Acropolis Powerpoint Pitch

Idea

When the modern and ancient worlds collide, Esme Carter is catapulted into the life of Goddess Athena, she is in situations she could’ve never imagined.

Plot

Esme Carter is a carer for her mum who has MS, but she has booked a holiday after finishing university to go to Rome and then on to Athens for the Epidaurus festival. She arrives in Rome and goes to all the sights, The Vatican City, Victor Emmanuel Monument, Trevi Fountain and Colosseum. At the airport she meets a fellow classmate and they fly to Athens together. The first day they are there they go to the festival and join in with the culture. The second day she visits the Acropolis and Parthenon, in the Parthenon she starts to hear ghostly sounds, and starts seeing things. That night in her dreams she travels back to Ancient Greece, she finds out she is Goddess Athena, they dress her and put a beautiful necklace round her neck. Over the course of the dream she does things Athena is most famous for – blinding Tiresias, giving advice to the people, winning patron deity of Athens over Poseidon and trying to stop the Trojan war, during the Trojan War she is knocked down and Esme wakes up and is in a state. She flies home that day and tells her mum all the things that happened. During a hospital appointment for her mum, Esme sees an advertisement for a job on an archaeological dig in Athens, Esme applies and months later she hears back and leaves for the dig. While there she is pulled towards a certain spot, they dig there to find a necklace, the one they put on her in her dream when she was Athena in Ancient Greece.

Set

This programme will be set in the modern day, in modern Bath, Rome and Athens but also has to go back to Ancient Greece. To be able to write accurate descriptions I will look at current programmes such as Atlantis, also set in Ancient Greece.
With the setting it has to look realistic however you can have a set in Parthenon for Ancient Greece and then move out of Athens into rural countryside and I think you’d be able to get an accurate setting.

Characters

•Esme Carter – main character

•Juliet Carter – mother of Esme

•John Carter – brother of Esme

•James Wright – classmate of Esme

•Athena – Goddess in dream

•Poseidon – God in dream

•Tiresias – Prophet in Dream

Ideal Stars

• Esme Carter - Amanda Seyfried - would be perfect for the role as she looks sweet and has the character description, she has been in a number of travel films and I think using her will bring in an overseas audience.
• Juliet Carter - This woman would be great for the role as she looks like an older version of Amanda Seyfried and so it wouldn’t be unbelievable. She would wear fashionable but comfortable clothes.
• John Carter - Chris Pine -  would be good for the role as the brother of Esme as they look the similar and I think he is great for a role as a caring family man. He would also bring in an overseas audience.
• James Wright - Alex Pettyfer - is a well spoken English man so I think he would make a good choice for the character of Esme’s classmate as he can look sophisticated and would bring in a younger audience.
• Athena - Angelina Jolie - would be good as Goddess Athena, she has previously played a role as a Goddess in Ancient Greece so would know the role. She would also bring in the American audience. She has the right look for the character also.
• Poseidon - Patrick Gorman - is old and has the ability to look exactly like Poseidon would have and I think his acting with other films would be very well demonstrated in this programme.
• Tiresias - Bertrand Bonello - has previously played this role before so he knows the traits and correct movements for the character  and looks mysterious.

Target Audience, Genre and Time Slot

My target audience is 25-50 year olds, this is because it’s not an action or comedy which I think would suit a younger audience more, but is a historical drama which, through research, I have discovered that 25 – 50 year olds are interested more in that genre. Of course other ages would also be interested in the programme and watch it but the audience I am primarily targeting is adults (between 25-50) as I think they would be more intrigued and inclined to watch it.
My screenplay is a (historical) drama and it would be a one-off special. A 1 hour episode at 9pm on a Friday on Channel 4; I have chosen this slot because it has passed the watershed so any swearing or violence would be allowed, although I’m not planning for there to be any, there may be some scenes younger children could not watch and so beyond the watershed would be a better timeslot.  Channel 4 is known for showing documentaries and historical action dramas, such as Labyrinth, so I think my show would fit in nicely with the current running and previously shown programs.

Overseas Interest

Britain is my target nation as I think we are more interested in historical dramas than any other country, this is because we are interested in history, culture and travel. However I think, due to the use of American actors, it will interest Americans who are enthusiastic about travelling and Ancient Greece and also a fan of the actors I have used.
I think other countries in Europe would also be interested however not as much as the Americans and English. Still the target audience would be 30-50 as I think it’s a more calm, slow paced type program with no comedy, just a serious drama that’s not fast paced.

Digital Tie-In

• Social Networking: Facebook – as the majority of 30-50 year olds have Facebook but no other social network, so this could be promoted on there.
• Television: adverts on channel 4 between the times of 5 and 10 as this is the most popular time period for this age range to watch television. They could watch the advert and be reminded every day until the programme is shown.
• Radio: I think promotions and advertisements on Radio 2 would be most useful as this is the most popular station for adults, advertising here would bring in a wider audience from the nation.

What makes it different

• It is different as unlike other shows similar to this, it is not fast paced or action
• It is targeted at an older audience than usual for these type of programs.
• It’s also about travel and culture

Treatment

Acropolis

When the modern and ancient worlds collide, extraordinary things start happening. When Esme Carter discovers Goddess Athena’s necklace in the Parthenon, she is catapulted into a life she has dreamt about but could’ve never imagined.

My screenplay is a drama and it would be a one-off special. A 1 hour episode at 9pm on a Friday on Channel 4; I have chosen this slot because it has passed the watershed so any swearing or violence would be allowed, although I’m not planning for there to be any, there may be some scenes younger children could not watch and so beyond the watershed would be a better timeslot.  Channel 4 is known for showing documentaries and historical action dramas, such as Labyrinth, so I think my show would fit in nicely with the current running and previously shown programs. Friday surprisingly has a lack of interesting shows in the evenings so this one-off program would be something for an audience to look forward to and with the right marketing it’s more likely to draw in an audience. The majority of the nation spend Saturday nights out and Friday nights in, so having it on a Friday over a Saturday would bring in a larger audience. My target audience is 25-50 year olds, this is because it’s not an action or comedy which I think would suit a younger audience more, but is a historical drama which, through research, I have discovered that 25 – 50 year olds are interested more in that genre. Of course other ages would also be interested in the programme and watch it but the audience I am primarily targeting is adults (between 25-50) as I think they would be more intrigued and inclined to watch it.

A 23 year old graduate of Classics, Esme Carter, who is shy, kind, inquisitive but keeps herself to herself, has to move back home to be a carer for her mother Juliet who has been diagnosed with MS which she is struggling to get to grips with, although she loves helping others she’s stubborn to someone trying to help her. Esme had booked a week trip to Rome and then onto Athens for a festival in the beginning of August so calls her older brother John to look after her while Esme is away. Esme spends two days in Rome, looking at the most famous landmarks, the Vatican City, Trevi Fountain, the Victor Emmanuel Monument and the Colosseum. At the airport in Rome she bumps into her classmate James Wright who also happens to be going to Athens. The first day she’s there, her and James go to the city centre where it’s vibrant and lively, to see all the traditional crafts and arts and music with street performers. The next day Esme visits the Acropolis, spending most of the time in the Parthenon, here she hears ghostly voices and giggling as well as seeing fast moving objects which she finds odd. In her sleep that night she transforms into Athena, travels back to Ancient Greece and lives her life; being dressed, wearing a beautiful owl necklace and living in luxury, while bathing in a lake Tiresias comes along, she blinds him for doing this but subsequently he gets the powers of prophecy. She gives advice to those who need help, she wins against Poseidon to become Patron Deity of Athens and she attempts to stop the Trojan war happening before Esme wakes up in a fret. Esme flies back to England and tells her mother about everything that happened while she was away. Esme has to take Juliet to the hospital for an appointment where she finds out that her MS is getting worse and soon she won’t be able to walk. While in the appointment, Esme reads a paper and finds an advertisement for a volunteer to be an assistant on an archaeological dig in Athens, immediately she applies with her mother’s blessing for her to go. A few weeks pass and Esme hears she has got the job and only a few months later it’s time for her to go on a month long dig. While on the dig she is pulled towards a certain area and suggests them digging there, while digging they find the exact necklace they had put on Athena in Esme’s dream.

In conclusion, the screenplay Acropolis would be great for the allocated slot I have selected, as this would bring in a larger audience and higher ratings. The purpose of this show is to get people re-interested in Ancient Greece, and know more about the Goddess Athena as well as other Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece. Also to enthuse people to travel and get them excited about the sights and magical mythologies of Greece. I think a diverse range of people would love the show as it would be both exciting and a unique and appeal to a mass audience.

 

Research Folder: Collecting Ideas

The reason I chose to do this screenplay is because Greek mythology interests me and learning about the Gods in primary school and how they all had these powers was so unbelievably fascinating and I don't think many screenplays have been written about this so it has an ideal market and it's unique.
Recently there has been news stories about Ancient Greece so this sprung my mind when researching.

Music
Immediately when thinking about Athens and Rome, these two songs come into my head, 'Zorba' and 'On an evening in Roma' . These are traditional and get me thinking about the setting, location and people so I think these have helped give me inspiration and if the screenplay was ever produced, these songs would be in it.
I can imagine Esme taking part and viewing these while there so they have definitely given me inspiration.

Planning

I have planned my script and different ideas I have had in the images below, you can see a drawing of an owl that I drew based on the coin of Athena, and a wise owl is associated with her. All this planning and redrafting of plans have really helped me have a clear view of what I want to write and the target audience.

Bibliography:

Youtube, BBC, Wikipedia

Research Folder: Making My Text Accurate - Locations and Settings

University of Manchester

This is where Esme Carter and James Wright went to university, I could possibly have the opening scene to be at graduation with Esme and her family and so understanding what the university looks like is essential for creating the scene.





                                                                                    Family House in Bath

This is Juliet's house she lives in, one that John and Esme grew up in. Esme moves back home to be a carer for her mother so this is the location whenever she is at home. Often in the kitchen her and Juliet talk but there is a scene in Juliet's bedroom. This house is a typical one in Bath and is on a terraced row of similar looking houses.

 Bath Hospital


A few scenes are set in this hospital, when Esme takes Juliet for her scans and appointments for her MS. This is also where Esme sees a poster or job advertisement for her dream job on an archaeological dig in Athens towards the end of the script.

Hotel and Restaurants in Rome
Hotel Atlante Garden in Rome is in the perfect location, it has authentic bedrooms and the most beautiful view over the whole of Rome which I plan is a big part of the script as it is Esme's place to relax and think while in Rome. Also there are the restaurants, on cobbled streets and close to the Vatican, they're both in the perfect location between the sights and the hotel which will make it easier to describe.

Sights in Rome
While in Rome, Esme goes to these sights, often a large crowd surrounding all, especially in August when this script is set. Throwing a penny in the Trevi fountain and going to a small ice cream shop opposite the Victor Emmanuel Monument. It helps that I have been to Rome and to these spots as I can describe in the script exactly how I saw it and how I felt and so I can get the setting and location accurate and precise.

In Athens
You can see in these images the Parthenon, where Esme finds the necklace, the hotels rooms view and view over the Acropolis, plus stalls of the arts and crafts, those of the festival Esme will be attending in the city centre. These images and more will help me develop a sense of the city and area and write the setting into the script. This is such an important part of the screenplay as it is the main setting so I need to get it accurate.

Dream - Ancient Greece

In Esme's dream, she goes back to Ancient Greece and transforms into Athena, she does things that myths have said Athena has done. Seeing adaptions like this of what Greece would have looked like is really helpful as it will help my planning and setting in the script to be as accurate as possible




Bibliography:
Google Maps, Google Images, Herodion Hotel, Hotel Atlante Garden.

Research Folder: Making My Text Accurate - Characters

Characters:

Esme Carter:
Esme Carter is 23 years old, birthday 7^th July, cancer sign, just finished university in Manchester studying Classics.
Cancer – strengths: adaptability, loyalty, genuine attachment to a family, and empathy. Weaknesses: moodiness, sensitivity, and emotional outbursts and indecisiveness. Cancer will set their aspirations high and will have constant struggles for success and achievement.
Esme is a very shy and kind character, someone who is compassionate and loving and inquisitive, not afraid of adventure but keeps herself to herself.
5"6, Slim build, long blonde ringlet/wavy hair, blue eyes. She has a west country (weak bristolian) accent.
Make up – black eyeliner and mascara, golden/ brown eye shadow and pale pink lipstick.
She wears very in fashion, stylish clothes like jeans and baggy jumpers to floaty tops and shorts with lots of accessories.

Athena:
Goddess of Ancient Greece, Goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill. She’s the protector of Athens. Many people throughout the Greek world worshiped Athena. Athena is also a shrewd companion of heroes and is the goddess of heroic endeavour. She is the virgin patroness of Athens. Athena never had a consort or lover, ’virgin Athena’.

A tall, slim woman with bluish-green, full round/oval face, the nose a natural extension to forehead, deep-set eyes, full narrow lips, and a long neck. Wearing a full length chiton, draped over one shoulder with special gold embellishment to make her stand out to the average woman, gold leaf crown with gold jewellery. In wars wears gold armour. Athena is a loving and kind person who looks out for everybody but is not afraid to be firm and stand up for what she believes in.

Juliet Carter:
50 year old Juliet has been born and raised in Bath, this is where she met Paul aged 18 and they married when they were 23 years old they had John and 4 years later they had Esme, sadly Paul died in a car crash aged 47, when Esme was just 20. Juliet has been diagnosed with MS and it is progressively getting worse but she is still able to walk normally and have a normal life.

Juliet has blonde short hair in a bob style, with a heavy fringe with green eyes. She has a more apple shaped body and she wears clothes such as leggings, boots, long tops and jackets.  She wears very subtle make-up. She is 5"5. Her character is very nurturing, kind, sweet, wise and a best friend to Esme, would go out her way to help anyone but stubborn when it comes to someone trying to help her.

 

 

John Carter:

27 year old John is the eldest child of Juliet and Paul, he is married to Sofia and has 2 children, Amy aged 5 and Kian aged 2. He was born and raised in Bath but lives 10 miles out now with his family.

He has brown short hair, blue eyes, is 5”11 in height and has broad shoulders, is average size, more muscly and works as a financial advisor and spends time in the gym on his time off if he’s not looking after the kids. He wears casual clothes, jeans, trainers and a t-shirt or sweatshirt whereas at work he wears a suit.

 

 

James Wright:

James Wright is 22 years old from Manchester, 6 ft. tall and has dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, he is slim and stylish. He also studied Classics at the University of Manchester and was in Esme's class and is a close friend. Esme runs into him at the airport in Rome and they’re staying in the same hotel, they go out for a meal, he is a recurring minor character in the story and won’t have many lines.

Poseidon and Tiresias
Poseidon  is one of the twelve Olympian deities of the pantheon in Greek mythology. His main domain is the ocean, and he is called the "God of the Sea". He is the God of sea, earthquakes, storms and horses. He is often drawn as an elder man with curly hair and a beard.
Tiresias was a blind prophet to Apollo, Athena made him blind for him wondering past the lake where she was bathing. He hit two snakes with a stick and was transformed into a woman for seven years by Hera. These characters will be in the scenes in Esme's dream on being Athena in Ancient Greece.
In the image below, Poseidon is on the left and Tiresias is on the right.

Bibliography:
Google Images, Wikipedia

Research Folder: Screenwriting Tips

Tips from screenwriters:

BBC Writers Room have lots of help for budding screenwriters, and you can even send your script in to them, but here are some tips they have to be a screenwriter:

·       As budding screenwriter, you should go to the cinema as often as possible and see films on the big screen for which they are intended.

·       read as many screenplays as possible

·       Compare what you see on the page with what you see on the screen.

·       Read books such as ‘how to structure a screenplay’ but remember that they can help you and be tools for you to use but they can’t make you great at it, only practicing will develop your skill.

·       Read about the industry in the trade magazines such as Variety, Broadcast, The Hollywood Reporter, and Screen International.

·       Make short films – they can develop your skill and be useful for a showreel and possible exhibitions.

·       Should expect to do much more rewriting than original writing.

·       Rewrite to make your script perfect, take peoples feedback and advice to help you.

·       If commissioned, you should get used to the producer and director having control of your script and will bring their own vision, ideas, and experience to that script, so it may not turn out how you originally planned it, for better for worse.

·       Keep the audience in mind at all times while writing, they are at the heart of it all and you’ve got to prove to the industry your film is worthwhile because it’s incredibly tough to get it to cinema and then to get an audience to come watch it.

·       Develop thick skin – you will get no a lot, told your work isn’t good enough

·       Be persistent and keep practicing and developing your skills and knowledge

 

Screenplay Explorer also have tips on how to write a great screenplay, here are their tips:

·       Your idea should be original and unique.

·       When pitching, condense your storyline into 1, 2 or 3 sentences to capture the essence of the story and capture the audience.

·       Even if you use somebody else’s idea, if you add a plot twist and a unique hook then it is original and a whole new film.

·       Make your script appeal to a mass audience – although you may have an original idea, other people may not think it’s interesting so if you are writing to sell rather than to write for yourself, you have to keep an audience in mind while writing.

·       Add detail to the pitch, for example don’t just say what would happen, go in-depth and say ages and the reason behind why and a hook.

·       Make what you’re pitching obvious – if it’s a comedy, the people should be laughing throughout your pitch, if an action, they should be excited and be imagining it.

·       ‘You’re giving the premise of your story, not what happens in it’

 

WhatCulture give 12 essential tips on how to be a screenwriter:

·       Read screenplays of the films you like and a variety of different genres

·       Write every single day to develop your skill

·       Write to your strengths

·       Know and have a clear direction of your story

·       Every scene needs a goal

·       Choose your protagonist

·       Write for an audience

·       Keep them guessing what will happen next

·       Axe the boring parts

·       Have something to say through the film

·       Once you’ve done your first draft (90 pages), stop and then go back and add parts and improve

·       After finishing, put it away and don’t think about it for a month, then go back and read through, improve the parts you didn’t think needed improving before, then send it off.

Below is Dustin Lee, giving tips on being a screenwriter:

 

Bibliography:
BBC Writers Room, Screenplay Explorer, WhatCulture, Youtube

 

Research Folder: 3 different scripts

The Devil Wears Prada:

The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 American comedy-drama starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway as the two lead roles; it is an adaption of the book by Lauren Weisberger. We can see from the screenplay below that this film is targeted at women, the film, set in New York, is about a woman called Andy, who gets a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the executive of Runway Fashion Magazine, she is powerful and merciless, seen as a legend in the fashion industry, Andy is just a journalist and nothing like the girls at Runway and throughout the film we see the development of Andy’s character into one of the fashion girls while having Miranda as her Boss. She struggles to balance her work and home life and the job got between Andy and her boyfriend, she had completely changed. It is a typical Rom-Com, and has all the conventions to be one, the main character has to overcome a struggle, which damages relationships and friendships along the way, however there is always a happy ending and it is light-hearted, it would be classed as a ‘chick-flick’ as it is about fashion and romance and women would be the targeted audience as men would be less interested. Andy is a character that is very relatable, and so is the plot, everybody does a job that they don’t particularly want to do, with a demanding boss that you don’t like and find it hard to balance life and that’s why I think the film was successful; people could relate to the situation.

Below is a screenshot of some of the script, the rest of the script is and a larger version is here: http://screenplayexplorer.com/wp-content/scripts/the-devil-wears-prada.pdf

The Big Bang Theory:

The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, it was first aired in 2007 and is presently on its 7^th season, it’s about 4 scientists and their ‘hot’ next-door neighbour. The Big Bang Theory’s primary audience is teenagers, and this is who they target it at, you can see this through the characters; Leonard who always says the wrong things but is a loveable character, Sheldon who is rude and extremely clever, thinks he is above everybody and he is witty yet weird, Howard who thinks he is the ‘love machine’ however he has a quirky style and has a weird relationship with his mother, Raj who is Indian, is very funny and shy, he can’t talk to women and he has a crazy dress sense and lastly Penny, the good looking next-door neighbour to Leonard and Sheldon, an aspiring actress who is dumb but has an on/off relationship with Leonard. These characters are an extravagated version of real life people so teenagers (and of course adults) can relate to the characters and also some of the situations, they feed off the emotions of the audience while acting, and the audience connects as you can feel their emotions and understand their humour, wit and sarcasm. I have said teenagers are the target audience for this show, the constant humour and the fact it is a sitcom is more popular with teenagers over adults as I don’t think adults could connect with the plot and characters as much as teenagers and the jokes they make a teenager laughs at whereas an adult could look at it as silly and not very funny. The diverse range of characters means that there is a favourite character for everybody, which humour they find most amusing etc. which I think helps a lot. The timeslot it is usually on in the UK is between 6pm and 8pm, this will be when teenagers are home from school and can relax whereas adults will still be at work or cooking the dinner or busy doing other things, television isn’t a main priority to them so I think that’s another reason it is more targeted at teenagers. As you can see in the script below, there is a lot less instructions and setting details as The Devil Wears Prada one, it is also about half the size, showing the difference between a television sitcom script and a film script.

Below is a screenshot of a typical scene in the script but here is the link to read this script and a few more of the shows scripts: http://www.zen134237.zen.co.uk/Big_Bang_Theory/

 

 

The Archers:

The Archers is the world’s longest running soap opera, starting in 1950, it is still playing on Radio 4 for 12 minutes, 6 days a week, there is a colossal 17,201 episodes to date. The radio show is said to be a ‘contemporary drama in a rural setting’ – it runs along many soap operas that are on television, with similar ideas and plots and audiences. I believe the target audience for The Archers is people aged 40 – 85, this is the typical audiences for similar shows such as Eastenders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street however The Archers is on the radio. Because it is such a long running show, people who listened since the beginning would be attached to the characters and so are more likely to listen on a regular basis, you can start listening to the show and get into it but you may feel confused not knowing the story line which is why I believe the target audience to be the older generation, as they would grow up listening to it. I don’t think this kind of show interests the younger audiences either as it’s a soap opera and unless you get into it, it’s not very good, it’s also not funny like sitcoms are which are based at teenagers, it’s light-hearted not serious, like soap operas are. Another reason why the target is adults and the elderly is because it is a Radio Show, playing at 19:02 after the news, this would convenience with drivers on the commute home, however all 6 episodes are played omnibus on a Sunday morning. 5 million people listen in so it is a popular show that many people can connect with and understand.

As you can see in the screenshot of the script below, there is a line for each characters speech, there is no setting  description throughout, only at the beginning, nor movements described as you will be able to hear these and the voice actors won’t have to move, however what is described is any sounds that may occur, for example, a door closing, as these are cues of the sounds they need to put in after recording. So you can see Radio scripts are a very different format and set-up in terms of what needs to be written compared to television and film scripts.

As well as the script below, you can view scripts of other episodes of The Archers here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts

 

Bibliography:
Simply Scripts, Screenplay explorer, BBC Writers Room, Google, Wikipedia.