Thomas Mason
Title
The Hunt
Program duration
In series there will be 5 episodes of 30 mins with a finale of 1 hour which is in line with the typical duration of BBC3 dramas. Across the series I will end the episodes on a point of high tension to draw the audience into the next episode. The length of 30-40 minutes will help with this as well since it is long enough for the audience to hold their attention for the full duration.
An executive summary
Aims and purpose
The aim of my product is to provide escapism for the audience watching. The entertainment of the show is what I will focus on since this is what will most likely hold the audience’s attention. Unlike entertainment, education and informative shows may be boring to watch. As well as this, education and information are not what is broadcasted on BBC 3 which is solely used for entertainment purposes. Therefore, having a show that’s purpose is not purely for entertainment purposes will be drastically different to BBC3’s ethos and style and will not be well received.
Examples of existing products that provided inspiration
The background to my idea is based on 90s slasher horror movies however with British teens. The films I based my idea on are Shaun of the dead directed by Edgar Wright and the franchises of Scream, Halloween and Friday the 13th. The 90s slasher are the focus of the plot and narrative and will make up the main proportion of the story. I took inspiration from the film Shaun of the dead and the concept of having funny, relatable and mainly British characters in a horror film. I particularly took inspiration from Edgar Wrights style of directing using super-fast paced shots with extreme close ups on things that otherwise would not be important scenes. Unfortunately, since my show is of the horror genre this may feel out of place if I do not use it carefully. The characters of Shaun of the dead are what I took my main inspiration from since they are extremely relatable and likable. The look and feel of my TV drama will more so be like traditional horror films using darkness and sound to build tension, to add to this I will refrain from using narration or anything as such since this will likely retract from the tension that occurs in the drama and adds light-hearted notes
Statement of need
The unique selling point of my TV drama is the relatability of the characters in the show, this is the same reason that makes my drama suitable for BBC3. The target audience of BBC3 is niche focussing on a younger audience of 16-34. Because of this, I purposefully made my characters in an age range of 17- 18, this way the audience can relate to the characters giving it a more enjoyable experience. The way the audience percieve the characters also link to why this TV drama needs to be made which is because of escapism. The younger target audience that BBC3 have typically tend to be in the psychographic of “strugglers” due to stress. This gives my drama a purpose since the escapism of the drama with the characters will help the target audience of BBC3. The idea of a horror drama in the form of a long length TV drama is rare to see and will therefore be suitable for BBC 3 who strive to create new products.
Target audience
The audience I will target are strugglers. Strugglers will often seek escapism and therefore a TV drama is suitable for satisfying their needs. The reason for targeting explorers is that similar to strugglers they like to escape and explore however more-so in a discovery way. My Tv drama will appeal more to this two psychographics than others therefore I will target them. I used the NRS socio economic social grade classification to narrow down my target audience. From this classification I will target males specifically in any of the classes below A or B. the classes of A and B in this classification tend to have higher paying jobs meaning that my target audience are less likely to be found in them. The target audience of 16–25-year-olds classed as strugglers or explorers will not have high paying jobs such as in the A and B categories of this classification. I have chosen these specifics for my target audience as these people are the most likely to enjoy my show. I have targeted males since I aim for my shows characters to be predominantly male therefore resonating with men more so than women. The genre of the show as well as the general plot is also particularly important since it will make my psychographic more intrigued to watch my show due to the high amount of escapism a drama and specifically a horror drama can provide.
Product description
Episode 1
The plot of the first episode of my TV drama will take place before the start of the final episode a the height of the action. This episode will be shorter in length around 25-30 minutes. I will start the series towards the end of the story because the first episode is the most important in encapsulating the audience with excitement. In this episode the group of teenagers will not be introduced at all as to not subtract from the excitement as well as to add mystery to the episode. Throughout this episode the boys will be in complete fear as they are being chased through the woods by something unknown that they refer to as “the killer”. This episode will involve conflict between the boys as they are divided over whether it is one of them who is “the killer”. Finally at the end of the episode “the killer” will be seen for the first time.
Episode 2
Episode 2 will be the first introduction to the characters in depth from their when they were first seen last episode. This episode will take place at the start of the chronological story and follows the group of boys at the end of the school year, and they go on a planned camping trip. At the end the end of the episode the Killer will be seen for the first time since the last episode.
Episode 3
In episode 3 the boys have started camping and start to experience odd occurrences at the campsite and one of the boys goes missing.
Episode 4
This episode will start after the 3rd episode and lead into the first episode. The killings of the boys will start in this episode with many features from the killer. At the end of the episode the boy who went missing before will return arousing suspicions from the other boys which was seen in the first episode.
Episode 5
This finale will be longer than the other episodes. The episode will start with a recap from the first episode and involves the boys re banding together after they finally realise the killer is not one of them and seems to be something non-human.
Setting
The setting of my TV drama will be real life and low budget such as woodland which is low budget and free to film in
Music and soundtrack
I will use music in my drama to add to the horror element of the TV show. In horror films and dramas, music is often used at the point where the tension is highest and is used to emphasise the tension so it can be released. During the release of tension in a horror the music is often at very high volume to add to the scare factors. In some uses, it is likely better to use no music in a scene when there is jump scares, music is used in these scenes as the tension is released in a short burst at high volume.
Budget
The budget if my TV drama is very low so I will have to make cutbacks across the whole process of filming and production. Throughout filming I will use locations to cut the costs by using cheaper locations. The woods I plan on filming in where much of the TV show takes place will be a local woods that is free to film in which will hugely reduce the cost during filming. The actors I aim to hire for the TV show will be unknown and therefore cheap to hire, this will be very helpful because the cast of my show is relatively large, so it is important to hire cheap actors.
Marketing and distribution
The marketing and distribution of my product will be essential for maximising the number of viewers it reaches. Due to the young target audience, the best form of marketing will be by the use of social media. Mainly the use of advertisement on social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. The way I will use these platforms is to use some of the budget of my TV drama to purchase Advertisement slots for the TV drama on these platforms whether this is by a trailer before a Youtube or the TV show poster being put on a person's Instagram feed as they scroll though.
Supporting documents
Episode breakdown( completed version)
Episode 1- Introduces the group of friends on their way out of the final day of school and follows them as they embark on their camping trip. This will show some backstory into each character and some family history that will late be explained in the finale. Throughout the episode the killer will be hinted at and will be revealed in a jump scare where Ethan is killed using supernatural powers by the antagonist of the series.
Episode 2- This episode will start with the teens discovering disturbance of the campsite and realise one of them is missing. The group discover the body of the missing person and they realise they are being attacked by a killer. At this point, tensions rise between the group as they suspect each other
Episode 3- The group decide to leave the campsite and head out on foot to leave the forest. However, they quickly get disoriented. The group stumble upon a cabin in the woods and quickly piece together that it is related to the killer. Mike is killed in this episode as the group are separated in the woods where the killer once again uses almost supernatural powers
Episode 4- The group becomes divided when a shocking revelation leads them to suspect one of their own as the killer. Accusations fly, trust erodes, and friendships are tested as they grapple with the idea that the person, they once considered a friend may be responsible for their terrifying ordeal. In a twist of events, they discover that their initial suspicions were misplaced, and the identity of the killer remains a mystery. More kills take place in this episode to Claire and Daniel and leaving only 2 of the group left
Episode 5- The 2 remaining of the group Bill and Jane go face-to-face with the killer and narrowly avoid death in a cat and mouse scenario. The episode plays on and ends with Bill being killed leaving only Jane remaining
Episode 6- The finale starts with an introduction into the character of the killer and explains his backstory. It will be explained that the group all have bloodline connection to the cultists who tried to destroy the killer. After this backstory, the cat and mouse game continues as Jane is resourceful in evading the killer. At the climax of the episode, jane defeats the killer and escapes
