Incognito Written Report

I studied domestic abuse against women with a specific end goal in order to attempt
to raise national awareness. As my chosen area of abuse is domestic violence against
women there will probably an age range of 16 and onwards. There really isnt a
precise age range for domestic violence it can happen to anyone. The age rating for
my short film is 15. Based on my chosen area of abuse I believe that there really isnt
a particular class it points towards to. However, if I had to be concise and relying on
my research it would mainly point towards to the lower middle class and skilled
working class; C1 and C2. Majority of my audience would probably be women as it is
mainly focused on them.
I have chosen to go for domestic violence against women because its the most known
topic that is not only still taking place but in fact based on stats getting worse. Women
are regularly in great threat, however, it is usually taken place inside the families. For
some, "home" is the place where they confront a regime of fear and savagery due to
an individual who is close to them an individual who should have the capacity to be
trusted. Those victimised endure physically and mentally. They can't make their own
choices, voice their own opinions/beliefs or save themselves and their kids inspired by
a paranoid fear of further repercussions. Their human rights are denied and their lives
are taken from them by the ever-present danger of violence.
Every good short film informs and express the pain and point of view of the victims
who has gone and who are undergoing this pseudo process. Through my film, I want
to make a visual statement that will grasp the eyes of the public and express the pain
on behalf of the women who undergo this disturbing process. I feel that women who
are unfortunately going through this condition need to be focused more in the public
eye. Personally, I feel that because this topic is very common and all round well known
people dont take it seriously anymore and it has come to the state where individuals
think that it is wrong to interfere in peoples personal life.
I will be emphasising the brutality of domestic violence against by projecting the
reality of women who undergo this process and the situation of the loved ones, for
instance, the children who suffer from this as well. The symptoms of domestic
violence comes in the forms of psychological trauma, depression, anxiety, chronic
fatigue that could also lead to an attempt of suicide. Women who are fortunate
enough to escape from this usually end up with a really bad scar; mentally. Some even
stay in a trauma and never come out of it. Based by the statistics 1 in 4 women will
endure Domestic Violence in their lifetime, and on average two women get killed each
week. The Forced Marriage Unit (TFMU) acted in response to 1735 reports of likely
Forced Marriages in 2010; but based on further research it has been increasing since.
In order for the message to be clearly projected, the audience should be able to
completely grasp the earnestness of the circumstance and should be able to
understand the consequences that could possibly impact on their children lives. The
film is a chance for me to educate mothers who are not only worried about them but
who are also passionate about the up-bringing of their children. This film does not only
go for women who are married, but also informative to women who are dubious about
their partner or their relationship on the whole. Through this way they will be able to
save/prevent themselves getting into situations like the victims did.
The main characters in my short film are: Mike (the abuser), Veronica the mother, and
the children; Niall and Nina (victims). The school teacher and the policeman (helper)

are the supporting roles who really brings out the purpose of this short film. Ninas
class teacher (Miss Adriana Swanepole) involves in this story when she starts to get
suspicious about Ninas bad school report and as well as Nialls. This leads to the point
where the policeman (Mr Royce Cruise) is involved due to Ninas school teacher.
Mike is an example of why many women around the world suffer in their relationship.
He is a controlling, possessive and manipulative man who abuses his wife for his
pleasure. This character reveals the true picture of how ruthless and aggressive an
abuser can be. This can be a wakeup call to women to stop themselves from falling for
men like Mike. People like Mike walk around the world wearing a faade; this is how
they lure women into this type of situation.
Veronica is a normal housewife who gets brutally abused by her psychotic husband
and like any abused women she is very insecure and timid. However, she has that tiny
source of courage that keeps her going through all this pain. Using a character like
Veronica I want people around the world to realise how awful domestic violence can
be, so then people would actually visualise the pain and not just hear about it and
forget it the next minute. The character of the children in the narrative will help me
achieve this further by guilt tripping parents who do not really take their children into
account and instead being selfish and thinking about themselves only. However,
based on the truth children who end up in these type of situations are affected in a
significant way. This will definitely touch the hearts of the audience. Going by the
narrative, the children are struggling to hide what is happening in their family but
soon reveal it to their teacher. This is the spark that leads to an end of all bad.
The supporting roles in the narrative are the ones that really alter the story and brings
the film closer to reality and make people realise what is the right thing to do when
they know someone who might be in a situation like Veronica. Miss Adriana Swanepole
is a character who really cares about the well-being of the children. When she tries to
help Nina (her student) to speak up about what is happening, she soon discovers the
reason behind her absences and tries to find a way to help them out of their situation.
The policeman (Mr. Royce) is the spark that ends to all bad; he shows the happy
ending that all 4,000 women who die each year should have had.
The initial conflict is started by the man, when Mike wanted Veronica to fulfil his
stereotypical ideas about women. When Mike tries to force himself upon Veronica she
refuses, which gets him aggressive as a result. Mike is very old school and believes
that women should be at home to take care of the man and the children, however in
modern society most women go to work and have very less time to take care of their
family. This is what causes the conflict as Veronica strongly disagrees with what he
believes. This is a fairly common occurrence in relationships, however in some cases it
escalates into a conflict if one of them reacts with anger. Like anyone would, Veronica
reacts with anger and threatens Mike. Typically, men start getting very controlling and
possessive when the female stars threatening, this then triggers them to abuse. The
typical question that everyone asks is that why do people become batterers? There
is no single explanation behind for abuse. Violence is a method for attempting to
practice power and control over another person. Numerous batterers were casualties
of abuse as kids or originated from families in which spousal abuse was common. It is
essential to recollect, nonetheless, that not all individuals who were casualties of
abuse as kids will transform into batterers. However, in my narrative Mike is heavily
affected by his childhood memories which creates him the monster to be. I will be
using the technique of flash forwarding whenever there is a scene of Veronica and

Mike having an argument, this from Veronicas point of view. Based on Mikes actions;
which eventually gets worse, the vision will get stronger; meaning that the result of
the confrontation would have an intense effect.
When it comes to making a short film on topics like this, there will be a question of if it
might be one sided. Based on the fact that I am a girl, there will be chances of me
being one sided as I am projecting it from the women point of view. As I am focusing
on Domestic Violence against Women, it purely portrays the man as the abuser.
However, in some cases it does happen vice versa. Unfortunately, we still live in a
society where women are still seen as the most vulnerable, powerless and valuable.
My story fits into the belief of our society, meaning that the audience might leave with
a one sided opinion. As because it is not from the mans point of view. Its mainly
based from the women and children point of view. Even though the entire film is
depicted through the eyes of a female, there will be a situation of why this had to take
place; meaning that there will be a chance for the man to speak up for himself. The
flashback will be the key to this. They are the only proof that tells the audience how
and why it started. This will also give the audience an idea of how couples get into
situations like this, in reality.
I have not followed the typical structure template, instead I have decided to mix the
scenes up a little bit by using the technique of flashbacks and flash forwarding. There
will be flashbacks when Niall and Nina finally open up about their fathers abuse to
their teacher. Doing this will also help the audience to understand how it all began and
when the children start realising what was happening.
The information of how it started will be told from the information that will appear
during the flashback. As it explains how everything started, what the children
remember and was told by the mother. This can cause audience biasness as it is
through the eyes of the victims. From the flashback scene onwards there will be an
increasing force of what might happen next and will make the audience eager to know
the ending. It will be clear that the teacher is going to help fix their problem, but what
obstacles would she need to face first in order to achieve it? In some cases there has
been events where the abuser has even killed or hurt the helper. So the upcoming
obstacles that Adriana will face can make the audience suspicious and question them
of whether the mother and children will be safe, and what consequences might the
teacher face for helping them? This can relate to real life and give the audience a
vision of how things can be changed for the victims life just by an act of kindness.
I want my film to end on a good note so it will create a positive energy within the
audience. The film is about how one good deed can help someone; this indirectly
points out to the audience. I want people to be aware of what is going on around them
and be more caring about others and be helpful. No matter how bad the problem is
you should be able to help someone; even just by talking to them and giving them
advice. The answer is not given straight away as it wouldnt get the message out to
the audience, making the audience anxious is the key to accomplish this. The ending
of the film should not create a one sided judgment as it would demolish the whole
purpose of the movie. I want the ending to be a balanced yet a quite forceful
message, so it would imprint in the audiences mind; preventing them from going out
with a one-sided opinion. My main aim is when the audience come out every single
individual should have that passion and determination to help someone. It doesnt
have to be something major, it can be as simple as holding the door open for
someone, or help someone who is unable to carry something. In order to remove a

mountain the key is to start carrying away the small stone, and just do small things
with great love and let people know that one may walk the tallest mountain one step
at a time.
For my form and style I would be using low and high angles in order to make the
victims look vulnerable and frail and the abuser to portray a monstrous feel towards
the audience. The use of make-up will make the characters look more realistic and will
naturally make the audience to imagine the awful images the victims would have
gone through, and how an abuser would look like (portrayed to be). In addition to this,
the lighting also plays a major role while crafting a movie. Majority of the scenes
would be shot in low key lighting to set the atmosphere in motion and within the
audience. From what I have researched and the things that I think would be essential
in order to produce a short film, it all rounds up to 20,000.

The illustration above shows my total summary page and I have included the
equipments that I will be using in my short film and the cost for hiring the actors.
For the crew hire most crew hiring company are titled for 1000 or more. However, I
found a website that offers a film crew for a one day shoot; for 900. And based on
the fact that I am filming a low budget short film, meaning that the number of
members in my crew is constrained. I have selected the specific crew that will be
needed mostly, this includes:

Director: Writer and Producer

Director of Photography
Make up/Hair Artist
Special effects crew
Sound recordists

Freelance Actors Hire

I found a link that provides me with actors with different skill set for reasonable prices.
However, unfortunately I couldnt find any children hiring companies or websites due
to security reasons. Meaning that I will have to specifically hand-pick the child artists
which is also helpful in a way, as it would help me to identify the ones that have the
talent to bring out the character that is needed.
Actor 1 Profile:

Tommie G- Mike
Professionally trained Actor and

Voiceover Artist.

Salary: 22/hr

Actor 2 Profile:
Jen W- Veronica
Actor and

Writer

Salary: 10/hr

Actor 3 Profile:
Cammie C- Miss Adriana

Swanepole

Vocalist and Actor

Salary: 16/hr

Actor 4 Profile:
Brett B- Royce Cruise
Voiceover artist and

Actor

Seller StatsSalary: 10/hr

In conclusion, apart from the transport facilities for the actors, hiring of the child
artists, and the location fees everything else has been sorted out. However, these
delays can be planned out in no time as long as there is no complications with the
location and that the cast can reach the location in time. Selecting the child artist can
be quite tricky as there are a few formalities that have to be filled out first, and it
could take time. Based on my calculations the budget of my film could be more than
enough if carefully spent, avoiding any delays and mistakes.