Laia de Ruijter
Screenwriter
You find my work here or see my process down below.
Plan A: Hazard
Logline
An amateur figure skater is forced to break out of her comfort zone after an unexpected power manifests and makes her able to teleport between places.
Synopsis
Zoë, a twenty-one year old figure skater, discovers she has the power to teleport and becomes scared of what that means. Even as she tries to hide it from the world, she ends up accidentally dragging someone with her to a different city and loses him, forcing her to take a risk to safe his life. However, because she fears to use her power, she struggles to find the strength to do it and fails to get to him until the stakes get higher after she realizes she has no choice. Eventually, she finds him and explains what happened. Noah is surprised, at first, and appears unsure about what to believe, but goes along with it quite easily. This in turn surprises Zoë as she thought he would be as scared of her power as she was. Together, they return to the ice ring and Zoë asks the boy out(?), feeling suddenly brave enough to try.
Genre
Short Film, Sci-fi, Romance(?), ''Golden Fleece''
Premise
The story is about giving up comfort and taking risks - no matter how scary that is. There are far too many people who are not willing to try new things, because they are afraid, but getting out of your comfort zone actually means discovering what's out there and develop yourself - gain insight in who you are and what you want in life. There is no feeling worse than regret. So, grab those chances and get out there! Don't wait - the time is now.
Protagonist/Antagonist
Name: Zoë
Age: Twenty-One
Gender: Female
Personality: Zoë is an introvert and has a very reserved nature caused by her distrust towards other people. She prefers to rely on herself instead of on others, which prevents her from developing close relationships. However, she still depends on people for emotional support and encouragement, and will protect and cherish the ones who appreciate her.
Fears: Change
Strengths: Dependable
Weaknesses: Insecure
Talents: Ice Skating
Powers: Teleportation
Side Characters
Name: Noah
Age: Twenty-Four
Gender: Male
Personality: Noah is an extrovert and very approachable, making it hard to dislike him. He has the ability to lift up other people's spirits and provide encouragement when times are rough. He never dwells on the past and thinks you are strange if you do. His positivity and enthusiasm attracts people, not because he wants to, but because people naturally gravitate to and surround him.
Fears: Being Alone
Strengths: Optimistic
Weaknesses: Pretentious
Talents: Persuasion
Powers: None
Idea #1: Boy as Antagonist
Think ''Inception''. He is everything Zoë wants to be. She likes him, because he is adventurous and out-going, which she isn't, but what are the chances you meet someone who is the exact opposite of you unless you've made him up? It might make for an interesting plot twist.
Plan B: Thick Ice
Logline
An amateur figure skater faces defeat as she loses her most important competition yet and quits until she is reminded of why she once started.
Synopsis
Genre
Short Film, Teen drama, Biographical(?), ''Rites of Passage''
Premise
Elena, a twenty-one year old figure skater, falls during an important competition and loses. After that, she doesn't want to continue the sport and quits. A concerned friend checks on her and convinces her to go to a Christmas market. As they buy themselves some hot chocolate and walk along the many food stands, they come across an outside ice ring. Her friend notices and asks her why she doesn't skate anymore. Elena explains her fear of not being good enough and as they talk, a mom and her daughter skate passed them. This reminds Elena of her own childhood and she remembers her first time on the ice, bringing back the courage that she lost. She decides to try again and this time wins the competition, receiving a compliment on her passionate routine.
The story is about getting up when life throws you a curveball. We shouldn't let fear paralyze us, but instead let it motivate us. Mistakes don't mean we are not good enough. It means we can still grow and get better at what we are doing. You just need to remind yourself of why you fell in love with it.
Protagonist/Antagonist
Idea #1: Change to ''Buddy Love''
The story could also involve competition. Zoë could have an competitor, who she dislikes and desperately wants to defeat, because he/she constantly teases her about how bad she is. In the end, they are forced to work together on an ice skating routine and realize they need each other to win.
Name: Elena
Age: Twenty-One
Gender: Female
Personality: Elena is an introvert and has a very reserved nature caused by her distrust towards other people. She prefers to rely on herself instead of on others, which prevents her from developing close relationships. However, she still depends on people for emotional support and encouragement, and will protect and cherish the ones who appreciate her.
Fears: Not Being Good Enough
Strengths: Dependable
Weaknesses: Insecure
Talents: Ice Skating
For the memory, we could find someone to play her younger self.
Idea #2: Biography
We could look for stories from actual professional ice skaters and make it a biography. Think about the Calvé Pindakaas advertising with the little boy, who isn't good at playing soccer and is supposedly a younger Pieter van den Hoogenband.