The Secret - Script

We decided to use a colloquial dialogue in our script, using language familiar and common in Northern Ireland. We decided to do this in order to link into the fact that this film is set in Belfast, which is referred to as the most homophobic place in Western Europe. The dialogue will be familiar to our audience, which is people in Northern Ireland, and so will help normalise the two boys in order to defeat the stereotype of gay people in NI.

We found it difficult to write a script for the texts and language between the two boys so that we can show that they are romantically involved, without being too obvious or cringe-worthy and also within two minutes. In the end, we decided to have them telling each other that they miss one another and asking to FaceTime, with Morgan asking Will to go on a date and hold his hand in public.

We also found it difficult to find a way to show that Will's mother is homophobic, without being overly dramatic as this is only the opening of the film and we didn't want the comment she makes to seem intentionally harmful. This subconscious homophobia is very common in NI, and there is also some very blatant homophobia within NI politics, so we decided to use a radio clip of current affairs showing the homophobia, and having the mother agree with the situation at hand. In doing this, we can show that homophobia exists both inside and outside of Will's home.

This is our final script:

WILL WALKS UP THE STAIRS TO HIS ROOM. 

WILL OPENS DOOR AND SHUTS IT BEHIND HIM. 

WILL TURNS ON RADIO, THEN WALKS OVER TO HIS BED AND SITS DOWN. 

WILL PULLS HIS PHONE OUT OF HIS POCKET TO REVEAL TEXTS.

CLOSE UPS ON TEXTS ON PHONE. TEXTS COME THROUGH FROM MORGAN, POPPING UP ON THE SCREEN (TEXTS GO BACK AND FORTH)

MORGAN: I MISS YOU :(

WILL: I MISS YOU TOO 

MORGAN: CAN WE FACETIME SOON?

WILL STARTS TO TYPE AN EXCUSE.

MUM: WILL, WE'RE LEAVING NOW, DO YOU WANT ANYTHING BROUGHT BACK?

WILL: NO THANKS MUM

WILL BACKSPACES HIS EXCUSE AND SENDS A NEW TEXT.

WILL: YEAH CAN WE NOW?

INCOMING CALL FROM MORGAN.

THE BOYS ARE ON FACETIME TO EACH OTHER.

MORGAN: HEY, I MISSED YOU.

WILL: ME TOO, HOW'VE YOU BEEN?

MORGAN: I'VE BEEN GOOD, JUST A LITTLE BORED. MY MUM WANTS TO MEET YOU SOON.

WILL: *AVOIDS STATEMENT ABOUT MORGAN'S MUM* DO YOU WANT TO GO OUT THIS WEEKEND, SEE A MOVIE OR SOMETHING? 

MORGAN:  HMM I SUPPOSE, MAYBE YOU'LL HOLD MY HAND IN PUBLIC THIS TIME. *SARCASTICALLY GIGGLES*

WILL: EHH I DONT KNOW YOU KNOW IM AFRAID OF WHAT PEOPLE THINK. 

MORGAN: I KNOW BUT MAYBE NOWS THE TIME I MEAN WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER ALMOST 6 MONTHS?!

WILL: YEAH YOU'RE RI-

WILL IS CUT OFF BY HIS MUM BURSTING INTO THE ROOM.

MUM: WILL, HAVE YOU SEEN MY PHONE ANYWHERE I CAN'T- WHO'S THAT ON YOUR PHONE?

WILL LOOKS AT MORGAN ON HIS PHONE SCREEN AND ENDS THE CALL.

WILL: NO ONE MUM. NO, HAVEN'T SEEN IT ANYWHERE, SORRY. 

MUM: SURE IT'S NOT THAT GIRL YOU WERE TELLING ME ABOUT?

WILL: YEAH DEFINITELY NOT *LAUGHS AWKWARDLY*

MUM: HMM RIGHT, WELL I'M AWAY NOW, DON'T BE BRINGING GIRLS AROUND. *LAUGHS*

MUM LEAVES ROOM, DOOR SHUTS. 

WILL LOOKS BACK TO HIS PHONE WHICH IS LIGHTING UP WITH A FEW MESSAGES FROM MORGAN ON HIS LOCK SCREEN.

MORGAN: WTF WHY'D YOU HANG UP??

MORGAN: YOU HAVEN'T TOLD HER HAVE YOU? 

MORGAN: I'LL TALK TO YOU WHEN YOU ACTUALLY BE HONEST ABOUT US FOR ONCE.

MORGAN: BYE

WILL THROWS HIS PHONE AWAY FROM HIM AND SIGHS, LYING BACK ON HIS BED.