Sense Ability: Some thoughts
I decided to go with the suggested theme of ‘Everything’s Connected’ for my script concept; I think this is evident in the small (but significant) ways the characters are connected to each other. The film ‘Love Actually’ initially inspired me, especially concerning how several small stories are connected to each other to form one overall theme.
Alice is a blind woman married to a Doctor, and as mentioned by him, they are experiencing some financial difficulty. This also explains why Alice would feel compelled to steal the money out of the till; she feels as if she needs the money, rather than simply wanting it. The Doctor treated the beautiful and deaf Tacy, who fell pregnant to him. And witnessing slices of this love triangle is Daniel, the boy who fell mute after being in an accident that killed his mother.
I purposefully didn’t give the Doctor a name, because he is not the focus of the story. He is involved, but despite his issues, I didn’t want the story to dwell on him for too long. What was more interesting to me was how the women interacted (however briefly) before the climax of the story.
The script-doctoring helped me to tighten up the story, and perhaps delve into more deeply in terms of character backgrounds and motives. I had Daniel’s father explain Daniel’s situation rather than incorporate a flash back (which I considered). However, I pictured a phone conversation to be more realistic.
Daniel’s bouncy ball was clearly something he had deep psychological attachment to (implied in the story as a gift from his late mother) and the bouncy ball was the catalyst for many of Daniel’s physical movements in the story.
The continuous close up on the clocks or watches was another conscious decision; this story is a fly-on-the-wall look at the lives of three people who are connected, however this perspective is very short-lived, as the audience is witnessing the moments leading up to their deaths.
The elevator accident was, in fact, an accident. My script partner questioned whether it could have been intentional, however the elevator crashing was just the misfortune that ended the three character’s lives.
I felt this story was one of observation rather than one of intent; how often do we walk past scenarios like this, connected to people without realizing it? Although there is an abundance of drama and sin from the characters, I wanted to project realism to the story, something that could be believable.
My script-partner offered some good advice to cut down the title of my script. Although she liked the logline, I actually don’t like it very much. The ‘See no, Hear No, Speak No Evil was a reference to the characters’ various disabilities, and ‘Do No Harm’ is the Hippocratic Oath all doctors make, which was fitting in a hospital setting. However, I couldn’t think of anything better. I tried to make the synopsis suspenseful, interesting but not too vague.
Stretching out the story to 8 pages was another challenge; I didn’t want to add actions or dialogue just because I had to; instead, I went into more detail with camera shots. I also included the reactions of our supporting characters (the Doctor and Danny’s Father) just after the elevator crashes; the photographs were also symbolic, as they imply that the characters lives have shifted irrevocably.
Ultimately, this was a very rewarding task and though I don’t consider myself a writer, I found it to be engaging and educational, challenging but not overwhelming me.
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