Student Short Film: Will

About the film...

Logline:

After going on multiple successful dates, a young couple decide they want to make it official. But he has one condition beforehand: he needs one of her teeth.

Synopsis:

After their third successful date, Dan and Willow head back to Willow’s house. Dan tells her how he really likes her and wants to make it official, but that to do so he needs one of her teeth. Willow at first assumes he must be joking, but Dan assures her that he’s serious. He explains that he won’t force her, but that if she loved him, she’d let him take her tooth, as an act of willingly giving him a part of herself that she’ll never get back. Eventually Dan manages to convince Willow and she reluctantly agrees, even though every part of her wants to run away. We don’t see Dan pulling out her tooth, but afterwards Willow stands alone in front of a bathroom mirror distraught at what has just happened. Through all the pain she attempts a smile, revealing a gap in the back of her teeth. Willow understands then that Dan has forever changed her, and whenever she smiles she won’t be able to forget that.

Storyboard examples:

Characters:

Willow: Willow carries an air of nervousness that follows her throughout the narrative. What was firstly simple post-date nerves, becomes entangled with confusion and fear that clouds her ability to speak out and act as she would like to. She knows her own strengths, but is hesitant to show them, especially in the presence of others. Ultimately, she fears being alone.

Dan: Dan is an outwardly confident man. Whether that be in the way he dresses, in his voice or his commanding presence in a room, he wants to be seen and never hesitates or backs down in a conversation. But he uses his charm to cooly calculate his way through effortless manipulation, that ultimately allows him to indulge in his twisted habits.

Directors Statement

When I first got the idea for this film I was confused why I was thinking of such a strange visual, a man leaning over to a woman with a pair of pliers. I couldn’t understand why that image was so prominent for me. But as it lingered and I continued building on the idea, slowly I found reasoning and context for putting these characters in such a bizarre situation. But most importantly I found it’s message to be something I find crucially important.

I hope that audiences for Will experience the same thing. This may seem to be an outwardly gruesome and unbelievable concept on the surface, as the question of giving up a tooth is not a common experience. But at it’s core, this film aims to present the painful manipulation that a person suffers in a relationship when being asked to do something they simply don’t want to do.

Crew:

Writer/Director - Daisy Heard

Producer - Lee Fennessy

Director of Photography - Aidan Brook

Production Designer - Natalya Bond

Editor - Albie Menter

Sound Designer - Ella Gorman

DIT - Erin Roddis