malcolm third draft media studies

1. Malcolm
Jake Beare and Ben Bullock

2. INT. SCHOOL. DAY
you hear a flush and the toilet door swings open. You
are introduced to Malcolm, he starts walking down the
corridor through his school, he begins to get weird looks
from other students, even the teachers are looking at him
like he is an outcast.
INT. BEDROOM. DAY
Malcolm arrives to an empty house, he slowly but surely
walks upstairs, each step is a struggle, he opens the
door to his bedroom and stops and stares at his bed,
almost mesmerised by the room he has been living in for a
long time. He looks at the bed again and he is then
staring at his past self and his dead sister talking.
INT. BEDROOM. DAY
This is a flashback of his sister giving him a framed
picture of the two of them.
ABI
Can I come in?
MALCOLM
Come on in.
Abi is looking awkward, having a small cheeky smile on
her face.
MALCOLM
What?
ABI
You know that picture that we
took in the park a few months
ago. Well, I loved it so much, I
got it framed.
Abi hands the framed picture to him, Malcolm's face
immediately beams.
MALCOLM
Ahh, you're right, it is a nice
photo.
ABI
Well,you look nice, it just looks
like theres something in my eye!
(laughs)

3. 2
INT. KITCHEN. DAY
After the flashback, Malcolm goes downstairs, before he
gets down the last step the phone starts to ring.
MALCOLM
Hello?
SECRETARY (V/O)
Hi, am I speaking to Malcolm
Thompson.
MALCOLM
Yep
SECRETARY (V/O)
Well, I'm calling from the Capio
Nightingale hospital and it says
here that you haven't turned up
for sessions in over three weeks.
MALCOLM
Yes, I've just had a lot of
things on my plate.
SECRETARY (V/O)
Your mental health is not a
laughing matter Mr Thompson.
MALCOLM
I can assure you that my mental
health is at the top of my
agenda, its just I've had my
hands full.
Malcolm hangs up the phone.
SECRETARY (V/O)
Okay, so we will see you next
week? Hello? Mr Thompson?
Hello?
Malcolm goes to make himself a cup of tea, this becomes
obvious after he gets his mug out on the table, he
reaches to get a tea bag but in the process accidentally
knocks something over. It becomes apparent that it is
the picture frame that his sister gave him in the
previous flashback, but only this time it is all smashed
up and there is glass all over the floor, the picture is
lying lifeless, it is symbolic that such a happy memory
just shatters like that. After the sight of the framed

4. 3
picture broken on the ground, Malcolm's head goes into
overdrive and he begins to have a nervous breakdown.
This will be portrayed through montage.
5. MONTAGE
This is the moment when Malcolm starts to confront his
demons.
5A. GRAVE YARD
A very depressing clip of his just staring in anger and
disgust at the grave stone.
5B. PICTURE SMASHING
this is the sight of the framed picture falling in the
air it shows that this framed picture meant a lot to
Malcolm as it was his last sentimental object of his
sister that he had.
5C. ABI GIVING HIM THE PICTURE
Same footage as the flash back, showing to the audience
that the particular moment was incredibly meaningful to
him.
5D. CAR CRASH
This would show Malcolm distracting Abi and due to that
distraction she crashed.
5E. ANDY CONCERNED
Same footage from earlier scene.
5F. MALCOLM CRYING (PRESENT)
This would be a highly emotional moment, this would be
longer than the other clips, it would show Malcolm pacing
up and down his stairs and banging his head on the wall.
(CONTINUED)
MALCOLM
Its not my fault (repeats)

5. 4
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (2)
5G. PICTURE SMASHING
5H. THE GRAVEYARD
5I. CAR CRASH
5J. MALCOLM CRYING (PRESENT)
Malcolm is just banging his fists into the floor to show
his frustration.
5K. PICTURE SMASHING
5L. CAR CRASH
5M. THE GRAVEYARD
5N. ABI SMILING
5O. ABI'S FACE SMASHED IN THE PICTURE
5P. MALCOLM CRYING (PRESENT)
This whole montage will become faster and more intense as
time goes on. At the end of the breakdown everything
becomes quiet, you can hear the world again. You can no
longer be trapped in Malcolm's mind but in the outside
would of traffic and birds chirping.
INT. KITCHEN. DAY
The breakdown is over, Malcolm is lying on the floor,
curled up in a ball. Malcolm is helped up by a familiar
hand, he looks up and is startled. he can't believe it
at first, but then he looks angry.
ABI
You never used to clean anything
when I was here.
MALCOLM
What? how? You are dead, how are
you here? Are you here to taunt
me? Or am I just crazy?
ABI
You're not crazy, you're just
severely depressed.

6. 5
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (2)
MALCOLM
Why does it have to be so hard,
why did you have to die, how come
I didn't die?
ABI
Don't torture yourself with this.
MALCOLM
Torture myself? I love you, you
were the only person in the world
that i truly cared about, and you
were taken away from me. You
helped me, you clothed me, you
cared for me. without you, I'm
nothing. Its not fair! And its
all my fault, oh God, its all my
fault.
ABI
Malcolm, your mistakes can
control you, or you can control
your mistakes. You have to forget
the things that you can do
nothing about. You have to get
over me.
MALCOLM
But how?
ABI
I think you'll find that out in
counselling.
Abi is gone, Malcolm is alone, but this experience has
finally given him closure.
INT. OFFICE. DAY
The counsellor believes he has got better and believes
that he has made a break through
COUNSELLOR
So what did she say? when you
saw her?
MALCOLM
She said that it wasn't my fault
and that I had to get better.

7. 6
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: (2)
COUNSELLOR
This is very common in people who
have lost someone, I feel that
you have made a break through.
MALCOLM
I hope so. (smiles)
EXT. OPEN SPACE. EVENING
This will be the final scene of the film, this will make
the audience have closure on if Malcolm has gotten over
his sisters death.
MALCOLM
I realise now after all of this,
after all my pain. That life
isn’t for the good times, or even
the bad times. Its for those
times when you truly feel alive.
When you get to a place when you
know you are significant and you
know that you aren’t alone. You
could say that everything you go
through gives you something to
cherish. And when you get to a
good place and you feel like you
can take on the world, thats when
you remember that pain, that pain
that made you realise “I am
alive, Malcolm, you are alive”.