Title: ?Night Palace

Genre:? ?Drama, Experimental, Arthouse Duration:? ?5-10 minutes

Target Audience:? ?18-40, Experimental-film fans

Narrative Outline:
A young man, Adam, goes through several stages of grief in the wake of his girlfriend Jill’s sudden death. He first languishes alone in depression and isolates himself. In Adam’s empty home, he goes through the anger stage – taking out his frustration on inanimate objects. He recalls a casual conversation between him and Jill shortly before her death, which only serves to highlight what he has lost. Another conversation, more intimate, between the couple is seen, this time with them in bed together. Adam talks about a poem he recently read – simultaneously Adam is seen walking through a crowded street as he answers a phone call and is told about Jill’s death. He breaks down in the street, and is then seen in bed again – alone, now. Finally, Adam visits Jill’s grave, and attempts to reach some kind of acceptance.

Brief Character Outline?:
?Adam: Adam is in his 20s and had been in a relationship with Jill for several years before her sudden death. He is somewhat introverted but was able to come out of his shell more when he was with Jill as he was always at ease with her. He has a dry sense of humour which synced up well with Jill. Since Jill’s death he has lapsed back into being almost totally shut off from all others – the one person he could truly be himself with is gone, and he is seriously struggling with life without her.

?Jill: Jill was in her 20s before her untimely death. She was quick-witted and shared Adam’s dry sense of humour. Jill was a much more outgoing person than Adam and their relationship was able to bring him out of his shell more. She had been happy with Adam, and they were both looking forward to a future together.

Audio/Visual:
The film’s look will be influenced by the cinematography of films such as Melancholia and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There will be a blend of handheld shots and steady, wide-angle shots. The intention of this will be to establish a mood and communicate information about the characters – handheld close-up shots will be used when an intense or intimate tone is desired and will be used in the scenes between Adam and Jill to communicate their love for each other and happiness in those moments. Long, wide-angle shots will be used in the “depression” sequence and in other scenes in the film to convey a sense of detachment and isolation – which will be the prevailing emotions of the protagonist, Adam. Shot type reflects the protagonist’s emotional struggle through stages of grief.

Colours will reflect the moods of the characters, using the colour theory to create implications and feelings. Much of the film will use cold, sterile colours to communicate the protagonist’s feelings of depression and loss. Coupled with the aforementioned cinematography, this will effectively create a feeling of sadness and depression. In the flashback scenes between Adam and Jill, a warmer colour scheme will be used – warm lighting to communicate the intimacy and happiness felt by the two characters. For instance, the flashback scene in the kitchen will have a warm orange colour when Adam and Jill are they together – then the following scene with Adam will have a cold blue colour.

In terms of sound, the film will feature sporadic dialogue and will rely more on ambient sound and the score. Atmos will be recorded for every location and used to create the necessary emotion – be it isolation or intimacy. The music of the film will be minimalist, with either a member of the production team or a sourced musician producing music that compliments the depressed emotions of the protagonist – featuring subtle piano and/or acoustic guitar.