Buried Secrets: The Making of The Script

I wanted to build tension for my film opening without giving away too many details. Instead of showing a murder or explaining what happened, I’m letting the audience figure it out through Christina’s actions. Everything she does seems normal at first, but things start to feel off as the scene plays out.

Here I made a script that will really help me and my actress while filming. It will act as a guide.

Script:

EXT. CAR – DAY

Christina sits in her car, lit by the bright afternoon sun. She scribbles in a notebook, biting her lip. Her eyes dart between numbers, her mind racing. Something’s off.

She exhales, snaps the notebook shut, and steps out.

INT. HARDWARE STORE – DAY

Christina moves down the aisles.

She grabs duct tape. A knife. A shovel. Black trash bags.

Each item lands in the cart. No hesitation.

EXT. PARKING LOT – LATE AFTERNOON

Christina throws the bags in her trunk. The lid slams shut. She gets in and drives away.

EXT. SECLUDED AREA – SUNSET

The car stops.

Christina steps out, walks to the trunk, and stops. Just for a second.

Then—she opens it.

Inside, something heavy was wrapped in black plastic.

She grabs the duct tape, securing it tighter before dragging it out.

EXT. GRASSY AREA – SUNSET

A shovel sinks into the dirt.

Christina digs. No breaks, no second-guessing. Just digging.

Finally, she stops, staring into the hole.

She pushes the wrapped object over the edge. A thud.

She takes a shaky breath, reaches into her pocket, and pulls out her wedding ring.

She stares at it for a second—then drops it in.

Dirt piles up. Then, she turns and walks away.

My teacher made us a Nearpod which really helped me when making this script.