short stop-action film

set: intersection of worth and broadway, lower manhattan. 9 pm. an early fall mist hangs high in the sky, not obscuring vision, but blotting out the lights and feel of the skyscrapers. our street feels like a room. a few pools of water have gathered from this afternoon's rain, filling in the potholes and the sidewalk ruts. the streetlights glimmery vague-ishly orange in the puddles. few people pass and even fewer cars.

nearby stores: the north side of worth is lined with dramatically lit merchandise from the parade of mannequins at strawberry. the south side of worth is lined with dramatically lit merchandise from the parade of mannequins at steps. the street slopes down on the north side, so the strawberry mannequins reign supreme over the street. they're lounging gauntly, defiantly challenging you to purchase their cheap wares. on the south side, the steps mannequins are street-smart. one may even pretend a ghetto booty. they're smaller, more savvy, less posh (but still just as cheap) as their competitors across the street.

rising action: the camera is motionless, at the ready in the center of the intersection, faced squarely down worth street. the angle is wide, so the underlit mannequins are visible, even amounts of each building balancing the shot. the camera never moves throughout the whole scene. somewhere far away, you hear the breaks squeal on a speeding cab. the puddles shake from the subway. did that mannequin move?

crux of the matter: here the action needs more creative legwork. obviously the mannequins come alive and fight each other in the middle of the street, strawberry fashion soldiers versus steps fashion soldiers. i think it would be more fun if we watch each civilization rise through bare combat to the development of firepower, all within a single night. there should definitely be much breaking of glass windows, melting of plastic bodies and general mannequin grotesquery. i think it would be neat if they destroyed each other completely so when i walk to work the next morning, there's no trace of a battle. the camera doesn't move the whole time and the final shot should probably be the early morning light breaking over the hudson. with some sea gulls picking over trash and maybe one limb in the trash heap.

ok, friday night festivities are now go!