Short Film

Short Film

Planning

PLANNING

Script

FADE IN

INT. girls toilet. day

The door opens to the girls bathroom, revealing three

cubicles. One of which is closed.

We see a series of empty toilet stands, ending up on one with pink, scruffy trainers. Her feet are

turned in, with one foot tapping rapidly.

MEGAN

Shit.

We see a pregnancy test, and a girl with disbelief across her whole face.

(Silence)

MEGAN

(V.O.)

This wasn't meant to happen yet.

Exams

Uni

Work

And now this? How am I going to tell them? They're gonna be so angry. I knew it was wrong at the 

time, but I love him and I trust him.

I mean, he would make a great dad, but not now. I'd make a great mum, but not now. Just not now.

MEGAN exits the toilet stall and stands in front of the mirror. We see her in baggy clothes, hiding any signs of the beginning of a bump.

I mean...

would it be bad to keep it? If Nathan says he loves me as much as he says he does, wouldn’t he 

support me?

Support... It?

We could still build a life together, it would be just start a few years before everybody else, that’s 

fine.

And just think of the little clothes, the little fingers and that smile that they give you when they see you in the morning.

What would my mum think though? She wants me to succeed and not go through the same situations she was once in.

But maybe after the initial shock she would help me. Help me raise it if, God forbid, Nathan doesn’t want to...

Perhaps I am just overthinking this, just tell him first.

The door starts to open and the voices of two girls appears. MEGAN returns to the cubicle before 

they see her.

ASHLEY

Ugh, Ruby what were you thinking!?

RUBY

(snorts)

I don’t know. Regret it now though don’t I.

ASHLEY and RUBY go towards the sink, in front of the cubicle that MEGAN is in. MEGAN stands against the cubicle wall, trying to stay silent.

ASHLEY

So, did you hear about that girl, can’t remember her name now. Got pregnant by some random guy she met at a party.

RUBY

Oh my God yes I heard... ain’t her name Jade? She’s in my maths or something.

ASHLEY

She's keeping it as well. Who'd chuck their life away on that?

RUBY

(laughs)

Such a slag.

ASHLEY

Oi you can't talk!

RUBY

What do you mean by that!?

ASHLEY

I heard what happened Saturday night at Lucy's.

RUBY stays silence, still making out that she doesn't know what ASHLEY is talking out.

ASHLEY

You and Nathan?

RUBY

God don’t remind me.

ASHLEY

Why not?

RUBY

He was rubbish!

We see MEGAN with her hand covering her mouth, and tears falling from her eyes. Meanwhile, 

ASHLEY and RUBY are laughing in the background.

RUBY

(V.O)

Don’t tell Megan. She’ll only have a go at me, and I can’t be asked for the drama.

A school bell rings and we hear ASHLEY and RUBY leave the bathroom.

MEGAN

(V.O)

That’s it. I’m getting rid of it.

How could Nathan do that to me.

What was I thinking, I’m only seventeen, I couldn’t bring up another life.

I can’t even look after myself.

Would an abortion be that bad?

I heard some people just go to the doctors and it’s done that same day.

No hassle.

I don’t know if I could do it alone. Who would go with me?

Definitely not Ruby or Ashley now. Great friends they are.

Mum maybe, if I get round to telling her.

I’ll probably go alone, it’ll be okay.

Just ring the doctors and book an appointment.

Easy.

But could I actually go through with it?

MEGAN exits the stall and starts walking slowly to the door

to leave.

MEGAN

(V.O)

I should tell somebody though.

Someone might help me through this.

Help me choose my decision.

It’s the most sensible thing for me to do.

And it’s not like I can act like a child anymore.

MEGAN turns around and starts walking back and forth,

whilst looking up and down in deep confusion.

Megan finally stops at the sinks, and pulls out her phone.

We see her using it until finally she puts the phone to her

ear.

MEGAN

Hi, I have something to tell you.

FADE OUT

Shot List

·       Long shot – we can see the line of cubicles, pans forward to the cubicles and falls down to the bottom. Pan along bottom of cubicles – from the first to the third. Stop once we see feet. Camera will go under the cubicle and tilt up to low angle shot, looking up at the girl. The pregnancy test in front of her face.

·       Tilt camera up as the monologue begins

·       Long shot as we see the girl walking out the cubicle

·       Side shot as she is looking in the mirror

·       Close up for the end of the first part

·       Side shot of Megan seeing the door open

·       Mid shot of door as Ashley and ruby walks in.

·       Long shot of cubicles – Megan closes the door

·       Long shot of the girls going to the sink

·       Close up of Megan against the cubicle wall

·       Side shots of the girls conversation progresses

·       Extreme close up of Megan covering her mouth and the girls conversation ending in the background

·       Long shot of the bathroom. We see Ashley and Ruby walk out – keep the scene empty for for 10 seconds.

·       Camera pans down as Megan sinks down to floor

·       Slowing go to a close up as the monologue continues

·       Pan up as she gets up again

·       Long shot of the bathroom until she gets to the door

·       Long shot behind her as she turns around – keep shot as she walks up and down

·       Side of shot her going to the sink

·       Close up of her using her phone – looks at the camera when saying the last line 

Evaluation

Evaluation

Positive

For my practical I made a drama film, which focuses on the issue of teen pregnancy. My film is largely inspired by Daniel Montanarini’s film ‘Arrival’ (2016). I used the idea of someone contemplating whether to keep their baby or not. The film matches the use of using voice over and dialogue, which helps separate the real life with the character’s own thoughts, it also allowed me to have the character say any of her thoughts and feelings, helping the audience understand the situation more. Just like Montanarini’s film I placed situations that made the character change her train of thought and how she was going to deal with the situation. With this film I did follow the three act structure, however the ending is left on a cliff hanger, and the audience can only guess her decision. In the beginning (first act), we first see an empty bathroom and everything is normal. It soon pans to a pair of feet. After cutting to the title, we see a girl holding a pregnancy test, and that is where the first catalyst is. To begin with she considers keeping the baby, even though she knew her mum wouldn’t be happy, but she thought she had the love of her boyfriend. The second act begins when two girls enter, and the plot worsens for Megan. We find out that they are her friends, and one of them has been with Megan’s boyfriend. Once the girls leave, Megan is determined to have an abortion, which may have been caused by the sudden heartbreak that has made her make rash decisions. The third act begins when she nearly leaves the room and wonders if she could actually go through with it and that she should have someone by her side. The film ends on a cliffhanger as we don’t know who she has rang, her mum or her boyfriend? The aim of this film was to not make the audience feel a happy or bad for her, but rather to observe and understand a hard situation that a teenage girl is in. And although it is about a teenage girl, I think that this topic can be understood by thousands of women who have gotten pregnant when it is not the right time for them, and finding it hard to find someone that can support them through a difficult time. That is why I made it into a monologue film because someone’s thoughts are raw and pure, not changed to please the receiver.

Another inspiration from other short films is Over (2015) by John Threlfall. I liked the way he used long takes in his film. Although I didn’t do this to create suspense, it certainly does make the viewer to only focus on the characters, and truly listen to the monologue. Later on in the film when the girls leave the bathroom, I keep the shot running even though nothing is happening. I did this to give a breather, as well as a chance to process what has changed the plot line. Just like Threlfall’s film, I kept the background of the scene natural and nothing that could distract the viewer. On the wall behind the character there is a poster that encourages people to talk about their worries, and that parallels with the situation that the main character is currently facing.

Another short film that was inspiration to mine, was Slap (2015) by Nick Rowland .I liked his use of mirrors throughout his film. Such as when the mirror is smashed, we can see the distortion of the character and how he’s confused and that his head is all over the place. Like his film, I also used mirrors in mine. I include many shots where we are behind her and can see her reflection in the mirror. Doing this we cannot avoid seeing her changing facial expressions, and her mood changes on what she is thinking of at that time. I did this because it makes the film more interesting, and shows the duality of her decision. 

One of the short films that also a inspiration to me was Tight Jeans (2008) by Destiny Ekharga. I liked this one, not for the plot but more for the visuals. In the plot nothing much does happen, which does relate to mine as it is very monologue driven (hers was dialogue driven). But the visuals is what I took from the most. In Tight Jeans, it was a grey council estate with the characters in bright clothing so that they stood out. I took this idea but swapped it. Megan is in the grey/black colour clothing, with bright walls of purple around her. This help shows how the situation has effected her mentally compared to the world outside of that, showing that she is trapped from the more colourful and happier state that she was once in.

A tv series that also helped in the plot line is Skins (2007-2013) a show that focuses on teenagers throughout the two years of sixth form. One of the characters called Jal finds out she is pregnant. Before telling her boyfriend she is constantly going back and forth on how to tell him, and if she should say that she wants to keep it or if she wants to have an abortion. Even though she has a bright future ahead in her music career, she does decide to keep it. It is not until her boyfriend Chris dies that she makes her change her mind, and she has an abortion. Although my film is not as dramatic in the change the plot line, it does use the idea of using an event to change the characters decision.

For the micro elements I tried to keep it as close to life as possible. I used my schools bathroom to get that school setting, using no added lighting as I didn’t want the film to look artificial or perfect, the overhead natural lights make it seem like this scene could relate to anyone. The dialogue was not done perfectly, but that was to make sure the characters talk how actual teenagers do. I took some inspiration from how I and other people my age I know talk. And when writing the script I didn’t overthink what is being said, instead letting it flow naturally. The only thing I focused on was making sure that what was said made the plot line move forward, and makes the main character change her line of thought. I asked my cast to dress how they thought their character would look like. This meant Sasha (who played Megan) wears a jumper and jogging bottoms, which signals that she is trying to keep herself as comfortable as possible. Nush and Deana (who played Ashley and Ruby) dressed up more, portraying a type of mean girl esque way about them. This helped signify that they had no worries and are just going about their day.

To evaluate, I liked how I have managed to portray both sides of finding out being pregnant. It involves disbelief, excitement, sadness and anger. The topic of abortion is sensitive as it can divide people, so I kept the moral/religious aspect of it out of the script. I did find making this type of film hard to make, as I wanted to keep it captivating as possible, which was hard to do, as the film is mainly monologue with few moments of on screen dialogue, and is set in the same, small location so it slowed down the pace of it more. If I was going to make this film again, I would change it so there was more movement, and more dialogue. Perhaps involving a conversation between Megan, Ashley and Ruby. However, I would keep the cliffhanger as I think involves the audience more, and would make them think about who they would of rang if they were in her situation.

Three Act Structure

Three Act Structure

The first act is usually used for exposition, to establish the main characters, their relationships and the world they live in. Later in the first act, a dynamic, on-screen incident occurs, known as the inciting incident, or catalyst, that confronts the main character (the protagonist), and whose attempts to deal with this incident lead to a second and more dramatic situation, known as the first plot point, which (a) signals the end of the first act, (b) ensures life will never be the same again for the protagonist and (c) raises a dramatic question that will be answered in the climax of the film. 

The second act, also referred to as "rising action", typically depicts the protagonist's attempt to resolve the problem initiated by the first turning point, only to find themselves in ever worsening situations. Part of the reason protagonists seem unable to resolve their problems is because they do not yet have the skills to deal with the forces of antagonism that confront them. They must not only learn new skills but arrive at a higher sense of awareness of who they are and what they are capable of, in order to deal with their predicament, which in turn changes who they are. This is referred to as character development or a character arc. This cannot be achieved alone and they are usually aided and abetted by mentors and co-protagonists.

The third act features the resolution of the story and its subplots. The climax is the scene or sequence in which the main tensions of the story are brought to their most intense point and the dramatic question answered, leaving the protagonist and other characters with a new sense of who they really are.

Creative Writing Exercises

Character Introduction 

Name: Daisy Butler

Age: 7

10 things she has in her pocket

1. Sweets
2. Wrapper
3. Tissue
4. Toy
5. Pencil
6. Stickers
7. Mood ring
8. Flower
9. Notebook
10. Ribbon

DAISY BUTLER, aged seven, a small girl in a big world. She has already met an unfortunate beginning, with her parents splitting up and her younger sister dying, she has suddenly felt quite alone in the environment surrounding her. Although now, she is seen to have a permanent scowl, she was once able to light up the whole room with a bright sparkling smile and her big blue eyes. Her blonde curly hair was always in pigtails, with blue ribbons securing them. She always wore big, sparkly dresses that came to the knee, with white socks and matching sparkly shoes. People would regularly relate her to a young Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz. But now that has all changed. DAISY now can be seen wearing a long, black button up coat, and a white stained dress flowing out underneath. Her shoes once sparkly, are scuffed and the glitter is so sparse that they no longer stand out. 

In a town square there is a truck with people in the back, looking solemn and the dark alleyways are the only escape from the squares filled with trucks, and soldiers holding guns.

There had been a sudden shift in dynamics in Germany, since the rise of Adolf Hitler. And DAISY'S life is in severe danger because of her Jewish roots. She faces a long and dangerous path ahead of her and she doesn't even know it yet...

Screenplay Formatting

FADE IN

int. car. Night

GIRL and FATHER both in car on a country road. RADIO playing gently in the background.

GIRL

(pointing up ahead)

DAD what is that up the road?

FATHER

I don't know, I'm still too far away. It looks like a person.

They drive further, the headlights illuminating the person. FATHER slows and stops beside them.

FATHER

(rolls down window)

Hi there! Are you lost?

HITCHHIKER

Hi, yes. Can you drive me back home?

FATHER

Course. Get in the back seat.

HITCHHIKER gets in the car. FATHER turns down the RADIO.

HITCHHIKER

I live in a house five miles up the road.

FATHER

We'll get there in no time.

GIRL

So how come you're stranded? Did your friends leave you?

HITCHHIKER says nothing and turns to look out the window. FATHER turns RADIO back up to drown out the silence.

EXT. COUNTRY HOUSE. NIGHT

They drive up towards the long drive to the house.

int. car. Night

GIRL and FATHER look shocked at the size of the house and turn to each other.

GIRL

Wow. Nice place. Who do you live here with?

HITCHHIKER still doesn't respond and carries on looking out the window.

FATHER

(pulls up outside the house)

Right, we're here. Ready?

FATHER turns around and sees that no one is in the backseat.

FATHER

(turns towards GIRL)

Where is she?

GIRL

(turns to backseat frantically)

Where'd she go?

FATHER

Right, I'm gonna go see what's going on.

EXT. COUNTRY HOUSE. NIGHT

FATHER gets out of the car and knocks on the front door. GIRL still sat in the car.

GIRL

(shouts from car)

Hurry up!

The door opens and an old lady appears in front of the FATHER.

OLD LADY

Yes? What is wrong?

FATHER

I was just dropping off a girl here, said this was her home?

OLD LADY

What did she look like?

FATHER

(looks confused)

Short brown hair, blue dress and a -

OLD LADY

(cuts FATHER off)

- and a brown backpack?

FATHER

How do you know?

OLD LADY

That was my daughter...years ago she went missing whilst hitchhiking. They

never found her.

FATHER

I found her on the country road, five miles away.

OLD LADY

I get the same call every year. Today's her birthday, she's just wanting to come home.