The short film "Plaything" explores the mistreatment of dogs through symbolism. It follows a young girl, Chloe, who receives a "toy" dog for Christmas but loses interest in it. Later, her father Paul finds the toy in his car and it falls out when he stops to take a phone call, abandoning it by the side of the road. A teenager named Beth discovers the damaged toy and takes it home, revealing to the audience that it is actually a real dog. The film uses the symbolism of the toy to represent how pets may feel when neglected or not properly cared for. It aims to promote the message that dogs are a serious commitment and shouldn't be treated like disposable gifts.

1. Short film idea 1 – “Plaything”
By Katie McQuillan

2. The working title
“Plaything”
• I believethistitle reflectsthe message Iwouldlike topresentdue tothe use of “plaything”
implyingthatthe actual dogwithinmyfilmisbeingtreatedlike atoydue to mistreatment
and presentsthe message that adog is“not justfor Christmas”as itneedstobe greatly
consideredwhetheradogis rightfora person’slifestyle.
• Additionally,the symbolismof the toypresentshow the dogwasbroughtwiththe intention
of a Christmasgiftratherthan as an actual petwhichneedstobe caredfor.
• I wouldlike mytitle tofocusonwhyI have decidedtouse a toy to representthe dogasI
believethatthisrepresentshowpetsmayfeel whenabandonedornotcaredfor correctly
and wouldbe more likelytohighlightthe gravityof neglect.
• The “toy” is goingto be broughtwiththe intentionof beingusedbyachildfor
entertainmentwhichreflectsthe gravityof mistreatinganimalsdue tolackof consideration
before buyingthemandwouldtherefore furthershockthe audience whenthe toyis
revealedtobe a dogat the endof the film.
Tagline
“Dogs are for life,notjust for Christmas”
“Don’ttreat themlike a gift”
 I chose these twotaglinesasI wantto promote the well-usedphraseof dogsnotjust
beingforChristmasas I stronglyagree thatit is a verybig decisionthatshouldbe
thoroughlyconsideredbefore theyhave decidedtobuyapet.
 I wantto stressthat dogs (andotherpets) shouldnotbe treatedlike theyare justa
“gift”as theyholdmuch more importance due tothemrequiringsomuch fromtheir
owner,whichiswhyitmust be consideredif theyreallyare suitable foraperson’s
lifestyle.
Filmlength
 Around6 minutesasIwouldnotlike itto be too longin orderto keepaudience interest,
howeverIwouldlike tohave itlongenoughtoensure thatthe audience cankeepup
withthe story.
Key Characters
 Chloe – the youngdaughter(aged7-10) whoreceivesthe “toy”as a Christmaspresent.
 Beth– the teenager(aged18) who findsthe “toy”to take home.
 Jacqui – the mother(aged51) of Chloe.
 Paul – the father(aged51) of Chloe.
 Pepper– the abandoneddog.

3. Synopsis
 Act 1 - Chloe receivesa“toy” dogas a presentforChristmasanditis stressedhow excited
and interestedshe isinhernewpresent.However,she doesappeartolose some interest
whenshe returnstoschool and whenherparentsare back at workthe toy isalmost
abandoned.
 Act 2 – Paul receivesaletterand,inan attempttocheerhimup, Chloe leavesthe “toy”for
himto findinhiscar for himto take withhim whenhe leavestodrive towork.Once he gets
inthe car it isclear he ispositivelyaffectedbythe “toy’s”presence andhe happilytakesit
withhimfor a drive.However,he receivesaphone call while he isdrivingsostopsthe car on
the side of the road to answerit.As he getsout of the car tofindsome signal,he leavesthe
door openandthe toy wouldfall out.WithPaul clearlydistressedfromthe phone call he
doesn’trealise the toyismissinguntil furtherintohisjourney,inwhichcase he is already
late for workand cannotturn back. Withthe toy abandonedbythe side of the road it begins
to getdirtyand starts to fall apart.
 Act 3 – Bethisgoingfor a walkin the forestwhere she comesacrossthe “toy” whichis
lookingdamagedandinneedof some care.She takesit home withherwhere she givesita
bath,in thisscene itwill be revealedtothe audience thatthe “toy”is infact a real dog.
Here,the dog will be fedandembracedtosymbolise theyare ina betterhome andthat the
animal hashad a happy ending.
However,thiswill be contrastedbythe endtagline which statesthat“Dogsare notjust for
Christmas”to followthe well-knownphrase peoplesaywhenconsideringgettingadog.This
will thenbe followedbythe secondtagline“Don’ttreatthemlike agift”whichstressesthe
importance of consideringbefore investinginapet,andthroughreviewingyourlifestyle
before makingthe decisionthe audience wouldunderstandif theywouldreallybe able to
geta pet.
Target audience
 I suggestforthisfilmtheywouldbe fromyoungadultsandolderas itwouldbe addressedto
people whomaybe consideringgettingapetbut maynot have properlyconsideredthe
importance of dedicatingtime tothe animal inorderfortheirpetsto have the best
opportunityforhavingalongand happylife.
 Regardingthe NRSscale the target audience wouldvary betweenlowerdownthe scale and
furtherupthe scale.
 Additionally,regardingthe 4C'smodel the audience wouldbe the aspirerastheircore need
inlife isstatus.
Form and style
 In orderto make it clearto the audience thatthe genre of my filmisDrama I woulduse
realistshotsanduse quite simple editingtomake itmore relatable forthe audience inorder
to make the message of the filmmore successful.Thiswill be achievedthroughhaving
realisticcolourandlightingthroughoutthe majorityof the filminordertostressrealism,
howeverasthe toy isisolatedIwill use slightlydarkerlightingtopromote the
mistreatment's effectonthe “toy”.

4.  A keyfeature of myfilmwill be symbolismordertostressthe message thatdogsmustnot
be treatedlike aninanimate objectsuchasa toy, throughshockingthe audience atthe end
of myshort filmthroughrevealingthe toywasan actual dog.
Marketplace
 My filmwouldbe anamateur,independentfilmwhichwouldbe likelytobe exhibitedon
the YouTube platform.
 Additionally,mycompetitionfor thisgenre of filmwouldspecificallybe filmswhich
alreadystressthe mistreatmentof animalsandare hopingtoraise awarenessforthe
cause.However,Ibelieve myfilmmayholdsome originalitybyincludingsymbolismin
orderto promote the ideathat dogsmustnot be treatedlike atoy.

5. Storyboardof key scenes

8. Script for Plaything
SCENE 1
[Daytime]
Fade in
[Insert chosen music 1] begins to play
Left to right pan towards establishing shot of the scene
CHLOE walks from right towards the left of the CHRISTMAS TREE
towards a large present under the tree
Zoom camera movement onto close up shot of present
CHLOE opens present and pulls out the TOY
Cut to mid-shot of CHLOE embracing the TOY
Cut to mid-shot of PAUL and JACQUI smiling and PAUL has his arm
around JACQUI’s shoulder
Cut to over-the-shoulder shot of CHLOE embracing the toy
Cut to close up shot of CHLOE smiling
Cut to long shot of CHLOE playing with TOY in front of the decorated
CHRISTMAS TREE – pan upwards to the ceiling of the scene, text
appears stating EMPTY.
Fade out
[Insert chosen music 1] continues
Scene 6
[Daytime]
Fade in
[Insert chosen music 2] fades in
Close up shot of phone ringing
Low angle shot of PAUL as he pulls the car over
Cut to long shot of car pulling over to the side of the road in a
rural area
Cut to mid shot as PAUL gets out of the car to answer his phone
Cut to close up shot of the TOY sat on PAUL’s coat as PAUL picks up
coat and drags the TOY with it
Cut to mid shot as the TOY falls out of the car
Cut to long shot of PAUL on the phone with the TOY on the floor
behind him

9. Cut to close up shot of the TOY by the car tyre as PAUL gets back in
the car without realising he has left the toy. With the same close
up shot the car will pull away leaving the TOY
Cut to extreme close up shot of the TOY
Cut to long shot of the TOY by the side of the road, presented to be
in a completely isolated and rural area
Fade out
[Insert chosen music 2] continues