AXE APOLLO CAMPAIGN
Love from Above AXE APOLLO CAMPAIGN
TREATMENT BY MICHAEL NEWMAN, [email protected], 248.818.0475
Introduction
Romeo & Juliet is the most famous love story of all time. The balcony scene where Romeo declares his eternal, undying love for Juliet has caused women from all over the world to swoon over Romeo for centuries. They’ve been swept away by his tenacity and insatiable desire to be closer to the woman he loves. Juliet was taken from the moment she laid eyes on him... but what if things happened differently? What if, at that pivotal moment, when Romeo was waiting for Juliet to affirm her unconditional love... what if she saw the ultimate game changer? What if the dramatic climax of Act II, scene ii involved the introduction of an astronaut?
Tone This film is a parody and seeks to appeal toward people with short attention spans who might not know anything about Shakespeare, while also providing some entertainment to all the guys who had to read it in high school or are otherwise familiar with the story. Our use of Old English and some original text is intended to add depth to the world; and we will follow Romeo’s journey much like we do in the Apollo Firefighter and Lifeguard commercials; Romeo is throwing all that he is into this conversation with Juliet and to him, it’s life and death. He takes it so seriously that the audience can’t help but laugh at him when his efforts utterly fail in the end.
Pictured Left: Internet memes popular with today’s youth show that it’s fun to make fun of Shakespeare.
LOCATION
The setting is a peaceful backyard/ garden area, and we are not strictly period, meaning that electricity and elements of the modern world could be used in a subtle way. These photos evoke the feel of the setting and will influence the production design on location.
Casting Juliet 20 something, natural beauty, sweet look but still attractive, strong stage presence, knows what she wants, idealistic,
Romeo 20 something, handsome, somewhat aloof, a little desperate, hopeless romantic, passionate
Casting is an extremely important component of making this project work. I’ve already held preliminary auditions at a Hollywood casting studio to compare different actors with promising results. Through that process I’ve found numerous actors who would be able to perform these roles, though I’d schedule more auditions, callbacks and rehearsals to make sure our final cast is very polished before filming.
Budget Our pitch funding would help toward the following: -TALENT: 2 lead actors, 1 supporting -LOCATION: balcony/ terrace location -MAKE-UP ARTIST/ HAIR STYLIST -CAMERA DEPARTMENT -LOCATION SOUND MIXER/ BOOM OP -PRODUCTION DESIGN -ADDITIONAL RENTALS -CINE PRIME LENS SET -PRODUCTION CREW -CAMERA DOLLY or SLIDER -RED or BMC camera package
Q. What’s the big deal? (why is this film awesome?) A. This film takes the most famous Romeo and Juliet scene ever at the moment when their love was really supposed to take off, and completely subverts it with the addition of the ASTRONAUT. Online, this might be referred to as “Trolling.” Or, perhaps, PWNAGE. That’s for the 18 year olds out there. For the older folks we have a classic love story with a fresh twist, and a love triangle type situation that anyone who’s ever lost someone can relate to. Tragedy is when you experience this sort of romantic loss. Comedy is when it happens to someone else.
TREATMENT BY MICHAEL NEWMAN, [email protected], 248.818.0475
Introduction
Romeo & Juliet is the most famous love story of all time. The balcony scene where Romeo declares his eternal, undying love for Juliet has caused women from all over the world to swoon over Romeo for centuries. They’ve been swept away by his tenacity and insatiable desire to be closer to the woman he loves. Juliet was taken from the moment she laid eyes on him... but what if things happened differently? What if, at that pivotal moment, when Romeo was waiting for Juliet to affirm her unconditional love... what if she saw the ultimate game changer? What if the dramatic climax of Act II, scene ii involved the introduction of an astronaut?
Tone This film is a parody and seeks to appeal toward people with short attention spans who might not know anything about Shakespeare, while also providing some entertainment to all the guys who had to read it in high school or are otherwise familiar with the story. Our use of Old English and some original text is intended to add depth to the world; and we will follow Romeo’s journey much like we do in the Apollo Firefighter and Lifeguard commercials; Romeo is throwing all that he is into this conversation with Juliet and to him, it’s life and death. He takes it so seriously that the audience can’t help but laugh at him when his efforts utterly fail in the end.
Pictured Left: Internet memes popular with today’s youth show that it’s fun to make fun of Shakespeare.
LOCATION
The setting is a peaceful backyard/ garden area, and we are not strictly period, meaning that electricity and elements of the modern world could be used in a subtle way. These photos evoke the feel of the setting and will influence the production design on location.
Casting Juliet 20 something, natural beauty, sweet look but still attractive, strong stage presence, knows what she wants, idealistic,
Romeo 20 something, handsome, somewhat aloof, a little desperate, hopeless romantic, passionate
Casting is an extremely important component of making this project work. I’ve already held preliminary auditions at a Hollywood casting studio to compare different actors with promising results. Through that process I’ve found numerous actors who would be able to perform these roles, though I’d schedule more auditions, callbacks and rehearsals to make sure our final cast is very polished before filming.
Budget Our pitch funding would help toward the following: -TALENT: 2 lead actors, 1 supporting -LOCATION: balcony/ terrace location -MAKE-UP ARTIST/ HAIR STYLIST -CAMERA DEPARTMENT -LOCATION SOUND MIXER/ BOOM OP -PRODUCTION DESIGN -ADDITIONAL RENTALS -CINE PRIME LENS SET -PRODUCTION CREW -CAMERA DOLLY or SLIDER -RED or BMC camera package
Q. What’s the big deal? (why is this film awesome?) A. This film takes the most famous Romeo and Juliet scene ever at the moment when their love was really supposed to take off, and completely subverts it with the addition of the ASTRONAUT. Online, this might be referred to as “Trolling.” Or, perhaps, PWNAGE. That’s for the 18 year olds out there. For the older folks we have a classic love story with a fresh twist, and a love triangle type situation that anyone who’s ever lost someone can relate to. Tragedy is when you experience this sort of romantic loss. Comedy is when it happens to someone else.
