“Web Of Lies” 8 Page Treatment

A classroom full of students rustles their books into their backpacks.  A few students in the back of the classroom pass notes, while two others play finger football with a folded up piece of paper. The noise in the room elevates as the students begin chatting amongst themselves.  The teacher closes her book and begins to erase the blackboard clean. When she finishes erasing the blackboard, she removes her glasses and sets the eraser down on the ledge of the board. She thanks the class and reminds them that their homework is due in the morning.

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The Follow

Shoot and edit a short sequence (1-3 minutes) using basic film grammar to articulate “following.” Clearly articulate who’s scene it is: someone being followed or someone doing the following. Try to escalate the tension in the sequence with the camera. You must reveal something within the scene.

Remember: Tension for the audience is the delayed answer to a strong question created in the storytelling. The audience has to:
1. Ask the question
2. Care about the question (want to know the answer)
3. You have to tease them with the answer.

Re-cap:
1) Articulate “following” (not chasing)
2) Make it clear to the audience who’s scene it is.
3) Escalate the tension.