Foundation Portfolio Planning - (concept + Brainstorm + mood board V1)

 

Done by Marne Bredenkamp

Foundation Portfolio - Concept

Marne Bredenkamp

24/03/2025

Media Studies 

Foundation Portfolio concept

                 A CONCEPT FOR

               TIL DEATH

MISA Media - Marne Bredenkamp’s Concept

30/04/2025

Title: Til Death

We here at MISA Media chose “Til Death” as our film title, as a play on words of the term “Til death do us part”, showing both how truly serious the wife is about this statement, and the extent of her psychotic response to the news of her husband infidelity, showing that she is willing to take her husband’s life, in order to get justice for his actions.

Target Audience:

Age: 18–35
Gender: All genders, though the storyline may especially resonate with women due to themes of betrayal, control, and emotional manipulation.
Psychographic:

-Fans of intense, slow-burn psychological thrillers.

-Viewers who enjoy morally complex characters and plot twists.

-People who appreciate symbolic visuals and layered storytelling.

-Audiences interested in shows like "You", "Gone Girl", "Sharp Objects", or films like "Vivarium", "The Invisible Man", and "Gerald’s Game".

Why This Audience?

-The themes of toxic relationships, deception, and revenge appeal to a more mature audience.

-The slow psychological build-up, combined with shocking reveals and symbolism, aligns with what thriller enthusiasts aged 18–35 look for.
-The film’s use of visual symbolism, subtle foreshadowing, and unsettling mise-en-scène makes it a good fit for viewers who enjoy analyzing films beyond surface-level plot

Institutional / Genre Conventions to be Included:

-Domestic/psychological thriller conventions: betrayal, obsession, revenge

-Use of suspenseful editing, close-ups, and unsettling sound design

-The concept of a seemingly normal home setting turned dangerous

-Female antagonist with psychological complexity

-Lighting: We’ll be using mostly artificial lighting, by combining a mixture of the studio lights we have and the lights within the house.

-Symbolism & Iconography:

1. Knife / Cutlery

Symbol of Control or Suppressed Violence: The wife's grip on the knife can represent her inner turmoil and desire to regain control.
Domestic Life Turned Dangerous: A common kitchen item becomes a potential weapon — a nod to the idea that danger can lurk in the most familiar places.

2. Phone

Symbol of Betrayal: The phone is the trigger of the entire story. It's also symbolic of modern infidelity and emotional distance.
Isolation Tool: Even while sharing a home, the characters live separate lives — with the husband emotionally distant, absorbed in his phone.

3. Poison / Sedative

Hidden Intentions: Something that appears harmless becomes deadly — symbolising deception.
Psychological Power: Poisoning someone requires patience and planning, which represents the wife’s mental dominance.

4. Wedding Ring (Optional Close-Up)

Broken Vow: Could represent the crumbling marriage and false sense of loyalty.
Could be used in a subtle scene — e.g., she takes it off before poisoning him.

5. Shed

Psychological Imprisonment: Cold, dark, unfamiliar. Represents the husband now experiencing the isolation and fear his wife felt emotionally.
Role Reversal: He is now at her mercy

6. Missing Posters (Optional)

Icon of a Serial Offender: Hints that this isn’t her first time — builds her into a deeper psychological villain with a twisted past.

-Filming/ Editing:

The film will contain a slow-paced psychological build-up, by mainly using sharp jump cuts during flashbacks and tension points,  as well as slower close-ups on hands, facial expressions, and objects (knife, phone, sedative poison). We will also mostly be using handheld camera work to show the ‘shaky’ and unstable mental state of the wife as well as the unstable relationship between them, since her world has been shaken up when she found out he’s cheating.

-Location:

We will be filming at Imogen Managh’s house. She is the director of this film, and volunteered her house to be our location since it’s close to everyone. We feel like her house gives off the perfect vibe and is most accessible.

Plot Synopsis:

Til Death follows a seemingly quiet wife whose world crumbles after she discovers a string of flirty texts between her husband and another woman. The story opens with a flashback — she scrolls through his phone, her face illuminated by the cold blue light of betrayal. The camera lingers on her frozen expression.

We transition into the next morning: she appears to be calmly making breakfast, but her tense body language and fixated stares hint at something darker. Her fingers brush a knife blade, hover over a hidden gun, and eventually grasp a vial of sedative — masked among the salt and pepper.

As her oblivious husband scrolls through his phone at the table, she serves him a meal spiked with poison. When he collapses, the smile on her face confirms it wasn’t an accident. He wakes up, groggy and injured, in an unfamiliar shed.

What follows is left to the audience’s imagination — the screen fades to black, the fate of the husband unknown.

Characters & Names:

Protagonist (Anti-hero): Lilith Holloway — early 30s, quiet, emotionally intense
Victim: Andrew Holloway — late 30s, charming, distracted, cheating husband

Practicalities of Filming/Content:

How Realistic is our idea?

The events in our film are rare but realistic. There have been cases of psychopathic behavior and exaggerated responses. However in terms of thriller films, such actions and events are pretty common, especially in films based on solving crimes, or capturing a manic villain,etc.

Will we have any health and safety concerns?

There will be nothing to worry about in terms of health and safety, other than a hot stove top, and the knives/cutlery. However, these will all be handled by trusted adults, since our actors are both adults.

Locations and necessary permission needed?

Since we are filming at a crew member’s house, no special permission will be needed, other than that of her parents, who have already approved access, so this is no longer a big worry for us.

Equipment:

We will be using camera, audio, and lighting equipment provided by the school, to film as efficiently as possible, and ensure the best quality.