If I had a big budget

Treatment

Norma Bates

In order to help me develop the mother character in my story further I felt that it would be useful to look in more detail at Norma Bates and her nature and mannerisms. A main similarity that I have found between Norma and my mother character is their obsessive need to have absolute and total control over the lives of their respective sons and their unwillingness to let anyone or anything affect the relationship between them. These aspects of her character and her personality will be very helpful to me in fully shaping the character of the mother in my story in complete detail so the script will accurately reflect her personality. I plan to watch the series more and to watch the film 'Psycho' in order to better understand her character and the effects of her behaviour. 

Bates Motel

Third pitch powerpoint

Using the feedback I was given on my second pitch, I decided it would be useful to have a final attempt at creating a pitch even though it will not be formally presented. This allows me to know in more depth what goes into a professional pitch. 

I feel that this pitch is a lot more successful than the previous two due to the level of detail and volume of information which is being presented. It gives a more holistic view of my story idea than the previous two which means that it creates a deeper understanding of what I am attempting to create. The level of detail also gives a deeper insight into my story idea which is useful not only for who I am presenting to, but for myself in giving me a guide to which direction I am heading. The extra information provided on the two characters such as casting and costume I believe to be very useful as it means that the pitch has a lot more depth in terms of the actual content of the trailer. It also shows that I have thought in a lot more depth about what is going to be included in my trailer and the finer details as opposed to the general overview which I presented in my previous two pitches. The music also shows the deeper level of detail which is achieved in the pitch compared to the previous two as it not only talks about what music will be used, but also the effect that this music will have on the audience and how it will contribute to the story and the overall effect of the trailer. This is also shown in the information on the shot ideas as it shows that I have a strong idea of just how I am going to achieve the end result that I am aiming for, this makes the pitch overall more convincing and professional compared to the previous two pitches. The specifics of the location also add to the credibility of the presentation as it builds up the image of exactly how the story is going to be conveyed onto film as who I am presenting to would now be able to create an image of what is going on in their head.

There are, however, still improvements that I could make, such as more detailed information on the exact shots I am planning on using to convey my story and what effect I believe that they will create. This would make my pitch even more believable as it would show that I have a clear, defined idea of how I am going to convert my idea onto film in the most believable and professional way possible. I could have also included character profiles in order to familiarise those I am pitching to with my characters to allow them a better understanding of the story. 

Secondhand Lions trailer analysis

In order to fully understand the genre conventions of specific drama trailers involving children, I thought that it would be useful to do a further trailer analysis on Secondhand Lions. This will help me to clearly define what I should be involving in my trailer.

The shot at the start of the trailer immediately establishes the setting for the film and several of the main characters. Themes of hostility are established from the very start with the aggressive narrative from one of the two men, showing the audience that the film will contain hostility, perhaps throughout. This is very effective at conveying a large part of the general theme of the story right from the very start of the trailer without revealing too much of the story (something which I am aiming to achieve in my own trailer).

The young boy's costume is a complete juxtaposition to the setting which he is in showing another theme of displacement within the film. This first introduction of the character is effective at showing the boy's discontent of the situation with which he is in, but does not provide any explanation as to how he has got there, building a sense of curiosity within the audience which will compel them to want to find out the full story by watching the film. The boy's apparent lack of knowledge of the country environment when he calls the pig 'doggy' also builds on this mystery as the boy is clearly miles away from home and completely out of his comfort zone and away from all that he knows.

The music played at the start also juxtaposes against the hostile and unhappy nature of the characters that are shown in the first moments of the trailer. This further builds a sense of mystery within the audience, enticing them to watch the film, as it raises questions over whether the happy music is connoting the end result of the film. The narrative begins hostile at the start but gradually thaws out over the process of the trailer until the characters are talking like close family members by the end of the story.

The type of person suitable to play the mother