Research Dossier

1. Submission of work:

1.A:

UK Film Festival feature Script Competition -  To enter all a participant needs to have is a finished script, however they also allow up to 6 pages of extra information including a synopsis, character profiles and details about the world within the movie. They have a few rules/terms and conditions, and those are: All entries must be in English; All scripts must be original with the participant being the copyright holder, or alternatively they must have written permission or copyright clearance from the owner of any adapted story; Any online entries require the title of the file to be the title of the script. The prizes for the winner are "Immediate marketing to the industry, winner’s laurels and the associated publicity", and both the winners and runners up will receive the latest software for writing scripts and a script listing on InkTip completely free.

Overview and prizes for the UK Film Festival feature script competition

BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition - The BAFTA Rocliffe new writing competition is a yearly competition with four different categories: Film, TV Comedy, TV Drama and Children's Media. It involves putting submitted scripts through a blind judging process, the selected script extracts are then performed live to multiple industry leaders and professionals to help expose new talent and give them a platform. This benefits the writer as it really allows them to show off what they can do to many important figures as well as gaining professional advice and criticism. To enter, a screenwriter needs to submit two PDF's: One contains the script extract while the other contains a 3 page maximum of supporting materials in this order: 25 word synopsis; 300 word maximum treatment; 50 word character breakdown for each character; (for TV shows only) 3 to 6 episode guides OR 3 to 6 sketch ideas, each at 50 words; 100 word maximum scene introduction. Once these have been submitted the writer has 48 hours to pay a £42 entry fee.

Prizes for winners and runners up for the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition

For both of these competitions, alongside all screenwriting competitions, the scripts need to be submitted in proper script format, with 12pt courier font and the appropriate scene layouts with sluglines, actions and dialogues in their respective page formatting. An example of proper screenplay layout is shown in great detail here in Quentin Tarantino's script for "Kill Bill: Vol 1" (2003).

1.B: 

BBC Writersroom Script Room - The Script Room takes unsolicited scripts to find writers with lots of development potential rather than to find material to commission or produce. The main goal is to find writers who can deliver good ideas in a script form and to pick writers to develop, with extremely rare cases of submitted scripts making it into production and being commissioned. Submitted scripts must be finished and at least the equivalent to 30 minutes in length of a filmed production, usually 30 pages following the minute-to-a-page rule however not always. Each writer can only submit one script per window, and can't resubmit previously read works or follow ups to previously read works.

2. Background material:

2.A:

Script Proposal -

Link to script proposal presentation. The link goes to my script proposal, which I used to pitch my idea.

2.B:

Sources to find writing inspiration - 

One source is a famous real life event that can be made into a movie, such as a major disaster or even the life of a real person. This is a good way to create a movie to educate as well as entertain, or to invoke heavy emotions and thinking points for the viewer. A big example of a film based on an event is Peter Berg's 'Deepwater Horizon' (2016), which was based on the Deepwater Horizon blowout in 2010, when the eponymous rig's blowout prevention measures failed to work and caused a catastrophic fireball that could be seen from 40 miles away, killing 11 of the crew and causing the largest oil spill to date.

Movie poster for 'Deepwater Horizon' (2016)

another source is adapting a pre-existing fictional story - either a book, play or otherwise - that can be translated over onto film. This not only helps provide a blueprint for the scripts development, but if the movie becomes hugely successful or the book itself is already popular, both gain huge awareness to the public and are mostly guaranteed greater sales and exposure. An example of this is Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner' (1982), which is based on Philip K. Dick's novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' (1968), following a bounty hunter Rick Deckard - portrayed by Harrison Ford as a Cop in the movie - as he hunts down rogue androids (known in the movie as Replicants), artificial humanoids designed to serve humans. The movies success managed to bring Philip K. Dick into the spotlight and from this some of his other works were made into movies, like 'Total Recall' (1990, Dir. Paul Verhoeven) and 'Minority Report' (2002, Dir. Steven Spielberg)

'Blade Runner' (1982) theatrical poster

'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' (1968) Book cover

A third source of inspiration is still pre-existing materials, however rather than being adapted they are the spark needed to light a new, original idea. This can be a piece of media that has influenced a new idea but isn't directly tied to it or isn't intended to be an adaption. Parody films come under this category, as they take a previous idea and subvert it for satirical purposes. A good example of this is Mel Brooks' 'Spaceballs' (1987), which parodies George Lucas' 'Star Wars' movies, featuring comedic takes on characters and concepts from those movies while also holding up on its own as a film both narratively and comedically.

'Spaceballs' (1987) Poster

'Star Wars' (1977) Original `Poster

A final source of inspiration is from the writers own experiences. Unlike the real events listed before, these are stories completely personal to the writer and aren't common knowledge to the viewers. This could be a fictional story based on aspects of their experiences or a full retelling, in either a fictional or nonfictional setting. An example of this is Alan Parker's 'Pink Floyd: The Wall' (1982), a movie based on the Pink Floyd concept album 'The Wall' written by Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters and based on his own experiences in life, using vivid and abstract symbolic imagery paired with music to tell a story of his isolation and insanity brought on from many factors, including stardom and his fathers death, and constructing an emotional wall to protect himself.

Cover Art for 'Pink Floyd - The Wall' (1982)

3. Research:

3.A:

 Primary sources -

Primary sources are sources that are collected directly by the data collector. This could be an account from interview with someone who was at an event or experiencing something, an observation of various events, behaviours, etc. or collating original information you've collected from surveys or studies. A first-hand account is one of the best sources if someone that was there is able to do an interview, as depending on the impact of the event their memories can last a lifetime, and can accurately be recounted to provide a lot of insight into the event. Another form of primary research that is extremely good for capturing behaviours, especially in animals for a documentary, is going out and observing things yourself and to witness the events or behaviours that can be factored into a story. A third form is doing a survey. This is more useful for marketing as you can assess what people like to find trends and points of interest to focus on to make safer or riskier decisions.

3.B:

Primary sources for my idea -

The primary source for my idea was from observing the conversations college students have around the table, as its the easiest way to find out what topics they talk about and the different behaviours they express to make the characters more convincing and relatable to the target audience of students. Through these observations it was easier to pick up on social and personal issues students face daily as well, myself included. As well as this I performed a survey to understand the public opinion on teen movies better, link to the results here.

3.C:

Secondary sources -

Secondary sources are sources which haven't been collected by the researcher, and instead are pre-existing bits of data. These can include diaries, journals, published surveys and pre-existing research. If there is no longer anyone left in a state in which they can tell their story, such as a centuries old event, a diary or journal from the event is useful for secondary information, as they would have usually been written during or just after the event so the information would be fresh and emotive and can give a seemingly clear insight into what transpired. Another great secondary source is published research and data, as its easy access and available for a whole range of subjects, and is great for market research if your idea shares similarities to existing works or formulas. One last secondary source is articles from newspapers, websites, etc. as these can spark ideas or in the case of written interviews can help with biopic movies or movies set around an event.

3.D:

Secondary sources for own idea -

Secondary sources for my idea were pre-existing studies on teenage and student mental health, and also visiting various online forums for teens to help get an understanding on both common issues faced by students but also the not so common but still severe issues. Through this I garnered a bit of supporting evidence to back what I found in my primary research from the students around me.

4. Prepare material:

4.A:

Advantages and disadvantages of primary sources -

Primary research sources provide many benefits to those who have the time and expenses to carry it out to the desired detail. These benefits are largely based on the fact that they are collected by the researcher themselves, so will not only be more specific towards the production itself, as long as the sources found can be trusted and verified they're more likely to be factual. The disadvantages of this is quite obviously time, as finding people to interview and collecting survey data can take quite some time, and for a production on a deadline this may not be the best way to find data over much faster secondary data. Another factor is expenses as you wouldn't be able to collect it all for free. People need paying and the resources required will also cost money. The biggest issue is if you don't fully verify your own research, getting false survey results and statements can heavily damage the credibility of your production if you're making something that relies on these facts.

Advantages and disadvantages of secondary sources - 

Secondary researches primary benefit is that it's time and cost effective. A lot of information you're looking for can be found with the click of a button or a quick enquiry at a library or archive, as all the information you're looking for exists already. The issues with this however is more often than not the research you find is less specific to what you need and requires further research and input from the researcher. This information also requires a credibility check, which could take up valuable time and resources to make sure the data being used is reliable.

4.B:

Useful materials/information for my own idea -

The most useful material I used was my own research asking about and observing the problems faced by students around me, and finding out about multiple social issues and stigmas that affect students and teens, covering issues like parental pressure, poverty and depression. This has helped me understand how to really make these issues realistic and relatable when presented to an audience and pull them off in a tasteful manner.

4.C:

Information I have disregarded -

Information that I've disregarded is the market research I did, as my idea isn't meant to follow the trends of the market or fill any gaps as a primary objective, rather act as an exposé on the lives and struggles faced by students on a daily basis using a fairly original narrative.

4.D:

How I'm managing and storing information -

A lot of my research is secondary and as such is found in different linked articles on this blog post or alternatively written in my script proposal Prezi, with some examples screenshotted below.

A primary source of information I have is a short survey I conducted on the teen drama genre of film, and the results are documented in my research portfolio post.

Additional Research -

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986, Dir. John Hughes)  - 

'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' follows Ferris Bueller, A high school student near the end of his senior year, feigning illness to take a day off school. He convinces best friend and hypochondriac Cameron Frye to get his girlfriend Sloane out of school by pretending to be her father picking her up with the excuse that her grandmother had just died, however once they pick her up instead of returning home he takes Cameron's dad's Ferrari into Chicago, where they spend the day visiting various Chicago landmarks, including the Wrigley Field baseball ground, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower, as named in the film). While this is happening, both Vice Principal Rooney and Ferris' sister Jeanie are trying to prove Ferris is faking his illness, which leads to Jeanie catching Rooney trespassing in the house and calls the police on him, however she gets arrested as no evidence to her claims were investigated, despite Rooney's wallet being left in the kitchen. Ferris and company return the car back to Camerons house, where they discover the odometer has gone up by a considerable amount, as the car park attendants they entrusted the car to earlier on took it for a joyride. After failing to reverse the odometer, Cameron takes out his frustration on the car and knocks the jack out, causing the car to crash into a ravine. After Cameron refuses to allow Ferris to take the blame for him, Ferris walks Sloane home, and on the way back to his house crosses paths with Jeanie, who is driving their mum home after being retrieved from the police station. He races her back to the house, where he is caught by Rooney, however Jeanie takes Ferris' side and sets the dog on Rooney, allowing Ferris to get back into bed, where he ends the movie with the line, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

"Ferris Buellers Day Off" Poster

The inspiration I can take from this movie is heavily involved in its use of teenage idealism to show the harsh truths of what teenagers go through while still having fun with the movie all the way through. It's depiction of a rebellious character showing off the high life of going with the flow to his introverted, constantly worried friend and bringing him out of his shell can also reflect on the audience, especially with the use of the films final message about how not taking time to live your life could make you miss life in its entirety. On top of this the character of Jeanie Bueller is just as important, and her plot line throughout the film shows her evolution as someone who pity's herself for everyones love towards Ferris and how she has to go to school when Ferris is also healthy, but despite her 'hatred' towards her brother, explicitly shown by her chants of "I hate him" earlier in the movie, she still sticks up for him in the end and keeps his good health a secret, showing a more selfless, caring side.

The breakfast Club (1985, Dir. John Hughes) -

'The Breakfast Club' is one of the definitive teen movies, and despite being 35 years old as of me writing this, a lot of its addressed issues are still shockingly prevalent in teens today. The movie follows five students in detention on a Saturday, supervised by the strict principal, Mr. Vernon, and are made to write a thousand word essay on who they think they are in the library. Each of them is from a different stereotypical clique, with a princess, athlete, brain, criminal and basket case, and with antagonisation from John Bender, the criminal, a lot of tension and clashes break out, especially between Bender and Andrew (the athlete) over inappropriate remarks made towards Claire (the princess). The group prepares for lunch, where Bender picks on Brian (the brain) for his home life, before going into a tantrum caused by his feelings of his own home life and walks off to sit alone. After this, Bender leads the group on an adventure to his locker to find some marijuana, however after a run in with Vernon, Bender stashes it on Brian and leads Vernon away for the others to go undetected. Vernon catches Bender playing basketball and takes him in a maintenance cupboard, where he dares Bender to take a swing, before locking him up alone. Bender sneaks through the vents back to the library where he falls through the ceiling, and the group start to bond, in between scenes of them dancing, smoking and telling stories. Claire gives Allison (the basket case), turned into an outcast because of her uncaring parents, a makeover to which Andrew gains a romantic interest. Vernon gets talking to the Janitor, and is given the revelation its not the kids that have changed, but him as he has grown up to hate a job he once loved. Brian is told by the rest of the group to write out a joint essay as Bender sneaks back to his cupboard. As they all leave detention, Claire gives Bender one of her earrings and they kiss, as the movie ends on Bender walking across the football field and doing the iconic fist raise. The letter is read out throughout this end section and is about how at the start of the day they saw each other as they're made to be seen, as a brain, a princess, an athlete, a basket case and a criminal, because they were brainwashed, but it ends on the realisation that Vernon will always see them as he wants to, and that they are all each of those things and not bound to being one.

"The Breakfast Club" Theatrical release poster

The Breakfast club is the ultimate source of inspiration for my movie, despite my idea being conceived before I considered including aspects from it. What went from a simple movie about students at a table became a movie questioning friendships and the social issues surrounding adolescents, much like what The Breakfast Club presents to us. The movies message of individuality over conditioning isn't nowhere near as prevalent in my story as the themes of social pressure and upbringing, however can easily be adapted into my own if need be, and the films overall realism fits well within what I wish to achieve within my own story. The characters in general can be easily related to by someone out there, and a little part of each of them can be found within my main character T.R. who is ultimately meant to have his shoes filled by a majority of the audience, more so than the other characters with each of their issues, as this story is his overall.

The Inbetweeners (2008-2010, Created by Damon Beesley &  Iain Morris) -

'The Inbetweeners' is a Channel 4 comedy series spanning 3 seasons, encapsulating the slightly dramatised lifestyle of modern British sixth form students in a near enough accurate way, making it one of the biggest and highly rated coming of age shows put out on British TV, a clear contrast to one of Channel 4's other coming of age shows of the time 'Skins', which was more heavily drama focused and slightly idealised. The show primarily followed William McKenzie, known more popularly as Will, as he moves from private school to the local comprehensive after his parents divorce. He finds himself lumped with Simon Cooper by the uncaring Mr. Gilbert, and by extension makes friends with Jay Cartwright and Neil Sutherland. The show follows the evolution of all aspects of the boys lives, from their friendship to their love lives, and all the moments of the show never stray too far from real situations and can really be relatable to anyone who's experienced the modern teenage life, such as the awkward drunken moments or sexual encounters and the feeling of everything going wrong all the time. The shows finale is an eventful disaster fitting for the conclusion, with the boys going on a camping trip to celebrate the end of their time at college, resulting in everything being destroyed, but still coming out of it as friends.

Left to Right: William McKenzie (Simon Bird), Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison),
 Jay Cartwright (James Buckley) and Simon Cooper (Joe Thomas)

The show is filled with a lot of inspiration for my own idea, sharing a similar setting, characters and issues that mine will also feature. The characters are based on more real and modern British teenagers, and despite being more than a decade old many of the situations and personalities still apply to todays sixth formers, so would be easily adaptable if needed for my own story. In particular Jay shares the trait of hiding his insecurity behind overconfidence, albeit in a much more sexual manner, with my main character T.R. while Simon's general awkwardness and easy frustration takes hold in the character of Glitch. The show also has a strong theme of friendship despite all odds, which plays a large role in the conflict within my story.

WHO (World Health Organisation) Adolescent mental health factsheet -

This article has helped give an overview and understanding for a range of issues and preventions for mental health among adolescents - including but not limited to emotional disorders, self harm and psychosis - which is pivotal for a story with a lot of its roots laid in those exact issues themselves. An early and important part of the article is the determinant factors of what puts adolescents at risk to mental health conditions in the first place, and the article as a whole is good for making sure any issues mentioned in my story are addressed in a realistic and tasteful way with provided insight into their causes and the seriousness of them. Something I would like it to have touched on more was risk-taking behaviours as it would tie into the character of Parsnips better, however the facts that section provided are still useful and could be incorporated into the dialogue.