WiP – Short excerpts of script

I’ve provided two of the sample scenes that I’ve somewhat fleshed out so far. They focus on different styles and moods, so I thought it would be appropriate to include both of them.

The first is one of the opening scenes in the film, and sets the mood as far more lighthearted than it will eventually become. I wanted to have at least a couple of scenes of this teenage banter to give the characters a context outside of the strange world of the forest that they enter. I think seeing how ordinary and humourous conversations take place in their group before they are moulded and transformed by the Woods is an important step in defining the way that the world works. Having an overtly sexual conversation also sets up tropes of teen comedies – it’s important, in my opinion, to achieve subversion in some sense with this screenplay, because I’m toying with several different genres and references.

This first scene has 5 characters. This was essentially an ease of writing tool to begin with, I don’t know if the body of the actual film will feature all five of these characters. Each time I felt a unique voice was appropriate in the scene, I added a new character just for the sake of being able to distinguish things easier. I think that this scene characterises them as a group effectively, rather than as individuals. As it’s a fairly short scene, the focus is on what they’re all talking about, which is, in this case, fellatio. This serves the purpose of instantly communicating the sort of group we’re dealing with in the film, which is why it’s one of the opening scenes. I think going forward in my script, I need to be able to strike a balance and not oversaturate it with scenes like this. I do, however, want to provide glimpses of this group before they’re changed, so there’s a general idea of what’s at stake.

The second scene is more serious, and further along into the film. While it’s not a climactic or action packed scene, it’s after the group has settled in and begun to feel the changes of their world. It focuses on one character in particular, Leo, lamenting the fact that one day the current time will be forgotten, and nothing more than a page in a history book. It’s a very melodramatic concern and one that doesn’t particularly interest any other members of the group, but Leo is fixated on it. After he is left alone, the fire goes out by itself. I think that this scene is important to gauge the different ways that the characters start interacting with their world. As that’s a crucial part of what the film will be about, I think scenes like this need to be done well. I’m not necessarily happy with this excerpt as a finished product, but as a thematic piece I think it works well. I’d like to refine it more and maybe make the connection between why Leo is so bothered by becoming obsolete and the woods. I think that these paranoid ideas stem from the world and I need to make that more clear, or else a large part of my work will be lost. An important thing for me to focus on, moving forward, is nuance. I need to strike a good balance between allowing viewers/readers understand what’s going on, and making it a mystery.

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