From Script To Screen: Further Development Of The Story

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 I recently talked to one of my tutors about my story:

Story presents itself as being supernatural however the entire plot is taking place in a mental patients head at a mental hospital. The briefcase could represent the characters closed mind and the doctors are trying to find the key to opening it. At the beginning of the story it would appear that the magician can wield real magic and will show this off to the audience through a selection of tricks. 

This story idea was very rough however I liked how I used all three of the objects (Magician, briefcase and hospital). My favourite part was the twist reveal at the end that the entire plot is taking place within the characters head rather than the real world.

My tutor liked my idea however they explained that there were a lot of themes which takes the audience away from the main plot. The ideas were there they just weren't focused enough. They suggested that I try to ground the story more into reality. Make all the elements fit each other so maybe the patient was a magician before the break down. They also suggested I make the briefcase a physical thing which the audience can see. Maybe the magician is gripping it throughout the performance and wont let anyone see what is inside. It could contain the information which lead to his breakdown and its only revealed near the end of the story. 

They also asked me to question what the reason for the breakdown was and how could this then link to the story. 

Off the top of my head I came up with the idea that maybe the magician had a wife who was his assistant. Maybe a magic trick went wrong when they were performing which lead to her death. The briefcase could have a picture of his wife in it. 

The last thing we talked about was how can we hint to the audience that the entire story is taking place inside his head.

I suggested that the magician could be performing to the other patients at the hospital. The magic act which we are seeing at the beginning is the same one he is performing however it is presented in a way which seems like its in front of a massive crowd of diehard fans. As the act progresses their are hints which slowly become more apparent that the show we are watching is not real, or at least not in the way presented.

I have listed below the ideas we came up with

  • Maybe the magician is fixated on a single moment in time from his career and so it is set in the past. He looks a lot younger at the beginning and slowly ages throughout the performance
  • Assistant could slowly turn into a patient who is not conscious
  • Muffled sounds/flickering lights. Maybe a TV is on at the hospital for patients to watch
  • Music can change
  • Maybe he knocks things over because he is drugged
  • Very protective over briefcase
  • Audience claps and laughs at the wrong time

From this 1 to 1 I now have a more focused story and a clearer direction to take it in. I'm happy with the idea that his wife's death is the cause of his mental struggles, however I want to look further into mental health so I have a better understanding what I'm dealing with. I want to write a realistic character so I need to understand his struggles. I also want to look at films such as Shutter Island and Joker to understand how they handle mental health. I also need to find additional ways of transitioning to the real world from the fake. Justin suggested that I rely on sound to help this process, I want to look into this further. 

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