Broken

Business Plan

Disclaimer

This document is a business plan for the independent feature film Broken. No one is allowed to purchase or sell this business plan;

it is to be viewed only by potential investors of the film. The viewer will return this plan to the address below if they do not choose to

participate in this project. Any forms of reproduction are prohibited without permission from the producer. The contents of this

business plan should remain confidential.

Contact Information

Paula Toth 1000 Lakeside Drive, Apt. 226

Athens, GA 30605 paulatoth@ymail.com 678-787-5474

Table of Contents 4—Executive Summary 6—Treatment 9 –Creative Team 11—Suggested Cast 14—Financial Overview 15—Market Research 18—Distribution Markets & Income Projections 19—Appendix

Executive Summary Broken is an independent feature film that is set to be produced in 2013. It follows a story that numerous people from all walks of life will be able to understand and relate to. What sets it apart from other films with similar subject matter is the more dark and realistic tone it has. It does not try to sugarcoat anything and portrays flawed characters simply trying to improve those flaws and live a peaceful life. This film can easily be filmed in any suburban town in America, although we propose it be filmed in areas around Atlanta, GA. The projected budget for the film is $785,000 [See Appendix for detailed budget] and the projected running time is roughly 106 minutes. We hope to bring in a few big-name actors as leads to attract an audience while showcasing lesser-known actors in supporting roles that are key to the story to highlight their talents. Through the style of the film and the specific subject matter, we intend to appeal to an audience that appreciates a grittier story. In a time full of blockbuster superhero films, musical revivals, and epic sagas, this film will provide a taste of real life situations that movie-goers have not seen in some time. This project will serve as an artistic outlet for everyone involved with it, and we are open to creative ideas to ensure a strong production. We also hope to shed light on a serious issue that afflicts

many people on a daily basis in an effort to help prevent further instances from occurring.

Treatment Daniel Miller is a man in his late twenties who works a job he doesn't enjoy and has a drinking problem he refuses to admit. He has an estranged relationship with his family and is discontent with his life. He begins to recollect on past memories of when he was a child, and through numerous flashbacks it is slowly revealed that he suffered from emotional and physical abuse, and this abuse was by his older brother, Kevin. Daniel was always over-shadowed by his brother and looked down upon by his parents. He has strained relationships with his entire family. Daniel learns that his brother has had a stroke, and he has to take him in to stay with him, despite his extreme hatred towards him for everything he did to him in the past. He is unsure of whether or not he will be able to forgive him, yet agrees to take him in, thinking he might be able to slowly move past everything. As Kevin begins to recover, Daniel begins working on his drinking problem, continuing to attend a support group and catching the eye of the group leader, Jen. Meanwhile we hear voiceovers of what we assume is simply Daniel's inner thoughts, but soon learn that he is writing a book all about his childhood and what Kevin did to him. Through these voiceovers, as well as further flashbacks, the entire story of what Kevin did to Daniel is revealed. He also has

to work on an ending to the book, which his prospective editor keeps nagging him about. Although Daniel begins to forgive Kevin and try to move past everything, using the writing process as a form of catharsis, he soon discovers that Kevin was involved in an incident with a young student at a school he worked at and he spent time in prison. After even further investigation, and a visit to the boy's mother, he learns that this boy killed himself a year ago because of everything he went through. Learning all of this begins to make him doubt all the progress he thought he had been making with Kevin, as well as with himself. It is at this point that he begins to notice how Kevin has in fact not changed at all from that incident, or from being in prison, or from the stroke that almost killed him. In fact, Daniel has realized he doesn't want to forgive him at all. He has reached his breaking point. One day, as per routine, he goes to give Kevin his blood thinners and instead injects him directly in the heart, killing him. He does not want a monster like this out in the world anymore, continuing to put a strain on him, his relationship with the rest of his family, and every other aspect of his life that has been affected as a result. Kevin dies, and only Daniel and Kevin's aide Marina know the real truth. At his funeral Daniel's mom, Susan, tells him it should have been him that died instead of Kevin. He also

speaks with his sister, Allison, and learns of the abuse she endured as well yet always kept hidden. This brings them closer together, but still reflects how nothing has truly been resolved with his family, as their relationship is still strained all as a result of what Kevin did. On top of everything, Daniel also decides he no longer wants his book to be published and destroys the ending of the book he had written and ready to give to his publisher. Daniel meets up with Jen who is standing in the graveyard. They hold hands as they talk about what is on the other side. Daniel says he has no idea as the sun shines down on him and they walk away. Daniel has finally found a sense of peace in his life that he has always been searching for, and he can finally move past everything that had been keeping him broken for so long.

Creative Team Executive Producer-Paula Toth

Toth is currently attending the University of Georgia and is set to graduate with a degree in Mass Media Arts and a minor in Film Studies in May 2013. She was producer on the short film “220 Fortson Drive” in 2011.

Director-Lynne Ramsay

Ramsay is a visionary director from Scotland. She has a keen eye as she was initially trained as a camera operator. Although she has only directed 3 feature length films, she has received acclaim for work on her most recent film We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). She has 6 writing credits as well, including 3 for her features, and 3 producing credits. She is very involved in all aspects of her productions and is currently in pre-production for her fourth feature Jane Got a Gun, set to release in 2014.

Director of Photography-Seamus McGarvey

McGarvey is an Irish cinematographer who began his career as a still photographer before attending film school in London. He currently holds 49 credits for cinematography and has been nominated for numerous awards, winning 6 of them. Some of his most noted work includes The Hours, Sahara,

Atonement, The Soloist, Nowhere Boy, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and The Avengers. He is currently in pre-production working on Godzilla, which is set to release in 2014.

Writer-Will Hare

Hare's script was found on simplyscripts.com. This is his first project to be produced.

Editor-Pamela Martin Martin currently holds 20 credits for film editing.

She has edited a variety of films, including Saved!, Little Miss Sunshine, The Fighter, and most recently Hitchcock. She also edited an episode of the TV series Weeds. She has been nominated for three awards, including an Oscar for The Fighter in 2011.

Production Designer-Kalina Ivanov

Ivanov was born in Bulgaria and grew up in New York where she eventually graduated from film school. Her philosophy is to immerse herself in the script and embody the characters, representing them in a visually original way. She has 35 production design credits, including Swimfan, Little Miss Sunshine, Rabbit Hole, and The Vow. She has also worked on the TV series Person of Interest and Smash. Ivanov has won two awards for her work.

Suggested Cast

Note: The following list of cast members are not attached to the project in any way, they are merely suggestions for the type of

actor being considered for each role.**

Daniel Miller

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Paul Dano 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) The Girl Next Door (2004) 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996-2001) The Ballad of Jack and Rose (05) Brick (2005) Little Miss Sunshine (2006) (500) Days of Summer (2009) There Will Be Blood (2007) Hesher (2010) Gigantic (2008) Inception (2010) Taking Woodstock (2009) 50/50 (2011) Knight and Day (2010) The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Cowboys & Aliens (2011) Premium Rush (2012) Ruby Sparks (2012) Looper (2012) Looper (2012)

Allison Miller Kevin Miller

Maggie Gyllenhaal Josh Brolin Donnie Darko (2001) The Goonies (1985) Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) Melinda and Melinda (2004) 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002) Into the Blue (2005) Mona Lisa Smile (2003) Grindhouse (2007) World Trade Center (2006) No Country for Old Men (2007) Stranger Than Fiction (2006) American Gangster (2007) The Dark Knight (2008) W. (2008) Away We Go (2009) Milk (2008) Crazy Heart (2009) Wall Street 2 (2010) Nanny McPhee Returns (2010) Jonah Hex (2010) Won't Back Down (2012) True Grit (2010) Men In Black 3 (2012) Gangster Squad (2013)

Jen Marina

Felicity Jones Zuzanna Szadkowski Brideshead Revisited (2008) The Sopranos (2007) The Diary of Anne Frank (2009) Gossip Girl (2007-2012) The Tempest (2010) Butterflies of Bill Baker (2013) Like Crazy (2011) Chalet Girl (2011) Albatross (2011) Hysteria (2011) The Invisible Woman (2013)

**All other roles will be cast with lesser known or unknown actors to the discretion of the producers and the casting director.

Financial Overview The projected budget for this film is $785,000 [see Appendix for detailed budget]. We are looking into investors to help provide funding for this film. We will also look towards abuse outreach programs for donations in return for providing information about those programs in the credits of the film. The producers involved in the film will also provide financial-backing. As with any film, there is a risk involved with the investments being made. We have no way to guarantee a return on investment; however, we strongly believe that this project will yield a strong return based off the creative team and cast we are considering. Everyone intends to put forth a great deal of creative effort utilize their talents to produce a quality film. We will also rely heavily on marketing to help ensure the success of the film. Ultimately, our goal is to produce the film at the lowest budget possible to help minimize the risk to our investors.

Market Research With movie ticket sales consistently in decline, new forms of distribution are being explored and utilized. These include the Internet as well as Video-On-Demand. Particularly with independent films, this is a great area of the market to utilize. With social media being more prevalent than ever, targeting the cyber generation is always a smart decision since this a cheap and easy way to promote a film. Because Broken is a film with an underlying story about a broken family, we can appeal to nearly anyone since many people today deal with broken families or know someone else who does. We can also aim to appeal to those dealing with abuse directly as an outlet for seeking help. To market this film we will start spreading the word on various social media sites, as well as create a website for the film. We will also release a trailer on the Internet and promote it in the same fashion. We will consider Video-On-Demand as well as submit the film in various film festivals to try to gain recognition. Assuming the film does well in these areas we will then aim to sell the film to a major studio for a wider release throughout the country. There is no definite way to predict the projected income of the film, but we can base it off of films similar to this one. We considered four films when doing this:

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) $8 million budget—$100 million at box office We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) $7 million budget—$6 million at box office Lars and the Real Girl (2007) $12 million budget—$11 million at box office Young Adult (2012) $12 million budget—$22 million at box office All four of these films explore similar themes of broken and/or dysfunctional families dealing with issues they must overcome in order to better themselves. The films all take a realistic approach towards their subject matters and use darker tones to help convey the grittiness of the material. Despite Broken having a much smaller projected budget, we can still consider the trend found by looking at these films. In general it will ultimately depend on the overall appeal of the film, particularly in regards to the content. In the cases of Little Miss Sunshine and Young Adult the subject matter was a little easier to approach and easier to relate to a wider audience of people. These films grossed more than they spent as a result. In the cases of Lars and the Real Girl and We Need to Talk About Kevin, the subject matter was much more dark and much harder to relate to. Although these films did not gross more than they spent, they still came close. Broken is a film that explores a subject matter that is not entirely exclusive to a small group of those who have experienced it themselves and therefore can attract a wider audience. Despite these findings, it will all boil down to the overall finished product and how it is promoted.

Interested investors should note that even though it may sound like a risk to invest in this project, we feel the odds of a big return are in our favor. We have put together a solid cast and crew that are eager to explore their various creative outlets and put forth all of their effort to produce a quality film. We anticipate following in the paths of Little Miss Sunshine and Young Adult in regards to box office revenue. The investors will receive the amount they invest back from this gross as well as a percentage from any other revenue the film generates.

Distribution Markets & Income Projections

The film will begin with submission to various film festivals around the country. We hope to start small, gain recognition and acclaim and move up to wide-release through a major studio. However, if the film does not do as well as expected in festivals, we will release the film to Video-On-Demand in order to ensure opportunity for viewers to have access to it. The projected income for film festivals and Video-On-Demand is good, while the projected income for wide-release is fair. It will all boil down to various factors that are out of our control until the time of the film's release. Upon the initial release, we anticipate to make back half of our budget after having the film out for a few months and either in various film festivals or on Video-On-Demand. We anticipate to make back our entire budget and then some after moving the film to wide-release. Assuming the film does well at this level, we anticipate the film will gross more than the projected budget and allow for further revenue to be split among our investors.

Appendix