Stock Film
1. Fooling ourselves with great ideas!!
Filza and I fought for our lives for this one. Coming up with ideas for our film opening was easy for the both of us at first, but eventually formed into a true test of patience and sanity. To put it simply, with so many ideas running through our minds, choosing one became surprisingly hard.
First we sat in Filza’s room, brainstorming over ideas one by one and vetoing the ones we disliked. In the beginning, we decided on a psychological thriller/horror genre.
We narrowed it down to two ideas, wrote their scripts, and made mental notes for planning. We filmed and presented them to Sir Zia, earning his approval on the surface felt like a win but deep down, the knowledge that we could do better kept haunting us. We weren’t satisfied with our work, and that restlessness pushed us to scrap everything and start fresh, ultimately creating an entirely new idea in a completely opposite genre.
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Our first idea followed a guy (our protagonist) who gets stuck in the house next door after going there to deliver food to his new neighbours. The neighbour insists he come inside for a drink and things quickly start to feel off. Our protagonist begins to notice unusual details around the house, while the neighbour constantly finds ways to prevent him from leaving. Eventually, he realises the house is haunted and his neighbour is a human sacrificer. Making him his next victim.
IDEAS!!!
Our second idea, despite our drive that “mama didn't raise a quitter,” was another psychological thriller/horror. It revolved around two childhood best friends who were also roommates. After one of them dies, the other struggles to accept the loss. The protagonist walks home from his roommate’s janazah, grieving, when he begins to hear footsteps following him. Panicked, he runs home, only to notice footsteps outside his door. Moments later, he hears his best friend calling his name. The person outside the door is his roommate. The plot is whether his best friend is actually dead or he just buried a clone of him as he tries to tell the protagonist that his death was not accidental but in fact a murder.
After two ideas, the itch to do better, and the realisation that horror just isn't for us. We made a complete shift to crime comedy. We realised that mama did, in fact, raise two quitters, but kept our head up because we still have hope.
Our final idea that we both agreed upon;
The idea follows two best friends who are polar opposites - representing Filza and I. They live together in a house (again, Filza and I reflecting), they're broke and unemployed, finding ways to make money in any way possible. They receive a parcel outside their doorstep, assuming it's something they must've ordered, but as they open it, there's a game offering them to participate in a number of tasks for a reward by the end of it. It convinces one of them (the free spirit one), but the other opposes (the cautious, paranoid one). Eventually, they end up following the rules and participating in the game, convinced that the reward would be something to do with money (they're winning a lottery in their heads). Their final task requires them to drop off a briefcase at an abandoned building. The next morning, they wake up to news reports about a mafia group exploiting young graduates by involving them in illegal drug operations.
Slowly, it hits them that the “game” they participated in was actually a setup and they had been unknowingly transporting drugs the entire time. Just as they begin to process everything, the doorbell rings again. Another parcel arrives - this time containing an employment card and yet another briefcase to deliver. They realise they’ve been recruited. The comedy in our idea comes from the contrast between the two characters and their personalities, while the crime lies in the reality of what they’ve been pulled into.
2. The logline
The narrative follows Haseeb and Abubakar, two unemployed best friends in their twenties who are struggling with boredom, financial instability, and a lack of direction. The film opening establishes their unchanging lifestyle through their confined living space, casual banter, and aimless daily routine, highlighting themes of economic pressure. This is further reinforced through their contrasting personalities: Abubakar is a recklessly curious and impulsive thrill seeker, while Haseeb is cautious, paranoid, and prone to overthinking.
Their ordinary routine is interrupted when a mysterious package arrives at their doorstep one evening, containing a phone, a bag, and a message inviting them to “play a game.” This moment acts as the inciting incident, with the opening sequence building sllight tension, especially through the ominous message, “You’re being watched.” Despite Haseeb’s doubts, Abubakar’s impulsive nature pushes them to follow the instructions sent to the phone.
As they complete a series of bizarre yet humorous tasks, the narrative explores themes of gullibility, deception, and the temptation of quick wealth, with much of the comedy arising from their clueless and exaggerated actions. What begins as harmless fun gradually spirals into chaotic situations, ending with the delivery of the bag to an abandoned building, unaware of its consequences.
The next morning, they discover through a news report that they have unknowingly been involved in a mafia smuggling operation. This revelation brings the narrative to a comedic climax, as their earlier actions are suddenly given a completely different meaning. The story ends with a final note left outside their apartment reading, “You’re hired,” reinforcing the humour of their accidental involvement in crime.