The Kranken

At Prodigy Camp, we were tasked to write a 2-3 page screenplay to shoot at camp within 3.5 hours with less than a day to edit. This task seemed daunting, so I decided not to write a heavy drama like I usually do. I ended up writing a light-hearted comedy about three campers trying to capture a monster. Rick, the camp director, loved it! During camp, I learned about how to use my past and the options I've felt as juice for my screenplays. All of a sudden, I realized why I was losing motivation: my stories had no personal significance. I never thought that my story was worth telling. And so I went back into my script and chose a character that I resonated most with: Tommy. I'm very sensitive and I've never been much of a risk-taker. I both love and hate that I myself. I looked deeper. I found the flaws in my characters and built their pasts. Tommy’s mother is an alcoholic and as a result, he lacks confidence and refuses to take risks because his whole life was spent walking on eggshells. Caden has trouble expressing his emotions and represses how he feels about his mother's illness, so he channels that energy towards aggression. Tommy overcomes this fear of taking risks when he decides to fight the monster for Caden’s mom’s chemotherapy and Caden becomes vulnerable when he tells the truth about his mother and when he decides to reunite with Tommy. And soon, I felt my story take shape. It was no longer just a silly tale about three teens capturing a monster, but a film about two boys who bond over their fears.
After a few hours of editing and experimenting with a new style, I exported a rough cut to screen in the camp's theater. My film was greeted with roars of laughter that filled me with joy. Though far from perfect, what I loved about the film was being able to mix comedy and drama, and to convey an important and personal message, while making people laugh. Prodigy Camp reinstilled a love for storytelling within me and has provided me with the tools to tell more personal stories.