Throughout talent lab this was the day I was waiting for the most, the day we would be able to pitch the HOME cinema’s very own Jason Wood, For me this was so extremely nerve racking due to me only just beginning the script for my major film.
Before hand we had a two hour session where we was given a list of things to include within a pitch these went as follows (Log Line, Film Title, Genre, Length, Format, Synopsis, Why be excited, why this story and why now, what happens?, beginning middle and end, what will it look like and feel like, what do you want)
This session was extremely helpful as it gave me a medium to express what I wanted, as I was in the early stages of my idea this really fulfilled me and the pitching task itself was so helpful for me allowing me to write down my thoughts and ideas, here is what I came up with.
LOGLINE:
Welcome to my town, this dead end shit hole, it’s our shithole. We are stuck. Pushing to escape the trails of the mundane, everyone knows you, everyone sees you. Come with us and experience a toxic friendships of controlling manipulation and her great escape to the city, following through drug abuse, friendship and some deeply embedded stalking.
THE FIRST 60 SECINDS:
I’m Anya, a dynamic and versatile filmmaker with extensive experience in making personal films. “Novaturent” Is a 10 minute short film about toxic friendship set in my home town, touching on issues such as drug abuse, stalking, all that I experienced while living in a small town.
Film Title:Working Title
Genre:Poetic, Personal Short film
Length:7 to 10 minutes
Format: Black Magic RAW / use of vintage lenses and grains and LUTs within editing
Synopsis:Follow a young females agonising journey to escape her small town, follow the trails and tribulations she faces, Toxic friendships, drug abuse and stalking. Follow this poetic short as we enter a dark, dead end town that’s community has plummeted since the demise the mines closure. Our journey will take place within this mining community at council estates, markets and dull beaches. The friendship starting as we expect, being challenged and then turning toxic and the realisation that your own friends would in fact` not have your back in your time of need.
Why be excited:Personally I’m excited to make such a personal piece to myself showing the emotions I have over my town, yes it’s a shit hole and yes it’s a dead end, but I love it and its community with my entire heart. I hope to show the closeness of the community and how they stand together but also the issues that can arise from such close proximity of people e.g. drug abuse, stalking, toxic friendships. I hope this film will give a fresh outlook on Barnsley and give me a medium to express how I felt being raised in such an area.
THE SECOND 60 SECONDS: (STORY)
Why this story? Why now? I chose to make this project now as after three years of being away from the community I realised I’m not longer a part of that community, I removed myself from it, leaving no imprint. Although now I’m coming to the end of my escape to Manchester and I realised that I must return to my town at some point. For me this is a way to express my emotions of leaving the town as well as exploring how a small town can affect a person at such a venerable age.
What happens? Dramatic tension?Toxic Friendships (Arguments), Drug Abuse (within a small town), Community, Being stalked within a small town.
Beginning, Middle, EndThe film will start with two best friends, discussions of the town and the realisation everyone knows everything about everyone, the friendship will slowly become toxic yet begin showing how females can in fact be gross, making the film slightly more gritty and through the medium of drug abuse/alcohol. We then will progress more into the tight knit community showing how everyone knowing everyone can in fact brings darker issues e.g. my stalker (this part of the film will be extremely dark and poetic and this leads into the fight to leave and escape the small town.
What will it look and feel like?The film will look at particular individuals within the community, showing the relationships that are made within a community. It will look at issues that are embedded into such small towns (friendships, drugs, stalking and bitching) it will feel gritty, dark, poetic, grainy with a moody aspect throughout.
Following writing my pitch it was time to meet with Jason Wood alongside a few other people who was there to give there opinion, For my particular pitch I’d wanted to have images of the screen of my town yet we had multiple issues with the projector, this was one of the first things Jason commented on, he expressed how well I did that even when something I relied on didn’t work I still pushed past it and was able to pitch efficiently. After pitching my idea to the panel we discussed my personal story, something I felt defiantly touched Jason and the other viewers, Jason also expressed that he felt I should ensure the title of the film showed a teenage girl was being stalked, he said he loved the deep personal aspect of the film and that with the right perseverance and patience the film could be great. This again filled me with so much confidence, to be so nervous and stand up in front of many people if so nerve racking yet to hear Jason’s kind works really gave me a huge boost of confidence not only in my film but in myself and my idea I’m so grateful for this incredible opportunity.
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