LO2: Generating Ideas

LO2: Generating Ideas

Mood-Board & Audience Profile

Mind Map

Treatment

Working Title:

I'm So Lucky

Genre:

Mob/crime drama (sub-genre with subtle elements of comedy). This will be explored via the representation of a mob group which the protagonist becomes wrapped up in; incidentally uncovering their drugs operation and meeting with the head of the family in a shady bar.

Synopsis: 

Inspired by other movies of similar genres such as The Big Lebowski, True Romance and Baby Driver: I'm So Lucky (working title) features the protagonist, Mr. Custeau who is an unemployed, run-down man with shabby hair and an atrociously lazy dress-sense which is only challenged by his unequivocally horrendous luck. He enters a derelict bar on a dark evening for a meeting with the shady 'man in the corner' who's just finished a meeting with another, sharply dressed and mysterious man. Audiences discover, as when Custeau sits down, the 'man in the corner' is holding a gun under the table directly toward Mr. Custeau. He explains the situation and asks Mr. Custeau if he sees himself as a lucky man. Custeau replies; the man asks him if he felt lucky when Custeau incidentally discovered 5 pounds of the man's cocaine. Subsequently, the shot cuts to the past where the plot shows how Custeau unveiled this crime boss' operation. Custeau, meets with his friend Giovanni who wants a ride to an unclear location for an unclear reason; this results in his friend taking him to a drug deal. Events go awry leading to the discovery of a drug case and an old phone next to it and Custeau & Giovanni are forced to take them.  Later, the two return to Giovanni's place as they discuss what to do. Custeau is asked specifically to meet at a derelict bar. Where the scene cuts back to where the short film began. Out in the dark, Custeau takes the 'Man in The Corner' to his car where the case is. However, whilst they're walking the sound of a (silenced) gunshot plays, the 'Man' stops, Custeau stands in front of him and asks if he's ok where he then falls to the ground, dead. The film ends on a cliff-hanger with a wide shot of Custeau looking around in fear and disparagement which cuts to a close up of him looking to the camera and saying "I'm-" where 'I'm So Lucky appears on a black screen in a cut with another pistol sound effect. 

Cast (Main):

• Mr. Custeau - Oliver Clements
• Man in The Corner/Mob Boss - Richard Longden
• Giovanni - Wojciech Kowalski

Cast (Extras):

• Bartender - Andrew Clements
• Women at bar - Terry Clements & Michelle Longden
• Other Mob Member - Dumitru Alexandrei
• Drug Dealer - Carlos Ionescu

Crew:

• Camera Operator - Carlos Ionescu
• Sound Supervisor/Recorder - Carlos Ionescu
• Editor - Oliver Clements
• Script-writer - Oliver Clements
• Costume Artist - Oliver Clements
• Location Recce/Planner - Oliver Clements

Locations:

• The West End Pub
• Actor's House
• Killamarsh Train Tracks
• Supermarket (Killamarsh)

Props:

• BB/pellet fake handgun
• Fake cigarette/joint
• Sandwich/various groceries

Costume:

• Mr. Custeau - Crocs/sliders, shorts, tank top, dressing gown
• Giovanni - White shirt, jeans/trousers, chain necklace, trainers
•  Man in The Corner - Suit, brogues
• Other Mob Member - Suit, brogues
• Bartender - Shirt, apron, jeans
• Women at bar - Dresses, jackets and shirts
• Drug Dealer/Jackie - Oversized t-shirt and trousers, chain necklace

Equipment:

• Camera
• Tripod
• Clip-on Wireless Microphones
• Car (Volkswagen Polo)
• Computer (with Adobe Premiere Pro for editing)

Script Style:

I will use a non-linear method of storytelling for my script as the events that lead up to the first scene of the film are relayed through a flashback which takes up the majority of the story's narrative. This will also be single-stranded as it follows the protagonist on their journey in a warped three act structure as equilibrium is broken in the first scene, an attempt to repair and a new (cliff-hanger) equilibrium in the final scene of the film. 

Production Schedule

Script Produced on Week 1

Storyboards

Draft Script

INT. (Various cuts) Smoke in the air, record player spinning something Italian; the subtle illumination from the overhead lights peering through the mist of it all (low angle of lights pans down to bar).  

Light chatting from everyone around (nothing much about nothing) and the tenuous shaking of a couple cocktails for the girls at the bar (low angle medium full shot of the two laughing and smiling at nothing in particular). 

A hand from the corner of a shady side room to the bartender (close up of the hand raising). ‘Two more please’. The hand gives a conceiting smile (medium close up). A chime rings as the rotten door creaks open (low angle).  

A well-dressed man. (Cuts to each article of clothing) shoes: black and polished to a tee (close up). Trousers, suitably black (medium close up). A simple navy waistcoat; a well-adorned handkerchief in the pocket (close up). White shirt (close up), what else could it be? A clean, black coat with a nice lapel (cut from medium close up to close up of lapel). Face, shaved, recent (close up). Hair, rugged but styled; lengthy (close up). Eccentric.  

The hand speaks again (full shot of the shady man in the corner beckoning). (extreme-close up of the man by the door’s eyes cuts to a full shot) He nods. (Over the shoulder shot of the man walking toward the corner). The bartender shares his suspicions but finishes his work (low angle medium shot). The tension between these two is so thick you couldn’t even cut it with a diamond sword. 

Man in the corner 

“Please.” (waves the man to sit down, smiling, high angle medium shot) 

Bartender 

“Your drinks sirs.” (low angle medium shot, the ‘man in the corner’ nodding and smiling to the bartender as he sets the drinks down)  

Other man 

“Thank you.” (Same low angle medium shot cuts to the ‘other man’ as the bartender sets down their drinks). ‘Why me?’ (Low angle continues as he looks up at the ‘man in the corner’. 

Man in the corner 

(Extreme-close up of his mouth) ‘It’s a simple matter.’ 

(Wide shot of the men sitting across from each other, ‘the man in the corner’ takes a sip from his drink as he vacantly looks toward him). 

The scene is otherwise derelict in character. Who wants to see two men of equally unknown backgrounds? No, we need difference, not indifference.  

Man in the corner 

‘Not for you though’ (shot cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot from the ‘other man’s perspective as he speaks) 

The chime rings again. Tensions in the bar are elated. The gentle creaking of the door solemnly echoes to the corner of the room. The two girls by the bar stare, intently (two shot, medium shot from their side, twirling their straws in their drinks and smiling). A beastly figure. Maybe in his 30’s? 40’s? Early 50’s? No one could tell. (Wide shot of a shadowy silhouette). (Same close-up sequence as with the ‘other man’) cathartic in appearance: beige and orange crocs, legs exposed with only a fleeting pair of shorts to cover them. A tank top that drooled and slumped down the man’s lethargic body; grotesque sweat stains pouring over his chest as if he’d just vomited in the outside carpark. A lavish black coat that could also be mistaken for a pricy bath robe. Stubble coated the man’s face and neck like a pox atop a boar’s hide. His nose was overtly red and swollen, as if he’d been punched in it every single day of his life. Eyebags drooping behind a thin pair of aviators and unruly hair that writhed across his scalp; strands matted to his sopping forehead as if they’d been glued there.  

He lumbers over to the corner, nodding to the bartender and signalling for a drink (he starts walking forward in a wide shot that cuts to a medium shot of the disparaged bartender, tracking low-angle medium close up from what be the point of view of his armpit as he signals). The man steps boorishly toward the ‘man in the corner’.  

(Low angle of the drink on the ‘other man’s’ side of the table as depth of field changes to show the boorish man looking down at it lowering his sunglasses with mouth agape and eyes blinking to adjust to what he’s seeing). 

The man in the corner 

‘Mr. Custeau.’ (medium shot of him looking toward Mr. Custeau, smiling) 

Mr. Custeau 

‘You know me? Oh man, you already got me a drink? (Cut back to low angle from drink’s perspective, shot cuts to a high angle of the ‘other man’ looking up at Mr, Custeau with a fake smile on his face). 

‘Oh, shoot, sorry man, is this yours? Sorry I just blanked you’ (shot cuts to a low angle from the ‘other man’s’ perspective of Mr. Custeau, shot cuts to a two shot of them with Mr. Custeau reaching his arm out for a handshake). 

Other man 

‘No worries.’ (He says lightly, clearing his throat and readjusting himself, perturbed, medium shot him reaching to shake Custeau’s hand). 

Mr. Custeau 

‘You two in... the middle of something or...I can go order a drink and wait if that works?’ (Medium close-up of Custeau gesturing with his hands whether he should leave). 

Other man 

‘Yes. Should we get back to it...?’ (Medium close-up of the man indicating with his hands that they should move on). 

Man in the corner 

‘No, I believe I’ve learned everything I need from you. We’ll be in touch.’ (Medium close-ups of him and the ‘other man’ which cut intermittently between each other, the ‘man in the corner’ waving his hand to the ‘other man’ as the ‘other man’ expresses a concerned and sad look).  

Mr. Custeau 

‘Damn, little harsh?’ (Medium close-up low angle of Mr. Custeau as he looks back at the ‘other man’ leaving the bar, shot cuts to a medium close-up of ‘The man in the corner’ turning his head to Mr. Custeau in confusion, raising his eyebrow slightly). 

‘Buy the man a drink and don’t even let him finish.’ (Shot reverse shot between them as the man’s face becomes serious and tense). 

Man in the corner 

(Close up of the man) ‘Under this table, pointed directly toward your nether region’ (Shot cuts to a medium close-up of the table as it pans downwards from the top of the table to a shot of Mr. Custeau’s legs, the man’s hands and a handgun being cocked in them, audible click as he does so) ‘is a P226 pistol.’ (Medium shot from the man’s perspective of Mr. Custeau on edge; spreading his body across the chair instinctively). ‘Now, may we get to business?’ (Low angle close up of the man smiling as he finishes speaking). 

Mr. Custeau 

(Medium shot of his body relaxing and smiling back at the ‘man in the corner’) ‘Shoot.’ (He says not realizing the poor choice of words). 

Man in the corner 

(Close up of the man laughing/exhaling through his nose and lifting his eyebrows, shot cuts to a close-up of Mr. Custeau cluelessly smiling and nodding back) ‘Do you consider yourself a lucky man, Mr Custeau?’ (Shot reverse shot as they speak, medium close ups, low angles of the man and eye-level shots of Mr. Custeau’).  

Mr. Custeau 

‘Right now not really.’ (His face in dishevelled amazement and horror). 

Man in the corner 

‘Did you feel (his voice becoming more aggravated as speaks) lucky when you happened to somehow incidentally find 5 pounds of fine cocaine!’ (Low angle as he stands up and slams his fist on the table as he speaks). 

EXT.

INT. close up of Mr. Custeau as his eyes widen, the shot stays still as it changes to the same shot and expression, now in a different location at a different time, a supermarket

Mr. Custeau 

‘Five pounds!?’ (The shot then cuts to a full shot of Mr. Custeau standing in a supermarket looking at an overpriced sandwich. The shot cuts to the other side of Mr. Custeau as he walks up the aisle in the direction of the camera. ‘Jump Around’ by House of Pain starts playing as he walks, the shot freezing and the title ‘I’m So Lucky’ appears on screen in sync with the start of the music; shot and freeze frame end as the song continues.  

(Short montage sequence as Mr. Custeau walks to his car, buying some groceries, medium shot from the perspective of the top of the dashboard as he sits down, disgruntled; the music stops as he shuts the door. Pressing his face to the steering wheel as the shot changes to a low angle close-up beneath his face on the wheel. As he sits, dejected, face planted on the steering wheel, his phone rings. Mr. Custeau picks up his phone, eyeline match sequence cutting from a low angle close up of Mr. Custeau holding the phone/camera, then to an over the shoulder shot of him looking at the phone with ‘Giovanni’ and a picture of him and Custeau together; Custeau presses answer and raises the phone to his ear as the shot returns to the dashboard top. 

‘Hello?’ (He balances his arms on top of the wheel as he speaks, getting comfy). 

Giovanni 

‘Yo, you busy?’ (Shot cuts to a medium shot of Giovanni in his house, holding the phone to his ear). 

Mr. Custeau 

‘No not really.’ (Shot cuts back to Custeau as he looks behind him at the back of the car to his groceries.) 

Giovanni 

‘Think you can give me a ride?’ (Shot back to Giovanni) 

Mr. Custeau 

‘Uh...’ (Custeau says disgruntled, the shot returns to him, wiping his eyes in slight annoyance, then sighing saying) ‘Yeah sure.’ (He falls onto his seat).  

Giovanni 

‘Aight thanks man.’ (The shot stays on Custea as the phone hangs up). 

Mr. Custeau 

‘You’re welcome.’ (He says sighing throwing his arms up, throwing his phone in front of him, putting his seatbelt on and turning on the ignition. Shot ends). 

EXT.

INT. Full shot of Giovanni’s door from the inside of the house, Custeau knocks on the other side and Giovanni comes past the camera to open it. Shot cuts to a low angle from the outside of the house to create a full shot of Custeau standing as Giovanni comes outside, shutting the door; the two engage in a secret handshake and walk toward the camera.) 

(Over the shoulder shot of Custeau walking to the driver’s side of the car and Giovanni walks ahead to the passenger side as Custeau stops him whilst Giovanni is opening the door. He leans on the door as they speak.) 

Mr. Custeau 

‘Where am I even taking ya’?’ 

Giovanni 

‘Just drive where I tell you to.’ (He says while raising his arm up to Custeau in slight annoyance.) 

EXT.

INT. Close up of Custeau’s foot climbing into the car and the door shutting which acts as a jump cut between locations, arriving at an undisclosed rural setting in the woods. Medium shot of the side of the car of Custeau getting out the car looking concerned and confused, looking to his right at Giovanni who’s off camera.) 

Mr. Custeau 

‘Where are we going? I can’t just leave my ride here.’ 

(Shot pans to Giovanni exiting the car.) 

Giovanni 

‘Just leave it here a while, not be long.’ 

 (Shot pans back to Custeau who raises his hands in the air in annoyance, his face aggrieved looking to the camera’s direction. Shot cuts to a medium close up of Giovanni looking at Custeau over the roof of the car; resting his hand on it as he speaks)  

‘Please?’ 

(Shot cuts to Giovanni’s perspective from the car roof of Custeau, putting his arms back down, turning to him; shaking his head gently and sighing, looking to the distance again for a few seconds and back to the camera/Giovanni.) 

Mr. Custeau 

‘Fine.’ 

Giovanni 

(Shot cuts back to a medium close up of Giovanni tapping his hand on the top of the car smiling at Custeau; walking off) 

‘Follow me.’ 

EXT.

INT. medium close up (low angle) of Giovanni walking with Custeau following behind. Custeau looks around warily. The shot cuts to them stood atop an industrial staircase (low angle wide shot)

Mr. Custeau 

‘Why are you being so mysterious about this man?’  

(Custeau says whilst still standing behind Giovanni, he looks at him and walks down the stairs toward the camera). 

EXT.

INT. a panning shot with ‘Crush With Eyeliner’ playing diegetically, subtly, in the background through wired headphones. The shot pans around a tree which reveals a man sitting, smoking, nodding his head rhythmically the music. The shot cuts again to a low angle close-up of the miscreant, listening to the music, eyes closed.) 

Giovanni 

(Moving his head closer and closer into frame, then almost in the man’s ear)  

‘Wake up!’ 

Jackie 

(Jumping up almost immediately) 

‘Jesus Christ!’ 

Giovanni 

(Low-angle full shot of him standing up over Jackie, Custeau stood behind like a child to their parent) 

‘No, just me.’ 

Jackie 

(Medium high-angle of Jackie readjusting himself, still sat on the floor, he speaks still recovering from the scare, obviously stoned. Shot reverse-shot sequence) 

‘Gio, man.’ (Looking at Custeau and waving his arm toward him) ‘Who's this?’ 

Giovanni 

‘This Jackie...’ (holding his arm around Custeau and shaking him) ‘is the guy whose gonna make a delivery for us’. 

Mr. Custeau 

(Pulling himself away from Giovanni, annoyed) 

‘Woah, no way! I know where this goes.’ 

Giovanni 

(Putting his hand on Custeau's shoulder) 

‘Come on dude, its nothing illegal, right?’ (He says looking toward Jackie, his eyes conveying they both know it is). 

(Shot cuts to a close up of Jackie looking at him shaking his head and back to the two-shot of Custeau and Giovanni). 

‘I’ve got a doctors appointment next Friday and there’s a guy me and Jack owe some stuff to so I can’t make it.’ 

Mr. Custeau 

(Close-up of his face, aggravated and confused) 

‘Why can’t he do it? It’s got nothing to do with me!’ (He says pointing his face in Jackie’s direction). 

Giovanni 

(Shot reverse-shot between Custeau and Giovanni, shot cuts to Jackie sitting, taking a puff of his cigarette and spluttering while they talk) 

‘Look at him. I trust you, you’ll be fine.’ (He says while smiling at Custeau, as he smiles a gunshot can be heard in the distance, shot cuts to Jackie sprinting up and grabbing a case.) 

(Medium shot of Giovanni and Custeau from their sides, both scared) 

‘The hell was that Jackie!’ 

(Jackie thrusts the case into Custeau’s arms) 

Jackie 

‘I can’t let them find me!’ (He says to himself and inadvertently Custeau) 

(Sound of a louder gunshot)

EXT.

INT. medium shot of Custeau and Giovanni in the car, the case on Giovanni’s lap, both of them have blank, tired expressions as they look straight forward for a few seconds of silence 

Mr. Custeau 

(Throwing his arms around, quoting Giovanni) 

‘The hell was that Giovanni!’ 

Giovanni 

‘How am I supposed to know what was going to happen!’ 

(They sit for a few more seconds to calm down) 

‘I’ll give you £100 if you take it.’ 

Mr. Custeau 

(Medium close up of Custeau turning his head to look at Giovanni) 

‘You’re kidding.’ 

(Shot reverse shot to Giovanni) 

Giovanni 

‘That bar on West Street.’ 

(Taking a little bag out of his pocket filled with a white, powdered substance) 

‘Just before you go, take this and you’ll be fine, nothing to worry about...’ (He gets interrupted by Custeau) 

Mr. Custeau 

‘No!’ 

Giovanni 

(Pouting at Custeau) 

‘Come on bro.’ 

(Shot cuts back to Custeau in disbelief and switches between Giovanni and Custeau as they interchange) 

‘Come on dude.’ 

(Custeau looks at him) 

‘Come on man.’ 

(Custeau becomes progressively calmer and entertained) 

‘Hundred quid.’ 

(Custeau looks again) 

‘Please man I do-’ 

(Shot cuts back to Custeau suddenly as Giovanni is interrupted) 

Mr Custeau 

‘Give me the god damn bag’. 

EXT.

INT. Custeau in the bar

‘No...’ (He says in fear. Shot reverse shot of a medium close up of Custeau and medium shot of The Man). 

Man in the Corner 

(Readjusting himself and sitting back down) 

‘Did you bring it back to me?’ 

Mr. Custeau 

(He says putting his arm over the back of the chair) 

‘Yeah, its out back, god damn.’ 

(The shot cuts to a tracking shot of Custeau and The Man walking out the bar entrance, gun pointed at Custeau’s back, as they walk a silenced pistol effect plays and they stop walking; as they stop walking, Custeau turns around with his arms held up to reason. This is where he notices, via over the shoulder shot, The Man, paralysed, eyes wide open.) 

‘You ok man?’ 

(After a second, Custeau realises what happened and moves to the side to avoid the man falling on him in a medium close up. Custeau moves around, his head turning in every direction with a wide shot of him in the open). 

‘I’m-’ 

(An audible gunshot plays as the screen cuts to black with the logo ‘I’m So Lucky’ appears once more). 

Draft Script Report

As conventional, the structure of my script is in size 12 courier new font; using stage directions emphasized in segmented paragraphs. The mode of address and code fluctuate between restricted peer-peer and elaborate teacher-pupil talk. This is exemplary in scenarios such as Custeau and Giovanni's relaxed discussions/banter in comparison to the tense meeting with the mob boss. The reason for this is to create comparative connotations of tension to signify danger during interactions which would be dangerous for the characters, and the language used reflects that. The juxtaposition of elaborate to restricted code furthers this through creating verisimilitude by portraying characters of contrasting wealth and background within scenes that appropriately characterise them. This therefore, uses conventions of a traditional script in a way which is typical of the crime drama genre.

The narrative is targeted at a 16-30, male audience; part of this is due to the audience typical of the crime drama genre as a result of the often mature or graphic themes/imagery present within the representation of criminality. The script conveys this through denoted imagery, exemplary of the age representations within the descriptions (older gentlemen) and some humorous implications within directions such as the inadvertent contrast between the interaction of Custeau and the Mob Boss. The absurdity of which in connotations of comedy, appealing to the younger (16-21) side of the target demographic. This juxtaposition is furthered in the peer-peer mode of address Custeau uses in contrast to the teacher-pupil, formal mode of address used by the titular Mob Boss.

The older target audience is furthered signified as ABC1 through the non-linear story structure of the script, in comparison to other crime drama fiction which takes a similar approach such as Reservoir Dogs which shares a similar demographic. This evident in the transitions between the initial bar scene and everything leading up to it. 

The descriptions and stage directions are comparable to analysed scripts like Monty Python's Life of Brain through writer commentary on the events and feelings of characters within the scene, evidenced by the use of rhetoric and juxtaposing lexical fields in the illustrations of Custeau and the other mob member. Referring to the mob member with 'A nice, clean coat, with a black lapel' and Custeau as 'A beastly figure. Maybe in his 30’s? 40’s? Early 50’s? No one could tell.' 

The non-linear narrative structure furthers the ABC1 appeal of the script through non-traditional storytelling which functions through a flashback sequence that creates the main narrative for the film. The sequence transition from scene 1 into scene 2 'close up of Mr. Custeau as his eyes widen, the shot stays still as it changes to the same shot and expression, now in a different location at a different time, a supermarket'. As planned in the treatment, the single-stranded narrative follows the protagonist 'Custeau' rather than cutting to other characters within the film. This was in a mostly traditional narrative structure with the disequilibrium starting the film as the non-linear narrative leads into how the enigma, the call to action signified by the character of Giovanni and his phone call to Custeau as Giovanni breaks the equilibrium as the protagonist attempts to repair it.

Restricted Code (Peer-Peer Mode of Address)

Elaborate Code (Teacher-Pupil MoD) - Juxtaposition of characters to create humour