Possible Short Film Ideas

Possible Short Film Ideas

Film Idea 1: “Reap What You Sow”

·        Genre: – Horror

·        Narrative: – Linear (with a few audio flashbacks)

Plot:

Kenny McDonald's excessive alcoholism has distorted his mind, and led to him coming home one night, blind drunk. His drinking problem has greatly exacerbated his already abusive behaviour towards his spouse. After a heated argument with his sober wife, Carol McDonald, he murders her in cold blood. 

A week on from the body being buried in the garden, he begins to hallucinate and becomes horribly delusional. Following a series of eerie unnatural events, he becomes convinced that his late wife is haunting him from beyond the grave. He slowly begins to edge into insanity as he hears her voice in his head, and her heartbeat under the soil in the garden. But are the hauntings real, or just is it all part of Kenny’s hallucinations?

The film opens with blackness, and the sound of an ear-splitting scream. A panning shot starting from behind a bush shows Kenny digging large whole in his garden in the middle of the night, then dumping a body shaped object wrapped in a white veil into said hole. A low angle shot of the camera being covered with soil is seen, then blackness. A week on, Kenny is then shown slumping into his armchair and turning on the TV, as if everything was normal, until the newsreader he is watching suddenly turns into his wife and starts reporting on her own murder. She frequently repeats the words "Why Kenny?" over and over again randomly during the report. Some eerie sounds and fast-paced editing occur as he looks at the screen in confusion and fear, until he shakes his head and shuts his eyes, at which point the newsreader returns to normal and the sounds abruptly stop. He frantically turns off the TV and stands up, shaking his head in disbelief. 

The next shot shows him entering the kitchen, along with a close-up of him grabbing a bottle of wine, and then taking a swig. He turns around and sees what appears to be the ghost of Carol. He freezes as she slowly points at him. Kenny drops the wine bottle and we see a close up of it smashing as it hits the floor. He quickly glances at the shards and looks back up to find that Carol has vanished. An eye-line match shows him frantically looking around the room to no avail. A close up of him holding his hand against his forehead is followed by a close up of him sweeping up the shards. The scene ends with the camera dollying behind a cabinet to blackness. 

The next scene then opens from behind another cabinet in Kenny's bedroom, showing him in his now roomier bed. The camera rotates around him as he reads a book, and seems abnormally calm. His calmness is interrupted however when the eerie noises return, along with the "Why Kenny?” He shakes his head and the noises halt again. He puts the book down on the cabinet and lies motionless. He looks slightly to his left and the camera is situated in front of him, so that a change in depth of focus reveals that the ghost of Carol is laid in the bed next to him. Kenny swings around and she has once again vanished. His bedside light then begins to flicker, shown by dolly shot closing in on it. The bulb then suddenly pops and the room goes completely black. Some sinister sounds are heard, and the film ends.

There may also be a scene in which Kenny talks to his neighbour, Wade Gorman over the garden fence. Wade is suspicious or Carol’s sudden absence, but Kenny quickly conjures up an excuse: “She’s on holiday with her sister.” Wade remains suspicious and calls the police later the same day. Assuming this scene is present in the final film, there may be an additional scene at the end where the police discover Kenny’s corpse, which appears to have been hurled out of the upstairs window.

·        Hero: – Carol McDonald [She is murdered by Kenny and precedes to haunt him relentlessly from beyond the grave to exact her revenge. Despite her seemingly malicious behaviour, she is the true victim, and so despite not being the film’s main character, she is in fact the hero; or perhaps more accurately, the anti-hero.]

·        Villain: – Kenny McDonald [Kenny is the main character of the film. His murder of Carol however categorises him as the film’s villain.]

·        Donor: - The Newsreader [The newsreader provides Carol, the hero, with a means of haunting Kenny by tormenting him in order to exact her revenge.]

·        Helper: - Wade Gorman [Wade was aware of Kenny’s abusive behaviour towards Carol, but was never brave enough to confront him. Following Carol’s disappearance, he becomes extremely suspicious and calls the police. The officer arrives at the McDonalds’ house that evening, only to find Kenny’s corpse in the back garden. Kenny seems as though he had somehow fallen from the upstairs window. Wade therefore helped bring justice to Kenny, and aided Carol’s struggle towards the afterlife.]

Film Idea 2: “Recover”

·        Genre: – Drama

·        Narrative: – Non-Linear

Plot Summary:

Sean Howard is a man in his late 20’s, whose life seems to have fallen apart very quickly. He falls into deep depression, has drug and alcohol problems, and is almost bankrupt. He spends what remains of his cash on psychiatrist Dr Rebecca Maynard in the hopes that she can help him get his life back on track.

The film opens on Sean’s second visit to her office. Throughout the film, she will attempt to decode the cause of Sean’s troubles and help to reverse them. Sean will tell her a series of events from his past in the form of short flashbacks. These include: his neglectful parents, his dead-end job, his girlfriend leaving him, his decent into alcohol and drugs, and even a suicide attempt. Rebecca gives Sean words of advice, and tell him not to be concerned for the past, but for the present. She successfully convinces him to kick his drug and alcohol addictions, and provides him with a small bottle of pills to help deal with his depression.

Sean is then seen at home a little later the same day. He stands in front of a table covered in alcohol and drugs, and angrily swipes them all onto the floor. He opens the curtains and the bright light from outside inundates the shot in whiteness, which acts as a graphic match to a week later. Here Sean has completely cleaned his house (and himself) and has finally managed to get his life back under control. Sean spots the bottle of pills Rebecca had prescribed lying on the floor. He throws them into a bin, seen through a low-angle shot from inside the bin. He closes the lid and the screen turns black.

·       Hero: - Sean Howard [Sean is rather an anti-hero in that he is a rather powerless and weak individual. He is the film’s main character, and is heavily victimised.]

·        Villain(s): – Alan and Bethany Howard [Sean’s parents. They are the root cause of Sean’s troubles due to the psychological impact that their neglect and abuse had had upon him. Sean was not planned, and so his parents blame him for their financial shortcomings. Due to their role is Sean’s psychological state, they are arguably the main antagonists of the film.]

·        Donor/Helper: - Dr Rebecca Maynard [She is the psychiatrist Sean hired to help get his life back on track. She is a very intelligent and perceptive woman, and quickly decodes the cause of Sean’s troubles. She provides him with very helpful advice (as well as medication) to allow Sean to recover. She successfully manages to repair Sean’s life, and so could arguably be the real hero, despite not being the main character.]

·        Princess: - Amy Pitcher [Sean’s ex-girlfriend. She broke up with him after his alcoholism caused him to treat her poorly, and his drug problems had nearly bankrupted them. In the film, Sean requests Rebecca’s help so that he can get his life back on track and restore his relationship with Amy.]

Film Idea 3: "Lily"

·        Genre: – Thriller (I think)

·        Narrative: – Linear

Plot Summary:

After receiving a severe knock on the head, 18 year old Lily Ashton is rushed to the emergency room, where she is in a coma for approximately a week. She wakes up to find that she has developed a psychic ability. Specifically, she can foresee the death of anyone she touches; all of which come true. However, when she touches her boyfriend Brett Fletcher, she sees a vision of herself murdering him and becomes determined to disprove it.

The film opens with Lily being rushed to the emergency room, although the scene is disorientated with flashing lights and blur. The screen fades to black and reopens with Lily waking up from her coma with Brett and a doctor at her bedside. Brett is happy to see that she is awake, while the doctor checks Lily temperature by placing his hand against her forehead. This triggers Lily’s first vision as she sees the doctor being knocked down by a car. She thinks nothing of it and Brett escorts her home. In the hospital corridor, Lily accidentally bumps into a rather nervous looking man, who she foresees dying of a heart attack.

At home the following morning she hears a news report on the radio saying that a man had had a heart attack while driving, and had hit a local doctor. Lily begins to panic and Brett attempts to calm her, touching her in the process. As a result, Lily foresees herself stabbing Brett. She explains that she has been having visions (though deliberately neglects to mention the vision she had of killing him).

Another week or so on and Lily has been becoming increasingly hysterical due to her visions, causing Brett to question the strength of their romantic relationship. He argues that she is no longer the person she was and suggests that she seek help. She is angered and grabs a knife from a knife-rack in the kitchen and attempts to attack him in a delusional state. Lily admits that she had seen herself kill Brett, and that there is no way to disprove the prophecy. Brett convinces her to put the knife back, and she does. He argues that all she needs to do is control herself, and the prophecy can never come true. Lily however remains sceptical.

The film ends with a short scene the same night consisting of a single shot. The shot reveals that the knife Lily had replaced is now gone. The screen then fades to black.

·       Hero: - Lily Ashton [She is the film’s main character, and although she is perhaps not entirely resistant to mental trauma, she is indeed a good person. Her attempts to kill Brett are fuelled by psychological damage caused by her visions. She comes to the conclusion that her visions will come true, regardless of actions taken to prevent it. As a result, it is possible that she did indeed murder Brett and the end of the film, and so in this sense, she is perhaps and anti-hero.]

·        Villain: - Lily Ashton (again) [Her attempts to murder Brett might also categorise her as the film’s villain, despite arguably also being the victim.]

·       Helper: - Brett Fletcher [As Lily’s boyfriend, he attempts to comfort her throughout her visions, and tries to convince her that they do not necessarily have to come true]

Analysis of a Short Film - SELFIE

Click here to go to my analysis of a short film.

Short Film Sites:

Short films are available across many varieties of websites to act as inspiration for young film makers. Sites such as the ones listed below have found to be very helpful and used by a large audience.

Vimeo:

Vimeo was established in 2004 as a video-sharing website. It contains a category section allowing the identification of genre and easy access to videos by audiences. The success of the site has created a wide community of short film makers sharing opinions and inspirations. I found this site very useful in terms of finding influence for my personal story line.

Youtube:

Youtube is a second video sharing site with choices from music videos, vlogs and short films. Founded in 2005 the site now has over 5 million results for short films creating a large platform for research. The site is free to use meaning students also upload their original work. This provides information in regards to the failures and successes of student film making forming do's and don't's towards our own forming of a short film.

Short of the Week:

Short of the Week is a site specifically designed for the sharing and commenting of short films. Founded in 2007 the site has a large fan base thanks to the easy navigation and large stock of short films. I chose this site to discover a short film for analysing as it was easy to find work involving a similar genre to my own.

"The Interview" Film Analysis

The film starts with a montage of the main character getting ready. Through out the montage we see close up shots of the different states of his routine such as him shaving and collecting his shirt from the wardrobe. In the montage we also see a focus pull form the characters coat which we see hanging on the door back to the main character who is finishing getting ready by putting on his tie. Through out the montage the shots are well lit and the montage itself is well passed. The montage ends with a shot of the character picking up a brown envelope and a baseball cap which he places them into a brief case and then close the lid. When this happens to sound of the brief case locks are herd over everything else to emphasize the importance and secrecy of the envelope. Throughout this first scene we hear music that is well suited to the types of shots presented and the pace of the montage. The screen then goes black and all we can see is the words "The Interview" across the screen. This is the name of the film itself and as the wording is white on a black background it stands out well. This draws the viewers attention to the title sequence. The music that plays as we see the montage at the beginning of the film carries on throughout the title sequences.

The music slowly fades as the title sequences end and we see the start of the next scene. The next scene is in an office where we see the main character go to a meeting. We see the main character sit down opposite what we assume f the boss of the company he is interviewing for. Through out this scene there is no sound but the diegetic sound of the office around the meeting. the main character and the boss of this company have a conversation about a job position that the main character is interviewing for. The conversation is constructed with mid shots of both characters and using shot reverse shots that stay one side of the 180 degree line. The conversation then turns to one of the main characters past jobs or hobbies. This then triggers a flash back that explains this past event and also the importance of the envelope in the characters brief case. The flashback starts with the main character sat in a restaurant and a man that we don't see deliver the envelope to the main character. When the character opens the envelope inside is a document that gives details on a man. With the document is a photo of the man. the scene then cuts to the main character stood with his back to the camera in a dark room leaning over a worktop. At this point the film uses another montage of the character cleaning and assembling a gun. Throughout this montage the film uses a mixture of close ups and medium close up shots.

The montage finishes and the film cuts to the main character stood in a wintery forest in the coat and hat that we saw earlier when he was getting ready. we then see the main character walking through the forest with his gun over his shoulder. As the character is walking through the forest the film moves from a shot of the characters face to a shot of the characters feet walking through snow. The film then uses a shot of the character stopping and then kneeling against a tree. at this point we see a combination of the main character getting out his gun and the target sat with a flask doing nothing. Just before the target is killed by the main character we see and over the shoulder shot that shows down the characters gun barrel. The character then kills his target.

After this the film then cuts back to the office where the main character is having his interview. We see a birds eye shot of the desk in the room where the main character places down the picture of the man and then the mans blood soaked cap. It is here that we learn that the event the two characters were talking about in the interview earlier was this assassination. At this point the boss looks shocked and tries to stand and leave the room. The main character stands and stabs the boss to stop him from leaving. We then see a long shot of the whole office where the boss is sat in his chair dying and the main character picks up the cap and envelope and places them back in him brief case. After this he leaves the office and the films credits come up on the screen.
I have analysed this film because it is very similar to one of my film ideas and I feel that the film and its idea have been executed very well.

Film Ideas

Film idea 1

·         the main character awakes and gets ready

·         just when the character is ready to leave the house they realise that they have not got their keys/phone

·         the character then starts to think where their phone could be

·         we see a flash back of one possible location of the phone e.g. under bed pillow

·         the character then checks but does not find the phone

·         another flash back is seen of a second possible location e.g. on the kitchen table

·         the phone is again not there

·         a third flash back is seen of another location e.g. in the bathroom

·         the phone is not in this location either and the character does not know where their phone is

·         while the character is thinking their phone starts to ring

·         the character finally realises that their phone is next to the door ready for them to leave

film idea 2

·         the first scene starts in a dark room with 2 unknown characters having a meeting

·         one of the characters hands a folder to the other

·         the second character opens the folder and inside is a contract for the character to kill the target stated (main character)

·         the second scene is of the main character at work

·         we then see the main character walking down the hall when he bumps into a suspicious figure

·         the person apologises and the characters carry on as normal

·         once the main character has returned to his desk he starts to feel very ill and decides to go home

·         when at home he gets even more ill so goes to a doctors

·         the doctor tells the character that he has been poisoned and sends him for help at a hospital

·         while at the hospital the figure comes to the main characters bedside and tells him that there is not helping him and how he managed to poison the character.

A2 Media Studies: Film Idea.

A2 Media Studies: Film Idea.

Genre: Thriller.
Characters: College Student (Victim), News reporter (Helper) , Shooter (Villian), Extra’s.
Narrative: Non-linear. Closed narrative.

Student is late to college, the halls are empty and they are on their way to class, a gunshot fires- screams follow. The student hides in the closest open room, the bathroom they look worried and scared, they squeeze their eyes shut as the Shooter enters the bathroom, kicking open doors and searching the area. As the student opens their eyes the shooter has left. The student exits the college and it is strangely derelict. Whilst walking home strange events occur- the sound of police and ambulance sirens, Student asks someone for the time to be ignored. The Student reaches their empty home, sits down and turns on the television.

A news report describes the shooting and then proceeds to list the dead with photographs, the Students picture appears, and they blink in confusion. The Student re opens their eyes and is back in the toilet cubicle, the previous scenes were imagined. The cubicle door is kicked open and the shooter kills the Student, film cuts to black.

Group Photo: