Auntie’s Time Machine
Complete Production Bible: 1-Day Call Sheet, Hero Props & Art Department Specs
| Timeline | Production Milestone & Action | Departments |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 - 09:00 | Set dressing, prop placement, and continuity check | Art, Props, Wardrobe |
| 09:00 - 10:30 | Rig hanging bulb, desk lamp, and practical flicker control | G&E, Camera |
| 10:30 - 11:30 | Rehearse blocking around machine, suitcases, and phone inserts | Director, Cast, Camera |
| 11:30 - 13:00 | Shoot dialogue banter and machine inspection coverage | Camera, Sound, Cast |
| 13:00 - 14:00 | Shoot spark moment, phone vibrations, suitcase lid pop, and insert shots | Camera, SFX, Sound |
| 14:00 - 15:00 | Shoot confession, final phone-in-core beat, switch flip, blackout, and ending | Camera, Cast, G&E |
Set Design & Location Specs
Build a cramped garage/storage room with low ceiling pressure and visible clutter density. The space should feel lived-in, not dressed: stacked old suitcases, loose wires, circuit boards, scrap appliances, and random storage items layered into the background. The homemade machine must sit center-frame as a Frankenstein object made from mixer, radio, toaster, and fan parts, with exposed screws, taped joints, mismatched metal, and visible wiring. Use a single hanging bulb overhead and a desk lamp on the work surface to create two practical pools of light, leaving the corners in shadow. Add texture through dusty concrete, scuffed floor, oil stains, cardboard, and worn plastic. The suitcases should feel old and functional, with one lid able to pop open on cue. Keep the space physically tight so the actors must navigate around the machine and each other, reinforcing emotional claustrophobia.
Auntie Jaya
Practical kurta-pajama in muted, work-friendly tones; sleeves rolled or easy to move in; grease marks acceptable and desirable.
Hands should remain visibly greasy throughout; wardrobe should support crouching, reaching, and tapping the machine without looking polished.
Sana
Neat shirt with a clean, structured silhouette; professional but casual enough for a family visit; laptop bag present.
Her look should stay controlled at first, then subtly loosen as the scene escalates; maintain a contrast with the garage clutter.
Tia
Streetwear with a youthful, camera-ready edge; comfortable enough for movement; phone always in hand.
Wardrobe should support her role as the recorder of events; keep her silhouette modern and energetic without distracting patterns.
Lighting Schematics
Tier 1: Opening practicals only — hanging bulb overhead and desk lamp as warm, localized sources with deep shadows in the room edges. Tier 2: Spark/glitch escalation — bulb flicker, brief flare, and motivated spill from the machine to create unstable highlights on faces and metal surfaces. Tier 3: Final blackout and aftermath — full blackout except for a tiny emergency glow from Tia’s phone screen, allowing emotional faces to emerge from darkness.
Sound Design & Foley
Start with room tone, faint electrical buzz, distant garage ambience, and the soft mechanical clinks of scrap parts. Build in the hum of the machine, bulb flicker crackle, phone vibration alerts, and the suitcase lid pop as key sonic punctuation. The spark should feel loud but not explosive—more like a stressed electrical surge. After blackout, drop into near-silence with only a suitcase latch click and the tiny phone-screen glow ambience. Keep the acoustic profile dry, intimate, and enclosed.
- ✓ Use one real garage or storage room and dress it densely instead of building a set.
- ✓ Make the machine from thrift-store appliances, cardboard, scrap metal, and visible wiring, but keep it safe and lightweight.
- ✓ Rely on practical lights and controlled flicker rather than heavy VFX.
- ✓ Shoot phone messages as screen inserts with simple UI overlays in post.
- ✓ Use sound design to sell the spark and hum.
- ✓ Keep coverage efficient: master, two-shots, close-ups, and inserts.
- ✓ Let performance carry the sci-fi concept so the production stays micro-budget and emotionally strong.