Cinematic Ideas and Script

Cinematic Ideas

Our short film is a psychological horror, using a narrative portraying a conflict between two
characters, portrayed using the mise-en-scene of costume with the main character, Mara,
wearing white and the other wearing black and with the character’s game of chess.
The first scene will be a dream with no sound, until the last chess piece is moved then an
upbeat song will play, that is contrapuntal sound, this will be revealed to be a phone alarm for
Mara to wake up, thus creating a sound bridge, highlighting the scene is a dream, high
brightness and low contrast will also show this. The transition from this scene will use a
graphical match cut from a close-up of the chess board to a close-up of a phone. She’ll go to
class that will be lit with low key lighting and the teacher will be shot using low angles to
imply Mara’s fear of them. We will have another sound bridge when Mara takes her tablet,
which will be coming from Mara’s earphones in the next scene. In this next scene Mara will
be waiting at the bus station with graves behind her, foreshadowing her death. It ends in the
same setting as the beginning with the same positioning.

Script

Checkmate

FADE IN:

EXT. ALLEY - DAY

Two people sit in an alley with a chess board between them.

MARA, a teenage girl dressed in white/grey clothing is controlling the white chess pieces, while an
unidentified FIGURE dressed in black is controlling the black pieces.

The game is nearing the end, with the FIGURE only moving one chess piece to win and put her in
checkmate.

When the chess piece hits the table, an upbeat song begins to play.

CUT TO:

INT. TABLE AT COLLEGE

The song continues to the next setting, and is revealed to be MARA’s alarm.

MARA sits up and turns her alarm off. Then, she looks around at the homework she was completing
and sees the FIGURE at the top of the staircase next to her.

She gathers her papers and leaves briskly. 

CUT TO:

INT. CLASSROOM

MARA sits at the front left side of the room, with the FIGURE at the back right side.

TEACHER, a strict teacher stands at the front of the class teaching Maths.

The TEACHER is going over the work for the lesson, but MARA is daydreaming instead of paying
attention. In the background, there is the sound of the music from the previous scene.

TEACHER

MARA?

MARA is taken out of her daydream when the teacher says her name, causing the music to stop
playing.

TEACHER

MARA, you please answer the equation?

MARA is visibly frightened and confused. As MARA’s anxiety grows, the figure draws nearer, moving
from the back of the classroom to the middle, moving diagonally like a chess piece.

TEACHER

MARA, I said, could you please answer the equation?

MARA

I-I uhh

TEACHER

Can anyone who was paying attention help MARA?

The FIGURE is now sat right next to MARA, as the TEACHER shifts their focus, MARA lets out a
breath of relief, and opens a packet of pills. She takes one pill from the packet and swallows it to calm
her nerves. Once she swallows the pill, the same music from the alarm begins to play.

CUT TO:

EXT. BUS STOP

MARA walks to her bus stop, wearing earphones with the upbeat music playing through, and she
stands waiting at the stop for her bus. Standing across the road from MARA is the FIGURE.
When MARA notices the figure she begins to run away.

BACK TO

EXT. ALLEY

MARA runs into the alley. The FIGURE appears and then they’re both standing in the same place
as in MARA’s dream, facing each other. 

There is a cut to the two kings of the chess set in the same place as MARA and the FIGURE,
as the black chess piece knocks over the white. 

FADE OUT.