TRANSITION UNIT: Idea Development

Although we pitched to do a mockumentary in the style of the ‘Cunk on..’ series, Alex found this difficult to write without completely copying the style of the source material. The presenter for this series would also have to be very competent at delivering idiotic lines in a dead pan manner –this was very difficult to find as getting these characteristics in our presenter is integral to the success of the piece and no candidates were suitable.

Therefore, we decided to change the idea to follow the more typical documentary style, however, with dialogue and footage which mocks the subject matter. Alex suggested a medical / vet themed mockumentary such as ‘The Supervet’ and ’24 Hours in A&E’. As he is writing and directing the piece, I was happy to change our idea to this. I will now research the style in which these programmes are shot so that I can bring a similar style to our idea. It is important that our piece resembles the typical documentary format (with interviews, GVs, sequences and actuality) to add to the humour when the unexpected events unfold.

We then had a feedback tutorial with Simon where we presented our new idea. He was happy for us to go ahead with this new idea as long as we are able to make it believable.

The locations, props and cast need to be very accurate so that the audience believes the location is a vet’s practice and the main character is believable as a vet. We need to ensure we dress the set appropriately so that the location looks clinical and is believable as a vet’s practice. We also need to buy the appropriate costumes for the cast so that they are believable as either vet staff or pet owners.

It is famously stated that you should never work with children or animals – Simon drew attention to this. As working with animals is integral to our idea, I will look into advice on working with animals.

Next steps following the feedback:
- Research ‘The Supervet’ and ’24 Hours in A&E’ to get an idea of how these programmes are shot – I will look into the colours, lighting and camera angles used.
- As we are sharing the role of producer, I will work with Alex and Melissa to find the locations, cast, props and costume for this project – this all affects the mise en scene of the piece so I need to make sure I am happy that these factors all possess the clinical properties we require for this project.
- Look into advice for working with animals.