Thriller Planning - Script

Thriller Script- Torpidity

Josh Masterson - Connor Southwell
Tom Rush - Thor Forster


JOSH MASTERSON seen overlooking Norwich, hood up. This cuts to JOSH MASTERSON standing under a lamppost, frantically checking his phone.

JOSH MASTERSON seen asleep at a bus stop after a frantic walking sequence, cut in focus’ on TOM, JOSH MASTERSON then receives a text reading ‘I see you Josh but you don’t see me’.

JOSH MASTERSON turns around to where TOM was standing, and nobody is there. JOSH MASTERSON breathes heavy and begins to run.

TOM chases JOSH MASTERSON down an alley, dead end, TOM seen walking towards him. As he reaches him, he swings to punch before a large intake of breath for JOSH MASTERSON before the screen goes black and we cut to JOSH MASTERSON sitting upright in bed before he receives the same text as previously.

Ends.


By Connor Southwell

Motifs in Film

In a film or story, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance, often there because it has a deeper meaning. Some examples of motifs include, a specific phrase,colour,prop or a soundtrack.

In several scenes, of the movie Skyfall from James Bond you can see a Royal Doulton china Bulldog on M's desk. At the beginning of the film on M's desk we see the small ceramic dog, to a casual watcher of the film this may seem completely irrelevant and insignificant, but this item reappears again and again throughout the movie. The bulldog is facing outward as if M is watching England at the start of the film, throughout the rest of the film the British bulldog is facing M, insinuating that England is watching M.

Also, in the first instance we see it, it is in a very quick reveal and we see it in the corner of our eyes on the desk. The symbolism of the dog is that its a British bulldog, which coincides with the general idea of the film being typically British. Furthermore, the British bulldog symbolizes the idea of 'for king and country' and with James Bond being a British spy it represents his promise to his country.

At the end of the film after M has passed away James Bond receives the same ceramic British bulldog as at the beginning of the film. This is a symbol as it represents Bond's duty to the country and that although M is gone the bulldog being passed along to James Bond could represent the passing of responsibility to the British spy.
This motif of a British bulldog represents pride and protection that James Bond provides the country with in his constant battle against the antagonist.

Opening Sequence

What's the purpose of a film's opening sequence?

The opening of a film is vital in the film making process, it sets the scene and shows where the movie is being based. Furthermore, it often introduces the audience to a main star in the film, this is done to immediately captivate the viewer and encourage them to keep on watching.

Examples of different thriller opening sequences

The Usual Suspects -

Bryan Singer's 'The Usual Suspects'  made in 1995 is a prime example of how the opening sequence is important. The audience immediately see a dead body which is significant as it makes the viewer ask questions, also a dead body gives connotations of violence and mystery. Due to the dead body being shown very early on in the film the audience instantly knows the movie is going to be dark and sinister.  Also the use of eerie music adds to the atmosphere of the situation by building up tension, this ties in with the conventions of a typical thriller film. In addition the use of shadows in the first two minutes builds up a sense of mystery as the audience cannot see who the man is talking to posing questions as to what happens next.

Batman - The Dark Knight -

In Christopher Nolan's incredible masterpiece the opening scene really engages the audience with the theme and intensity of the film. The quiet music crescendos adding to the  tense bank robbery scene also the clown masks show how sinister and dark the film is. Furthermore, how casually the killing is in the opening two minutes really shocks the audience as the viewer tries to understand why they are killing one another.

Fast and Furious 7 -

The seventh installment of Fast and Furious opens with a captivating one continuous take showing actor Jason Statham performing a monologue whilst standing over his hospitalized brother. This is extremely effective as it immediately presents us with the antagonist of the movie and his motive. Also the staggering amount of dead bodies in the shot adds to the idea that he will stop at nothing to avenge his brother.

Mad Max Fury Road opens with a monologue from the main character, this immediately imposes feelings of anguish and hatred as he talks about his world being made of fire and blood. His rough and beaten voice adds to this idea of a post apocalyptic land. Through his monologue you can hear gunshots and death suggesting the cruel world he lives in and gives a background to the film very early on. All the audience see for the first thirty seconds of the film is a black screen, this is extremely effective as it makes the viewer focus on the emotional speech by star actor Tom Hardy making the viewer anticipate and create a mental image of the world he lives in.

The first scene is an establishing, wide shot in which a staggering and incredible landscape is shown displaying the vast,baron wasteland described by Max in his monologue. The seemingly bright and orange setting is almost interrupted by a dark looming cloud foreshadowing danger which occurs a few moments later. Furthermore, the way the man stands tall looking out across and into the distance could symbolize that he is a beacon of hope for the destroyed world.

When the monologue picks up again the focus turns to a small lizard which the character stamps on and eats, this symbolizes the harsh, cruel and brutal world the film is set in. Also, the importance of this is too show the current situation the character is in as he looks scarred,bruised and beaten. The characters monologue talks about the voices in his head, displaying to the audience his weakness very early on and showing how he is mildly schizophrenic and mentally unstable.

The voices of young children suggests he has lost people close to him or that he feels guilty for something. This again gives us an incite on the kind of man he is, that although he seems tough and resilient he is still human. Also when he kills the lizard the voices stop which signifies he is shutting them out and that they haunt him.

The use of the extreme close up on the characters face shows he is beaten and cut but also makes the audience feel more connected as his face is revealed and his identity is released. The scene then shows the character being chased by five or six other cars as we hear the loud engines roar and the shouts and screams of the pursuers. These screams rather than being of fear are ones of happiness and eagerness and makes the chasers seem animalistic. Instantly we see a difference between the main character and the ones in pursuit, as the audience establish the antagonist and protagonist roles.

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