NO. 15 387
FROM THE CREATORS OF GOOD MEN
PROD. 2024
THE NEW FILM EVENT FROM PATRICK RANSON AND LUCY TIMMINS
A HIGHLY STYLISED Film with HIGH EXPOSURE Marketing
In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. - Hunter S. Thompson
"
"
A 40 Minute Comedy-Thriller to be released
ONLINE and in boutique CINEMAS
FOR YOUR REFERENCE
​
â– EYES WIDE SHUT (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
An excellent reference for the set design and pacing of Diary of a Possum. Otherworldly, yet grounded.
â– UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (David Robert Mitchell, 2018) A look at the spiraling conspiracies of the working class, and the imagining of what could be true.
â– AMERICAN PSYCHO (Mary Harron, 2000)
Using comedy to satire the lifestyle and culture of the men obsessed with money and social ranking.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Amidst slice-of-life short films and an era formulaic film making, Diary of a Possum prepares to enter production and shake up the New Zealand film scene.
â– 'Diary of a Possum' will be a 40 minutes comedy-thriller, with absurd dialogue and an intense plot, standing out from the standard slice-of-life format. It will be heavily stylised, drawing inspiration from the likes of Stanley Kubrick. With harsh lighting and deep shadows, and unique lavish art department.
â– THE PURPOSE of this film is to fuel the conversation about the power inbalance between the working class and the 1%, presenting it through comedy and excitement to engage and stimulate the audience.
â– TARGET AUDIENCE: Diary of a Possum is intended for an R16 audience of educated millennials and gen Z (16-40) of all genders, with the first release push focused in New Zealand.
â– MARKETING will include a campaign of high-end luxury adverts for the films sponsors, both promoting the brands and building interest for the film through strange hints and the slogan 'luxury at any cost'. These will direct the audience to the online platform where they can view Diary of a Possum.
â– THE CREATORS are emerging New Zealand film makers, fresh off their debut funded short film 'Good Men'. Producer Lucy Timmins and Writer/Director Patrick Ranson will be teaming up again for another high-effort, high-reward film, with Diary of a Possum being an important step forward toward their career in feature films.
â– THE BUDGET for Diary of a Possum will be 100k (NZD), to fairly pay the cast and crew, and cover the resources needed needed for art department and locations, plus marketing costs.
AN ABSURD TAKE ON THE PERVERSE GOINGS-ON OF THE GLOBAL ELITE, AND WHAT THEY WILL DO TO COVER IT UP
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Image (above): Concept Art, 'Diary of a Possum'
IMAGE (above): Concept Art 'The Bridge Scene', Diary of a Possum
IMAGE Concept Art, Diary of a Possum ("Bridge Scene")
LOG LINE & SYNOPSIS
What sick games our masters play. What if we had it all on film? What extreme lengths would they go to to keep their secrets?
AFTER STEALING A DAMNING TAPE EXPOSING THE PERVERSE GOINGS-ON OF THE GLOBAL ELITE, CLIVE DALTON FINDS OUT HOW FAR THEY WILL GO TO COVER UP THEIR SECRETS
IMAGE: Visual Reference, First Scene Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Information on the 40 Minute Short Film
An absurd take on the perverse goings-on of the global elite,
and what they will do to cover it up.
​
READ MORE WITHIN!
ur story begins in the lavishly decorated ballroom of a large mansion, in a discreet location, at an undisclosed time. An exclusive function reserved for the top echelon of the global elite, and tailored to their unique taste.
As with all special guests, all of them of course being special, Clive Dalton approaches the affair with a preconceived notion of how the night will begin, and how it will end. The night begins upstairs, surrounded by dazzling lights and silver platters, this is the time to converse, make merry, and rub shoulders. Then downstairs, where padded walls and masked attire create a safe environment to sin, maim, and countless other debaucheries.
​
However, what Clive could not have predicted, was that a neatly rolled-up film reel, viewed for pleasure, and usually disposed of immediately, capturing a numerous number of sickening crimes… would roll right to his feet. What is even more inconceivable, is how this film conveniently left the party, neatly tucked inside of Clive’s jacket.
​
O
It is 4 AM. Clive Dalton lounges in his dimly lit apartment, idling over the daily business newspaper expectantly.
Two men come stumbling in, Badger and Shannon.
IMAGE: Visual Reference, A Clockwork Orange (1971)
IMAGE: Visual Reference Final Scene, A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Clive is sure what they want is the stolen film, and has prepared an elaborate scheme to turn profit. However, what they really came here for was Clive. Things quickly turn from civil to chaotic, ultimately resulting in Clive being pumped with a high dosage of tranquilizer. Still, our hero endures.
Unceremoniously thrown into darkness from atop a bridge, Clive awakes, sprawled across a dried riverbed. Readied for action, as his would-be hitmen contemplate the lack of ‘splash’, Clive knows they will be upon him soon. A mad game of cat-and-mouse ensues. Bodies scramble over mud and stone, the prey becomes the predator, and back and forth. As with all terrible games, in the end, there are no winners. One by one they fall to their demise, concluding what is a surreal look into the lives of the elite, and the mysterious disappearances of those who cross them.
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IMAGE: Visual Reference, The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
STRANGE POSTERS..? OMINOUS LUXURY ADVERTS...? HAUNTING CLUES FOR NEW FILM!!
IMAGE: Visual Reference, American Psycho (2000)
MORE ABOUT THE
CREATORS
PREVIOUS
WORK &
Patrick has a very distinct style as a writer/director, using comedy to draw you in to his highly stylized worlds. His pacing has often been praised and compared to that of a feature film, rather than the classic short film structure.
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Patrick Ranson and Lucy Timmins are a Director Producer team who work in a partnership to deliver Ranson's unique visions to the screen at a consistently high standard. Timmins has 10 years experience as an emerging film producer, producing many projects with festival success, including her and Ranson's most recent film 'Good Men'.
PATRICK RANSON: Writer/Director
LUCY TIMMINS: Producer
Lucy produces films with attention to detail, putting in work beyond her department to ensure the project reaches its top potential. Possum is an exciting step forward for her future career in long form film and television content.
Completed in 2022, Ranson wrote and directed his debut short film ‘Good Men’, a 15 minute comedy. This involved casting actors and selecting crew, rehearsing scenes with the cast and blocking through scenes with HODs. He also values working with the film's collaborators such as costume designer and score composer, communicating his visions to them and offering notes and feedback until completion. During the editing process, Ranson sat in and had a very clear vision for the pacing of each scene, working well with the editor who will readily work with him again.
Lucy Timmins has been producing content for the past 10 years, ever since starting her film journey winning V48 Hour Film Festival Best School Team and Best Female Director during highschool. Since then she has worked in most areas of film, both on other peoples projects and her own. She fell naturally into the role of producer, her previous experience with self funded films making her confident creating with various budgets. After enjoying festival success with her early projects, she spent a few years working on more experimental projects, learning SFX and editing skills, and is now eager to be back into narrative films.
PREVIOUS PROJECTS
​
â– Hasta la Vista (2023) | Director: Patrick Ranson, Producer: Lucy Timmins | Watch Here
â– Good Men (2022) | Writer/Director: Patrick Ranson, Producer: Lucy Timmins
TSF Festival Selection, Best Actor Winner
â– KING (2020) | Co-Directors: Lucy Timmins, Patrick Ranson, Producer: Lucy Timmins
Santiago Horror Film Festival Selection,
Best Editor Winner
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â– Unfaithful (2016) |Director: Lucy Timmins, Producer: Lucy Timmins
Show Me Shorts Official Selection
conflict with our own idea of what it is to be “good”, though I like to imagine it is in me to create your typical charming, save-the-day type protagonist… they are as of yet to rear their attractive head. This movie, Diary of a Possum, is no exception. It’s dark, it's striking, it’s intense, it’s obscene, and not just in tone, but in every aspect. Visually I want to play around with dark darks and pale whites, using heavy shadows to contour the shapes of the actors and the set. Filling in the space that would be better left to the audience's imagination with the same blackness that scared you so much as a child. Long drawn-out wide angles filled with subtlety tense, often comedic, actions from the actors as they interact with the bizarre and gloomy world that has been built around them. That is how I picture the film, not in detail but at its core. Then to accompany such a spectacle, there will be powerful rich orchestral music for the action-heavy scenes and then spates of humorous almost abstract dialog for the parts in between. There is subtle violence hidden deep within very old art, a characteristic it shares with the global elite that this movie attempts to depict. Thus my choice in classical music. For the dialog, although I described it as abstract, the idea is to make it feel completely reasonable in a world seemingly devoid of any reason."
"I often find myself being drawn to a story that confronts us with a main protagonist whose morals
READ: DIRECTOR'S SUMMARY
FOR DIARY OF A POSSUM
- Patrick Ranson, Writer/Director (Diary of a Possum)
Powerful
people die in
mysterious ways…
Some more
than others.
​
Here we take a look at just one small facet of our society, the one that feels the most alien to us, the most out of our control, the one percent.
Own a Multi-Trillion Dollar Company?
Paying Over One Percent in Taxes?
Find Out What You Might be Doing Wrong.
Did You Know?
In 1878 a “Gentlemens Club” was founded by a man named Henry Edwards and named Bohemian Grove. Events were held yearly and quickly became host to many musicians, bankers, artists, and politicians.
In 1980 a journalist named Rick Clogher wrote a piece published in the magazine Mother Jones, detailing his experience after posing as an employee in the grove. The article starts out strong, questioning the reader before quickly offering the answer.
“What do Jerry Ford, William Buckley and the U.S. Navy chief of staff have in common with the chairman of Union Oil? For one thing, they all went to the same summer camp-”
The Biggest Scandal in History “Puddle-Gate”
New Evidence Reveals Leaked Tapes Released by the Recently Deceased Clive Dalton Have Proven “Undoubtedly Authentic”
Drug dealers, Landlords, Pimps, and Drunk Drivers, line the streets today in outrage over the aforementioned footage
THE POSSUM PUZZLE MEDIUM
mmn iary of a Possum
mmmiis a 40 minute short film which mm will take you to a bizarre world, not unlike your own. Rife with sin, conspiracy, and shady characters all around.
Like a deranged caricature, it emphasizes the flaws in our society to the point of comic relief. Taking inspiration from many great works of fiction in film, TV, and literature, that have all captured this idea in their own various ways. Even more than that, however, we are inspired by the current events highlighted through articles, documentaries, and news coverage, exposing us to things we thought only happened in our worst nightmares. There is a real case to be made, that the world needs cinema like this now more than it ever has.
D
The choice in genre between Comedy and Thriller mainly stems from how the two accentuate each other, like cheese and wine. The subtle comedic relief serves as a tool to cut through the otherwise dark and brooding tone of the film. While similarly, the tense atmosphere conjured around the film using set design, dialog, costuming, and lighting, will only help to make the humor that much more outrageous. We also find one of the best ways, when tackling very real, very serious topics, such as the global abuse of criminal protection through finance, is to make fun of it. Fear can make a person irrational, even nihilistic, and laughter can be a form of confidence.
IMAGE (right): Concept Comparison - Eyes Wide Shut.
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OVERALL,
​
our goal is for the audience to come away from the whole ordeal with a mutual feeling of being both disturbed and giddy.
TIMMINS AND RANSON:TRANSLATING THE VISION
FROM SCRIPT
TO SCREEN
"DIARY OF A POSSUM" MARKETING MET WITH CURIOSITY AND EXCITEMENT
OF A
Diary of a Possum will be made for release online with one of New Zealand’s streaming platforms (such as TVNZ). Alongside this, Possum will have limited boutique screenings in cinemas (brought to you by the streaming platform), in order to push the reputation for the high quality of the film and to raise awareness of its release, as will the strange sponsorship adverts made and released in conjunction.
STREAM ONLINE
Or Watch at
Select Cinema
Screenings
DIARY POSSUM MARKETING
SUIT TAILORING (Image) A precise fitting, with untrustworthy staff
WALLPAPER (Image) Impeccable furnishings, strange happenings in the hall
LIGHTING (Image) A lavish party for the powerful and...perverse?
Diary of a Possum Will be Promoted Using a Strange Campaign of High End Luxury Ads, with the Slogan "LUXURY AT ANY COST"
â– The marketing for this film will work as both promotion for its release, and publicity for the sponsors.
IMAGE: Strange figures line the streets with DIARY OF A POSSUM (2024) imagery
Brands who choose to sponsor Diary of a Possum will be featured in these ads, and their products shown off high class interior design photoshoots. However, even though each poster will focus on a different specific part of the house/dressing, all will be tied together cohesively with a brooding colour scheme, and a strange theme of masked figures and other hints at the dark and dangerous world of Possum.
These will be promoted both online, and hopefully in a billboard campaign, dependant on if ie Phantom Billstickers would be interested in partaking in the eye catching advertising scheme. Poster release will begin 2 months before the release of the film, initially sparking confusion and curiosity amongst those who see it. Within the month of Diary of a Possum’s release date, luxury home product ads for the same brands, with the same colour schemes and tone, will be released, now including the release date and more information on how to view the film...
...and quench your curiosity.
Sitting comfortably between a classic short film and feature film runtime, Possum will be an ideal length for an average audience member to watch alongside the now-common 40 minute episodic shows available on streaming platforms.
BACK TO TOP
EXPLORING THE CHARACTERS AND CAST of POSSUM
THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THESE THREE MEN WILL
BE ESSENTIAL
The pacing and subtle nuance in the dialogue is what will make the whole bizarrity of their interaction feel natural in this equally bizarre world.
As with previous projects, every scene will be individually rehearsed and blocked through with all three actors and the director before shooting begins. This is not only a great tool for time management. It also allows the cast and director to be confident in their ability to get the artistic vision across and gives the director time to understand each actor's unique strengths.
Each character in Diary of a Possum holds their own radical views on wealth, power, and standing in the world. It is this clash of ideals that encompasses the overarching moral dilemma.
BADGER: 50, Overweight, Asthmatic, Practical
CLIVE DALTON: 35, Handsome, judgemental, uppity
SHANNON: 40, aloof, lanky, dim-witted
BADGER by name, Badger by nature. Squat, rotund, and considered largely by the public to be a pest. He stumbles through life with the vague notion that a man's purpose is to work and then die. What’s involved in the work is beside the point, because at the end of the day, a job’s a job. Dirty deeds done dirt cheap? I’m your guy.
Sometimes clients buy him a suit if the job requires a certain level of appearance, but they always fit too tight. If that wasn't a dead giveaway, then the cheap cigarettes being perpetually inhaled should make it pretty clear, to the type of man you’re dealing with.
CLIVE DALTON. Started off with a small loan of a million dollars, plus the inheritance. But as Clive will tell you himself; he had to make his own way in life, there is no shortcut to success, just hard work and diligence. He shows it in his dress. Immaculately fitted suits, calf skin loafers, and a watch to pair. Does it tell the time? Yes, within the second, but you’re asking the wrong question. How much did it cost?
Life operates on an axis, and that axis rotates around Clive. His peers respect him and his subordinates fear him, yet all he yearns for is that thrill that died long... long ago.
SHANNON, One of God's own creations. A prototype constructed somewhere between man and insect. He scuttles around erect and uneasy, off-brown suit hanging limp from his lank frame, unsure of where the next meal, the next pay, will come from.
This world gives you nothing but grief, and Shannon reciprocates in kind.
Maybe he is just a man born ahead of his time, the perfect archetype for a nuclear apocalypse. Maybe he’s just another man down on his luck, trying to make a buck. What is undeniable, however, is that Shannon is a survivor. God bless.
DIARY OF A POSSUM IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY
THE CREATORS OF
'GOOD MEN'
CONTROVERSIAL FIGUREHEAD
OF THE SAPERA
FREE-LOVE CULT
VANISHES
WITHOUT A TRACE
​
Good Men (2022) was shot on a relatively low budget, crowdfunded by Timmins and Ranson. Using practical creativity, they executed the ambitious script to a high standard, and created a world of tense moments with consistent comedy.
A deadly snake bite has a hitman duo realising their only chance of survival rests in the hands of the cult leader they were sent to kill.
GOOD MEN (2022)
Dir. Patrick Ranson | Prod. Lucy Timmins
SCENE ONE: Ringo hesitates, Jester is bit by a snake
SCENE TWO: Ringo decides to bring Guteman with them
SCENE THREE: Guteman wins over Ringo
SCENE FOUR: Jester convinces Ringo to finish the job if he dies
FINAL SCENE: Guteman saves Jester, then makes a break for it
NO. 15 387
REFERENCES AND PALETTES
READ ALL ABOUT how the new film Diary of a Possum will be filmed. See the stylistic vision of Director Patrick Ranson, to be brought to life by producer Lucy Timmins.
EXCLUSIVE: SCENE BREAK-DOWN
From Undisclosed Parties to Attempted Murder - Every Scene from Upcoming Film Diary of a Possum Has its Own Nuances and Visual References for a Unique Cinematic Experience
AND NARRATIVE OUTLINE
Left: Eyes Wide Shut (1999) Right: Batman Returns (1992)
Scene One will be shot in a single location, brightly lit with chandeliers and fairy lights to expose the well dressed caterers and guests. A wide foyer area will be dressed minimally but "expensively" with the likes velvet couches and a small stage area for a classical band. The life of this scene will come from the costuming and blocking of the many actors and extras.
​
A single tracking shot will capture the party, pushing through the merry guests and catching only glimpses of their strange conversations. Punchlines of jokes between weapons traders, strangely flirtatious propositions, and urgent whispers follow the camera through the crowd. We gradually move away from the bustle, following a guest into and through an empty hallway, where it suddenly falls silent. The camera tries to keep up as he approaches a closed door, flanked by two masked men.
​
​
THE PARTY SCENE
Single Tracking Shot • Lavish • Dazzling, Gaudy Lighting •
Fitted Three-Piece Suits and Ball Gowns • Bustling Atmosphere
The finest mansion has been decorated in the finest manner, to dazzle and entertain only the wealthiest and most powerful people from around the world. No expense has been spared, from the hors d'oeuvres to the fine liquors everybody is merry on. We push through the jovial and bustling crowd, every person on display in their most affluent clothing and jewelry.
THE DUNGEON SCENE
Single Tracking Shot • Sparse, Surgical Lights • Sinister •
Masked Faces and Glistening Bodies • Dark, Shadowy • Depraved
Men in masks congregate around surgical tables in the dim, dingy lighting of the parties basement. Here the party-goers get what they really came for: the thrill of some old shed tools and some victims. We see only glimpses, pushing through the barely clothed legs and around table legs, following dutiful staff collecting the rolling film reels, burning them immediately after they have been watched.
Left: Eyes Wide Shut (1999) Right: Batman Returns (1992)
For Scene Two, the Dungeon Scene, we move downstairs into a starkly different environment. The dingy, dark dungeon will be filmed across multiple different locations (such as a spacious basement littered with surgical tables, a strange viewing wall-space, a theatre, and a furnace filled with film reels), appearing to be one labyrinth of a room through invisible cuts.
This scene will continue on from the first scene as a single one shot.
​
Costuming will be a key disturbing element in this scene also, contrasting against the previous scene to show the extremes of these people's behavior. In Scene Two, men will be barely dressed, sweaty, and wearing strange animal masks. Clive Dalton, who we see at the end pocketing a film reel exposing the sins committed in the basement, wears a grotesque possum mask.
​
Left: Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Right: A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Pages 6 - 18 will be filmed in a high class Auckland apartment, house, or hotel.
Clive Dalton's apartment, while not his largest property, is a more than comfortable pad for him to crash in while he is in the city. His furniture and decorations are exotic and expensive, tastefully chosen to match his dark wood floors and broody dark wallpaper.
​
This scene will be lit using an exotic collection of lamps, enhancing faces and throwing the apartment into shadows. They represent Clive Dalton’s materialism, his worldliness, and give source to the brooding style of lighting.
The shooting plan for this scene includes a majority of static shots. Extremely wide, shot on sticks, with occasional panning, letting the affluent apartment be established as a character in this scene.
Static close up shots will be used to highlight both people and objects such as the afternoon tea, or the bird cage.
As the tension in the apartment grows, the static shots will begin pushing in, slow zooming in and increasing a feeling of claustrophobia.
THE APARTMENT SCENE
Dim Lighting from Desk and Floor Lamps • Wide Angles • “Brooding” • Dark, Rich Colours • Antique, Affluent Set Dressing
It’s dark, it's striking, it’s intense, it’s obscene, and not just in tone, but in every aspect. Visually I want to play around with dark darks and pale whites, using heavy shadows to create startlingly unique imagery. Long drawn-out wide angles filled with subtlety tense, often comedic, actions from the actors as they interact with the bizarre and gloomy world that has been built around them.
THE BRIDGE SCENE
Striking Silhouettes • Bright Back Lighting from Spotlights and ‘Moon’ • Details Lost in Darkness • Details Lit Selectively
The Horror! The Horror! Feral eyes stare at you through the darkness, an overwhelming sense of panic takes over, fear of the inevitable. Most people wake up in cold sweats with the quiet comfort of knowing whatever terrible thing was upon them, is quickly retreating back into the far recesses of the mind from whence it came. Unfortunately for Clive Dalton, this nightmare only begins once he is awake.
Left: RocknRolla (2008) Right: A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The lighting in this scene will be heavily backlit, with most of the scene being shrouded in darkness. Silhouettes and facial features will be highlighted depending on the shot. A full moon will be established as a light source, and will be used to explain the blue backlight selectively flooding the riverbed. Industrial ‘Lamp posts’ will be set up in the bushes along the riverbed, allowing the actors to run in and out of brightness. Uplights will be used to throw dramatic beams up the side of the dam, to make the location even more impactful.
​
As with the all scenes, shooting will follow a predetermined storyboard.
This scene abandons the controlled stillness of the Apartment Scene, and will be shot entirely handheld. During the first act, while Clive is heavily affected by the tranquilizer, the camera will be used to show his lack of bodily control. Cutting between POV and CUs, drifting shots will show his struggle to hold attention on one spot, while comedically cutting back to his delirious, focused face. An excellent reference for this scene can be found in the “drug scene” from The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013). The handheld camera will continue as the chase ensues, showing the struggled movements with dragging camera movements, transitioning into clean, methodical running, the camera keeping pace.
The fight scene, the climax scene, is intimate, using tight OTS shots of each man as they are lost in the struggle. As the scene ends, we return to still shots, the chaos ending and quiet returning as the credits roll.