Friday, 28 December 2018

Film Characters

Chris:

Chris is an average British teenager. At age 16, his only concerns are how to have a good time. This is shown in the movie through his attempts to have a friend come to his house while his parents aren't home. This shows a sense of defiance as he is doing something his parents likely wouldn't approve it. Chris is shown as having a stereotypical "Don't Care' attitude, a common feature in many movies featuring teenage characters. While on the phone, he also mentions smoking something, but doesn't specify exactly that. This hints at drug use, which means that Chris could be quite troublesome since he is committing illegal activities in his spare time, simply for his own enjoyment.

Chris is also a very capable person, capable of defending himself in different situations. However, if overcame by fear that something could go wrong, he will likely run from his problems rather than facing them. He is also a skilled musician, owning many different instruments ranging from a keyboard to a guitar, which he likes to display in his room to attempt to impress anyone who comes in.

Visually, Chris is at an average height with a slim build. He dresses simple, often sticking to a T-Shirt and some tracksuit bottoms taking comfort over style. He has a modern haircut, showing that he does follow some style, and follows some of the norms of a teenage boy in his time.

Intruder:

The intruder is a very capable man. He can pick through locks and climb through windows with ease, despite his large stature. For reasons unknown, he breaks into people's homes at night and attempts to murder them. He does so by first breaking in during daytime to study his victim and their personality, then he attempts to sneak around the house until night, where he can commit the attack on someone who is tired and weaker. If seen before then, he will stop at nothing to end their life as soon as he can. Nothing is know about his personality besides from this.

Visually, The Intruder is a 6 foot tall man dressed in jeans, a black hoodie, a black balaclava and brandishing a knife. The knife is his weapon of choice, but he will use his hands if completely necessary. He typically works in black socks and no shoes, to ensure no footprints are left and he makes less noise, allowing him to sneak easier.

Thursday, 20 December 2018

Target Audience

Target Audience/USP:
My target audience will be teenagers and young adults. This is because my short film will feature a teenager as the main protagonist. As young people, they may be able to relate to his personality and decisions. Also, horror movies are typically enjoyed more by younger generations, so I should target my film towards them since they're more likely to enjoy the genre. My main selling point would be the independent teenage lead, as they're not too common in many movies, and when they are, they're side characters. This allows me to show a new side to these teenage characters, who are often glossed over as being dependent and unable to do anything on their own.

Tuesday, 18 December 2018

Film Treatment

There is rather large house in a somewhat fancy looking street. The drive is empty, but the house is not. Inside Is Chris, an average 16 year old boy. Chris is lying on his bed, on the phone to a friend of his who goes by the name of George. Chris has been left home alone, and is looking to capitalize on this. Chris invites George to come to his house,and lets him know that he's home alone. Chris smiles excitedly to himself as he finalizes the plans. Then he hangs up the phone, proclaiming himself to be hungry. With a spring in his step, he hop off his bed and carelessly throws his phone down onto it, then leaves the room and heads downstairs. Chris makes a beeline towards the kitchen, immediately ransacking a cupboard upon entry. Much to his own annoyance, the cupboard is full of meals that must be cooked, and would take actual preparation. Letting out a sigh, Chris hangs his head. He slowly leaves the room, plodding into the hallway. As he turns, he doesn't notice that he isn't home alone after all. This is because there is actually an intruder in his house, hiding on the counter behind his kitchen door. The Intruder holds his breathe as he squats on the counter, a large knife in hand. As Chris walks down the hallway, The Intruder pokes his head from around the door and watches his route. Chris pauses when this happens, as The Intruder creaks loudly atop the counter. Chris' breathing hitches, and he slowly turns back to face the kitchen, only to be greeted with the sight of a large man dressed in black, wearing a balaclava and brandishing a knife. Chris freezes, fear coursing through his body. The Intruder calmly starts to approach Chris, turning the knife in his hand in an attempt to strike further fear. This works, and Chris slowly backs up into his locked front-door. Realising there is nowhere left for him to go, he slides down the wall and falls into a seated position on the floor, his eyes not straying away from The Intruder. Chris' rational thoughts come back through the fear, and he scrambles to his feet, the darts up the stairs, as they are the only place he can go. The Intruder dives around the bannister and barely grabs the ankle of Chris. He starts yanking at him in an attempt to pull him down, but Chris has an iron grip on the bannister and is refusing to let go. Chris starts to violently thrash his captured leg around as much as he can, then successfully freeing his grip. He runs up the stairs as fast as he can, barely evading The Intruder's second attempt to pull his legs out from under him. Chris reaches the top of the stairs, and instinctively dashes into his bedroom and pushes the door to be semi-shut when he enters, hoping it throws The Intruder off and fools him. The Intruder walks up the stairs slowly, taking his time since he knows that he has Chris trapped upstairs with no means of escape. He approaches the door, and opens it with a might kick. The sudden sound was a surprise to Chris, making him jump involuntarily and give his position away. Chris looks across the room from his position of lying on the floor down the side of his bed and makes eye contact with The Intruder. The pair keep the eyes locked, just staring at each other. The stare is broken by The Intruder as he suddenly leaps onto the bed, catching Chris off guard. Chris crawls backwards out of his spot in an attempt to escape, but crawls back into his wardrobe, cornering himself in the process. The Intruder steps off the bed, and comes down to squat in front of Chris. He swings the knife down suddenly, but Chris manages to grab the wrist of The Intruder and block the attack. The Intruder pushes down with power, so much so that Chris has to grab his arm with both hands. Chris manages to push the knife away, then he quickly lets go with one hand and slaps the knife from The Intruder's grip. Chris then lets go entirely and dives under the left arm of The Intruder, getting out of the corner successfully . However, The Intruder is fast to react. He grabs Chris and tackles him to the floor, planting him on his back. In a last ditch effort, The Intruder places both hands on the throat of Chris and starts strangling him, desperate to get the kill in any way possible. Chris gags, losing oxygen quickly under the iron grip on his neck. He tries to pry the hands from his throat but can't manage. Chris turns his head and sees how close he is to his bed, then gets an idea. He places a hand on the side of The Intruder's head and pushes him off him with all of his might. The Intruder topples off of Chris, and collides headfirst into the wooden bed frame. He hits hard, stunning himself in the process. Looking to take advantage of the situation, Chris dives at the knife and gets the handle in his grasp. He gets up onto his knees and looks down at it in his hands, but The Intruder is already back up. He grabs Chris from behind and gets him into a choke hold, looking to finish the job. The Intruder falls onto his back, getting the choke in harder. Chris is pulled backwards, but uses the momentum to his advantage by rolling back out of the grip of The Intruder. Chris quickly jumps on top of The Intruder and drives the knife down into his chest with one blow. Chris breathes heavily, and drop the knife to the floor shocked at what he'd done. He slowly gets to his feet, then mutters "Thank God" to himself. In shock, he goes to leave the room, before he hears another creak. He spins around fast, then sees that where The Intruder once lay, there is an open space. Where the knife was once, is an open space. Chris gasps, then goes to leave quickly. Behind him, the shadow of The Intruder takes up a whole wall, and The Intruder then emerges from the room. Chris looks at the staircase as his only way yo escape, and tries to run to it, but he took too long. the Intruder gets an arm around the neck of Chris and yanks him backwards, then drives the knife into his chest in one fatal blow. He lets go of Chris, who slumps down t the floor lifelessly. The Intruder looks down at him with no emotion, then heads down the stairs and heads straight out of the front door. He succeeded.

Thursday, 13 December 2018

Film Synopsis

Working Title: Man In The Night


Film Synopsis:

A teenager called Chris is lying on his bed, on the phone to a friend. Chris plans for his friend to come to his house and hang out, since he is home alone. The plan is made and Chris hangs up the phone. He throws the phone to his side, letting it land on his bed. He hops from his bed and makes his way out of his room, heading downstairs and leaving his phone behind. Chris enters his kitchen and searches through some cupboards in search of food. After looking, he lets out a disappointed sigh and leaves the kitchen. When he turns, he doesn't notice that there is actually an intruder in his house, hiding on the counter behind his kitchen door. Chris makes it to the bottom of the stairs before stopping, convinced he just heard a noise. He turns to face the kitchen, and sees a large men dressed in black, wearing a balaclava and brandishing a knife. In a panic, he falls to the floor and backs up against his front door. The intruder starts coming towards him, increasing gradually in speed. Panicking, Chris scrambles to his feet an goes to rush up the stairs, only for his ankle to be grabbed by The Intruder. He kicks the hand away, then manages to evade a second grabbing attempt. Chris sprints upstairs to his room and looks around, realising that there isn't anywhere to hide. Chris dives across his bed and tries to crouch down along the side furthest from the door, but the Intruder is coming. The Intruder kicks the bedroom door open with force, causing Chris to jump involuntarily and give his position away. The Intruder leaps onto the bed towards Chris, causing him to crawl backwards from his bed, then accidentally corner himself. The Intruder capitalizes and goes in for the kill, but Chris manages to grab the larger mans wrist. It takes both hand, but he manages to hold the knife away and then knock it from his grip. Chris tries to escape again, but the Intruder mounts atop him and starts attempting strangulation. Chris once again manages to fight off by pushing him into his hard bed frame, then lunging at the knife. Chris gets the weapon in hand, yet ends up being caught in a choke from behind. The Intruder pulls Chris backwards, but the momentum allows Chris to break from his grip and end up sat atop The Intruder. As fast as he can, he stabs the knife down into the chest of The Intruder. Exhausted, Chris lets out many breaths before audibly thanking god. HE drops the knife and stand sup. Then limps slowly to leave his bedroom. He looks out of the window and notices it to now be dark outside. He faces his bedroom again slowly, only to notice the knife and the corpse aren't there any more. In a panic, he tries to run. A large shadow emerges from his bedroom, The Intruder is back on his feet. Chris tries to get to the stairs, but is caught from behind and immediately stabbed in the chest, fatally. The Intruder succeeded in his plan.



Wednesday, 12 December 2018

Logline

Logline:
An average, home alone teenager is going about his day the way he normally would. However, this all changes when the shapes in the corner of his eye become clearer, and he realizes his isn't as alone as he thought, leading to him being hunted by a masked man who forcibly entered his house.