1. THE UNKNOWN
By Hanan Mohamed
4th Draft
03/03/11
EXT. OUTSIDE THE TENT NEARBY EPPING FOREST, KENT EARLY AFTERNOON
We see a blonde girl fiddling with a camera on a tripod, trying to turn it on before switching to the CAMERA POV. A red dot begins blinking on screen with the word REC appearing next to it; it appears that she is filming them all. Behind her faint in the background we see that there are some blurry figures finishing the setting up of a tent but in the meantime, KRISSY is filling the screen with her face and bubbliness as she begins talking excitedly into the camera.
KRISSY:
Hey, its Krissy!! We are making a video diary of ourselves, Blair Witch Project style except without the killings, obviously, and were gonna be camping out here in the woods!
KRISSY reaches for us, and as she picks the camera off we switch to the DIRECTORS VIEW. Shes leaning over a group of girls, all who are busy doing other things.
KRISSY:
Oh cmon guys, say hello!
At this point we switch back to HANDHELD view as the camera swings unsteadily around the circle in Krissys amateur fashion. ANNA blanches at the sight of the camera and covers her face with her book: The Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath; JOANNA waves her away dismissively, looking busy scribbling down something on a clipboard. OCTAVIA merely ignores the camera as she sits, cross legged, with her hands on her thighs as she meditates, looking serene.
Then KELLY bounces into the picture, her face taking up the entire screen as she grins whilst peering into the camera at us and starts running her fingers through her hair, adjusting it.
KELLY:
Hi people, hi! Kris, whos gonna see this? You gonna make a movie? You gonna make me famous, yeah? You....
A sudden shiver runs down her back and she stops suddenly, still as her hands drop to the side. Her bright demeanour fades and she stares hard to the side, off screen to somewhere that the audience cant see.
KELLY (CONT.):
(looks uneasy)
...did you feel that? I feel...like somethings watching me.
Switch to DIRECTORS VIEW.
JOANNA:
(looks up, glances to the side then at Kelly before back to her clipboard)
What? Theres nothing there.
KELLY:
(looks at camera, to the side and goes stiff)
No, I felt it again! Its still...I dont like it, I dont...I need to call my boyfriend.
She looks unnerved, frowning and pulling her coat closer around her as if shes cold.There is a LONG SHOT of her as she walks away in the opposite direction of where she had been staring to a cluster of tall trees, a little hunched over as she takes out her phone to speed-dial her boyfriend and puts her phone to her ear.
KRISSY:
(raises brows at Anna)
Told you shed chicken out of this trip!
ANNA opens her mouth to say something in response when a cutting scream breaks across the sky, the sharp noise making everyone jump and the camera drops out of Krissys hand onto the ground; there it lies for now, unnoticed.
JOANNA:
(drops everything and jumps to her feet, sprinting in the trees direction)
KELLY!
The rest of the girls all get up swiftly to follow Joanna, dashing after her as that terrible scream makes them think something must have happened to Kelly. They find her just within the outskirts of the forest, moving around restlessly wide eyed as if searching for something while cradling her right arm to her chest.
KELLY:
(looks pained, through gritted teeth)
Something cut me, but I dont know what.
The girls all crowd around her, talking over one another and their voices merging into one single tone of comfort as they all make awwing noises of reassurance and patting her, staring at her arm and asking to see it. She raises it and theres a wide cut on her forearm stretching down her wrist to elbow, which looks shallow but strangely long and its bleeding profusely.
ANNA:
So much blood-
KRISSY:
That looks painful-
JOANNA:
Babes, come let me wrap it for you-
OCTAVIA:
Here use my hair tie-
Switch to HAND HELD view.
A little distance away from a space within the trees, the branches shadow our view as we watch the girls through the viewfinder on the camera. The red dot is still blinking, ominous as it keeps on recording and we can see them all gathered around wounded Kelly; but their conversation is obscured by the sounds of low, heavy breathing. We ZOOM in on the girls, focusing first on their arms and then moving lower down on their bodies-
They disappear out of sight as they leave the clearing.
Switch to DIRECTORS VIEW.
The girls are back at camp, but the fun-loving air has gone entirely as the girls plead with Kelly not to leave but at the same time help her to gather her things, talking over one another again.
KRISSY:
Im sorry about what I said, please-
OCTAVIA:
Please stay Kels it was just a branch, it-
ANNA:
It was only a branch, dont worry-
JOANNA:
Cmon Ill lend you my best mascara, please-
All the while Kelly only shakes her head, looking increasingly upset as she puts her things in her bag one by one and not meeting anyones eyes.
KELLY:
(downcast)
That was no branch, it was too fast for me to see but
About to try one last entreaty, KRISSY opens her mouth to speak but her gaze is drawn to the tripod then the ground, then a look of pure confusion crosses her face.
KRISSY:
(pauses)
Guys, wheres my camera gone?
Switch to HAND-HELD view. We are watching them at a medium long shot, and as the girls all look at each other puzzled the camera ZOOMS in gradually, shaking as the breathing grows huskier and faster, ZOOM, breathe, ZOOM, breathe, a low growl escapes-
BLACKOUT