Writing our script

The writing of our script was an exciting process. Once the plot points were clearly outlined, we began the dialogue as much of the narrative was to be driven by this. I tried to ensure our script was informed by three elements: pacing, suspense and the hard-boiled American dialect so famous in film noir. Once all of the lines were written, I went over the script to find any forties alternatives to slang used and read through the script of Double Indemnity to see on paper how they used language in the film. Examples of phraseology used as a result of this research included the use of “dame” to refer to a woman, “that tore it” to mean to settle it, “schmuck”, and the heavy use of hypothetical innuendo and metaphors, i.e.

Jim: ...Say a girl’s been betting both ways on fixed odds.

Rita: (Calmly) Say she doesn’t know the table’s rigged.

Jim: Say you can’t bet on two horses.

Rita: Say she lets the best horse win.

(http://sfy.ru/?script=double_indemnity_1944)

It was difficult but imperative to get each line to further the plot and keep flowing as any conversation should. Hannah and I read through the script to keep an eye on our time-limit and we felt like we were within the criteria of five minutes. I stalled the dialogue to avoid climaxing the plot too early and letting it seem like we had rushed the plot onto the audience, and we were happy with the way the tension was to be built up on-screen and how the characters developed for a short film. We felt the script showed clearly a shift in power balance as the plot progressed. Finally I went through the script and added all stage direction to inform both Hannah and I when we shot the film what was going to be happening action-wise, and to guide our actors on set. I was very fixated with the idea of including a voice-over narrative for the beginning and the end of the short film, to allow the audience a sense of context and conclusion which can easily be lacking in short films, and to try out a clear stylistic technique of film noir. As a precaution, I wrote two versions of the narrative monologues, full length and shorter, compromising on content but which we would need if we were strapped for time in our short film limit.