“H A L A W”
original narrative script
Short film by: Cher Pauline Cruz
Running time: 11 mins.
SEQUENCE 1
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Scene 1. Ext. Day. Bookstore.
Video:
Long shot of bookstore. Dolly-in to a specific graphic novel but will have a hazy look that the cover is not identifiable.
Audio:
No sound at all, as if in a vacuum.
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Scene 2. Int. Day. Norman’s Pad.
Video:
Norman waking up. Camera pans from right to left showing Norman’s collection of books- a mix between medical books and graphic novel writing books. Shot will end at Norman’s baby picture.
Audio:
Ambient sound of early morning.
V.O. of Norman:
Katulad ng isang author ng libro, tayo ang lumilikha at nagpapatakbo ng ating buhay.
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Scene 3. Int. Day. Boy Character’s Bedroom.
Video:
Black and white. Boy Character also wakes up and looks outside his window. He starts another day without much enthusiasm.
Audio:
Musical score. Slow.
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Scene 4. Ext. Day. Alley way.
Video:
POV shot of Norman walking slowly in the alley way towards the busy, main street. At the end of the alley way, we could see people and vehicles passing by.
Audio:
Norman’s thoughts. Montage of overlapping dialogues coming from his family.
V.O. Montage:
[mom] Norman, you’re next in line in our family of doctors, I’m sure your dad will be proud of you wherever he is.
[older brother] Alam ba ni mommy na mas marami na yang units na tine-take mo sa literature kesa sa med requirements mo?
[kid sister] Kuya Norman, kelan mo ba ako gagawan ng fairy tale book?
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SEQUENCE 2
Scene 5. Int. Day. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
In black and white. Boy Character descends from the stairs and will look at someone with a slight surprise as if not expecting that the person would be there at all.
Audio:
Musical score. Rock, with or without lyrics. [prospect: “Hide” by Pao’s Band]
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Scene 6. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Long take of all the artists’ in the studio. [from long shot to dolly-in to each actor] A bare, small white room with windows in one corner is stuffed with people who call themselves artists- painter, ballerina, writer, singer, dancer, actor, etc. They are all concentrating on what they are doing not minding each other. At the far end of the room, Luna is drawing intently on her sketchpad. She will not look up.
Audio:
Musical score. Rock, with or without lyrics. [prospect: “Hide” by Pao’s Band] Music will suddenly “hang” when camera stops at Luna.
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Scene 7. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Norman arrives at the Artists’ Studio. He pulls a chair across Luna’s table and will seem agitated. [Cut to] Luna looks up at once but then immediately goes back to what she was drawing.
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: O bakit ngayon ka lang? Ang tagal kitang hinintay ah?
*** English: How come you’re late? I’ve been waiting for you.
Audio:
Ambient sound with other people talking in the background.
V.O. Luna:
O bakit ngayon ka lang? Ang tagal kitang hinintay ah?
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Scene 8. Int. Comic Alley.
Video:
[Cut to] Girl Character looks briefly at someone who had just arrived. She is sketching in the comic alley. She, like Luna, is also consumed by her work but occasionally glances at Norman who is now starting to feel nervous and seem agitated.
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: Hindi ko na alam, sobra na akong naguguluhan.
*** English: I don’t know, I’m pretty much confused right now.
Audio:
Ambient sound with other people talking in the background.
Musical score.
V.O. Norman:
Hindi ko na alam, sobra na akong naguguluhan.
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Scene 9. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Norman starts to seem rather agitated. He spills his coffee and nervously taps his finger on the table. He pulls out something from his pocket- a rubber band. He toys with it and stretches it repeatedly. Luna and Girl Character will occasionally look at him.
Audio:
Musical score. Music box-like theme fade-in.
V.O. Norman:
Have you ever felt like a rubber band?
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Scene 10. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Norman’s imagination. Norman remains static while a ballerina enters and does her stretching behind Norman. He is oblivious of her as she only exists in Norman’s mind. But it will seem as if Luna could see her.
[cut to] Reaction shot of Luna with a questioning look.
[cut to] Ballerina doing her routine encircling the oblivious Norman in the process.
[cut to] Girl Character looking at Norman with a puzzled look as well.
Audio:
Musical score. Music box-like theme fade-out to next sequence.
Louder background conversations.
Montage of dialogues.
V.O. Montage:
[mom] Norman, you’re next in line in our family of doctors, I’m sure your dad will be proud of you wherever he is.
[older brother] Alam ba ni mommy na mas marami na yang units na tine-take mo sa literature kesa sa med requirements mo?
[kid sister] Kuya Norman, kelan mo ba ako gagawan ng fairy tale book?
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SEQUENCE 3
Scene 11. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Long take of all the artists’ in the studio. [from long shot to dolly-in to each actor] the artists- painter, ballerina, writer, singer, dancer, actor, etc. are all beginning to be a bit more passionate in their respective activities. Luna begins to be more pressured now. She goes over her work one by one and is not satisfied with her progress yet.
Audio:
Louder version of ambient interior and exterior noise.
V.O. Norman:
I’ve realized that however we stretch our lives, we’ll still return to what we truly are. And if that time comes, mapapaisip tayo kung ano ba talaga ang kabuluhan ng buhay natin.
Video:
Luna stops looking at one of her drawings that closely resembles Norman, then she looks up at him again. Then she goes back to skimming through her works. [cut to] Comic book pages of Luna’s work in progress [as transition]
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: … mapapaisip tayo kung ano ba talaga ang kabuluhan ng buhay natin.
*** English: … we will be left thinking, are we making any sense?
Audio:
Fade-in rock music.
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Scene 12. Int. Comic Alley.
Video:
Girl character, confined as she is to Luna’s imagination, becomes agitated as well. She paces around the now, abandoned comic alley and will seem as if she doesn’t know what to do with herself.
Audio:
Rock music. Sound of torn paper.
V.O. Luna:
Pero walang mangyayari sa atin kung mananatili tayong nakakahon sa idinidikta ng ibang tao.
Video:
[cut to] Luna will look directly at the camera with a smug look as if addressing the audience.
Girl Character tearing off the wall paper in the comic alley as if she had waited that cue from her creator who is Luna. [slow motion]
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: Pero walang mangyayari sa atin kung mananatili tayong nakakahon sa idinidikta ng ibang tao.
*** English: Nothing will happen to us if we continue to be enclosed in other people’s expectations.
Audio:
Rock music to fade.
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SEQUENCE 4
Scene 13. Int. Hospital.
Video:
Norman in his white duty uniform, stares at the camera as if addressing the audience. He is trying to tell his mother that he won’t be taking up medicine anymore.
Audio:
V.O. Norman:
Ma, hindi ko na itutuloy ang medicine. Writing is where my heart belongs.
Video:
[cut to] Norman’s childhood memory of riding a roller coaster.
[cut to] Artists Studio with all artists.
Audio:
V.O. Montage:
[mom] How could you this do this to your father’s dreams? How could you just disregard everything we’ve put up for you?
[older brother] Dib a sabe ko naman sa’yo hindi magugustuhan ni mommy yan? If anything goes bad with her health, it’ll be your fault.
[kid sister] Kuya Norman, kelan mo ba ako gagawan ng fairy tale book?
Fade-in rock music to fade-out.
Video:
[cut to] A little girl trying to fit all the pieces of a puzzle.
[cut to] POV shot of Alley way.
Fade to black. Twenty seconds of black screen.
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SEQUENCE 4
Scene 14. Int. Day. Norman’s Pad.
Video:
Norman wakes up with more zest. Boy character, who’s also Norman’s main character wakes up and thinks for a moment before getting ready for the day.
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: Lahat tayo ay may pag-asa pang kumawala. Tayo ang magpapatakbo ng sarili nating buhay, masundan ang ating paniniwala. Lalaya tayo sa pamamagitan ng pagsunod sa ating puso at di dapat pilit magpanggap na normal ang buhay, dahil, dahil tayo lang ang makapagsasabi kung ano ang katotohanan.
*** English: We could still free ourselves. We rule our lives, we follow our beliefs by following our heart. We can never pretend to be in someone else’s reality because our truth is our reality.
Audio:
Ambient sound of early morning, right after the voice-over, musical score will fade-in.
V.O. Luna:
Lahat tayo ay may pag-asa pang kumawala. Tayo ang magpapatakbo ng sarili nating buhay, masundan ang ating paniniwala. Lalaya tayo sa pamamagitan ng pagsunod sa ating puso at di dapat pilit magpanggap na normal ang buhay, dahil, dahil tayo lang ang makapagsasabi kung ano ang katotohanan.
Scene 15. Int. Comic Alley.
Video:
Boy Character finally meets Girl Character in Norman’s story.
Scene 15. Montage.
Video:
Alley way scene.
Little Girl with the puzzle.
Girl Character looking directly at the camera.
Luna inside a solitary room looking directly at the camera.
Scene 16.
Video:
Comic book pages turning to the front cover entitled HALAW.
===END===
chermione16 