Showstoppers Episode Nine: Chernobyl: 1:23:45

Today I had the privilege of diving into Chernobyl for this episode of Showstoppers. Here are the shots submitted:

What I love about this shot: a silent apocalypse is taking place. The only thing the residents feel at this moment is the BOOM that makes all the dogs start barking. So naturally, everyone is curious about the explosion, and they can't sleep.

Poor Sitnikov. He's been ordered to go check out Reactor Four. He's tried to stand his ground out of self-preservation. But, instead, he's forced to be exposed because no one believes the severity of the radiation exposure -- yet.

While I admit my version of these scenes leaves much to be desired, this project has repeatedly taught me that I can infuse more of myself onto the page to help paint a picture for the reader.

Here's what I wrote for what I'm calling the Window Scene:

Here's the Window Scene from the original script:

The writing from the original script is more nuanced and builds more suspense, which is exactly what you want in a script.

Here's what I wrote for Sitnikov Scene:

And here's the scene from the original script:

Again, the scene from the original script is clean and polished but more nuanced. I like how you can feel the tension in this scene from the script alone.

What did you like about HBO's interpretation of the Chernobyl disaster? What did you not like? Let me know in the comments!