A Work in Progress: Short Film Concept

Hi!

Currently, I have an idea that I can't get out of my head, and I know exactly the topics I want to explore, but I haven't come up with a cohesive story yet. The concept that I have so far has postmodernist/thriller aspects, but I haven't quite figured out it's main genre yet. 

Here's what I have so far:

Concept Name: Keep Watching (a somewhat working title - a classmate gave me the idea)

    In this story, the main character is apart of a society in which they are constantly being watched, but it is never said by who (at least not in the beginning). The film would open with an interrogation, but only the main character is put into view, while the "interviewer" is not in frame so that their identity remains a secret. Off the bat, I want there to be a feeling of suspense, almost eerie and uncomfortable in nature. Throughout this interrogation/interview (I haven't decided exactly what it would be), the main character is asked questions surrounding why they won't comply to the society's rules. As they are being asked these questions, there will be scenes in between that showcase the lack of compliance, which is that the main character is constantly looking into the camera, not wanting to be watched. Therefore, this society's main objective is to put on a performance of reality for whoever is watching, and they aren't allowed to "break character". The main character, however, does not agree with the character they are forced to portray, hence they try and get those who are watching to stop. At first, the scenes that cut away from the interview/interrogation will demonstrate the main character suspicious of who's watching, but eventually they catch on, and try to stop the camera (essentially turning it off). At the end of the short film, we come to discover that the interrogation/interview scenes were never meant to be seen, in fact they are supposed to represent the truth, or reality. The camera was supposed to be "off" during those moments. The main character not only was aware of the camera being on, but breaks the fourth wall for the final time and tells the audience to "keep watching". 

    

    The constant "watching" that takes place throughout the film is essentially played by the audience themselves, thus commenting on how people view only what they want to see, and any semblance of the truth isn't welcomed, nor should it be confronted. I also wanted to explore the idea of masking, and how far a twisted truth could go. From the beginning of the film, it's unclear whether the main character should be trusted, since the interrogation scenes would be constructed in a way where the main character looks villainous/in trouble. However, as the film unfolds, the audience is forced to interact with the main character, especially since they continuously break the fourth wall out of fear, confusion, and desperation for them to stop watching. The main character's purpose would be to alert the audience of the "show" being performed, rather than allowing them to experience a lie. The end of the film, where the main character tells the audience to "keep watching" means that their purpose was successfully completed. 

    My main concern and fear with this idea is that it is similar to projects that have been done before, such as The Truman Show. I would be sure to make that distinction, however my worry is that it won't come across as clearly as I want it to. I feel that in order to separate the idea into its own, and make it its own running concept would be to develop the scenes in between the interrogation/interview scenes, which is currently a work in progress. I know I want to have one scene where the main character reaches their breaking point, essentially begging the audience to stop following/watching them, but its unclear how I'm going to reach that point just yet. 

This is the best representation of how I want the main character portrayed during the interrogation/interview scenes. I don't want it completely dark like in this image, but I do want it to seem eerie/ominous, as if the main character shouldn't be trusted (at least in the beginning).

The notes I took while coming up with this concept. It's a rough draft of what I want the plot to look like, but this is subject to change.

This is another representation of the interrogation/interview scenes, since I visualize the main character sitting in a similar setting such as the one shown in the image. I want to present the main character as lonely, at least the beginning, I want them to be perceived as untrustworthy and deranged. Therefore, as the story unfolds, the audience realizes that they shouldn't judge what they immediately see, or the truth they are fed. 

During the fourth wall breaks, I want it to feel uncomfortable at first, similar to this scene in Wandavision where Vision is aware that he is being watched, but can't quite put a finger on who is watching him, or why he is being viewed. The main character in this short film will at first feel similar to Vision, but as the plot progresses, they will begin to rebel. 

 

 

 Now What?

    My main goal is to complete the story, and fill in the spaces of the plot, meaning what is needed to develop the full story. I also want to finalize what genre I want to classify this story as, which means I want to do a bit of research about possible genres this could fit into, and see which one best represents the story being told. The next several blog posts will be focusing on genre research, and finalizing the plot of this concept.