A chicken wanders from a quiet farm into the Los Angeles sprawl, embarking on a suspenseful journey through the city’s glimmering underbelly; seen through her eyes, felt through ours.
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The creativity and point of view in the short are wholesome. I love how it ended, like a full circle journey. Though it’s about a chicken, it’s like a concept for those who never take the leap to explore what’s outside in the unknown, versus those who explore and come back with an understanding that stories can’t bring even a nuance to experiencing the journey lived.
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Another fun script. Full of energy and crazy visuals. Enjoyed the read. Thank you!
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This reminded me a lot of Eo, but with a chicken instead of a donkey. Loved the visual storytelling, I couldn’t help but imagine how the behind-the-scenes would be like.
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Well, I’m all in! I read “Chicken” on the last day of voting and really loved it. It’s a brilliant piece of poetry and visuals. I would absolutely LOVE to see this on screen. The concept, the POV, the rich visuals, the writing itself, all top-notch. I tip my hat to the writer. This is deserving of a place in the pantheon of short films. And laugh if you will, but I can picture this getting an Oscar nom or at least some Oscar-worthy buzz – IF the fates (and votes) will allow it.
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Thanks @zinghop for your thoughts! I’m the writer here and also absolutely can’t wait to see this on screen!
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Well done on making the final this is an awesome script and really unusual too. Would you be making this with CJI or animation maybe?
Good evening, please join me in welcoming Chicken writer @isamuelssr30563 to the thread. Ask any questions you may have about the screenplay in the coming days, and Ian will be responding right here.
Kindly leave your comments in this thread and don’t forget to READ AND VOTE for Chicken!
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While there will be some VFX needed, our plan is to make this live action with a real chicken and some puppetry!
Hello Ian, what’s the intended audience for Chicken? I feel like it would be easy to consider it a kid’s film, but I feel like it’s intended more as a coming of age drama?
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We would be interested to hear about this. Do you have experience with animal wrangling or puppetry? Best of luck in the final.
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Hi @amccoysr11827! I suppose I’m the first audience; I’m making what I’ve always wanted to see! But I think, like a lot of my work, though it’s not intended for a younger audience they could watch it and enjoy. But an older audience will likely take something slightly different away from it. To keep it relatable, I’m making something grounded and gritty and real and atmospheric and hopefully beautiful, so the images won’t read as slick-y and bright like a lot of kids films feel. But I suppose the lessons apply to anyone at any age. Maybe a simplification, but our world feels so siloed right now, and I hope the chicken’s journey speaks to the need to step out of that on some level.
Hi @kndlovusr12189 Absolutely – I’ve always loved puppetry. My first job was working for Sesame Street. And I have worked with animals too… In some ways they are similar, because neither has the same intention behind the eyes that an actor might have. So a lot of story is told through angles and eyelines; a lot of it is storyboarding to tell the story through images. We project so much onto them. Animals just take a bit more patience, but when they sync with the camera in a moment it can be pretty magical.
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Sesame Street? That’s awesome. What a job to have as a first job.
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Would love to know what comps you have when pitching this film and which (if any) of the other finalists you enjoyed. I read and enjoyed Bad Fish and think Chicken fills a similar niche.
P.S I love your answer about being the first audience, that’s a great mindset to have when creating!
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@mathildaholmgren There’s a little bit of Lamorisse’s The Red Balloon, partly about the fantastical urban journey and partly about shooting from the perspective of the kids… though we’re going a bit lower. I like Lance Accord’s cinematography, blending something that feels cinematic but immersive and almost documentary. I also enjoyed Flow from last year, which shares a lot of those sensibilities.
Yes, I’ve enjoyed reading other scripts here. Besides the other two finalists, I enjoyed AuPair very much; there was something suspenseful and truthful about it that got at a specific feeling.
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@kndlovusr12189 Yes, I moved to New York City and couldn’t get a job anywhere. I remember applying to be a bathroom attendant and getting denied. So then I thought, if I could work anywhere, where would it be? And the answer was obviously Sesame Street. So I looked up the address and walked my thin, thin resume over to the front desk and somehow it got to HR and they called me and I worked my way up into production from there!
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Hi Ian, not sure if you’ve seen the video of Alan Tudyk voicing Heihei in the film Moana. Do you plan to have a voice actor for your protagonist? If so (in a dream world) who would your ideal casting be?
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@krosettasr10233 I love that you are excited about the chicken sounds. I am also very eager for the soundscape of this short. I can hear in the script when I want a little cluck from the protagonist or even the other chickens. The timing can be very funny. We’re recording real chickens and using their voices but yes, if I had to cast a voice actor to do it Alan Tudyk would be fantastic. I have friends working in animation who could probably recommend voice actors I dont know to lend a good chicken. But as I’m going for a liminal quality of realism, we’ll be using real chickens. In general, the sound edit on this will be important and a lot of fun… to create a large dynamic alien world for the chicken and give it a rhythm.
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I want to cast my vote for Chicken, but when I open the script to re-read it, it looks like it wants me to change my vote that I cast during the semi-finals. Is that to be expected? (I voted for Chicken in the semi-finals and hope it goes all the way! Love that script!)
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