FMP- Compare and Contrast

To best explain a new idea or concept, its normally best to compare it to a preexisting property or IP. This means people can get an idea of what your product is and it's use. The same goes for the Media industry. When selling an idea to an executive, comparing your show/movie to something that already exists (and thats more importantly is successful) gives them an idea of the genre and audience you going for.

So it seems like a good idea to get a few examples which are similar, or you can at least compare against, my film. The first property that comes to mind has to be Breaking bad. As I want the short to be apart of Tv pitch, it seems fit to start with a TV show. Breaking bad encompasses a lot of what I want to replicate. From the non-chronological order to it's look and tone, the show oozes that old school noir vibe. It does this through it's character development and unique shot types. It also has a very distinctive look with an orange tint which always accompanies desert scenes. It also follows the idea that anyone can die, and will die, when you least expect it. Similarly, we want to build that same sense that no one is safe.

Another film which could compare to are film is Quentin Tarantinos World war 2 masterpiece, Inglourious Basterds. In particular a certain scene in a small bar where the main characters stand-off against a SS officer who figures out they aren't what they seem. The suspense that Tarantino builds using just a few simply shots is amazing. You really feel the weight of the situation slowly weighing down on you as the scene progresses. This is the kind of feeling I want to replicate in our film. That feeling like everything is building to an inevitable crescendo.

The final example of what I want the film to be like is my favourite film of all time. The Coan Brothers masterclass in filmmaking, which is of course No Country for Old Men". Everything about the film is perfect from it's cinematography to spot on dialogue, it nails it. What I want to glean most for it however is it's tone. That feeling of we have just entered into a shady part of the world, one we do not understand and where normal rules don't apply. Another thing to learn from NCFOM is building up a good bady. Someone who isn't silly or over the top, but creepy and scary. The final thing that the Coans have gifted me is there use of colours. I love the grade on all of their films but No country is one of the best. Every image looks like a painting and that is down simply to angle, lighting and colouring,