Print Topic

SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Short Scripts  /  The Man Behind The Curtain
Posted by: Don, April 5th, 2015, 2:16pm
The Man Behind The Curtain by Mark Renshaw - Short, Horror - A child is haunted by a mysterious man behind a curtain who no-one else can see; a shadowy figure who wants to destroy his childhood by bombarding him with horrific subliminal images. - pdf, format 8)
Posted by: Pale Yellow, April 5th, 2015, 2:31pm; Reply: 1
First opened this thinking it had something to do with Oz...I mean I myself need to go see the Wizard right? Anyway, I liked this little story. It was a bit abstract but I like that. It makes me think. I still want to know more I guess not sure if the end felt enough for me. Good job Mark.
Posted by: PrussianMosby, April 6th, 2015, 1:45pm; Reply: 2
Hey Mark,

You're in the feature category here, made me stumble across your work.

"Same child" should be "Ethan"

I think you can describe the poster without using Insert and breaking it up. In the end you go like that later anyway.

"humanoid shape" – Perhaps I'd capitalize here since it seems to be already a new character of the script even if it morphs into a man then.

"Every inch is filled with images designed to destroy
childhood; a black hole of innocence lost."

Do you want to give some space for creativity to the responsible artist here? If so, I like your decision and go with my imagination.


You can bring back some memories of how we translated or transformed fear as a child, don't know how to say. So, it doesn't have to be a supernatural angle that is forced here, there's a nice possibility for making it a real growing up experience, psychological; that the boy's not psychotic or something; and give it a happy ending like daddy's back all fine again maybe. But then the boy's too old of course...

The ending lacks punch IMO. The movie poster is an interesting subject if you can find somebody who brings some magic on the screen.

I don't know what's missing here but there's something's not running smoothly. Not sure about the rhyme, too.

Best regards

@ Perhaps you want to break up the quotation. I like it but the sentence reads complicated in one chunk. Just my taste to break it up in two parts maybe with ellipsis. A cut could help. I'm not a quick reader and it sometimes bothers me they pack so many words on the screen at once.
Posted by: rendevous, April 6th, 2015, 10:50pm; Reply: 3
I was gonna start with a gag about James Baldwin being one of Alec's lesser known brothers. But I won't bother. It was funnier in my head.

I'm inclined to agree the end lacks punch. It caught me unawares. I was expecting a bit more. It feels more like the start of a bigger story.

There's some nice imagery and writing. I do have to admit though at times I was a little lost. Maybe that's the idea.

R
Posted by: DustinBowcot (Guest), April 7th, 2015, 2:57am; Reply: 4
Interesting little story. I didn't see anything supernatural though I have to say... only metaphorical. Nice work.
Posted by: MarkRenshaw, April 7th, 2015, 9:58am; Reply: 5

Quoted from Pale Yellow
First opened this thinking it had something to do with Oz...I mean I myself need to go see the Wizard right? Anyway, I liked this little story. It was a bit abstract but I like that. It makes me think. I still want to know more I guess not sure if the end felt enough for me. Good job Mark.


Thanks for the read and the notes. The title is indeed a nod to the Wizard of Oz but it’s more about what the term ‘The Man Behind the Curtain’ has come to mean since that movie was released. ;-)


Quoted from PrussianMosby

Do you want to give some space for creativity to the responsible artist here? If so, I like your decision and go with my imagination.


Hi Alexander, thanks for the notes, they are very helpful. Yes, if I described in detail what we see here not only would it go on for a long time but the FX guy would want to put their own interpretation on it anyway so I give enough to fire up the imagination.


Quoted from PrussianMosby

You can bring back some memories of how we translated or transformed fear as a child, don't know how to say. So, it doesn't have to be a supernatural angle…


It’s not a supernatural story, although it could indeed be interpreted that way.  It is symbolic, metaphysical as Dustin has spotted in his comments. I have written this to make people think and maybe do some research of their own but I do realise some won’t get it. In the end I hope the imagery and symbolism is disturbing enough even if people may not realise exactly why.


Quoted from PrussianMosby

The ending lacks punch IMO. The movie poster is an interesting subject if you can find somebody who brings some magic on the screen.


I’m not really telling a story, more making a statement with this so the ending is not an ending as such but it’s something I will think on and if I can come up with a more satisfactory ending I will try it.


Quoted from rendevous

I'm inclined to agree the end lacks punch. It caught me unawares. I was expecting a bit more. It feels more like the start of a bigger story.
There's some nice imagery and writing. I do have to admit though at times I was a little lost. Maybe that's the idea.
R


He Rend, cheers for the read and notes. This is more of a statement, more subliminal than substance. It’s quite experimental really and just trying something out.  I do indeed expect people to be lost and that is quite intentional. It could also become a bigger story if I can work out the angles. I even have a tagline in my head 'You Only See What He Wants You To See' :-)


Quoted from DustinBowcot
Interesting little story. I didn't see anything supernatural though I have to say... only metaphorical. Nice work.

Dustin gets it! Nice one mate. And thanks :-)

-Mark

Posted by: Iancou, April 7th, 2015, 8:48pm; Reply: 6
Mark,

Ah, isn't this a shadowy reflection of our own world where the masses become that which is shown on both the big and small screens? How much are we products of our mass communications in how our thinking, sentiments, and behavior are shaped and molded by others? Finally, to what degree is our perception warped by our entertainment, so we can no longer distinguish between reality and the other worlds man created in his imagination?

Maybe I'm reading too much into this and I need a session on the psych's couch.

Ian
Posted by: Jean-Pierre Chapoteau, April 8th, 2015, 12:20am; Reply: 7
I don't get it, but the image of the man behind the curtain was creepy so I guess I liked it.
Posted by: TonyDionisio, April 9th, 2015, 12:15am; Reply: 8
If no one else can see him then why does he need to hide behind a curtain? Lol. I couldn't resist. :)
Posted by: MarkRenshaw, April 9th, 2015, 5:42am; Reply: 9
Thanks all for the read and the comments. I usually think if a writer needs to explain the story they have done something wrong but this is deliberately vague and open to interpretation so I'll share what the intention was.

Although technically it is banned, subliminal advertising is used extensively. Some of it is quite understandable and harmless like a company logo that looks like a smiley face. A real example is the FedEx logo , it has a hidden arrow in the space between the E and the X. The idea is this makes the subconscious think Fed Ex is efficient and drives it's motion forward.

Some of it is a little more devious. The letters S E X, as well as suggestive and scary images are hidden in plain sight in comics, magazines, TV commercials and quite often movie posters. These are well established marketing techniques. Sex obviously sells - http://www.businessinsider.com/subliminal-ads-2011-5?op=1&IR=T

While the scary images, well the idea behind that is they remind us of our mortality and therefore encourage us to say "What the heck" and go spend money lol. I'm sure some of these hidden extras are jokes from the designers as well, however there is the conspiracy theorists out there who believe the intent of subliminal images is to corrupt the young and is the work of devil worshippers or secret organisations like the Illuminati.

Here's a short video showing some of the alleged hidden images in the one of the Hobbit movie posters, which is what I based the poster in the script on - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNGrWNE1Nug.

I'm not one for the conspiracy theory but I do find it odd that most people are blissfully unaware of such occurrences and the law rarely cracks down on it. This was the inspiration for The Man Behind the Curtain. It takes the idea of subliminal images and the secret, dark people/organisations who may be behind them to the Nth degree in a metaphysically, almost subliminal way.

That was the intention anyway.

-Mark
Posted by: DanC, April 15th, 2015, 1:24am; Reply: 10
Hi Mark
    I was kinda lost.  I guess I didn't get it.  I know it's abstract, but, it didn't achieve anything.  No one changed, for better or worse.  No one did much of anything.

Why was the kid in counseling?  Why did his actions influence others?  Too much is not dealt with.  

I know you were going with an Avant-Garde vibe, but, it's beyond me, I guess.  I couldn't figure out what your purpose was.

I'd like to have a bit more plot, dialog, meaning to go with the imagery.  

The ending lacked too.  I know it's very short, but, it doesn't do a lot either.  

What am I missing?

Sorry I didn't like it much
Dan

Although, I did enjoy the imagery a lot...
Posted by: MarkRenshaw, April 15th, 2015, 2:59am; Reply: 11

Quoted from DanC
Hi Mark
    I was kinda lost.  I guess I didn't get it.  I know it's abstract, but, it didn't achieve anything.  No one changed, for better or worse.  No one did much of anything.

Why was the kid in counseling?  Why did his actions influence others?  Too much is not dealt with.  

I know you were going with an Avant-Garde vibe, but, it's beyond me, I guess.  I couldn't figure out what your purpose was.

I'd like to have a bit more plot, dialog, meaning to go with the imagery.  

The ending lacked too.  I know it's very short, but, it doesn't do a lot either.  

What am I missing?

Sorry I didn't like it much
Dan

Although, I did enjoy the imagery a lot...


Hi Dan,

Sorry you were lost. This is an experimental script and that is one of the reasons it is so short. The imagery is supposed to compelling and disturbing so I'm glad that came across. As for the story, there isn't really a story it's more of a statement about subliminal messages and images used in advertising. The Man Behind the Curtain represents the secret organisations some people believe are behind them. I decided to try and write a script which metaphysically gets that across at a kind of subliminal level. I don't actually expect most people to get it but the intent wasn't for people to understand it, it's more of an effect on the reader/viewer I'm after here.  

-Mark
Posted by: DanC, April 15th, 2015, 2:58pm; Reply: 12
Oh, okay, that makes sense.

One thing that I will say, having taken some avant-garde classes in Grad school, if you are gonna use imagery, it has to be explained, or it has to be linked.

I'm trying to think of an example.

A lot of motifs work on that principle.  You juxtapose the child speaking with the images, then link them somehow, even if it's a drawing of people watching or a photo of a person behind a picture being taken of someone watching them.

I had no clue that this was about the "illuminati" sort of people, the ones that pull the strings.  

If you are going for that motif, then I might suggest showing stuff on strings to go along with your imagery.  

Oh, and I think intercutting would work easier here then the way you do it.  I'm looking at the screenplay again right now, as I read it for a second time.

Now, I understand the meaning of the RING LORDS now.  I might suggest showing a puppet master next to the poster or something.  We, the audience and the camera, needs to know what to focus on.  Perhaps have a big stain on the words Ring Lords or something.

So, the picture comes to life.  But, once again, you don't really connect the thought.  You say the bush turns into a spider.  You should perhaps show the spider on a web.  And the Web could lead back to the Puppet motif or whatever you choose to be central image to make us think man behind the curtain.

If you are going avant-garde, then you need to really explain what "teething mass of lust filled terror" means.  Writing avant-garde is very detailed.  Hitchcock was very detailed and plenty of his imagery was based upon avant-garde sort of images.  

And keep in mind, it all has to connect somehow.  Even the poem, actually, since the poem is the only spoken word, especially the poem.  

I thought it might be about possession b/c that is where the imagery led me.

Shoot me a PM and I can perhaps help you with imagery...

Dan
Posted by: MarkRenshaw, April 16th, 2015, 9:24am; Reply: 13

Quoted from DanC
Oh, okay, that makes sense.

One thing that I will say, having taken some avant-garde classes in Grad school, if you are gonna use imagery, it has to be explained, or it has to be linked.

I'm trying to think of an example.

A lot of motifs work on that principle.  You juxtapose the child speaking with the images, then link them somehow, even if it's a drawing of people watching or a photo of a person behind a picture being taken of someone watching them.

I had no clue that this was about the "illuminati" sort of people, the ones that pull the strings.  

If you are going for that motif, then I might suggest showing stuff on strings to go along with your imagery.  

Oh, and I think intercutting would work easier here then the way you do it.  I'm looking at the screenplay again right now, as I read it for a second time.

Now, I understand the meaning of the RING LORDS now.  I might suggest showing a puppet master next to the poster or something.  We, the audience and the camera, needs to know what to focus on.  Perhaps have a big stain on the words Ring Lords or something.

So, the picture comes to life.  But, once again, you don't really connect the thought.  You say the bush turns into a spider.  You should perhaps show the spider on a web.  And the Web could lead back to the Puppet motif or whatever you choose to be central image to make us think man behind the curtain.

If you are going avant-garde, then you need to really explain what "teething mass of lust filled terror" means.  Writing avant-garde is very detailed.  Hitchcock was very detailed and plenty of his imagery was based upon avant-garde sort of images.  

And keep in mind, it all has to connect somehow.  Even the poem, actually, since the poem is the only spoken word, especially the poem.  

I thought it might be about possession b/c that is where the imagery led me.

Shoot me a PM and I can perhaps help you with imagery...

Dan


Avant-garde pushes the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm, it involves works that are experimental or innovative and yet it can be defined and taught at school and there are rules to it? :-)

You do have some interesting ideas but all you have given me is a different interpretation of telling the same story, making the same statement. The Man Behind the Curtain is the Puppet Master, we don't need to then see a Puppet Master as well. The term 'Man Behind the Curtain' is well connected to conspiracy theories, the New World Order, the illuminati and such things. if you join the dots too much the visuals may lose some of their power.

However that is my opinion. If this was optioned then the Director would have an opinion, the producers would have an opinion as would the actors and certainly the FX guys tasked with creating the imagery would have an opinion. Everything except the core of the story could and probably would change.

That is why these days you don't put too much detail into a script. Alfred Hitchcock was the master but he was also the Director of his material and that makes a big difference. His era is also, sadly, no longer the way things are done. If you submitted a script to a studio with the level of detail say, Rear Window has, it would more than likely get rejected unless you were a major player.

The script is the blueprint, the start of a collaboration. If you define things too precisely it can put prospective collaborators off as they want to put their mark on the production. There's no need to go into precise detail what appears on the poster, just give an idea of the filth and horror.  Let the reader's imagination do the rest and trust that the FX guys will create something fantastic; watched over carefully by the Director of course.

The poem does link to the imagery, it's all a question of interpretation. In the poem, each day represents a child’s temperament based on the day of the week they were born.

Mondays Child (fair of face) is associated with pleasing beauty as we are introduced to Ethan. A beautiful innocent young boy.

Tuesdays Child (full of grace) is associated with faith and purity and yet here we have the words SEX forming on the poster.

Wednesday's Child (full of woe) is associated with emotional empathy. Modern uses associate with the term with children in foster care and from broken homes. The child Wednesday from the Addams Family is based on Wednesday's Child and here we see the first horror image of the spider forming.

Thursday's Child (has far to go) Sometimes, “far to go” is interpreted as meaning a difficult path, such as children with special needs. Here we see Ethan trying to tell the Psychiatrist about the images but the shrink doesn't believe him. He has far to go, he is being seen by a shrink therefore he has special needs.

Friday's Child (loving and giving) Friday children are big-hearted and generous. However, in many traditional versions, anything on a Friday was held as bad luck. At this point we see the poster at it's most horrific, in direct opposite to the words loving and giving; bad luck indeed.

Saturday's Child (works hard for a living) - hardworking, responsible, and dedicated. Sounds more like an adult than a child doesn't it?  This is said when we see Dad turn up. This is Saturday's child, Ethan's dad who works hard for a living but has no idea what his son is going through.

And Sunday's child is just to sum up the whole thing. Basically Sunday's child is supposed to the luckiest child of all but at the end we see the subliminal messages have not only had a corrupting influence on Ethan (the black eyes symbolise this) but everyone else has been affected also over time.

I could work on the imagery to make it link more obviously to the poem (and I may tinker anyway) but in the end everyone who reads this may get a different interpretation no matter what I write and that was kind of the intent.

Phew that was a lot of words, well done if anyone read it all lol!

-Mark


Posted by: MarkRenshaw, April 20th, 2015, 9:22am; Reply: 14
Sorry for the shameless self-bumpage. Several people said the end felt a bit flat and lacked something.  So I've added an extra scene at the end which I think really gives it more of a satisfying conclusion. If you are interested it's available via the original link at the top of this thread. If not, move along....nothing to see here!

Thanks for all the input.

-Mark
Posted by: khamanna, April 22nd, 2015, 5:24am; Reply: 15
Hey, Mark.

I liked it quite a bit.
It's short on a story though for me. It's a character study in a way but you're not explaining how Ethan became this way. I think he was born that - there's a demon inside of him, but if that's the case then there's should be something more than this.
It's got a good twist, I just wish it was a bit more.

few notes (merely thoughts)
get rid of "quoting rhymes" in parentheticals.

many short scenes on page one don't draw me in.

some description like "it is a teething mass of lust filled with horror" (p3) not very clear to me.
Posted by: Colkurtz8, April 22nd, 2015, 11:33am; Reply: 16
Mark

SUPER: People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite
their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in
a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns
himself into a monster. - James Baldwin

- Yikes, seems harsh and presumptuous ;)

INT. ETHAN’S BEDROOM – CONTINUOUS

- Should it be “CONTINUOUS” since its going back to Ethan in the bedroom which is MORNING? Aren’t we going back and forth between two different time lines here?

The margins look incorrect. The page number, action lines and dialogue appear to begin too close to the top of the page.

“INT. ETHAN’S BEDROOM – CONTINUOUS

Ethan raises his arm and points at the curtain.

INT. CINEMA LOBBY
Ethan raises the same arm and points at the movie poster.”

- These reminds me both of the final shot of 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatcher remake (sans Donald Sutherland skull raising screech) and the supplicating gestures towards the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Interesting dual imagery though with the morphing film poster and the man emerging through Ethan’s bedroom curtains. Creepy too.

“Every inch is filled with images designed to destroy
childhood; a black hole of innocence lost.”

- Again, I dig what you’re doing with the shape shifting movie poster but I was hoping for some specifics here. I know you mention the lewd lettering, the bush come spider and the pipe smoke turning into a snake but I wanted more here in this scene as the movie poster becomes a fully formed tableaux of ghastliness! Unfortunately, all we get are generalities.

“Together they herd like unsuspecting lambs to the slaughter.”

- This is a very suggestive line in the prose that hints the movie is going to consume the audience into its nightmarish world or something but on screen we get no real indication of this. I imagine most will assume these visions are merely part of Ethan’s troubled mind and not something tangible. At least that’s what the scene in the psychiatrist office said to me.

This ended rather abruptly and I was left wondering what I was take away from it. I’m thinking it’s tied in to the nursery rhyme that Ethan sings throughout but I don’t know how as I’m not familiar with it. I did like the creepy visuals you conjured up but couldn’t draw a link between Ethan seeing the Man behind the curtain in his room (and the psychiatrist’s office) and the unsettling film poster which was a not so subtle reference to Lord of the Rings.

The quote at the beginning talk about loss of innocence and retreating into fantasies which is what Ethan seems to be battling with in fighting these demons tormenting him. It was interesting how, in the bedroom scene, his father drives away the Man behind the curtain (albeit inadvertently) while in the cinema scene he essentially (though equally inadvertently) leads Ethan into whatever horrors await them when watching the film.

I appreciate that it meant to be abstract and interpretative, somewhat metaphorical and elliptical, etc so I would be interested to hear your intentions on it.

Col.
Posted by: MarkRenshaw, April 23rd, 2015, 7:56am; Reply: 17

Quoted from khamanna
Hey, Mark.
I liked it quite a bit.
It's short on a story though for me. It's a character study in a way but you're not explaining how Ethan became this way. I think he was born that - there's a demon inside of him, but if that's the case then there's should be something more than this.
It's got a good twist, I just wish it was a bit more.

Hey Khamanna – thanks for the read and the notes.  I’ve left you wanting more. That’s good! This is less of a standard story and more of a statement. Ethan’s being corrupted by subliminal images that are hidden in plain sight.

The Man Behind The Curtain is symbolic, he represents the secret organisations like the illuminati and the New World Order who arrange for these images to be inserted into media to corrupt the young. In the end Ethan succumbs to the corruption and ends up furthering their nefarious agendas.

I realise that is not obvious and is open to interpretation but that was deliberate. I’m almost using a subliminal way to make a statement about subliminal images and conspiracy theories.  

Quoted from khamanna

few notes (merely thoughts)
get rid of "quoting rhymes" in parentheticals.

I agree. I put that in there because I knew some people would not know this is a nursery rhyme but it’s bugged me ever since. Now you’ve said that I’m going to remove it.


Quoted from khamanna

many short scenes on page one don't draw me in.

I understand. Each scene needs to be read slowly and compared to the preceding and proceeding scene. Each scene needs to be visualised and absorbed before moving on and that’s hard to do when reading a script. I get that it may put the reader off. I often wonder if music videos had to be scripted they would ever get made as those things switch scenes every few seconds lol.

I believe if you could visualise the whole thing it would work really well, but I would say that wouldn’t I?


Quoted from khamanna

some description like "it is a teething mass of lust filled with horror" (p3) not very clear to me.

OK a few people have said that now so I do think I need to address it. I didn’t want to be too specific as this would…be too specific and would probably be completely changed if it ever got produced but I think I have been too vague so I’ll add more detail.

Thanks again for your notes, they have helped a great deal.
Posted by: MarkRenshaw, April 23rd, 2015, 8:24am; Reply: 18

Quoted from Colkurtz8
Mark
INT. ETHAN’S BEDROOM – CONTINUOUS

- Should it be “CONTINUOUS” since its going back to Ethan in the bedroom which is MORNING? Aren’t we going back and forth between two different time lines here?
Col.

Hey there Col! Thanks for the read and the comments. Good point about CONTINOUS, I’ll fix that.

Quoted from Colkurtz8

The margins look incorrect. The page number, action lines and dialogue appear to begin too close to the top of the page.
Col.

Do they? This was produced via Final Draft so it should conform to industry standards.  That’s a worry if it is formatting wrong, looks OK to me though. It’s a dropbox link so maybe if you are viewing it via a browser it may look odd??

Quoted from Colkurtz8

Ethan raises the same arm and points at the movie poster.”
- These reminds me both of the final shot of 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatcher remake (sans Donald Sutherland skull raising screech) and the supplicating gestures towards the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Col.

I am simply astounded! Ethan’s pointing is indeed a homage to Donald Sutherland’s Body Snatching moment. I remember watching that as a kid and it creeped me out so I used the same image when writing this! Well done!

Quoted from Colkurtz8

“Every inch is filled with images designed to destroy
childhood; a black hole of innocence lost.”
- Again, I dig what you’re doing with the shape shifting movie poster but I was hoping for some specifics here. I know you mention the lewd lettering, the bush come spider and the pipe smoke turning into a snake but I wanted more here in this scene as the movie poster becomes a fully formed tableaux of ghastliness! Unfortunately, all we get are generalities.
Col.

A few have said this now so yeah. I need to change this. I kept it generic and up to the imagination because whatever imagery I come up with would either spoil it or be too specific and subject to change anyway. However I think I have it too vague and will try to get it across better.

Quoted from Colkurtz8

“Together they herd like unsuspecting lambs to the slaughter.”

- This is a very suggestive line in the prose that hints the movie is going to consume the audience into its nightmarish world or something but on screen we get no real indication of this. I imagine most will assume these visions are merely part of Ethan’s troubled mind and not something tangible. At least that’s what the scene in the psychiatrist office said to me.
Col.

This is just a bit of artistic flair on my part. The corruption caused by the images does not just affect the very young (although they are more susceptible) and the family friendly movie they are about to watch contains subliminal images designed to corrupt all so they are, in a way, lambs to the slaughter.

Quoted from Colkurtz8

This ended rather abruptly and I was left wondering what I was take away from it. I’m thinking it’s tied in to the nursery rhyme that Ethan sings throughout but I don’t know how as I’m not familiar with it. I did like the creepy visuals you conjured up but couldn’t draw a link between Ethan seeing the Man behind the curtain in his room (and the psychiatrist’s office) and the unsettling film poster which was a not so subtle reference to Lord of the Rings.

The quote at the beginning talk about loss of innocence and retreating into fantasies which is what Ethan seems to be battling with in fighting these demons tormenting him. It was interesting how, in the bedroom scene, his father drives away the Man behind the curtain (albeit inadvertently) while in the cinema scene he essentially (though equally inadvertently) leads Ethan into whatever horrors await them when watching the film.
I appreciate that it meant to be abstract and interpretative, somewhat metaphorical and elliptical, etc so I would be interested to hear your intentions on it.

Col.

What I like about this script is everyone who is reading it is getting something from it and having a really good think about what it means, even if they don’t get what it means or are not sure what’s going on at all. And that was what I was aiming for; it is a bit experimental.

The actual intent of the ‘story’ is The Man Behind The Curtain is now a well-known phrase among conspiracy theorists meaning super secret organisations like the Illuminati and New World Order who pull the strings behind the scenes. So the man in this story is actually symbolic of that.

Ethan’s being corrupted by subliminal images his subconscious is picking up in harmless entertainment like movie posters. If you do some research in this area there is well documented evidence that this does go on but as to the reason, who knows. It could be a joke, an advertising technique or something more nefarious. I like the word nefarious!

Anyway his dad loves Ethan but knows he’s a troubled child and he tries to help him by sending him to a psychiatrist but neither can help him because neither know about the images. The scene in the cinema shows that it’s not only Ethan in danger but he’s the most susceptible and in the end he carries out the Man Behind The Curtain’s agenda by going on a shooting spree in the school.

That’s the intent anyway but I realise most wouldn’t put all this together without prior knowledge or researching it themselves. But it’s just an experiment in telling a story a completely different way than normal.

Cheers for reading it though and for providing such great feedback.
-Mark  
Posted by: Colkurtz8, April 23rd, 2015, 10:46am; Reply: 19
Mark


Quoted from MarkRenshaw
Do they? This was produced via Final Draft so it should conform to industry standards.  That’s a worry if it is formatting wrong, looks OK to me though. It’s a dropbox link so maybe if you are viewing it via a browser it may look odd??

- I had saved it onto my laptop and viewed it in Adobe reader and yeah the page numbers and text looked too close to the top of the page in comparison to what I was led to believe was the standard margin. It might be worth comparing it to other scripts to see.

[quote=MarkRenshaw]A few have said this now so yeah. I need to change this. I kept it generic and up to the imagination because whatever imagery I come up with would either spoil it or be too specific and subject to change anyway. However I think I have it too vague and will try to get it across better.


- I get what you mean, you chose to leave it open for a filmmaker's discretion if they wanted to make it. I think a lot can be said for that approach too and I did like your language in describing the morphing horror. As you say, these are details that would invariably go through a bunch of changes before being decided on so being overly specific would probably be pointless anyway. Maybe just a few specifics to convey the overall tone of the changes could be included while leaving the rest vague and suggestive.


Quoted from MarkRenshaw
The actual intent of the ‘story’ is The Man Behind The Curtain is now a well-known phrase among conspiracy theorists meaning super secret organisations like the Illuminati and New World Order who pull the strings behind the scenes. So the man in this story is actually symbolic of that.


- Yeah, I first came across that phrase when watching the documentary Zeitgiest in which one of the segments, about the federal reserve bank, is called that.


Quoted from MarkRenshaw
Ethan’s being corrupted by subliminal images his subconscious is picking up in harmless entertainment like movie posters. If you do some research in this area there is well documented evidence that this does go on but as to the reason, who knows. It could be a joke, an advertising technique or something more nefarious. I like the word nefarious!


Anyway his dad loves Ethan but knows he’s a troubled child and he tries to help him by sending him to a psychiatrist but neither can help him because neither know about the images.  [/quote]

- I'm intrigued by that idea of subliminal messaging, nefarious, commercial or otherwise, in kids' films. You often hear about it in relation to classic Disney and its a fascinating if disconcerting revelation. However, as I said, since Ethan is shown to be psychologically troubled I assumed these were all purely products of his distorted imagination. That's why I was surprised by the "lambs to the slaughter" line of prose.


Quoted from MarkRenshaw
The scene in the cinema shows that it’s not only Ethan in danger but he’s the most susceptible and in the end he carries out the Man Behind The Curtain’s agenda by going on a shooting spree in the school.


- Eh, "shooting spree"? Sorry, I definitely didn't get that. Yeah, I figured the Man behind the curtain was a benevolent force encroaching on Ethan's consciousness but I never ascertained that it was interventionist entity directly guiding Ethan's hand to commit such an act.

Anyway, it was interesting to hear your intentions with this. Thanks for taking the time to share them.

Col.
Posted by: MarkRenshaw, April 23rd, 2015, 2:48pm; Reply: 20

Quoted from Colkurtz8
Mark

- I'm intrigued by that idea of subliminal messaging, nefarious, commercial or otherwise, in kids' films. You often hear about it in relation to classic Disney and its a fascinating if disconcerting revelation. However, as I said, since Ethan is shown to be psychologically troubled I assumed these were all purely products of his distorted imagination. That's why I was surprised by the "lambs to the slaughter" line of prose.


Col.


If you are interested in looking a bit further, check out this short clip which was the bases for the RING LORDS poster which goes into alleged subliminal images in the Hobbit poster. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNGrWNE1Nug


Quoted from Colkurtz8

- Eh, "shooting spree"? Sorry, I definitely didn't get that. Yeah, I figured the Man behind the curtain was a benevolent force encroaching on Ethan's consciousness but I never ascertained that it was interventionist entity directly guiding Ethan's hand to commit such an act.

Col.


It is subtle. Ethan nods directly at the Man Behind The Curtain before walking into the school with the pistol drawn. He gives in. It's open to interpretation though you could view it as him having a mental breakdown or even in a supernatural light easily enough.

Cheers for taking the time to ponder this crazy story and reply. :-)

Posted by: Colkurtz8, April 24th, 2015, 8:32am; Reply: 21

Quoted from MarkRenshaw
If you are interested in looking a bit further, check out this short clip which was the bases for the RING LORDS poster which goes into alleged subliminal images in the Hobbit poster. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNGrWNE1Nug


- Interesting stuff. I guess images like that can be interpreted in any number of ways if you look hard and long enough. Clouds are great for that! ;) Although nothing surprises me anymore and everything should be questioned.


Quoted from MarkRenshaw
It is subtle. Ethan nods directly at the Man Behind The Curtain before walking into the school with the pistol drawn. He gives in. It's open to interpretation though you could view it as him having a mental breakdown or even in a supernatural light easily enough.


- Ah, I see it now, its actually quite clear and unambiguous. This scene mustn't been a later addition because it wasn't on the draft I read which ended with the people entering the theater. I usually download the script onto my computer and read it later.
Print page generated: March 29th, 2024, 5:51am