201 - A Student Short Film

What is 201?

201 is an upcoming student-made dramedy short film. It is a story nearly two years in the making with the ever-growing experience of a wholly passionate crew. Loosely based on a true story, our protagonist Sam will be sent down a winding path of confusion, discomfort, and above all else, growth.

A word from the Director

I have always been the loudest person in the room. Something I struggled with since I began writing my own scripts was expressing my personality, whilst maintaining a level of authenticity in my work. They always say it's better to write from your own experiences, so I took that and blew it out of proportion.

On the surface, 201 is a fun comedy with a twist ending, but looking past that it is so much more. When my relationship was forced to transition to long distance, it dragged a heap of insecurities out of the dark.

When I originally came up with the concept for 201, I did it on a zoom call with my girlfriend, still in a long-distance relationship at the time. In a way, it was a celebration of how far I'd come in facing those very same insecurities.

I know I'm far from the only person who has a penchant for overthinking irrationally, so 201 is for every single one of us that never stops thinking. For those that pick apart every meticulous detail in search of the worst-case scenario. Sam is not just a character, but rather a real person translated onto a page. He is all of us at our worst. I hope that 201 can encourage someone out there, maybe someone who's just like I was, to take a breath and clear their minds, even for just a moment.

-Sal Allarakhia (Writer/Director, 201)

What's the logline?

The unfortunate combination of a long-distance relationship, a shaky internet connection and a big reveal send an insecure Sam hurtling to catastrophe, forcing a part of him he never even knew existed to come to life... literally.

Meet Sam

A hard worker, but excessively insecure. He tends to overthink and jump to conclusions; he could be 100% confident in his relationship one day, then believe all is lost the minute something goes wrong. He is someone that relies on escaping the confines of his own self, constantly desperate for attention or company, with a tendency to spiral when he is without it.

Meet Brian

Sam’s polar opposite, the part of himself he wishes he could be all the time; confident, well-dressed and put together. He is loud, obnoxious, sarcastic and incredibly demeaning and condescending. He is the subdued extrovert side of Sam. We all have a Brian; that part of your brain that forces you to picture the worst possibility imaginable. Brian acts as Sam's meddling mediator, as well as his instigator, representing the part of every one of us that just won't stop assuming the worst.

Meet Kiera

Kiera is present throughout the film with wildly varying personalities due to the fact that her actions are purely a figment of Sam’s (and Brian’s) imagination. However, the times we do see the real Kiera in the first and third acts, she seems kind and caring when not distracted, but also disorganized with a tendency to allow stress to affect the efficiency of her actions, as well as her mood.

The plan

After over a year of anticipation, the script was finalized in December 2022. With pre-production already beginning, the film is set to shoot in mid-May 2023, with a 15th July 2023 release.

Risks and challenges

The most prevalent challenge we have to face is the budget; a $3000 bill is far greater than a student can afford. The cast and crew are willingly working for honorarium (transport and food) and will not be paid for this film in order to cut costs. The largest chunk will be going towards equipment rental, location and craft/catering services for the cast and crew. The production design also requires a hefty chunk.