Documentary Treatment

Documentary Treatment

Synopsis - A documentary following several members of the homeless community in and around Leeds/Hyde Park area. The aim of the documentary is to grant the audience a glimpse into the day to day life of members of the homeless community. Exploring their back stories to why they are homeless, what it is like to live on the streets of Leeds. Giving a platform for expression to a voiceless community. As well as raising awareness for Simon on the Streets, a Leeds based charity group that focuses on people who are homeless and rootless, especially those with issues related to rough sleeping. The documentary will also touch upon alcoholism in the homeless community, a cycle of dependance that has contributed towards their state of living but is also a necessity for sleeping rough. 

Main Characters - The main characters are a homeless couple, that have been together on the streets for 20 years. The documentary will follow their story with interviews conducted about their history together, pieced together with plate shots that will emulate their story use long spacial and temporal shots. The aim of the characters is to develop an emotional connection with the couple, a relatable relationship that the audience will sympathise with. The couples character will hopefully inspire the audience through a thought provoking story; that re-evaluates how lucky they are. Which will hopefully encourage donations to be made to Simon on the Streets.

Dramatic Structure -    

This documentary will fall between two different styles of documentary, Poetic and Observational. The documentary will retain a Poetic style through the personal stories and relationships that the homeless share, covered up with spacial plate shots that audio bites of their story will roll over. 

First Act: Character introduction, goals established,

Second Act: Drama, characters struggling to achieve their goals
Third Act: Climax, have the characters achieved their goals or not. Resolution or conclusion - shows the growth or change of the character(s) due to the journey.

Emotional centre, the hardships of living on the streets

Goals/Purpose

Script Outline

Streets of Leeds documentary treatment

‘Streets of Leeds’ is an observational documentary following several members of the homeless community in and around Leeds/Hyde Park area. The aim of the documentary is to grant the audience a glimpse into the day-to-day life of the homeless community. Exploring their history and roots, examining their downward spirals towards living on the streets. Giving a platform for expression to a voiceless community. ‘Streets of Leeds’ follows organisations and movements around the homeless situation that offers new alternatives in feeding and utilizing the community.

Logo Synopsis

For the title sequence of the film I need assets for an animated logo that will personify the topic and connotations addressed in the film. I will need 3 frames of the logo that will animate into a cityscape of Leeds. The first frame must incorporate pagan farmers who are farming rolling hills of Yorkshire. Farmers are farming the land so I will need assets of farmers ploughing the land. The people movement only needs to be simple 2 frames.

The next frame must depict a 20^th centaury city setting where the fields have now disappeared and have been replaced by a silhouette of iconic Leeds buildings. People on the streets drinking have replaced the farmers with the same 2 frame animation style.

The final frame of the logo must incorporate the two previous frames. The cityscape must expand, with flowerbeds and blooming flowers/vegetables in the foreground, where the crops once existed. The drinkers have now moved on and replaced with people tending the blooming allotments.