short film story idea development

1. Final Short Film Idea
Development
By Ana Vasilescu and Mima Micic

2. Final Storyline Chosen
For our short film we decided to do a story entitled “let's talk about benny”. The
story will have the essence of a drama with comedic elements.
The main character of the short film will be a young woman struggling to accept her
“son” and his sexual orientation. As she is overwhelmed with her issues nobody
around her realises that she is actually talking about her pet.
We have a couple of options for developing this story further in further detail team
discussion and analysis we will develop this potential storyline into a final script. The
pre production stage will take place as soon as the final storyline is developed.

3. Option 1
This version of the film would be set in the main character’s house where she has a
conversation with her close friend about the struggles she faces in relation to her
son. The setting of the house would be minimalistic however, the characters’
costumes and makeup would be over-the-top to make them stand out and in order
to portray their dramatic personas.
The main character will be portrayed as distraught and overly anxious because of
her dog’s sexuality. However,s even though her friend and her are are both dressed
in dramatic costumes the friend still appears to be more open minded and calm.
In the midst of their conversation the main character hears footsteps and shushes
her friend. This will be the plot twist of the film as a dog walks towards them and the
main character refers to him as her son. This twist will add a comedic element along
with conveying how neurotic she was behaving.

4. Pros and Cons
● The location would be one of the
cast member’s apartments so
there would be no special permits
needed, making it convenient
● There are only two characters
which enables them to be well
written and also there are no
extras needed
● The post-production process
would be simple as there would
be no need for special effects
● Due to the lack of many
characters and dynamic, the
audience could get bored as they
might view the film as monotone
● If the characters aren’t well
written and the actor’s delivery
isn’t properly executed there is a
risk of the audience
misinterpreting the film as the
focus would be on the dialogue

5. Option 2
This option would portray the main character sitting in the comfort of her phone while
nervously ranting to a helpline operator. She would be dressed in over-the top comfy
clothes and lounging dramatically on her couch.
Meanwhile the phone operator would be pictured at their office listening to the woman
and trying to calm her down and inform her on sexuality and asking her to be
empathetic to her son.
The plot twist of the story will be revealed when the phone operator asks how she even
found out her son’s sexuality and she responds by saying that he pooped on the floor
when she asked him to have a puppy date with the neighbour’s female dog.

6. Pros and Cons
● The pace of the film will be quick
and dynamic, keeping the
audience's focus
● The post production editing
process is simple yet we would
have an option of delivering the
storyline with split screen
● The film exhibits a modern
interpretation of agony aunt
● Filming on two different locations
could require more time and the
locations will be more difficult to
find
● Since the actors are not acting in
the same location it might
difficult for them to properly
convey the mood of the film

7. Option 3
In this version we wanted to portray the main character going to a PFLAG meeting
to get help her deal with her son’s sexuality. As she describes in detail how hard it
has been for her, one of the members tries to open her mind on the topic by
informing her.
As they end their conversation one of the members suggest if they could meet the
son and lets them know that his tied to a post right outside. As the member walks
out in shock of the fact that she tied her son to a post they see a dog tied up to a
post and the woman runs up to him calling him her son.

8. Pros and Cons
● The dynamic atmosphere and
large number of actors would
keep the audience entertained
● Easy to add elements of slapstick
comedy to engage the audience
● A sense of community can be
created by using a large and
diverse cast, making sure that any
parents in this situation can find
themselves within this situation
● To fully create the PFLAG
meeting we would need to find
many actors of different age,
gender, nationality, etc.
● Capturing the meeting we would
need to have multiple still
cameras and a panning camera
which is technically demanding
● For easier editing a lot of cut
away shots would be necessary

9. Option 4
This version of the story follows a woman posting about her wish to organise a gey
pride parade for parents with “young gay children”, she describes the parade as
away for parents to celebrate pride with their children along with meeting new
parents in the community. The woman will be shown typing this post and while she
goes on a monologue the camera will pan over a few other parents reading her post.
This will create a sense of community and the beginning of excitement.
The plot twist of the film will take place when the entire parade is organised and all
the parents are there but when it is time for the woman to make her speech she
brings her dog on stage and calls him her son, while later asking “why have none of
you brought your children?”. This will act as the punchline for the film which will
signify the misunderstanding.

10. Pros and Cons
● The use of a montage will easily
engage the audience and keep
them entertained
● A voiceover placed over the
montage will create a sense of
continuity and capture the
audience’s attention
● Conveys a large amount of
information in a short amount of
time
● This option would take a large
amount of extra characters and
diverse locations
● Many props could be required to
fully portray the different
character traits
● Could be difficult to obtain many
child actors on set with parental
permission