A2 Media Studies short film coursework

1. RESTLESS
(Short film adaptation of
The Wishing Box by Sylvia Plath)
Written by
Gabrielle Gonzales

2. Page ! of !2 5
INT. BEDROOM. EARLY MORNING.
With Emperor Concerto playing loudly and gradually intensifying.
Agnes is asleep, having a nightmare. Harold is not explicitly
shown next to her; in the other side, sits a pile of books and an
unopened bottle of pills.
CUTS TO:
Title on black screen.
PANS TO:
INT. KITCHEN. HOURS LATER.
Agnes and Harold are having breakfast, sat on opposite sides of
the table. Agnes does not seem to be in the mood; Harold is acting
as normal.
AGNES:
Well (she prepares her toast, not looking directly at Harold) what
did you dream last night?
HAROLD:
I was just remembering…
My manuscripts. I was discussing them with William Blake. Hah.
AGNES:
But (looks away again) how did you even know it was him?
HAROLD:
From the pictures obviously. Well anyway…
As Harold speaks, Agnes does not keep eye contact. The camera
closes in on her, Harold becomes increasingly inaudible/muffled;
she looks to her coffee (distracted)
QUICK PAN TO:
her coffee –
FRACTAL ZOOM INTO:
INT. UNKNOWN LOCATION. AGNES’ RECENT NIGHTMARE.
Light flickers; Agnes appears, vignetted by darkness, illuminated
by a single light. She is lost. At first she seems to be alone,
but she soon finds groups of faceless figures.

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TRANSITIONS TO:
Reality, back in the kitchen. Agnes sits, fixated on her coffee.
HAROLD:
(As if raising his voice, but not aggressively)
Agnes. I said, what’d you dream about? You know, I was actually
just about to begin playing Emperor Concerto (looks at Agnes, who
is now looking at him trying to seem more interested) I think I
was lifting my arm for the first chord but you woke me up (laughs
a bit)
AGNES:
(Takes a bit of time)
Oh. I’ve forgotten now.
The camera backs away from them and out of the kitchen,
ONE SHOT TRACK TO:
INT. LIVING ROOM. LATE MORNING.
Agnes is alone. The camera closes in to a close-up shot of her,
slowly blinking. POV shots of her surroundings, fading in and out
to mimic her blinking. It returns to her face, in colour.
AGNES:
(Voice-over)
I used to dream… *
Suddenly her surroundings become darker, vignetting her once again
like in the previous dream sequence, until she is completely
shrouded in darkness. She runs, right through a door which
transports her back to reality.
INT. KITCHEN. NEXT MORNING.
She walks into the kitchen where Harold already is, cheerful,
having had another good dream, to Agnes’ chagrin.
AGNES:
Sleep well?

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HAROLD:
Yeah.
I would tell you about what I dreamt this time but lately you seem
to not really care. Hah.
So (he looks up at Agnes, who is still stood up, moving slowly
trying to prepare her breakfast) what did you dream last night?
AGNES:
(briefly looks at him, but avoids eye contact, embarrassed)
I don’t dream anything… not anymore (looks to Harold again).
HAROLD:
(continues what he is doing, without looking up to meet her gaze)
Well. Maybe you just don’t use your imagination enough? I don’t
know. You should practise, it can’t be that hard (cheerful, in a
childlike manner). OK, close your eyes.
Agnes reluctantly does so.
CUTS TO: Black screen.
HAROLD:
OK, what do you see?
AGNES:
Nothing.
HAROLD:
Just imagine something, it’s not difficult you know.
*
AGNES:
It’s in the back of my head.
(panicky)
Everything is way in the back of my head.
Harold looks at her confused.
AGNES:
Don’t you see it there too? (agitated)
HAROLD:
(frowns, apathetically) No, not really… I see my dreams on my
eyelids. You know, like a movie-screen.(Agnes does not respond)

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Like, right now (he shuts his eyes) I can just imagine all the
work I have to get started doing. Haha.
Harold stands to go. Agnes remains seated, looking blankly.
HAROLD:
You’ll be alright (pats her shoulder, while making his way to the
door). Just practise like I’ve taught you. I gotta go now (looking
at his watch), see you later OK?
The camera follows Harold out of the kitchen, leaving Agnes in the
kitchen. It pans to see Harold go through the door, then track
shot continues on to:
INT. LIVING ROOM. LATE MORNING/AFTERNOON.
Agnes, alone again, flips through books and magazines to revive
her imagination. She watches TV but does not see anything. She
remains uninspired. She lies on the floor.
ACTION MATCH:
INT. THEIR BEDROOM.
Agnes lying on the bed. Alarm is going off, but she just lies
there. She eventually turns it off and goes to the bathroom to
wash up. Her reality becomes distorted as she becomes increasingly
depressed. She looks at the mirror only to find a reflection of
the back of her head, not her face (homage to Magritte’s The
Reproduction). She panics and runs out into the hallway, to find
it reflected on both sides (reference: Michel Gondry’s Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).
Sounds become muffled, like previously, and surrounding becomes
darker (vignette).
FRACTAL ZOOM-OUT:
From another cup of coffee.
She drinks coffee compulsively, avoiding sleep, or rather, her
nightmares. Harold shows some concern, but remains unable to
empathise with her, urging her to stop drinking coffee and go to
sleep.
One day, Harold finds her unconscious having consumed sleeping
pills. The opening image mirrors the final image.