Thriller script

Script - South War

Actor Connotations:
* Dennis Callaghan = Jared Rand
* Older Dennis Callaghan (Strictly Voice-over) = Mr Wood
* Michael Callaghan = Aree Rand
* Brandon Callaghan = ?(Yoni Doani)?
* Girl in boot = ???

Mr Wood (voice over): I was 16 when it happened, bored, useless and craving excitement. Boy did i not know what i was getting myself into. My family are notorious for their name, always have been. The Callaghan family. The name alone could get you anything you wanted in this town. The boss Brandon Callaghan, the most respected man in South London, could get you anything you needed. Thats why when i was first introduced to the family business, [Start Conversation (Muted)] i was so proud to work with my dad for the first time. We were driving late at night, when we heard a bang, i thought it was nothing, but that bang changed my life for the worse believe you me.


Girl in Boot: [Bang on boot roof]

Jared & Aree: [Look at each other, a suspicious look as if this bang was unpredicted]

[Get out of the car simultaneously, start walking to the boot]

[Look at each other one more time]

Aree: [Open the boot without question as if you've been trained for this situation]

[Walk back into position (In line with Jared) and reach into your pocket]

Location of Film

We will be filming in a secluded, isolated road which we believe will work perfectly in our thriller which comes under the sub-genre of crime thriller. Criminal activity is usually secretive, especially the mafia, so we concluded that an isolated road away from all civilisation would work perfectly. This idea was also used in "Bugsy" which was based in a secluded desert. This road also at night should not be busy and this will allow us to film with more freedom and not worry about passing cars.

Research of Films that are similar to your idea and explain how they have influenced you

Our Thriller Idea:

- Dad introduces son into the family business

- Scene is them driving into an isolated location 

- The dad and son get out of the car and open the boot

- The body is tied up and muffling trying to get out

- The Son makes the and the person is killed
- Then a phone call is made from the dad to the Mafia boss, confirming the kill

Movies similar to our idea:

1) The Rise Of The Foot Soldier

Plot Summary (From imdb): Rise of the Footsoldier follows the inexorable rise of Carlton Leach from one of the most feared generals of the football terraces to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through London and Essex in the late eighties and early nineties.

This movie is based on the career criminal of Carlton Leach who was involved as one of the murderers in the Rettendon murderers. His character is portrayed as a hard core criminal who will do anything he feels like. This relates to our thriller as the mafia do the exact same but in bigger numbers and have much more power.

2) Goodfellas
Synopsis: Henry Hill is a gangster who commits robbery with two other gangsters who have higher ambitions. His partners kill off everyone else involved in the robbery and start to climb up the hierarchy of the mob.

This relates directly to our thriller. This is because our idea is very similar to the opening sequence of 'Goodfelles' as we have taken influence from it. The scene when the gangsters shoot the man in the boot is similar to what we will be trying to portray. As well as showing how the murderers who are part of the mafia believe that they have the ultimate power and can run the city.

3) Godfather

Synopsis: A chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. An attack on Vito Corleone which he barley survived, his youngest son, led Michael (The Godfather) into the steps of a bloody revenge.

'The Godfather' links to our idea as it is of the same sub-genre, that being crime-thriller. Additionally, the movie is based around a mafia family; in which our thriller is primarily based around as the father and son are the ones making the kill, whereas the mafia boss who is higher up in the family tree is directing the orders.

Creating our own props and similar to other films

This is a video of my group and I creating one of the most important props that we need for our opening sequence. Firstly we ordered two BB guns from there website, both of the guns were meant to be quite large hand pistols but the order was incorrect and we received one normal size na the other a mini version. But we decided that we could still use it as we did not have time to get another one before the scheduled shooting day. We also ordered black spray paint as obviously the BB gun was orange and this would not look realistic in our film. As the video showed we spray painted both guns with lots of thin coats over a time period. The hun came out really well and look extremely realistic as you can see in the film. I am very happy with how the gun came out an dit really added a large effect to my film to make it look realistic when the boy was shooting the victim.

Above are two photos from my opening sequence of the prop gun in action. I honestly believe that you cannot tell if it was real or fake but obviously we wouldn't have or use a real gun but we want to give of this effect and make it look as real as possible.

This above is a picture of a prop gun used in 'Goodfellas' which is a film we took a lot of inspiration from. This gun looks very similar to ours due to its similar small size that easily fits into the hand and the black colour of the gun.

Improved shooting schedule

We used the feedback from the class and reconsidered are shooting schedule to what we think will be a more accurate and realistic time frame to complete are filming.

Storyboard Effectiveness

The storyboard has helped me to have a clear vision of how the sequence will look and flow between the different shots. It has allowed to me take a look at the order of shots and the variety we are using to see if there is certain shots we have missed that could be more effective for that particular part or a change in order that would allow the sequence to flow even better. Different shots are used for different effect and to portray separate things. The storyboard has helped me understand if each shot is the best at portraying what we are trying to show and present the character as. For example, during the last scene with the boss we will use a low angle shot to show his power and authority as he is the man in charge. After completion however, there are certain things in the storyboard such as the last four shots which have been cut and replaced with an office setting however the actions are the same. Therefore we have substituted our original scene idea for new shots after putting the scene down on paper. The original idea seemed like the best way to show the bosses authority but it is a lot harder to film in the exact location where this would be the case and also not very realistic with regards to are plot. Ir makes a lot more sense for the boss to be in an office and not in a different country, this also allows us to film with the right equipment to achieve the highest quality of shots.

Feedback on Shooting Schedule (From Class)

Based on our feedback we have come to a realisation that:

• We have to spend longer than an hour filming.
• Each shot will take longer then presumed, around 20 minutes per shot however we will allow a longer time frame for special shots such as drone shot.
•  The time it will take us overall will be around 4-5 hours so if need be we will film over a period of 2 days to ensure we have the best shots possible.
• we will also do numerous shots of the same shot which will be included in the new time slots. This will allow us a bigger variety of choice.
• We have to take into an account the time it takes when we arrive to set up and move camera around location and take practise shots to ensure they are right on the camera