Pitch

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Homework: My Film Pitch (Changes)

Idea/Storyline



My idea for a new A-A movie is called 'The Conspiracy'. As the name suggests this relates to a massive and powerful conspiracy on a global scale. In the present day world, a group only known only as 'Hightower' (much like Nightingale from Spooks Series 8), are at the centre of the greatest and most deadly conspiracy the world has ever seen, whose members are placed in high power positions throughout the world's most powerful nations - e.g. Ministers, Chief of Police, Security Service Directors etc. Events begin to unfold when at a multi-national security services meeting where the world's largest security services are sharing information, several important figures are ruthlessly assassinated by Hightower including the CIA chief, NSA deputy director, MI5&6 officers as well as Chinese representatives etc. The events create huge tensions between the sides with the USA's national security level going to DEFCON 2 and public signs of aggression from rebel states such as North Korea and uprisings in seemingly stable countries such as Russia and in the Middle East.

A group of junior agents from most of the security services present decide to join forces and co-operate to unearth the mystery behind the events, although they remain suspicious of each other as they are weary that anyone could be involved in the conspiracy. As they return to their home nations, each of them continues to unearth information upon figures in their own agencies to the point at which they have managed to identify the perpetrators. However when they mount operations to capture each of these rogue agents at the same time so as to avoid tip-offs, they find that they have all mysteriously disappeared.


After rigorously tracking each of the perpetrators down all the agents find that they have gathered in one location and meet up once more to storm the Hightower stronghold on a remote pacific island. A huge invasion effort then ensues on the heavily defended island as the agents attempt to prevent Hightower from executing its missions to destabilise the Earth and create a mass world war. 

Once the agents arrive in the control centre an alarm suddenly goes off, warning the loyal agents that codes are being sent to a Pakistan Nuclear Silo to launch Nuclear Weapons at India and China. The agents realise that they must stop this otherwise the world will be plunged into a global thermo-nuclear war. As soon as they are about to undo the codes the rogue agents appear and each fights off with the betrayer of their own country. The rogues are defeated and the codes disarmed preventing war, but as everyone leaves the island, a mysterious masked figure emerges from the shadows and is seen in the last shot to be laughing menacingly through a distorted voice.

Todorov

Equilibrium -  Everything in the world appears to be normal at the beginning of the movie, with no recent terrorist attacks and a general sense of relaxation between the world's powers.

Disruption -  Sudden assassinations of key people and escalation in tensions leading to widespread anarchy and the potential breakdown of all diplomacy with the beginnings of a thermo-nuclear war imminent. This sparks the investigations and searches which encounter various diffculties along the way attempting to restore the equilibrium.

Restoration -  The equilibrium is restored eventually following the capture of the rogue agents, however this seems to be a false equilibrium due to the masked figure appearing from the shadows creating the belief that there is yet further disruption to the equilibrium in the future.

Propp

Heroes (Agents) -  Strong, intelligent male and female spies from all over the world and from different ethnicities and cultures who protect the 'good' of society and the world, reflecting positive aspects of a human personality.

Villains (Rogue Agents) -  Sinister, sly male and female agents who have become bitter from their years of experience and lack of recognition. Reflect jealousy, fear and destructive traits of the human personality.

Stars/Casting

Loyal Agents:

• Angelina Jolie - Russian FSB
• Jackie Chan - Chinese MSS
• Jessica Alba -CIA
• Johnny Depp - MI5
• Will Smith - Secret Service

 Rogue Agents: 

• Vinnie Jones - MI5
• Jet Li - Chinese MSS
• Sigourney Weaver - CIA
• Samuel L. Jackson - Secret Service
• Peter Stormare - Russian FSB 

Masked Mastermind:

• Arnold Schwarzenegger

Director - James Cameron
Producer - Steven Spielberg

Writer - George Lucas

Target Audience

The target audience of my movie will be teenagers of both genders and likewise for adults between the ages of 12 and 40.

Marketing Plan

The movie would be released in the Summer Holidays to achieve the largest viewing numbers. Posters would be set up on billboards, bus stops, underground stations and in cinemas a month before release. A taster trailer would be shown 6 months in advance of release with the TV trailer released a month before release. The website will be erected 3 months before release and after release will promote merchandise and the DVD. Online it will also be possible for fans to buy replicas of the gadgets found in the movie as well as caricatures. A week in advance of release we will set up a sponsorship deal with a radio station so that the film is promoted throughout that week. Release Date would be July 2012.

The Inspirations

• Swordfish
• Spooks (TV Programme)
• Thunderbirds
• Star Wars 
• The Expendables
  Many Others

Homework: A-A Clip Genre Analysis

Narrative

This movie follows Todorov's theory with a 3 part structure with Equilibrium, Disruption and Restoration. We are shown the equilibrium with the partners Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), when they are fighting crime. However almost immediately they are presented with the disruption that the supposed huge drug smuggling operation they were going to catch was in fact only 2 bags of drugs, and events develop from that point at which they are tracking down the bulk of the drugs that eluded them. Here they encounter a drug lord who claims to own Miami, with Marcus' sister Syd involved in a separate undercover mission to take him down. When trying to capture the drug baron, the operation takes a turn for the worse as Syd is kidnapped and Johnny Tapia escapes to Cuba. The restoration is when a team of elite commandos including Mike and Marcus arrive on Cuba and ambush Tapia's house. After a car chase, they successfully rescue Syd and kill Johnny Tapia.

• The movie features the typical themes surrounding a love interest between Mike (one of the heroes) and Syd (the princess), and the fight between good and evil between the police forces and the Johnny Tapia drug cartel.
• Typical actions and events include numerous shootouts as well as fast-paced car chases throughout, another common feature of many A-A films.

Iconography

Throughout the film we are presented with the common A-A iconography of guns and other weapons, military style clothing, blood and injuries as well as death, and the stereotypical clothing of characters such as Cuban drug smugglers in suits whilst Haitian gangsters are in jeans and mesh vests. These provide a key role throughout as they provide the power of suggestion with displaying the genre and general plot and progression of the story without having to use tedious dialogue. This is a very important feature throughout all A-A movies and is shown again in this case with the above mentioned typical iconography.

Character

Using Propp's theory, we can categorise many of the main characters into the categories of:

• Hero: Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) play these characters as the two crime-fighting special division police officers. However Mike fits the traditional hero role much more as he ends up with the princess character of the movie, and acts in a much more masculine and alpha-male way throughout with his fast expensive cars, designer clothes and driving/shooting skills, although Marcus actually pulls the trigger to kill Johnny Tapia.
• Villain: Johnny Tapia (Jordi Molla) plays this role as a typical villain with more modern twists involving the drug smuggling business. He also towards the end of the movie kidnaps the princess character and so fits with the traditional view of a villain character.
• False Hero: Captain Howard plays this role as someone who is always on the good side of the good/bad idea with movies, however he restricts the two officers during their investigations and so prevents them from possibly concluding the story earlier.
• Princess: Syd (Gabrielle Union), Marcus' sister acts as the princess character in the movie. She is rescued by the heroes and their helpers and donors in Cuba and then kisses the hero Mike. However she also acts as a helper earlier on when she is undercover compiling a case against Johnny Tapia.
• Princess' Father: Marcus plays this role from the older brother perspective in the movie and there is obvious comedy created by Mike lying to his partner about what has happened in the past and his and Syd's relationship.
• Helpers & Donors: These act as the same at the end of the movie when Mike and Marcus along with the other officers part of their squad, as well as the DEA officers and other CIA officers who join forces with them. They all know that the mission they are attempting could end horribly but they still agree and they put their lives on the line to save Syd for Marcus and Mike.

  
  

  Setting

  
  

  The setting of the movie is mostly in the urban environment of Miami and it's coastline with the ending sequences set in Cuba. These fit the A-A genre with a typically famous place such as Cuba which is hostile for one of the settings and then the wealthy drug baron lifestyle one may live in a city like Miami. There is also a strong military presence but mostly police presence where the movie is set and this again adds to the connotations of crime and a good vs. evil fight as is common in A-A movies.

  
  

DYM HW feedback

Hi Rijul

You have shown very good understanding of the theories - well done.  Yes, the Fockers narrative can be boiled down to Gregg and fiancee's life - parents meet - everyone is reconciled.  Your blog is also well presented, so keep this up.