Hello, we are Team Aptitude and we would like to present our new film “Sharo” - an animated epic with an intriguing twist to themes and ideas explored before which we hope will thrill and surprise audiences everywhere.
The movie starts by following a teenage Wood elf girl as she wanders aimlessly on a deserted, barren pathway. We learn from the thoughts she is having that, her name is Sharo, and she doesn't belong to any faction. She doesn't have any family or friends, and she is always left to herself. Sharo then hears the sound of a large horn and walks towards the entrance of a small community, where there is a large commotion. The Rogue faction comprised of some of the rogues and bandits of the nation are seen with the Nomad faction.
In order to uphold a peace treaty forged between the two factions the Nomad people have agreed to give away one of their children in exchange for much needed money for trade between the various factions to the Rogue Faction. Gaia, a member of the Nomad Faction since birth is chosen as the child to be given to the Rogues. Leaving her family, Gaia prepares to start a new life in the Rogue Faction reluctantly. Once there, she has to quickly embrace a culture and ideals which she has been warned against her entire life. She learns that to survive she has to start stealing from markets to eat, deceiving members of the community for shelter and protection – a far cry from the peaceful, nomadic lifestyle of the deeply spiritual Nomads.
After a month since the transfer, she has settled in well and begins to understand the culture she has come into and why it needs to be done though still can’t shift the sense that this is fundamentally wrong. There is no family to help or protect you, it is true independent living. As Gaia lays down to sleep one night, the movie pans to a large group of people from the Technology Faction forming half a mile away from the borders of the Rogue’s territory. She is woken up by a fellow Rogue, in amongst a large commotion, who instructs her that they have been attacked by the Technology Faction. A large-scale battle ensues, the Rogues fight with daggers and knives and those with aggressive magic use it whilst the Technology Faction fights with swords; axe; and advanced bows and arrows. Gaia is shocked and angry at the conflict that the Technology Faction has bought purposely and quickly prepares for battle to defend her new home.
Meanwhile, a group of people from the Technology Faction not involved in the battle are working near the Cave people’s territory when they are ambushed by a small group of Cave People. A small battle ensues resulting in some deaths from both sides. The leader of the Cave People demands they stop using the Earth’s natural resources and should start to use magic to help as the Cave People have done. The response they get from the Technology Faction is that they have not been gifted with magic and require natural resources so they can evolve technology to survive. It is here that it is revealed that the Technology Faction attacked the Rogue Faction due to the presence of an important mineral ore only found in the Rogue faction’s territory.
A Cave Person, Orion, is eventually able to sympathise with the opposing faction by deciding to try and stop the conflict between the two factions by holding peace talks between the two factions with the help of Sharo whom he meets on one of Sharo’s wanderings. This inadvertently leads to a breakdown in communication resulting in a full scale battle due to the two factions misunderstand each other’s intentions. In a valiant but ultimately failed attempt to bring about peace and cease the fighting Orion tries to calm everyone down but instead is tragically cut down.
Meanwhile Rana, a Dark Elf clan member practices his magic skills in case of attack from the Tech Faction; the Dwarf or one of the many other factions hostile towards the Dark elves. One day, while he is training he notices Sharo stealing some food from the Dark Elves after having run distraught from the battle where Orion was lost. Noticing this, an epic chase occurs when the frightened Sharo starts to run away from an initially apparently violent Rana. The chase ends in Sharo getting caught and begging for mercy. It is revealed Sharo learns here that the Dark Elves are not as aggressive as believed by many and Rana just wanted to know what Sharo's status was. They convene together and Rana decides to give Sharo some food and some training in some more aggressive magic to help fend off the ever more diverse factions that misunderstand each other and would attack her out of fear.
Tired and exhausted, devastated by the death of Orion, Sharo goes through an identity crisis as she undertakes Rana’s training. After a while of training we find Sharo stumbling around still looking the worse for wear after Orion’s untimely demise. Sharo is eventually found collapsed not too far from where the Rogue’s territory is by Gaia who ends up striking up an uneasy and complicated friendship based on mutual respect leading to Gaia eventually deciding to reject both the Nomads and the Rogues who took them at such a young age. Rana carries on with life, training and developing. The last scene is Gaia and Sharo playfully arguing as they journey around the world together.
We wanted the posters to show off each character and attract the audience using visual enhancements. Obviously, the final poster will be images of each character against the background in one image, but these really help to enhance and attract the reader. The stand alone title "Sharo" helps to lexically attract the reader as it adds a sense of mystery.
To make the public aware of our movie, we plan on a small advertising campaign due to expenses. We plan on marketing our movie in Japan (as this is where the movies are most popular), America and the United Kingdom, primarily. Then, Canada, Europe, Oceania and other regions. We feel this will give the cast enough time to do PR, small radio and television visits and the likes. The reason we are doing this is due to having a tiered release. Our main audiences will receive it first, and then we can gauge which areas it's more popular so as to keep it in the cinemas longer. We feel that even though it's aimed at indie film goers, this is a circuit that all films who want to turn a profit must follow.
To give maximum exposure, we plan on the cast attending an indie film festival premier in each country (also helping with the tiered release) so that fans can ask questions to add a sense of warmth to the process, and a small YouTube series explaining each character, using the actor. This would be nothing major, and just an excuse for people to learn about the character. Two weeks before the films release, critics will receive a screening party, where they'll be able to take notes, review the movie and meet the cast members and crew for any questions.
We feel this will help with the critical reception which of course can effect the movie.
Across the UK, the movie poster (obviously then designed by a our animator so as to match the movie), will be appearing in anime and manga magazines.
We decided that to try and cash in we would try and create a soundtrack! To save costs, we decided to use unknown artists off of the site 'Noisetrade'. This is where artists share their music for free, with voluntary donations. To create a cost effective, yet audibly satisfying album, we decided to include these artists, whilst giving them each around $5,000 for the use of their music. We feel they will agree as for the use of one song, for an unknown and relatively undiscovered artist this is a lot of money.
We also feel that we would include and all female OST so that it could be considered a concept album, due to us having a female lead. The artists are all female, and all songs that relate to different parts of the movie. Please, click on the link and immerse yourself in the music of "Sharo".
We also came to the conclusion that the album would only be sold through iTunes unless there is a high demand on physical copies. This will save money as there won't be any shipping costs, manufacturing costs etc.
To create hype around the album we would release it for pre-order on iTunes, whilst making the "Spin Me Around" song by Lorelei Carlson and instant receive track. We understand that it won't sky rocket up the charts, but we feel by marketing it at £7.99/$9.99, with an exclusive clip of the movie, it will be an easy way to turn more profit.
We have chosen a budget of 2.5 million pounds for the movie. We feel this would allow us to aim for the animation style we would want - Anime influenced animation - and also the casting we have chosen. This would also cover some aspects of the advertising such as featuring it at film festivals. We feel it would allow for the movie to reach it's full potential and for it to be a success.
We have chosen to enter our movie into the Art-House Film Industry as a Independent Animation. This is because we feel our movie would appeal to a more indie orientated audience, with the conflicting genres and themes, for example a dark natured animation. Also, we feel the darkness of the storyline would appeal more to adults than to children, which would allow it to stand out as an unique Independent Animation. Fantasy is already a growing genre with the popularity of card games such as Magic : The Gathering and video games such as Skyrim. Thus the market is larger than ever and we believe we can fit this movie into that market.
As our cast, we initially thought of using completely voice actors, due to the cost. But we felt we wanted each main character to have a voice, a tone, and to be completely unique. We eventually decided on using the following actors for the four main roles
.
Brit Marling as Sharo
Devery Jacobs as Gaia
Jake Lacey as Rana
Graham Rogers as Orion
We decided on these as they all had fitting tones, and all we're relatively non-mainstream. We thought Brit would make an excellent lead actress due to the phenomenal tone of her voice, and the slight natural warmth as we want the audience to grow to become fond of each character, so they care and empathise with them. This would also help with critical reception!
For the side characters we plan on using professional voice actors. This is mainly as we don't wish to blow our budget on primarily actors. We're thinking of using in the range of 3-5 voice actors to cover all of the different secondary, tertiary and background characters.
We believe our young, talented primary cast will be a great source for the target audience to enjoy, and discover fresh new talent.
First off I really like how you guys have gone into an animation film as I love a lot of indie animated films (that's the artist in me woo) but like always I have a few questions.
Your story seems to really go from one part of the story to the other + going to characters who just appear out of nowhere and I got really confused whilst reading your pitch as I couldn't really see what was going on or what the characters intentions were etc. Do you think people will get confused as well because of this?
Also I noticed this in the first paragraph of the plot but it seemed in the first part you kind of ripped off divergent with a character not knowing where they belong followed by a horn where people have to gather followed by a war between factions which one is kind of leading, it seemed highly similar so what makes yours different compared to Divergent?
Also you mentioned you would be going with an Anime style animation, may I ask what made you go with Anime as your animation style?
Finally your soundtrack link isn't working so I can't view it atm XD
that's all though and I look forward to your answers
I like the concept of your film, but I wonder if maybe you've over-complicated things by including so many factions? It could perhaps be a little confusing to your audience, jumping from one fight to another, with different characters essentially having the same battle. Also, the film is called 'Sharo', but she doesn't seem to be in a fair amount of it - if anything it's more about the factions than it is about her. There doesn't seem to be much of an ending either, something which I know I would be disappointed in if I watched it.
I like the idea of the soundtrack, I know I've found some of my music from films, but I'm wondering whether it will be commercially viable considering the market you're going for?
First off I really like how you guys have gone into an animation film as I love a lot of indie animated films (that's the artist in me woo) but like always I have a few questions. Your story seems to really go from one part of the story to the other + going to characters who just appear out of nowhere and I got really confused whilst reading your pitch as I couldn't really see what was going on or what the characters intentions were etc. Do you think people will get confused as well because of this?
Also I noticed this in the first paragraph of the plot but it seemed in the first part you kind of ripped off divergent with a character not knowing where they belong followed by a horn where people have to gather followed by a war between factions which one is kind of leading, it seemed highly similar so what makes yours different compared to Divergent?
Also you mentioned you would be going with an Anime style animation, may I ask what made you go with Anime as your animation style?
Finally your soundtrack link isn't working so I can't view it atm XD
that's all though and I look forward to your answers
Hi jackel, thanks for the questions, I hope to answer the ones in bold.
In answer to the first question the plot is just a brief summary of what happens - of course in the film the main characters mentioned later would be introduced properly at the start and be given time to develop. We just introduced them as and when their plots become significant to save space and time.
The plot is hardly unique to Divergent - I haven't personally seen the film but any similarity is unintended and our focus is on the differences in culture and that the warring is from a fundamental misunderstanding of the other factions. The plot isn't driven by some villain or a strong romance but by the harsh reality that much of what we do has little or no impact on the world and I think that is the key difference in the plot to others out there. I hope that answers your questions and my colleague will answer the other question you had.
I like the concept of your film, but I wonder if maybe you've over-complicated things by including so many factions? It could perhaps be a little confusing to your audience, jumping from one fight to another, with different characters essentially having the same battle. Also, the film is called 'Sharo', but she doesn't seem to be in a fair amount of it - if anything it's more about the factions than it is about her. There doesn't seem to be much of an ending either, something which I know I would be disappointed in if I watched it.
I like the idea of the soundtrack, I know I've found some of my music from films, but I'm wondering whether it will be commercially viable considering the market you're going for?
Best of luck
We believe the soundtrack will be a success due to only being a digital album. It will be released in various territories and countries. However, the soundtrack has been made commercially viable by including music that isn't traditionally anime-esque. It isn't an expense as we would need to pay the artists to include the music in the movie anyway! We really feel like it could be a success as we aren't paying or the soundtrack, just the song. And this means that there really isn't any excess price other than uploading to iTunes etc I hope you enjoyed the soundtrack, and I hope I've helped
I like the concept of your film, but I wonder if maybe you've over-complicated things by including so many factions? It could perhaps be a little confusing to your audience, jumping from one fight to another, with different characters essentially having the same battle. Also, the film is called 'Sharo', but she doesn't seem to be in a fair amount of it - if anything it's more about the factions than it is about her. There doesn't seem to be much of an ending either, something which I know I would be disappointed in if I watched it.
I like the idea of the soundtrack, I know I've found some of my music from films, but I'm wondering whether it will be commercially viable considering the market you're going for?
Best of luck
Hi Amy,
Thanks for the questions, I will attempt to answer the bold questions. Firstly we have so many factions because we wanted to create a sense of scope to the world and lead to possible sequels that would potentially be completely stand alone stories in their own right - similar to Final Fantasy.
In terms of your concerns about having different characters in different places the battle with the "Cavers" would be less of a battle and more of a skirmish, though perhaps we could have chosen some better phrasing in the plot description. Also the Rogue faction is far more diverse than the cavers so you would be seeing a lot more different styles occurring in the bigger battle. The name "Sharo" comes from the fact that we are following her travels and the individuals who she meets in her wanderings so of course she would actually appear more in the film than what the synopsis would suggest. The plot of course requires further development and fleshing out but the basics are all there which is what we set out to achieve.
Also you mentioned you would be going with an Anime style animation, may I ask what made you go with Anime as your animation style?
Hi Jackel, I will gladly answer this part of the question.
We went for the animation style route as there isn't many animation films that have plots like this one, most of the films that do are seen on real life movies, so we wanted to be a little different by incorporating a film that's animation but full of dark cult and fantasy stuff.
Thanks for the questions, I will attempt to answer the bold questions. Firstly we have so many factions because we wanted to create a sense of scope to the world and lead to possible sequels that would potentially be completely stand alone stories in their own right - similar to Final Fantasy.
In terms of your concerns about having different characters in different places the battle with the "Cavers" would be less of a battle and more of a skirmish, though perhaps we could have chosen some better phrasing in the plot description. Also the Rogue faction is far more diverse than the cavers so you would be seeing a lot more different styles occurring in the bigger battle. The name "Sharo" comes from the fact that we are following her travels and the individuals who she meets in her wanderings so of course she would actually appear more in the film than what the synopsis would suggest. The plot of course requires further development and fleshing out but the basics are all there which is what we set out to achieve.
I hope that helps
Thanks Ian and thanks to Arran for answering my other question
What I was trying to get at was that it seems a little repetitive - 2 factions don't like each other, they fight, move onto the next one. Also, the Cave battle seems to be a bit more than a 'skirmish', it turns into a "full scale battle" after which a main character dies (unless you meant the initial bit with them, in which case, my apologies).
Also, the part where Orion dies seems to be the 'turning point' for the film, it feels as though there's another half of the story after where Rana and Sharo meet etc. I understand that you might have needed to give us a lot of background at the start, but it seems as though there's much more going on in the first 'half' of the film than the second - is there anything else going on in the meantime whilst Sharo is with Rana, and then Gaia? Otherwise, the ending is a bit rushed.
Finally, what you said to Jack - The plot isn't driven by some villain or a strong romance but by the harsh reality that much of what we do has little or no impact on the world and I think that is the key difference in the plot to others out there.. If I understand this correctly, this is meant to be the theme (for lack of a better word) of the film? If so, then that doesn't really come across to me. Could you maybe elaborate on how/where this is meant to come across in the film?
Thanks Ian and thanks to Arran for answering my other question
What I was trying to get at was that it seems a little repetitive - 2 factions don't like each other, they fight, move onto the next one. Also, the Cave battle seems to be a bit more than a 'skirmish', it turns into a "full scale battle" after which a main character dies (unless you meant the initial bit with them, in which case, my apologies).
Also, the part where Orion dies seems to be the 'turning point' for the film, it feels as though there's another half of the story after where Rana and Sharo meet etc. I understand that you might have needed to give us a lot of background at the start, but it seems as though there's much more going on in the first 'half' of the film than the second - is there anything else going on in the meantime whilst Sharo is with Rana, and then Gaia? Otherwise, the ending is a bit rushed.
Finally, what you said to Jack - The plot isn't driven by some villain or a strong romance but by the harsh reality that much of what we do has little or no impact on the world and I think that is the key difference in the plot to others out there.. If I understand this correctly, this is meant to be the theme (for lack of a better word) of the film? If so, then that doesn't really come across to me. Could you maybe elaborate on how/where this is meant to come across in the film?
Yes we meant the initial fight would be full on and then calming quickly down as there are far fewer of them in battle. The idea is that we show that the fighting is meaningless and only leads to death.
As I said to Jack this is obviously just the synopsis of what happens there would need to be a lot more fleshing out and all the details would have to be finer and the end admittedly is the least developed part of the plot so would undergo the most changes.
Yes that would be the theme that and how we end the film though brief I believe is what shows that, I hope that helps.
Here are the pitches from Aptitude this week, starting with Steve's pitch to Tyjet on sculptures and models:
[21:03:58] Stevie Bond: Hello, my pitch is ready to be shown, would you like to see what I have?
[21:04:29] David: Absolutely
[21:05:39] Stevie Bond: Alright, here it goes:
Hello, I am Steve and on behalf of Team Aptitude, I am here to present you with our choice of artist with a selection of designed models by this artist that should be featured in your museum.
For sculptures and models, we have chosen Saúl Hernández who is famed for his designs on everyday life events with skeletons. Of course, all artwork with skeletons is nothing new, but for genuine reasons, they always seem to catch the attention of any potential lookers and perhaps catch the attention of other artists. The materials used are in silver and metal which seem to go hand in hand for all kinds of artwork to do with skeletons. With this in mind, we have three model displays ready to show.
This model would successfully draw people in due to its different take on skeleton models and a high degree of intricacy upon the making of it. This model can be open to different interpretations, with one being the juxtaposition of the angel and the skeleton. Angels are commonly associated with 'good' and 'heaven', while skeletons are often associated with 'death' and 'evil'. This opposition presents an intriguing piece of art which many would enjoy to see.
This model is very intriguing which is open to various interpretations. The skeleton riding the bike is a bit of an irony as you do not expect a skeleton which represents death to be doing so. It also shows that anyone can ride a bike; the implication being that people don't need all the ‘extra things’ we have - skin, hair. Skeletons are the basic foundation - the very core of our physical being.
Something you would never see, skeletons playing football. It can represent that it doesn’t matter how you are built; or who you are, you can do whatever you want to if you just have the drive and determination to keep going.
So in closing, I believe that the models I have shown are in good taste and should be considered to be put on display at your museum. If you have any questions about the artwork, please feel free to ask. We look forward to hearing your questions and feedback.
[21:06:52] David: Your links don't work
[21:07:08] Stevie Bond: That's okay, I have a backup plan to show the images.
[21:07:32] *** Stevie Bond sent Angel Skeleton.jpg Angel Skeleton.jpg ***
[21:07:55] *** Stevie Bond sent Skeleton Cyclist.jpg Skeleton Cyclist.jpg ***
[21:08:02] *** Stevie Bond sent Skeleton Footballer.jpg Skeleton Footballer.jpg ***
[21:08:44] David: Thank you
[21:10:37] David: I like that the models are all made of skeletons, it's all very macabre which I like
[21:11:49] David: Ok, so let's start with the obvious
[21:12:39] David: Why did you choose this artist to be featured in my museum? Why did you choose these specific pieces? What other pieces could you have pitched?
[21:16:49] Stevie Bond: I chose this artist because his artwork whilst it has caught some attention, it could do with having more appreciation shown towards his work.
These three specific ones were chosen because they are what I think they show the best of what Luis has to offer with his skeleton model designs.
There are other impressive models that could also have been part of the pitch, but I didn't feel that they captured enough attention like the three which were chosen.
I hope I've answered your questions.
[21:18:30] David: The best he has to offer in what way? In terms of technical construction or artistic expression?
[21:22:54] Stevie Bond: I would say that it offers more on the artistic expression as his techincal construction side whilst impressive, designing with silver and metal is a common choice of material. The way he expresses the designs though is how he presents the appearence of his work in his own way.
[21:24:07] Stevie Bond: I hope this answers your question.
[21:26:53] David: Thanks Steve. I have some further questions around pricing
[21:27:13] David: You haven't mentioned anything in your pitch about it, do you have a rough idea of how much each of these statues could sell for?
[21:33:04] Stevie Bond: In today's world of art, I would say that these kinds of artwork could be sold within the reasonable price from around £300 to £600 each. Of course, each one may have a different pricing from the other two depending on how much material is used for the design.
For example, the skeleton model with the bycicle which shows the most material used, would most likely be sold for around £439. The model with the football could be considered the cheapest of the three, selling for £389. Whilst the angel skeleton can be sold for between the other two, such as £409.
I hope this has answered your question.
[21:43:34] David: Thank you Steve, I will consider all that you have told me today and come to a decision
[21:43:55] Stevie Bond: Okay, thank you for your question.
[21:43:59] Stevie Bond: *questions.
Next up - Naruto's pitch to Katie on still life paintings
[16:32:11] Naruto Fan: Hello I am Naruto and I am here on behalf of Team Aptitude to present to you our choice of artist and the selection of paintings by this artist to feature in your museum.
[16:32:58] Naruto Fan: The artist we have chosen for the Still Life genre of paintings is George Gonzalez. This is because we feel George Gonzalez captures the very idea of modern art most successfully from the artists we have researched, with the combination of modern objects, the twisting of common phrases/expressions and fun, witty, hidden meanings. We feel that Gonzalez's still life paintings would be a successful addition to your museum as it embraces modern life to the maximum, thus making it as contemporary as can be. From the selection of paintings we have chosen, all seem to have a focus on food to a certain extent. This fits in with the contemporary and modern description, considering the popularity of food photographs on image networking sites such as Instagram. Also, Gonzalez's work all have deep, hidden meanings that tie into the name of the piece of the work in a fun and witty way, no doubt bringing a smile to a person as they realise what it is. We therefore feel George Gonzalez would be of a great success and to showcase this, I will now present the four paintings we have chosen to pitch to you.
This painting features several truffles placed inside a cone. This image would greatly contradict the thought process after reading the name of the painting, as people would expect a still life painting of actual truffle ice cream. This witty and 'out there' concept can result in different thoughts and meanings of the painting resulting in different people having different experiences with this painting and also with the other paintings we have chosen. Take me for example; I get a sense of modern society from this painting. Due to technological advancements in the world, it can be said that people are getting 'lazy' and this painting symbolises this through the use of chocolates as the ice cream, rather than actual ice cream. It can also symbolise the modern demand for luxury foods and the extent people will go to, to mimic some of these luxury and high quality foods such as truffle ice cream. We feel this painting would be successful and we can imagine a huge demand for it.
This painting features a play on words of the title, 'Adam's Apple'. We have chosen this painting as we feel the play on words makes it a different and unique painting. The painting could signify the modern take on a historical expression. Again, the title by itself has a couple meanings: an apple that Adam has and the term for the male body part. What this painting does is it combines all of these to create a visual, thought provoking master-piece. Another interpretation also arises when we consider the story of Adam and Eve, and the eating of an apple from a forbidden tree. What I can see translated in this painting, is the hanging of an apple as from a tree which covers the face of Adam as if to show shame.
[16:40:09] Naruto Fan: Again, you will need to manually click the painting from the website. It can be made easier to use Ctrl and F to quickly find it.
We believe this should be featured as it has different meanings to different people and also is a well thought out painting. The vibrancy of colours and colour tones would appeal to the public and ensure that these set of paintings would be set apart from the more traditional still life paintings. The message it also carries sets it apart, as different people will experience different things. It can show how society has advanced in terms of medical care, where the best of medicines are tailored to look and taste like sweets and candy to ensure children will enjoy the taste and thus have more medicine. The painting itself thrives on the contradiction of traditional and modern, with the brown medicine case opposing the vibrant colours of the sweets. We feel this would be a high quality painting which would be a good addition to your modern features.
[16:43:09] Naruto Fan: The final piece is called 'Balanced Diet'. http://www.gonzalezstudios.com/image...4_Gonzalez.jpg
The final piece of art is of a high quality in terms of painting quality and meaning value. The phrase 'balanced diet' has been used to warrant it as a common expression many use to ensure that children and people eat a variety of foods. It is commonly used to counter the act of eating too much sugary and fatty foods and to eat more healthily such as vegetables. The painting uses this phrase as the title to contradict everything this phrase means. The balanced state of cakes, doughnuts and biscuits fits the title as much as the healthier counterpart meaning (as it is balanced vertically), however, it is a direct opposition to the healthy meaning. This fun and out there interpretation would fit modern life as much as possible and we feel it would suit your museum to no end.
[16:44:52] Naruto Fan: To finish the pitch off, Team Aptitude feels that George Gonzalez and the selection of paintings we have chosen would be a huge asset to your museum due to its suiting of modern society with the fun and witty messages that are conveyed as well as the quality of the paintings themselves. I apologise that the links didn't work. We thank you for your time today, and I look forward to any questions you may have.
[16:49:39] Katie Lamont: Hi Naruto. Thanks for the pitch. I really like the quality of the artist's work and the messages portrayed in the artwork. I have a few questions which I'd like to ask.
[16:50:18] Naruto Fan: I'll be happy to answer them.
[16:51:20] Katie Lamont: Firstly through a quick bit of research Gonzalez isn't one of the most well known artists in the art world. Many art fanatics come to museums to see well known artists work. How would you suggest I use his name and work to encourage customers into my museum?
[16:52:38] Katie Lamont: My second question is how would you position Gonzalez's work from a pricing point of view in relation to other artists?
[16:53:12] Katie Lamont: My final question is if you could use three words to sum up your chosen artist's work what would they be?
[16:54:55] Naruto Fan: I feel that while he isn't relatively well known, this could be a huge advantage to your museum as you will be one of the first to host some of his paintings, thus giving your museum more publicity when more people discover his art. His work would appeal to a lot of customers wanting modern art and i believe he is one of the few who portrays it in such a fun and out there way. So therefore, i do believe he will attract attention in your museum.
[16:58:22] Naruto Fan: The pricing range for Gonzalez's work does have a large range, with some of his pieces having a higher price tag. The range would be an estimate of 600-2500, therefore resulting in a larger market appeal - more casual art fans and the more devoted fans will be able to experience his art.
[17:01:29] Naruto Fan: The three words i would choose would be : Innovative, Skilled , Unique.
[17:03:01] Katie Lamont: Okay thanks they are all the questions I have. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we conclude this meeting?
[17:03:46] Naruto Fan: Again, i am sorry for the links. They were all working well yesterday, so i would want to apologise for that.
[17:05:25] Naruto Fan: Apart from that, nothing else.
And finally, Iain's pitch to Aliyah on abstract and surreal art:
Iain:
I hope your on now, just in case here's my pitch:
Hello, my name is Iain and I will be presenting to you the artist and the pieces of work from that artist which we have selected for the Abstract and Surreal category that we think will be perfect to feature in your museum for Team Aptitude.
The artist we have chosen for the Abstract and Surreal category is Rick Spix but uses the pseudonym Rykk to sign all his art work. We have chosen Rykk because he uses a unique combination of the surreal and abstract which we believe will enhance any collection of art in this category for your museum. The three pieces we have selected all tell a very different and unique story which all express certain aspects of how the artist sees the world.
The sharp shapes typical of Rykk’s work in this piece form into strange, surreal almost crustacean like creatures that have an almost metallic cold quality to them. This piece has a dark almost chilling feel to it which could be interpreted as representing the coldness of industrial work living that is increasingly becoming a part of modern society. The warmer red that is in the background is a stark contrast to the coldness of the main picture which gives a warmer overall tone to the piece and could be interpreted as the calmer more balanced lifestyle that is being lost as work is taking a greater priority than rest, play and socialising which are equally important – though of course this is just my opinion.
This colourful piece of art which very much shows off the best of modern abstract art which has a subliminal message hidden in the shapes used in the piece. My interpretation of this message is the circles in the background represent us and the jagged city landscape type thing going on in the foreground is life happening around us getting in the way of what we really want. The horizontal lines could be the scars of our past which restrict us in our present and where we see our future going.
This is an unusual and very thought provoking piece which like all good art work has many levels to it. The name itself is intriguing and draws you into the art work giving the piece an even more mystical feel to it. With almost no sharp shapes making this a particularly unusual piece of Rykk’s that has an almost magical fantasy element to it. The detail in this piece is amazingly intricate and open to a lot of different interpretations. The larger spherical orb for me encased in the larger object represents some sort of time device, possibly allows time travel.
In conclusion we, Team Aptitude, would like to recommend to you Rykk as an excellent choice for your museum. We hope that you are as excited about our selection of pieces as we are. Thank you for taking time to read our pitch and I invite you to ask any questions you may have.
Aliyah:
Hi Iain!
Firstly, thank you for your very clear and concise pitch, I like that you took on board what I said about getting straight to the point and to basically not waffle, and I found that pitch very easy to understand indeed.
Firstly a few questions.
Could I get a run down of the prices for each artwork if I was to sell them in my museum?
Secondly, the artist that you've chosen Rick Spix is very interesting indeed, it appears as though he specialises in shapes, patterns and the illusion of movement which each tell a different story, this is very intriguing. However, one aspect of the artwork that I feel is lacking is heart and soul, there appears to lack a personal connection with the consumer, from what I can see, his art work doesn't really consist of any human symbolisation, it's all very open to interpretation, yes he has a "story" to tell, but every story doesn't really interconnect,it's either about industrial work, or about a magical fantasy e.t.c, It doesn't tell me a lot about the artist itself i.e. what are his passions, what does he feel strongly about, yes each artwork has a story but the story does not build on from that. I mean, how would I know my customers wouldn't simply overlook the artwork as it's too obscure and individual?
Going on from that, what would you say is Rick Spix's unique selling point? Would it be a fair comment if I was to say his artwork seems a bit generic within the abstract and surrealism art world?
That's all for now
Iain:
Thank you. I was unable to find any prices but you would be able to contact the artist with the email he provides to get an idea of prices.
In answer to your second question I would argue that he deliberate has a lack of emotion to exaggerate the point he is trying to put across in his art work making it the sort of thing that would draw customers rather than cause them to overlook his work.
I think I would say his unique selling point is how he combines the Abstract and Surreal genres into his work. I think the comment would be fair if his work was just abstract or just surreal but as it is a combination of both that I believe is different I would argue that the comment isn't fair.
Comments
The movie starts by following a teenage Wood elf girl as she wanders aimlessly on a deserted, barren pathway. We learn from the thoughts she is having that, her name is Sharo, and she doesn't belong to any faction. She doesn't have any family or friends, and she is always left to herself. Sharo then hears the sound of a large horn and walks towards the entrance of a small community, where there is a large commotion. The Rogue faction comprised of some of the rogues and bandits of the nation are seen with the Nomad faction.
In order to uphold a peace treaty forged between the two factions the Nomad people have agreed to give away one of their children in exchange for much needed money for trade between the various factions to the Rogue Faction. Gaia, a member of the Nomad Faction since birth is chosen as the child to be given to the Rogues. Leaving her family, Gaia prepares to start a new life in the Rogue Faction reluctantly. Once there, she has to quickly embrace a culture and ideals which she has been warned against her entire life. She learns that to survive she has to start stealing from markets to eat, deceiving members of the community for shelter and protection – a far cry from the peaceful, nomadic lifestyle of the deeply spiritual Nomads.
After a month since the transfer, she has settled in well and begins to understand the culture she has come into and why it needs to be done though still can’t shift the sense that this is fundamentally wrong. There is no family to help or protect you, it is true independent living. As Gaia lays down to sleep one night, the movie pans to a large group of people from the Technology Faction forming half a mile away from the borders of the Rogue’s territory. She is woken up by a fellow Rogue, in amongst a large commotion, who instructs her that they have been attacked by the Technology Faction. A large-scale battle ensues, the Rogues fight with daggers and knives and those with aggressive magic use it whilst the Technology Faction fights with swords; axe; and advanced bows and arrows. Gaia is shocked and angry at the conflict that the Technology Faction has bought purposely and quickly prepares for battle to defend her new home.
Meanwhile, a group of people from the Technology Faction not involved in the battle are working near the Cave people’s territory when they are ambushed by a small group of Cave People. A small battle ensues resulting in some deaths from both sides. The leader of the Cave People demands they stop using the Earth’s natural resources and should start to use magic to help as the Cave People have done. The response they get from the Technology Faction is that they have not been gifted with magic and require natural resources so they can evolve technology to survive. It is here that it is revealed that the Technology Faction attacked the Rogue Faction due to the presence of an important mineral ore only found in the Rogue faction’s territory.
A Cave Person, Orion, is eventually able to sympathise with the opposing faction by deciding to try and stop the conflict between the two factions by holding peace talks between the two factions with the help of Sharo whom he meets on one of Sharo’s wanderings. This inadvertently leads to a breakdown in communication resulting in a full scale battle due to the two factions misunderstand each other’s intentions. In a valiant but ultimately failed attempt to bring about peace and cease the fighting Orion tries to calm everyone down but instead is tragically cut down.
Meanwhile Rana, a Dark Elf clan member practices his magic skills in case of attack from the Tech Faction; the Dwarf or one of the many other factions hostile towards the Dark elves. One day, while he is training he notices Sharo stealing some food from the Dark Elves after having run distraught from the battle where Orion was lost. Noticing this, an epic chase occurs when the frightened Sharo starts to run away from an initially apparently violent Rana. The chase ends in Sharo getting caught and begging for mercy. It is revealed Sharo learns here that the Dark Elves are not as aggressive as believed by many and Rana just wanted to know what Sharo's status was. They convene together and Rana decides to give Sharo some food and some training in some more aggressive magic to help fend off the ever more diverse factions that misunderstand each other and would attack her out of fear.
Tired and exhausted, devastated by the death of Orion, Sharo goes through an identity crisis as she undertakes Rana’s training. After a while of training we find Sharo stumbling around still looking the worse for wear after Orion’s untimely demise. Sharo is eventually found collapsed not too far from where the Rogue’s territory is by Gaia who ends up striking up an uneasy and complicated friendship based on mutual respect leading to Gaia eventually deciding to reject both the Nomads and the Rogues who took them at such a young age. Rana carries on with life, training and developing. The last scene is Gaia and Sharo playfully arguing as they journey around the world together.
Here is a rough version of the poster made by Naruto:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ur1...8#.U9EKXPldVcg
Here is a rough sketch of the poster made by Arran:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2qk4c5z&s=8
We wanted the posters to show off each character and attract the audience using visual enhancements. Obviously, the final poster will be images of each character against the background in one image, but these really help to enhance and attract the reader. The stand alone title "Sharo" helps to lexically attract the reader as it adds a sense of mystery.
To make the public aware of our movie, we plan on a small advertising campaign due to expenses. We plan on marketing our movie in Japan (as this is where the movies are most popular), America and the United Kingdom, primarily. Then, Canada, Europe, Oceania and other regions. We feel this will give the cast enough time to do PR, small radio and television visits and the likes. The reason we are doing this is due to having a tiered release. Our main audiences will receive it first, and then we can gauge which areas it's more popular so as to keep it in the cinemas longer. We feel that even though it's aimed at indie film goers, this is a circuit that all films who want to turn a profit must follow.
To give maximum exposure, we plan on the cast attending an indie film festival premier in each country (also helping with the tiered release) so that fans can ask questions to add a sense of warmth to the process, and a small YouTube series explaining each character, using the actor. This would be nothing major, and just an excuse for people to learn about the character. Two weeks before the films release, critics will receive a screening party, where they'll be able to take notes, review the movie and meet the cast members and crew for any questions.
We feel this will help with the critical reception which of course can effect the movie.
Across the UK, the movie poster (obviously then designed by a our animator so as to match the movie), will be appearing in anime and manga magazines.
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=..._GRTJzLCvKy-90
We decided that to try and cash in we would try and create a soundtrack! To save costs, we decided to use unknown artists off of the site 'Noisetrade'. This is where artists share their music for free, with voluntary donations. To create a cost effective, yet audibly satisfying album, we decided to include these artists, whilst giving them each around $5,000 for the use of their music. We feel they will agree as for the use of one song, for an unknown and relatively undiscovered artist this is a lot of money.
We also feel that we would include and all female OST so that it could be considered a concept album, due to us having a female lead. The artists are all female, and all songs that relate to different parts of the movie. Please, click on the link and immerse yourself in the music of "Sharo".
We also came to the conclusion that the album would only be sold through iTunes unless there is a high demand on physical copies. This will save money as there won't be any shipping costs, manufacturing costs etc.
To create hype around the album we would release it for pre-order on iTunes, whilst making the "Spin Me Around" song by Lorelei Carlson and instant receive track. We understand that it won't sky rocket up the charts, but we feel by marketing it at £7.99/$9.99, with an exclusive clip of the movie, it will be an easy way to turn more profit.
We have chosen a budget of 2.5 million pounds for the movie. We feel this would allow us to aim for the animation style we would want - Anime influenced animation - and also the casting we have chosen. This would also cover some aspects of the advertising such as featuring it at film festivals. We feel it would allow for the movie to reach it's full potential and for it to be a success.
We have chosen to enter our movie into the Art-House Film Industry as a Independent Animation. This is because we feel our movie would appeal to a more indie orientated audience, with the conflicting genres and themes, for example a dark natured animation. Also, we feel the darkness of the storyline would appeal more to adults than to children, which would allow it to stand out as an unique Independent Animation. Fantasy is already a growing genre with the popularity of card games such as Magic : The Gathering and video games such as Skyrim. Thus the market is larger than ever and we believe we can fit this movie into that market.
As our cast, we initially thought of using completely voice actors, due to the cost. But we felt we wanted each main character to have a voice, a tone, and to be completely unique. We eventually decided on using the following actors for the four main roles
.
Brit Marling as Sharo
Devery Jacobs as Gaia
Jake Lacey as Rana
Graham Rogers as Orion
We decided on these as they all had fitting tones, and all we're relatively non-mainstream. We thought Brit would make an excellent lead actress due to the phenomenal tone of her voice, and the slight natural warmth as we want the audience to grow to become fond of each character, so they care and empathise with them. This would also help with critical reception!
For the side characters we plan on using professional voice actors. This is mainly as we don't wish to blow our budget on primarily actors. We're thinking of using in the range of 3-5 voice actors to cover all of the different secondary, tertiary and background characters.
We believe our young, talented primary cast will be a great source for the target audience to enjoy, and discover fresh new talent.
First off I really like how you guys have gone into an animation film as I love a lot of indie animated films (that's the artist in me woo) but like always I have a few questions.
Your story seems to really go from one part of the story to the other + going to characters who just appear out of nowhere and I got really confused whilst reading your pitch as I couldn't really see what was going on or what the characters intentions were etc. Do you think people will get confused as well because of this?
Also I noticed this in the first paragraph of the plot but it seemed in the first part you kind of ripped off divergent with a character not knowing where they belong followed by a horn where people have to gather followed by a war between factions which one is kind of leading, it seemed highly similar so what makes yours different compared to Divergent?
Also you mentioned you would be going with an Anime style animation, may I ask what made you go with Anime as your animation style?
Finally your soundtrack link isn't working so I can't view it atm XD
that's all though and I look forward to your answers
I like the concept of your film, but I wonder if maybe you've over-complicated things by including so many factions? It could perhaps be a little confusing to your audience, jumping from one fight to another, with different characters essentially having the same battle. Also, the film is called 'Sharo', but she doesn't seem to be in a fair amount of it - if anything it's more about the factions than it is about her. There doesn't seem to be much of an ending either, something which I know I would be disappointed in if I watched it.
I like the idea of the soundtrack, I know I've found some of my music from films, but I'm wondering whether it will be commercially viable considering the market you're going for?
Best of luck
Hi jackel, thanks for the questions, I hope to answer the ones in bold.
In answer to the first question the plot is just a brief summary of what happens - of course in the film the main characters mentioned later would be introduced properly at the start and be given time to develop. We just introduced them as and when their plots become significant to save space and time.
The plot is hardly unique to Divergent - I haven't personally seen the film but any similarity is unintended and our focus is on the differences in culture and that the warring is from a fundamental misunderstanding of the other factions. The plot isn't driven by some villain or a strong romance but by the harsh reality that much of what we do has little or no impact on the world and I think that is the key difference in the plot to others out there. I hope that answers your questions and my colleague will answer the other question you had.
As for the link I must apologize on behalf of my colleague who I believe was posting from their phone, here is the correct link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdmQGyHNxMf5Vtu2Tfe_GRTJzLCvKy-90&app=desktop
We believe the soundtrack will be a success due to only being a digital album. It will be released in various territories and countries. However, the soundtrack has been made commercially viable by including music that isn't traditionally anime-esque. It isn't an expense as we would need to pay the artists to include the music in the movie anyway! We really feel like it could be a success as we aren't paying or the soundtrack, just the song. And this means that there really isn't any excess price other than uploading to iTunes etc
Hi Amy,
Thanks for the questions, I will attempt to answer the bold questions. Firstly we have so many factions because we wanted to create a sense of scope to the world and lead to possible sequels that would potentially be completely stand alone stories in their own right - similar to Final Fantasy.
In terms of your concerns about having different characters in different places the battle with the "Cavers" would be less of a battle and more of a skirmish, though perhaps we could have chosen some better phrasing in the plot description. Also the Rogue faction is far more diverse than the cavers so you would be seeing a lot more different styles occurring in the bigger battle. The name "Sharo" comes from the fact that we are following her travels and the individuals who she meets in her wanderings so of course she would actually appear more in the film than what the synopsis would suggest. The plot of course requires further development and fleshing out but the basics are all there which is what we set out to achieve.
I hope that helps
Hi Jackel, I will gladly answer this part of the question.
We went for the animation style route as there isn't many animation films that have plots like this one, most of the films that do are seen on real life movies, so we wanted to be a little different by incorporating a film that's animation but full of dark cult and fantasy stuff.
I hope this has answered your question.
Thanks Ian
What I was trying to get at was that it seems a little repetitive - 2 factions don't like each other, they fight, move onto the next one. Also, the Cave battle seems to be a bit more than a 'skirmish', it turns into a "full scale battle" after which a main character dies (unless you meant the initial bit with them, in which case, my apologies).
Also, the part where Orion dies seems to be the 'turning point' for the film, it feels as though there's another half of the story after where Rana and Sharo meet etc. I understand that you might have needed to give us a lot of background at the start, but it seems as though there's much more going on in the first 'half' of the film than the second - is there anything else going on in the meantime whilst Sharo is with Rana, and then Gaia? Otherwise, the ending is a bit rushed.
Finally, what you said to Jack - The plot isn't driven by some villain or a strong romance but by the harsh reality that much of what we do has little or no impact on the world and I think that is the key difference in the plot to others out there.. If I understand this correctly, this is meant to be the theme (for lack of a better word) of the film? If so, then that doesn't really come across to me. Could you maybe elaborate on how/where this is meant to come across in the film?
Yes we meant the initial fight would be full on and then calming quickly down as there are far fewer of them in battle. The idea is that we show that the fighting is meaningless and only leads to death.
As I said to Jack this is obviously just the synopsis of what happens there would need to be a lot more fleshing out and all the details would have to be finer and the end admittedly is the least developed part of the plot so would undergo the most changes.
Yes that would be the theme that and how we end the film though brief I believe is what shows that, I hope that helps.