Script

1. (Shutter Release)
by
(Tasiah K Johnson)
‘When you look into the darkness, the darkness looks into
you’
Name (of company, if applicable)
Address

2. 2
EXT. BRIDGE - SUNSET
CUT IN:
Alima is walking throughout the street trying to find
someone or something to photograph. She is wearing her
camera around her neck with a brown satchel across her
body - she’s wearing glasses and has her hair pulled back
in a ponytail. As she continues walking, she sees a group
of people looking up towards a bridge and screaming. She
runs up and stops, takes off her glasses, switches her
camera to continuos shutter and points her camera at the
man on top of the bridge. As the man falls from the
bridge Alima takes pictures of him until he hits the
ground. Alima takes her camera from her face to which a
middle-aged woman looks at her and approaches her.
MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN
H-how could you photograph
something like that?
ALIMA
What do you mean? You were the one
watching.
The middle-aged woman then walks away from Alima mumbling
to herself. Alima then puts her glasses back on and puts
her camera into her satchel - and carries on walking past
the incident, she takes a second look at the man on the
ground in the mist of chaos. She walks further along and
begins to breathe heavily as she feels guilty for
photographing a man falling to his death.
INT. HOME - EVENING
CUT IN:
Alima then gets home from her walk and enters her house,
she goes into her living room and sits down on the sofa.
She takes her camera from out of her bag and begins to
flick through the pictures that she took. Alima’s mom
then comes into the room from the kitchen and takes a
oppose Alima.
ALIMA’S MOM
Hi, how was your day?
ALIMA
It was extremely chaotic. I was
the witness of a suicide and
honestly, i’d rather not talk
about it at the moment. My left
eye has become incredibly itchy

3. 3
and right now I just want to be
alone.
ALIMA’S MOM
My day was great thanks for
asking. Your eye is going red,
clear it out before you go to
sleep.
ALIMA
(sighs)
I will. Anyways, what’s for
dinner? I’m -
ALIMA’S MOM
What’s on the camera?
ALIMA
Nothing, just changing the
settings.
Alima then gets up off from the sofa and leaves the
living room to go and get changed into her pyjamas.
Alima’s mom then gets a hold of the camera and sees what
Alima was photographing earlier on in the day, she places
her hand over her mouth in disbelief. She hears Alima
coming down the stairs and puts the camera back down on
the sofa. Alima enters the living room again and grabs
the camera from the chair - and brings it into her
bedroom.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
CUT TO:
Alima gets into her room and throws her camera onto her
bed - she hears scratching coming from her window. Alima
walks up to her window and sees a young boy walking with
what appears to be his mother, the young boy then drops
and lands in a similar position to the man who fell from
the bridge. Alima begins to panic as this reminds her of
what happened earlier on in the day - she immediately
closes her curtains, grabs the camera and deletes the
images of the man she took, she then places it on her
dressing table. Alima then gets into bed and reaches for
her lamp and turns it off.
INT. SKATEPARK - NOON
FADE IN:

4. 4
The following day Alima arrives at a skatepark to
photograph skaters. As she’s walking she spots a boy and
a girl who she wants to photograph. She lifts the camera
from around her neck and places it towards her left eye
(which is now significantly red) - in the viewfinder she
sees the same man who she saw on the bridge falling from
the previous day. She then lets out a shriek and lets go
of the camera, she then starts to walk away from the
skatepark whilst shaking.
SKATER 1
(shouts)
Hey! Are you okay?
SKATER 2
I dunno what’s going on with her,
I swear she’s lost the plot.
As Alima is walking back home her eye begins to itch
again, at this point her eye is extremely red. She then
gets out her phone and calls her friend Oscar.
ALIMA
Hi Oscar, it’s Alima. Are you
available right now to come to the
library? It’s urgent.
OSCAR
(voice over)
Hey, and no I’m not doing anything
right now. I’ll meet you there in
5.
ALIMA
That’s great, see you later.
INT. LIBRARY - AFTERNOON
FADE IN:
Alima is sitting down at a computer desk in the library,
while she waits for Oscar she begins to investigate in
the camera - she grabs the camera and turns it on its
side in order to see the make. She places the camera on
the desk and begins typing on the computer - we then see
Oscar’s hands behind Alima to which he startles her, he
then laughs and sits beside her.
ALIMA
(in shock)
Oh my gosh Oscar, don't do that!
OSCAR
(whilst laughing)

5. 5
I’m sorry, anyways… what’s up
ALIMA
The other day, I-I was walking and
I saw a guy on a bridge.
OSCAR
and?
ALIMA
He jumped
OSCAR
No way, is that all you wanted to
tell me?
ALIMA
well… there’s something else.
OSCAR
go on…
ALIMA
I photographed him as he fell to
his death.
Oscar starts to roll his eyes as if Alima is lying to
him.
Ever since, my left eye has been
incredibly itchy… the same eye I
bring my camera up to. I keep
seeing people fall and each time I
look into my viewfinder I-I see
him falling from the bridge.
OSCAR
Give me the camera Alima, you’re
going mad.
Alima hands the camera over to Oscar.
Say cheese!
Oscar brings the camera up to his eye, he gets an instant
sharp pain in his eye.
Aaah!
Oscar pulls the camera away from his face and places his
hand on his eye in agony
ALIMA
(in shock)
What?!

6. 6
OSCAR
My eye Alima, it’s as if the
camera shocked me. That’s not
right.
ALIMA
(quietly)
Now you believe me?
OSCAR
Okay okay fine I believe you, so
now what?
ALIMA
I’m not sure. Listen, I have to
get back home now, my mom’s going
to kill me - i’m already late.
Alima gets up, hugs Oscar and leaves the library. Oscar
begins to itch his eye and it looks slightly pink. He
gets up and also leaves the library.
INT. HOME - SUNSET
CUT IN:
Alima comes into the house and quietly closes the door
behind her, she walks slowly and quietly into the living
room. She takes a seat to which her mom walks in.
ALIMA’S MOM
You’re late
ALIMA
I know, I'm sorry. I was with
Oscar.
Alima’s mom rolls her eyes and sighs - she begins to put
her coat on.
ALIMA’S MOM
Your foods on the stove since you
missed dinner. I’m leaving to go
to your grandmas.
ALIMA
Have fun, see you later.

7. 7
We hear the door close. She then enters the kitchen to
get her food. As she’s picking up the food she has
another vision of the man falling from the bridge from
her kitchen window. Alima gasps, closes her eyes, shakes
her head and opens her eyes again, she looks out the
window again and nothing’s there. She carries the plate
and runs up to her room in complete and utter shock.
INT. BEDROOM - EVENING
CUT IN:
Alima closes the door behind her and immediately closes
her blinds, she places her diner plate on her bed and
takes off her coat and shoes. She gets into her bed and
grabs a book from her drawer, she begins eating whilst
reading. Shortly after, her phone starts to ring, she
reaches over and answers it - it’s Oscar.
ALIMA
Hey, is everything okay?
OSCAR
No, I saw what you saw.
ALIMA
I’m confused, what did you see?
OSCAR
(panting)
Was the man on the bridge wearing
a red jumper with black jeans and
white trainers? You know, with a
black beanie on and was the bridge
blue?
ALIMA
Y-yes, exactly that. How did you
know?
OSCAR
Because, I see him too.
ALIMA
Okay i’m about to say something
that may sound completely insane
but… what if… we’re cursed or
something because of me, or what
if I cursed the guy who fell! I
photographed a tragedy Oscar, the
camera has retained that incident…
the camera isn’t cursed because
we’re the ones seeing the visions.
It’s us Oscar. Us.

8. 8
OSCAR
We need to go to the bridge. It’s
the only way we can get to the
bottom of this. Tomorrow, meet me
there at 11:30, bring your camera
and don’t be late.
Oscar then puts the phone down and Alima brings the phone
down from her face. She then calls her cousin who she had
photographed since the bridge event took place.
JODIE
Hey Alima
ALIMA
Hey! Err, you know when I
photographed you the other day?
JODIE
Yeah…
ALIMA
Have you been seeing or feeling
anything weird lately?
JODIE
Like what?
ALIMA
Itchy eyes? Seeing people fall too
often? Any visions of a blue
bridge?
JODIE
No. Nothing. That’s a bit random
Alima, is everything alright?
What’s going on?
ALIMA
Nothing Jodie, don’t worry about
it. I’ll explain another time just
not now.
JODIE
I’ll take your word for it.
Listen, it’s getting late. I’ll
talk to you later Alima.
ALIMA
Speak to you later, bye.
Alima hangs up the phone and a tear falls from her face.
She puts her unfinished food and book on the floor next
to her bed.

9. 9
(mumbles)
Why did I shoot him? So, so, so
idiosyncratic.
Alima tucks herself deeper into her bed, turns off her
lamp and closes her eyes.
EXT. BRIDGE - MORNING
FADE IN:
Oscar is standing near the bridge, he sees Alima walking
towards him in the distance.
OSCAR
(raised)
You’re late.
ALIMA
(raised)
I’m aware. I kinda known for that.
From the top of the bridge Alima and Oscar can hear
multiple whispers saying ‘two days’ - they both turn
around and look up to see what’s happening.
ALIMA
What’s tha-
FADE TO BLACK:
FADE FROM BLACK:
We see Alimas camera on the ground next to her clothes,
glasses and bag. To the right of this we see Oscars
baseball cap and gloves on the ground, neither of them
are anywhere to be seen.
After this we see two boys walking through the bridge
location - the first boy notices Alima’s camera on the
ground, he looks around and picks it up and places it
around his neck.
BOY 1
Let me photograph you.
Boy 1 brings the camera up to his left eye and presses
the shutter, he begins to itch his eye.
BOY 2
Ew. Your eye looks gross.
BOY 1
What the hell is going on?

10. 10
Extreme close up of Boy 1’s eye, we see the camera lens
within his eye. The shutter releases within his eye.
After this both boys can hear whispers which appear to be
laughing whilst saying ‘two days boys’. Boy 2 looks up
first and his face is in shock. He repeatedly taps Boy 1
in order for him to look up too. Boy 1 turns around and
looks up.
BOY 2
Y-you see tha-
CUT TO BLACK
We hear them both scream.

11. 1
FADE IN:

12. 1.
SCENE INDEX
EXT. BRIDGE - SUNSET ..................................2
INT. HOME - EVENING ...................................2
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT ..................................3
INT. SKATEPARK - NOON .................................3
INT. LIBRARY - AFTERNOON...............................4
INT. HOME - SUNSET ....................................6
INT. BEDROOM - EVENING.................................7
EXT. BRIDGE - MORNING .................................9