The Monster In The River

Independent Films, Drama, Art

"The Monster In The River" - A whimsical film of obsession and belief.

http://www.monsterintheriver.com

Stumbling home after a big night out on the town, Daniel walks by a river where he thinks he sees something extraordinary; something that defies all conventional wisdom and belief. He cannot shake his belief in what he has seen, so much so that his entire world is turned upside down and inside out.

As Daniel searches for answers, he becomes consumed by this image of a monster swimming around in the river near his home. In the end, does the monster exist? Or is the real question that it does not matter if the monster exists as long as Daniel believes it does?

Transcripts / Production notes / Scripts

SHOOTING SCRIPT FOR THE MONSTER IN THE RIVER.


FADE IN.
Ripples of water in the river expanding outward.

TITLE: “THE MONSTER IN THE RIVER”.

DISSOLVE TO -

BLACK.


SCENE 1. INT. LOUNGE ROOM. DAY. 1.

DANIEL sits on the couch. He leans forward, enthused and passionate.

DANIEL
I know I saw it. I know it.


SCENE 2. INT. BAR. NIGHT. 2.

Close-up of a hand grasping a beer with unidentified people in the background.

Close-up of DANIEL’s face, looking seedy. DANIEL smiles, then shakes his head in the negative.

DANIEL leaves the Bar.


SCENE 3. EXT. BRIDGE. SUNRISE. 3.

DANIEL is walking along in a not so straight line, befitting his drunken state of mind.

DANIEL leans against the bridge railing. He looks out at the water. A dark object catches his attention, but it is blurry. DANIEL closing his eyes and rubs his temples, feeling unbalanced. DANIEL opens his eyes and sees ripples in the water. DANIEL’s eyes widen, he hears a gush of water. Then – silence.

DANIEL’s mobile phone rings. He fumbles for it in his pocket, pulls it out.

DANIEL
Mate, I just saw... fuck!

FRIEND
You piker.

DANIEL
Mate, there’s a fuckin’ monster in the river.

FRIEND
Yep, a monster... does he look like Godzilla?

DANIEL
He was a big mother-fucker too! I think... it was hard to tell...

FRIEND
Godzilla rules man... but not that fucking American version.

DANIEL
Wow... fuck... I gotta check this bastard out.

FRIEND
Hey everyone! Daniel saw fucking Godzilla...
(laughter in background)

DANIEL hangs up the phone. He stumbles along to the end of the bridge.


SCENE 4. EXT. RIVER BANK. SUNRISE. 4.

DANIEL stumbles down the path toward the river bank. He walks along the grass, towards the river’s edge, searching for any sign of movement.

DANIEL passes out.

DISSOLVE TO –


SCENE 5. EXT. RIVER BANK. EARLY MORNING. 5.

DANIEL wakes up quickly, jerking his head forward towards the river. He stares at it intently. Then, he gets up, almost as if possessed, then starts running down the river bank with military precision.


SCENE 6. INT. DANIEL’S STUDY ROOM. DAY. 6.

Montage: DANIEL sits at his computer. He types “monster” in to a search engine, and starts clicking through the responses. DANIEL begins to draw the monster on a blank sheet of paper, manically. He sticks it on the wall. We see a line of toy monsters on DANIEL’s desk. DANIEL plays with the toy monsters on his desk, making monster noises etc.


SCENE 7. INT. KITCHEN. DAY. 7.

DANIEL picks up the phone. He sits at the kitchen table. The phone rings, and a call centre OPERATOR with an Indian accent answers.

OPERATOR
Welcome to the Centre for Animal Knowledge and Welfare. You are talking with Jack.

DANIEL
Um, yes. I’d like to talk to someone about monsters.

OPERATORS
Monsters? What indeed are you referring to sir? If you have a gap in your knowledge about a certain animal, I will do my best to fill that gap for you.

DANIEL
The thing is... I saw a monster in the river.

OPERATOR
A monster in the river... That is quite a good one sir. I have not heard that one before.

DANIEL
I’m serious! Do you have any information?


OPERATOR
May I suggest that you ask for the assistance of a qualified mental health professional who will be able to give you the answers you seek. Now, is there anything else I can do for you today sir?

DANIEL hangs up.


SCENE 8. EXT. RIVER BANK. DAY. 8.

DANIEL sits intently on the river bank, with a still camera in his hand, waiting patiently. He takes a shot or two, becoming more manic as he does so.


SCENE 9. INT. DANIEL’S STUDY ROOM. EVENING. 9.

DANIEL opens his computer. He downloads the photos and starts to scroll through them. He looks up at the wall and sees other photos of the river he has taken.

CUT TO –

DANIEL on the phone, intense.

DANIEL
I saw it man. I’m not making this up.

FRIEND
Mate, you’re off your fuckin’ rocker.

FRIEND hangs up. DANIEL looks at the phone, a little sad.


SCENE 10. INT. DANIEL’S STUDY ROOM. NIGHT. 10.

DANIEL switches on the light. He sees all the photos on the wall; the photos depicting shots of the river, but no sign of the monster.

Anger engulfs DANIEL, and he begins tearing down all the photos in a fit of rage. As he does so, he knocks himself against a shelf, yelps in pain and falls to the ground.
SCENE 11. INT. LOUNGE ROOM. DAY. 11.

DANIEL sits forward, in thought.

DANIEL
When you know something is true, you don’t need evidence. You don’t need proof. Because you just know. You believe. It’s blind faith.


SCENE 12. EXT. RIVER BANK. MORNING. (DREAM). 12.

DANIEL sits on the river bank, watching the water intently.

CLOSE UP – water: The water begins to ripple.

DANIEL’s eyes widen as he sees the movement in the water.

Stay on DANIEL: He stands up, in awe. We hear the sound of rushing water, followed by the benign sound of a monster bellowing out. DANIEL’s eyes widen in delight. He smiles, and then begins to laugh joyously.


SCENE 13. EXT. RIVER BANK. MORNING. 13.

DANIEL open his eyes. DANIEL wakes up, looking out across the river. A look of determination appears in his eyes.

DANIEL stands up, then runs along the river bank with military precision.


SCENE 14. INT. STUDY ROOM. DAY. 14.

DANIEL logs in to Facebook. He looks at his “monster” fan page and he has 11,234 followers registered. He sees message posts such as “I believe you too man”, “I’ve seen it”, “Good for you for saying it!”.

DANIEL smiles.


SCENE 15. EXT. RIVER BANK. DAY. 15.

DANIEL walks along the edge of the river. He glances at the water, then the road out in front of him. He clutches his camera. He takes a shot or two.

DANIEL
My place is here. I believe. I’ve seen it. I will find it.

DANIEL continues to walk along the path next to the river.

DISSOLVE TO –


SCENE 16. EXT. RIVER. DUSK. 16.

CLOSE UP: Ripples of water.

PULL BACK to reveal a boat idling by the river’s edge, creating the ripples.


FADE OUT.

THE END.

Tags

• short film
• film
• monster
• movie
• monster movie
• river
• small wave films
• ben warner
• adam pritchard
• godzilla
• loch ness