Unit 19 learning aim C Proposal

My film will be called The Interrogation. Its genre will be crime, with the sub-genre crime-drama. 

To sum up the film, it will be about police officers interrogating a criminal who has committed a number of dangerous and violent crimes, and has recently escaped from prison, only to be caught in a crime (vandalising a home) once again. 

Narrative overview 

The short film begins with a high angle shot of the interrogation room, with our interrogator standing in front of the table to our left. We then can see the criminal enter on our right. The Interrogator leans on the table. 

As the interrogator begins recording the interrogation with the device on the table, he begins asking basic questions (e.g., name, age, etc.) a lack of music here will make the interrogation room feel empty and depressing. Our police officer will begin with questions like “where were you when______”, to which our criminal will give short, simple and dismissive answers. Agitated, and realising that the interrogation is going nowhere, the police officer will ask, “what do you know about (name)?” then the criminal will fall silent and look down, emphasised by a droning sound effect, to make it clear he knows the name. The criminal will remain dismissive, stating he does not know anything. After our officer asks again, our criminal will suddenly snap at him, insulting him in many ways. Intrigued, the officer begins to question further. It is at this point that he can see our suspect getting stressed, so he pretends to be his ally, stating that it is in his best interest to confess, otherwise people will “assume the worst of him”. the suspect finally drops his wall of dismissiveness, stating “you asked about (name)? Well, they helped me stay alive.” the interrogator will ask them to elaborate, and he will tell a story about their escape, and how (name) helped them and was a friend in prison, only for them to be killed months later in a “stop and search” incident, in which he resisted arrest. (Possession of narcotics). The officer notices their interrogation time is coming to an end and asks one final question. “What brought you to become a criminal? The criminal then explains it was not a life he chose, but a matter of coincidence. The time finishes and guards come to bring him to his cell, leaving the interrogator and the audience with questions as to who the criminal really is. 

Characters 

Interrogator – is attempting to get information out of our criminal. 

Criminal – a person who tried to avoid a life of crime and was sent down it through coincidence. 

(name) - a friend of the criminal who helped them to escape. 

Film treatment 

For the style of the film, I want it to seem dark and gritty, but not overly depressing. I want the interrogation to seem tense. I would like the language and dialogue to be used semi-sparingly, where each sentence seems impactful and interesting. Sound will be used to emphasise strong emotions when non-diegetic with the use of droning sound effects, and increasingly intense music when the interrogation gets tense. Ambient sound effects will also be used sparingly, to make the interrogation room feel isolated, such as the sound of cars passing or water dripping from pipes. Mise en scene will be used to emphasize the power each character has in the room, such as the positioning of the characters never breaking the 180-degree rule. Cinematography will use close ups during scenes with a large focus on emotion, and when a character says something important. Editing will be used very little, with cuts used infrequently to make the room seem empty and uncomfortable by lingering on a certain shot for longer than necessary. 

Target audience 

The target audience for my short film is any fans of crime dramas, and specifically young adult males who may have grown up in struggling household. 

Film purpose 

The genre of my short film is a crime drama, and so the theme will coincide with the genre by being desolate and dark. I want to represent the interrogation as the middle of a full story that the audience won’t see, similar to the short film seen in my research. 

Legal and ethical considerations 

For legal considerations, it is important for my short film to not discuss the topics of violent crimes in a disrespectful or ignorant manner, and for ethical considerations, I must remember not to commit slander or libel against the police force.