Unit 24 Assignment 2

Mood Board
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17OfDfpGUWU9pfdbv-EkiiLrYFxx6MhnegpKX1GIVMA0/edit?usp=sharing

Research

My theme/topic
I went with making a teen drama because I think some people can find it relatable.
This website says that teens can spend up to 20 hours a week watching TV so they're exposed to this kind of genre, when they see it and learn about the characters and what their situations are I think that they can relate and will be intrigued by it.

"10 Things I Hate About You" is a similar genre to mine and it's popular amongst teen girls. Although it was made in 1999 the issues in it are similar to mine, friendships get in the way when it comes to boys and even bullying where people look down on others thinking they're better. This film had a pretty good reception and I want my film to appeal to a similar audience. It has a great reception, grossing $53,500,000 worldwide and was given 7.2 stars out of 10 on IMDB.

I also want a target audience similar to the one of the 2004 film Mean Girls, again the same issues come up revolving friendship, betrayal, boys and secrets with the "burn book" concept. It's translated in a different way in my story but the situations the characters are in are similar which is why I want to aim my film at the same audience.

For the applying to the college deal, you have to email a member of college staff for an application pack then have an interview. All the details to apply for Ashton Sixth Form are here.

Because the family in my story move house, I researched how long it takes on average to move. It can take from as little as 6 weeks to 3 months for the offer to completion process to happen so I could set the whole summer camp in July/start of August and the move could happen throughout August so my character would enrol a little late due to the move.

The idea of the summer camp works because they happen at different times in summer and for different durations so it's possible for one to happen in July and finish in August and only last for a few weeks. It depends on the child's age how long they stay but can choose to go home if they feel like they want to.
This camp is ideal for my setting as kids from ages 7-17 can go and they last a week. 
This website was reliable as it gave me a lot of information about the camp in terms of the ages that can go, their accommodation and the length of time you can go for. It shows the activities you can do and it painted a good picture of the camp.

Bullying plays a role in my story and I included it because it does still happen even in colleges and it can make the situation more believable for the audience. According to nobullying.com, 'Of those who said they’d been cyberbullied, 25 percent said it was through a social networking site, 21 percent through texting, 16 percent through email and 13 percent through instant messages.' This helps me because now more than ever, teenagers spend a lot of time on their phones and social network popularity is growing. Nobullying.com is reliable because it gave me the secondary research I needed and I think incorporating the bulling being over the phone makes it more realistic.

Cast
With John Baker's character, we don't see him in the film but we hear Holly mention him.
Jess Pitman as Holly
Luke Davies as Luke

Because Jess and Luke are already a couple they'll be more comfortable acting really close which is why I cast them.
Robyn Lacey as Chloe, Robyn fits the description as she's taller than Jess and has a more edgy personality so I think it would work.



Locations
As far as locations go I have quite a few options, because it's set in a classroom and I would want a few exterior shots of the college and for the interior I can film in college

I also want to show the house that the family have moved into so I could use my house for this.

Even for when I want to film the night scene I could do that anywhere even if it's on the street in front of my house but just not get it in the shot.

Timescale
Looking at this website. X
It tells me that the sun sets around 9/9:30pm in the evening at this time of year and because I want a scene to be shot when it's dark one evening, I need to know what time is best to shoot so that I won't be in darkness.


3 Act Structure
Act 1.
We get introduced to Holly as we see her getting ready in the morning with a voice over of her saying "new place... new people... new start". It then cuts to her walking up to the college gates, it's her 3rd "first day" so she's used to it and goes by herself.
She gets settled for the day with her timetable and a map of the building, she has form first and eventually finds her way there after bumping into people not properly looking where she's going. She comes in late and apologises and her tutor tells her to introduce herself because she's new which she does and then carries on to find a spare seat.
On her way to sit down she clocks a girl sat near the back, this forms the inciting incident. Holly catches her gaze and can't help but think she's seen her from somewhere. After realising who it is she quickly sits down with her back to this girl with a shocked expression.

Act 2.
After form ends, Holly quickly gets out and heads down the corridor but this girl catches her up and introduces herself as Chloe. Both know they've already met but don't mention it, Chloe asks to see her timetable and she realises they're in the same class and she offers to show Holly the way to the classroom and she accepts. They get there and Chloe gets a seat next to Holly and they talk as if they're been friends since the start of the year. At break a guy in the class called Luke introduces himself to Holly and they begin talking, Chloe sees them talking and breaks them up and sits next to Holly.
After the next few weeks Holly talks to Luke more and more and begins to like him a bit, Chloe pulls her aside and says she liked him first and she can't talk to him anymore. Holly still carries on and in fact goes on a few dates with Luke. Chloe finds out and firmly tells Holly to stop, it's her final warning. Or else. This is the beginning of the rising action as Holly now learns that Chloe has another side to her.
Holly is somewhat shuck up and she knows what "or else" means but she doesn't want to face it. Holly stops talking to Luke, in her attempt of making a resolution, but he likes her as well so obviously still talks to her but Chloe sees it as Holly ignoring what she said to her and it fuels a bit of tension between them and it's the start of a living nightmare for Holly. Chloe begins to embarrass Holly in class and spread rumours and leaving her in lessons as her and Luke are getting closer to each other.

Act 3.
One night when Holly is walking home when it's pretty dark and raining she sees someone from the corner of her eye following her, they catch her up and it turns out to be Chloe and she tells Holly that she told her to leave Luke alone but because she's not, she'll tell everyone, including Luke and her parents what happened over summer at camp and it's too late to stop now. This is the lowest eb and is the biggest thing to happen in the story, it adds to the narrative as we see this new side of Chloe and it shakes her up.
Holly carries on her journey home and goes straight to her room, without speaking to anyone and doesn't have her dinner that night, she's too scared for what will happen the next day.
She can't skip college because she has an assessment that she needs to be present for so she has no choice but to go in.
The next morning Holly drags herself out of bed with the least possible amount of enthusiasm, gets ready, grabs an apple for breakfast and heads to the bus stop. She gets to college and sits on her own in the class room, she makes eye contact with Chloe who's smirking at her from the back of the room. The day almost comes to an end and the teacher dismisses them, leaving the class to go to the staff room just like always. Holly thought she was worrying for nothing, Chloe didn't even say anything! Her thinking she's safe and nothing will happen adds to the climax and the audience take it as a plot twist. She walks to the door but before she does a hand shuts the door in front of her and it's Chloe, she looks up and Chloe begins to speak to the class. "Everyone, there's something I think you should know about Holly...." the screen then goes black and it's the end so the audience are left to guess for themselves.

Character Biographies
Name: Holly Baker
Age: 16
Relationships: Daughter of John and Jessica Baker, only child.
Holly is a quiet girl who gets along with everyone and has a good relationship with her parents and always had, never causing any trouble. She did well in school and because she's an only child she's quite spoilt and often gets what she wants. 5'6 and is a slim build, wears plain but fashionable clothes and has a typical teenage girl sense of style inspired by the likes of celebrities like Alexa Chung.

Name: John Baker
Age: 43
Relationships: Husband of Jessica and dad to Holly.
He works as a sports coach full time and because of this he and his family move around a lot to coach different teams. He's a family man and never leaves them behind, he feels bad because he's made his family pick up and move so many times, he especially feels bad on Holly as she's never properly settled. They've moved 3 times so far and they hope this move to Manchester to coach a popular local team will be the last one for a while. 

Name: Jessica Baker 
Age: 39
Relationships: Wife of John and mother to Holly.
Jessica or Jess to family has a very strong work ethic, she is the area manager of a car company so she has a lot of flexibility about where she is based. Although she's keen on work and making money, she also has a big presence around her family and would do anything for them. She's always provided all she can for her family, Holly means a lot to her as she's her only child. 

Chloe Leech
Age 16
Relationships: Daughter of David and Sarah Leech, they're divorced and she lives with her dad and step mum Claire.
More edgy than Holly and more confident, the way she dresses is more out there and she doesn't get along with everyone the way Holly does . She doesn't have the best relationship with her mum so stays with her dad the majority of the time. About 5'7 and earns her own money working in a local coffee shop on the weekends which she doesn't really enjoy but she just wants the money to go out with friends. She has a very good social like with a close circle of good friends that are mainly out of college.

Name: Luke Bishop
Age: 16
Relationships: Comes from a seemingly perfect family, son of Brian and Julie Bishop. He has a younger sister who's 10 called Rebecca.
Luke is one of those who you'd notice if they were off for a day and gets along with everyone He's 5"9 and most of the girls in the class take a liking to him. He's confident and is good at making people laugh which is why he's liked so much.