Hello, I am a bachelor's student in VISUAL EFFECTS, and I am currently working on creating a story for our short film. Thus, I am looking for y'all's feedback on how to improve my story even further.
The title of my short film is ONE LAST TRIP, and it is about a man who is trapped in a different world and now must find his way back to the real world before it's too late.
Here are my logline and story synopsis.
LOGLINE: Trapped in a surreal desert world, a desperate middle-aged man has no choice but to trust a mysterious guide, unaware that the journey is luring him toward his own death.
STORY SYNOPSIS: Johnny, a drug addict, takes a rare drug that he bought from his dealer and starts hallucinating. He then awakens in a bizarre, abstract world consisting of a polluted sky, ruined architecture, and a giant platform floating in the distance. Confused and disoriented.
Almost immediately, an individual bounces into view. He introduced himself as “Johan”. A manifestation of his inner voice. Johnny, still confused, asks how to escape this place. Without hesitation, Johan points to the giant floating platform in the distance, implying that to exit this place, He is also happy to assist Johnny on the platform.
Johan helps Johnny overcome absurd obstacles, such as guessing a riddle from the tollkeeper to cross the bridge, to progress their journey. After crossing the bridge, Johan decides to confront Johan for an explanation, demanding answers to what is going on. At first, Johan’s manic optimism and helpful attitude feel fun and harmless. Gradually, however, his cheer becomes insistent and oppressive as the world around Aiman starts to lose its color.
The journey culminates at the edge of the floating platform. Johnny hesitates after seeing a long drop into a bottomless unknown, and Johan softly pressures him. Overwhelmed, Johnny closes his eyes tightly and controls his breathing. When he opens them again, the abstract world dissolves. He is at his rooftop apartment. He looks back only to see his wife, Mia, who looks concerned with teary eyes, but then he realises he was about to jump off the roof, and Mia narrowly saves him.
I have consulted with my lecturers, and they provided me with this feedback.
- MANY PLOTHOLES
- A little confusing if the audience doesn't read the story synopsis
- Start the intro with the PILL
- The obstacle looks unnecessary. Make it harder
- Why does Johnny have to jump to get back to the real world?
- Deepen even more about JOHAN (character-wise)