SHORT FILM

By

Emilie Hardcastle & Sukhraj Gill

SCENE 1:

INT. AVERAGE COFFEE SHOP - DAY (SOFTLY LIT)

Scene opens with a close up on a clock, showing the time as 3pm.

A teenage male, LEO, late-teens, sits alone at a table. His phone rings, the screen displaying an unknown number.

LEO picks up the phone at an average speed and answers it.

LEOHello?

LEO’S FRIENDS (ACTING AS ELIZA)Sorry Leo, I can’t make it today.

LEOEliza? Why not?

LEO’S FRIENDS (ACTING AS ELIZA)I’m too busy doing voodoo. I’m working on one of

you.

LEO pauses in confusion. In the background, laughter from several teenagers can be heard. LEO looks annoyed.

LEOFirstly, it’s doll making, not voodoo. Secondly, do

you have to ruin everything for me?

LEO’S FRIENDSCalm down, it was only a joke Leo.

LEOWell it wasn’t funny.

LEO’S FRIENDSWhatever, fine we’re sorry, just let us know how it

goes.

LEO puts down the phone, attention turning back to the clock. Another close up of the clock shows that a fair amount of time has passed with no sign of his date. LEO sighs, looking down at the table.

A teenage girl, POPPY, who is the same age as LEO, enters the coffee shop. She walks towards the counter, but stops when she sees LEO, walking over to him instead. She gets his attention by sitting opposite him. She smiles, maybe in a way that could be considered too kindly.

POPPYHey! What are you doing here?

LEOWaiting.

POPPYWhat are you waiting for?

LEOEliza.

POPPYThat creep? Are you serious?

LEOShe’s not a creep, Poppy.

POPPYHow can you even defend her? Have you seen her

voodoo doll collection?

LEO (ANNOYED)It’s not voodoo, it’s doll making.

LEO sighs in annoyance and looks down at the table.

LEOWhatever, it doesn’t matter anyway. It doesn’t look like she’s going to show up so just forget it. What

are you doing here?

POPPYI always come here on Wednesdays, it’s my mid week

recharge.

LEOWell since we’re both here, why don’t we have a

coffee together? I’ll pay.

POPPY smiles too kindly again, perhaps slightly flirtatiously.

LEO stands up from his seat and walks over to the counter to buy the two of them a drink. POPPY can then be seen through the coffee shop window, sitting alone, as if someone on the outside is watching.

Another girl, ELIZA, the same age as POPPY and LEO, is then revealed standing outside the coffee shop, looking in on the situation as LEO returns to the table with drinks for POPPY and himself. ELIZA is seen looking angry and upset at what she is seeing.SCENE 2:

INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR - DAY (DAYLIGHT)

Various groups of school pupils, of both sixth form and compulsory school age are seen with friends in the corridor, talking.

LEO and POPPY stand with a stereotypically ‘popular’ group of people, making it clear that this is the sort of people that they are. The group is seen joking and laughing. POPPY is flirting with LEO quite clearly, laughing at what he’s saying and getting too close to him and it is clear to see that LEO feels uncomfortable.

ELIZA is seen watching the group and particularly focusing on LEO and POPPY. She appears to be incredibly angry at the sight, similar to how she had looked outside the coffee shop though this time with more anger than sadness. In her hand is a doll that resembles LEO, which had initially been an apology present for missing their date. However, when she sees POPPY and LEO flirting, she walks away, gripping the doll extremely tightly.

LEO pulls POPPY aside to a quieter part of the corridor so that they can talk.

LEOWhat’s going on with you today? You’re acting

weird.

POPPY moves closer to LEO, leaning against him.

POPPYWhat do you mean?

LEO awkwardly steps back from her, his expression showing discomfort.

LEOLike now. Why are you doing this?

POPPYDoing what?

LEOIt’s like you’re flirting with me or something.

It’s weird.

POPPYWell you started it.

LEOWhat are you on about?

POPPY (AS IF STATING THE OBVIOUS)The coffee shop? When you were “stood up”? You

didn’t actually think I’d believe you’d ever go on a date with that freak? I know it was all to get my

attention and you got it.

LEOIs this about that coffee I bought you? I bought you that because you’re my friend, not because I was trying to flirt with you. If I wanted to date you, I would have just asked. I wouldn’t have gone

to so much trouble to stage a fake stand up.

POPPYWhy are you still trying to deny it? I know what

you were doing.

LEOI wasn’t trying to do anything. I was being

friendly, that’s all. You’re a great friend and all but it’s just not like that.

POPPYWhatever, I don’t care anyway. I’ve got a date with Blake tonight anyway. I was just trying to flatter

you.

POPPY shrugs as if she doesn’t care at all and walks away before both return to the rest of the

group. The group can then be seen laughing and joking together, leaving LEO and POPPY on seemingly good terms.

SCENE 3:

EXT. A QUIET STREET - DAY (DAYLIGHT)

From a bush or other hiding place, we can see LEO being filmed on a camcorder. He’s walking down the street on his way home, unaware that he is being filmed by the mystery person.

SCENE 4:

INT. SCHOOL LOCKERS - DAY (DIMLY LIT)

LEO approaches the set of lockers and opens one of them, clearly his own. He begins to put away a book that he doesn’t need but pauses, his expression displaying unease. There is a note in his locker from an anonymous sender with “I’ll be watching you” typed on it. LEO doesn’t touch the note, only stares at it.

SCENE 5:

INT. LEO’S LIVING ROOM - EVENING (SOFTLY LIT)

LEO is sitting on the sofa with an Apple Macbook on his lap.

The screen of his laptop can then be seen, revealing that he is on Facebook. He soon receives a message from an anonymous sender, which consists of the video of him walking home that we had earlier seen being filmed.

LEO (TYPED)who is this??

The anonymous person doesn’t type anything back, their only response being several pictures of LEO that had been taken at school and on his way home.

LEO is seen looking uneasy once again, as if he isn’t sure whether what is going on is a prank or is serious.

LEOWHO IS THIS??

LEOis this a joke??

LEOtell me who u are or im gonna report u

ANONYMOUS (TYPED)I’ll be watching you.

LEO blocks and reports the person, looking severely uneasy by now as he sets his laptop down.

SCENE 6:

EXT. A QUIET STREET - EVENING (DIMLY LIT)

LEO can be seen walking down this street, on his way to work. He stops to pull his phone out of his pocket when it is heard ringing. The screen displays an unknown number but LEO answers it anyway, lifting the phone to his ear. All that can be heard from down the line is the same song that had anonymously sent to him before. LEO hangs up the phone after a few moments of fear and shock and looks around him in paranoia, then carries on walking to work, at a faster pace than before.

SCENE 7:

INT. A BOWLING ALLEY - EVENING (BRIGHTLY LIT)

LEO is seen working, doing general bowling alley duties such as serving people and cleaning tables. Nearing the end of his shift, LEO is asked to lock up via a note left on the counter by his boss.

He checks everything is tidy and ready for closing and walks to the main door. When he is about to leave, the stereo starts to play a random song. LEO rolls his eyes, making it clear he blames the system for what is going on. He looks for the stereo remote, looking increasingly annoyed when he cannot find it.

He walks to the office/cupboard where the system is operated from and walks over to an old looking stereo, attempting to manually turn it off.

LEO manages to turn off the stereo, leaving him looking relieved. A few seconds later, the song that had been played to him down the phone earlier that evening begins to play into the stereo, even though he’d just turned it off.

LEO’s expression shows a mixture of confusion and fear and he backs out of the cupboard, back into the main bowling alley area.

The lights have all been turned off, with the exception of one directly above LEO and one directly above a silhouetted figure. Said figure steps out of the light and into the dark, at which point the chorus of the song restarts.

As the chorus reaches its end, the previously anonymous figure steps out of the dark. This figure

is then revealed as POPPY, who speaks in a monotonous voice, her expression blank.

POPPYI’ll be watching you.

END