Client Proposal

Oxford Road
Lizzie Stringer, Chloe Barrow, Megan McMorrow, Phil Whitehead and George
Morrissey Limited
6
th
October 2014
Channel 4
2014
PROPOSAL
Prepared by
Morrissey Limited
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Project name: Oxford Road
Outline of idea:
Oxford Road is a melodrama which is based in the inside life of students who are
studyin in !he "ni#ersity of $anchester% &t will be centrally based in $anchester which
means we will use student halls' student union and the local pub to ha#e settins which
will be familiar to our taret audiences' both primary and secondary% Our primary
audience bein ()*+4 year olds who went throuh a similar experience means they will
want to see a settin they are familiar with and is relatable to their experience at
uni#ersity ma,in our drama appeal to them%
Our main storylines will consist of the problems around the uni#ersity and more around
the characters personal li#es such as relationships issues' stress' exams and copin
with li#in away from home whilst carryin the burdens of the past amon them% Our
proramme will be shown on Channel 4' which is more suitable to our taret audience
since our show is similar to -ollyoa,s as they ha#e a similar taret audience' howe#er
our uni.ue sellin point is the settin is based in uni#ersity and a much smaller based
characters meanin the audience et to ,now them much more personally% !he
storylines will all focus around / main characters with some secondary characters bein
used to add new storylines etc such as a best friend0 relati#e% &n each episode there will
be a main focus on each character so the audience can et to ,now them and be more
personal towards them and relate to some of their issues% !he characters of the show
are below:
!ommy Rowlinson
1ulie 2reen
Annie 2reen
3ic, 2erard
Lucy 4illiams
Also' there will be some characters to ma,e appearances around the li#es of them such
as best friends and family who come to #isit them at the uni#ersity or when they o
home%
!he broadcastin time of the show will be at )pm which will be just before the
watershed' so should be appropriate for a youner ae than just teenaers who went to
uni#ersity who can relate' with them bein our primary audience% 4ith the show bein
broadcast on Channel 4 which is a well*respected channel with similar shows on around
this time% !he show will be wee,ly and ha#e different storylines continuin on until the
end of the series% Our show will be relatable to the audience and ha#e reliious' sexual
and educational issues which our characters will ha#e to face and try and resol#e with
the help of one another% Our show is appropriate for the settin and the primary
audience%
3arrati#es:
As there are / main characters in our soap opera trailer' there will be / main narrati#es
re#ol#in around them which will be shown in the first episode of our !5 series and will
be left on open narrati#es durin the soap opera trailer% !he first episode of Oxford Road
will be set at uni#ersity for the start of the new year and celebratin 6resher7s wee, in
the city of $anchester%
Stress of exams
!he first narrati#e will be around the stress of exams' as all the characters are at
uni#ersity% !his will be aimed at the nerdy character !ommy Rowlinson% -e finds it #ery
hard to ha#e a ood time as he wants to achie#e the best rades possible in order to et
him where he wants to be% 8#eryone else in the trailer is ha#in a ood time and ma,in
fun out of !ommy because he doesn7t want to o out and is panic,in about his exams%
-e then meets 1ulie durin 6resher7s wee, that is a Catholic and also doesn7t drin,'
these two seem to et alon well and this relationship is then left on an open narrati#e%
Relationship problems
Another narrati#e is a relationship problem between the dru dealer 3ic, 2erard and
Lucy 4illiams' who is just a normal irl% Lucy and 3ic, ha#e been seein each other for
a while until 3ic, started doin drus% 9urin 6resher7s wee, they see each other .uite a
lot as they both o to the same uni#ersity ' it doesn7t end #ery well when they ha#e a
massi#e arument durin the trailer and their relationship seems to the on the roc,s%
Lucy has a friend called Charlie that she has ,nown since secondary school: Charlie
hates 3ic, and has stuc, up for Lucy all the way throuh the relationship' she is lad
that she can see the relationship endin%
Peer Pressure
1ulie has already been introduced durin the soap as she starts a close friendship with
!ommy% 1ulie is a Catholic and therefore doesn7t drin, and !ommy is a Christian and is
too worried about the whole stress of uni#ersity life% 9urin 6resher7s wee, e#eryone is
drin,in and ettin drun,' so therefore 1ulie and !ommy don7t really et in#ol#ed as
they don7t aree with this% !hey both ha#e lots in common which is why they et alon%
!hey both separate themsel#es from the others and stic, toether% 9urin the first
episode we will see them oin to the library toether and doin wor,' so they bein to
spend a lot of time with each other%
9ru 9ealer
Another storyline will be re#ol#ed around 3ic,' who is the dru dealer% -e is well*,nown
for this and has put his relationship on the roc,s because of it% As he is now at
uni#ersity it means that he will ha#e more people wantin drus off him' especially
durin 6resher7s wee,% !he trailer will show a small scene of what will happen within the
first episode lea#in it on an open endin narrati#e in order to attract the audience to
watch the first episode% 3ic, and Lucy meet durin 6resher7s wee, and thins don7t end
well when they ha#e a massi#e arument because of his dru dealin% 3ic, doesn7t
listen to what Lucy is sayin because he is too bothered about earnin money% Lucy
wal,s off and lea#es 3ic,' creatin drama and tensions for the audience%
A prenant character
Annie 2reen is another character within our soap% A storyline will re#ol#e around her as
she is prenant and has been thrown out of her house and has nowhere to li#e% She has
followed her sister and is oin to li#e with her at uni#ersity as she has nowhere else to
li#e% Annie and 1ulie et on but 1ulie doesn7t aree on what Annie has done' as they
ha#e #ery different #iews on their reliion% !here will be conflict between Annie and the
other housemates shown durin the trailer and first episode% As Annie doesn7t do
anythin round the flat and doesn7t contribute any money towards any food or anythin%
As it7s only the first wee, on uni#ersity' it7s not a #ery ood way to start off% Annie
follows 1ulie around e#erywhere as she has no friends and not many people li,e her% &n
the trailer we see 1ulie doin her uni#ersity wor, and Annie there just watchin !5 has
she has nothin better to do and doesn7t really ha#e a #ery ood social life because of
her wastin her life away by ettin prenant at such a youn ae%
Character Profiles:
Character Profiles:
!ommy Rowlinson: An () year old intellient man from $orecambe has a rather wealthy
bac,round and both parents li#in at their family home% After achie#in A;' A' A at
collee he is studyin nuclear physics at the "ni#ersity of $anchester% -e is #ery
ner#ous about mo#in away from home because of his close relationship with his
$other% Also he is scared about bullyin from his past school and collee: howe#er he is
determined to ma,e a ood impression in front of his new house and class mates%
!ommy li,es football' supportin $orecambe he used to o to e#ery home match with
his 2randdad% Also lo#es #ideo ames' li,es 6&6A but prefers <attlefield and CO9% -e
hates spiders and untidyness' he does drin, but only on special occasions if he was to
drin, it would be real ale% -e is a Christian but has ne#er really ta,en reliion seriously'
li#in in $orecombe he is used to oin to the beach so often dresses casual' his
accents and dialect are #ery similar to those of $anchester% -is ner#ousness can ma,e
him humorous to the roup% 9e#elops a bit of a thin with 1ulie%
1ulie 2reen: A (= year old intellient woman from Stalybride0 Ashton in $anchester has
a #ery stron Catholic bac,round and obeys and respects her reliion% Comes from an
a#erae wealth bac,round alon with her twin sister Annie who is .uite different' the
sisters thouh do et on% She li,es oin out' howe#er she does not drin, but still
seems to ha#e fun% She achie#ed A' <' < at collee and is studyin 1ournalism at the
"ni#ersity of $anchester% She ot on #ery well with her parents howe#er she has been
excited about mo#in out and li#in away from her parents e#en thouh it isn7t far at all%
She often has days in on her own just watchin 3etflix or !5' not always #ery sociable
but can be when she wants% She reconises her reliious bac,round well' attends
Church once a month and would ne#er curse 2od7s name% She is #ery well dressed and
buys nice clothes from desiner brands and #intae wear% -as a $anc accent and
dialects%
Annie 2reen: A (= year old woman from Stalybride0 Ashton in $anchester has a #ery
stron Catholic bac,round howe#er she doesn7t consider herself a Catholic and has
ne#er respected or too, on board any of the faith% She is twin sisters with 1ulie and
relies hea#ily upon her for money and decisions% She ot prenant in &bi>a and does not
,now who the father is' for this her parents ,ic,ed her out the house as they were
disusted% She oes out as much as she can' but wor,in part time as a bartender in a
local pub doesn7t really pay what she spends% She is loo,in forward to the benefit
payments she will recei#e when she i#es birth% She didn7t o to collee: she just really
follows her twin around because she has nowhere else to o% -as deep cha##y $anc
accents and dialects and wears #ery scruffy trac,suit bottoms with a #est top%
Lucy 4illiams: An () year old irl from Stoc,port' has a #ery normal wealth bac,round
behind her' both parents li#e toether happily' she does not ha#e a particularly reliious
bac,round% After achie#in A' A' < at collee she is studyin 2eoraphy at the
"ni#ersity of $anchester% Althouh she is #ery sociable she is .uite ner#ous about
mo#in out alone' she is #ery independent and her family ha#e ne#er really had a
problem with her% Althouh recently she has been seein a lad called 3ic, who they
aren7t so fond of% She is close to her parents but isn7t mo#in far away from them% She
dresses pretty normal' has a rane of clothes' she does not ha#e any accent in
particular and understands most $anchester dialect% &s #ery fun' bubbly and is a #ital
member of the house' ne#er really has any problems apart from her relationship%
3ic, 2errard: A (= year old man from Rochdale' does not ha#e the best bac,round
comin from a rouh council estate' he is not reliious at all% -e achie#ed C' C' C' at A
le#el and is at $anchester $et "ni#ersity doin football and coachin% On the .uiet he is
a dru dealer' sellin cannabis mainly but sometimes more harder drus if he can et
his hands on it% -e is #ery loud' aressi#e and nearly the opposite to his irlfriend
Lucy% -e is really nice to Lucy and she brins out the best side in him' his nic,name
1e>>a comes from his surname% -e dresses in sporty clothes' wears desiner7s brands
and does appear .uite intimidatin% -e attends the ym reularly: comin from
Rochdale he has a deep $anchester accent and uses dialect and slan% People try to et
on the riht side of him in the house but mainly around Lucy he is #ery nice' he and
Lucy thouh do ha#e issues sometimes%
Omari Cru>: A (= year old man from 8ypt' he does not appear often in the show but is
#ery ood friends with !ommy and often comes from Chester%
Charlie $orris: An () year old from Stoc,port' best friends with Lucy and is only a (/
min dri#e away so often comes up%
Production !eam' roles and s,ills:
Producer:
Phil' we ha#e chosen Phil as he has ood oranisation s,ills and can manae a team
well%
9irector:
$ean has been chosen for this role as she is also an oranised person and will et the
job done efficiently%
Production $anaer:
Li>>ie' we ha#e chosen Li>>ie as the production manaer because she has ood ideas
and #oices them to other members of the roup' this will help with the coordination of
the plannin and manufacturin of the trailer%
Camera:
4e ha#e chosen 2eore for the camera wor, as when we were doin the preliminary
soap opera trailer he had ood s,ills and ,nowlede of how to wor, the camera%
Sound:
Li>>ie #olunteered herself to manae the sound as she finds it interestin and has ood
ideas as to what dieetic and non*dieetic sounds we should use%
Assistant Camera0director:
Chloe' we chose Chloe for this role as she is ood at i#in ad#ice and has a lot of
patience' if someone needs somethin explained to them%
!aret Audience
!he taret audience for our scripted reality will be () ? +4 year olds: howe#er it can also
appeal to an older audience who experienced oin to uni#ersity% !he taret audience
can relate to the show due in part to the similar aes of those portrayed in the show' as
well as the real life situations they find themsel#es in% 2ender will be both male and
female relatin to the mass #iewin audience% !he Socio*8conomic taret audience will
be C(' C+ and 9% Our primary audience is Lower $iddle Class0S,illed 4or,in Class ? an
audience whose job consist of part time wor, only and are studyin further education
e%% to pro#ide help with "ni#ersity funds and li#in away from home% Our secondary
audience' "pper $iddle Class0$iddle Class' @assumin they will be the older than our
initial taret audience' +4AB are more li,ely to be .ualified and are most li,ely wor,in in
their chosen professions%
6urthermore' ethnicity is #aried relatin to any audience ? as it relates to a majority of
people' this will create a much wider audience' with more people watchin #iewin
fiures will increase%
Additionally' the taret audiences interests and hobbies will include appreciatin
popular culture' this includes: recreational drin,in' oin out on nihts out and oin
to see li#e music% -owe#er the show can also enae with people who ha#en7t attended
uni#ersity and want a limpse of what life can be li,e in this situation
Reasons as to why the idea will wor, @broadcast time' demand for
style of show' mass0niche appealB
!he broadcast time will be at )pm on a 4ednesday and Sunday on Channel 4% !his time
appeals to those of an ae o#er (4' as youner children will probably be in bed by this
time% 4e ha#e chosen this time as the storylines we will be usin will be suitable for
people o#er the ae of (4% 4e belie#e that our soap will ha#e a mass appeal it will attract
teenaers who are at school and parents who can relate to it if they ha#e been to
uni#ersity% Lots of youner people e%% teenaers li,e watchin thins that will be
relatable to them when they are a little bit older' and our soap will as it is placed in a
uni#ersity%
!he demand for our style of show is a hih as it is a hybrid between scripted reality and
melodrama and there is nothin else out there on the !5' which is entertainin and
creates a lot of drama for the audience%
!he estimated cost and justification of amount:
Around C(/D'DDD*C+DD'DDD an episode%
4hen it will be ready:
(=
th
9ecember +D(4
Client feedbac, @includin areas for de#elopment prior to
draftin of treatmentB:
An e#cellent "ro"osal $or a unique, original Soa" %"era& 'ou ha(e stated that you wanted to
"roduce a hy)rid Scri"ted *eality+Melodrama& 'ou should )e clearer as to how you are going to
use the con(entions o$ the Scri"ted *eality su),genre or alter the idea so it $ollows the
con(entions o$ a Melodrama&
Certi$ied suita)le $or de(elo"ment:
Client -& Wright
-#ecuti(e Producer -& Wright
-nd