Evaluation: strengths and weaknesses

Strengths: 

• There is a strong development of the protagonist Kate. Her anxiety, worries and fears are introduced from the very start of the opening nightmare sequenced and developed through flashbacks, dreams and hallucinations in the film. In this sense, the audience are able to sympathise with Kate, as they gain an understanding of the horrific inner-working of her mind. 
• Positive message. Although Kate struggles with anxiety and is possessed by negative thoughts, my screenplay aims to capture a hopeful attitude; Kate takes steps to replace her inner-darkness and despair, with more positive thoughts. 
• Realistic subject matter. The story-line focuses on Generalised Anxiety Disorder, which is a fairly common disorder.  Anxiety disorders affect 40 million people in the United States aged 18 and older (18% of the population). My screenplay aims to raise awareness about this mental illness. 
• Balance. Although there are many terrifying images and sounds within the film, there are also ballet sequences, which juxtapose against the harshness.  
• Symbolic elements- There are deeper layers of meaning within the film.  For example, in the opening nightmare sequence, many symbolic elements can be deconstructed to suggest the latent meaning beyond the bizarre aesthetic. In particular, the monstrous creatures, who form the circus crowd and performers, manifests Kate's unconscious fears of social interaction and negative judgment from others, hence the reason why the atmosphere appears so horrific. Therefore, a strength of my film is that is can be interpreted behind its dramatic visual aesthetic, through psychoanalytical theory.

Weaknesses: 

• It may be challenging to produce some of these scenes on a student budget. For example, the opening scene of the extravagant circus will be costly. Additionally, many actors and dancers may be required, to act the part of the students in the dance studio, and it is may be expensive to hire professionals. 
• There is an issue with accessibility. Locations like a circus and a whole dance studio may be difficult to get permissions for. 
• Therefore, my screenplay may be too complex for the restrictions of a student. 

ADJUSTMENTS: 

If I wanted to produce this screenplay, as a student production, I can consider making some slight adjustments. Firstly, there is a possibility of transforming those dramatic dream sequences into animation, which would be fitting with the surrealistic style of my screenplay. Additionally, I could start emailing a variety of small dance companies, to see if the space could be used for filming. If not I could perhaps rent out a small studio in a gym and create the illusion that the audience are in a dance studio. Furthermore, casting call pro is a useful website for hiring actors free of charge and will be appropriate to use within the confinements of the student budget. I truly believe that with this adjustments, my film will be feasible for production.