a short film
by
Kevin Short
CAST
Young Painter
Young Man
Elderly Man
Young Woman
Elderly Woman
Middle-aged Man
Middle-aged Woman
LOCATION
A large picturesque garden with a willow tree, summerhouse, and other traditional features.
The action is filmed in one continuous handheld tracking take:
The camera slowly tracks down from a cloudless sky to the smiling face of a young painter who sits looking up at the inspiring blue heavens.
After a moment, the young painter, brush in hand, rises and walks to her large empty white canvas.
The young painter dips her brush into a pot of black paint and begins to shape the beginnings of a weeping willow tree.
The camera slowly leaves the scene and moves along the garden toward a small summerhouse. A young man sits outside, he holds a somewhat out-of-date mobile phone in his hand.
He gazes, hopelessly, at the screen, only to clasp it in closed hands again.
The camera continues its journey, stopping at a disused vegetable patch. A tired elderly man sits leaning against a rusty spade, still and alone. He looks skywards, and down again.
Onward, along a small grass path. A young woman sits on a tree swing. Holding a vintage Alice-in-Wonderland toy rabbit, her face full of empty thoughts, she gently sways to and fro.
The camera passes and continues toward an old greenhouse. An elderly woman sits on a small wall gazing at the abandoned greenhouse.
On her lap rests an age-worn watering can. Gently caressing it between her weary hands, she looks down, and up again.
Tracking back and around the other side of the garden, the camera finds a middle-aged man sitting at a white, wrought-iron, garden table. He holds a well-used smoking pipe between both hands. On the table is an unread newspaper.
The man, emotionless, turns to look toward the empty chair on the opposite side of the table, then back, lowering his head.
And on, the camera travels the green lawn to find a middle-aged woman reclining on a wooden sun-lounger, gazing into the blue, she gently finger taps the ornate walking stick which she holds between her half-folded arms.
The camera turns, and having done the full circle, we see the young painter from the beginning, once more. The painting is now finished: Below the painted willow tree are six figures, all dressed in white, all holding hands, standing in a circle around a coffin.
The young painter turns, the camera also turns to reveal the characters we have seen, who were all dressed in black or dark colours, now magically dressed in white, and holding hands in a circle around a coffin, as the painting has depicted.
Still holding hands, they perform a ritualistic celebration of life and spirit, they sway from side to side, then release their grip, clap three times, and gently begin to raise their trembling outstretched hands toward the heavens above.
The camera follows, moving above their outstretched arms, up and beyond the weeping willow tree to a calming cloudless sky.
FADE TO BLACK
END CREDITS ROLL
WRITER’S NOTES
ArtefactZ is an attempt to portray the concept that Life can imitate Art, as well as be influenced by it.
The prop each character holds is an artefact of a lost life, and the finished painting may be the future artefact of their own lives.
The magical change of clothes, from dark or black colours to all white, represents both the guiding spirit of the artist and the release of each character’s grief. In short, a celebration of freedom, and how art in life, or life in art, can attain it.
©KShort2018
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