1. Living with Spina Bifida 2nd draft
Written By
Dayna Crawford
Log Line: The inside story of a girl coping with Spina
Bifida and how she copes with it day in, day out.
Synopsis: Interviews with Alice and her family about how she
has coped with the disease over her life, what
shes overcame, what shes been through for the
last17 years.
2. Documentary starts off with archive footage of Alice as a
child learning to walk, music plays in the background.
Ext: Outside Alice's house - a suburban, semi detached
house. Recently painted - egg shell white exterior with baby
blue painted windowsills. A shot of the garden. Wooden,
painted gates and clean cut grass with flowers growing in
well looked after plant pots either side of the doorstep.
Shot turns to the driveway. Her mums and her car is parked
in the jet washed, clean drive way. The shot gives the
audience a feel for what the house she lives in and the
environment she has grown up in is like.
VOICE OVER:
Alice lives with an illness called Spina Bifida but still
manages to carry on with her day to day life and inspires
people along the way. Alice is 17 years old and lives with
Spina Bifida but accomplishes to become a competitive
swimmer and somehow manages to climb 30ft poles and jump off
them on a national citizen service. Alice is a young woman
proving her disability wrong and overcoming a number of
obstacles every day.
Cut to: Int: Sitting Room - DAY
(Talking heads shot)
Camera flicks to Alice, sitting in her sitting room on
her sofa. Curtains open, light beaming through the
windows and onto the clean, white washed walls. a
modern fireplace in the centre of the room along one of
the other walls, Trophies on the fireplace and pictures
of the family hanging from hooks in the walls. Sofas
are clean with light coloured cushions and prestige
cleaned carpets.
INTERVIEWER:
Alice can you describe what its like to have Spina Bifida
and how have you managed to cope so well with having such a
disability?
ALICE:
Alice responds with her thoughts on living with Spina
Bifida, explains the illness, what it entails and how she
manages to cope with it in her everyday life.
3. Cut away, Camera jumps to objects in her sitting room
and the cat, perching in her windowsill. Small,
sentimental objects from other countries that they have
collected over many years surround the cat on the
windowsill as if they are small people watching the
giant cat sleep. The audience gets a feel of the
sitting room and feels as if they are sitting in the
sitting room with the interviewee.
INTERVIER:
Have you had many operations growing up? what have you had
done in the past and is there any more that you are
scheduled to have in the future?
ALICE:
Alice talks about the operations shes had as a child and
what operations shes had done and why. She also talks about
if she knows she has to have any more soon and if so, what
operations she need to have.
INERVIEWER:
So, have you got any Role models that cope with the same
disease as you that make you able to overcome problems you
face aswelll or do you just push yourself through every
obstacle that comes your way?
ALICE:
Alice talks about whether she has any role models and
how she copes with her illness in the eyes of her role
models.
Camera jumps to images of her heroes or role models if
she has any. Camera shows images of role models if
Alice has any that are hanging up or are stuck in her
room or around her house.
INTERVIEWER:
Has having Spina Bifida stopped you from accomplishing
anything that you have wanted to do or any dreams you have
wanted to have when you were younger or these days.What did
you want to be as a child and what do you want to be when
you are older these days?
4. ALICE:
Alice talks about what she wanted to be as a child and
whether of not that has changed as shes gotten older and if
that's because of her disability or whether its just because
shes changed her mind.
Int. kitchen - Day
Camera jumps to shots of the kitchen and Alice's
parents. Mum and dad both sitting at the kitchen table.
Light beaming through the windows onto the light
coloured, mahogany table. a bowl of fruit is sitting in
the middle of the table and aromas of the dinner
cooking fills the room.
INTERVIEWER:
What was Alice like as a child? Was she very courageous and
determined or has that just developed over the last couple
of years?
MUM AND DAD:
Alice's Mum and dad talks about how they feel about how far
Alice has come as a person and how proud of her they are.
INTERVIEWER:
So, I hear that Alice has had quite a few operations; How
many operations has Alice had over the years? do you feel as
if she has coped well with them?
MUM AND DAD:
Alice's mum and dad talk about how many operations they
can recall Alice having and how they feel shes coped
with them and if they are proud of her.
INTERVIEWER:
What has Alice achieved over the years? Do you feel as
if she achieved much over the last 17 years?
MUM AND DAD:
Alice's mum and dad discuss how they see Alice's
achievements and whether they feel she has done much
5. over the last 17 years.
Int. Emi's bedroom.
Camera cuts to Emi's bedroom. Curtains slightly pulled
with the blinds rolled slightly up, the light peeping
through the bottom of the blinds but enough to give the
red coloured walls a hint of light and shine. The bed,
neatly made, pillow fluffed and propped up straight
against the wall and other cuddly animal toys filling
up whatever space found on the bed that day. The desk,
filled to the brim of books - school exercise books and
reading material, some history books, some fictional.
Posters and maps fill the walls full of pictures of boy
band members and different countries Emi and the family
want to visit and where they have in the past.
INTERVIEWER:
So Emi, how do you feel about living with your sister? Do
you like living with her?
EMI:
Emi talks about how she feels about living with Alice and
how she feels about everything that comes with living and
helping out with someone that deals with Spina Bifida.
INTERVIEWER:
Do you get on with your sister very well? Are you very
close to Alice?
EMI
Emi talks about how close she is to her sister and if
she gets on well with her or not.
The camera cuts back to Alices parents, still sitting
in the kitchen, the food still cooking, the water
nearly boiling over the top of the pot, the vegetables
steaming away and the aroma of cooking food fills the
air.
INTERVIEWER:
So, when did you find out that Alice had Spina Bifida?
6. How did you feel when you found out?
ALICES MUM:
Alice's mum talks about when and how she found out that
Alice would have Spina Bifida and how she felt when she
heard. She talks about the first scans and at what scan
they found out that Alice was going to have Spina
Bifida.
INTERVIEWER:
So,(Alice's Dad)Did you get scared from hearing these
things? Did it make you worry at any point as to whether
Alice would survive to this point?
ALICES DAD:
Alices dad talks about how scared and worried he was when he
found out, his first reactions to finding out about the
condition.
INTERVIEWER:
Did you ever think about having an abortion? Did it ever run
through your mind?
ALICES MUM AND DAD:
Alices mum and dad discuss whether they ever thought about
having an abortion and whether it ever ran through their
mind to put Alice through her misery and stop her from
having to deal with the condition throughout her life.
INTERVIEWER:
Who helped you guys get through the pregnancy? Did you have
anyone helping you out with dealing with the thought of
Alice having Spina Bifida?
ALICES PARENTS:
Alices parents then talk about Shine and the charity and how
they helped Alices parents through the pregnancy and how
they have helped Alice and Emi since Alice and Emi were
born.
Ext.Garden - Early evening.
7. Alice is sat outside in her back garden in her
wheelchair. Flowers grow next to the fence either side
of the garden . The grass is a light green colour and
has been freshly cut and trimmed. It hasn't rained in a
few days so the grass is dry to the touch. Alice looks
at home and looks at peace in the garden admiring the
nature and environment.
(Talking head shots)
INTERVIEWER:
So Alice, you taught yourself to walk despite the doctor
telling you that this wouldn't be possible. How hard was it
on you to hear that you wouldn't be able to walk? What
pushed you to want to be able to walk?
ALICE:
Alice talks about how she felt when the doctor told her that
she wouldn't be able to walk and what pushed her to prove
him wrong.
INTERVIEWER:
What operations have you had in the past can you describe
them to us in more detail?
ALICE:
Alice talks about her operations in more detail, using her
hand to describe the operations gesturing what they did to
her feet and her spine in order to help her to be able to
walk.
INTERVIEWER:
Do you ever wish you didn't have this condition or has
having Spina Bifida helped you to see things more
clearly, helping you to live life to the full?
ALICE:
Alice talks about if she ever wished that she didn't have
the condition or whether shes glad to have such a condition
or order for her to be able to see past the disability and
to continue living life to the absolute full proving that
although you may such a condition, that you can still do
lots of stuff; if not most stuff if you have the charisma
8. and determination to go out and do it.
INTERVIEWER:
Thank-you so much Alice for letting us interview you and
your family and letting us see the house in which you have
grew up and lived in to turn out to be such an inspiration
to so many people out there.
Ext. Alice's house. Front of the house.
Camera cuts to outside the front of the house. The shot
zooms out onto the look of the house finishing the
documentary with another shot of the house and the
location of the family home. Quiet, soft music plays in
the background.
