Concept - Foundation Portfolio

 Concept

Title:

Chefs Kiss

(mystery thriller about a chef killer)

We called it 'chefs kiss' due to chef Remi being a renowned cook, known for his delicious and perfect food. However the title can also signify his perfect ways of killing people and getting away with it. He's so sneaky in the way he acts. We include Ryder calling their meal 'chefs kiss' as it adds to Remi skill and talent, with both food and killing. 

Target audience:

16 years and older as this storyline is too mature for a younger audience. They may not pick up on some clues regarding the poisoning and the idea of a serial killer is too scary. 

Institutional/Genre conventions to be included:

• sound: Digetic sounds of food being chopped and different kitchen sounds will be heard throughout the cooking of the food. It will make the situation seem relatively normal. There will also be non-digetic background music playing, resembling what it would sound like in a restaurant. 
• narrative: it will cause discomfort and unease as it portrays poisoning someone as such an easy thing to do. There will be an element of mystery as the viewers are trying to work out what is happening. Why is he murdering people? do they have relevance to him? is he just a serial killer? They will find out more clues as the cooking goes on. Moving over to the dinner table, things look normal, however the audience knows more then the characters therefore creating suspense. We have taken inspiration from 'The Good Nurse' for our plot.
• lighting: we plan on having dim lighting, as if the table has been lit up by candles. it will show romance and love. it will also help create an eerie mood as darkness typically represents suspense
• camera: having the camera angles all below the shoulders and not showing any characters faces, inspired by Alfred Hitchcocks movie 'Strangers On A Train', this will add mystery throughout the film. It also allows the audience to use their imagination, they can decide for themselves what everyone looks like, as well as what is really happening in the plot. We have decided to film the whole thing in one continuous camera shot, such as the film series called Adolescence. This engages audiences, and makes it really interesting to watch. It shows the time of everything and how this situation would play out in real life. 
• mise-en-scene: we want to have all our specific props placed on the kitchen bench/around the kitchen, showing elements of the chef being a serial killer. this will include, eviction notice, receipts, pictures of victims, pill bottles, etc. This will create suspense as the audience tries to put the clues together. The dinner table will help show the romance and innocence of our couple. They are trying to have a nice night out, yet end up having a fatal death. As we all move around making sure everything is where they need to be throughout the shoot, we will have to ensure that we do not get caught in the camera, it would look unprofessional and take away from the realism and suspense. 
• crime: having a crime (the killing) is what creates suspense throughout the entirety of the film opening and makes it more interesting. Having a villain that has already committed these sorts of crimes (he's a serial killer) commonly thickens the plot. Audiences want to know and understand the criminal, they want to know what and why they live their life this way. 

Plot synopsis:

The story will begin with a wide shot of the camera following (from behind) Chef Remi into the kitchen. The camera will move closer to the back of him as he picks up his chef hat and puts it on his head. At this point the camera will be showing a close up of the back the hat. The shot will then be a close up of Remi opening a draw with knives in it, one with blood. He will pick one and out and the camera will move out to a wider shot around the kitchen bench. We will then see Chef Remi reaching for multiple vegetables and cutting them up aggressively to put in a salad. Close up of him making a final stab into the chopping board. The camera will then go to a mid shot, showing him grabbing poison and crushing it up to add to the salad dressing. Then the camera will follow him heading over to the oven and pulling out a mini pizza (at this point somebody will swap the crushed pills for icing sugar) He will come back to the main  bench with the pizza as the camera shows close ups of the various clues on the walls and fridge. Then it will be a mid shot of him plating up all the food. The camera will then follow him from an over the shoulder shot, carrying the food over to the couple (Paige and Ryder). Paige and Ryder will be eating their food and having conversation, shown by and a wide shot (still below their shoulders). The camera will then show a close up of their shoes getting up and walking out the dinning room. It will then smoothly glide to the kitchen as the couple runs downstairs to their car (not shown) while that happens the camera will show close ups of the chef cleaning, and muttering suspicious things. It will follow him to the window through and over the shoulder shot, and then show a close up high angle shot, of Paige and Ryder getting into their car slamming the doors shut. Everything will then fade to black, you will then see a news report saying that 2 people died in a car crash, traces of drugs found in their bodies. 

technical considerations of how to balance the climax and resolution:

• we will need to keep the shots smooth, even though they are handheld
• we will need to be extremely quiet moving around the camera and wear socks so that our footsteps don't make any sound
• judah will have to hold up the sound boom pole cables the entire time and ensure the boom pole is not seen
• we will film full run throughs multiple times
• the actors will not really eat the food as they would not be able to do that fast enough 

Characters and names:

• Chef Remi (serial killer) - his name is quite normal for a chef, it shows realism and how he used to be just a well known, professional chef. This was until the bad series of events happened in his life (evicted, fired, etc) which caused his mental state to become unwell and he now wants revenge on the entire world. He is wearing a usual chef outfit however it may have blood stains on it, showing the type of character he is. He will act aggressively throughout his cooking, to show his unstable state.

• Ryder (boyfriend) - he's wearing a white shirt to symbolise his innocence and purity, he couldn't imagine this would happen to him. His watch signifies that he is quite well off and rich, a supportive and provider type of boyfriend. He is supposed to protect his girlfriend, however he clearly does not. 

• Paige (girlfriend) - she is wearing a fancy outfit, also showing her wealth and status. her name is quite classy, yet ordinary enough to show her innocence. 

Both victim characters do not have a huge importance to the plot, as it could've been anyone the chef decided to murder. He is a serial killer and not targeting anyone specific, they were just at the wrong place, at the wrong time. 

Practicalities of filming/content:

• our idea is realistic as there are such things as serial killers, and many victims are hurt without motives. However the likely story that someone would be able to continually poison people and get away with it is more unlikely
• we had to get permission to film in the executive offices at school/church. however as it is onsite it makes transport of equipment very easy 
• we are inside so will not need any options incase of bad weather