The observation:

I was on my way home on a Friday night in Sydney. I got off at a crowded train station, filled with young people ready to go out for the night. Through the crowd, to the side, I saw two boys around 18-19 getting spoken to rather intensely by police. A sniffer dog was rubbing his head around their feet and legs enthusiastically. The boys looked very sad.

I have no idea whether or not the pair had actually done anything wrong, and were upset at being caught, or were innocent and sad because of the stress they were enduring. The main thing that stuck out to me about the situation was the calmness of their little secluded area. Through the thick crowd of people, they had to themselves a sizeable piece of space, undisturbed. Other sniffer dogs and police officers patrolled the station but they too kept their distance. The pair seemed unaffected by the noise and activity all around, and attentive only to their immediate situation.

The film:

This observation would be the basis for a scene in a longer film. This is because I’m not interested in the plot, i.e. how they got into the situation or what they were talking about, but rather the contrast in environment in created. They were being ignored by everyone, perhaps out of politeness or perhaps because nobody cared, so it seems like they would fit in well in the background of a film. Perhaps some characters could have a short conversation about them, or the scene could be shot in a location that emphasises the contrast even more.