LO2a – MeritDevelop one adaptation

idea into a treatment or

proposal

Vishal Bhatia

Contents

• Title• Genre• Running time• Plot synopsis• Identify three key scenes• Core audience and at least one secondary

audience• Constraints on adaptation• Opportunities provided by adaptation

Title

• I will keep the title of video game and name the movie adaptation ‘The Last Of Us’.

• This helps attract fans of the original game and people who have heard about it. It also implies a lonely feel which relates to the movies post-apocalyptic plot, and the lonely characters of Joel and Ellie.

Genre

• The adaptation will be a post-apocalyptic science-fiction, action adventure drama.

• It will also feature elements of suspense horror because of the Infected characters.

Running time

• 2 hours/120 minute running time.• This allows for the story to be told at a good

pace without rushing, and allows for some of the artistic intricacies of the video game to be included. Also, it is not too long for an average movie goer.

Plot Synopsis• In a post-apocalyptic world, ravaged by mutated cannibalistic

humans called the Infected, a tough survivor called Joel with a broken past unwillingly travels across the country with the teenage Ellie, who’s DNA may contain the cure for the human race.

• As the two travel from city to city, encountering various allies and enemies over the course of 4 seasons, a loving father-daughter bond is built.

• However Joel’s strong love for Ellie leads to him killing many innocent men and women in order to save the life of Ellie from doctors trying to find a cure within her. He subsequently lies to Ellie on the outskirts of a protected settlement saying there is no cure. She makes him swear it’s the truth; he does, and Ellie believes him.

Key Scene 1• The first key scene is the death of Sarah. This is an extremely

important scene which is placed at the start of the movie. It introduces the basis of Joel’s rough, single-minded personality that we see later on, and foreshadows his relationship with Ellie. The action is very quick and realistic. There are no stylistic embellishments which makes the scene hit harder. The soldier is portrayed as a human character who unwillingly has to kill Sarah. The harsh torch light of the soldier contrasts against the darkness of the serene night which lights the actors very harshly which gives the scene a sense of urgency and danger. When Joel holds the dead Sarah and breaks down there is no music or cuts; only a single long shot. The scene abruptly ends with a smash cut to the titles.

Key Scene 2

• The second key scene is the death of Sam. Similarly to the first key scene, there is no music. There is an emphasis on realistic emotion. Harsh sound effects are used to shock the audience when the infected Sam attacks Ellie and gunshots. Furthermore the look of Sam must be very minimum but effective enough to make him look threatening. There are only a small number of shots which are cut together very quickly to further shock the audience. Also there is a contrast in performances between the rabid Sam, scared Ellie, emotional Henry, and Joel trying to calmly deal with the situation. This hits the viewer with a bunch of realistic emotions.

Key Scene 3• The third is Joel saving Ellie from rape. David (the man who attempts the

rape) is portrayed as a desperate and menacing character, but is not an over-the –top Hollywood villain so remains grounded which makes him even more threatening as he is realistic. The scene is framed very tightly on the actors at a low angle to emphasize the tension, which gets closer and closer as the scene progresses.

• Ellie still tries to fight back against David and succeeds in saving herself with his knife just as Joel finds her. When Ellie repeatedly stabs David the camera must be kept on her to capture her anger and emotion with blood splattering on to her. Furthermore the reverse of Ellie being above David instead of the other way around symbolizes the character overcoming her own obstacles.

• When Joel embraces the emotional Ellie, lush music deafens the in-camera sound (e.g. actors, sound effects etc.) which represents the breaking point of all the tension in the scene.

Core Audience and Secondary Audience

• Key audience will be genre fans (e.g. sci-fi, horror fans) and fans of original video game.

• It will appeal to both genders because of the male/female leads (Joel and Ellie).

• The age range is also quite broad. The older character of Joel and mature emotional aspects of the movie will attract 29-49. Whilst the young Ellie and action/horror aspects of the genre will attract teens, who enjoy movies such as The Hunger Games. This also covers the secondary audience.

Constraints • Technical issues of bringing

the post-apocalyptic world and the Infected to life.

• Budgetary for funding of the above.

• Use of expansive locations• Ethical issues concerning the

young characters (e.g. death of Sarah, Ellie’s violence, Sam).

• Ethical issues concerning the violence of Joel.

• Certification and censorship of hyper-realistic violence, and strong emotional weight.

Opportunities • Advancements in filmmaking

technology which can help bring the setting/Infected to life (e.g. CGI, green screen and motion capture).

• Explore Joel’s complex character and violence to avoid ethical concerns through artistic merit and presentation.

• Raise the age of Sarah Ellie and Sam to avoid major ethical concerns.

• Aim for a 15 certificate rating to allow for the violence and adult themes to be adapted accurately without making major aesthetic, thematic and atmospheric changes.