Screenplay fun

Starting from Tuesday, my partner and I have been contributing to our screenplay doc and this is just a sneak peek until we have put the finishing touches on it. Because there is no dialogue, we have to describe almost every action and expression for our actors since it carries the entire piece. This would not be done in a regular short film since actors are able to give their own interpretation to the screenplay but we have decided to limit this.

We had issues between the screenplay and how to wanted to reveal the conflict and symbolism within the short film, and this is how we plan on conveying these.

ISSUE: We established that she leaves him in the end because she is afraid of commitment and feels undeserving of his affection. We need to create a background for this throughout the story… or at least hint at a reason for her leaving at the end.

1. So we've decided that the face painter comes off as a very enthusiastic person when it comes to face painting but we plan on inserting a few shots of her after the clients have gone. She will look much more down when shes alone, that immediately as the child gets off the chair, her smile leaves with them. But as soon as another person comes to get their face painted she again is shown with a large smile. By countering these shots, it'll be visible that face painting is what brings her joy. Along with the sequence of the man coming back to visit her, it will be shown that she dedicates all her time to face painting making it clear it is the only activity that she enjoys. In revealing she's afraid of commitment, that can be established by each time the man visits her, she progressively becomes more comfortable with him but never fully. At first, she is very wary of him before they briefly touch hands, then the next time she may smile at him and begin to stand much closer to him and just have much more relaxed body language. Making it seem as though she only thing she is committed to is face painting. She is afraid of becoming too intimate with the man because she is scared of the outcome of it and feels as though the only true happiness she can get is through seeing others happy in her face paintings.

ISSUE: We need to add some kind of meaning to each of the face paintings that she gives him. They cannot be entirely random.
2. Each time the man visits her, the face painter will paint something different, the first time can just be something simple that the man requests from a pamphlet of options. He will choose a simple pirate face painting with an eyepatch, mustache and a scar, this can work to highlight that he is a let loose kind of guy, whos still in touch with his childlike nature, just generally carefree. The next time he can motion to the woman and mouth out "surprise me", again emphasizing his unworried character while allowing the face painter to show a bit of her personality by just coming up with a new design. She could paint something like a sun with yellows and oranges which represents the warmth and happiness he brings when he sees her but in a friendly little sun painting. Then by the third time, he can again say "surprise me" and she could paint a dove that symbolizes love and romance. By doing this, the viewer will be able to see the progression of her comfort with the man while understanding that he appreciates her work and trusts her despite practically being strangers by allowing her to paint whatever she feels.

ISSUE: Create a better understanding of what kind of people these characters are e.g. hipsters, homeless, college students, etc.

3. When I envisioned these characters, I imagined them as pretty average looking people like nothing too different about them, just looking as realistic as possible. The face painter can just be dressed in some light blue cutoff shorts with any kind of monochrome tank top, preferably white or gray, something pretty basic and some beat-up sneakers with her hair up in a ponytail. You know just a typical beach look. Then for the guy, since he's a bit more adventurous, he can be wearing one of those graphic shirts that are meant to be funny, but only the people who buy them think they're funny with swimming shorts and sneakers. By making them seem so average, I feel like it just creates more relatability within the characters and takes away from the seriousness behind what the face painter is actually dealing with and what others can't see, just how she wants to be seen.

ISSUE: I want to make the film with no dialogue, so their intentions need to be communicated nonverbally and there needs to be a good score to accompany it. 
4. Since there will be no dialogue, the actor's expressions and body language, as well as movement, will be very crucial. When they first meet, by the man's intrigue to the face painter we will have him just be sitting very comfortably in front of her while she's painting, he'll be very smiley as shes painting and even more so once he sees the finished product. This will be contrasted to the woman as still friendly, but a bit more stiff and keeping a small distance between her and the client. But when the man goes to pay her and they brush hands, a close-up shot of her face can be inserted to reveal her beginning to blush then countering with his reaction, highlighting the growing attraction between them. As he continues to visit her, she becomes less stiff and more relaxed around him, an example being her just admiring him and he can look up and make eye contact with her then she quickly looks down almost embarrassed. Overall just progressing their comfortability with each other as the man continues to visit the face painter, until she realizes she can't get too close to him.