Produce a proposal for the original media product to meet the client brief (P1)

Treatment

Film title: AV3

Log line: Through a found-footage format, Richard documents his experience becoming involved with a cult-like group, uncovering their true motives and eventually escaping.

Character names and descriptions:

Travis - A very hard-working and burnt out man who's seeking some respite and thinks he's found it in the New Wellness Clinic. He dresses quite generically, in a kind of smart/casual polo shirt and trousers.

Richard - Manager of The New Wellness Clinic and the one pulling the strings on their shady true motives. He dresses very smartly, in a suit and tie.

Other NWC Employees - Additional background characters who are seen only in protective clothing.

Target audience: Millennials and Gen Z

Style and genre: Found footage

Personnel: Cast, camera operators, microphone operators, editors and special effects crew

Distribution and marketing: Small cinema release then physical and streaming with whoever we can make a deal with.

BBFC certificate and rationale: 15 due to the likely somewhat violent nature of later confrontational scenes.

Synopsis for Act 1:

The first act of the feature largely follows the same story as the short:

The film begins along the lines of a recording of a 2000s TV advert break. This consists of the end of a generic advert for a shoe brand, followed by the majority of a relatively short and simple advert for some kind of mental retreat, 'The New Wellness Clinic', which at face value seems irrelevant but with context of what follows retroactively appears very sinister. This advert then cuts off after 1 or 2 frames of some terms and conditions appearing at the bottom of the screen, reading:

'Terms and conditions apply. By contacting The New Wellness Clinic you waiver your right to speak publicly regarding your experiences in relation to our company. Injury, death or dismemberment is the responsibility of the individual and not of the company. By contacting us, you consent to your telephone number being added to our database and your personal information being traced for security and training purposes. Thank you for choosing The New Wellness Clinic. :)'

Upon cutting abruptly away from this, we enter the main narrative: Our protagonist finds themselves in a small, enclosed room, with only the camcorder they were carrying beforehand. There's a date and timestamp on the screen showing that this is taking place on May 9th, 2004. They explain briefly to the camera that if they've found this footage they're probably dead and they are about to say their name before the tape cuts to what was on it previously: showing this person getting ready to presumably set off on whatever trip has resulted in this incident. We see them putting toiletries into a suitcase atop various clothes. We then return to the room as the protagonist continues their exploration, getting closer-up shots of the various artefacts distributed around in there. There is also a shot where they find a mirror, allowing us to get a glimpse of them - albeit obscured by the camera.

The footage is again interrupted, this time by a cut to Travis approaching the passenger door of a car parked at the side of the road. The driver is visible but only as a dark silhouette. Travis opens the door, revealing a slightly burned folder displaying The New Wellness Clinic's logo on his seat. He picks it up and begins to get into the car, before we cut back to the present again.

Synopsis for Act 2:

Travis continues his investigation of the contents of the room, getting close-up shots of the various strange artefacts distributed inside. Eventually he hears a knock at the door before it is opened a crack and the burned folder is dropped into the room. The door closes and he takes a closer look at this. Unfortunately, the video becomes more distorted meaning we're unable to read most of the text inside. What we can read is a main heading reading 'Patient 0073 - Mental Getaway Cleanse and Peace Course'. Not getting any new information out of this, he throws this down and begins trying to get the door open to little success.

Synopsis for Act 3:

Travis manages to break out, finding himself in an endless series of hallways with flickering roof lights and beige carpets. Visually panicking, he begins to sprint, turning corners at random points before eventually catching a glimpse of a figure, Richard, just disappearing around a corner ahead of him. Travis gives chase, leading to a violent fist fight. Richard manages to retrieve a walkie talkie from his belt and calls for help, causing countless other people in strange but clearly hazardous material protective clothing to emerge from nearby corners and descend on Travis. He drops the camera, causing it to cut back to what was previously on the tape one final time: him travelling in the passenger seat of a car down a dark, country road. He leans over and turns on the radio, only for the driver to switch it back off again after a few seconds. Travis begins turning the camera towards the driver but before we are able to see who it is we cut back to the present, a sideways shot from the camera now lying on the ground of Richard and the individuals in protective suits stepping back from the now lifeless body of Travis lying on the ground.

Synopsis for the Short:

The film begins along the lines of a recording of a 2000s TV advert break. This consists of the end of a generic advert for a shoe brand, followed by the majority of a relatively short and simple advert for some kind of mental retreat, 'The New Wellness Clinic', which at face value seems irrelevant but with context of what follows retroactively appears very sinister. This advert then cuts off after 1 or 2 frames of some terms and conditions appearing at the bottom of the screen, reading:

'Terms and conditions apply. By contacting The New Wellness Clinic you waiver your right to speak publicly regarding your experiences in relation to our company. Injury, death or dismemberment is the responsibility of the individual and not of the company. By contacting us, you consent to your telephone number being added to our database and your personal information being traced for security and training purposes. Thank you for choosing The New Wellness Clinic. :)'

Upon cutting abruptly away from this, we enter the main narrative: Our protagonist finds themselves in a small, enclosed room, with only the camcorder they were carrying beforehand. There's a date and timestamp on the screen showing that this is taking place on May 9th, 2004. They explain briefly to the camera that if they've found this footage they're probably dead and they are about to say their name before the tape cuts to what was on it previously: showing this person getting ready to presumably set off on whatever trip has resulted in this incident. We see them putting toiletries into a suitcase atop various clothes. We then return to the room as the protagonist continues their exploration, getting closer-up shots of the various artefacts distributed around in there. There is also a shot where they find a mirror, allowing us to get a glimpse of them - albeit obscured by the camera. The film ends with the recording ending and returning to the TV content: the last few seconds of another genuinely innocent advert for something else, followed by the tape simply ending.