DRAMA Treatment

Treatment

Working Title - Spaceboy

Spaceboy is an emotion-driven short film following the story of 7 year old Dylan who dreams of going to space.

Dylan is a young dreamer with a big imagination. He spends time in his room looking at the space posters that adorn his walls and playing with the spaceship his mother gave him. Just as boredom appears to set in, a strike of inspiration hits him and he rushes up to grab many arts and crafts supplies, including the bottle tops off the milk cartons (much to his mothers dismay) and a large cardboard box full of paper, card, tinfoil and everything else needed to be creative.

His room becomes cluttered as he excitedly creates his masterpiece, tongue stuck out in excited concentration. It is soon revealed that Dylan is creating a space suit for himself, which he puts on immediately and proudly stands admiring his finished creation.

He runs around the room playing make-believe and looks up out of his skylight at the darkening sky. He leaves the room in a burst of energy, knocking a drawing off his desk of himself and his "daddy the spaceman".

Dylan leaves the house unnoticed and makes his way to the local playground. His imagination runs wild as he spins on the roundabout, reaching the speed of light and climbs to the top of a structure to scout locations. He finishes his space training and heads up to the Sheffield amphitheatre that overlooks the city. As dusk approaches he plays on staring up into the darkening skies. After a while it seems that he has lost his energy as he sits down heavily on a bench. We see him look up towards the sky once more before the scene fades away.

4 days previously

Dylan is sat at the TV attentively watching the cartoon. His mother is at the sink washing dishes. A sudden flash of blue light breaks through the curtains catching Dylan's attention. He jumps up just as a loud knock raps of the door. Before his mother can react Dylan runs up to door and yanks it open to reveal a tall dark figure in a police outfit. He looks so small in comparison as he looks up to meet the policeman's eyes. Dylan's mother quickly tells her son to go upstairs and play. He obliges and looks back to see his mother's concerned face as she speaks to the police officer.

Dylan is sat in his room on his bed as his mother enters. Her face is slightly red and blotchy and it is obvious she has been crying. She walks over and sits beside Dylan softly explaining that Dylan's father isn't coming back home and that he is now 'with the stars' looking down on both of them. As she strokes his head and kisses his forehead, Dylan simply looks up at the stars outside and opens his eyes wide in awe.

The key themes within this short film are excitement, determination and love. We intend to portray this through the use of set design, camera work, sound and editing. There will be a warm colour grade to the shots, creating an uplifting and nostalgic feel. This will be complimented with the soft and space-like soundscape, which will be pleasant to listen to, reflecting the child-like quality to the film.

The character of Dylan will portray a flood of emotions through close up shots of his facial expressions. There will be focused determination as he sticks his tongue out whilst creating his spacesuit. There will be complete excitement as he rushes around the playground preparing for lift off. And there will also be confusion and sadness when he hears that his father won't be returning home again.

The pace of the film will build throughout, from the opening shots of Dylan making his suit, through to the space training simulations. This will be achieved through quick cuts and exciting sounds being played throughout. There will then be a dip in pace as Dylan realises that he will not be able to really go to space and see his father again. This will be shown through long shots, creating realism and allowing time for the viewer to take in the situation. The ending of the film should be both sad and uplifting, as Dylan learns of his father's absence, his naive and innocent mind begins to wonder into the world of imagination.