P4 - PITCH IDEAS TO CLIENT

THE PITCH




THE PRESENTATION

SELF EVALUATION

The pitch was a fairly daunting task for me as I get anxious presenting ideas, but in spite of this I ended up enjoying this unit a lot more than I expected. On the whole, I've become more confident in my ideas and a bit more comfortable presenting. My passion is something I could see coming through when I answered questions about Croak but my main pitfall is my nervousness. I think my practice pitch was a bit more successful in this regard; I keep noticing my deep breaths while I'm talking, and this is down to my desire to cram all of my points into a limited amount of time. My main gripe with my presentation here is a lack of story - I don't explain exactly what happens in each episode, or give a synopsis. This is something to take forward into Unit 22, when I use this idea to write a script. 

D1 - Discuss client considerations (+ retrospective)

THEMES

TITLE

The title 'Croak' has a double meaning. It can mean the noise a frog makes, or dying. The idea here is to make light of the more serious meaning by pairing it with something silly. The concept of croak is based around contrasting the gritty reality that is usually shown on BBC3, or at least provide something more whimsical and with more metaphors about real issues than actual issues. Of course, the characters will go through regular struggles - these are just part of being human. 

As I've said, he title refers both to the mystery of the disappearing frog and to any potential murder that could take place within the series. The plan for series 1 was to go lighter on the crime aspect in order to tell more of an abstract, quirky little story. However, upon consuming related media (in particular, Agatha Raisin) I've realised how fun a murder mystery can be. It would fit the strange tone of the show and make it a little meatier.

CHARACTER

My characters - specifically the main cast - are all different people with differing goals and motivations. It took a while to figure out characters that wouldn't only suit the BBC3 audience, but entertain them too. That fulfills the audience pleasure of escapism. The characters in general, though, fulfill the idea of personal identity - the relatability angle. 

Croak is very much a story about Fen Marsh, my main character, learning to find value in other people. The use of a paranoid, antisocial protagonist who grows and learns fits the subject matter extremely well, I think. Cults and societies are typically known to prey on isolated people and Fen makes an effort to isolate herself from others. 

CULTS, SECRET SOCIETIES AND THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

I talked at length about secret societies both in my pitch and my proposal. I have a personal connection to this topic because a family member is part of the Freemasons, which has always been a source of fear for those outside the know (myself included). BBC3 doesn't have many shows about secret societies or cults, and if they did it would be interesting to see how they wrote them. Something important to me, personally, would be a layer of observational comedy about the fear the idea of a cult instills in people (as is the British film industry way). When you think cult, you think dark rooms and blood and sacrifices, because that's what pop culture would have us believe. I think there is humour in investigating a cult, only to find out that the reality is quite disappointing - in Croak, the twist is not that there is a terrifying cult of murderers, but a vulnerable girl protesting the only way she can see will help. I do love a happy ending, and that will contribute to the whimsical feeling of the show. It might be nice to see a happy ending on BBC3, where gritty reality often takes a hold in the end.

One example of a cult story is Midsommar, a brightly-lit and peculiar horror film about a cult who isolates a woman from the people she knows. I think it's a great piece of work to take inspiration for Croak from - particularly because it's so atypical for the horror genre. The colours, white in particular, are bright and overwhelmingly clean. It's whimsical, much like I envision Croak to be. One part of Midsommar I think would be really interesting to explore here, without turning my show into horror, would be the recruitment methods cults use. My protagonist, Fen, is someone who believes she is mentally untouchable at the beginning of the show. She'll learn and change by the end but this attitude is a key feature of the show.

WITCHES AND THE SUPERNATURAL

One particular thing I'd like to address is the presentation of witches in Croak - specifically with regards to magic. Croak is low budget, and so there can't be exciting effects or anything like that. Croak is more involved in the sense of community witches have and the repercussions of breaking trust. The reveal of witches is more important than their magic, though in future series that could come into play. This series sets up a lot of things for future viewing, and so it is the perfect contender for a second series. 

REPRESENTATION OF MINORITIES, CASUAL OR OTHERWISE

I was also concerned with the presentation of the characters in Croak as diverse and different to each other.  BBC3 is focused on educating its viewers on the world, and despite its otherworldly feel, Croak still needs those fundamental parts for it to fit the client's vision. Being white myself, it's still strange to see that so many media executives (and consumers) don't value the representation of other races as much as maintaining the status quo. It isn't surprising, considering that priorities for companies nowadays rely on the same sorts of people they have for years and years. The least I can do, as a member of this generation, is provide a diverse cast to challenge the norm. 

 

In terms of sexuality, I can speak to representation in a more personal way. Being bisexual, I often notice the lack of representation in the media for sexualities that aren't straight or gay - it's fantastic that things are opening up nowadays but it's imperative to keep it up. The general public's understanding of, for example, asexuality (no sexual attraction) and pansexuality (attraction regardless of gender) depends on their representation in the media. It's the same for the concept of gender nonconforming, or being non-binary. As a new generation going into the creative industry, I think it's up to us to keep pushing for this to help the world learn and grow. Future generations of children will be more comfortable exploring their identity if they see a range of them every day.

AUDIENCE PLEASURES

I would like to speak to the idea of escapism with this idea. I've always loved escapism - in books, comics, TV and my own head. Stories with the ability to transport your mind to new places and immerse your in the action are second to none and I absolutely adore them (coincidentally, my favourite book as a child was E.D. Baker's 'The Frog Princess' which may have influenced my story idea via some sort of magical osmosis). The bottom line is this: escapism will always be an incredibly important aspect of fiction and TV shows would 

A CROAK RETROSPECTIVE (CHANGES FOR UNIT 22)

In order to bring Croak to pre-production, certain changes would have to be made. In addition to this, I have some changes I'd like to make to the story in order to make the series more interesting.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

For the final version of the idea, certain things would have to be adapted and built upon. For instance, I would need to flesh out the storyline as more than a supporting document. It was difficult to figure out a solid plot whilst planning for the pitch, but Unit 22 is much more story focused. 

The characters driving the story would need some work in this case; as of now, they're limited to a main cast. Minor characters are often (but not always) important in making a setting come to life - certainly a town. One way to keep the cost for hiring actors down when filling Ngaio town and campus is to give a reason in fiction, like I've used the idea that the university is on break and only a few students are left behind. 

MURDER

For Unit 22, it would be much more interesting to integrate a murder mystery into the story. For this reason, I've edited my episodic breakdown on its original post in a different colour. I regret not leaning into Croak's other meaning, but I think at first I was apprehensive about more mature themes in what I saw as more of a lighthearted show. I do love murder mystery as a genre and the many different ways you can explore characters and setting through it, so I believe it's a good call to put my foot down and do something fun with the concept.

M3 - Understand feedback and respond to questions

THE QUESTIONS

WITH MANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, I WAS INSTRUCTED TO GUIDE 

THE PROFESSIONALS THROUGH MY PRESENTATION. I'VE 

ADDED SOME QUESTIONS THAT SEEM APPROPRIATE.

My additions after the fact are in italics.

1. WHAT IS CROAK ABOUT?

It's about a girl who goes to university who finds out about a kind of 

secret society of witches and then that kind of unravels from there.

2. GIVE US YOUR STATEMENT OF NEED.

On BBC3 there aren't any shows that deal with anything other than real life

so I thought it would be interesting to have a story about something that

relates to real life but is really weird and not real at all.

My main characters all have weird names and the pets have weird

names - things like that.

3. WHAT KIND OF LOOK ARE YOU GOING FOR?

It's not set in the 80s, but it has an 80s aesthetic. It kind

of leads to the fact it's not real life, but like real life.

Croak is supposed to imitate life rather than tell a story of

it.

4. WHY AN EIGHTIES AESTHETIC?

The reason for the aesthetic is because a lot of conspiracy theories, 

which inspired the story, are a part of the 60s, 80s and 90s They're

based on the fear of the unknown, usually religious.

The 80s are also really popular nowadays, so that made my decision.

Also we're competing with Netflix which has shows like that.

5. SO IT'S NOT A PERIOD PIECE?

No.

6. HOW LONG WILL IT RUN?

The duration is half an hour, which is as short as Netflix

dramas rather than BBC3 dramas, to compete.

7. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

I thought 700k sounded like a good idea at the minimum

because it's not a lot of money necessarily. 

Budget was something I found difficult to work out.

I did try to find some other shows with this amount of

money but I couldn't - it's really difficult to find

8. WHAT PRODUCTION COMPANY DID YOU CHOOSE?

I've chosen two brothers pictures. They made Fleabag and

Back To Life. Back to life was the drama I watched for inspiration.

9. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR INSPIRATIONS ON YOUR MOODBOARDS?

At the top left we have the show Pushing Daisies which is really good,

it uses bright colours (over exposure) and it's a really cool aesthetic.

On the right we have Dirk Gently which is - again - weird and vibrant.

Ashes to Ashes is a show set in the 80s as well, it's really good.

10. WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENT OF YOUR SHOW LIKE?

I wanted to contrast a really bright, pop-y environment above the

ground and on campus with dark tunnels underground (which you see in a

couple of episodes). It works with the theme of fearing the unknown.

11. WHAT ARE YOUR CHARACTER DESIGNS LIKE?

Again, I wanted to go for something bright and kind of messy. Something

movable and casual (mostly for my main character, Fen) to fit with the

aesthetic.

12. WHO IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?

Fifteen to twenty-one year olds (because that is the BBC3 audience),

I've also gone with females because it appeals to me personally.

However, it i not so directly aimed at a female audience that 

it would not attract any other sorts of audience members. There

is also casual representation of minorities - just because we can!

It's good for people to experience this representation (in the media

specifically). Then I've also included fans of mystery and weird

shows - people seem to like being surprised on TV.

13. THE SOUNDTRACK?

I didn't want any lyrical songs but I did think that with

the 80s theme, you could have 80s themed music.

No Offence is a good example of a show with a non-lyrical

theme that works really effectively.

I'm thinking upbeat music to give the show more of a

lighthearted feeling and make it seem less like a

gritty drama.

CLIENT FEEDBACK

Additional
Delivery feedback:

Positives






 Your PowerPoint gave a


     sense of the intended colour scheme






 You were able to answer


     questions in a mature, professional manner






 You responded positively


     to feedback and suggestions







 You were organised






 You were well presented


     and looked professional








Room for

improvement






 The delivery would have


     benefited from more “selling” of the idea



I didn't give a proper sense of the story, which is

definitely an area I could improve in.




 Although your logline


     was effective in conveying your show in a nutshell, you didn’t read it



I would definitely change my wording given the chance to pitch my show again. 




 Avoid yawning to help


     emphasise your passion for the project



The yawning was a way of breathing to calm my nerves, as when 

I get anxious I find it hard to breathe. It’s definitely something to work on,

but amounts to the bigger problem of calming my nerves about sharing ideas.




 From your supporting

     documents, I can see you have thought your ideas through, but those ideas


     were not all explained clearly enough in your pitch



Again, the story is a vital part of the entire process. I didn’t include 

enough of it for the pitch to have a real sense of story, leaving it all quite 

vague. If I did this again, I’d add some slides on character and story arcs.




 Your pitch PowerPoint would


     have benefited from an abbreviated version of your Character Profiles.



I’ll keep that in mind - character is very important in writing a story, they drive the plot forwards. 











Content

feedback





Positives






 Your idea was quirky and


     interesting






 Potentially good fit for


     BBC3






 Excellent range of


     supporting documents that enhance the idea






 As a supporting document


     your script was helpful in setting the scene nicely








Room for

improvement






 Budget of £700,000 per

     episode is too high an expectation for a “low budget” BBC3 drama – you are


     unlikely to get more than £200,000 per episode at most.



With more time, I would have researched more into the budget. It’s something 

to take forward and something I struggle to figure out.




 80’s nostalgic feel is

     on trend right now, but will be slightly more expensive due to need for

     art director, costume designer and more props. How will you keep the cost




I was thinking that a limited number of characters to dress would make this a 

lot easier, so perhaps - in that case - we could set the first series of Croak at a 

university break, so that only a few students are there. This would give more of 

a spaced out feeling whilst keeping the cost down, I believe.




 Explain how magic will


     be visualised in your show – will there be a need for special effects?



As I’ve mentioned previously, there won’t be any magical effects. I was 

thinking that any spells that happen could be offscreen, setting up a potential 

series 2 to explore magic. Despite that, magic is likely to be less done with 

effects and more done with props, such as potion-making or rituals.




 How did you plan on


     visualising the witches? Do they just like ordinary humans?



I want the witches to be a community, just like humans but secretive - t

hey’re just a group of people with a potentially dangerous secret. The witch 

council are all regular people of the town who have jobs and families. 

They usually marry other witches to save telling their secret, and bring 

up their children secretly as witches whilst maintaining the front. 




 Is the title “Croak” a


     play on words? Is there a death or murder?





The title ‘croak’ is a joke - it takes something serious, like dying, 

and makes light of it with a silly word. There isn’t currently a murder. 

If, in future series, there was a murder, it wouldn’t be a source of 

doom and gloom for the viewer. Croak takes serious topics and 

twists them on their heads, that’s my concept.