras:
Woman 1: This character will be played by Phoebe Steen, who has
also offered to help on set and act as a stand in if Leah is unable to
play the role of Dr Grant. The backup for this extra is Andrea Morse.
Office Worker 1 : The role of putting a stack of papers on Michael’s
desk will be played by Ethan Payne, who has offered up his parents’
office to be used in this scene. The back-up for this role is Nat Lynch.

13. BUDGET
Realistic Budget: My realistic budget is what I am likely to spend on the
film with a 10% contingency addition.
Camera & Equipment: I will be renting a camera, SD card, sound
recorder, battery, tri-pod and any other equipment I might need from York
College, provided I book it in advance and confirm with the technician
that it is available. I will have to do all of production within an allotted
time given to me or film on two occasions, which would mean renting the
kit out again.
Props: I will need various props for my film as I am trying to create a
realistic environment in which the film will be set. I will need the
following:
A clipboard: I am hoping I’ll be able to borrow one of these from college
or a friend, however, if I need to, I can buy one from amazon for £1.23
Lab Signs: These will heighten the realism of the lab environment and
make it more convincing. I will be able to find these online and print
them out, or buy official laminated ones from Amazon or Ebay.
Costumes: My characters will need to be dressed in specific ways to
show their role in the film.
Michael – Will have to wear office style clothing, button down shirt /
formal jumper and black trousers. I would like him to wear grey and blue
in the beginning montage to represent the boring and depressing nature
of his life, but then on the day he decides to make a change, he is
wearing a brighter shirt, to show his intention of change. I will need a
series of shirts in these specific colours. Jack (the actor of Michael) has
shirts that he is willing to use for the film. But if they don’t suit the colour
plan I will buy some from Primark. A shirt is £6-£10 from Primark, so I
would add £15 to my budget for this, although we may only need the

14. BUDGET CONTINUED
Dr Grant: Will wear a formal business suit with a white lab coat over the top of
these clothes. Leah already has a blazer and black trousers, but in the event
that she forgets to bring them or she can no longer use them, I can buy a
blazer from a charity shop for under £10 and trousers from George at Asda for
£6. I can get the lab coat on Ebay for £6, perhaps cheaper if I chose to bid on
one, but this would depend on the timescale of the auction and how long it
would take to arrive.
I would also have to factor the cost of transport to and from location. A return
ticket from York to Harrogate on the train with no railcard is £8.90
Budget calculations:
Props: £3
Costume: £37
Transport: £8.90
+ Contingency 10%
Total: £53.79

15. SCHEDULE
You have a rough schedule already in place due to the college calendar.
How do you intend to use this time? How are you going to keep track of
this?
30/04 – 04/05: I will finish my ‘Stage 2’ Proposal in this week and organise
production dates with my cast and crew. This stage is key as I will be
concentrating on the logistics of the film and organising how, when and
where I can film and on what budget.
07/05 – 15/05: I will use this time to improve ‘Stage 1’ Idea generation and
focus on ‘Stage 3’, creating storyboards, shot lists, drafting and refining a
script, getting props and refining my idea. I will need to book equipment
and ensure the cast is ready for production to begin. This stage is about
making my film the best possible quality prior to filming.
16/05 – 20/05: This time has been allocated for filming and production to
begin. It is so late as this is when Leah, one of my lead characters is back
from university and available to film.
21/05 – 26/05: This is the main bracket of time for editing. I will use this
week to piece together the skeleton of my film and then bulk it out into a
final piece. I will edit the film in Premiere Pro to near completion before
adding the motion track and compositing. I will do this by selecting the
shots that need VFX and choosing ‘edit clip in After Effects’
After Half-term I will be finishing off the editing and creating a production
log and evaluation for my short film to show how I made the film and the
processed I went through both in production and post production.