Pitch Presentation

Below are the presentation slides I used in my pitch for The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair to be made into a movie.

After pitching my concept, I received great feedback which supported my idea and gave feedback on how I could develop my work further and how to improve it.

One of the questions asked was how the film might lead to merchandise. The idea of profiting through related movie merchandise hadn't occurred to me until that point. However, looking at the source material, I believe a film adaptation could successfully create merchandise due to the iconography. Imagery such as paper birds, butterflies and snails are all essential to the story, so this could lead to some interesting designs for notepads, pencil cases, binders, etc. (I chose classroom supplies as the young target audience will be school children, so this products will also benefit them).Another idea that came to mind was marketing origami books/kits, thus staying with the theme of the movie whilst still creating a product that the audience would enjoy.

After pitching my concept and presenting my storyboard, I was adviced on how to improve my work. Potential storyboard improvements listed included...

*Using scripted quotes to help with narration and make the storyboard more understandable in terms of when these images take place in the story and what they're meant to show.
 *Include sound effects (SFX) to accompany the visuals. This will help with production and tell how the scene should sound as well as look. This helps with the scenes' intended atmosphere.
*Present a rough time frame for how long these visuals should last to help with editing production and give a better understnading of how long the scene should last.

I made these changes to my storyboard and highlighted the alterations in red.

Storyboard

Below are my draw storyboard panels. I used this to plan how sections from chapters four and five of the book could be converted into footage.

1. Establishing shot of classroom with.MS (mid-shot) of teacher. The teacher is pointing at the board and talking to the class. Scene opens with a school bell SFX (sound effect). 
Teacher: "For the half term assignment, you needed to brin in an important item..."
Time: 0:00 to 2:30 mins

2.  Wide angle shot from Beckett’s POV (Point of view). Teacher is stood in the background. The other students’ heads fill the foreground. 
Teacher: "Beckett, you can just talk about anything important from your childhood."
Time: 2:30 to 3:30 mins

3.  Same shot as Storyboard image 2, but now with students turned and looking directly at the camera, (or Beckett).
Teacher: "Perhaps you could start, in fact?"
Time: 3:30 to 4:00 mins

4.  ECU (Extreme close-up) of Beckett’s eye, wide and twitching. A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his head. Violin sting SFX.
Beckett: "I can't mention Mum's armchair..."
Time: 4:00 to 4:30 mins

5. Shot from Becket’s POV, we see Beckett's clenched hand pull out from his trouser pocket.
Time: 4:30 to 5:00 mins

6. CU (Close-up) of Beckett’s hand opening to reveal that he’s holding a paper bird. Collective "Ooo!" SFX.
Time: 5:00 to 5:30 mins

7. MCU (Medium close-up) shot of teacher showing a happy, almost excited, expression.
Teacher: "A legend! Yes indeed, there's a most interesting legend behind that...."
Time: 5:30 to 7:00 mins

8. Shot fades and dissolves, transforming into a dream like state. Dissolves into next shot.
Teacher: "Pin back your ears. (Clears throat) Once upon a time..."
Time: 7:00 to 7:30 mins

9. As teacher tells the story in voice-over, the story is re-enacted in the form of shadow puppet theatre. The background is cloudy and simplistic, almost blank. In the foreground is the silhouette of a man holding a square piece of paper. Chinese styled music SFX.
Teacher (V.O.): "In a land of cherry blossoms...
Time: 7:30 to 8:00 mins

10. CU of the square piece of paper, also shown in silhoutte form.
Teacher (V.O.): "Ledgend tells of the oragamy crane..."
Time: 8:00 to 8:30 mins

11. Square of paper quickly folds into a paper bird.
Teacher (V.O.): "Cranes are mystical creatures and are said to live to be a thousand year old..."
Time: 8:30 to 9:30 mins

12. Shot of the silhouetted man now holding the paper bird.
Teacher (V.O.): "And so, whoever is able to fold 1000 cranes, for each year of the crane's life..."
Time: 9:30 to 11:00 mins

13. Multiple paper birds, all in silhouette form appear across the shot.
Teacher (V.O.): "Is granted a wish."
Time: 11:00 to 11:30 mins

14. Paper bird silhouettes multiply and cover the shot completely, making it fade to black.
Time: 11:30 to 12:00 mins

15.Shot pulls out, revealing the black shot to be an ECU of Beckett’s pupil.
Time: 12:00 to 12:10 mins

16. Shot continues to zoom out, until it is a CU shot of Beckett, looking stunned/in awe.
Beckett: "Wow!"
Time: 12:10 to 12:40 mins

17. Panning shot of different school books on a bookshelf with teacher’s finger running across them. Piano SFX.
Time: 12:40 to 13:00 mins

18. Shot stops panning as teacher picks up a book and removes it from the shelf.
Time: 13:00 to 13:20 mins

19. Teacher drops the book on Beckett’s desk. Shot zooms in on the book title, revealing it to be a book on Origami. Thud SFX.
Time: 13:20 to 13:30 mins

20. Panning shot of long, overly complicated and confusing instructions on how to create an origami bird. This section could possibly be animated since it is just book images/drawings. Leroy Anderson's Typewriter music SFX.
Time: 13:30 to 14:00 mins

21. ECU of Beckett’s pupils flicking from side to side as he reads the instructions. Sped up footage so the eyes flick quickly.
Time: 14:00 to 14:30 mins

22. Sped up Bird’s-eye view footage of Beckett folding paper birds.
Time: 14:30 to 15:00 mins

23. Wide angle shot of empty table being filled with paper birds.
Time: 15:00 to 16:00 mins

24. Low angle shot zooming out. Beckett is sat in the background, piles/stacks of paper birds appear in foreground. This shot starts as a CU of Becket, but as the camera pulls away, more and more paper bird are revealed until the viewer can no longer fully see Beckett’s face. Low angle shot should exaggerate how many paper birds are piled up.
Time: 16:00 to 17:00 mins 

Treatment

TREATMENT:

The Boy Who Sailed in an Armchair
By Callam Fellows. Based on the book by Lara Williamson.

WHAT IS THE BRIEF?

WHO IS THE AUDIENCE?

Due to the humour and story, I feel this would be best aimed at a younger audience, perhaps those in late primary school years or starting at secondary school. I suggest this as this is also the age range of the main character and his friends. Since the family is a Dad and two sons, I feel it is better suited for, though not limited to, the male demographic.

 

KEY DATES FOR EACH KEY MILESTONE DEADLINES

EQUIPMENT

Camera equipment is essential for filming. Key pieces of equipment needed are -

*Professional final camera(s).

*Stand/tripod.

*Boom-mic(s).

*Adjustable camera lense.

Different camera angles are required to reflect different atmospheres and emotions for each scene. On top of that, some scenes will need to take place high up or in water, so waterproof cameras and cherry-pickers may be desired for these shots.

PROPS AND MODELS

Props play a big part in telling this story, from the iconic armchair to the hundreds of origami birds that appear throughout the story. Due to the colour scheme used in the story, I image this to be visually stunning and the props and setting to use a brightly coloured pallet, reflecting on the childrens' innocence by making everything look almost cartoon-like. The paper birds should be white, connoting how angelic they appear.

The main actors are children and therefor should be played by a group of talented child actors who are able to deliver their lines clearly and with feeling. In order for an audience to enjoy this, they must feel that they're actually watching a group of interesting and quirky children and not just child actors reading off a script.

Meanwhile, since the children struggle to understand the adults and how weird they can be from time to time, the adults (such as the dad, the teacher, and the neighbour Cat), should be played by the adult actors in an over the top fashion. Their acting should be hammy, but so much that they become unbelievable or annoying, just enough that they come across as strange and some-what awkward.

HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Some scenes involve the two brothers falling into ocean water. These scenes will use dummies and young-looking stunt doubles to stop the child actors being put in any danger.

The father is in an abusive relationship and has his arms scratched in the story. No violence is to be shown and so the actor is in no real risk of being hurt. Violence is only implied.

LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The father in the story is involved in an abusive relationship. This must be shown respectfully without causing offence. Violence will be implied without being shown.

The two protagonists fall in the water, but are saved though they do come close to drowning. Other characters must stress the danger of this and how this was a life-threatening situation, that way younger audiences will understand the seriousness of the situation.

Many of the main characters are children and it seems only appropriate for these roles to be played by child actors, but this may prompt some child labour laws issues.
A disclaimer may be added, stating that none of  the children involved in filming were injured nor put in any danger.

Chosen Source Material

For my chosen adaptation I knew that I wanted to convert a book to film due to the success of other book to film adaptions and the large demand for books to receive film versions.

After conducting some basic research, I came to the conclusion that pieces of fiction and fantasy aimed at children and young adults are welcomed best and are the most profitable, such as the Harry Potter franchise or The Fault in Our Star which were successful at the box office and praised by critics.

Keeping this realisation in mind, I thought of the books I'd read, which I'd enjoyed most and which would translate well to film. Below are four examples that came to mind.

1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
2. The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson
3. How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant by Elen Caldecott
4. The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair by Lara Williamson

Whilst I feel that Lewis Carroll's story is classic and deserving of a film adaptation that does the book justice, I can't ignore the fact that this book has already been translated to film countless times, most notably by Disney and Tim Burton. Though I'm sure a film that is closer to the source material would be welcomed by many, I'm also sure that many would compare it to the previous film versions and argue that they presented it better, regardless of how the films compare to the book.

The Art of Being Novel would be great to see in film and encouraging to younger audiences who unsure of their own sexual identity. However, one of the protagonists, Leo, who we understand as being a boy, is revealed to be a girl half way through the story. This is a shocking a crucial bit the story, but I wonder how well this translate into film. I imagine that this would create an issue with casting; should the role be played by a male or female? Either option seems to have it's downsides as it could either spoil the plot twist by making it predictable for the cinema-goers or would cause unwanted controversy for casting someone of the wrong gender. As a story that revolves around gender ambiguity, casting would be an issue and, though I'm sure making it into a film would be possible, I still foresee big challenges in the face of sending the message whilst still being politically correct.

Though a great premise for an interesting film, I can't help but be skeptical. My major issue is that the central point of this story is the stuffed elephant that the protagonists steal from a museum. This would be quite a difficult prop to create and film. Additionally, I could see needless controversy come from this film too. For one, animal activists most likely wouldn't be pleased at seeing a taxidermied elephant used for comedic purposes. Secondly, showing the protagonists (teens and children) break into a museum and steal property in order to get what they want is not the best message to send to young and impressionable audiences.

Therefore, I have decided that The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean will be my book to film adaptation. I have chosen this as it still sends out a powerful message whilst still be entertaining for young audiences and shares both reality and fantasy. Containing comedy, emotion and interesting story arc, I feel this is an ideal choice for source material for a new film project. As an award winning children's book which deservingly needs more attention and thus far lacks any media interpretation, I say that there's a gap in the market for this type of piece.

However, due to the lengthy title, which can sometimes steer younger audiences away, I will shorten the title to "The Boy Who Sailed in an Armchair". This might even cause people to separate the book and movie, allowing for more creative license without steering too far from the source material.

Film Adaptations - Success Rate

Books

Below are two examples of book-to-film adaptations and how well they did as according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Gulliver's Tavels, wasa modern day adaptation based on the book of the same day. The film bombed at the box office and met negative reviews. Gulliver's Travels was slammed for it's unnessasary incorporation of childish humour that drew attention away from the well-loved plot.

Meanwhile, Mary Poppins, a Disney adaptation of the book of the same name, was praised by critics and was an over-all success. Today it is regarded by many as a cinematic classic. However, the film greatly differs to the darker and far less whimsical book, with P.L. Travers, the author, expressing her hatred for it. This became the inspiration for Saving Mr. Banks, which presents how difficult it can be for authors and film makers to work togethor when adapting a story to screen.

 Gulliver's Travels

 Mary Poppins

Comics

Below are two examples of films based on comic books. Interestingly, both these films relied on the same source material, drawing the story and inspiration from the Batman comics. However, Batman and Robin used a brightly coloured and humourous style, filling the script with puns and hoaky dialogue in the same vain of the 60's TV show. Many fans complained that the camp tone to the film made a mockery of the original comic characters and greatly differed to the dark tones the comics presented. On the other hand, though fans were initially skepticle, The Dark Knight met with great success, becoming a hit at the box office with critics claiming that it set new standards for any other comic book films that were to follow. This is probably due to matching the comics' gritty tones and styles, replicating certain imagery, and casting more talented actors as opposed to big-named celebrities to play certain roles.

 Batman & Robin

The Dark Knight

TV Shows

 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas is a prequel to the live action remake of the cartoon show. Full of recognisable nods to the original show, such as catchphrases and replicating the cartoon's visuals, critics weren't impressed as the claimed the jokes were old and overused.

21 Jump-Street, whilst paying homage to the original TV show in some respects, such as cameos from the original actors, was praised more for it's originiallity and being able to stray away from the source material to create a film that felt fresh and original.

The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas

21 Jump-Street

Video Games

 Film adaptations of video games have been the least successful and have not yet created an impressive piece of cinema that matches the video game in terms of quality and audience enjoyment. There are no apparent examples of video game movies that have recieved an approval rating of 50% or over. Although, with the rising numbers of films based on video games being made, perhaps a good interpretation is to come in the very near future.

Final Fantasy, in terms of reviews, did significantly better than other more recognisable video game movies such as Street Fighter and the Super Mario Bros., but it is still regarded as being rotten in terms of the Rotten Tomatoe aprroval ratings.

Street Fighter

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Theatre Productions

Since Annie had already been successfully converted to film inthe 80's and 90's, many fans and critics claimed that another film adaptation was unnessisary and saw it as a cash-grab on a popular musical franchise, espiecally since there are other successful musicals that are yet to hit the big screen. Fans were also not impressed at the change in musical style, claiming that the songs were great and did not need any alterations and that modern tempo distorts and ruins what was once an enjoyable soundtrack.

Meanwhile, Cabaret, due to the story taking place on stage, was able to remian in the same style as the original musical, with an on-screen audience to laugh and applaud certain moments, keeping the original show's intimate theatre atmosphere. The film was also praised for it's casting choices, with a line of vocally talented actors providing for the musical numbers.

Annie (2014)

Cabaret

Film Adaptations

Whilst most film makers strive to be original in there work, there is also a large and profitable market in creating films based on other media products. For example, there are several films adapted from...

Books

Books work as a great starting point for films as it provides the characters and story, so it makes it easier for film makers as now they can put their attention onto other aspects. Also, if a film is based on a book that has already been successful and found an audience, then it helps in terms of advertising as fans of the books will be excited to hear that it will now have a movie adaptation.It always prompt interest when a piece of literature in converted to film as it allows comparisons between the text and the screen. Comparisons can also be made between how the characters/setting/story are conveyed compared to our own visualisation when reading the original story.

However, while books have been converted to films for years and continue to be made, many argue that the film's never do the books justice and leave out important characters, plot points and details that made the original story so likable. One example of this is the Disney franchise and their adaptation of The Jungle Book, which recieved criticism for lacking Rudyard Kipling's original story and plot.

Also, it has become well-known in the film-industry that many authors will refuse to give the rights for their books to be changed into films. Authors such as Roald Dahl and Stephen King have publicly slated films based on their work and many fans will often share the opinion that the original book is better than the film. Yet, this does not stop audiences paying to see book-to-film adaptations in large amounts, regardless of the film's quality or how it compares to the original literature.

Some examples of films based on books include The Hobbit, Phyco, and The Lorax. (All the films listed share the same names with the book titles.)

Comics

Since comics are a similiar form to books, it makes sence that they too have been converted into film. This has lead to great success in terms of the superhero movie genre. Many classic superheros such as Superman, Spiderman and Captain America have found success both in their original comics but also when moved to the big screen. Due to the success of films such as The Avengers and Iron Man, which broke box office records, big-name film companies have paid millions to maintain the rights over comic book companies such as Marvel, owned by Disney, and DC, owned by Warner Bros. However, films based on comics are not limited to superheros, as children's comedies such as Garfield, Marmaduke and The Smurfs were all live-action adaptations of classic comic strips. Unlike books however, comics are told mainly through visuals - many of these visuals are used to influence the films artistic style. A new feature though is being able to hear the characters speak instead of text trapped in speech bubbles. Also, apposed to still images used in comics, motion can now be used and, in terms of superhero movies, this is much more benefitial for the action/fighting sequences.

Examples of films based on comic books include Batman, Dennis the Menace, and The Mask.


TV Shows

Television shows are possibly the easist to convert to film due to the similarities between the productuion process of creating a TV show and making a movie.While most film adaptation of TV shows will be created by the same cast and crew, there have been many that used a completely different set of actors and crew in there attempts to replict the original source material. While most TV episodes are 30 minutes long, the time frame is more than doubled for their film interpretations.

Examples of TV to film adaptations include Bewitched, 21 Jump Street, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, and Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

Video Games

Though possible the newest form of film adaptation listed, there are now many films in the production stage that are based on a video game. Since the great success of Disney's Wreck-It Ralph, a film based on the concept of video games and feature cameos from famous video game character, many film makers have jumped on the band wagon and decided to make video games into full length films.

In 2016 alone, film versions of Ratchet and Clank, World of Warcraft, and Angry Birds  have all been scheduled for release.

Theatre Productions

Due to the success of broadway musicals and theatre productions, while many films are being converted into play, the opposite is also happening with many plays being made into movies. One of the biggest down sides to a musical being changed to film is the lack of audience, as this changes the atmosphere of the scene and what may work before a live theatre audience may not have the same effect on a cinema audience. Another disadvantage is that most theatre productions take just over 2 hours with an intermission half way through, while most films are 1 and a half hours and contain no breaks. Subsequently, large parts of the original version have to be removed in order to fill an alloted time.

Examples of theatre productions that have made the  move to the big screen feature Into the Woods, The Sound of Music and Les Miserables.