TV Series Posters for Inspiration

Posters for TV programmes of a similar genre:

  

These posters are all of a similar genre to my TV show idea. They are all quite similar since they have a similar layout. For example, the main image on all of them is the main character. They also have an image of the setting in the background to show where the series is set. This gives me an idea of how I could design my poster to appeal to the audience, since these TV shows have a similar audience. You can tell the genre for all of these is action or superhero since the characters all look as though they are superior or capable of being the hero through their body language.

Other genres:

 

 

These TV show posters are quite different since they are different genres. It is clear what genre they are since they have different images, lighting and even fonts. For example, the poster for American Horror Story shows that it is a horror series without even having to have prior knowledge of the show. The poster is quite dark, the font is eerie and the image isn’t what you would see in a comedy show. In comparison to American Horror Story, the poster for the Big Bang Theory is a lot different, which shows how it is of a differing genre. The colours are brighter and the images show three people who have a much happier body language, making it clear that the show is  comedy as opposed to a horror.

All of the posters I have gained inspiration from have the normal elements of a TV series advertising poster. They have a main image, a title and a slogan to sell the show, as well as extra details such as date it is aired and the production company logo.

 

‘The Vision’ Script

The Vision Draft 1 – PDF

The Vision Draft 2 – PDF

The Vision Final Script – PDF

Script Proposal- The Vision

Film Synopsis-

When Scott Howard, an ordinary business man from London, gets pushed over by a man robbing his work building, he hits his head which leads to him seeing unlikely visions that come true. In realisation of his new ability, he aims to use it to bring good to the city. His plans are ruined when he sees an unwanted vision where the robbers return and attempt to kidnap him for his powers, or destroy the city instead. Scott must try to stop the vision from becoming reality, or face terrible consequences.

Log Line-

An ordinary businessman from London faces a knock to the head, which grants him with the ability to see his visions come true. Now a hero, he lands in trouble when he sees a bad vision that he must try to stop, in order to save his city.

Screenplay Structure- 

Act 1:

• Scott is in the bank when it gets robbed
• He is pushed over by a robber and hits his head
• He has a vision about winning money, then wakes up in hospital
• Once he leaves hospital, his vision comes true
• He has more visions, making him realise he has a new ability

Act 2:

• He tells his girlfriend about it, who doesn’t believe him
• He has another vision where the robbers return and plot to kidnap him for his powers and threaten to destroy the city if he doesn’t show up
• They show up and try to get him

Act 3:

• Scott come face to face with the antagonists
• He tries to erase the visions he’s had from his head
• He falls to the floor and knocks his head
• He wakes up in hospital to find none of it actually happened

Characters-

Scott Howard (the protagonist): Scott Howard is a 25 year man from London. He is 6 ft tall with brown hair and has an interest in psychology and psychics. He is hardworking and cares about his job where he works for a small business.

He will be played by Henry Cavill as he is an upcoming English actor which will hopefully bring more attention to the show. He also fits the description as he has dark hair and is 6ft tall. He has worked in films such as Man of Steel (2013), The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015) and will appear in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice this year. He has won an MTV Movie Award for Best Hero.

Sarah Hall: Sarah is a 23 year old journalist and girlfriend to Scott. She has long red hair and is 5 ft 7 inches tall. She is understanding and caring.

She will be played by Karen Gillan as she also fits perfectly with the character description. She has appeared in shows and movies such as Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and has won awards such as an Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer.

Gang of Robbers: The group of antagonists who rob Scott’s work consist of 5 members.  Ronnie (40)- A cruel money orientated man who will do anything to be in control. He is 6 ft tall with scruffy grey/brown hair. Mo (43)- A 5 ft 5 man with no hair and a short temper, he is the side kick to Ronnie. Antonio, Niko and Vinnie are supporting characters and are all controlled by Ronnie and Mo. They do everything to make sure they all get what they want.

Production Crew-

Producer: Rebecca Eaton-

Rebecca Eaton is known for producing TV shows such as Sherlock, Downton Abbey and Mr Selfridge. She has worked on many TV shows which makes her a very experienced producer. She has also won 4 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Miniseries.

Director: Sam Miller-

Sam Miller is an English television director known for his work on the popular crime series Luther, where he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special. Along with the popularity of the shows he has directed such as Luther and Spooks, the nomination makes him stand out as the perfect director for this crime/sci-fi TV show.

Writer: Steven Moffat-

Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer who has worked on many popular TV shows, including Doctor Who and Sherlock. His work for the British sci-fi show Doctor Who proves he would be a good writer for this TV show. He has also won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special, as well as 5 BAFTA Awards.

Director of Photography: Steve Lawes-

Steve Lawes is an English Director of Photography who has directed many shows including Sherlock and Silent Witness. He has won a welsh BAFTA Award for Best Director of Photography (Sherlock) and an Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Cinematography (Sherlock).

Sound Editor: Doug Sinclair

Doug Sinclair is a Primetime Emmy Award winner, who has worked in the sound department for TV shows such as Doctor Who, Torchwood, Sherlock and Law & Order: UK. His experience with working on sci-fi and crime dramas would make him best for the job as sound editor for The Vision.

Moodboard-

Storyboard- 

Target Audience-

The target audience for ‘The Vision’ will be teenagers and adults. Since it is action based and about a man with a special ability, it will also appeal to fans of comics and super heroes.

Budget-

The budget will be around £300,000 which is fairly small compared to most TV shows, since this will be a one off hour long episode. There will be a few special effects used in the show when the visions occur as well as the fight scenes, which will take up the biggest part of the budget.

Other things included in the budget include locations, cast and crew, production costs and costumes. Since this film is set in today’s society, the costumes and locations will not have to be made from scratch, meaning it won’t take up a lot of the budget. Most of the budget will be spent on the visual effects, the cast and the costs to produce the film.

Shows of a similar genre such as Doctor Who have a budget of £1M an episode, although this budget would be too much for The Vision since there are far less visual effects and costumes needed.

Pitch- The Vision

Elevator Pitch-

My story is an action/sci-fi one episode TV programme called The Vision. It is about a man who can make his visions come true and wants to use his ability to bring good to the world. He faces a dilemma when he has an unwanted vision that he cannot stop. He must try to stop it from really happening but will he succeed in saving the city?

Full Pitch-

The story is set in London and is based around Scott, a 25 year old businessman who takes a knock to the head during a robbing. He is in the bank at the time this happens and gets pushed over by one of the thieves, causing him to fall back and hit his head. After the robbers have fled, he is found on the ground with a head injury. While being rushed to hospital, he sees a vision where he owns a winning lottery ticket, which actually becomes true after he leaves the hospital a few days later.

Over a series of days he finds himself having more and more visions that come true or allow him to stop bad things from happening. He sees a vision of a fire starting in his house, which he can stop minutes before it happens. He sees an old lady drop her belongings and stumble as she crosses the road, which he stops by helping her across. He also has a vision where he gets paid a bonus at work, which of course happens a few days later.

He tells his girlfriend, Sarah, about his visions but she doesn’t believe him, she puts it down to the knock he took to the head. After a few weeks, he has another vision and this time it isn’t a good one. The vision shows him how the gang of robbers from the bank are soon to return, this time their aim being to kidnap him and use his precognition abilities for their evil plans. They state how if he doesn’t go to them, the city of London will face consequences and be destroyed.

Scott knows he must try to stop this vision from happening, but it is too late as the gang soon show up. Scott fights them and tries to defend the city, although he fails and London is left in ruins. Scott thinks he may be able to change this if he erases all of his visions so they never happened. He thinks back through every vision he has had, but his powers get too much for his head and he falls to the ground, knocking his head once again.

Scott’s vision goes blurry and he wakes up in a hospital bed. He hears his girlfriend Sarah calling for the doctor and he is told he has been in a short coma for a few days since the bank robbery. Once he is let out of hospital, he questions what happened to the city and who saved it, although Sarah doesn’t know what he is talking about, once again putting it down to him knocking his head.

Treatment- The Vision

Title- The Vision

Genre- Sci-Fi/Action

Target Audience- Teenagers and adults

Running Time- 1 hour

Outline-

Scott is in a bank when the building gets robbed and he is pushed over by a thief. He knocks his head, sending him to hospital, where he has an unconscious dream about him winning lots of money. Soon after leaving the hospital, he finds out that he has in fact won the lottery. He thinks it is pure coincidence, although over the next week he finds himself having more and more visions that come true, or visions that he can easily stop before they happen.

He tells his girlfriend, Sarah about the unusual happenings, although she doesn’t believe him. A few weeks later he has a vision that he doesn’t want to happen- the same robbers from the bank plan to kidnap him to use his powers and they threaten to destroy the city if they don’t get him- which he knows he must try to stop this, although he can’t change his vision no matter how hard he tries.

The robbers turn up and Scott finds himself defending him and the city against them. The city of London is left in ruins. After a while he tries to think back and try to erase the vision. He sees every vision he’s had, which gets too much for his head, forcing him to fall and knock his head. He wakes up in a hospital bed. He has been in short coma since the fall in the bank.

Characters-

Scott Howard: Scott (25) is 6ft tall and has brown hair. He works in a small business in London and has been interested in psychology and psychics since his teenage years.

Sarah Hall: Sarah (23) is Scott’s girlfriend. She has red hair and works as a journalist for the local newspaper

Gang of Robbers: The gang of robbers has 5 members, Ronnie, Mo, Antonio, Niko and Vinnie. They are all scruffy and have no morals. Their aim is to get control of the city and steal as much money as they can.

Moodboard for my Story

The mood board I created shows the location of my story, London. It also has the basic outline of the story, there is a robbery and the main character gets pushed over. I also included pictures of a clock to symbolise time, since the story is about seeing into the future, as well as images of a brain and an eye for the same reason.

I also added images of super heroes, as my idea came from my love of comics and super heroes. I wanted to make my script in this sort of genre, so I thought of superheroes who have powers linked to time travel, mind reading and seeing the future. Although my main character is not a superhero, he has special abilities like the characters I got inspiration from.

3 Act Structure for my Story

Film/Script Pitching

What is a pitch?

A pitch is the way a writer presents their script idea. The purpose is to sell the idea and get people interested. A successful script pitch could lead to a production company wanting to turn your script into a movie. Pitches are usually presented verbally and consist of a brief introduction to the story, followed by information about the genre, characters, settings and plot points. Most pitches are ended with a log line, which is a sentence that describes the film plot, character, genre, the problem and the solution.

The length of a pitch depends on how detailed you want it to be. Elevator pitches can be 30-90 seconds long and just give a brief overview of there ideas. On the other hand, some pitches can be slightly longer, although most people prefer to keep theirs short and to the point.

What is a treatment?

In scriptwriting, a treatment is a summary of one to five pages or more (Horowitz, 2016) that outlines the script idea. According to wikiHow.com (2016), most writers begin writing a treatment by creating a log line, which they develop further to start a full treatment for their idea. A treatment includes information about the character such as their name, age, gender and significant features. It should also include points on the setting and then a synopsis of the script.

References:

Horowitz, M. (2016). How To Write A Treatment. [online] Movieoutline.com. Available at: http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/how-to-write-a-treatment.html [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].

wikiHow, (2016). How to Write a Script Treatment. [online] Available at: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Script-Treatment [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].

Script Contracts

When selling a script, you must sign a contract that means you agree to your script being used. When collaborating with another person for your script, both people own the script, although they may own different parts such as characters etc. depending on who came up with what. People can sign documents which show they own the script and the copyright will last until the authorship ends.

According to BBC.co.uk (2016), It is legal for a film producer to make a film based on somebody else’s script, although they must not create an exact version without their permission.

Here is an example of a script contract that I found from Dependentfilms.net:

References:

Bbc.co.uk, (2016). BBC – Film Network – FilmMaking – Guide – Legal Guide – Writing. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/guide/before-you-start/legal-guide-writing#nondisclosure [Accessed 4 Feb. 2016].

Dependentfilms.net. (2016). Dependent Films: The Official Independent Film Company of the World. [online] Available at: http://www.dependentfilms.net/ [Accessed 15 Jun. 2016].

Marley & Me Review

Marley & Me review -PDF