Our First Idea Pitch

Working title: Invega

Length: 5 minutes.

Format: 16:9 DV Pal 1080p

Hook or tag line:

Who can you trust?

Short synopsis:

Our character "X" is trying to deal with his relapse in schizophrenia along with his girlfriend Nikki and his best friend Leo. His world is turned upside down when he loses his most prized possession that keeps him in control of himself.

Mid-Length synopsis/outline:

A 25 year old male, "X", is a schizophrenic who has pushed his family away, trying to take control of his life. "X" keeps himself in reality by spinning his ring on his finger. But "X" loses his ring and loses his touch with what is real and what isn't. Both his girlfriend, Nikki, and his best friend, Leo, try and convince him to do what's right. But what he doesn't know is that Nikki and Leo are both a part of his mind.

We introduce the character by showing his routine, which begins with him taking his medication and then putting on his ring. We then meet the characters of Leo and Nikki, his best friend and girlfriend. Leo is making him breakfast, Nikki comes down and they argue amongst themselves leaving "X" as if he isn't there. He becomes angry and leaves to find some peace and quiet. He sits down and puts his head in his hands, Nikki is then sitting on a bench overlooking the lake, and Leo is under a tree smoking in the darkness. Nikki tells "X" that she knows he'd be here and Leo says it's because of him she knows. It then cuts to "X" asleep, close up shot of his hand with the ring on. Another shot in the morning and the ring is gone. Leo then tells "X" that it was Nikki who stole his ring. "X" and Nikki then argue and because he doesn't have his ring the voices overwhelm him driving him mad. He then has a moment of clarity and sees through photos that they don't exist. Nikki tries to convince him to keep it together, whereas Leo offers him a way out. This leaves a cliff-hanger as "X" is about to commit suicide, Leo tells him they can do it together and Nikki tries to stop him from doing it.

Analysis of approach:

Our aim is to create a dark and ominous atmosphere in terms of visuals and sound in the film. The pace of the film reflects his mind process, beginning slowly as he is in control and gains pace as he loses control. There will be a lot of light around Nikki and darkness around Leo indicating good and evil. Another way of showing this would be through their costume, Nikki wearing bright and vibrant colours whereas Leo wears dark and slick clothing. The shots will be a mixture of tight close ups and then loose wide shots along with the use of motion with a tracking dolly. Colour correction will be used heavily throughout the film to show the tension and emotion of the current scene. We also would like to experiment with overlay and video filters to increase the mood and give it an edgy feel. For the sound we are aiming to create a disturbing tone through voices in "X"s head. We will use filters and distortion to manipulate Nikki and Leo's voices in his head.  We want to use an underscore made up of piano notes to create tension. "Fight Club" was inspirational to us because of the main character "Narrator", who has multiple personality disorder. This character that is developed tries to put his life back on track but in the end he becomes his enemy. The idea of him making a best friend that turns out to be in his imagination is what pushed us to think about characters that are a part of one main character.

"Inception" was also another inspiration, the use of an object to ground the character to reality was crucial, and this linked with schizophrenia was a good combination. "Donnie Darko" inspired us through sound. The use of the ominous underscores creates a sinister atmosphere, a route that we want to go down but not as in depth as "Donnie Darko". "A Beautiful Mind" provided us with inspiration for illusional characters that try to persuade the main character within the film. "Schizophrenia: a real life simulation" gave us a real insight into the life of a schizophrenic, and the effects it has on the affected persons. On top of this we have researched the mental illness to get a real life view of how it can affect people.

Filmmaker biography:

The themes we are aiming to achieve are mental illness, journey of self-discovery/destruction, sinister, loneliness, confusion, obscurity and reflection. We will approach our work through great enthusiasm, really getting into the subject and making sure we know exactly what we want from the project.