Screenwriting LO2 Breakdown "The Kitty Collective"

 

The Kitty Collective

 

Scene 1: (around 8pm)

Viewers are introduced to the first character, Zahra. Bits of her life are shown through photo frames on dressers and walls. A box is pulled out of a closet, filled with frames and clothes of a woman that no longer lives in the house. Her father is shown in a setting that establishes his job, there is a conversation with her father that sets the intention for her night. She finishes getting ready and leaves her house.

Scene 2: (around 9:30pm)

Haroon is shown smoking and walking up to the farmhouse, ready to take over and start his night shift. He gets ready and stands at the front door, a car pulls up, Zahra is shown exiting it and Haroon gives her a look that signifies ‘are you sure you’re in the right place?’ she’s not one of the usuals but he doesn’t question it, that’s not his job.

The camera follows Zahra as she walks into the house, the initial layout of the house is built as she walks through the hallway and into the cloakroom, from there she walks into the door to her right and is met with a thick cloud of smoke. she catches the faces of a few older men but her eyes lock with Hasan Kaleem’s’ which is broken by Sajid Kaleem ushering her and Tony, who has just arrived, into a dining room right across from the study.

She establishes the setting of the room and focuses on the dining table in the centre and some commentary about the chandelier over it before she notices another girl walk in.

Scene 3: (9:30pm)

The story back tracks a little and introduces Layla, her family was the last to arrive. You are given an immediate impression of her parents’ personalities in the moments that they are exiting the car through some vile comments about Haroon and his wasted potential, she has eye contact with Haroon while walking  past him into the main hallway and then hears her car driving off before loudly announcing “I think I forgot my phone in the car, you guys go on ahead without me” and walks out of the front door peeking. Haroon sneaks up behind her and they share an intense moment around the corner of the house before they hear the caterers unpacking and end it. A silent intention is set for tonight that will decide their future, Haroon resumes his duty and Layla walks into the party.

Scene 4: (10pm)

Dolly, the host, is shown sitting on a sofa and talking about herself, her character is revealed slightly through the observation Zahra makes in her narration. She goes to get a drink as an excuse to pull away from Dolly’s group and meets the other ladies, and their personalities are slowly being deciphered by Zahra. Geeti is seen walking back to the cloakroom

Scene 5: (10pm)

The study is shown, filled with all the male guests. Hasan is standing in a corner with a drink in his hand and is staring at the tiered steps outside the house and thinking of his childhood. He looks back at his brother who is busy networking and boasting about himself to all the guests, despite it being the same group of guests that his parents have been inviting over since he was a child, except Zahra, though he does not know her name yet.

Hasan’s character helps to introduce viewers to the male counter parts of the aunties from the previous scene whose lives and personalities Zahra has just begun to scratch the top of. Hasan notices his father leave the room and is about to follow him but ends up pulled aside by Rasool Khanzada to help him procure some alcohol from the fake books his father has kept in the library.

Towards the end of the scene Jamshed Khawar is seen leaving the room and walking back in 2 minutes later.

Scene 6: (10:20)

Geeti walks into the cloakroom and immediately grabbed by Sajid, and they begin making out in the dimly lit room, after 5 minutes, Jamshed walks in, and they jump apart. Sajid makes up some sort of excuse before walking back into the study with Jamshed.

Scene 7: (11pm)

Haroon watches the caterers pack up and leave in their vans before going and locking the kitchen door from the outside, he visibly relaxes as now all that’s left of his duty is locking the front door as per dolly’s instructions, so that no one can drunkenly run out and get hurt. He cleans himself up, changes in the bathroom and stores his back in the back of the cloakroom before joins Hasan at the party since he’s the only person Haroon gets along with anymore, other than Layla.

Scene 8: (11:15pm)

Dinner is set on the dining table and as the men enter, the room gets quite full suddenly and Zahra moves back towards the door of the kitchen hoping she’ll shrink. While people begin to rotate around the dining table filling their plates with their first serving, she is approached by some of the creepier uncles and is nervous at the glares of their wives. Her father’s position is mentioned repeatedly while they attempt to extract information about her life. This scene allows Zahra to have an immediate conclusion for a lot of the characters.

Scene 9: (11:40pm)

Layla is now the focus, she is with Haroon, Junaid, and Hasan on the balcony, she watches Zahra being hounded by uncles through the window and debates over inviting her to their group. She motions towards Hasan, and he grins before walking in to rescue Zahra.

The camera follows Hasan as he walks towards Zahra, he doesn’t take her name but asks her to come to the wine cellar with him so that he can bring up more alcohol for the guests.

Zahra accepts the rescue, and they go down to the basement where Zahra paces the aisles and Hasan asks what she’s doing, she states that she’s helping him with his task, but he clarifies that he was trying to rescue her, not subject her to unpaid labour.

He takes her to the furthest end of the pantry where they sit and introduce themselves and start talking to each other, note that they instantly feel a connection.

Scene 10-14: (12:30-1:30am)

The camera cuts back to the party and we focus on some of the characters interacting with each other.

Scene 15: (2am)

There is a blackout, everyone is shocked that Dolly hasn’t put in an alternate electricity supply yet, Dolly makes up some excuse and a few jokes are thrown around, a bit of bumping and shuffling happens before there is a loud gunshot echoing through the room.

There are screams and gasps, but no one can see anything so they can’t run, just fall onto the floor, or feel around to hide under something.

Scene 16: (2am)

Haroon and Layla are out on the balcony, and they hear a single gunshot and screams from the dining room, they walk in as soon as the lights turn on and are immediately faced with a dead body on the table and a gun placed on top of it.

Everyone looks equally innocent and guilty simultaneously and there is a shocked silence that is broken by a scream.

Scene 17: (2:10am)

Zahra and Hasan were leaning into each other and about to kiss and the lights go out, they decide to continue in the dark but then they hear the gunshots and screams and immediately get up and Zahra holds Hasan’s hand as he leads her upstairs by feeling his surroundings, they enter the kitchen as the electricity comes back and walk into the dining room as the silence breaking scream  happens and make eye contact with Layla and Haroon.

~After scene 17, the accusations and unravelling of the plot and characters begins~