Proposal

1. Proposal
1
Centre Name and Number:
York College 48357
Student Name and Number:
Connor David Robert Wiffen
Project proposal title and date:
Umbra
Main area of activity:
The medium I have chosen is film.
Rationale:
Throughout the course I have a produced and contributed to a multitude of products that have all
given me something to take forward into my Final Major Project, for example during the factual
section I wrote up a script which was the first time I had ever properly done it and gained a lot of
knowledge about how a script is formatted which I can carry forward into writing the script for the
FMP. I took part in editing a horror short for a friend where I took notes on what works and what
didn’t within the confines of what was filmed by them to avoid or implement into my own work in
the future. Over the many projects and assignments, I have learnt a lot about different camera
shots that could be utilised for this film and the some of the horror conventions used in the likes of
Alien, which I will definitely use to help make the film the best it can be within the genre.
Project Concept:
The concept for my production is a short film within the Horror genre for an audience that is around
the age range of 15 to 30, which aims to make the viewer question what they are seeing. The
outline for the production begins when someone finds an old DVD in the garage and decides to
watch it; strange things begin to occur as they witness a ghostly version of themselves during their
everyday life before one day, They blink (transition from location as eye closes) and are suddenly
in an empty building dating back to Edwardian England (Queenswood School). Events become
more and more out of their control as they have no idea where they are or what is happening until
the ghostly version makes itself known to her, causing them to attempt anything to escape but just
like before the location suddenly changes once again (transition , this time into woods where after
a brief attempt to run reality and fantasy are intertwined as the film ends with the ghost reaching
for them (I.e. Death catching up to them.) and someone else watching a different video creating a
loop of sorts. On the research side of thing I will need to find information on the locations I could
potentially use for filming, the best kind of makeup to help make the ghostly version of the
character look as authentic as possible (Assisted by my sister), I will need to research more
conventions of horror films and methods of conveying fear to the audience as this will help to make
the production a lot more effective.
How will the project be evaluated and reviewed:
Throughout the project I will be doing weekly diaries of what I did which will allow me to easily get
back to where I was as well as note down any improvements, I should be making for the next
week. I will also be using peer feedback and asking the tutor what they think to get direct opinions
on my work through each stage and at the end of the project I will be employing a final self-
reflection on the entirety of what I have done by comparing it with similar pieces of work as well as
against the initial outcomes I planned during the Planning and Pre-Production segments. These
processes will allow me to consciously improve my work standards and the way in which I work to
the best of my ability, carrying over any improvements to my work practices that would enhance
the quality of my future productions.

2. Proposal
2
Bibliography:
i. Wiffen, Connor. (2019) Target Audience Research Survey (conducted on DATE)
ii. Interviewees, Name. (2019) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on DATE)
iii. Ringu. (1998). [film]Directed by H. Nakata. Japan:Toho.
iv. Ju-On: The Curse. (2000). [film]Directed by T. Shimizu. Japan:Toei Video Company.
v. Dark Water. (2000). [film]Directed by H. Nakata. Japan:Toho.
vi. Hereditary. (2018). [film]Directed by A. Aster. Hollywood: A24.
vii. Dead Silence. (2007). [film]Directed by J. Wan. Hollywood: Universal Pictures.
viii. Choi, J. and Wada-Marciano, M. (2009). Horror to the Extreme: Changing Boundariesin Asian Cinema. 2nd
ed. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
ix. Draven, D. (2015). The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead: A Mortal's Guide to Making Horror Movies. Focal
Press.
x. Hantke, S. (2004). Horror film. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.
xi. Bloody Disgusting Podcast Network (n.d.). [podcast] The Horror Show. Available at:
http://www.ihatehorror.com/.
xii. Horror Movie Resource Site. (n.d.). Horror FilmTheory. [online] Available at:
https://horrormovieressource.weebly.com/horror-film-theory.html.
xiii. Grove, E. (2017). 13 Steps To Making A Horror Film - Raindance. [online]Raindance. Available at:
https://www.raindance.org/13-steps-to-making-a-horror-film/.
xiv. Tecmo (2002) Project Zero, videogame, Playstation 2, Tecmo, Japan.

3. Proposal
3
Week Tasks to be Completed: Specific Tasks
1
January
Week
beginning
21st
Pre-production
 Proposal and background research
 Profile of Directors
 Collection of theories relating to my specific
genre
2
January
Week
Beginning
28th
Pre-production
 Research- primary and secondary
 Research of Target Audience
 Research of Horror Conventions
 Research of Shots
 Research of Similar Products
3
February
Week
Beginning
4th
Pre-production
 Research- primary and secondary
 Research of Potential Filming Locations
 Research of Potential Camera and Editing
techniques
 Expanding upon the Theories to be used
4
February
Week
Beginning
11h
Pre-production
 Experiments
 Practicing interesting camera techniques
 Practicing filming in a dark environment
 Practicing using equipment i.e. Fog machine
5
February
Week
Beginning
18h
Pre-production
 Experiments
 Practicing Colour grading
 Practicing interesting editing techniques
 Creation of very rough draft to give idea of what
the production could look like.
 Practice music production
6
March
Week
Beginning
4th
Pre-production
 Pre-Production and planning
 Style Sheets
 Storyboard
 Script outlines & writing
 Structural Breakdown
 Style Sheets
7
March
Week
Beginning
11th
Pre-production
 Pre-Production and planning
 Production Schedule
 Location planning
 Equipment planning
 Contingency Planning
 Risk Assessment
 Audio Planning

4. Proposal
4
8
March
Week
Beginning
18th
Production  Film
 Production Reflection
9
March
Week
Beginning
25th
Production  Film (Possibly)
 Music Production (Dependant on time)
 Edit
 Production Reflection
10
April
Week
Beginning
1st
Production
 Edit first Draft
 Production Reflection
11
April
Week
Beginning
8th
Production  Draft peer feedback
 Note down improvements
 Edit and make improvements
 Production Reflection
12 Production
 Film again (If needed/possible)
 Edit and make improvements
 Production Reflection
13 Production
 2nd Draft feedback
 Note down improvements
 Edit and make improvements
 Production Reflection
14
May
Week
Beginning
20th
Production
 Final Draft feedback
 Make small improvements if necessary
 Production Reflection
15
May
Week
Beginning
20th
Evaluation
 Evaluate
 Peer Feedback
16 Evaluation
 Evaluation

5. Proposal
5
A girl is helping clear out the garage for her Nan and looking for any items of interest that could have possibly
been collected over time. After finding a blank DVD amongst some old photos she decides to watch it which is
the catalyst for the events of the film, the DVD shows her seemingly random clips of an otherworldly woman
walking through a wood and shots ofan old building without any context before long she starts to see a strange
figure in the corner of her eye but shakes it off as being nothing until the moment when she’s trying to go to
sleep and is suddenly somewhere else. She begins to look around to no avail until she notices that she isn’t
getting anywhere, it’s as if she is trapped in an infinite loop with no foreseeable way of escaping. Before long
the figure appears in front of her and stretches out a hand to which she backs away from causing the figure to
snap its fingers and transport her to anotherlocation, this time an eerie wood. She starts to run in a random
direction, not knowing where she’ll end up but she’s too scared and confused to care at this point. after running
through the woods for a little while the figure walks out from behind a tree, causing her to fall back onto the
ground.The figure slowly walks towards her as she backs away into a tree but the figure kneels down in front of
her sequence ends with separate shots of empty locations seen previously with no sign of her anywhere. The
film ends with the figure walking through the woods and the camera pans up to the spirit’s eyes which are now
the same as hers.
June
Week
Beginning
3rd
17
June
Week
Beginning
10th
Evaluation  Presentation
18
June
Week
Beginning
17th
Moderation  Make sure everything is ready for this week

19
June
Week
Beginning
24th
Show Preparation  Produce short script
 Collect work to show

20
July
Week
Beginning
1st
Show 