Summer Project Diary - Day Three - Most likely Part 1

There have been no group meetings today but seeing as there isn't yet a solid plot outline for our story, we have all decided within our group to come up with our own individual ideas based on our current simple concept. We will then decide on the one we prefer the most and which suits the brief best. This then is an outline for the story that I envision:

Ralph Tenneson, 59, rich boss of a mega bucks company has died of a heart attack. This is for many people the end of an era, which can be seen as a good thing or bad thing depending on who you ask. Ralph was seen as many different things by many different people. For some he was a ruthless tycoon who ruined people's lives and whose death will leave private smiles on the faces of some of his rivals and former employers, for others Ralph was a warm hearted man who made people's lives more pleasant and rich.

The first story follows his wife who is understandably devestated by her husband's death and cries by his side. Judtih and Ralph had been together for numerous years and had loved each other very much throughout those years together.

The second story follows one of Ralph's two children, Megan, as she hears word of the news by phone. The conversation is quick before Megan puts the phone down and smiles. She laughs hysterically before making her way outdoors.

The third story is shot documentary style with a series of interviews amongst a mixture of people who explain in turn why they either liked or disliked Mr Tenneson. They all admit despite their opinions of the man that things are going to change now that he has gone. For some, who felt they were bullied by Mr Tenneson and who didn't repsect his decisions say that they now they feel free and that they will come to work each day feeling a lot happier. The people however who were close to Mr Tenneson and admired the way he worked say that this is the end of an era - and that it is going to take a lot to recover from his loss. Footage is cut between people chatting away in quite animated fashion about their disgust and disdain for the man and talking brightly about the future of the company and between interviews with people nearly in tears whilst talking about his loss.

The fourth and final story is a small news report about Ralph, talking about his life and how he split people's opinions down the line throughout his rich career. He talks about the troubles he had in his personal life with his children who he hasn't seen for many years and how his death will bring both joy and sorrow amongst a variety of different people.

The film closes with a picture of the man himself.

This still needs plenty of work but as a rough concept I think it is quite a nice idea. The main things I need to think about really are the details of the man himself. Why does he have so many friends and foes? Why has he not seen his children for so many years and why is one of them insanely pleased to hear news of his death. Although I don't need to show why these things have happened, it is important to know why myself so that I can understand the emotional drive of the characters involved within the story. I will develop this idea later and write a character biography of Ralph Tenneson to go with a more detailed plot outline.

Even if this idea isn't selected I am going to do a complete plan for the story because I might want to do it myself at a later date.