PLANNING: TREATMENT

OUR FILM TREATMENT 

A private investigator is called back to take a case that is eerily similar to the death of his brother some ten years earlier which leads him to suspect it is the work of the same killer. Upon investigating the murder the private investigator discovers disturbing facts about the past and that his brother was not the man that he thought.                                                                

What is a film treatment?

A film treatment is the baseline of a film that simply explains the narrative in a relatively short summary. It can be either very short or longer and more elaborate.

Top Line and Big Question

Frank Ash is a Creative Consultant at the BBC Academy and whilst watching his video about the top line and big question, I discovered that it is important to focus on the audience and that the main factor of identification is through the Top Line and Big Question.


An example of a top line for a film is : A fellowship of citizens finally find their worth in the world when they are tasked to destroy the one ring.


An example of the Big Question is: How will the ring be destroyed when there is such a little chance of success? How will such small heroes conquer such a big hero?



OUR TOP LINE AND BIG QUESTION:


For my Film Opening, I decided that the Top Line would be: "A private investigator is brought back into action when a victim is murdered in the same way as his brother ten years earlier"
Upon planning what the story of my opening would be, I decided that the Big Question of my film would be "How can you fight what you don't understand?".

RESEARCH: ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD TRAILER

Feature	Comments
Genre	Drama/Thriller
Narrative	Based on the historical events of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, the kidnappers demand a ransom for his release, for which his grandfather is reluctant to pay. The story follows the negotiations and the time that John Paull Getty III spends imprisoned
Unique Selling Point	The film is based on a well-documented historical event, and also features Kevin Spacey as John Paul Getty Senior in heavy makeup to bear a closer resemblance to the famous American Industrialist
Target Audience	The Target Audience for the film is clearly a mainstream audience due to being based on a familiar event and featuring a cast of A list actors such as Kevin Spacey and Mark Wahlberg, as well as being directed by the world renowned Ridley Scott of Alien fame.
Music	Music in the piece is fast paced, utilising electronic drum beats and a scoring of popular songs edited to the trailer  to convey a tense and thrilling atmosphere.
Shot types/camera angles	A variation of camera angles is greatly prominent in the trailer, with several midshots being used to depict John Paul Getty addressing reporters. Tracking shots also place us in the action through following each character’s movements. These tracking shots begin slower in the trailer before the kidnapping but after the kidnapping they get more frantic to connote the actions of the people trying to secure the release of Getty III as they become more desperate.
Pace	Editing of the film trailer begins relatively slow paced, depicting Getty III enjoying himself on his holiday but after he is kidnapped the editing becomes much faster paced to convey the general chaos of his mother trying to pay the ransom by asking her father in law for money only for John Paul Getty Sr to refuse.
Dialogue	Dialogue in this trailer is mostly between Michelle Williams’ and Mark Wahlberg’s characters, with the two of them discussing the stakes of her son’s kidnapping and Wahlberg promising that “we will get your son out of there). Dialogue is also used with Getty Sr, who responds to “how much are you willing to pay for your grandson’s release?” by saying “nothing”
Voiceover	Voiceover is used in the beginning of the Trailer with John Paul Getty III explaining to the audience the importance of being a Getty, explaining the extent of their wealth as being “the richest in the history of the world” and explaining that with their riches they almost live separately from everyone else “it’s almost as if we live on a different planet”, it paints a picture of the family being invincible, which when the voiceover ends is contrasted with Getty III being kidnapped and finally making the family vulnerable
Special Effects	Special effects used in this trailer include the heavy makeup that is worn by actor Kevin Spacey in order to resemble the famous industrialist John Paul Getty Sr as well as CGI through the use of a very short explosion in the middle of the trailer covering (presumably) one of the captors of Getty III in rubble
Credits and Intertitles	Intertitles and credits used in the trailer very clearly stand out in white against the black background with plain and simple sans serif font that reflects the historical setting of the film, as if you are reading the titles as they appear in a published book (as the film was based on Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty

RESEARCH: MOTHER! TRAILER ANALYSIS

Feature	Comments
Genre	Horror/Thriller
Narrative	Voiceover in the form of dialogue is used via the protagonist, played by Jennifer Lawrence, speaking over the action.
Unique Selling Point	For Robbie Collin, film critic for the Sunday Telegraph, 10/09/17 offered the views for the film’s USP in ‘why Hollywood needs mavericks not franchises’. The film divided audiences as it seemed to be a grotesque funhouse reflection of a planet in crisis. The film also has a menacing score from an Icelandic composer by the name of Johann Johannsson. Aronofsky (the director) explains that the best part of the film is the surprise of it. “It’s an intense journey… definitely the biggest rollercoaster in the park”
Target Audience	The target audience of the film is that it is aiming for a mainstream release through the fact that it features two big Hollywood names, Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence as well as being directed by Darren Aronofsky of Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan fame.
Music	The trailer is scored using short, almost abrasive violin sounds that leave the viewer on edge and uncomfortable
Shot types/camera angles	Crane shots are used throughout to depict the top of the stairwell, with High Angle shots depicting the lawn with hundreds of people looking up with flashlights. Many reaction shots signify the confused and surprised expression of the wife as the events of the narrative unfold around her.
Pace	The editing of the film is extremely fast paced and often violently chaotic, as quoted by the film critic of The Independent Nick Hasted
Dialogue	The dialogue is almost exclusively between husband and wife, with very little dialogue only reflecting key moments that illustrate the increasingly restrained relationship between the two as the wife starts piecing together what is happening
Voiceover	A voiceover during the opening of the trailer positions the audience as victims and makes us identify with the struggle of the vulnerable wife and we experience the horror of her surroundings from her point of view, thus the audience is positioned as sympathetic to her character.
Special Effects	Use of special effects included the light bulb that seems to drip blood before exploding. Another CGI effect is when a room seems to age before your eyes and wither and crumble whilst losing colour and turning a shade of black and a wall seems to crumble before Jennifer Lawrence.
Credits and Intertitles	Intertitles are used in an extremely warped Italic font to represent a person hastily and scribbly writing which makes it personal, as if someone is manipulating the young wife. They also come in accompanied by the sharp violin and drum beats. (they are cut to the beat of the music) It essentially assaults the senses and makes you feel uncomfortable.