PSA - Phone on Road - GCC FMP-108 Assignment

TREATMENT

OPEN:
Motor vehicle operator is driving on a congested freeway and activates the vehicle's speech-to-text system to send a message.

BODY:
The vehicle's speech-to-text system is misinterpreting the driver's words. Over time (short time as this is a 30 seconds PSA), the driver becomes frustrated, and reaches for his phone.

CLOSE:
As the driver bends over to pick up the phone, the semi-trailer brake lights illuminate and the driver slams into the back of the semi-trailer, shattering the windshield.

STYLE:
The presentation starts off showing how the driver is diligently trying to follow best practice of leaving his phone alone, but in a fit of frustration, makes a poor decision, and runs his car into the back of a semi-truck. Shock value is intended and a visceral response is desired.

Since the goal is to fit this into 30 seconds, to develop the sense of frustration, two camera positions will be used – one from behind the driver's shoulder showing us what the driver sees, and one showing the driver's face as he becomes irritated. Multiple jump cuts will be used to help convey a passage of time and an increase in frustration.

Some humor will be employed as the vehicle mangles the text message to be sent in humorous ways. This is intended to keep the audience's attention and develop a common bond as we've all seen how speech-to-text makes mistakes.

All filming with Talent will be conducted in a garage using green screen outside the vehicle for safety and legal purposes.

The final scene with the crash will be done using compositing where the trailer will be extracted out of the video and accelerated toward the camera at a faster rate than the surrounding scenery to provide the illusion of sudden braking. A slight rise in the trailer will simulate the nose drop
caused by rapid braking by the driver.

The windshield cracking will also be a composited effect. Final freeze-frame is intended to drive home the adverse result of using the phone on the road.

BUDGET:
Total cost of production will be $0.00. All equipment has been procured by Producer. Highway footage is already in possession of Producer. Post-production equipment is already owned by Producer. Only remaining expenses are the sound stage, which will be the Producer's garage.