Media Film Noir Script Draft 2

Media – Film Noir Script

CAST

Detective Lance Bullock – Callum Prendgast

Tony Slinger/ Maroni Falcone – Charlie Bell

Bobby Slinger – Reece Mountford

Lisa Statham – Georgia Turner

Ben Woodward - Thug

SCRIPT

Scene 1 – LB’s Intro ET: 35 seconds

*Throughout this scene “I don’t want to set the world on fire by the ink spots 1941 is playing, almost as an alarm. There is an establishing shot of a house at night; the only light source is lampposts in the shot and the shot will fade in from black and will last about 3 seconds. The shot will then cut to grass blowing in the wind, until finally a close up of an alarm/radio clock that is the source of the music. A hand reaches out and smacks it down, this stops the music. The room is dark, only a portion of light is reaching the room via blinds. A man (whose face you do not show during this opening scene) sits on the end of his bed rubbing his face. A narration begins:

Detective LB:  “Todays gonna be a helluva day, Head guy Phillip J House has made sure of that, he’s been busting my balls about this for a while now, he’s got it out for me I swear. See he’s got me inspectin’ some kind of college for a Maroni Falcone, see you wanna hear a funny story? 3 murders, one of them a cop and over 15 assaults and this guy is hiding in a school would’ya imagine? Me personally *pause* I think it’s a load of crap but like I said; House may be an ass, but it’s rare he’s wrong. and so that’s where I come in, me, Detective Lance Bullock, I gots to find this guy, if there even is a guy and take him out. Easier said than done when hiding in a hoity-toity school, and better yet, word is that his men already know that we’re catching up and planning this little undercover shindig, if Maroni really is there, he’s good, but I’m better”

*Throughout this scene there are different cuts of the detective. One stumbling to the blinds and peeking out, doing his top buttons up, lighting a cigarette with a match (shisha pens and vapour) and a shot of the smoke blowing out, and finally a shot of him doing his tie up and walking out of shot, this shot should be when he says “But I’m better”

Scene 2 – TS, PS and BS Intro ET: 

The shot then cuts to an EST shot of the school, until a OTS shot of Bobby walking down the main halls, past the stairs, then a mid-shot of him walking towards the camera (David Fincher style) with the camera on a dolly, he fixes up his tie. He pauses as he hears loud noises he looks around the corner and the camera does the same. Tony has Paddy Statham up the wall and Bobby is watching in intrigue

Lisa Statham: Please honey I'm sorry!

Tony: Just get out of my face damn it

Lisa runs off past Bobby crying.

 

Tony spots Bobby and Smiles. He’s wearing a different type of Tie to Tony.

Tony: Bobby my boy!

Bobby: Uncle Maroni!

Tony Slaps Bobby

Tony: Keep your god damn voice low, it’s Tony here, and will be till I can secure a way out to Mexico, none of this Maroni business, you get me?

Bobby: Yeah sure uncle…Tony

Tony: Good any questions?

Bobby: What was that about just?

Tony: Don’t you worry your pretty little mug about that said whilst gently slapping his face walk with me boy.

They walk down the corridor, the detective walks past the shot casually but the audience don’t know it’s him as you never see his face in the first shot

Tony and Bobby walk down the corridor dolly camera again.

Tony: Reece, you’re new, you’re my nephew but you’re not special, I don’t care if you’re my son, you don’t cross family understood?

Bobby: Understood boss

Tony: I like you already. 

As they walk off the camera pans to the detective watching from the second floor balcony. A high angle shot showing that he is superior and he has been watching

This Draft is much better in my opinion as it shows just enough to hook the audience and shows a high angle shot, this is important to show who is superior.  Also in this version there is a femme-fatale which would play a vital role later on.

First Draft of Film Noir Script

Media – Film Noire Script

Footnotes: Need to buy 2 cap guns, a better fedora and fake blood.

CAST

Detective Lance Bullock – Callum Prendgast

Tony Slinger/ Maroni Falcone – Charlie Bell

Bobby Slinger – Reece Mountford

Paddy Statham – Tony Cash

Ben Woodward - Thug

SCRIPT

Scene 1 – LB’s Intro ET: 35 seconds

*Throughout this scene “I don’t want to set the world on fire by the ink spots 1941 is playing, almost as an alarm. There is an establishing shot of a house at night; the only light source is lampposts in the shot and the shot will fade in from black and will last about 3 seconds. The shot will then cut to grass blowing in the wind, until finally a close up of an alarm/radio clock that is the source of the music. A hand reaches out and smacks it down, this stops the music. The room is dark, only a portion of light is reaching the room via blinds. A man (whose face you do not show during this opening scene) sits on the end of his bed rubbing his face. A narration begins:

Detective LB:  “Todays gonna be a helluva day, Head guy Phillip J House has made sure of that, he’s been busting my balls about this for a while now, he’s got it out for me I swear. See he’s got me inspectin’ some kind of college for a Maroni Falcone, see you wanna hear a funny story? 3 murders, one of them a cop and over 15 assaults and this guy is hiding in a school would’ya imagine? Me personally *pause* I think it’s a load of crap but like I said; House may be an ass, but it’s rare he’s wrong. and so that’s where I come in, me, Detective Lance Bullock, I gots to find this guy, if there even is a guy and take him out. Easier said than done when hiding in a hoity-toity school, and better yet, word is that his men already know that we’re catching up and planning this little undercover shindig, if Maroni really is there, he’s good, but I’m better”

*Throughout this scene there are different cuts of the detective. One stumbling to the blinds and peeking out, doing his top buttons up, lighting a cigarette with a match (shisha pens and vapour) and a shot of the smoke blowing out, and finally a shot of him doing his tie up and walking out of shot, this shot should be when he says “But I’m better”

Scene 2 – TS, PS and BS Intro ET:

The shot then cuts to an EST shot of the school, until a OTS shot of Bobby walking down the main halls, past the stairs, then a mid-shot of him walking towards the camera (David Fincher style) with the camera on a dolly, he fixes up his tie. He pauses as he hears loud noises he looks around the corner and the camera does the same. Tony has Paddy Statham up the wall and Bobby is watching in intrigue

Tony: You have till Monday; if I don’t see it by then, Tony gets into his face then you’re dead. Paddy nods his head quickly and in a panic. Tony throws Paddy to the floor and he rushes off.

Tony spots Bobby and Smiles. He’s wearing a different type of Tie to Tony.

Tony: Bobby my boy!

Bobby: Uncle Maroni!

Tony Slaps Bobby

Tony: Keep your god damn voice low, it’s Tony here, and will be till I can secure a way out to Mexico, none of this Maroni business, you get me?

Bobby: Yeah sure uncle…Tony

Tony: Good any questions?

Bobby: What was that about just?

Tony: Don’t you worry your pretty little mug about that said whilst gently slapping his face walk with me boy.

They walk down the corridor, the detective walks past the shot casually but the audience don’t know it’s him as you never see his face in the first shot

Tony and Bobby walk down the corridor dolly camera again.

Tony: Reece, you’re new, you’re my nephew but you’re not special, I don’t care if you’re my son, you don’t cross family understood?

Bobby: Understood boss

Tony: I like you already.

Close up of Bobby’s face, he’s smiling and quite optimistic. Then in the exact same position it fades to Bobby 3 weeks later and it’s now outside. he’s beaten up and looks terrible. The Thug punches him and bobby falls to the floor. The thug exclaims

Scene 3: The Thug and the Boss

Thug: Oh you think you’re some kind of big shot? Just cause you’re the nephew, we all pay a part in hiding  him, what makes you think you’re special huh *He kicks him* You’re nothing, boy.

The shot then cuts to a high angle shot of Tony watching on the balcony, then a POV shot of him looking down at Bobby on the floor, he smiles and the camera follows him as he begins to walks down the stairs and Paddy bumps into him and without Tony knowing takes his real ID, the Maroni one and runs off.

Tony is now where bobby and the thug are.

Tony: What’re you doing here boy?

Thug: Excuse me Tony sir, I was just teaching the boy some manners

Tony: Manners?

Thug: Manners boss, I’m sorry if I offen-

Tony shoots the Thug and states

Tony: “Who needs manners when you’re a Falcone kid”

Scene 4: Confrontation

LB: That’s all I needed to hear...Falcone

The camera slowly pans up to Lance Bullock holding up a pistol it cuts black and a gunshot is heard but nothing is seen.

I may make this shorter as a film opening should not have a conclusion and leave more questions than answers.

Feedback on progress

Expand on your analysis of film noir which has much promise and shows an understanding of codes and conventions.  Use screenshots or images to illustrate your points.

You are using terminology accurately and using examples.

Analyses are perceptive and show an understanding of the task and the skills needed to de-construct texts.  They now need to go into more depth and show further research.

The medium of the blog means that you can add clips or links to research sources that you have used to further your understanding.

Level 3

Film Noir - Conventions

Film Noir was an extremely popular film genre during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Stars such as Orson Welles, Paul Muni and Humphrey Bogart are just two examples of people who got huge following their role in Noir films. Film Noir presented certain strict conventions that almost all films had to follow. This essay is going to focus on what those conventions are and why they are in place still to this day.

Firstly, the one similarities between all Film Noir in the 40's and onwards is the main character. Usually a detective, stubborn and an example of the times. Wearing a trilby and a trench coat They were sexist because they could be, because it was the norm for this time, spouting lines such as "Hey Doll-face" and "That's a good girl." This showed the audience who was in charge at the beginning however the audience would later find out that usually, he would just be playing into the woman'strap as she would most likely be the Femme-Fatale.

Continuing with this idea the Femme-Fatale she is a conventional but dangerous character made to show women as the ones in control. She usually makes her first appearance as as a damsel in distress in need of help by the brooding detective, playing innocent. Towards the end of the film it's revealed that this damsel in distress was pulling the strings all along maybe sending the the detective on a wild goose chase.

On a technical scale film noir was quite small and low tech for its time. They used the low key lighting to try and hide the backgrounds and the stage, however whilst doing this they created the iconic low key effect that filled Warner Brother films during the 40's. The lighting usually fell over similar locations in each film. For example generic location conventions include alley ways and an office. Showing the dark streets of New York or LA.

In the classic film Double Indemnity a classic shot is used of a low angle shot looking up to the
femme-fatale Phyllis, with her looking down at the detective with a high angle shot. This shows who has the upper hand and who is superior in the quest for power.


  Some of these classic conventions are shown in the Noir classic The Maltese Falcon. For example the opening scene involves the stubborn detective Sam Spade. The dangerous but innocent-appearing femme-fatle Brigid O'Shaugnessy. A hook and enigma of finding a priceless statue.

For example in the opening scene Sam Spade talks to the character of Mary in a very patronizing way, calling her ''Doll-face'' and ''Sweetheart'' and saying "Be a good girl." As mentioned above this is a typical film convention of Film Noir; used almost instantly as the film begins.