Published
4-9-2026
Type of Work
Creative Work - Text based
Abstract
You Made Me is an original short screenplay exploring themes of relationship decay, gender performance and unresolved trauma through a single-location, dark character-driven narrative. Grounded in recent legislative shifts and public discourse surrounding coercive control (Stark, 2007; Queensland Government, 2024), the script departs from traditional domestic thrillers by confining the core conflict to the claustrophobic back of a campervan across a single night. The methodology involved iterative screenwriting and structural adaptation to leverage scope constraints for visual and thematic tension, as well as designing the project for the burgeoning Virtual Production workflow. Drawing inspiration from Jim Cummings’ Sundance-winning short film Thunder Road (2016), the work uses a manic, shifting monologue to externalise complex psychological states and force audiences to navigate morally ambiguous empathy. You Made Me contributes a low-budget, high-concept narrative model demonstrating how spatial, lighting, and visual cues can be effectively used in filmmaking.
References
Cummings, J. (Director). (2016). Thunder Road [Film]. https://vimeo.com/174957219
Notes
Related and Cited works: Cummings, J. (Director). (2016). Thunder Road [Film]. https://vimeo.com/174957219
Citation
Pickering, V. (2026). You Made Me [Unpublished Screenplay, SAE University College]. Creo.