SYNOPSIS:
On her way home, the WOMAN is constantly being followed by someone or something. When SHE stops, the footsteps continue.
When SHE goes around puddles, someone is walking through them behind her. However, when SHE turns around, there is no one. At the same time, someone is always peeping at her from around the corner.
The story ends with the WOMAN getting to her apartment and going to the shower. However, in the reflection of the mirror in one of the rooms, we see a person sitting in the room and watching her wash in the shower.
Voice over:
Today someone is always watching. Protect your privacy.
VISUAL STYLE
TON&STYLE
Style and tone: a bit dark, like a thriller, but not noir. However, even though the girl undresses at the end, there is nothing sexual in the story. This is not a story about sex, but about the drama of today, that someone is always watching us and our private, intimate and only our life is no longer ours - someone is always spying on you. However, the main horror is that you know that this danger is there, but you never know where it is.
DIRECTOR'S CUT
INT. MULTI-LEVEL UNDERGROUND PARKING - NIGHT
- The CAMERA moves out from behind a parked car into a free passage in the parking lot. (DISCOVERING SHOT)
- We see a black car coming out of a large spiral descent and driving towards us.
- Then it turns into other lane, drives past several cars. The CAMERA is parallel to it and follows it from behind the parked cars. (TRUCKING SHOT).
- At the end of the row, the car turns again, enters the spiral descent again and drives away. The CAMERA STOPS and see it off it.
VIDEO-REFERENCE OF THE CAR LEAVING AS IT GOES OUT OF FOCUS (RACK FOCUS)
— WOMAN walks to the back door, (CAMERA TILT UP).
— WOMAN opens the back door of the car, takes a leather work bag and a diary lying on the bag (CAMERA on the back seat)
— WOMAN then close the door, goes back to the driver's door to look in the side mirror. As the girl gets closer, the CAMERA moves even higher. — WOMAN fixes her hair/lipstick (ANOTHER CAMERA in the car on the front seat is aimed at the reflection in the side mirror).
— WOMAN then leaves, setting the car alarm (the car lights flash, a characteristic beep sounds).
- On the way, THE WOMAN tries to put her diary and car keys into her bag on the go and stops.
- However, the sound of footsteps continues, although she has stoped!
- THE WOMAN turns her head and looks around the parking lot.
- BUT FOOTSTEPS STARTS AGAIN!!!
- THE WOMAN quickly turns around. And looks around again
- Suddenly THE WOMAN turns in our direction. At that moment the CAMERA "dives" behind the cars and immediately "emerges" in another place and again watches the WOMAN (already somewhere behind her)
THE WOMAN shifts her gaze from place to place and again returns to her things
- Then she STANDS UP, turning to face the place SHE was looking at a second ago.
- The WOMAN looks at somewhere in the parking lot for a few seconds, then turns and walks away.
- THE CAMERA SEES HER OFF.
INT. MULTI-LEVEL UNDERGROUND PARKING EXIT/ENTRY - NIGHT.
CROSS-PAN.
A BLACK CAR enters the underground parking lot, slowly moving down the hill straight towards us.
THE CAMERA pans the car as it moves towards us and past us.
As the CAMERA turns 180 degrees, following the car, we see THE WOMAN walking straight towards us (towards the exit).
- SHE puts her diary and keys in her bag as SHE walks, turning back at the same time.
- THE CAR passes her and slowly drives away into the distance, now we PICK UP the girl and PAN HER.
- THE WOMAN walks towards us, then past us and goes up the hill, moving away from us.
- THE WOMAN comes out from around the corner and walks down the street.
- As SHE walks, SHE sometimes turns around to check if anyone is following her.
- SHE turns back and walk away.
- The CAMERA is on the rise in the passage. It is lying on the steps at the top of the passage (at the top of the steps) and is filming THE WOMAN walking in the passage towards us.
- Since the CAMERA is at the top of the steps but THE WOMAN is at the bottom , we see THE WOMAN up to her shoulders or slightly lower (COWBOY SHOT), she is walking towards us and how she begins to climb the steps.
- THE WOMAN is walking towards us. She is out of focus. Then she begins to upsteps.
- The CAMERA moves out from behind a glass corner into a ground glass walkway.
- Through the glass we see THE WOMAN climbing the stairs at the other end of the glass walkway.
- Then THE WOMAN turns into the glass walkway itself and walks towards us.
- SUDDENLY FOOTSTEPS ARE HEARD ON THE WATER BEHIND!!!
- THE WOMAN ENTERS the reflection of the puddle.
- THE CAMERA RISE UP (along the girl's body).
- Now we see THE WOMAN'S FACE. SHE takes the cigarette out of her mouth and looks up
- There is no one in the passage in front of her. THE WOMAN turns around.
- When THE WOMAN turns right in our direction, THE CAMERA "dives" back around the corner and "emerges" again from a completely different place and CONTINUES TO WATCH THE WOMAN from behind cover.
- From behind cover we see how THE WOMAN peers at us for a few more seconds, and then turns around and leaves.
- THE WOMAN approaches her house. On the way, SHE constantly looks back and looks around.
- THE WOMAN goes up the stairs.
- HER HEELS make a characteristic clicking sound.
- However, suddenly THE SOUND OF HEELS on the stairs is heard behind her.
- There is NO ONE on the stairs.
- SHE walks towards the flower pot (HER entrance into her own POV occurs here).
- (POV) CAMERA peeks out from behind the flower pot in the hallway and sees THE WOMAN carefully moving towards it (us).
- (POV) THE CAMERA looks out from behind another corner/object in the hallway and watches THE WOMAN (looks at her back).
- THE GIRL turns around. There's no one in the hallway. SHE turns around and leaves.
- Then SHE enters the apartment and closes the door behind her.
- MACRO SHOT AT THE PEEPHOLE. THE WOMAN'S PROFILE enters the frame and looks through the peephole.
- SHE puts her bag on the dresser. SHE takes off her coat, hangs it on the hanger and walks into the apartment.
- THERE IS A KNOCK ON THE DOOR!!!
- On her way, SHE takes A PEPPER SPRAY from the dresser and slowly approaches the door.
- The door to the corridor opens.
- THE WOMAN cautiously peers out, holding the pepper spray.
- THE WOMAN goes back into the apartment and closes the door.
- THE WOMAN walks deeper into the apartment, stopping at the passage to the kitchen.
- THE WOMAN casually takes off her shoes and leaves them to the side.
- Then SHE goes into the kitchen.
- The CAMERA is in the next room. When THE WOMAN enters the kitchen (in the photo in the hallway on the right), the CAMERA moves along the wall (where the TV is now). That is, we move past photographs, books, a glass of wine, burnt candles, posters, burning lamps, a vase of flowers and other things of the girl.
- The CAMERA stops at the second entrance to the kitchen (on the left).
- In the depths of the second passage to the kitchen, we see part of a armchair/chair, onto which first a sweater flies, then a skirt/pants.
- THEN THE WOMAN puts her foot on the chair and takes off her stockings.
- Now THE WOMAN moves away from us.
- SHE takes off her bra and goes to the bathroom, which is just down the hall.
- On the way, SHE throws the bra on the dresser and goes into the bathroom. From this point on, THE WOMAN BECOMES OUT OF FOCUS.
- When the CAMERA turns behind THE WOMAN, following her as SHE walks through the room, heading for the bathroom, we see a mirror in the room.
- It reflects A STRANGER sitting in a chair. HE is wearing dark clothes and a black balaclava. HE JUST SITS ANS WATCHES.
- THE WOMAN'S SILHOUETTE takes off her panties and go on to into the shower, turns on the water and stands under the stream of water. -
- THE STRANGER in the reflection continues to watch.
- THE CAMERA begins to slowly move back and out of the room.
- THE STRANGER gets up from the chair.
FADE OUT
COLOR + MOOD
INTERIOR (parking)____________________________________________________EXTERIOR (street)
Analogous palette + bright accents
OR restricted pallete with desaturated colors
Analogous with accents, which might be complimentary.
The overall mass is +/- ANALOGOUS & RESTRUCTED PALLETE with strongly limited numbers of collors and small complementary accents. ALL IN MUTED TONE with a bit DESATURATED COLORS.
CAST
She is dressed simply and tastefully, it is clear that she has good style.
CAMERA WORK (LENSE)
A SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD:
I want to use more a shallow depth of field (+beautiful boke), so that there is more blur in the foreground and background. That is, so that there is always a clear gradation of plans and obvious multi-planarity. We do not care about the details of the background. We care that only important elements and important objects are in focus, like when hunting for prey, when only the prey is in focus. We also use a shallow depth of field to control the viewer's attention, moving the focus from one object to another or between different plans. Therefore, we always have only one thing in focus.
Even when using wide shots and WIDE LENS, I want the background and foreground to still be slightly out of focus, in blur. So that the heroine stands out and is always separated from the background. So even here I would like to use a shallow depth of field (where it is possible).
POST - FILM EMULATION
In post-processing I want to use the effect of old film (dehancer):
- slightly faded colors
- large grain
- falling black color
- etc.
SET DESIGN
WHAT IS SINGLE WOMAN APPARTEMENT
The main thing is that this girl has taste, style and a sense of beauty. That's why her apartment looks attractive, moderately stylish, but at the same time it doesn't consist of expensive things, but rather of things with good taste, picked up at sales and flea markets.
The apartment of a lonely chewer is always:
- Very clean and stylish, but you can still tell that people live here
- lots of greenery (flowers)
- lots of books and magazines
- photos of myself and female friends
- candles
- wardrobe, ironing accessories
- all sorts of little women's things, baubles, homemade things, strange vases, etc.
- etc.
STRANGER
He is the complete opposite of the girl and her taste.
A sloppily dressed man, without taste. His clothes are old, worn, unkempt, and don't go well together, for example, t-shirt over other long-sleeved clothing, etc. He looks like a common punk who has long since outgrown his age.
He either has a balaclava on his face or a hood on, so we can't see his face.
He might be wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt and have a beer belly.
STRANGER IS WATCHING
I think the moment when he peeks out and spies should be visually distinct and slightly different from the rest of the action. Perhaps:
- MOVEMENT. This can be a constant and not very neat hand-held, creating the feeling that someone who is not very good with a camera or phone is secretly filming. Or simulate peeping, or stylize as sloppy filming.
- FRAMING DEVICE. I think there should always be some kind of obstacle in the foreground (a fence, a corner of a wall, a car) on the screen. This is not only to create depth, but also to emphasize that surveillance is taking place (from around the corner).
- VISUAL LOOK. Maybe we should think about using a weird lens that will highlight this moment. Or we can choose some interesting diffusion filter. Or use Vaseline or something similar on the filter to create something strange and different from the general view.
- COLOR. Perhaps make the overall color a little more greenish to emphasize the digital peeping.
STORYBOARD (in progress)
