Short-film Pre Production

Pre-Production

Character Profiles

Child; Noah

Life Stats: Just like any child, they go to school and spend most of their day there, and in their free time, they play around with toys and explore around the house, but usually quietly, as to not disturb their father. 

Physical Description: A child with bright red hair, pasty skin and appearance due to the lack of going outside, almost like a vampire.

Background: Their mother is out of the picture, and they are living with their father, who isn’t exactly the best parental figure, or even person.  

Personal Relationships: Their father, since he is the only person they are really allowed to talk to without getting into trouble. 

Psychological Description: A happy child until their mother left the picture, which led their father to take out his anger on them rather than to work it out on his own or elsewhere. Deeply scared by these changes that have happened in a short amount of time, their mental health isn’t the best. 

Story Importance: They are the character that would make the our protagonist realize how much evil there is in the world, and how much inn-cut people can suffer because of t. And how even though he may b a monster, he can still attempt to make a difference.  

Main Monster

Life Stats: Usually left for last in scenarios involving importance, but they try their best regardless. He has begun working at the Monster Scarer Quarters and is reluctantly called upon for an emergency no other monster has been able to fix so far.  

Physical Description: Changes depending on surroundings, but can change from a black shadowy figure to a slender-pale violet blur in the distance.

Background: He is what you would call the runt of the litter, but the one who can also save everyone mistakes. The least respected due to not only his low work experience, but also due to his kind and forgiving personality, being able to scare only those who deserved to be. But his morality isn’t as high up on the ladder as his instincts are, because if he had to scare someone for personal benefit, he would do it in a heartbeat, which is why he is always reluctantly called into emergencies, since he’s the only man that can truly get the job done. 

Personal Relationships: Monsters that oversee him, and those who he attaches himself to after scaring. 

Story Importance: The protagonist, that of which the story spins around. He is the one that will begin and end the change that would take place in the company, that would serve to help all these humans in need of it.

 Story Boards

Script

Written by:

Rocio Armada

2/16/23

 

FADE IN:

 

 

EXT. Suburban Home (White Car) - Midday                           1 

 
 

WE OPEN on a white car. A man (father) is stepping out of it. 

 
CUT TO: 

 

2- INT. Suburban Home- Bedroom- Midday                       2 

 
In the first scene a young child (Noah) is seen. He is listening to music (which the audience can hear) and is drawing in his sketchbook while laying on bed. 

 
Intercut to the same man entering the house angrily. 

 
*Sub-header* Childs’ bedroom 

After hearing something, (the figure entering the house) the child comes to the conclusion that their father is home, and immediately stops drawing as they head to their hiding spot (the closet). 

*Sub-header* Bedroom’s closet 

He opens the closet door (and the shot changes from the outside to the inside (this would be on a separate line), hurries inside with his bear and blanket for comfort and continues to hide within all the clothes. 

3- Inside the Suburban Home- Living Room- Midday 

A man (the father) is sitting watching TV. 

FATHER 

-Noah come get me a beer. 

4- *Sub-header* Bedroom’s closet 

The child is still hiding while listening to what his dad was telling /screaming him to do.  

FATHER (V.O) 

-I think that you are taking a little too long. 

5- *Sub-header* Living Room 

FATHER  

(still talking to child)-Hurry up, kid, jezz, I’m thirsty.  

6- *Sub-header* Kitchen  

The father is grabbing a beer from the fridge while muffling some words to himself. 

 

FATHER 

-Oh my god, this child never listens to me, he is just like his mother.

  

7- *Sub-header* Hallways, Room’s door 

He walks angrily from the kitchen to the bedroom. He knocks at the door several times while screaming. 

FATHER 

-Why didn’t you get me a beer? (while banging at the door) Are you deaf or something? 

8- *Sub-header* Living Room 

A picture of Noah and his mother is shown where they appear to be happy and a note saying: “Stay safe, take care, Mom” is shown.  

9- *Sub-header* Hallway, Room’s door 

Father keeps banging at the door and keeps screaming. 

FATHER 

-Do you think that you can live under the same roof as me without doing what I’m telling you? Open this door right now or else you are gonna know who I am. Open it! 

10- *Sub-header* Inside the closet 

Noah is hiding between his clothes and begins to hear a voice inside his head (audience is also able to hear it). They establish a conversation. 

VOICE INSIDE HEAD 

-He is outside, don’t you want this to end? 

NOAH 

-Of course I do. 

VOICE INSIDE HEAD 

-Well, you know, you could always do something about it. 

NOAH 

-No, no, I can’t. 

VOICE INSIDE HEAD 

-Of course you can. You know you’ve always wanted to. What’s stopping you?

 

NOAH 

You know... you know what that would mean.

 

VOICE INSIDE HEAD 

-And what would it mean? We all know what he deserves and what he’s done to you. So, why don’t you just get rid of him? 

NOAH 

-Stop! 

11- NOAH’S POV 

He looks around and finds a bat nearby and decides to grab it while talking to himself questioning if he should do it or not. 

Final Scene- Closet  

Noah gets up with the bat in his hand and looks seriously and vengefully at the camera. 

 

Paragraph Using Technical Elements

After feedback and careful consideration, we as a team, decided to make our film a psychological thriller. Originally, we were planning on making the story centered around a monster who is attempting to save our protagonist from their abusive father, as was shown in the storyboards and character profiles, but ultimately, we went the other route. Ever since the beginning, we knew our story was going to contain more mature themes that would deal with intimate subjects. Having shots such as medium and close-ups would help us fully convey a sense of fear and uncomfortableness in our audience. We not only used those shots but a long shot with an over-the-shoulder shot as well. The scene in which those shots were used was when Noah's father was going to his room because Noah hadn't gotten him the beer he demanded, so he was pissed off. Just like with a Point-of-View Shot, the over the shoulder shot helped shot the intensity of the scene along with  somewhat emerging the audience into the story

Throughout the film, in order to demonstrate that Noah is somewhat of a child, we used his teddy bear as the main detail of an insert shot, which, at the end of the film opening, we can see that it lands near the potential weapon. This shows the direct parallel with the murder that is hinted at in this scene and the fact that Noah is simply a child who has spent the last few years of his life in a broken home. Throughout the middle of the opening, we can see a zoom being used on a framed picture of Noah and his mother, which further hints at the fact that their family used to be happy and that he is being left with no other choice than to do something about his father's actions. Even though what we are making is just a film opening, its important to go into it with the mindset of "this is going to be potentially turned into a full movie" We can't tell the story that we desire to tell in two minutes, but we can set the scene up so that in the future, the movie will have been properly started off