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FMP Proposal Script

Andrew Daley. The Brother Code Video Title. Pitch. Title. Hello, Im Andrew Daley and Im the writer and director of The Brother Code. The Brother Code is a short film roughly between 15-20 minutes long and will be a dramedy movie, which is essentially a black comedy crossed with a drama, as it comprises of elements that are serious or a little bit more grim than a regular drama piece. The Brother Code is a tale of reconciliation, regret and death as the protagonist Jason receives an urn containing the ashes of his dead brother Richard. This then sets Jason off on both a physical and emotional journey to reconnect with his estranged brother through life, death and beyond. The USP of my film is about challenging our own individual perceptions and unique perspectives of death. Exploring how we as human beings deal with coping and that sometimes we cant physically let go, addressing the bizarre lengths we go to in order to grieve or grasp the fact that the ultimate end has happened to someone we love. Similar themes can be found in films like The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, or The Diving Bell and Butterfly where the protagonists go to extraordinary lengths to cope with their impending death or act in bizarre and surreal ways to work through the process of grieving. My intended target audience is males and females between 18 and 35, fans of quirky comedy or surrealist films, such as the weird but striking humour of monty python or the stylish sharp wit prominent in the work of Edgar Wright for example Hot Fuzz or Spaced, or similarly Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited by Wes Anderson; both Wright and Anderson being directors whos styles have influenced my film a lot, and have similar tones and quirks in their works I want to replicate or indeed these aspects have already inspired scenes in the script of The Brother Code. My ultimate aim is to create an experience where the audience emotionally engages with the film and the characters; not just on a regular level like most films where you want the protagonist to succeed, but by connecting deeper with the viewer through a series of abstract and surreal twists on otherwise ordinary actions, these then intermingled with other bizarre and weird actions (for example, Jason plays with being sane or insane through exploits such as talking to the Urn in a conversation or explosively arguing with it). Through this surreality, I hope to create something a bit more unique and uncomfortable. If you sit down to watch The Brother Code and expect a nice pleasant experience with some happy moments, the film probably wont be for you. Im not saying you wont enjoy it, as it IS aiming to be a comedy and make the audience laugh, however I also want to make the viewer think, I want to make them uncomfortable in certain scenes so they reflect and think about the film. Thats life, life isnt always happy and enjoyable, sometimes shit happens and I want to

relate that, drawing in the elements of conflict and socio-realism that make The Brother Code as much of a dramady as it is a comedy. The film itself fits in cinema categories alongside other popular movies such as The Worlds End; Tyrannosaur, Sweet Sixteen, The Darjeeling Limited or The Man With Two Brains and similar films, all which share similar themes or deal with realistic real world issues in an abstract way, such as showing an accurate portrayal of English life or the ways in which characters cope with their own emotions and the death of people around them. The Brother Code will also share a cinematic style based on directors such as Wes Anderson and Edgar Wright, who have a sharp contrast between rapid based editing and lingering shots with a lot of movement, whilst also focusing on shooting a lot of scenes wide open at 24 or 35mm to take in the gorgeous landscape and the actors to full effect, styles similar to Christopher Doyle or Robert Yeoman and also lesser known directors like Richard Linklater. Im looking to distribute the film through a variety of platforms, based upon the breadth of the audience reach each platform will have and the return or end product that each platform will provide. The first will be entering The Brother Code into various film festivals, both locally, nationally and internationally to selectively target audience who will have a catered interest in the film, either for the genre or the content itself. Whilst I have considered larger film festivals such as Sundance, Id prefer to enter low key festivals to cater more towards audience appeal than critical acclaim, the content and genre of the film itself being a niche so then targeting this niche and cult audience in turn. I have looked at a variety of over 100 film festivals globally, and some I will enter The Brother Code into include the Brit Flick Film Festival in Portsmouth, the Filmonik Kabaret in Salford, the London Kaleidoshorts Film Festival and the Bottle Cap Film Festival in Newscastle. Outside the UK, Im looking at spreading out over a variety of countries, as the festivals I have found are specifically targeted towards the comedy or black comedy style, niche films or cult ones with an indie following. Im hoping for The Brother Code to be more in this sort of style, so im looking at entering festivals such as the Busan International Short Film Festival, the Duhok International Film Festival in Iraq, the Toronto Student Film Festival in Canada, the Serge Sharrinovsky Sundown Film Festival in Australia and the NewFilmMakers festival in New York. Other platforms Im looking at distributing my film on include websites on demand such as the paid Vimeo and Youtube content scheme, online locked content where users would access my film website and then pay a set fee to watch it online then download a copy in a fashion similar to iTunes. Talking of iTunes, Ive also been looking at distribber.com which allows you to get your film onto mass content platforms such as Netflix, iTunes or Amazon on Demand, all for a low fee and the production team keeps all the profit from this, which would be incredibly beneficial and gain an almost global reach instantly for my film with a giant audience and a way for The Brother Code to be potentially seen by professionals or discovered in a unique way.

The main location of The Brother Code will be a rustic cabin in Thurlestone, Devon. Im aiming for a quirky, unique feel with the location, somewhere thats instantly attractive on screen and stands out. Id compare it to Cabin in the Woods, if it was shot as a comedy film, or more of a 500 Days of Summer vibe. Influences of this include Gran Turino, where Clint Eastwood relaxes on the porch and inspired me to try and make scenes in a similar setting. Other locations of the film include the surrounding landscape in Devon, such as the hills close by where Jason goes on a bonding experience with Richard, or the beaches of Burgh Island and Hope Cove Beach, both are iconic and have incredible scenery I want to use in several emotional scenes of the film to give a breathtaking experience for the audience. The main location of the cabin is already secured and was surprisingly cheap, after spending several months hunting for other properties. Unfortunately the time fell through to do a recce before the proposal video, however one is planned for mid February, both to get a feel for the cabin but to also explore the surrounding landscape more and location scout for viable shooting places for the other scenes such as two brothers hiking in the woods, the picnic on the beach with Richards ashes and the sunset scene on a hill overlooking the sea. The budget for The Brother Code is estimated between 1000 and 2000, this will be financed from my own pocket from one of the loans Ive saved up whilst at University. An estimated real life budget for the film if shot outside of university would fall closer to 36,000. Luckily the film itself wont cost that much, and the money is going to cover a variety of costs including the location, travel, insurance, props, catering, festival fees and distribution material and hopefully some left in reserve to pay the actors, with a petty cash of 500 leeway. I did mention that Im self funding the film, this is because of prior experience with both crowd funding, applying for grants or fund raising that hasnt worked in the past. When we travelled to Berlin last year, the project only raised 1/3 of the money necessary to shoot the documentary, so Ive made the decision to forgo the hassle of crowdfunding, cough up the cash myself and use the time saved to focus on the pre production. My main skills are primarily in organizing the production, camera work and directing both crew and actors. Ive worked on a plethora of projects in a variety of roles, both films and commercial work inside and outside of University. Ive produced and directing a documentary about an abandoned theme park in Berlin, which has given me a good grounded idea for how to organize my FMP production. Running Source TV, the student tv station for Coventry University, has also provided me with skills on commercial shooting, how to work with a crew of many skill levels, how to be flexible and do multiple roles at once, such as a camera in one hand, an audio mixer on my hip and then telling the rest of the crew what to do at the same time. Im fair at sound and poor at lighting, and I cant draw a storyboard to save my life. Because of this, Im drafting in friends and professional contacts to help in all stages of production in a variety of roles, from concept art to pre-editing, sound

mixing and the film score to the graphic designed posters for distribution in the later stages. I feel that bringing in a variety of individuals uniquely talented in their own area will greatly raise both the profile and the skill level of the film, the end result being a much more polished work with a higher focus on professionalism in all areas. The film is scheduled to shoot in the second week of March, with 7 days set aside for the production. Im currently searching for and casting professional actors available in this period of time, some of the talent who have replied with an interest in the project include a man who has appeared on both Doctors and Waterloo Road, and a girl with roles in various European Feature Films. From this, Im hoping to draft in some quality talent to supplement and elevate the work being done by all individuals involved and make The Brother Code everything a film deserves to be. Sowhy is my project viable? Well I already have a stable budget Ive previously outlined, but there is also excess money in reserve if the costs exceed my plan. The equipment itself is being sourced from the University loan shop, however I have contacts to borrow a RED or ARRI kit for a specific fee if the Uni kit doesnt work out. Im also talking extensively with the crew and potential cast to ensure they are all on board, and everyone is really excited for the production. The Brother Code has been in pre-production since October for almost 4 months now, and I feel that by March the whole team will be more than ready to hit this challenge head on. The Brother Code is everything I feel I can put into a film without the budget being 100,000 more. It has a lot of history and a lot of personal details in there, and being my final university project I want to shoot something that is not only professional but is also an extension of me. Ive made a lot of stuff in the past but this time, you know I feel this is it, this is the one.

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