Fiction Adaption: Idea for Short Film

Yesterday I said I would look into some more story ideas for my short film. The problem was that I was sure about the certain 'feel' I wanted for it, but not the film's general plot. The only thing I knew was that I want it to have a certain vibe. Besides the dark, morbid tone that I feel Wilfred Owen's poem conveys I wanted it to have a certain essence. That essence is nostalgia, and a mixture between the old and the new.

I felt that it's important to consider the timelessness of a poem like "Anthem For A Doomed Youth". It's just as relevant to today's world as it was 100 years ago. So I want to bring it into the present day via a nod to the past.


My idea is to have a young man who is rummaging through his family's attic. Inside he finds a cardboard box containing old photographs and books. He finds a dusty old book covered in cobwebs. He opens it to find written notes and old pictures of his deceased Grandfather. It is then that he reads what appears to be a poem. The poem he reads is of course "Anthem For A Doomed Youth" which is implied to be written by the grandfather.

A V/O then starts and carries on throughout the film as it relates back to the grandsons own imaginary thoughts of the poem's vivid imagery. At the end of the film we see the same young man walking towards an unmarked grave. He places some flowers as well as a poppy and a photograph next to it in remembrance.