dvd blurb

Tom and Shawn are part of a conspiracy theorist group. When a fellow member starts acting strange, the group is shook to its core. Red eyes, zoned out, always checking his phone. It is clear that their friend has been probed by aliens! Watch as a camera crew follow Tom and Shawn through their investigation and (possible) solution.

"a fascinating look into the lives of conspiracy enthusiasts" -the daily mail

"an interesting watch. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it" - frank skinner

"the characters are endearing enough that you can overlook their stupidity" - Idris Elba

script

Establishing shot of front of house. camera moves towards door and rings doorbell. The door is opened by character #1.

#1: ah, you're here. Come in.

Camera follows #1 into the house. Mid shot of back of his head throughout this, though maybe turning away sometimes to look at things around the house that imply how they live.

#1: we're glad you could make it. I think it's important to document this for future reference and we're really onto something now-

#1 abruptly stops once they step into a room. Camera swings round to show character #2 rolling dice on the floor. camera swings back to a close up of #1's face.

#1:(shouting) What are you doing?!

camera swings back to a mid shot of #2.

#2:(also shouting) I'm playing Dungeons and Dragons!

#1:(exasperated) Why are you playing Dungeons and Dragons?!

#2: you said you'd play with me!

camera turns to close up of #1 who's staring at camera.

#1:(to camera) I didn't say that.

The two continue bickering as dialogue begins over the top of it.

#1:(in dialogue) My name is Tom, I'm a conspiracy theorist.

Cuts to a mid shot of #1 standing against a wall.

#1: well not professionally. Professionally I work at Tesco.

Cuts to wide shot of #1 in the kitchen doing the dishes.

#1:(in dialogue) I'm a pretty average guy. I live with my roommate Shawn.

cuts to longshot of #2 lying on the grass in the garden, slowly zooming in.

#1: he's uh... he's a free spirit.

cuts to #2 standing against the wall at a midshot.

#2: so currently Tom and I have been working on something different.

cuts to close up of pages with UFO sightings and "evidence" of the moon landing being fake etc. camera slowly moves from left to right across these pages.

#2: we generally do work very typical of conspiracy theorists. UFOs, the moon landing and so on.

Statement of Aims

In my work, I will be focusing on a cross-media production, marketing a show for Netflix. I chose Netflix over Channel 4 as I felt Netflix offers more freedom in term of content, and the target audience would be likely to have it, as explorers would try to stay up to date with technology.

When shooting the television show, I will include moving shots, following a character from one location to another to reinforce the idea in the audience's mind that it is an actual cameraman following them. This may be accompanied by a voice over of one of the characters talking about the plot, before cutting to them as they continue their interview. This will help the flow of the video, allowing for a smooth transition between scenes even with sudden cuts. One location will be in a messy house, as this is typical of what an audience would expect to see about conspiracy theorists. This way, without being introduced to the characters yet, they have a good idea of what kind of people they are. I also intend to include clothing reminiscent of the 80s- double denim, oversized blazers, etc- as the target audience is 30-49-year olds and this would help appeal to their sense of nostalgia. The characters will all be played by teenagers but will actually be young adults in their early 20s, despite having an older demographic. This is because the audience are explorers and would therefore be more open to seeing things from different generations perspectives. It would also tie into the 80s clothing, making them reminiscent of when they were teenagers. There will also be a montage with a song, as these were popular in movies from the 80s.

I will also be making a billboard poster, which will have an image of the conspiracy theorists. It will be a wide-shot, with the theorists sitting in their chairs in strange ways and wearing tin foil hats. This then portrays to those that see it with no prior knowledge that these characters are conspiracy theorists, due to the tin foil hat. It also presents them as eccentric characters. Then, at the bottom I will put the title of the show, as well as the release date and reviews.

On the DVD cover, it will be an edited image of a theorist being abducted by aliens. The theorist will be floating up towards an alien spaceship. This will set the tone of it being a comedic, light-hearted story with sci fi references. On the DVD back will be a blurb briefly summarising the plot. This will provide a promise of pleasure for the audience. There will also be some reviews to show it has a mark of quality. There will also be screen caps from the film on it, showing key moments to give the audience a decent grasp of what is to be expected in the show.

ideas for brief

Television

To be broadcast either on Channel 4 or Netflix, target audience is 30-49 year old explorers or reformers.

Needed to meet brief:
-2 and a half to 3 minutes long
-NO title sequence
-two or more locations
-at least three different characters representing one or more social group
-exposition or conflict appropriate to sequence, range of camera shots, angles, movement used to establish location, narrative and representation
-dialogue and soundtrack
-editing of footage and soundtrack.

Idea- a documentary type thing, similar to Derek or What We Do in the Shadows. The camera is always held by the cameraman, so there is less need for a camera stand.

Starring at least three people. a group of people planning something. The documentary is about their preparation of it.

perhaps a conspiracy around someone cheating on another person. The group is trying to catch them out. Inspiration the ProJared controversy.

Some woods settings- the drug deal woods, or the London Loop. The abandoned pub by the estate may be another location. Third location could be in someone's house. Realistically my house, but maybe a different one.

cork boards could be used for laying out idea/plans within the footage.

opening scene is cameraman being ushered along by one of the characters. They are hastily explaining what they are planning to do. Go into another room where the other character's are waiting. They are introduced. Maybe one by one individuals interviews?  Afterwards, it cuts to another scene elsewhere.

In the woods or park, trying to catch out the cheater. Fail to do so because scenario gets in the way.

Now in a third location brainstorming another idea. Perhaps looking through social media for evidence? Perhaps cheating mate shows up unannounced and everyone is very awkwardly being nice to them and trying not to let it slip that they think he's a cheater. This happens at a food place. Shirley cafe?

people to get play characters: Alex, Bailey(?), Jack(?)

Print

Create a DVD or Blu-ray front and back cover for the box set and a billboard poster to promote the release of your television programme.

Needed to meet the brief:
-minimum of 7 images in total
-at least 2 different locations for photography
-3 different characters representing a social group

Front cover needs:
-At least one main image
-Original title
-Age rating

Close up of face, tape over mouth that says "cheater"
Photo of the conspiracy theorists surrounded by their evidence
shot of cheater with girlfriend in foreground, theorists clearly spying on them in the background

Spine needs:
-title
-production company
-logo
-age rating

Back cover needs:
-At least one main image (original and different from the
images on the front cover and poster)
-Four ‘thumbnail’ images depicting different scenes from the
programme
-Promotional ‘blurb’ for the television programme
(approximately 150 words), including reference to narrative
conflict and/or equilibrium
-Billing block
-Production company/ broadcaster logo, age rating and
technical information

Poster needs:
-Original title for the television
-one main image (original from DVD front or back cover ones)
-An element of narrative, I.E. enigma or character types
-production company/broadcast logo
-release date

explorers- like to discover new things and are attracted to new or innovative brands, products and experiences. They seek discovery.

reformers- reformers are defined by self -esteem and self-improvement. They are not influenced or impressed by status and they are not materialistic.  They are socially aware people who are inclined to invest in brands and products that are good for them or good for the environment. They seek enlightenment.

Tide print advert

The main focus is the woman to the left of the image hugging the box of tide. She is the biggest image on the poster, so our eyes are first drawn to her. She is presented as being very happy and absolutely in love with the tide box. The lighting is bright and positive. The colouring is warm and primarily uses blue, white and red- the colours of the American flag. This could perhaps be a reflection of the American Dream, which was a very popular ideology in the 1950s. Every character shown in the poster is a woman. There is no man in sight. This is because the target audience is solely women, as in those days it would have been highly unusual for a man to be doing the housework. The women are all dressed stylishly for the times and, while not being sexualised, are glamourised and made to look like the Hollywood stars of the time.

Kiss of the vampire

The poster shows obvious signs that it is a vampire horror. The iconography of the blood, as well as the red and black colour scheme are clear tropes of the horror genre. The imagery of the dying background, large castle in the distance, and the bats, which have been demonised by Hollywood, also tie in with the vampire theme, and the audience at the time definitely would have recognised them as such. The biggest sign on the poster is the title containing the word "vampire". The title also contains the word "kiss", which shows that there is a sexual nature to the movie. To the left is a man dressed in very traditional attire and his teeth are bare, showing the audience clearly that he is the vampire. He is holding a woman in his arm. She is kneeling beside him with her head swung back and mouth open. She is clearly submissive to him and presented as a victim. The man is shown having the dominance between them in a way typical of the time. The other man and woman however are the opposite. This time, it is the man that is kneeling and at the mercy of the woman. The woman, while still sexualised, stands above the man, a protective hand on his shoulder as she fights off bats. She completely defies the victim trope, instead acting as a protector and having the most aggressive facial expression and body language out of the four. Even the vampire looks frightened and seems to be shying away from the bats rather than fighting back.



The movie was released in 1963. This was at the dawn of the second wave of feminism, where the dynamic between men and women was being challenged and the power balance was changing. As the poster of a horror movie, the poster must encompass some level of fear. In this poster, you could argue that, as a movie being targeted at a male audience, the fear comes from the central woman having power over a man. For most men at the time, this was a fear that came with the feminist movement.