Five years ago, Gianna Rossi was a Palme d'Or nominee and a darling of independent film. After a series of abandoned projects, it is time for Gianna's comeback. It may be her last chance.
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Ambitious young actress, Jane, is obsessed with Gianna. Her fantasies are realised when she is plucked from obscurity to play the lead in Gianna's new film - a thriller shrouded in secrecy about a drifter infiltrating a cult.
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Jane steps into Gianna's world, struggling to cope with the burden of carrying the film. She leans on her enigmatic co-star, Rory, a veteran of Gianna's films struggling to navigate his own complex relationship with his mentor.
Frayed is a psychological thriller with an undercurrent of elevated horror, which delves into the cutthroat and transactional world of filmmaking. We enter the artifice of a toxic film set, forced to witness her downfall.
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As Jane is pressured to sink deeper inside her character, driven by Gianna’s unyielding pursuit of perfection, her reality fragments and the boundaries between the self and the character blur. With the threat of replacement looming over her, can Jane overcome her demons and deliver the performance of a lifetime?
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Key references
From a thematic standpoint, Frayed will echo films such as Tár, Whiplash, Black Swan and The Master.
From a visual / kinetic standpoint, Frayed will be a blend of Lynch, Aronofsky and Fincher.
Screenplay and further visual assets available on request.
Proof-of-concept for feature film / TV series
Frayed is an exposé of the transactional and exploitative elements of the creative industries, informed by the writers' appreciation for the space and deep peer experience.
The film is also a parable about the dark side of obsession, and of losing oneself in a quest for something just out of reach.
Unique narrative structure
During the film, we will witness Gianna's filmmaking process, with Jane acting as a surrogate for the audience when she steps into Gianna's world for the first time.
The "film-within-the film" framing device allows us to explore the themes at a greater depth, by giving us access behind the curtain, as we step between the "real" world and the "film" world.
Visual and storytelling style
Frayed will be a visual feast, using cinematography, light and colour to expand the scope and depth of the story beyond the short format.
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The mood and visuals will shift incrementally throughout the film, as a means of framing Jane's character arc. Frayed will be carefully constructed to take advantage of the "film within a film" framing device, using it as a means to develop character at a deeper level.