BROTHERS JOHNSON

By The Cloud Nine Collective

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. SYNOPSIS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------3

PITCH LINE-------------------------------------------------------------------------------3

AUDIENCE AND RATING-------------------------------------------------------------3

FULL ARC-------------------------------------------------------------------------------3-4

II. PRINCIPAL CAST-----------------------------------------------------------------------4

III. LOCATION/SETTING----------------------------------------------------------------4-5

IV. ART DESIGN------------------------------------------------------------------------------5

V. PRODUCTION SCHEDULE-----------------------------------------------------------5

VI. PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS------------------------------------------------------6

VII. LEGAL---------------------------------------------------------------------------------6

MUSIC COPYRIGHT------------------------------------------------------------6-7

PROPERTY RELEASE------------------------------------------------------------8

CHILD ACTOR LAWS------------------------------------------------------------8

VIII. PHILOSOPHICAL AND ARTISTIC INFLUENCES---------------------8-9

IX. TITLES & JOB RESPONSIBILITIES-----------------------------------------------9

X. COVER LETTER---------------------------------------------------------------------9-10

XI. VISUALS AND THE APPENDIX------------------------------------------------10-11

I. Synopsis
• Logline: The film focuses on the common problems of families with many children,
as parents struggle to find a balance between their children, trying to solve those
contradictions and conflicts.
• The audience is over the age of 12. Grade G, open to all spectators.
• After having a second child, parents often worry about the financial situation, time
and hard work, but they seldom pay attention to how to balance the relationship
between the first child and the second child. In such a family, the love of parents is
divided. Older children tend to go through a process of excessive attention to
excessive neglect. It is often unintentional that the parents don’t equal time and
attention to both the children. However, they usually can't treat their two children
fairly primarily because they assume that the younger child might be more in need
of attention. In this process, the younger brother always gets more love from his
parents, and he can always get everything. This difference in the treatment of the
parents towards both the children does impact the children emotionally and
mentally or psychologically. Over time, the older child's initial jealousy evolves
into sensitivity and repression.
§ This is the story of the Johnson family. The elder brother is in an unhappy
mood. He doesn't want to play with other children and always looks out of the
window quietly. The fact that his parents supposedly love his younger brother
more and devote more time and attention to their younger son becomes a
disturbing fact of life for the elder boy. He feels neglected and a feeling of
being unwanted dawns upon him because of which he loses interest in his daily
routines and becomes absent minded. The teacher noticed his strangeness and
talked to him. Then, the teacher called his parents to school and discussed the
seriousness of the problem with them. On discussing the issue of how the
parents need to be careful of how they treat their children and subsequently
build a healthy relationship between siblings so that the brothers not only feel
secured, loved and valued in the family but also have a strong sense of
belonging and contentedness. Eventually, the father began to treat his two
children as fairly as he could, though his action was clumsy, but the elder son
knew that dad was doing his best. The elder boy finally made peace with his
family because he knew his parents loved him anyway and his younger brother
got more attention at times only because he was younger, he needs more care.
• Each of us grows through constantly learning, exploring, and adapting. No parent
is perfect, and each parent is trying their best to play their parental role as wonderful
as they can. As parents, we have to always remember that we all are learning how
to be a qualified good parent. Therefore, we just try to give each other a chance,
we'll do better.

II. Principal Cast

• For our movie there are four main characters. The movie is centered around a
family that lives in Washington State. The family is made up of a mother, father,
and their two sons.
• The parents are both hard working individuals who are trying to make a living to
provide for their sons but are also trying to balance work life and their own family
dynamic. They struggle with giving attention to their two sons equally. They are a
middle-class family. The father works in construction while the mother works as a
grocery store manager.
• The two sons are named Matthew and Sam. Sam is the older brother and feels that
his brother Matthew gets all of the attention. Meanwhile Matthew being the
younger brother loves getting the attention from his parents. The parents start off
in the early thirties, Sam starts off at age eight, and Matthew at age six. Later in the
film they grow up and Sam will be eighteen and Matthew will be sixteen years old.
• There are also a few supporting characters in the film. The teacher Wendy is a
young teacher who loves her students. Katherine is Sam’s best friend in high school.
• The father in the movie will be played by Miles Teller while the mother is played
by Emilia Clarke. Young Sam will be played by Lain Armitage and young Matthew
will be casted by having an open audition. High school Sam will be played by Nick
Robinson and high school Matthew will be played by Peyton Meyer. Keke Palmer
will be playing Wendy and Sabrina Carpenter will be playing Sam’s best friend
Katherine.

III. Location/Setting
• The film will be shot in and around Seattle, WA, with the family centered in
Lynnwood. For the family’s home, we would rent a house from an area in the
Greater Seattle Metropolitan area. At first, we considered Airbnb for a home,
however upon further research we discovered that the homes for rent would not
appeal to the lower middle-class aesthetic we’re looking for. Searching among
houses for rent within the wider area led to better options to fit the family’s
socioeconomic status. In particular, this listing or similar would fit within the
parent’s budget.
• Alderwood little league would be the nearest Little League for the baseball scene.
We would have to ensure that there aren’t ongoing events during our shoot, and we
would have to film on a day that was at least partially sunny.

• There are a couple elementary schools nearby that would serve for the classroom
scenes. Concerns would be getting permission from the school and scheduling a
time to shoot. We would have to avoid disrupting school lessons and activities.
Spruce Elementary would be closest, with Lynnwood Elementary being a possible
secondary location.
• The father’s workplace is at a hotel, and for any scenes there, the house is near
several hotels. We wanted a stark contrast between the family’s surroundings and
the father’s work environment. The W Hotel in Seattle is nearby and matches the
 criteria. Obstacles would be getting permission – and if we don’t, there are several
other hotels in the area – and scheduling a time for the scenes.

IV. Art Design

• There should be no high-tech special effects for the whole movie. Some of the
special effects used are simple but hierarchical. For example, the heavy mood of
the original characters in the film, and the dark scenes. Compared with the younger
brother's favor, parents and younger brother get along well with the bright color,
warm color scene, and some light music. In the middle of his life, his parents talked
to him and made a change. The scene tone should change to normal light. Until
later, the elder brother felt his parents' efforts and love for him, and the whole scene
tended to be warm and peaceful (or with sunshine).
• Clothes: In general, the costumes of the film actors are based on leisure and daily
life. There's nothing particularly grand or special. But based on the development of
the whole story, there will be no obvious difference between brother's clothing and
brother's clothing. Because actually parents love them the same. But the younger
brother's clothes can be brand-new or brightly colored, potentially indicating that
parents paid more attention to the younger brother at the beginning of the movie.
Brother's clothes can be changed according to his different feelings, such as color
and style. Clothes needed would be children’s clothing for boys 6-8, likely sourced
from inexpensive stores (Wal-Mart, Target, Ross, etc) or thrift stores. Clothes
would also be needed for the parents that match their age and income, likely also
bought at similar place as children’s clothing.
• In view of "multiple scenes of unfair treatment of elder brother" - after quarrel,
provide equal lighting intensity to the actor and the scene, and the face is often
covered. Use the back or silhouette of some actors to highlight the loneliness and
sadness of the elder brother after being unfairly treated.

V. Production Schedule
• Our estimated schedule is pre-production for two months, production for six
months, and post-production for two months. During pre-production, we will finish
writing the script, cast actors, go to location scouting for a house, baseball ground,
an elementary school, and a hotel, find costumes, get shooting permission from the
City of Seattle and Lynnwood, and find social media influencers for advertisements.
For production, we will shoot the film and take photos for advertisements. Video
editing, sound editing, color correction, title, credit, and making a few trailers will
be done during post-production.

VI. Promotional Materials

• Promotional Materials can be seen through many different mediums. Our major
focus would be in the podcasting world as this industry is seeing a massive growth
over the last few years. Actors and/or directors (or anyone with a major significance
in the film) will appear and guest star and various different podcasts to promote the
film. The purpose of this would be to capture different fan bases that each podcast
 attracts. Another focus of our promotional campaign would be working with Social
Media Influencers from different fields and categories. Following the same
principle with podcasts, we are looking to attract as much as we can in order to
boost sales and revenue. Lastly, we’ll have dedicated social media accounts for the
film itself. These accounts will be the one being advertised by the podcasters/social
media influencers we work with.

VII. Legal
• For music use:
§ https://www.ascap.com/help/music-business-101/music-money-
success-movies
§ “Motion picture music falls into three basic categories: underscore
(James Horner's score to Titanic, John Williams' score to E.T.,or Randy
Newman's score to Toy Story 2); the pre-existing song or song and
original master recording (Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" for
The Perfect Storm, Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle" for Space Jam,
the Guess Who's "American Woman" in American Beauty); and the
song written specifically for the film (Diane Warren's "I Don't Want
To Miss A Thing" for Armageddon, Phil Collins' "You'll Be In My
Heart" for Tarzan and Harold Arlen's and E.Y. Harburg's "Over The
Rainbow" for The Wizard Of Oz.)”
§ For pre-existing song:
• “The synchronization fees charged by music
publishers for major studio films are usually between
$15,000 and $60,000 (with the majority ranging from
$20,000 to $45,000) but can be lower if the music budget
is small or higher if the song is used several times in the
motion picture, if the use is under the opening or closing
credits, if the song is a major hit, or if it is vital to the plot
or particular scene of the motion picture.”
• “Because student-produced films have limited chances
for commercial success and small budgets, many music
publishers will license their songs for substantially
reduced fees.”
• “Songs will sometimes be given to these young
producers via a limited license for free or for a nominal
cost so that their projects will be realized and their
careers advanced. Most publishers, however, will
provide that if the project has any type of commercial
success or secures more than just film festival or art
house distribution, an additional fee or fees will be paid”
§ Song written for movie:
• “The writing fee will be negotiated depending upon
whether lyrics, music or both are being contracted for as
 well as whether a producer and artist is involved. Some
of the main considerations as to the amount of the fee are
the nature of the production (major studio release,
independent studio feature, film festival release, student
film, etc.), the stature and past success of the writers, the
music budget, the type of use (visual vocal, background,
etc.) and the experience and clout of the agent involved.
Fees can range from below $1,000 to over $100,000
for a song with additional monies due for a master
recording.
• If the writer is a record producer or an artist, the fees will
normally be separated according to the different aspects
of the services (i.e. $120,000 payable $25,000 to write
the song, $45,000 to cover the costs of recording and
producing the song and $50,000 as an artist advance
against royalties).
§ Underscore
• “The composing fees paid to a feature film composer
vary considerably depending on the past success and
stature of the composer; the amount of music needed in
the film; the type of music required; the total budget for
the film; the total music budget, including the cost for
licensing preexisting outside songs or master recordings;
whether the film producer is a major studio, a major
independent, or a minor player in the film world; the size
of the orchestra needed to record the score; whether the
composer is contracting to bear all or most of the costs of
music (a package) or only negotiating the composing fee;
whether the film is intended for wide distribution or only
a limited release; the standard fees paid by a particular
studio versus the fees of other studios; and the skills of
the individuals on both sides of the negotiation fence--
the studio and the composer's agent. Depending on many
of the above factors, composing fees can range from
$20,000 for a lower-budget film to in excess of
$1,000,000 for a big-budget studio release using the
services of a well-known composer.”
• As many composers are brought into the film shortly
before the film is in post-production (the point at which
the film has been shot and edited), the time to compose
and record the score is usually relatively short (for
instance, 4 to 12 weeks) and depends on the post
production schedule as well as release date of the picture.
• Property release:
 Since most of the film will be filmed in a rented "home," the other two scenes
are the school and the hotel.

• Potential sponsorship:
a) W HOTEL. We can negotiate with the hotel and plan to reach an
agreement with the hotel. They provide a venue for the film, and we can
potentially promote the hotel. If this is feasible, it can also reduce part of
our budget.
b) POPEYES FRIED CHICKEN. Applied in fried chicken scenes.

• Child actor laws:

a) Check whether your child actor has an up-to-date work permit.
b) Need to apply on behalf of the production for a permit to employ minors.
c) Maintain a valid workers’ compensation insurance policy.
d) “A minor can legally walk away from any contract at any point without
facing any consequences.”
e) “Constant supervision (within reason) is a must, and it’s in the child’s best
interests to have a dedicated space, separated from the working set, for use
during down times.”
f) “Child actor labor laws allow a seventeen-year-old to work between six and
eight hours on set, but they also prohibit a six-month-old from working
more than twenty minutes under any circumstances.”

VIII. Philosophical and Artistic Influences

• The Pursuit Of Happiness is a big influence in our film. We want to showcase the
dynamics between the two brothers, show how parents often struggle to treat all
their children fairly at all times and highlight how the environment affects both the
brothers.
• We also want to use the environment to highlight the financial struggles the family
is dealing with (living in a poor neighborhood, working in a glamorous
hotel).Tough economical situations in a family more than often come in the way of
parents to make available all the products and amenities that their children would
like to have. These are all reminiscent of Pursuit in Happiness as you can draw up
similarities between the two movies.
• Through the film, we also want to discuss how children are affected both
emotionally and mentally or physically. Some comparable movies may include My
Sweet Orange Tree (2012), Goodwill Hunting (1997), and A Sun (2019). The
cinematic style is just a realistic portrayal of family drama.
• There have been various movies that have showcased sibling rivalry and few to
name would be the Lion King (2019), Fighting with my Family (2019), Little
Women (2019), among many others.
• Through our movie, we not only want to showcase sibling rivalry but pinpoint the
most common reason why such unwanted equations between siblings are often
resulted in, especially in childhood. This would not only represent the common and
 often intentional disparity between treating each child in the family but would also
bring to notice how parents have to be mindful while dealing with their children so
that all of them feel belonged and valuable and none of the child is considered to
be overly pampered while other overly ignored by the parents.
• We have tried to keep the movie as realistic as possible and want it to be a slice of
life kind of picture that the audience would easily connect with.

IX. Titles & Job Responsibilities

Director: Connie K. Chen
Assistant Director: Xili Hao
Producer: Patrick Tong
Production Designer: Xili Hao
Screenwriter: Jessie Griffin, Connie K. Chen
Lead Stunt Person: Yash Patel
Foreperson: Emi Tsuchimoto, Junchuan Hu
Art director: Xiaoqi Tang
Costume Designer: Sarah McPorter
Music Director: Sarah McPorter

X. Cover Letter
To whom it may concern,

Conflicts and contradictions blended with neglect and financial struggles that
formulates into fragmented relationships. This unfortunate situation is currently a harsh
reality for some families, even more so in this climate. Our film, Brothers Johnson,
captures all the essence that situations like this bring forth. Every heartbreak,
contradictions, disparities and so much more are encapsulated and expressed to the
viewer. Each and every scene’s purpose to genuinely tug at your heart.
Brothers Johnson is the brainchild of 9 different collectives, joining forces to
create a film that is heart-wrenching and sensitive, yet intriguing and insightful.
Brothers Johnson showcases Sam and Mathew, and their gradual detachment from not
only their parents but also from one another. The film simultaneously reveals their
parents troubled relationship with their children. The film is a heart-warming story
filled with intense emotions.
The collective group dictating each and every part of the movie is a cohesive unit,
involved in every single aspect of the film, in order to have an end-product that we’ve
envisioned. We are the ones in the frontline, handling every word on the script, scouting
locations, promotion, and production, to even the legalities. Each and every single
member of this collective aspires to get their hands dirty and be genuinely involved
with what we hope to be, an amazing film.
You now know our team, our goals, and ideas. Now it’s your turn. We thank you
for your time and we are genuinely excited at the prospect of us having the opportunity
to work with one another. Our team would love to bring our individual expertise and
past experiences to create the film we’ve envisioned. We thank you again, for your
consideration and we expect to hear from you and your team.

Warm Regards,
The Cloud Nine Collective

XI. Visuals and the Appendix

Sam-Iain Armitage

Dad- Miles Teller

Mom- Emilia Clarke

Teacher Wendy- Keke Palmer

High School Sam- Nick Robinson

High School Matthew- Peyton Meyer

Katherine- Sabrina Carpenter

NOTE: There will be auditions for casting Matthew.