Friday, May 22, 2020

If Barbie-Q were a short film

First of all, Barbie-Q could not be adapted into a film because it is very short and expanding the story would be meaningless. Instead, I have framed this scene as part of a short film which would be maybe 5 minutes long at the most. Read below.

If I were to adapt a scene from the story Barbie-Q, I would adapt the scene where the two girls are walking through the flea market. I think that it offers a lot of possibilities in terms of how to adapt it and I love that. First, let's address the characters in the scene. There would be vendors selling goods and some people roaming around the flea market. There would also be two girls around the age of maybe 5-7 who look like sisters and two parents accompanying them to the flea market. The two girls start out walking beside their parent and one runs off to be chased by the other, like a game of tag. The mother just looks at them but doesn't chase them as they are still in her line of sight. Then, one stumbles upon the two Mattel Barbie boxes on a vendor's table and they both beam their eyes despite the poor condition of the dolls. They start talking very excited about the clothes that are on the doll. Then, they beg their parents in a pleading voice (imagine a child saying "Please, Please, Please!!!") and after a little bit they give in a buy the two dolls. The two girls then smile and bounce around as they hold the burnt Barbie Dolls in their hands. 

Now, for the actual setting of the scene. First, the area would be a little rugged, not a dump, but worn down. It would be a relatively big flea market, judging from the amount of different dolls they see in the story. The vendors would be sprawled out on the outside of the street selling their distinctive items they sell. In the background, a cloud of smoke hovers in the air from the fire that occurred at the toy factory the other day. There would be small bots of trash scattered about, but not very much. 

That's how I would set the scene but there are probably some minor adjustments one could make to some of the aspects of the scene and it would still be a valid interpretation. 



1 comment:

  1. I agree that "Barbie-Q" would work better as a short film; any attempt to stretch the text to create a full-length film would distort the narrative. Your blog post does a great job imagining the flea market scene for a short film adaptation. Your descriptions of both the setting and the characters draw on details from the story while adding your own imaginative touches. I'd love to see this adaptation created someday! -Ms. O'Brien

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