RESEARCH AND

PLANNING

Initial Ideas Mind Map

Film

THE DARK ROOM

Following discussion and mind mapping of many exciting ideas with my partner Kitty, we came to a decision of a film title, protagonist, and roughly what we wanted it to be about:

SynopsisWHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR BIGGEST

FEAR, DIDN’T EVEN EXIST?

Lux miller, a young award winning photographer has her life turned upside down when she suffers an accident and is left in a coma: where she continuously dreams a mysterious man is murdering her. What she doesn’t expect however, is that when she recovers and visits her dark room to develop photographs taken before the accident, the killer from her dreams is present in every single photo… Lux is then forced onto a scary journey of finding this mysterious killer. Who is he? Is he real? Or was it just Lux’s mind playing dark tricks on her?...

Taking into consideration what our genre is, Kitty and I have decided on a target audience. Psychological horror/thrillers by virtue of its subtlety, has an ability to hide in plain sight in the guise of a thriller, or even a drama, label. Therefore, our film will not be exactly full of gore, sex and blood which usually attracts males more but rather include more thriller conventions in order to suit a female audience, between the ages of 17-35. Our certificate will be of 15+ as it would contain some but not a lot sexual references, violence and psychological issues that might disturb young viewers. We decided not to rate it as an 18, because it will not contain a lot of gore and extreme explicit content.

Target Audience

Teaser plan/ Shotlist Shot 1) Point of view shot of camera clicking onto scene (Lux working) Shot 2) medium shot/CU Lux Miller’s face (music on background) Shot 3) Establishing shot of working location (park?)Shot 4) Long shot/panning of Lux Miller walkingShot 5) Working again (medium into CU) Shot 6) Accident (quick cuts, special effects, handheld camera, CUs)Shot 7) Establishing hospital (High angle shot of face, hospital noises)Shot 8) Dreams/Flashbacks (ECU of Lux’s face in hospital bed)Shot 9) Hospital/recovering (Medium shot) Shot 10) Lux doing walk from the beginning as a changed person (Mirror)Shot 11) Entering her house (POV) Shot 13) Entering her dark room (POV)Shot 14) Looking at photos (POV)Shot 15) Seeing stranger in photos (POV)Shot 16) Going back to all the places she worked to see if he’s there (POV)Shot 17) Talking to friends about him (Medium shot)Shot 18) Seeing him in streets (POV) Shot 19) Looking in mirror (he’s there behind her) OTS

Film Trailer

Key QuestionsHere are some key questions we want our film trailer to raise in relation to our film :

• Is the character mentally ill before the accident?• Does she find the killer?• Is the killer real or is it all in her head?• Is the killer really stalking her? • How does she start looking for him? • Is there any romance between the characters?• How did the photos go blank?• How will the conflict between her and her dreams resolve?