BSA 204 W12 : New Beat Sheet

So I came up with a new idea for a short film which I think would be much more manageable than the I Saw Hell idea, which I feel requires a lot of development, this idea came easily and feels much more naturally to write:

It's like if Unbreakable (2000) was made like Boy (2010).

Logline:

A boy realises his father might be a real life superhero after he miraculously survives a fatal accident.

Beat Sheet:

- A boy waits by the post box for the post man to come, he is so excited about it that he asks the postman a series of interrogative questions which he obviously doesn't know about. He tells him as much and hands him the letters, there is one that excites him particularly it has a state prison logo on it and from a warren, the boy runs back home very energetically.

- A mother is struggling to get all her children ready for school, trying to get the youngest to eat faster and helping another prepare her bag. When the boy comes through the door, without even looking she scolds him for going off like that. He hands her the mail and asks her to open the letter, she says she will once they're off - they need to board the bus. He says it's from dad and it needs to be read.

- They are walking to the bus, struggling all the way, the mum has to drag the youngest along, a goat watches them pass, she is trying to open and read the letter all the while. Her expression drops and she loses energy as she reads, he demands to know whats wrong, asking some crazy theories, the bus driver waits and calls out for him to board, the other two kids watch from the bus doorway. Solemnly she says that their dad is coming home, the boy smile widens.

- Cut to at school, him telling people about his dad and that he's coming home, outlining his various adventures abroad, this is inter-cut with the dad in prison doing things very loosely related to what the letters said happened, it ends with him being released from prison. A moment of silence as no one is there to pick him up, dust floats through the air. He asks an officer, who gives in and gives him a ride. Again he's behind the bars, but they're going home.

- He arrives at the small plot of land, the boy and his younger sister are looking for the goat, which seems to have escaped. The police car drives up and the dad gets out, he awkwardly thanks the officer, they look at each other a moment and the dad approaches. Awkward introductions, the boy is very excited, the dad is more reserved, asks them what they're up to, they tell him the goat escaped again, the mum appears in the doorway. He has to go, the boy asks him if he's staying, he says maybe. The goat appears on the houses' roof, dad points this out, boy says the goat is very intelligent and essentially an escape artist. The  dad goes to talk to the mother,

- The kids hide outside the window and listen in, the mother doesn't want him to stay, but he just needs a place for a little while till he finds someone more permanent. The mother knows they are hiding there and points them out. The boy tells his dad that his mum can see anything, like an oracle.

- He takes the car and boy with him, to brag and show him 'the good life', which means going to the bar and getting drunk, playing the pokies. The dad lets him drink some and gets into a fight with some old familiars, then drunk drives them back home. The boy asks him about seatbelt and road code, he ignores it but the goat appears in the road on the way home, and they skid off to the side of the road. Crashing, he flies through the front of the car, breaking the window and painfully crashes into the bush. A beat and he gets up, reassurance that his dad might indeed be everything he thought.

- The boy tells his dad there is only one reason for his survival - he must be a superhero like superman. Montage outlining his past injuries and survivals. He does some heavy lifting and they play with his powers, even trying to scope out crime and attempting to save a very aggressive cat. He is a superhero! They also try a couple of powers which he doesn't seem to have - like flight.

- A dinner scene where he fights a bit with the mum and outlines his newfound super powers, Things get heated and he is drinking again, aggressive to everyone including the boy and his siblings, making the youngest boy cry. He leaves to go beat up the people who harassed him the night before.

- He gets beaten to a pulp and returns injured. Confused as to what happened to his powers he tries hitting a tree again or something but this time gets injured. He and the boy sit talking a bit, the way he sees his dad has changed and that's why the superpower dissipated.