SCRIPT
SCENE 1: open on a shot of a queer teenager watching tv with their mom. they are eating dinner. once they're done the teenager takes their plate and their moms to the kitchen. the mom smiles at them. they smile back.

cut to them in the kitchen. they put the dishes in the sink then open their phone and sit on the floor.

shot of their phone. they scroll past various things. they hesitate on post of some queer kids their age having fun together.

cut to some shots of the suburbs. empty roads and parking lots. skies. long streets.

cut back to them on their phone. they scroll a bit more then come across a post looking for queer community online. provides a link for joining a discord server. they hesitate on this post as well and save it.

cut to them later in their room on their computer. it is dark. the computer is bright. they're all cozy in blankets and stuff either in bed or on a chair. the discord join link is open and we see it. we also see shots of them looking hesistant to join it. then we cut back to the computer and they click the link.

we cut to the next morning. they are asleep with the server still open. we see that there is lively conversation that they have been participating in open on the server. they jolt awake and look at their phone where we see it's time for them to go.

we see them walking outside. it is shot to show a small amount of dissociation. its foggier, the camera is shakier and shot from first person.

cut to them coming through the door of the house later on. their mom looks up. they go straight up to their room.

we see them on the server more. then cut to waking up. then the dissociation thing, but more intense. this loops 3 times except each time the dissociation gets worse.

the dissociation shot is very intense. suddenly we cut to them in a white void. there's ringing.

they sit down. shot of their hand touching grass. they pull their phone out of their bag. things around them become blurry. they throw the phone.

there's rustling beside them. gay looking teenager sits down next to them and smiles.
END SCRIPT
location list:
living room with a TV
kitchen with a sink
bedroom at night and during the day
house with a doorway
streets, target parking lots, parks, etc

prop list:
phone
computer
plates with food
bag
blankets

characters:
gay teenager: Wil
mom: Nalina
other gay teenager: nixie or zion or whomever else is available

filmmaking supplies
camera (maybe just my phone?)
greenscreen
microphones or some sort of recording device even just recording app on a phone

shot list (chronological order):
LIVING ROOM:
close up of kid's plate
wide shot of kid and mom
midshot of tv
midshot of kid finishing food, getting up with empty plate
midshot of them taking mom's plate
wide shot from kid's pov of mom smiling at them
mid-close up of kid smiling back
KITCHEN:
mid shot of kid putting dishes in sink, then opening their phone and sitting down on the floor. this shot is taken from next to the sink, the kid being in profile
close up of kid's phone as they scroll through and see queer kids in commmunity. Note that this should not be actual instaram-- make a fake pdf document of something that looks LIKE instagram, sort of, and have them scroll through that, that way there's more content control too.
shots of the suburbs: the parking lot, the streets, etc
another close up of the kid's phone. they scroll through various memes and such and then come across a post advertising a chatroom for queer youth. they hesitate over this one.
BEDROOM:
midshot of kid from the back, looking at their computer
close up of computer-- on it is a button they can press to join the chatroom if they want.
midshot of their face-- they look conflicted. the computer illuminates their face in the darkness.
wide shot of them asleep at computer. it is daytime. their phone alarm goes off. it's morning.
first person shot of them walking down the street.
midshot of their face. they look vaguely upwards or to the side. the background surrounding them is blurry and moving weird.
midshot from behind mom inside the house. the door opens and teenager walks through. mom looks vaguely towards them. they go upstairs.
another midshot of kid in front of the computer.
quick cut to them out in the world
repeat similar shots in montage that gets faster and faster until--
midshot of teenager in a white void. they look around.
close up of their hand touching grass
close up of them, centered and facing forward with their shoulders and head in frame. they bring their phone in front of their face. things begin to bounce around and Be Weird. they look disturbed. they toss the phone
midshot of the phone being tossed away in the grass
midshot of them sitting in the void.
wide shot of them sitting in the void. another Gay Looking Person comes into frame. our gay teenager looks up at them.
cut to black

task list:
make pdf that looks like social media
make fake television show (about 30 sec long or actually no we can just not have that in frame and just have the sound)
make shot order list
find a greenscreen
test phone camera
go get suburb shots
shoot other shots






idea
a queer teenager deals with their complex relationship with the internet-- it simultaneously makes them isolated and gives them community.
main character and what they believe and want
a queer teenager wants to spend all their time online with their queer discord friends. the outside world is outside their comfort zone and they believe they will never be accepted by anyone there. philosophical conflict
self isolation and comfort versus real life community and connection
dan harmon story circle
comfort zone
character lives at home and goes to public school in the suburbs, they feel isolated from everything need/desire
community and connection to alike people

enter unfamiliar situation
they find queer discord server with seemingly perfect friends

adapt
they spend all their time on the server

get what they wanted
they have a super tight knit community of nerdy gay teenagers on the internet

pay a heavy price

something Bad happens physically-- to them, to the outside world? i dont want it to be an addiction metaphor because its different than that. so more likely something to do with their relationship to the outside world like things get noticeably dissociative and such

return to comfort zone
they get pulled out of the void that is gay discord

changed
the world is still weird and dissociative and they need to learn how to adapt to it and be a Person again-- perhaps in the last shot another Cool Gay Person can sit next to them or something.