Aims and Intentions

I will use media language to create an appealing, high quality crime drama.  

Using Steve Neale’s repetition and difference formula, I will allow the show to feel familiar yet different enough to be new, hopefully engaging audiences. I will use genre-hybridity to both meet and subvert expectation, blending aspects of psychological thriller with traditional drama.  The traditional drama format will be embodied in the structure of the show, and the psychological thriller will be conveyed through the tension and questions raised within the show itself. 

A variety of shots, camera movements/techniques will be applied to give the production a well-produced look that would be like what is usually seen on ITV. I will use dynamic camera work to present the cast, such as through trees and leaves, and will use handheld footage for a majority of the film. This will be contrasted with more simple shot/reverse shot footage for dialogue scenes. To further unsettle and visually engage the viewer I will also film footage from odd (such as high) angles. With these methods, I aim to place the viewer as a voyeur to the action going on. 

I will be adding a filter onto the final film to give it a visual appeal that enhances the woodland autumn feel, which will also give the show a particular signature look. This is taking inspiration from Victoria (ITV), as well as “Nordic Noir” TV dramas, all of which have a specific filter applied. 

The cast will consist of three ambiguously aged older teenagers, possibly university age, representing the target millennial age group of 18 to 35 year olds with the two main speaking characters being a male and female. The lead character is a female who is obviously mentally troubled, and incites fear in others and has the ability to overpower them, while still being able to extract sympathy from the audience. I’ve created this character to be a non-traditional female character, seeking to subvert Liesbet Van Zoonen’s theory that females are always presented as inferior. 

Another key aspect of the show is the presentation of mental health issues. It explores the issues of crime committed by people who experience paramnesia.  In the storyline as a whole, the characters struggle with her mental illness will drive the narrative forward, but this short segment, will be the introduction to it for the audience, and seemingly, her too.

To give the show a sense of escapism, the characters in the show will be placed firmly in the realm of reality, presenting ordinary teenagers in an ordinary world going through something the audience might go through themselves.  

The accompanying magazine will supplement the show by featuring the lead female actor and focusing on their experience with the show. Taking inspiration from Oct 2018 Marie-Claire magazine’s piece on Jodie Whittaker, it will include photographs of the actor as herself, contrasted with an interview with her about acting on the show and what it means for her as well as others.  

Overall, the show fits into ITV’s remit, as it provides an interesting new presentation on mental issues and crime, in a familiar traditional crime drama format, catering to a very wide millennial audience, with possibility of more than 1 season.