I started taking to my friend Shawn about this project around the middle of September. I told her the main things I want to have in the film, which were: two female characters at the center, mental health issues, self-harm, and such. I didn’t have a clear story because I trusted that she would come up with something great. I’ve only previously read her fanfiction work, but I knew that she’s had experience writing scripts too.
On October 12th I got the first clear story, that would be developed further. That was:
“Here’s the story:
Two women – mid twenties, somewhere of the like.
One night one (and we’ll see almost everything through her POV and eyes) walks into a store to get some groceries. As she’s there in the medicine aisle, she starts seeing this other woman touching things – like pills and razors and it’s all very strange and weird. The woman finally buys sleeping pills.
The next scene we see is the woman who bought the pills sitting on a bench overlooking water, the pills in her hands. Our POV sits down and hands her coffee. The conversation starts rough and combative but eventually the POV tells her she knows, she’s been there and they talk.
I’d like them to go do something – something lively and fun. Something that just reminds you that you’re alive (need you here because I presume you’ll be filming in London so what would this be?)
At the end of the night, they’re back on the bench. They talk and then the woman who bought the pills takes them out of her pocket and says, “I guess you want these now.” What follows is a conversation about choices and about hope and our POV gives her a piece of paper that says, “If you need someone to just shut up and listen or to stare at the lights with, give me a call.” “And if I’m too afraid to call?” “I like this bench. It’s a nice bench. Let’s say we meet here next Friday.” “You don’t know me. You don’t owe me anything.” “Maybe I owe me.” There’s a moment, then we fade forward…
A montage of scenes of them meeting – some different seasons and nights…a couple where our first girl doesn’t show up, a couple where she does…and then one night, the note…”Thank you for helping me find hope when I didn’t know how to. Whatever debt to yourself you owed…is paid.”
Or something along those lines – we can work through the exact wording once I start writing it.
Anyway, I figure the final shot should be her putting the piece of paper in her coat – something to help her always remember because sometimes she needs hope, too – and walking away with a smile.”
With that, I could actually go to a potential producer to talk about my idea. That producer was Rita. She approached me first, on the first day back at university actually. I also sent this to Helen for suggestions and recommendations and here’s what she had to say:
“First thoughts….
Wounded (2013)
http://m.imdb.com/title/tt2721712/ is a very interesting film, with a great deal of over the shoulder hand held camera work on the main protagonist, who is a woman with mental health issues. Great performance with little dialogue. Definitely one for you to see.
In terms of suicide, although it’s in a different time period, you should have a look at The Butcher Boy. There are some interesting representations of unchecked female mania.
All my Puny Sorrows is a novel you should read. Great writing on the desire to end life. Very useful reference.
Cassavetes Woman under the influence- a must in terms of Gena Rowlands performance.
You might also want to look at female relationships, I’m thinking of Hilary and Jackie the film about Jaqueline Du Pre.
This is more of a watch list based on my response to the ‘feeling’ rather than the thematics, but obviously there are films with suicide at the heart of the film, Virgin suicides would be an obvious one.
Looking at your initial idea I think there is a lot that you can look at in relation to the workshop today. I have a lot of questions around the woman’s age what the underlying cause of her unhappiness is, and what motivates the older woman to help her. At the moment the relationship is not formed and the suggestion that she would go off with a stranger and do something fun is not believable. It’s also very wordy and not very visual – It will seem quite clunky on screen to have a focus on notes and messages. You need to find visual ways of representing this relationship. At the moment it is not clear what this means to the other woman either. It is one thing to save somebody from a suicide attempt. But it is quite another to immerse oneself in that person’s life or to get more involved with volatile stranger. I think that this suggests it’s not all together and altruistic decision. What is that thing that connects them and how does that manifest in the story?
Trying to push the boundaries of the idea and the characters this week so we have something more solid by the beginning of next week. Email if you need, happy to talk more about the project.”
From there we started developing it further. Shawn was struggling a bit at one point but then I had my first screenwriting workshop and talked about the idea to the class and the tutor. The suggestions helped Shawn and on October 23rd she gave me the first draft of the script. I really liked it and got very excited to actually do the film. I talked to Rita about the script and she had a lot of ideas, suggestions and concerns. I passed the things we agreed on to Shwan and a few days later she gave me a second draft and an alternative to the second draft.
After a meeting with Rita and going through the second draft, I passed 10 pointers to Shawn and a few hours later she sent me the 3rd draft. And that’s what we’re currently working on.
My experience at Middlesex University 