Experimental Film - 'Step by Step' Treatment and Story

Experimental Film Idea – ‘Step by Step’ by Billie Williams

‘In this story we follow a family of shoes who all live on a shoe rack together. Each different pair has its own memories and its own experiences so they will all be anthropomorphized. There will be three mains pairs and we will follow these one by one. The first two pairs will be a very girly pair of trainers which will be represented a being a middle aged female in its thoughts and feelings and will been show enjoying the sun outside. Another pair will be a really old tatty pair of running shoes which will be represented as an older male figure who again loves to be out in the sun running around. The final pair will be a pair of wellington boots who will be represented as a younger male who loves being out in the rain splashing in puddles. We will also show them all communicating through movements and expressions mimicking a family on the shoe rack. The disruption to their life happen when it turns too sunny for the wellington boots and he keeps getting left behind. Then he gets moved into a cupboard by himself where he peeks out each day hoping for them to come back. Eventually when he’s given up hope he finally gets moved back out the cupboard and onto the shoe rack. When he gets there he is greeted by two extra pairs of new young wellington boots. When then see them all outside together running in the puddles having fun.’

Treatment Programme title: ‘Step by Step’ Duration: 5:00 minutes Genre: Children’s Short Experimental Film (Part real footage/Part animation)

Outline Production: It is all about creating anthropomorphized shoes through real footage and part animation which express the feelings and memories of the shoes owners. This shows the link between peoples possessions and there connections and memories to them. Target Audience: Children and young adults however it shares a message that could be interpreted by older people too. Visual Elements: Lighting – Bright daytime lighting for the happy moments with a gold tone. Blue dark light for the sad scenes. Camera Movement – Variety of camera shots but primarily low angles to just get the shoes in shots. Editing – Fast paced for the happy scenes then slower pace for the sad scenes. Setting – Family home. Needs a shoe rack in the hallway and a storage cupboard nearby. The outside locations will take place at the parks in Farnham. Actors – Need 3 actors (old male, young male and old female) however their bodies will never really be in shot. Props – The s pairs of shoes and shoe rack. Costume – No specific costumes because as I said the actors bodies won’t ever be featured. Audio Elements: Effects – Won’t ever have specific talking as shoes will communicate through expression. Maybe background noise of laughter etc when shoes are outside. Music  - Need a very light hearted soundtrack to suit a young audience. It needs to change pace with the emotions of the film. Requirements and Resources: Camera, tripod, sound equipment, On set Lighting and coloured gels/diffusers. Constraints and Contingency: Need certain weather types for some scenes.