"There Will Come Soft Rains" as a short film

When I imagine "TWCSR," I don't think of it as a movie, but rather a short, something that doesn't necessarily require people, and something that can convey a story quickly and easily. The film would take place in the house, and it wouldn't show the outside, as all of the curtains would be closed, and the drapes drawn. The house would appear as it does in the story, and the inside would be neat and orderly, as if the owners were just out vacationing.
Before any of the actual events unfold, the camera would pan through the house, showing various rooms, all empty, dark, and all completely silent. There would be no music, no ambient noise, just the silence of the house, and the random scurrying of the robotic mice. Due to it all being silent, the alarm breaking the silence would be loud and piercing, made with very robotic beeps. Soon after, the house would start to brighten up as the events started to unfold. The food would be shown not being eaten, and the robots would be shown throwing it away. Everything should be moving slower, as any quick, frantic movements would confuse the viewer.
At 10:00, the camera would pan over the side of the house, showing the silhouettes of the previous residents. However, it would start on the other side of the street, so that the viewer can see the other ruined houses. It would pan across the house, and keep going into the backyard, where the sprinklers would be spraying. At that point, music would be playing, but so quiet that it is almost not there. But as the events unfold that start to break down the house, the music would ramp up until it got to the point where the story hit the climax.
Immediately after, it would flash back to the morning, and fade away, seeing the house in ruin. As the house fades into darkness, you would hear the quiet sound of the alarm beeping, until it is cut short by the film ending in blackness.

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 22, 2020 at 1:46 PM

    Excellent attention to detail! I'd love to see this short film made. Your post does a nice job thinking about how to withhold the broader context (the nuclear destruction that lies outside the home) by focusing first on the empty interior and having the camera move outside only after the completion of the morning chores (like in the story itself). I appreciate your thoughtfulness about sound and soundtrack in your reimagining of the story as a short film! The silence would be effective for highlighting the eeriness of the empty home, and the the crescendoing music in the fire scene at the end would contribute to the drama of the narrative climax. -Ms. O'Brien

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  2. samMay 11, 2020 at 4:09 PM

    I really like this synopsis for a movie, having it all in silence except for the noises of the house would bring out the feeling of solitude and abandonment that is present in the story. the slow movement throughout the house would also keep the pace of the film consistent with the pace of the story as you are reading it.

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