(PLANNING) ASSIGNMENT 26: INDIVIDUAL PITCH

BY LIAM HOWSE

THE SUB-GENRE THAT I’VE DECIDED TO PICK IS:

Backwoods/Redneck

5 FILMS OF THE BACKWOODS/REDNECK GENRE

• WOLF CREEK

• WRONG TURN

• JEEPERS CREEPERS

• TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

• THE HILLS HAVE EYES

CONVENTIONS OF THE BACKWOODS GENRE

• LOCATION IS SET WITHIN A RURAL AREA WHERE NOT MANY FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE. (IN THE FILM JEEPERS CREEPERS, THE HOUSE THAT THEY ENTER IS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH NO ACCESS TO WORKING TELEPHONES ETC.)

• THE PRIMARY VICTIMS OF THE KILLER IS TEENAGERS. (THIS IS SEEN IN TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE AND JEEPERS CREEPERS)

• MANY BACKWOODS HORROR FILMS START OFF WITH TEENAGERS ON SPRING BREAK OR HOLIDAY, AND THEY ARE TRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE DUE TO A CAR BREAKING DOWN OR ANOTHER PROBLEM IN WHICH DISABLES THEM FROM BEING ABLE TO KEEP TRAVELLING.

• MANY CONVENTIONS WITHIN BACKWOODS ARE SIMILAR TO SLASHER. • KILLER(S) COMMONLY HAVE A DISABILITY (THIS IS SEEN WITHIN TEXAS CHAINSAW

MASSACRE AND THE HILLS HAVE EYES)

WHAT WILL HAPPEN?• THE OTS WILL BEGIN WITH THREE TEENAGERS RIDING BIKES ALONG PATHS NEAR A RURAL

LOCATION SUCH AS A FOREST OR A FIELD.• THEY WILL THEN STUMBLE ACROSS AN ABANDONED TENT OR SOMETHING THAT INDICATES

THAT SOMEBODY HAS BEEN THERE• AS THEY INSPECT IT, THEY FIND WHAT SEEMS LIKE BLOOD TRAIL LEADING FROM THE TENT.

GETTING CURIOUS, THEY START TO LOOK THROUGH THE NEARBY FOREST.• AS THEY LOOK THROUGH, ONE OF THE TEENAGERS FINDS A BODY PART LAYING ON THE

GROUND.• AHEAD OF THE OTHER TWO HE NOTIFIES THEM THAT HE HAS FOUND SOMETHING, THE

KILLER SEEMINGLY COMES OUT OF NOWHERE (YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE KILLER IN THE OTS AS I INTEND TO LEAVE IT ANONYMOUS) AND STABS HIM IN THE BACK.

• THIS LEADS TO THE CHASE SCENE.• WHILST RUNNING AWAY, ONE OF THEM TRIPS AND IS THEN KILLED BY THE MASKED MANIAC.• THE LAST TEENAGER, IS SEEMINGLY LOST IN THE FOREST AND FINDS A PLACE TO HIDE FOR

THE TIME BEING FROM THE KILLER. HE TRIES TO CALL SOMEONE FOR HELP, BUT HE GETS NO SIGNAL. WE THEN SEE THE EVENTUAL DEATH OF THE LAST TEENAGER AFTER HE IS HEARD BREATHING.

• END OTS

HOW AM I MEETING CONVENTIONS?

I AM MEETING CONVENTIONS OF THE BACKWOODS SUB-GENRE AS I’M STILL INCORPORATING A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE CONVENTIONS WITHIN MY OTS ALONG WITH GIVING IT A SENSE OF ORIGINALITY WITH MY OWN IDEAS. - I AM SETTING IT WITHIN IT’S PRIMARY LOCATION (A FOREST) ALTHOUGH I HAVE ALTERED THE COUNTRY IN WHICH IT TAKES PLACE. FURTHERMORE, THE PLACE IS FAIRLY RURAL WHERE THERE ISN’T ACCESS TO MANY THINGS, SUCH AS PHONE SIGNAL AS SHOWN WITHIN MY PLAN OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN.

- THE KILLERS VICTIMS WITHIN MY OTS ARE TEENAGERS IN WHICH IS ONE OF THE MAIN CONVENTIONS

- WITH THE SUB-GENRE TAKING ASPECTS FROM ‘SLASHER’, I’VE INCORPORATED MANY ASPECTS OF THE SUB-GENRE AS I INTEND TO MAKE AT LEAST ONE OF THE DEATH SCENES GORY.

HOW AM I BEING ORIGINAL?

I AM BEING ORIGINAL WITH MY OTS AS I’M SUBSTITUTING THE LOCATION OF SOUTHERN UNITED STATES, WITH A ENGLISH ALTERNATIVE. EVEN THOUGH ME AND MY GROUP WOULD BE UNABLE TO TRAVEL TO A RURAL PLACE IN THE SOUTH (I.E. DORSET, DEVON), WE CAN FILM IN A VARIETY OF PLACES IN ORDER FOR IT TO LOOK LIKE THE BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE. IN ORDER TO FULLY INDICATE THE LOCATION, I WOULD NEED TO ADD SOME SORT OF SHOT, OR A LINE OF DIALOGUE TO ONE OF THE CHARACTERS. BY DOING THIS, IT GIVES THE SUB-GENRE A ENGLISH SPIN ON IT.

NARRATIVE ENIGMAS

IN TERMS OF NARRATIVE ENIGMAS, I DON’T WANT THE OTS TO TELL TO MUCH AS I WANT TO BUILD MYSTERY INTO IT. I WANTED TO LEAVE THE KILLER ANONYMOUS AS IF IT WAS FOR A REAL MOVIE, I WOULD BE ABLE TO PRODUCE A GOOD AND UNIQUE BACKSTORY TO THE CHARACTER THAT HASN’T BEEN DONE BEFORE WITHIN THE BACKWOODS GENRE.

- WHO IS THE KILLER?- WHY ARE THEY BEING KILLED?- WHO DID THAT TENT BELONG TO?- WHY DID THEY PURSUE THE TRAIL OF BLOOD IN THE FIRST PLACE?

TARGETS

IN TERMS OF TARGETS I WOULD LIKE:- TO HAVE GOOD OVERALL MISE-EN-SCENE IN ORDER TO CREATE THE

SENSE OF REALISM- TO HAVE CLEAN AND GOOD QUALITY CAMERA SHOTS ALONG WITH

MOVEMENT TO PRODUCE A HIGH QUALITY VIDEO.- TO HAVE A RANGE OF SHOTS- TO HAVE AN INTERESTING PLOT IN ORDER TO DRAW IN THE

AUDIENCE.