9. Some Random Loglines

March 22, 2021

9. Some Random Loglines - March 2021

23 March 2021

Random Ideas, Random Stories

Just Writing Stuff...

Some Random Loglines:

playing with Genres

- Sci Fi

- Horror

- Adventure

- Fantasy

- Drama

- Romance

march 2021

LOGLINE:

As his 25th birthday approaches, Henry repeatedly sees flashes of a location - he also possesses an uncanny and strong urge to revisit this familiar but forgotten place... he instinctively knows that he must find the courage to venture there and to fulfil an unknown and mysterious task before his birthday arrives.

More Info about Henry's Visions:

Henry's visions started about a month before his 25th birthday. The visions are faded and disconnected at first but they eventually get clearer and more detailed as the days pass. Henry later sees a faded grass patch and path leading into the rainforest, a place he seems familiar with but have no clue of its relevance in his life. He feels unusually uncomfortable and unwilling to visit further. The visions make him hesitant and intimidated - he feels unable and incapable to venture further even though he has this urgent and strong urge to enter the forest.

27 March 2021

Storyline1:

Visions - a pair of feet walking along an old beaten path, a blurry peek at the surrounding area - some old rainforest trees nearby, green grass and the pathway leading into a forested area. a little girl out of frame whispers his name... first whisper was to get his attention, the second sounding more urgent, and on the 3rd sharp whisper, Henry wakes up screaming "Celest!" and then, finds himself seated up on the bed.

24 year old Henry blinks himself awake. who's celest? where is he? what time is it? er, which year is it? how is he in this bedroom with blue walls? why is his eyes still blurry? and... what's this in his hand? a white handkerchief with "Celest" sewn on, in baby blue thread? eh whaaa what? who's celest?

little tappings of feet on the floor (sound of toe nails of a dog on hard floor tiles, a dog trotting into the room). henry turns to see a dog trotting into the room, stops, wags his tail when he sees Henry looking at it, and then, rushes towards Henry. Henry laughs and plays with Wee, his pet dog. his dog stops and looks at the handkerchief and then looks at Henry as if asking a question. Henry notices and replies "i know right?"

in the kitchen Henry prepares food for two and then packs it in a lunch box and puts them all in his bag with hot tea in a flask. the white handkerchief is packed into the bag as well. henry leashes up Wee and they leave the house together. as he locks the door, a spoon in the kitchen moves by itself and drops onto the floor with a loud clang. a long shadow of a little girl forms and un-forms on the floor next to the spoon. someone sighs softly.

henry gets off the bus with wee at a secluded place. henry walks into the path on a grass meadow that leads to some rainforest trees nearby. no buildings or houses or anyone nearby. the sun is shining bright and it's a beautiful day to be outdoors.

Henry wakes up with a jolt. he's at his office.

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The Gap

Logline:

When 15 year old Sharon stays over for a month at Grandma’s old house while her parents are away on a business trip, she finds it difficult to behave and to get along with Grandma.

Synopsis (2-3 Sentences):

When 15 year old Sharon stays at Grandma’s old house for a month, she misbehaves and throws tantrums. She was angry with her parents for leaving her there. She gets even angrier when she ends up eating Grandma’s cooked food because she’s unable to get her favourite food delivered as the house is too far from the city. The last straw was when it finally dawns on her that Grandma has no wifi and hence, she will not be able to use social media for the whole month! Since staying in her bedroom gets too boring, she ends up helping Grandma prepare meals and learns to do housework. She even goes to the wet market with Grandma and makes some good friends with people there and Grandma’s neighbours. One day, Sharon finds a tiny abandoned kitten and begs Grandma to allow her to bring it home. Grandma gives in and then the 2 of them find joy watching the kitten grow as they care for it together. Unfortunately, the kitten gets into an accident and dies from its injury. Grandma consoles Sharon, but soon, Sharon discovers that Grandma needs consolation as well, since she was just as attached to the kitten. They bury the kitten in the garden and find comfort preparing the next meal together.

Main Character 1 - Grandma

Grandma is 86 years old, traditional, unable to fit into today’s fast paced, high tech and busy lifestyle, as if misplaced into a world she no longer recognizes. She lives alone, is independent and is capable of caring and fending for herself even though she is growing older and beginning to suffer from the common things that the elderly experiences, eg aching bones, memory or hearing loss, moves a little slower when attempting physical activities like housework or walking. This Grandma is feisty, stubborn and believes in the traditional methods of caring for the young. She does not mince her words but is wise enough to know when to speak to raise an issue.

Main Character 2 - Sharon

Sharon is a spoilt, lonely 15-year old who uses social media to avoid feeling left alone at home as both strict parents work long hours and leave her to manage her school activities and insist that she stays home when school is over even though she longs to join her classmates for lunch or to buy bubble tea at the mall on the way home from school. She has no friends or pets or siblings and find solitude and superficial connection with other teens on social media and online games. As she spends most of her time on social media, she has no hobbies or wish to learn any life skills. She relies on food delivery for meals and avoids cooking her own meals as she doesn’t like cleaning up. She has a kind heart though, her heart usually goes out to stray animals or other lonely teens/classmates as they remind her of her own situation.

Supporting Characters (not shown)

Sharon’s parents

Theme 主题 :

Love Exists Despite Generation Gap

(Social, Cultural, Human Nature)

I believe we can still discover and find ways to love and understand one another even when Generation Gap exists

Why i chose this theme:

What i’m trying to achieve with this short film:

The world looks broken and disturbed. Countries criticise each other, have issues with trust, respect, mutual understanding and unwillingness to work together for the greater good. I hope to use “Generation Gap” to discuss the distance between different groups of people (age-related in this case) - also to show how generation gap issues are rather similar to how people tend to miscommunicate or fail to relate to each other in the world, like how world leaders are acting right now. I believe Generation Gaps are inevitable and naturally occur but if humans are wise or determined enough, we can find a way to overcome our differences and treat each other with more understanding and compassion.

I also chose this theme because i miss my late grandmother and have been thinking about her lately.

Concept 概念 : Contrast

Imagery & Character Portrayal

I’ll use contrast and differences to discuss my theme and express my worldview, thoughts and feelings about the topic - Generation gap.

Use contrasting shot sizes

- Long Shots & Close Ups. try avoiding mid shots or medium shots. The difference in shots is used to convey the distance or difference between the characters - eg age differences (young vs old) or outlook or values (old fashioned vs modern).

Will also introduce two contrasting key characters to discuss issues with generation gap.

Storyflow 故事流点:

note:

Grandma and Sharon hardly communicate by speaking as they speak different languages. Grandma speaks in a Chinese dialect or in Mandarin or Malay while Sharon only uses English (or Singlish) as she is very weak in Mandarin.

ACT 1

1. Grandma cooks and places simple lunch on the table. Meanwhile, Sharon complains and rants to her friend on the phone but has to hang up reluctantly when her friend needs to run an errand.

2. (Flashback) Sharon throws a tantrum when she’s unhappy at Grandma’s house. Grandma tells her off, Sharon sulks. She even refuses to eat and throws her food. Grandma lectures her - Grandma is not one to be “bullied”. Sharon ignores her and stays in her room. She throws her mobile when there’s no wifi. Her mobile breaks. she screams in anger. a lizard in the room is startled and hurries across the wall, surprising Sharon who looks terrified of it. she grabs tissues, makes and throws balls of the tissue paper at the lizard but fails to knock it down. Sharon cries in frustration. a mosquito flies past her ears and she slaps herself with automatic response to the buzzing sound. we see Sharon trying to kill the mosquito...

3. (Present) Grandma calls for Sharon but she does not come out of the room. The door is locked and Grandma gives up calling her. Grandma starts to grumble loudly and scolds Sharon from outside. Inside the room Sharon is sulking and angry. she drifts to sleep...

4. Clock shows 4pm. Sharon comes out of the room. Grandma is folding clothes and watching tv. Sharon ignores grandma and goes to the table to peek at the food. She looks upset. One boiled fish half eaten, a plate of lifeless looking greens, some pickles and dips, cold porridge in the pot. Grandma shakes her head as Sharon sits down and forces herself to eat. Strangely, the food starts to taste really good. Sharon is surprised and starts to eat more with more enthusiasm. Grandma sneaks a smile.

ACT 2

5. Grandma and Sharon cook & clean together.

6. They go to the wet market together. Grandma complains about Sharon to the aunties and uncles she meets - Sharon doesn't understand so she just smiles and nods when the aunties and uncles show an amused face.

7. Some of them try to ask Sharon about their smart phones and she ends up trying to teach them how to use the phones. but even after a lot of explaining and demos, the aunties and uncles are still clueless about how to use their smart phones.

8. Sharon sees a stray kitten… after a lot of coaxing and persuading, Grandma reluctantly allows Sharon to bring the stray kitten home.

9. Sharon looks after the kitten. Grandma finds the kitten annoying sometimes and scolds it often. she always calls it "stupid cat" and the cat just continues its mischief and looking "clowny", so sometimes the kitten makes Grandma laugh after she scolds the cat.

10. One morning Sharon finds the kitten injured in the garden. she screams for Grandma but when Grandma arrives and checks the kitten's wounds. Grandma shakes her head. Sharon insists on bringing it to the vet - like an hour's drive away. Despite Sharon's desperate effort to save the kitten, it dies. Sharon cries and Grandma comforts her.

11. They bury the kitten together in the garden. Grandma starts tearing. Sharon is surprised. she reaches out for Grandma's hand, holds and squeezes it. Grandma tries to smile but she ends up crying a little. Sharon stands there silently, with a look of understanding on her face. Grandma laughs and says "stupid cat". They laugh together.

ACT3

12. Sharon takes a taxi to Grandma's house. She has a new cat and a new mobile phone on her lap. She sees Grandma waiting for her at the gate. Sharon smiles and waves at Grandma and the taxi stops. Sharon goes out to greet Grandma with a small luggage, carrying her new cat.

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My Proposal for a 1min Experimental Short Film

wish you could see my gif files - they're so cool Lol

cover page

Executive Summary & Fact Sheet

About Me & My Manifesto

About My Short Film - Why I would like to produce this

Creative Concept & Treatment

Mood Boards, Storyboard

Production Roles

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29 March 2021

btw i've updated the text (below is the old text)

updated blog post -

https://jt-write.blogspot.com/2020/12/114-covid-anime.html

Anime Short Films Watched this week:

i watched these short Anime films recently and love the stories!

i think these are the types of stories i really really want to tell.

Garden of Words (Anime), 46min,

Japan, 2013, Makoto Shinkai

(writer, director, Storyboard, Art director, Color design)

5 Centimetres per Second (Anime), 1hr 2min,

Japan, 2007, Makoto Shinkai

(writer, director, Photography, Color design, Editing)

in this scene, the 15 year old boy is measuring her feet to learn how to make shoes for women.

rain & shoes

rain = alienation, difficulties, renewal, wash away

shoes = learn to walk again

when it rains, they come here feeling yuck, needing to escape. they meet every time it rains in the morning when they feel bad - one doesn't want to go to school and the other not wanting to go to work. but they end up sharing moments when they don't have to feel alone.

“A faint clap of thunder

Even if rain comes or not

I will stay here,

Together with you”

(Climax)

in this scene, he tells her how he struggles and wishes for her to share her struggles too. and she finally manages to tell him - through a hug, a shoutout, sobbing. makes me cry every time i see this scene. this is when friendship is honest and free and safe to be vulnerable.

and yes, this scene is often misunderstood - i can see it's not romance.

it's a strong bond and connection they share.

https://medium.com/@shraddhadhodi/10-interesting-things-about-garden-of-words-that-you-may-have-missed-81273c971a50