BORROWED TIME
Is age a weakness or a strength?
DIRECTOR'S TREATMENT
by Caitlin Black
On the day of her 100th birthday Innes McLean receives a letter which forces her to play with fire.
WHY TELL THIS STORY?
We'd like to play around with the idea of elderly folk being perceived as saintly victims who don’t want to die.
The reality for many is that it’s living hell being old and this is rarely discussed.
Jack and I have a 105 year old great granny who we adore but is no angel. Her cheekiness inspired the character of Innes. Every time we visit our great gran she announces how ready to go she is but her "body isnae listening". She’s always reminding us that she’s living on borrowed time and while our family are desperate to keep her alive, she wants to get the hell out of here!
The reality for many is that it’s living hell being old and this is rarely discussed.
Jack and I have a 105 year old great granny who we adore but is no angel. Her cheekiness inspired the character of Innes. Every time we visit our great gran she announces how ready to go she is but her "body isnae listening". She’s always reminding us that she’s living on borrowed time and while our family are desperate to keep her alive, she wants to get the hell out of here!
PROTAGONIST
Innes McLean, 100 years old
Retired longer than actual years worked.
Wife, maw, grand-maw, great-gran-maw, hoping she’s not around to be a great-great-grand-maw.
The cantankerous anti-hero and heart of the story. Born in 1921, Innes has seen it all. A born and bred Paisley lass, she’s watched on as the community and world has changed around her; each wrinkle in time painted on her hands (which is very annoying btw). She’s seen her fair share of tragedy in that time. Dead husband, dead kids and the remnants of a family she wishes was dead. It’s hard to find the motivation to live on. Luckily for her a dodgy deal with the devil is finally coming to an end on her 100th birthday and she might get a day of peace. Innes is a gossip by nature but don’t you dare air her dirty laundry. A self-titled “bonnie burd” back in the day, Innes still still loves a secret tongue sandwich with extra beetroot for lunch: that is the secret to a long-life after all… well, plus an extra life off the devil.
CHARACTER MOODBOARD
My great granny's idiosyncrasies will influence my approach to capturing the psychology of Innes.
A few things that women of a certain age will experience are: blurry eyesight, an annoying buzzing hearing aid, a safety clip to hold up a skirt that used to fit her ("buying clothes at my age is a waste of money"), swollen ankles, skin that bursts open if she so much as grazes against a hard piece of furniture, thinning hair stripping a woman of her femininity, breasts that hardly warrant the use of a bra and false teeth that only get put in for a visitor. Unlike my great granny, I can imagine that Innes had quite a wild past. She was bold dresser and used clothes and make up as a way to express herself so I think it would be fun to explore how in costume and hmu we can give a nod to her colourful past.
A few things that women of a certain age will experience are: blurry eyesight, an annoying buzzing hearing aid, a safety clip to hold up a skirt that used to fit her ("buying clothes at my age is a waste of money"), swollen ankles, skin that bursts open if she so much as grazes against a hard piece of furniture, thinning hair stripping a woman of her femininity, breasts that hardly warrant the use of a bra and false teeth that only get put in for a visitor. Unlike my great granny, I can imagine that Innes had quite a wild past. She was bold dresser and used clothes and make up as a way to express herself so I think it would be fun to explore how in costume and hmu we can give a nod to her colourful past.
INFLUENCE & TONE
INFLUENCE & TONE
Growing up I loved Roald Dahl’s portrayal of older people and Quentin Blake’s quirky caricatures like The Twits and The Witch. Their playful nature is a beautifully sensitive approach to tackling darker subject matter. Watching the older members of my family age over the years, I’ve realised that they almost turn full circle and become child-like again. There’s a lot of room for visual play in this story and I’d like to explore how to create a colourful homage to a difficult yet remarkable time in my great granny’s life.
STORYBOARD EXTRACTS
VISUAL STYLE
Although our story takes place in the 'real world', we have a lot of hints to the supernatural and after life so I'd like to play around with how we can show surreal realism. Some of my favourite photographers, Martin Parr and family friend Colin Gray, display a quirky sensibility in their images. They demonstrate that the world we live in can be absurd even amongst the banal. Never one to patronise their subjects, I find their point of view charming and will use it to build Borrowed Time's visual identity.
INNES HOME
Warm colours and an analogue feel will guide the visual tone for Innes' home. I imagine our aesthetic to have the feel of an old postcard found in your granny’s attic: an unfamiliar time yet comforting.
Innes seldom leaves her house. The decor hasn't been updated since the 80s when she last had the energy to spruce the place up after her husband died. Back then brown, pastel pinks and blues were in, floral wallpaper and shag carpets were all the rage. Innes is house proud but over the past few years her eye sight has deteriorated and while she still cleans everyday, she can't help but miss spots that are extremely obvious to the younger eye. The old blinds are chewing gum grey, the walls a dirty shade of cream, the flowers her family bring round are dead but that's nothing to do with her eyesight, she hopes it will send a clear message about what she thinks of getting flowers at her age! Due to the lack of space Innes hangs her petticoat bedding on a drying rack next to her wee electric heater. Her side lamps glow yellow, surprisingly the tungsten light bulbs are withstanding time. This is Innes' safe space. She knows the layout like the back of her hand, so much so that if her eyesight completely went, she thinks she could manage. Mind, she hope's to hell she's off by then.
Innes seldom leaves her house. The decor hasn't been updated since the 80s when she last had the energy to spruce the place up after her husband died. Back then brown, pastel pinks and blues were in, floral wallpaper and shag carpets were all the rage. Innes is house proud but over the past few years her eye sight has deteriorated and while she still cleans everyday, she can't help but miss spots that are extremely obvious to the younger eye. The old blinds are chewing gum grey, the walls a dirty shade of cream, the flowers her family bring round are dead but that's nothing to do with her eyesight, she hopes it will send a clear message about what she thinks of getting flowers at her age! Due to the lack of space Innes hangs her petticoat bedding on a drying rack next to her wee electric heater. Her side lamps glow yellow, surprisingly the tungsten light bulbs are withstanding time. This is Innes' safe space. She knows the layout like the back of her hand, so much so that if her eyesight completely went, she thinks she could manage. Mind, she hope's to hell she's off by then.
EXTERNALS
When Innes leaves her home, everything is unfamiliar and uneasy. The bright LED lights hurt her eyes. Her body is physically rejecting the loud noises that the outside world brings. When we're in the care home, Innes feels cold. The place looks clinical, a stark contrast to how cozy her own home makes her feel. While everything captured in Innes' home will be balanced, in the externals I'd like to throw the balance off to reflect what she's going though, so we'll explore how to shoot at imbalanced camera angles.
CREW
Our last short film, 12TH MAN, brought together a brilliant bunch of Scottish filmmakers that I'd love the chance to collaborate with again; Sean McDonald - DoP, Nathan Elliott - Production Design, Mark Fraser - Editor, Rory Cairnduff - Music/Composition and Katie Dymmock - Colour Grade. But, I'm very keen to bring in new faces so that I can keep building my network.