Treatment

Synopsis
The film begins with a character who had been murdered by an unidentified character. The character has no apparent signs of how she died. After waking up in purgatory she is then paired with an eccentric guide, who has been tasked with officiating her transfer into the afterlife. However, after some disruptions the pair must investigate the circumstances of her murder. After this she uncovers the truths behind what some of her friends and relatives think of her as well as the reasoning for er disposal.
Setting
The film, and specifically the opening sequence, will be focused inside and around the flat of the character.
Characters
The film will consist of two main characters, the first being May. She is a character who was content with her position and understanding of the world, believing that life is all there is. This means that she has become a realist over time.
However, upon finding out about her predicament her entire understanding of reality and her ambition is turned on its head.
She is presented as a strongly relatable character for the audience and consistently points out the ridiculous aspects of the scenario she is in. This puts her on equal footing with audience, who would also note the surreal elements of the concept of the film.
The second main character is Ava. She is the polar opposite of the character of May. Having become accustomed to the concept of the afterlife she is desensitised by the ludicrous situation at hand.
The character herself is excited in being able to help a newcomer although is attempting to show the professionalism that had been advised to her. While being a highly positive character she is also naive about the living world around her and is shown as almost alien to the audience due to this.
Opening
The opening sequence will set the tone for the film. As the opening sequence is meant to take place in the "real world" as opposed to the post living one that May experiences for the rest of the film, the setting will appear to be darker and gloomy in comparison.
The genre should be evident within the opening sequence as the scene where May is murdered takes place at the start. However, as the audience can merely hear the scene, they will be faced with questions within the first few seconds.
The narrative of the film will be somewhat shaken up as the opening takes place at, what would be considered, the end for the character however, as the story progresses the duo find themselves looking into both the past and present to find answers. The way in which the opening sequence unfolds will also mimic the way in which the film will progress. This is where it begins calm and almost lighthearted due to the happy pictures of the character and her friends that will be positioned around the setting however there begins to be a more sinister and ominous element to the story that eventually shows itself.
The way in which the storytelling will be organised will mean that initially the audience will find themselves to be rather confused at the what is happening, this will match the feelings of the character May.
Characterisation will be somewhat focused around the dynamic of the two characters and how they bounce off each other through the story. As the two of them have quite separate personalities they will be shown almost as though they are programmed differently, especially in the opening sequence. The opening sequence will have a focus on May's characterisation though. As the opening progresses the audience will be shown sentimental pictures of her with friends and relatives as well as seeing her social media page which will give the audience some understanding of the character at hand.
During the opening sequence there will be some hints towards later revelations within the movie for instance, the book May was reading is called "Life after Life" which has a clear meaning. Later on May also complains of having some uncomfortable symptoms which are later to lead to the way in which she had died.
Props and costumes
The amount of props specifically in the opening sequence will be limited to that of everyday objects that would be found from the setting. These include a laptop, chair, and glass tumbler. These each have separate uses throughout the sequence.
May will wear the clothes which she had died in. These will be casual clothes. This will be contrasted with the formal clothing worn by Ava as she is dressed to appear professional.
Conventions
The film will primarily be part of the mystery genre. As a result the conventions that it will follow will consist of the whodunit story arc and eventually lead up to the big reveal of information at the end on the film. Also the convention of a team of two investigating the scene will be followed and Ava provides support for May throughout the story.