A Cinematic Story
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Mar 27, 2021
- 3 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Waking up, PETER checks the bedside clock.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, it's scarcely 4am in the morning.
Peter rolls over in bed.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Once I've waken up, I'd begin planning my day, wanting to do unfinished businesses.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've retired for nearly 7 years. But I still haven't done good knowledge management.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A court appeal is coming up, and I've to draft a skeleton argument.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've a part-heard case. I've been thinking how to cross-examine the defendant.
Act 2
INT. STUDY - DAY
Peter is inserting a DVD into a player.
PETER (V.O.): I only slept 4 hours last night. See how good is this film...
Peter reads the DVD cover.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Venus in Fur is a film by Roman Polanski. The 90-minute film has just 1 location set, 1 actor and 1 actress.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I bought this DVD in 2014. Only now do I've time to watch it.
On TV screen, we see the opening image of a building.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me see how the master director tells a cinematic story.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Resolving the beginning dilemma between them, the two characters decide to press on with their common goal in Act 1.
Peter dozes.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm just too tired.
Peter refocuses on the screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The characters change clothes and moves to different corners with different lighting.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The characters even switch roles to bring out the acting variety and the richness of the plot.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Character is formed little by little, day by day. For professional actors, they can be in character in moments.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As expected, events add more conflicts, to a crisis that the two characters lose hope at the end of Act 2.
On the TV screen, we see characters changing clothes again and moving to different corners again with different lighting again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Although the location is just inside a studio, the director optimizes the limitation to his advantage.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The sound track is appealing, the mood is appropriate and the quality of communication is cinematic.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Not sure what's the climax and how the characters would transform themselves in Act 3.
On the TV screen, we see a highlighted scene and we hear heightened sound effects.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Is that the event that pushes the characters to change, from master to slave, and vice versa?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Is that what the film is trying to convey? Its SM theme doesn't appeal to me.
On the TV screen, we see the closing image of the building.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, there aren't moments in the film that would take my breath away.
On TV screen, we see end credits.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Wow! There're so many people behind the "scenes" to make this film!
Act 3
INT. STUDY - LATER
Peter is listening to oldies from the blue-tooth speakers.
PETER (V.O.): I've made dozens of music videos singled-handedly.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Can I make a feature film single-handedly?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Even though it's me against the film industry, I shouldn't close the door to my film-making project. I've at least several hundred screenplays.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Life is full of twists and turns. A dream can come true.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Peter goes to bed.
PETER (V.O.): I've had some milk. I need to sleep well. I want to be more creative.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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