Docufiction

This screenwriting schedule will display the updated idea for my final major project. The concept will explore the addiction and harm of gambling through the format of a docufiction. The main format and tone of the short film will be demonstrated as a documentary to emphasise the purpose of creating awareness. Although fictional elements will be included throughout to help portray the addiction of gambling through an alternative perspective which will also depict the realism. This may change into a docudrama over the course of the production.

 

Premise

Recovering addicts and campaigners explore the addiction of gambling and more specifically online gambling.

 

Logline

Industry experts within the field of gambling such as Matt Zarb Cousins, Alex Macey and Dr Henrietta Bowden Jones explore the corruption behind gambling schemes, as well as the psychology behind the addiction of gambling.

 

Synopsis

This documentary will explore the addiction of gambling from several interviews with industry experts, as well as a fictional perspective that outlines the impact of online gambling. Industry expert and former labour spokesperson Matt Zarb-Cousin will explain his backstory and promote his application that prevents online gambling. Psychiatrist Henrietta Bowden-Jones will analyse the psychology behind the addiction and identify why people feel the need to feed their addiction. Past gamblers such as Alex Macey, Brian Chappell and Antonio Parente will also explain their past and how they have overcome their addiction. On the other hand, the fictional segment of the short film will focus on the impact of online gambling. The setting of an online casino will be created where five individuals are fixed on their phones whilst online gambling. In the same room will feature a film crew as they capture a production of an online casino, with a roulette dealer and wheel, as they repeatedly ask the phrase ‘Red or Black’.

 

Step Outline

The short film will begin with a title sequence that features a collection news stories that all based upon gambling and the addiction. This will be edited in the style of a montage, as the opening credits appear.

 

The short will be introduced within a dimly lit room that symbolises the setting of an online casino. The opening shot will be an over the shoulder shot from a gamblers shoulder, that focuses on a film crew. The film crew will include two individuals who will operate two cameras. They will be filming the online casino, focusing on the roulette dealer and the roulette wheel, which will be lit with lighting effects. The shot will zoom out slowly, showing that there are more than one gambler and in fact five gamblers within the room that are all fixated on their electronic devices while online gambling.

 

This part of the film will be stylised and won’t include much action or movement. The focus will remain on the roulette dealer who performs her duties as she spins the roulette wheel. The five individuals’ will be fixated on their devices and will look down at all times, not saying anything. The roulette dealer will only state the phrase ‘Red or Black’. This will be repeated throughout the short film as it is the main focus and title of the film. An extreme close up of her lips will show the colours of red and black upon her lips due to lipstick and makeup effects. Tracking shots and a variety of still shots will effectively create the setting of an online casino. The five individuals will be dimly lit to symbolise their lack of power, showing the negative aspects and impact of gambling. Whereas, the roulette dealer will be brightly lit with several lighting effects to highlight who has control and power within the scene, as the ‘house always wins’. This will be edited to show the narrative interchanging between the fictional elements and the interviews.

 

Additionally, the clients and interviews will interchange throughout the short film, although this will be managed during the editing process. Matt will be the first client introduced, as he explains who he is and what he has to say about gambling. He will begin to discuss his backstory of how he became addicted, but he will then highlight how he made change throughout his life with the introduction of a political campaign that successfully decreased the maximum betting stake on fixed odds betting terminals from £100 to £2. He will highlight how online gambling is by far the worst form of addictive gambling due to the lack of responsibility and supervision, as he begins to discuss his application called Gamban. Once downloaded, this application effectively permits any individual from any form of online gambling. This will act as promotion for the application in order to create the necessary awareness for anyone who is struggling with the addiction of online gambling.

 

Antonio Parente will then be introduced as he is interviewed. Mr. Parente will explain his backstory of how he was addicted and targeted by the betting company Flutter. He will describe the process of suing the company for not ensuring that he was being responsibility, and how he was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to close the case. Additionally, Brian Chappell will be introduced, as he describes his past experiences with being addicted to gambling and how he was also targeted by betting companies. During this segment, Brian will highlight how people within the gambling community have their own consumer rights and can battle for fair play.

 

Gregg Armstrong and Alex Macey will also be introduced, as they will both be partnered up within their interview. Alex will begin by explaining his past experiences of gambling and how he has lost a total of £250,000 over the past two decades. Then, Gregg, will begin to explain how himself and Alex have established a company called ‘Gamble Recovery’. During this part, they will both explain how they handle delicate cases with highly addictive gamblers, and how they have improved their wellbeing.

 

Dr. Henrietta Bowden-Jones will then be introduced as she explains how she has founded and directed the only gambling clinic within the UK as part of the NHS. She will discuss her role within the clinic and how this has helped people who have struggled with the addiction of gambling. She will also begin to analyse the psychology behind the addiction of gambling, as she answers the question of why people feel the need to gamble.

 

The short film will conclude with the fictional segment, where the roulette dealer begins to spin the roulette wheel as she states the phrase ‘Red or Black’. The five individuals will simultaneously turn off their electronic devices, as they slowly begin to look and stand up one by one. One after the other, they will walk off the set into the darkness, as the screen fades to black. Several statistics will appear on the screen that relate to how the addiction of online gambling can affect people’s lives. The statistics will be focused on the consequences of becoming homeless or even committing suicide, as this part of the film intends to create an emotional response from the audience. Several gambling awareness campaigns will then appear on the screen to help create the necessary awareness, as the short film faded to black. The ending credits will then appear on the screen.