Treatment

Title

The title that we have chosen is 'Half Empty'. This is because it has a double meaning in the sense that it connotes that this is a pessimistic film taken from the saying 'is the glass half empty or half full', which means it sets up tension and seriousness. As well as this it connotes that it is about alcohol but this is a less obvious connotation but it still however sets up an enigma. We believe that it is conventional for a BSR genre mainly because it sets up quite a depressing feel to the film due to the negativity in the title. When we spoke to our target audience they came to a unanimous decision that this is a title that would persuade them to go watch the film as they would like to find out what its about. It something like a riddle. From this we gained that it would appeal to our target audience as it creates enigma and mystery which our target audience will appreciate.

Target Audience

Our target audience is males and females but predominantly males age 16-24, who are interested in partying and enjoy socialising. It will be aimed at a fairly educated working class audience so they'll be able to grasp the seriousness of the theme. Our themes of alcohol and dysfunctional families will appeal to this audience as they are major issues in todays society. The narrative and language that will be used will feature urban language used by youths today, this could also be said to be our USP. The representation characters in the film will mirror the common stereotypes of youths in todays society. E.g. 'chavs' and how they dress. It will appeal to young males via the uses and gratifications theory; personal identity as they may see themselves in the main character .The type of research we employed was a focus group where we discussed with our target audience the types of things they'd like to see and why and how they feel about a BSR film on the negatives of alcohol. Here is some research that I found on binge drinking.

Technology

We plan on using a HD camera due to the high quality and sharpness which the camera entails, this is because it captures details of the characters and location which is critical in BSR films as it adds an artistic dimension to it. For sound we are going to use Logic Pro 8 to compose a soundtrack so that we can create the appropriate atmosphere that will compliment the seriousness and heighten the verisimilitude. For editing we will use Final Cut Pro to make sure that we can edit the film in a way that will capture the audience and again create an appropriate atmosphere and heighten the verisimilitude.



Representation

The leading protagonist in the film is a 20 year old male named Sam, who is slowly realising that he's turning to alcohol as a solution to all of his problems and becoming an alcoholic (played by Anand Pithia). Another key character will be Sams mother who is very worried about the welfare of her son.
We will show the typical stereotypes but we will also try to challenge them as we will be looking at them through different viewpoints. For example when he realises he is an alcoholic, typically in a BSR film he would give up with life maybe, but in this he tries to fight against it.

Narrative

A young man comes to terms with the fact that he is an alcoholic. He soon starts to feel economically depressed simply because he doesn't know where he'll get the money to feed his obsession.
We will show Sam and his friends using alcohol as a source of enjoyment, but then we will slowly see the depressing aspects in Sam life that will push him towards using alcohol as something other than enjoyment. We will show his dysfunctional family when he gets home and show that this is what pushes him towards alcoholism. After this we will show his personal economic crisis and how this has a negative effect on him. We decide to use a non linear narrative, mainly because we feel that it is important to show the audience the pinnacle of the film as this will engage them and want to find out how he got to that outcome.

Conventions
We will use minimal dialogue and use a smash mouth beginning and using this as a non linear beginning as Sam is at an alcohols anonymous meeting in the start which immediately shows a crisis. This will instantly capture the audience. It will subvert the conventions of a BSR in the sense that the ending will not be as depressing or be a cliff hanger as it will show the personal growth of Sam.

Style and Iconography

The camerawork we will use will include many long shots followed by close ups to show comparisons between the positivity in Sams friends and the negativity in Sam. We will also use a variety of shots such as tracks to make it look as if though we are following Sams life and looking into his mind. This will highlight personal identity for the audience.
We will use non continuity editing as we are using a smash mouth beginning. We may use a series of jump cuts to show that Sam may not always be thinking straight and to show how dynamic the life of a teenager is. The costumes we will use are typical urban clothing of today (e.g. Adidas Originals, Vans, Snapbacks) as our audience may wear the same clothes and feel involved in the film. The props will revolve around alcohol as this is the main issue, e.g. bottle openers, bottles of alcohol.
As we are using minimal dialogue there will not be a lot of diegetic sound. We will be using a soundtrack which will ultimately set the mood and ambience of a serious film about serious issues. The instruments that will be used will be played in minor chords as this emphasises the tension and maybe even the negativity in the film.

Institution

The main institution of our film is Film 4 as they are renowned and well known for making films with similar concept. Our original production company will be called 'Contrast' and will compliment the film is todays issues in urban England as the logo will connote this through the images used.
It will be distributed through Film 4, will be exhibited on all Channel 4 platforms to generate more viewers and our target audience may watch shows on these channels e.g. Skins. It will also be on the internet as todays youths use the internet a lot, therefore we will also create a website for the film so the audience can broaden their understanding of the films meaning. It will be available on DVD and the soundtrack will be available on leading digital media stores. E.g. like 'This is England' and 'Fish Tank'.