A young girl named Kat encounters an unusual alien man on the moor near her town. She and her friend Toby discover that the man can communicate through electricity and radios. They show him their world as he shows them glimpses of his. However, Kat's cruel uncle assumes the worst of the alien man and pushes him down the stairs, apparently killing him. Days later as Kat goes to sleep, the lights in her room flicker, indicating the alien may still be alive.

2. WHAT WAS THE
CATHARSIS?
Oh wait, hang on, what is catharsis?

3. WHAT CAN YOU
TELL US ABOUT THE
SCIENCE FICTION
GENRE?

4. BECAUSE IT’S
INCREDIBLY COOL.

5. DEVELOPING A
STYLE.

7. Flicker

8. THE IDEA:

9. Plot: WORKING TITLE: FLICKER
A runner encounters a bare and unusual man on a Northern moor. Lights flickering
in a young girl (Kat)’s room wakes her, her dysfunctional uncle treats her
cruelly, forcing her to do the chores. She and a boy (Toby) are soon after,
playing with their radio sets whilst walking their dog when they intercept the
runner and then immediately the alien man. They run away, terrified. Kat drops her
radio.
Clothes disappear from washing lines across the town, and as Toby is settling down
at home, his radio emits unusual, perplexing, and comical noises. Kat urges Toby
to search for its other half.
They find the man, who had been using the radio’s power to find them, and he is as
nervous and scared as they are. He responds in fright to their movements -
simultaneously car alarms sound and flashes of light occur. He can only speak to
them through electricity. He shows them his world as they show him theirs.
They interrogate him, test out his unique abilities and warm to him in montage.
After fixing Kat’s radio, Kats uncle returns after searching for her for hours. He
quickly makes assumptions about the old man and it results in him pushing the man
down the stairs. He is presumed dead. The uncle makes an effort to console Kat,
but she remains solemn for the many days that pass.
As Kat gets into bed and closes her eyes for the final time on screen, they are
opened one more time by a flicker of the light on her bedside table.

10. CHARACTER

11. KAT
We have our protagonist: a young girl
(around 11/12), intelligent, beyond her
age. She’s ambitious to learn in school,
though she is not socially strong.

12. ‘HIM’
He, our alien character, is a
sweet/highly intelligent personality who
takes the form of an old man. He has
supernatural abilities, and he shows the
protagonist charms of the world around
her that most fail to see.
Despite his wisdom, he is clumsy, and so
we can find comic relief in his
character.

13. TOBY
TOBY, our
protagonist’s
token, chubby
nerd friend is a
conventional
helper in this Sci-
Fi short.
He’s an insider, a
bit useless, but
he also provides
comic relief as
well occasional
feats of bravery.
The
UNCLE
A potential
antagonist in this
short. He is a
distorted father
figure. He is the
antithesis of the
paternal alien man.
He’s a police officer
whose aggression is
far more prominent
than his protection.
He has no time for
sweetness, and is
quite bitter.

14. THEMES

15. HOW ARE WE
GOING TO DO IT?

16. QUESTION TIME