Short Film Step-Outline: Fall 2012

First Date

STEP-OUTLINE

By: Dominic Colangelo

Scene:                    Dramatic Intent:

A teenage boy named, “Ernest” is at home having trouble picking out an outfit to wear. Picks an outfit after a while then leaves home.	Shows Ernest has no sense of style and he is nervous for his first ever date.
Ernest waits nervously outside his dates house. Knocks on dates door and awkwardly meets parents of his date. After, the date, Ida, and Ernest are on their way out.	Ernest’s personality is introduced here. He can be considered timid/ shy, quiet and lost.
Walking, Ernest realizes that he has no idea what him and his date are going to do. He has nothing planned.	Ernest is confused but does not want to ruin this date for him or Ida.
Ernest is not sure where to take a girl for their first date so he brings Ida to a fast food restaurant. They eat quietly with minimal words exchanged.	Bringing Ida to a McDonald’s is funny because what girl wants to eat at McDonald’s for their first date. This shows Ernest as a confused or lost person.
The two walk and go into random stores that they pass on the piers. Ida’s eyes lock on the merry go round.	Ida’s outgoing personality is exemplified while Ernest’s timid and quiet personality is exemplified.
Ernest is morbidly scared of rides but he does not want to show his fear around Ida. So he gets on the merry go round with Ida.	Their contrasting personalities are mainly exemplified here. Ida is attracted to Ernest because of his timid personality.
They get off the ride and want ice cream. They walk into ben & jerry’s nearby and share a sundae on the pier.	Quickly, Ernest is catching on to this dating thing. He feels he can open up more to Ida. This scores Ernest some points with her.
Ernest brings Ida to the aquarium. Ernest apologizes to Ida explains his story to her. Ida gets him and shows sympathy.	The aquarium is significant. Ernest’s mom used to take him there before she passed away. He never had the woman figure in his life to teach him how to date well. But really Ida did not mind the date at all.
Ernest brings Ida home and thinks the date was a disaster. But he earns himself a kiss and another date with Ida.	Ernest did well on his first date and realizes there is some hope for him.

My storyline has all ten elements of storytelling within it. The main character in my story, Ernest, has a goal to have a good first date with the girl of his dreams, Ida. But Ernest is not exactly sure how dating works exactly which connects to his backstory. His backstory is revealed later on in the story that his mother died and he had no one really to talk to how a first date should go down. This can also be the unknown in the storyline because it is unexpected. The backstory then links with the element of obstacle by Ernest going on a first date without knowing how to date. Discovery occurs when Ida finds out that Ernest's mother has past away. Relationship is building up between Ernest and Ida, and fading between Ernest and his mother. The setting of my film is Pier 39 in San Francisco because it is a large tourist attraction and is a common place for dates. Multiple moods can be felt from my film but I think that sympathy and connection are the two main moods. Ida feels sympathetic towards the end of the date because she finds out why Ernest's date has no sense of, "direction." Connection is felt by the audience because the attraction between Ernest and Ida is obvious and inevitable. The time will be modern time and day because it suppose to be told in modern time. Ernest comes off to be a nerdy, awkward and dryly comedic teenage boy. He has ALMOST no idea when it comes to girls and relationships which is obvious to the audience. Ida happens to be sort of opposite to Ernest. She is an outgoing, social and accepting teenage girl that will be easy to infer from her actions.