I’m doing SF in April-this is also the last month before my A2 exams <_< so I’m trying to get it all planned beforehand! My theory is-the more planned-out it is, the less it will detract from my work.

I’ll be writing a film. It’s called „Cherished,“ because my MFC Amanda leaves the words „to love and to cherish“ out of her vows… It was supposed to be a deeply cutting social commentary about the dangers of giving celebrities so much attention. Amanda’s mother, Regina, has become almost „addicted“ to publicity. It’s the whole reason for the marriage. She’s fallen out of the public eye, which upsets her. Her two daughters, Alice and Amanda, have just reached 16-so they can get married. What’s more, at that age they need permission to marry. Regina decides to force Amanda into a marriage (obviously, the press don’t know that it’s forced!!) with the son of a fairly famous music producer (Dominic Bates), also not in the limelight at the moment. Anthony is that son

Amanda is forced into the marriage because her mother threatens to ruin Alice’s happy relationship with a guy who currently doesn’t have a name (perhaps Ryan?) if she doesn’t. Alice doesn’t know this, but she suspects. Anthony’s reasons for doing so are more complicated… it’s to do with his relationship with his family, the fact that he finds it difficult o refuse to do something his father tells him to do-he wants his dad’s approval.

The initial point of the story was that it was supposed to show how dangerous excess publicity can be; Regina is so addicted to front page splashes that she actually forces her daughter into a unhappy marriage! Only, as with everything I write, Anthony and Amanda have fallen in love, ruining my point somewhat. WHY AM I SO INCURABLY ROMANTIC?

Still, though, it’s not a happy marriage, at least until the last few scenes. They never kiss, you know. So Regina, though thwarted, is still evil.

It’s a kind of Bridget Jones’s Diary thing, in that it covers a year (it opens with Amanda’s sixteenth birthday, which is also her wedding day, and closes with their first anniversary-in September). It covers the first few days of their marriage extensively, from marriage to ridiculously G-rated wedding night (they sleep in different rooms), and the next morning, with awkward conversation & the discovery that they don’t even drink the same caffeine. It speeds up a bit after this-goes to a party that Friday, organised by Alice, then to a few homey scenes, where they’re just bonding. A couple of scenes with Regina. They have an Argument, which, in true RomDram style, is the first crux of the film-Amanda becomes unreasonably irritated with Anthony, which is frankly a relief (since until then she’d shown NO emotion whatsoever!). In the end they have one of those cliched standing up, chests heaving sort of arguments, which is needed to clear the air, and to show that Anthony is beginning to become attracted to Amanda, despite his better judgement. (There is NO indication that she feels the same way).

Hmm. Time for a film, I think. I’ll be back another time…