Sunday, September 26, 2010

Short Film Treatment

A black figure laying down is seen. Lamp turns on and light illuminates the room. The black figure is a boy. He lifts the sheets off his body and sits on his bed. Clock reveals it is 6:00 A.M. Boy exits his room to the bathroom and when he comes back he is dressed. His eyes are red and his face is pale and weary. He goes to the kitchen and makes a meal, however, he does not eat himself but rather wraps it in plastic. He takes the plate to another room and places it besides his mother on a table.

Boy exits his house and begins to walk. As he walks he coughs slightly, and his eyes are constantly shutting and opening. He arrives at school.

The bell rings. The boy goes to his first class and is greeted by his friends. They are enthusiastic and full of energy, but he is mopey and sluggish. Soon after everyone is seated, his eyes become more and more heavy until eventually they shut completely.

Voices are heard. The boy is nudged awake by another boy. His friend asks him for help with a problem. The teacher is too preoccupied with their life story to ask if their students understand the work. Despite the boy's lack of sleep the boy replies to his friend with a nod indicating a yes. Several other students are asleep in the class. The boy spends the rest of the class period aiding his friend.

The bell rings once more; it is now lunch. The boy rushes to a secluded area of the school. He slowly falls besides a wall and passes out. A minute later his watch beeps which wakes the boy. He recalls that he is supposed to be at a tutoring session in the library. He slowly rises against the wall and yawns. Then he walks to the library where he begins to help students with their studies.

The bell rings; school is over. The boy rushes out of his class. He starts to walk on the same street he walked on when he was going to school; he's going back home.

He opens the door. He is greeted by his little sibling who is nagging at him. He prepares a meal and watches as they eat. When they are done the boy takes the dish and washes it. After he walks back to his mother's room. The plate he made in the morning is half eaten. His mother wakes up. Her face reveals that she is ill. The boy gives her a hug and a kiss and walks back to the kitchen. He makes tea and walks back to his mother's room. She accepts the tea and drinks it after she swallows a pill.

A flashback reveals that the boy's mother is suffering from an unknown virus. The doctor's can't keep her in the hospital because she lacks insurance and because she is no longer working.

The boy looks to the other side of the bed. Something catches his eye. It is a photo. He looks at a picture of himself, his sibling, his mother, and what appears to be his father. The picture fades to reveal only himself, his sibling, and his mother.

The boy walks out outside to check the mailbox. He scurries through the mail hoping to find a special letter. It is unknown what that letter is, however. Rather the boy finds an envelope. The envelope reveals that it is a life insurance check directed to his mother which she receives because her husband died years prior to today.

The boy walks back into his house. He aids his sibling with their studies. Then he prepares dinner for his family, then washes the dishes, and finally does laundry for the household. When he finishes this he puts his mother and his sibling to bed. He walks to his room and turns on a light. The clock reveals it is 12:00 A.M. He begins his homework.

A year passes. The boy is seen. He is as tired as ever. His eyes are bloodshot red and his body looks thinner then before. He is seen going to his mailbox, but this time he has no hopeful look but rather a dismal look. He sees the usual envelopes and walks back towards his house. But suddenly, he brings up the envelopes to his face and shuffles through them once more. He opens one in a hurry. It is an acceptation letter from UC Berkeley that states he will have a fully paid scholarship.

He runs inside home. He tells his mother the good news. She seems to be doing better than before but she still appears feeble. Her eyes reveal that she is immeasurably content with the knowledge that her son will become a successful adult. However, soon the boy and mother are brought back to reality. They both realize that if the boy leave to college then no one will be able to take care of the mother and her daughter. Hope seems lost.

The following afternoon the phone rings. The boy picks up. His face turns from an upset expression into an ecstatic expression. The boy hangs up with tears streaming down from his eyes. He runs to his mother and informs her of the news. Her illness has been researched thoroughly and it now has a cure. In one week's time the mother will be as healthy as ever.

A year passes. The boy is seen walking. For every step he takes his smile becomes wider and wider. Tears flow down his cheeks -- tears of happiness. He walks into his house. The mother is thrilled to see her college son. She makes her family dinner. The boy starts to converse with his mother and his sibling about the college life and his studies at college. He is first in his class. Blackness fades in and the voices slowly fade out.

5 comments:

  1. What kind of mean does he make? How are the boy and mother brought back to reality, do they both have some kind of united thought? Kind of awkward for the boy to be crying, but coming home from college. Maybe some sort of emotional thing happens beforehand. Maybe the first break in the semester the boy comes home and rushes into his mothers arms. Very nice explanation of everything that is going to happen in the film. You have lots of detail and I am sure it will be over 3 minutes. It might be a little too long since you have so many shots, and flash backs.

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  2. Good interesting ideas relatable to many kids who strugle with life issues and dont have it as easy as other people. This treatment shows the hardships and the drive a boy has to make something of himself. The only bit of improvement i feel like its one idea after the other and it kinda drags on with no ecstatic feeling really you say like when the boy gets accepted into UC Berkely hes super happy and when a cure for his mom is found hes also ecstatic but it doesnt seem like he is. The scenes kind of drag on a little.

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  3. I am impressed with the attention to detail in this piece. I can clearly understand that you are shooting for the idea that a do-gooder gets paid back in the end for his sacrafices. Be sure that when creating this film, you choose dynamic actors that are able to share that relationship with a sick mom. Also, be sure you know how to present the cure for the mother's disease. Other than that, if all plays out well, this has the potential to be a very succesful film. Good Luck!

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  4. I see how you're establishing that he is an overall tired preson in the beginning but it seems sluggish and drags on. It also takes awile before the audience is esposed to the conflict at hand so that may take away from the level of interest the audience has initially. Well written and descrpitive though. Which prompt are you writing for? I'm confused.

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  5. I like that yoyu used much detail in shots characters and emotions. This seems like a good video to make. Make sure, if you film this, that you use actors that can show the meaning that your trying to portray.

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