Behind The Silence

By
Brianna Pares
***EXTER. OUTSIDE-EVENING
(FADE IN) Brianna, 16, green eyes with a high bun and headband,
prepping for the field trip. She appears upbeat and self-aware;
grabbing her backpack, she turns on her music as she walks to the
bus. Her friend Avery, 15, long wavy brown hair, brown eyes,
joyful and talkative, is trailing behind when she notices Bri.
Therefore, she tries to get Bri’s attention.

Avery:
Bri!

Bri has her music playing; she cannot hear. Avery runs to tap
Bri’s shoulder.

Bri:
AVERY! I didn’t know you came on these trips.

INT. BUS- EVENING

They are walking onto the bus while talking about how they both
came about going on the trip.

Avery:
Of course, I go on this trip every year. I’ve never
seen you come, though.
Bri:
Well, I felt like this trip would be an good opportunity to
clear my mind, you know?
Avery:
Yeah, that makes sense. I never thought about it
that way.

Avery and Bri continue to make their way onto the bus. A moment
in, we hear the loud noises of the other students piling up on
the bus. The noises grow louder.

Avery:
So did you hear who’s gonna be meeting us at the mountain?

Bri:
 Wait, what did you say?

***The noise gets to Bri as ringing and background noises

overpower what Avery is trying to tell her.

Avery repeats what she stated before. However, Bri struggles to

understand over the loud noises that surround them.
Avery:
Did you hear who’s meeting us there?

Bri:
What??

AVERY:
Never mind, don’t worry about it.

PAN to Bri as we see a sudden mood change. We see her face appear
saddened as she turns to look out the window of the bus (MCU).

EXT. OUTSIDE- EVENING

The doors of the bus open. (LS) We see the class exit the bus and
go about their way. Avery finds Bri to tell her that she’ll meet
up with Bri later.
Avery:
Meet up later?
Bri looks back at Avery and nods her head while smiling.

Bri:
Yeah, for sure.

***EXTER. OUTSIDE-EVENING
We see and hear the sounds around the forest and the mountains.
(Birds chirping, waterfall, trees rustling). Bri finds a sit-down
spot and takes her journal out of her backpack.

Bri:
This seems like a good spot to start writing.

Bri begins formulating her poem, telling her personal story as

well as her perspective on life.
EXT. OUTSIDE-EVENING
DIZ in MCU OF character writing the poem. We hear the background
noises as Bri begins jotting down her thoughts and ideas.

VO:
“They’ll never understand the silence consuming my thoughts.”

MCU of Brianna by the waterfall, writing as we continue hearing

the sounds around her.

VO:
“Or the stress of never knowing When my world will go quiet.”

EXTERIOR- OUTSIDE- EVENING

***(MCU) Bri hears two “warning beeps” from her cochlear
implants. This signals that they have gone completely dead. She
can no longer hear.
VO:
“If only they knew what it’s like to be me.”

DISSOLVE To Bri at home putting her cochlear implants on her

head.

VO:
“To see the things that I see.”

CUTS to colors and hand motions

VO:
“To hear the way I do.”

VO:
“Or understand the worries of being judged because you never
understand what people say.”

CUT to Bri fidgeting with her hands (CU) as people around her are
talking

VO:
“How never-mind or forget about it becomes often used by many of
my peers

CUT to multiple people(OTS) “brushing it off” to Bri, as they

say, never mind.

VO:
“The voices in my head grow stronger.”

VO:
“My thoughts consume me.”

CUT to a 360 shot of Bri holding her head as we see changes in

her “mind” and style.

VO:
“People will sigh, laugh, or give me looks. They just don’t
understand.”

CUT to Bri in school as we see her reactions to how she deals

with these situations. Her emotions are sad, distressed; feeling
let down.

VO:
“No batteries means no power, which means no sound.”

CUT to Bri detaching her batteries from her charger at home. The
connection fails due to not having enough battery life.

VO:
“Disconnected from reality.”

VO:
“I become distracted from life.”

CUT to Bri coloring at home while her parents cannot receive

attention from her.

VO:
“The bright and loud colors surround me.”
CUT to bright leaves, trees, fire, lights, and water.

VO:
“The vibrations of the ground growl”

CUT to people stepping and walking around. Bri’s hand is on the

ground.

VO:
“And that's when it hits me.”

CUT back to me writing by the waterfall.

VO:
“Challenges and struggles aside, I am opened to a new world.”

CUT to OTS of Bri’s computer as Bri learns sign language.

VO:
“Maybe what is meant for me isn’t meant for others to
understand.”

CUT to Bri watching two people engage in conversation while she

just sits back and observes what she can’t understand from them.
(CU of lips and hand movements from the other people.

VO:
“Nothing really is the way it seems.”

CUT to CU of Bri’s eye looking in different directions.

VO:
“Being who I am is eye-opening.”

CUT to Bri noticing tapping of pens, walking, closing doors, and

objects moving.

VO:
“It’s mesmerizing, and it's different. And I guess that's just
what makes me, me.”
CUT to Bri finishing her poem and closing her book.

***EXTERIOR-OUTSIDE-MID AFTERNOON
MSU of Bri closing her notebook as her poem finishes. She gets up
and starts walking around the park, looking at the scenery. (360
shot). Meanwhile, everyone else is packing up and getting ready
to get back on the bus. Avery notices Bri is missing from the
group. (ALSO GRAY!!!)

Avery takes out her phone to call Bri that they are leaving.(MS)
Bri’s phone is on the ground out of her reach; therefore, she
cannot feel or hear it (CU). Avery is looking around for Bri in
panic as everyone enters the bus. (WS)

AVERY:
BRI??

AVERY:
Hello?
***The phone goes straight to voicemail after one ring.

EXT-OUTSIDE- MID-AFTERNOON
Bri walking around the park, unaware of the call Avery sent out.
Bri is a great distance from the bus, so Avery comes up with
another way to contact Bri. She uses the bus window to reflect
light. Bri see’s the flickering light and turns around. Avery
displays a smile of relief as she motions to Bri to hurry up. Bri
begins to run towards the bus. They are reunited safely on the
bus to go back home. Bri signs “Thank You” to Avery as she
catches her breath. (FADE OUT)