PITCH PRESENTATIONThe Salesman

Production Company

Placebo Productions is the production house that I have chosen to distribute my film with. The production company has only recently been established and strives to make a breakthrough in the short film industry, as it has only released a few student films. i have selected Placebo productions as its works have been of good quality and it is quickly becoming a reputable and reliable business that is already that has clearly identified its target audience, making it a great choice for “The Salesman”.

Placebo Productions has been named so as it encourages more complex and diverse films and wishes to go against the grain, the Hollywood one-dimensional storytelling. Another reason is the associations with the feel-good effect as it encourages emotional over logical from the audience.

SYNOPSISIn to a friendly welcoming suburban neighborhood, where all family members complete their daily cliché tasks, a young aspiring door to door salesman is coming in to cut his teeth. This neighborhood is known as “The Bullet Ant Glove”, a kind of rite of passage for the travelling salesperson, names so after the first naïve attempt to sell anything to anyone in this area with sorrowful consequences for the poor saleschump. Although once a college dropout, Bob the ambitious salesman, is assigned to this notorious neighbor in order to prove himself, his bosses and colleagues as quickly as possible and get on with his stage of greatness in life. After a few failed attempts and staking out the neighborhood for the best target, he chooses a large family home which is the nest of a young insecure female, a late teen chav, who is a stereotypical celebrity wannabe. Bob the salesman successfully convinces her to try out his product; however, there is an unplanned turn of events.

MOODBOARDThe short film also comments on contemporary society and its archetypes, superficiality and emphasis on the celebrity-pop culture. The iPhones represent that as they are built on cheap labor and sold at a huge mark-up price due to the brand name instead of quality while buyers ignore the social problems regarding the product.

The story focuses on Bob, an up-and-coming businessman who doesn’t really know how things work in the corporate world, that’s why he is inspired by Bob from “The Big Kahuna”. As a result of the set-up we can see how Bob is tainted by the business world as he goes through his rites of passage.

The power struggle between Bob and Casey is the catalyst in the film that changes the atmosphere and tone

The office represents the position of power and the apathetic reality of the corporate world.

One of the main the themes within the film is power and who controls. Mr. Smith is presented as the one with power however he is seen enjoying it and abusing it showing the corruption of modern society and the treatment of corporations towards the regular people. This not only represents the lack of values in todays society but also the misuse of power and how the common man is made o struggle, almost dehumanizing them and masking them into something they are not so they can adapt to the system that promotes and enforces inequality.

TARGET AUDIENCEThe target audience for my short film is mainly the younger audiences from 16-30 that are currently seeking employments in the contemporary corporate society, which is completely profit motivated and is determined to show its power over the common man. The film appeals to both males and females as it is not gender specific and does stereotype both. With the genre being comedy it attracts any demographic as it is the most popular and demanded genre in the modern film industry. The film branches out to people who are seeking employment to warn them of the exploitative nature of the corporate industry and their lack of care for both consumers and employees. The audience should be active in order to avoid interpreting this film as a superficial comedy and see the underlying themes of power and exploitation.

Locations and Characters

Scenes 1 and 5

Scene 3Scenes 2 and 4

Bob Mr. SmithCasey

FILM TREATMENTCamera style-Throughout the film there will be a heavy emphasis on the handheld camera style in order to follow the mockumentary codes and conventions and to allow the audience to follow the story of Bob, creating empathy as the handheld allows the audience to immerse with the character. Furthermore to add to the immersion I will also be using the POV and over the shoulder shots in order to better explain the characters motivation and allow the audience to empathize with them. .During the scene 3 makeup sequence there will be a lot of reaction shots and close-ups in order to increase the pace of the film and build up tension, as it will increase the dynamic between the two main leads. The film will also employ the use of medium, medium-long and long shots to show the journey and struggle of Bob to avoid being monotonous and uninteresting but also to establish the personality of Bob and those around him. The use of long shots will also help introduce the new locations to the audience immediately.

TARGETING THE AUDIENCESocial Media- through the sue of social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter I can more efficiently reach my target audience which is a younger and more technologically adept demographic . Through social media the news of my film can spread rapidly as all interested potential consumers can share it with their friends and family. Promotion through the internet is also very cheap which suits me due to my budget constraints. Another advantage is the ever-increasing use and reach of social media, which therefore increases my potential and target audience.

Creating my own website would be good for establishing a contact and increasing the audience base, however it would not be able to reach enough people on its own that’s why the content must be shared through social media and a trailer on YouTube as it is the largest free video platform.

Another method I could use is the distribution of leaflets, as they are cheap to print and easy to distribute, however they only achieve local promotion and are usually looked over by the consumers.

FILM DISTRIBUTIONThe film main distribution will be through the internet as it will make use of modern online video sharing platforms such as YouTube, which will allow it to increase its potential audience due to the high traffic, and Vimeo which is much more specific and has a more unique audience, therefore it is the preferred platform for new film directors who haven't been able to establish themselves within the film industry yet. The short film will also be distributed through social media, however that will act more as a promotional agent.

I will also attempt to have it screened as a commercial before the featured movies in my local cinemas such as Cineplexx Usce and Tuckwood. Having an experienced film audience see it can be good for word-of-mouth promotion which will increase the films exposure. Lastly I will apply the short film for any local short film competitions in the region such as the “Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival”, allowing it promotion through good critical acclaim and the ability to reach my target audience.