Steven

Payne

Unit Four Environment

Steven Payne Unit Four: Environment

Online Greenlight Review

Premise Step Outline Logline Script

Steven Payne

Unit Four Environment

Premise An eccentric child in a Gothic household appears to be operating on animals

within his laboratory, but it is revealed that he isnt abusing them, but giving them a whole new look.

Step Outline
Scene 1 The deliveryman arrives at Frankies house. The cloud of an impending storm is suspended above the house. Parcel in hand, he rings the doorbell. The door opens to reveal Frankie, a small child, standing at the deliverymans feet. The deliveryman gives the parcel, riddled with air holes, to Frankie. The box reads Shermer Pets and Animal Supplies LTD. Frankie pushes the parcel into the hallway as the door closes behind him. Scene 2 Frankie maneuvers the box into his laboratory. Rain begins to trickle down the windows. Once inside, Frankie opens the box and he is seen removing an animal from the box. The exact variety of animal is obscured by the darkness. He straps the animal into a large leather chair. The chair slowly tips back, creaking as it goes. Frankie pushes a set of metal drawers on casters beside the chair and then uses a stepladder to climb upon the chair, leaning over the animal. Frankie is seen reaching out of shot, picking up various, obscured instruments and operating on the animal. Scene 3 Frankie hops down and maneuvers a large, cylindrical device behind the chair. He frantically connects a series of wires to a large, transformer-like device. Frankie throws a large lever, but the final result is anticlimactic. Frankie throws the lever repeatedly, only to find the cable leading to the power source curiously chewed apart. Lightning flashes through the windows as a large gust of wind blows them open, giving Frankie an idea. He wraps another series of wires around the handle of an old umbrella, which he then positions outside the window. Frankie throws a switch simultaneously with the lightning striking the umbrella, which causes the transformer-like device to burst into life. Another series of switches, knobs and levers are triggered, causing the cylindrical device to power up, emanating a loud, whirring sound. Scene 4 A lever is thrown, triggering the machines to power down in unison. A light bursts on above the chair. The chair rotates, revealing the animal to be perfectly unharmed hamster, sporting a flamboyant, bouffant-like hairstyle. The room lights up, revealing the implied-Gothic setting to actually be a salon, specifically for pets. Photographs of past customers line the far wall. Frankie throws one final lever.

Steven Payne

Unit Four Environment

Scene 5 The lever triggers a bright, neon sign to light upon the side of Frankies house, that simply says Frankies Place.

Logline

An eccentric child beautifies all creatures great and small in a manner that is initially perceived to be macabre.

Script

Act I. Scene I. EXT. Frankies House The house is of a grand, Gothic construction, curiously wedged between a pair of typical Victorian terraced houses. ESTABLISHING SHOT of FRANKIEs house, a delivery van is seen pulling into shot. CUT TO Front Door. In keeping with the aesthetic of the house, the door is a hulking mass of twisted iron and wood. The door is seen from the perspective of the DELIVERYMAN, he can be seen holding a box. The holes in the box indicate it is used for transporting animals. A pearlescent button is set within an ornate iron base. Assuming it to be the doorbell, the deliveryman presses it. A deep, heavy tone rings out, followed shortly by the sound of footsteps, growing louder as they shifted closer and closer to the door. The door rattles as locks are opened and the door emits a piercing creak, as it slowly swings open. HOLD SHOT, showing the distant corridor. PAN DOWNWARDS to reveal a small child looking up at the deliveryman. He is clothed in an oversized lab coat and safety goggles resting upon his head. CLOSE UP of the child signing the deliverymans clipboard. His signature reveals his name to be Frankie. CUT TO a sideways shot of Frankie and the delivery mans legs. The deliveryman passes the box to Frankie. His legs buckle under the weight, and the box falls to the floor, leading Frankie to push the box through the front door.

Steven Payne

Unit Four Environment

Act II. Scene II. INT. Frankies Laboratory Frankie places the box upon the counter in his laboratory. Rain can be seen and heard trickling down the windows. LOW, MID SHOT of Frankie opening the box, the contents obscured by the low lighting and low viewing angle. CUT TO Frankie spinning a large, leather chair around, somewhat maniacal with glee. The back of the chair faces the camera, positioned at a angle, further obscuring the true identity of the animal. Frankie fastens the animal in the chair. CLOSE UP of Frankies foot raising the chair using a foot pump. Frankie moves a set of metal drawers beside the chair. It is implied that there are tools place upon the top. Frankie climbs upon the chair and stands over the animal. CLOSE UP of Frankies face, from the POV of the animal. He lowers his goggles and reaches off screen and can be heard fumbling for the correct instrument on the drawers. CUT TO REAR SHOT of Frankie, leaning over the animal. His body continues to obscure the animal, as well as the tool and the process occurring. Only whirring sounds can be heard as he makes progress. Shadows of Frankie operating on the animal can be seen projected upon the far wall. The items in his hands and the actions being performed are seen to be more macabre and sinister than reality. CUT BETWEEN shots of Frankies face from the POV of the animal and shots of his hands, reaching for various bottles and instruments. The shots transition with the flickering and claps of lightning. CUT TO Black, in time with the transitions. Scene III. Frankie hops down from the chair, darkness still concealing the animal. MONTAGE showing Frankie maneuvering a cylindrical device behind the chair and connecting cables to a large, transformer-like device. CUT TO Frankie standing on a stack of boxes, his arm primed to throw a large, iron lever.

Steven Payne

Unit Four Environment

CLOSE UP of the lever being thrown. MONTAGE of shots of dials struggling to turn and lights faintly flickering. Sounds of machinery powering down can be heard as the device fails to power up. Frustrated, Frankie repeatedly slams to the lever into the on and off positions, until his eyes catch something. CAMERA PANS SLOWLY, following the trail of a connecting cable. The cable has been curiously chewed in half, much to the frustration of Frankie, still holding firmly onto the lever. Lightning flashes, grabbing Frankies attention and planting an idea in his head. A large set of windows is blown open by the strong wind shaking the house. Frankie is seen frantically rummaging within a cupboard. He leaves with an old umbrella in hand. CLOSE UP of Frankies hands, wrapping the mangled, exposed cable around the handle of the umbrella. CUT TO Frankie leaning out of the window. He fastens the umbrella to the ledge. (Alternatively, Frankie could be holding the umbrella as lightning strikes, electricity comically surging through him as it powers up the device.) CUT TO shots of dials flickering on and lights getting gradually brighter. The cylindrical device begins to shake and whirr. CUT TO side on view of the chair, the chair and animal seen as a silhouette in the foreground, as a shadow on the wall shows the device shaking above the animals head. The animal can be seen twitching and shaking. Act III. Scene IV. The lever used the trigger the machinery is seen reverting to its original position, triggering the various devices to gradually power down. REAR SHOT of the chair, in the centre of the scene. A spotlight above the seat turns on abruptly. Frankie skips towards the chair, maniacally pushing the cylindrical device aside as he forcefully spins the chair around, in a somewhat flamboyant fashion, the straps unbuckling as it goes.

Steven Payne

Unit Four Environment

CLOSE UP of the chair slowing down to a stop, facing the camera, as the identity of the animal is finally revealed to the audience. Sat in the chair is a small hamster, completely unharmed. It is found to be sporting a pristine, bouffant haircut and plastered in vivid, 50s style make-up. The camera PULLS BACK from the chair, as the rest of the room begins to light up, one light at a time. The room is revealed to be an illustrious salon, laden with pastel coloured surfaces and kitsch dcor. The instruments are revealed to be nothing more than the tools of a beautician, and the cylindrical device above the chair is simply a hood-style hair dryer. The camera PANS TOWARDS the far wall, which is lined with photographic examples of Frankies previous work, depicting various animals with various looks. Much like those found in practically every salon. Frankie throws one final lever. Scene V. EXT. Frankies House The camera PULLS BACK from the house, as a bright neon sign flickers to life. The sign, written in a garish, handwritten-style font simply says the words Frankies Place. The camera continues to PULL BACK, as the shot FADES TO BLACK.