Live Life

I have changed my idea as I was struggling to come up with a story which I could relate to myself. Thinking about my past I have come up with a new idea and all the details are below they are only first draft and will most likely get changed but here is the ruff outline! The title will not safe but I'm puzzled on what to call it. 

Genre: social realistic drama

The idea/story: Live Life is about a girl called Ellie who is stuck in a rut and living the tedious life of a 21 year old girl. When she gets to work it all changes, her manager offer her the promotion of a life time where she gets to move to Japan. She now has the choice of continuing her mundane life or going on the adventure which will change her life forever. When trying to come to a decision memories start flooding in of a friend she had once forgot. Can these memories help her to choose?

The plot: The audience enters Ellie’s life when her mundane life is interrupted.

Main plots:

1.       Ellie’s alarm is ringing as the opening scene begins. Her mother walks in with a cup of tea, tells her that her bath is running and breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes as usual. Ellie gets up and goes to the bathroom

2.        Ellie walks down stairs to the breakfast table. It is laid out with a selection of cereal, a plate of toast, butter, jams and a pot of tea brewing on the side. Ellie eats and heads for work.

3.       Ellie arrives at work where she hears about the usual gathering that she doesn’t attend and how much she missed out on when she gets called into the manager’s office. This is when Ellie reach’s her life changing option; her manager offers her a promotion with a catch as the promotion means she has to move to Japan. At the thought memories and flashbacks fill Ellie’s mind of an old friend once forgotten

The next few minutes will turn into flashbacks and memories of Ellie when she was 15 years old. Each number is a different day, time and place.

4.       Ellie is walking to a playing field ignoring a guy (who looks the same age) following her. She finally turns around and is facing a boy who says “hi I’m James” and he gives her a hand shake.

5.       It’s a hot summers day Ellie and James are messing about at the playing field when she asks him what he wants to do when he is older. In which he replies live life to the full and asks her the same question. She stutters and replies she doesn’t know.

6.       Ellie is around James house and watching him spin and turn his car in his field. He then comes over to her and tells her he’s going travelling in the summer holidays with his parents and would be going away for three months. He says how excited he is as they are going scuba diving, bungee jumping and swimming with dolphins. Ellie says how exciting it is but her heart is broken that he will be away so long.

7.       Next is a split screen showing a montage of all the different activities that James was doing while Ellie stays at home doing nothing.

8.       Its night time and they’re at the playing field lying on the grass looking at the stars. James places his coat over Ellie and there is more talking about living in the moment. There is a kiss between the two which fades out to darkness.

9.       Ellie is in the present day and the manager is waiting for her to answer his proposal. Ellie replies that she will take the job.

10.   The final scene is Ellie leaving her mums house with a suitcase behind her. Her mum is teary and Ellie is struggling to choke back the tears as she is getting in the taxi. The taxi stops down a quiet country lane where the girl gets out with a bunch of flowers. See puts them down next to old dead bunches. A single tear drops down the side of her cheeky as she remembers her last memory of James. Ellie is 16 years old and at James funeral who tragically died in a car crash.

Theme:

1.       Lack of self belief / confidence

2.       The pain of losing someone but their death changing you

3.       Family and relationships

Characters:

Ellie:

1.       Is 21 years old and working in an IT company

2.       Lives with her mother and has always had a safe, sheltered life and has been well protected and doesn’t want change

3.       She doesn’t like making decisions. She isn’t happy with her current job but doesn’t want to do anything about it due to her lack of confidence

4.       Is a very reclusive girl who has a close bond with her family

5.       Shy, quiet, small build, medium height, brown hair, blue eyes, well dressed and smart looking

6.       Her timid personality prevents her from meeting and talking to anyone outside of work 

James:

1.       15/16 years old boy going to a private grammar school

2.       Crazy/wacky, spontaneous, wild child, hyperactive, outgoing, happy/bubbly, cheeky chappy

3.       Lives with his mother and father in a rich upper class family

4.       He is a boy living in the moment and living it to the full

5.       He had his life set out and he knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go

6.       Due to his privileged upbringing he is very adventurous going abroad to countries 2/3 times a year.

7.       He plays rugby for his school and has been skiing/snowboarding, bungee jumping, sky diving, swimming with dolphins, scuba diving, road trip across America etc

8.       Owns: quad bikes, pit bike, field car, bb guns, samurai swords, dogs, horses etc

9.       Sandy blonde shaggy hair, blue eyes, cheeky smile, stocky built / rugby like

10.   Medium/short height

11.   Slightly grass stained/ripped jeans and polo shirt

SETTING:

1.       Modern house in a quiet cul-de-sac with signs like ‘no ball games’ up

2.       Office building cramped with computers and workers

3.       South East around the country side - big house a quiet cul-de-sac

4.       A calm, winding narrow country road     

The Pitch    

A reclusive girl living in a rut now has a choice, live her mundane life or move to Japan. Will a friend from the past help?

The Synopsis   

Live life is social realist drama short film based on a reclusive girl called Ellie. Ellie is 21 years old, living with her mum and works as an IT worker in a company in London. She has lived a sheltered life and is now stuck in a rut. When at work she is called into the manager’s office and is offered a promotion which a catch. The manager offers Ellie the job of a lifetime where in the promotion she will have to move to Japan. Now timid Ellie has to choose between her safe and sheltered life and a new journey full of the unknown. Can remembering someone from her past help her decide her future at this turning point?      

Ellie is a petite, brown haired, blue eyed girl and is the main character to this story. She is working in an IT company and dresses smart and representable way. She comes across very shy, reclusive, quiet and not an outgoing character. Ellie is also a ‘mummies’ girl who feels safest and most at ease when surrounded by family. She also lacks in confidence but is such a likeable character for her sweet childlike behaviour.

James is the friend from the past who is the complete opposite of Ellie. He is 15 years old and has a very childlike behaviour. He is spontaneous, outgoing, happy, bubbly, crazy, wacky and a cheeky chappy with a smile that could melt your heart. He takes risks, never regrets, and lives for the moment and life to the full.

Live life is a touching story of a girl who is stuck on which path to take. Should she stay on the safe road of an average paid job where she’ll always have a place at home and her family around her or leave the country for a better career and into the unknown. Ellie thinks back to her past and a strong friendship she once had with James to try decide where her future belongs.