IDEA:
Interior. An empty Gallery at night. There are a few lights on for security purposes but it is still fairly gloomy, paintings hang on the walls but the main feature of the exhibit is a magnificent statue which takes pride of place in the centre of the room. An elderly Janitor shuffles his way through the room pushing an ancient looking broom with very worn looking bristles. He moves out of the room and the leaves all the rubbish on the floor. Tucked just out of sight behind a small white-marble pedestal in the corner of the room lies a small matchbox. A tiny man in tiny overalls pushes the box open and looks forlornly at the huge statue in the middle of the room. After a while he gets out of the match box. With a sigh he bends down and picks up a satchel made out of a dropped handkerchief, slings it round his neck, puts on his little hat and starts pacing his usual route around the room pulling the matchbox behind him like a cart.
He starts picking up the various assorted bits of knick-knacks and bric-a-brac dropped by the Gallery patrons during the day and piling them on top of the matchbox. As he approaches the bin on the other side of the room he glances up at the statue. He sighs and keeps walking but he stops when his foot bumps against a large hairpin that lies on the floor in front of him. He picks up the hairpin and finds that it is broken leaving one end sharp to a point. He starts using it to pick up bits of paper by stabbing them then dropping them onto his matchbox cart. He stops and stares at the piece of rubbish stuck on the point of the hairpin for a few seconds and glances up at the statue again. He looks down to his matchbox cart. A huge smile appears on his face. He sprints around the room frantically collecting rubbish. He finally stops to look his rubbish pile up and down.
Possible Montage of close up shots of things being stuck together.
The next morning there is a replica of the statue but made out of rubbish in the room next to the bin and the small man looks up at it with great pride. The Old Janitor starts his morning shift and shuffles into the room. The tiny man quickly pushes his matchbox out of sight and dives into it. with a single stroke of his broom the frail old man sweeps up the statue and carries on round the room.
Hi Freddie, I'm really liking this! There are just a few things though. Think of it of a 3 act structure, you've got your 3 acts, I can see them clearly but if its equilibrium, disturbance to equilibrium, then equilbrium of main character with a change... your mini janitor's equilbrium would be him doing his janitor roll, longing for something, disturbance is the sharp hairpin which allows him to pick up rubbish easier and conjures an idea.
ReplyDeleteBut the return of equilbrium that you seem to be suggesting is then the statue he creates getting destroyed? Therefore your mini janitor hasn't changed, his hopes and dreams are swept back to just that.
I don't think the janitor would come in in the morning if he was the last one there last night, what would he have to clean? He's already (kinda) done it. What if a small child comes in and is pretty bored by the usual art work, but sees this sculpture and is facinated, he yanks on his mum's sleeve and the next thing we see is a queue to see the statue and your mini janitor smiling with happiness.
That is a good idea Emma however I was aiming for a more comical tragedy effect where the main character fails despite his best efforts. Wile E cyote for example, always ends up squashed by a rock or falling off a cliff or something and that's the return to equilibrium in that show, and it's funny. I think changing his hopes and dreams for the better after all his hard work just doesn't seem to work for the story I want to tell. the fact that his statue gets destroyed at the end says "sometimes you fail and that's life. deal with it." and it's funny because it's not happening to you as the audience. Although I suppose I could have him start rebuilding the statue again or something... to show the whole "never give up" attitude.
DeleteHowever I completely agree with you about the janitor coming in in the morning and sweeping up. He would be there all day as he's quite bad at his job and it takes him all day to do anything (a bit like me) but it is abseloutely important that he sweeps up at the beginning of the story but I could have him destroy the statue in another way.
I suppose if it really doesn't work though I'll have to change it.
Ohh if you're taking that stance with the comedy of losing then that'll work! I didn't think of that. So you could make him look sillily happy and then BAM it all comes crashing down and the audience is like... opps... hahaha.
ReplyDeleteWhat if your janitor is quite old? He could destroy it in a silly way which would make it even funnier.. what if he sneezes but it being an art museum he is trying to hold it in to stop the noise and while doing that he isn't looking where he's going and steps on the statue and then ends up sneezing anyway? But anyhoos I really look forward to seeing this come together! :)