Short Film Treatment

Logline: An old man that is stuck in the past tries to change modern youth by radical means.

An old house with a neat front lawn. An old man wearing khaki pants, a navy blazer, and a duck billed hat steps out of the front door onto a wooden porch. He relaxingly closes the door, walks onto the sidewalk and proceeds to begin his daily tasks.

The old man walks casually down the street, calmly observing the neighborhood around him. He glances over to the other side of the street and sees a pair of young kids playing with a handheld game, eagerly looking over each others shoulders. A deflated red ball sits just a few meters away from where they are sitting on the sidewalk.

A red ball is kicked. Children’s laughter is heard.

The old man, slightly disappointed, continues on his walk as he does everyday. This is nothing new to him.

The old man is sitting down at a local diner, reading the day’s newspaper. Nearby conversations are heard. A young waiter comes by and asks what he wants to order. The waiter suggests to try the new mocha that they are promoting. The old man ignores him and asks for “a black coffee”. As the old man sips the last bit of coffee left in the cup, he puts on his coat, pulls out his wallet from the inside of his coat and leaves some old bills on top of the check.

The old man is sitting in a park playing chess with a friend. He moves his queen in place and declares checkmate. In the background, kids are playing basketball. Suddenly, a basketball strikes the chessboard. A teenager runs past the two old men to retrieve the ball. The two old men yell in protest but the kids smirk and continue their pick up game.

The old man opens up the front door to his house and hangs up his jacket. Immediately an old phone begins to ring. He walks into the kitchen and picks up the phone. His son tells him how he and his son are supposed to come over that same day. He walks over to the refrigerator, glancing at some old photos. In passing his son asks about how that computer he sent him is working for him. The old man glances at a computer monitor sitting next to the garbage can in the front yard. The old man says fine.

The old man opens the front door for the dad and his son to walk in. The kid is texting on his phone even as his dad tells him to put it away. They exchange greetings.

At the dinner table dad and grandpa quietly eats while the kid is still texting on his phone. Dad seems to not be disturbed with his son texting at the table. Old man firmly asks the kid to put his phone away and that its rude to be on the phone at the dinner table. The kid reluctantly puts his phone on his lap. Dad suggests that the two of them go to the park together, for a little bonding time.

Old man and the kid are sitting a few feet away from each other on a park bench. The old man reaches into a small plastic bag and disperses some bird feed to the pigeon. The kids seems very bored and irritated. The old man offers the kid the bag, but instead he pulls out a gaming handheld. The old man turns back towards the birds and continues feeding them.

The kid is sitting in front of the TV set trying to set up his game console. The old man is sitting in his chair reading his paper. The front page talks about how “technology has ruined modern society”. However, when he looks to the rear of the TV set, he discovers that the game system is not compatible with the TV. The kid screams at the TV displaying static in frustration. Suddenly, the old man gets up, picks up the game console, and thrusts it on the floor. The kid, in utter awe and confusion, is yanked by his father while he is yelling at his dad (old man) about how . . .

The old man stands confused and unsure of himself as dad and son pack up to leave. The door closes on the old man, still dazed by the unfolding of events.

Ideology in Film

Ideology is a set of beliefs that is shown through different media, including film. These set of beliefs are usually underlying messages present throughout the film and is communicated through various techniques such as the narrative, acting, and production design. Explicit ideology is when the filmmakers state exactly what the film is exploring. This can be seen in the genre of the film when genre specific techniques are implored. For example, a crime film is out right stated to be a film through the production design and the set up of the film. However, implicit ideology is all of the underlying messages that aren't out right stated and can be debatable. Many times these ideologies are unintended and come from the critical analysis of film scholars.

Humphrey Bogart represents an ideological package that film studios were quick to use. He was known for his hard, quick-witted acting style. This was shown through the quick and sharp dialogue that was heard throughout his roles. Although he was cast frequently in his early career as a gangster, he moved past this when he went to film High Sierra, Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca. His roles after Casablanca were tough and strong, yet was trusted filmmakers trusted him his romantic leads as well. Five adjectives to describe Bogart's frequent roles would be quick-witted, strong, tough, vulnerable, and relentless. If Bogart were still alive, his next film role would be that of a man coming from a troubled past. He tries to cope with this burden because he displays such a strong exterior. However, inside he is a truly vulnerable man who longs for redemption.

A film I really like is La Vie en Rose where Marion Cotillard stars as the late famous French singer, Edith Piaf. I really like this character because the audience has the chance to watch her evolve from a naive girl, to a strong woman, all while retaining her vulnerability. Being a bio-pic, the filmmaker's choice of including events that span her entire life work to develop her not only as a singer, but more essentially as a woman. By exploring the struggles that women handle day-to-day through a different frame, the filmmakers are able to relate to the audience. Some values that this film works to promote is the importance of having love in your life. Although Edith physically deteriorates in the film, the love that she holds to her deathbed assures the audience that she was content as she passed. As an audience member, my feelings are manipulated to prefer her view over others is through the extensive investment we have with Edith. We've seen her struggles and tribulation, yet she has overcome them all. The audience becomes so invested in her character that we are able to sympathize with her. The filmmaker may want the audience to consider an ideology over another in order to communicate their own ideas. However, the expectations of the audience is important when considering this film. Because Edith was such a beloved singer, the filmmakers are obligated to portray Piaf's positive characteristics as well as interesting events in her life that would be new and fresh for the audience. These pressures are also put on by film studios because the financial aspects of the film require that the subject matter in the film is insured success.

Some ideologies are cemented into how certain narratives are told. However the problem arises when there are shifts in these ideologies. As a result the narrative style shifts accordingly. For example, films that operated under the ideology that the world is going to end in a nuclear war (seen during the Cold War), would change due to the passing of the nuclear crisis past the 1990s. No longer were films constructed with tensions surrounding the end of the world. However, films like these have resurfaced in the form of disaster films. This is in response to the Mayan calendar ending in 2012.

In most cases, the ideologies aren't immediately felt. This is because it has been weaved through various aspects of the film, making it hard to detect. However, in films like Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl, the effects are more glaring. This is because the ideology departs so far from ideologies that would be considered the norm in current-day society.

Suspension of disbelief is when the reality in a film is accepted although it may be vastly different from reality. For example, fist fights in films last a long time while in reality, they may take only seconds. The audience accepts this because it helps to create the diegesis of the film. However, the filmmakers must be mindful of suspending reality before the audience begins to disregard the reality of the films. An example of this would be in Casablanca where the plane takes flight in a matter of seconds while in real-life, it would take much longer.

The influence of film studios on the ideologies of films is irrefutable. However there are certainly varying levels of influence. For example, films under famed directors like Hitchcock and Kubrick would operate more so on the ideologies of the creative filmmakers then the financial backers of the film. However, studios often times dictate how films end in order to do what they believe as to satisfy the audience. This is why there are "Directors Cuts".