Norwich Film Festival is a competition held in Norfolk that offers winners of five different categories - best short films, best animated film, best student film, best documentary and best screenplay. They reward each winner with £200.
- All screenplays must be in English
- Entry Fees must be paid at the time of submission
- Entries must be 25 minutes or less
- Screenplay submissions must be 30 pages or less
Screenplay Analysis
The dialogue in this scene allows the characters to be portrayed in a realistic way. Soo Lin is shown to be the caring, knowledgeable character whereas Andy Galbraith is made out to be a shy person. The way Soo Lin talks about the tea pot shows that she really enjoys and cares about her job and the history that surrounds it. The words that are used within the scene directions also support this, such as the word 'offers', showing she is kind towards others and trusts them to handle the artifacts. The scene directions also sell the location very well. Its easy to picture the museum from just reading the script. There is good detail of the environment and the busy crowds of the space around Soo Lin.
Short Films
Black Swell- This is a short film made by Jake Honig. This film is based around suicide and being alone. I like this short film because it uses minimalist dialogue and allows actions to speak louder than the words. The inner presence of the characters is shown, as they are both suicidal but neither of them every say a single word to suggest that this is the case. The way they don't smile and they mope around, gives a sense of sadness that doesn't have to be directly explained- revealing his inner presence. When dialogue is taking place, it builds tension and allows you to delve into the characters. One of the characters is older man who an ex-teacher and he has a short temper. The other character is an ex-student of his, who is lonely and desperately wants to have some connection with someone. The way the world of this screenplay is presented within the film, suggests that the writer knew what he wanted the setting to be like- the scene directions and descriptions were clearly explained in great detail to get the end result that it did. The night's darkness and sea breeze reflects the characters minds, as they are being swallowed and muddled with the dark thoughts of suicide.
Code 8- This is a short film made by Jeff Chan. This short film is based around a world that oppresses people with special ablities. It is better than Black Swell in terms of dialogue, as it includes more- it allows you to get closer to each character in the short amount of time. The main character Robbie Amell has dialogue that shows he cares about the people he is close with. The scene directions also support this as at the beginning we see him being a family man towards his brother and mother.
Audience Research
This is the survey I created in order to gain audience feedback and opinions surrounding my script and film concept.
Create your own user feedback survey
From the research I can see that around 70% of the people that answered, had some form of interest towards dramas (the genre of my film). This gives me confidence that my film will reach a core audience that is fairly large in comparison to other genres. 
Some of the responses I got suggested that people enjoy dramas because of the connection they get to the characters whilst watching. This is good for my film, as the story is heavily invested in my character's family issues and how it is affecting his current situation. The survey responses also point out that the story line is also a big part of why the audience likes the genre of drama, as they are often more grounded in reality than a lot of other genres are, such as horror or Sci-Fi, meaning we can immerse ourselves in the world and can imagine what our emotional response would be towards the situation.
Although the majority said yes, I had a few people say they wouldn't be very interested in watching a film based around a broken father-son relationship. I am going to go along with the majority and stick to that relationship dynamic, but I will try to include other elements to interest those that aren't as interested.Theme
The theme of my short film is going to based around the need for family and how family is important. This theme is one that near enough everyone can relate to and therefore can become committed to the story. As well as this, it faces the theme of loss within the family on several different levels, one being Dean's mother dying, the second being the father leaving and the third being the brother passing away years prior. This allows a connection to be made with the characters as most people can empathise with death and grief.
In my narrative, there is a lawyer character. As the writer, not knowing much about the legal side of the topics in the story, i had to research the process of dealing with a death as well as how property ownership works within a divorced family, in order to make the story as realistic as possible. When a couple are divorced, they can legally negotiate on what happens to their property, such as splitting payments or selling it, but once a decision is made there will be no support in court if you decide to breach the agreement.
Existing Text
A main piece of media that I find to be most similar and the most inspiration to my story is the Disney film 'Finding Nemo' due to its theme of family and loss. My story, similar to 'Finding Nemo', focuses on a family dynamic that ended on a negative, being reunited and restoring the positive. As well as this, 'Finding Nemo' is a drama, that allows people of all ages to be affected by the events of the film, as many people can relate to loss in the family.
Bibliography
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/protecting-your-home-ownership-rights-during-divorce-or-dissolution
http://www.muchloved.com/gateway/death-of-a-loved-one.htm
http://www.norwichfilmfestival.co.uk/
http://www.shmoop.com/finding-nemo/family-theme.html
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