'Monster' Narrative Short Film
Donation protected
‘Monster’ is a comedic short Drama Film which looks into the impact of anxiety on a struggling writer’s career and day-to-day life. Her mental health is represented and imbodied through the physical form of a large fluffy Monster who follows our protagonist, Alex, and torments her as she struggles to prepare for a book reading.
WHO ARE WE?
We are a group of student filmmakers from the University of the West of England who are passionate about narrative based short form films. This project was conceptualised and written by our lovely Director, Neil Horton-Hill. Based on his own and many other people’s experience with mental health issues, ‘Monster’ was written to provide a lighter more palatable view on serious issues.
We are all incredibly excited about the prospect of this script and production. We believe the issues and messages the script carries through its writing needs to be shown on screen, as now more than ever, we believe everyone needs to smile and have a chuckle. We hope to represent mental health issues in a respectful but new way, highlighting that there isn't a 'quick fix' or a direct cure to these issues. Instead we want to destigmatise living with mental health issues and highlight that learning to live with personal problems is a step in the right direction.
We really hope you can spare any amount to support the production of this film as we realise times are difficult for everyone today, so any contribution no matter how small is immeasurably appreciated.
OUR STORY
“When a huge, fluffy monster torments and holds back a burnt out book author from finishing her novel, the pair must learn how to work together if our protagonist, Alex, ever wants to be successful again.”
While mimicking Alex’s day-to-day activities, from brushing their teeth, watering the plants and working from home, Monster adds a layer of obsessive worry to every task. Alex is struggling to put the finishing touches to her novel, with Monster only getting in her way. While on a run Alex bumps into her agent, Jess, who invites her to do a reading at a networking event where lots of publishers will be present. Terrified by the idea, Monster huffs and puffs and devises a plan to stop Alex from going. Tensions rise as Monster sabotages Alex’s writing with a series of cunning pranks. She gets pushed to breaking point with Monster’s antics, feeling exhausted and helpless with what to do they clobber the beast with a baseball bat. Thinking they’ve got rid of Monster, Alex crunches the last touches to her novel and heads to the event in a manic state. But of course, getting rid of the beast isn’t that simple and the Gruffalo-esque creature reappears just as it’s Alex’s time to showcase her work. Thrown off by his presence and overwhelmed with nerves, Alex chokes and runs away from the reading. Confronted by Jess with what had just happened, she comes to learn that Alex is in need of some support. So with Jess by her side, we see the pair once again go through their day-to-day life as they try to be more civil and learn to co-exist peacefully.
Why does this Film need to be made?
With 25% of adults in the UK reporting mental health problems each year, with that figure being 34% for students alone, the content of our film will resonate with many viewers. Our intention is not to make a cliché, dark and dreary look into the inner psyche of the younger generation, but to instead create a light-hearted, comedic and subtle representation of the issues many of us face. The story reflects issues we have all experienced in ‘before times’, which have now been further exposed and pressured due to the current pandemic. We want to package our mental battles into a character which is relatable, as monotony and repetition are also subjects exposed in this film, subjects, which we can say from experience have had more of an impact on us recently. We hope that our interpretation of internal struggle and ‘baggage’ is portrayed in a refreshing way which gets away from the sentiment of ‘everything has a cure’. Instead, we want to represent the notion of it being ok to have mental health issues, acknowledging a problem and learning to live with it is a step in the right direction, towards improving our mental health.
Our Characters:
Alex.
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Appearance: Pale, semi-fit, unimposing.
Career: Fiction Novel Writer
Description: Alex is decisive, private and focused. Social interaction is not a necessity for her and she is short tempered under pressure. They are overly rational and rely on certainty and clear direction – despite this being something they lack in aspects of their life being so isolated.
Her Goal: To complete her novel before the reading, irrespective of Monster’s antics.
Her Need: Alex needs to learn how to cope with her anxiety (Monster), especially when under pressure.
Similar Characters: Edward Norton in fight club, Donnie Darko,
Monster.
Age: 7
Gender: Male
Appearance: A large, fluffy animal with a dinky brown nose, big round eyes, and chubby fingers.
Description: Monster’s appearance reflects that of something found in a children’s book. He doesn’t come across scary or intimidating, instead an air of childish mischief permeates his character. He is needy and possessive, the cunning and manipulative pranks he plays to get his way reflects this.
His Goal: To stop Alex from getting her book published, any way he can.
His Need: To remain the centre of Alex’s life.
Similar Characters: Carol from where the wild things are
Jess.
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Appearance: Similar to Alex, slightly more ‘established’ and has her own clear style and identity. School teacher by trade so mimics style choices without being cliché.
Career: Literary Agent
Description: Jess is a determined and well-driven professional. She practices ‘tough love’, supporting Alex with overwhelming pressure at times. She is well connected and professional success is her priority in life.
VISUAL STRATEGY
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Monster.
Looking to draw inspiration from the design of similar characters in Martha the Monster, Where the Wild Things Are, the Gruffalo and Brigsby Bear to name a few, a playful and childish design for our Antagonist will help juxtapose the film’s serious theme, shedding a light and giving a comedic tone to the matter. Described as a huge, fluffy animal with a dinky brown nose, big round eyes and chubby fingers, we want to avoid creating an objectively scary looking character. This will help the audience to have a more sympathetic view towards Monster, not portraying him as a ‘bad guy’. Although we’d love to make a mascot-esque fluffy suit, we are open minded to the exact design and approach we want to take for Monster, giving our Production Designer lots of creative freedom.
Props
Throughout the film Monster mimics things Alex does. Items he uses, such as a watering can, toothbrush and a newspaper, should be proportionately larger and cartoonish in appearance. Think Alice in Wonderland meets Cat in the Hat.
Costumes
In the mornings Alex will be wearing an old white tee and a pair of dirty sweat shorts, posing as makeshift pyjamas. For the running scenes, Alex and Jess will be wearing modern workout gear. While working from home, Alex will be wearing a similar get up to her makeshift pyjamas, or just casual clothes. As for the party scene, we’ll be going for a modern, smart casual look.
We really hope you can spare any amount to support the production of this film as we realise times are difficult for everyone today, so any contribution no matter how small is immeasurably appreciated.
WHO ARE WE?
We are a group of student filmmakers from the University of the West of England who are passionate about narrative based short form films. This project was conceptualised and written by our lovely Director, Neil Horton-Hill. Based on his own and many other people’s experience with mental health issues, ‘Monster’ was written to provide a lighter more palatable view on serious issues.
We are all incredibly excited about the prospect of this script and production. We believe the issues and messages the script carries through its writing needs to be shown on screen, as now more than ever, we believe everyone needs to smile and have a chuckle. We hope to represent mental health issues in a respectful but new way, highlighting that there isn't a 'quick fix' or a direct cure to these issues. Instead we want to destigmatise living with mental health issues and highlight that learning to live with personal problems is a step in the right direction.
We really hope you can spare any amount to support the production of this film as we realise times are difficult for everyone today, so any contribution no matter how small is immeasurably appreciated.
OUR STORY
“When a huge, fluffy monster torments and holds back a burnt out book author from finishing her novel, the pair must learn how to work together if our protagonist, Alex, ever wants to be successful again.”
While mimicking Alex’s day-to-day activities, from brushing their teeth, watering the plants and working from home, Monster adds a layer of obsessive worry to every task. Alex is struggling to put the finishing touches to her novel, with Monster only getting in her way. While on a run Alex bumps into her agent, Jess, who invites her to do a reading at a networking event where lots of publishers will be present. Terrified by the idea, Monster huffs and puffs and devises a plan to stop Alex from going. Tensions rise as Monster sabotages Alex’s writing with a series of cunning pranks. She gets pushed to breaking point with Monster’s antics, feeling exhausted and helpless with what to do they clobber the beast with a baseball bat. Thinking they’ve got rid of Monster, Alex crunches the last touches to her novel and heads to the event in a manic state. But of course, getting rid of the beast isn’t that simple and the Gruffalo-esque creature reappears just as it’s Alex’s time to showcase her work. Thrown off by his presence and overwhelmed with nerves, Alex chokes and runs away from the reading. Confronted by Jess with what had just happened, she comes to learn that Alex is in need of some support. So with Jess by her side, we see the pair once again go through their day-to-day life as they try to be more civil and learn to co-exist peacefully.
Why does this Film need to be made?
With 25% of adults in the UK reporting mental health problems each year, with that figure being 34% for students alone, the content of our film will resonate with many viewers. Our intention is not to make a cliché, dark and dreary look into the inner psyche of the younger generation, but to instead create a light-hearted, comedic and subtle representation of the issues many of us face. The story reflects issues we have all experienced in ‘before times’, which have now been further exposed and pressured due to the current pandemic. We want to package our mental battles into a character which is relatable, as monotony and repetition are also subjects exposed in this film, subjects, which we can say from experience have had more of an impact on us recently. We hope that our interpretation of internal struggle and ‘baggage’ is portrayed in a refreshing way which gets away from the sentiment of ‘everything has a cure’. Instead, we want to represent the notion of it being ok to have mental health issues, acknowledging a problem and learning to live with it is a step in the right direction, towards improving our mental health.
Our Characters:
Alex.
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Appearance: Pale, semi-fit, unimposing.
Career: Fiction Novel Writer
Description: Alex is decisive, private and focused. Social interaction is not a necessity for her and she is short tempered under pressure. They are overly rational and rely on certainty and clear direction – despite this being something they lack in aspects of their life being so isolated.
Her Goal: To complete her novel before the reading, irrespective of Monster’s antics.
Her Need: Alex needs to learn how to cope with her anxiety (Monster), especially when under pressure.
Similar Characters: Edward Norton in fight club, Donnie Darko,
Monster.
Age: 7
Gender: Male
Appearance: A large, fluffy animal with a dinky brown nose, big round eyes, and chubby fingers.
Description: Monster’s appearance reflects that of something found in a children’s book. He doesn’t come across scary or intimidating, instead an air of childish mischief permeates his character. He is needy and possessive, the cunning and manipulative pranks he plays to get his way reflects this.
His Goal: To stop Alex from getting her book published, any way he can.
His Need: To remain the centre of Alex’s life.
Similar Characters: Carol from where the wild things are
Jess.
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Appearance: Similar to Alex, slightly more ‘established’ and has her own clear style and identity. School teacher by trade so mimics style choices without being cliché.
Career: Literary Agent
Description: Jess is a determined and well-driven professional. She practices ‘tough love’, supporting Alex with overwhelming pressure at times. She is well connected and professional success is her priority in life.
VISUAL STRATEGY
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Monster.
Looking to draw inspiration from the design of similar characters in Martha the Monster, Where the Wild Things Are, the Gruffalo and Brigsby Bear to name a few, a playful and childish design for our Antagonist will help juxtapose the film’s serious theme, shedding a light and giving a comedic tone to the matter. Described as a huge, fluffy animal with a dinky brown nose, big round eyes and chubby fingers, we want to avoid creating an objectively scary looking character. This will help the audience to have a more sympathetic view towards Monster, not portraying him as a ‘bad guy’. Although we’d love to make a mascot-esque fluffy suit, we are open minded to the exact design and approach we want to take for Monster, giving our Production Designer lots of creative freedom.
Props
Throughout the film Monster mimics things Alex does. Items he uses, such as a watering can, toothbrush and a newspaper, should be proportionately larger and cartoonish in appearance. Think Alice in Wonderland meets Cat in the Hat.
Costumes
In the mornings Alex will be wearing an old white tee and a pair of dirty sweat shorts, posing as makeshift pyjamas. For the running scenes, Alex and Jess will be wearing modern workout gear. While working from home, Alex will be wearing a similar get up to her makeshift pyjamas, or just casual clothes. As for the party scene, we’ll be going for a modern, smart casual look.
We really hope you can spare any amount to support the production of this film as we realise times are difficult for everyone today, so any contribution no matter how small is immeasurably appreciated.
Co-organizers (8)
Patrick Whinder-Montague
Organizer
England
Barnaby Janes
Co-organizer
Mo Duke
Co-organizer
Fin Wright
Co-organizer
Charlie Bush
Co-organizer