SPACED Synopsis

Now after we read out our pitch for SPACED we were thrown into the deep end and a heads up for you. I sunk! We were asked to remember on our first day meeting everyone what we said our favorite TV show was at the moment was, and then we were told to make a pitch for it in ten minutes, we were then asked to read it out for the rest of the group to guess what it was. Well good luck and lets see if you can get it:

A comedy about a boy who moves from grammar school to public making friends with three misfit school boys. (19 words)

Next we were taught about the key factors to a synopsis and how to sell your story. A synopsis is basically your idea fitting your story arc onto one page. Although you are writing your story from A to B you shouldn't give your main plots away, as you can hook your listener in by putting a cliff hanger at the end. An example of this is boy meets girl, they split up, its on and off but you don't say wether they get back together or not - bad example but its all I can come up with at the moment.

Key factors to think about when writing a synopsis are the following, story arc (beginning, middle and end of story), main characters, style/genre and settings. We were then asked to write a 350-500 word synopsis for SPACED in our own time and put it on our blog. So here is my synopsis for SPACED:

SPACED is a comedy drama that has a multi-strand storyline based around six characters. The two main characters are a boy and a girl called Tim and Daisy. Tim is in his late twenties and an aspiring artist although recently dumped and a slight stoner, his childlike behaviour makes him loveable. Daisy who is also in her twenties and very unpredictable can go from one extreme to the other. She is very quirky and bubbly but can suddenly get extremely emotional. Daisy also has a side to her where she can be a fantasist but overall she has very likeable characteristics shown through her crazy ways.

Tim and Daisy meet by coincidence when both looking for an apartment to live in ending up lying about being in a relationship to get a place together. This is how the landlady Marsha and neighbour in the apartment below Brian. Marsha like most other characters is a dreamer but is an older character out of the group. She is in the present but always thinking about the ‘what ifs’ of the past. Marsha is alcohol dependant and self obsessed but never seems to be any wiser with age. Brian also in his twenties is the guy your not too sure about that lives next door. He is an aspiring artist in the form of anger and pain. His weird but serious attitude changes with his split personality.

SPACED is post modern and its style is fast paced. It can also switch from reality to animation when telling the story, an example of this is: Tim and Daisy are trying to decide what to do on a Friday night. Daisy’s idea is shown through a selection of photographs that would show snippets of the night, whereas Tim’s night is shown through animation drawings, which can relate to the characters personality. Pop culture references will be placed through the episodes to make it seem realistic to the year the drama is made. Not only will pop culture references make the drama seem realistic but the audience will also be able to relate to the characters.

SPACED will experiment with a non-linear structure, for example showing a clip of near the end at the beginning (non-linear doesn’t follow the a,b,c…z storyline structure but the audience of the but the audience of today will be able to follow this with no confusion). With the cinematography, shots will be quick, jumpy and shot at a fast pace with unusual angles  – this is because the target audience is young and will keep up with the story having no confusions.

The main settings for SPACED will be placed in their shabby flat where they live but local buildings will be used in the urban surroundings. With their quirky personalities, funny situations and crazy ways, SPACED is not to be missed. (470 words)