Memo

A screenplay by: Ben Southwood

(Scene2: Int)

Shot fades in over black

A cochophony of call-centre chit chat grows in volume

An out-of-focus figure can be seen in the background. The camera ever so slowly pans in and focus becomes clear as we reach a Medium Close-Up of a dishevelled man in his early 20’s. He is looking above the camera. He is sat at a desk in a well equipped, modern call-centre with computer etc. in the foreground.

STEPHEN NARRATES

(Depressed)

Another day, another dollar.

Colleagues can be seen meandering behind Stephen, but his eyes stay fixed on the same spot.

The minute hand of Stephen’s office-clock is seen as it clatters onto the 12.

With that Stephen puts down his on his headset and begins typing.

STEPHEN

Hello. My name is Stephen. I wonder if you could spare 2 minutes to discuss your stationery needs?

He re-dials.

STEPHEN NARRATES

This was it….my life….telephone begging, expanding the pockets of those further up the ladder than myself. I was pretty content at the time….before I knew.

STEPHEN

Hello. My name is Stephen. I wonder if you could spare 2 minutes to…

He pauses for a moment, sighs, then re-dials.

STEPHEN

Hello Sir. My name is Stephen. I wonder if you could spare 2 minutes to discuss….

He listens intently and starts looking rather nervous.

STEPHEN

OK. Sorry to bother you sir. Goodbye.

He hurriedly stabs his phone-pad to end the call and peals off his headset in anger. He then takes a deep breath and leans back in his chair.

Stephen’s E-mail beeps on his computer. Over his shoulder we see that it is an internal Memo. Stephen leans forward. The cochophony of call centre chit-chat grows again and a narrative starts:

The Camera slowly zooms in-to Stephens right-eye as it closes.

STEPHEN NARRATES

To all members of staff.. I am sure you are now all aware that David York is leaving us as he retires at the end of the week. The position of Managing Director is being interviewed for at present. Simon has been assigned to….

As Stephen opens his eyes, he realises that he is the last one left in the office.

He quickly switches off his computer and walks out of shot, darting back to grab his coat.

He then walks out through the office’s double doors.

Fargo

Fargo – Script Analysis Exercise

Main Body of Script

After comparing the final edit of Fargo’s introduction with the written script, I have discovered that some key changes have taken place. Most notably of these is the deletion of an entire scene in which Jerry checks into a motel. There are other minor alterations also; such as a change of name for the bar where the three men meet, the deletion of the roadsign for Fargo, and minor alterations to the script (which generally helps the dialogue flow better). I personally think that the final cut of Fargo stays true to the script, remaining as tense and dark-humoured as it was written by the Coen Brothers.

Characters

Jerry appears to be a shameless loser, who desperately needs a large sum of money to pay someone back. I assumed that Jerry had a gambling problem (or something of the like). Jerry is over-confident in a very naïve way. He assumes that getting his wife kidnapped by gangsters for $40,000 is a great idea. Jerry is a Protagonist in a sense, as we are inclined to feel a little sorry for him. He is however also an Antagonist as he arranging for something innocently horrific to take place.

Carl is one of two “Heavies” which have been sent to meet Jerry by the mysterious Shep. He seems to be the smarter of the two, and as such does most of the talking. He seems very cocky and suspicious / shifty. Carl is an Antagonist as he has agreed to kidnap Jerry’s wife for money.

Grimsrud is the second of the “Heavies” to be sent to meet Jerry by the mysterious Shep. He is a man of few words, whose main purpose is to sit with Carl and look menacing / intimidating. Grimsrud is also an Antagonist as he has agreed to kidnap Jerry’s wife for money.

Name: Stephen Bennet
Age: Late 20s
Nationality: English
Hometown: Derby
Current Residence: Rented-flat near city centre. Moved out at 16
Occupation: Sales Reprasentative (Call-centre)
Siblings (describe relationship): One sister who Stephen has not seen since he was a child of 8.
Spouse (describe relationship): N/A (Single – He has relationship issues.)
Children (describe relationship): None.
Grandparents (describe relationship): Met his grandparents on his mother’s side once, around the time he last saw his sister.
Grandchildren (describe relationship): None.
Significant Others (describe relationship): The nearest person to a friend that Stephen has is Matt, his colleague from the call-centre. (Unknown to Stephen, Matt isn’t really too fond of him).
Relationship skills: Very quiet and Self-aware.
Physical Characteristics: Hangs his head when he walks.
Height: 6foot 2inches.
Weight: Average / slim.
Race: British
Skin color: White - Caucasian
Shape of Face: Oval
Distinguishing features: Nothing special. Fairly ordinary.
How does he/she dress? Scruffy-esque (jeans, t-shirts, old trainers etc.)
Habits: (smoking, drinking etc.) Casual drinker, smokes but is thinking about quitting.
Health: fair-to-good
Style (Elegant, shabby etc.): Neo-shabby, (i.e scruffy-smart-casual)
Greatest flaw: Strangely compassionate at the start, but as the film develops he becomes more self-absorbed and vengeful.
Best quality: His dedication to his mother.
Which character from a thriller film is your character most likened to?: I would say a cross between Donnie Darko & the mourning brother in “Dead Man’s Shoes”.


Intellectual/Mental/Personality Attributes and Attitudes:Educational Background: Tried hard in a run down state school.
Intelligence Level: Mid to high.
Any Mental Illnesses? He develops a mood disorder throughout the course of the script.
Character's short-term goals in life: To get to work on time and make enough money to get by.
Character's long-term goals in life: to have his revenge (he doesn’t know this at the start of the script)
How self-confident is the character? Not very self-confident at all.
What would most embarass this character? Being tied naked to a tree, sober.
How the Character is Involved in the Story: Main Character.
Character's role in the thriller (Protagonist/antagonist etc.): Protagonist....to Antagonist.
Scene where character first appears: First scene, in the call-centre.

Relationships with other characters:
1. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the film). Matt, colleague at the call-centre. Develops a strange respect for Steve as his (Steve’s) desire for vengeance grows.
2. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the film). Simon, Steve’s new boss. Stephen learns throughout the course of the film that Simon used to abuse his Mum and Steve when he was younger.
3. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the film). Lisa, Steve's long-lost sister. Steve finds his sister two-thirds of the way through the film. Through talking to his sister he discovers the truth about his boss, this is shown through grainy flashbacks.

How character is different at the end of the film from when the film began: Throughout the course of the film, Steve works out that his new boss (Simon) is the man that used to beat him when he was younger. This takes a large proportion of the film to unravel. By the end he has taken his boss semi-hostage and is in a quandary…..whether or not to take his revenge.

Character Profile: Protagonists / Antagonists

I have chosen two antagonists and one protagonist to analyse. The two antagonists are The Terminator (Terminator 1) and Dracula (Bram Stoker’s Dracula). I chose Mr. Miyagi (Karate Kid) as the protagonist.

Antagonists

The Terminator


The terminator is quite clearly a central-antagonist in the first Terminator film. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the cyborg assassin sent back in time to assassinate Sarah Connor, whose son will eventually lead a resistance against “the machines”.

The terminator himself is largely un-flawed except, of course, for his lack of emotion and “vocal prowess”.

Quite clearly the Terminator himself is the focus of pretty much the entire film.


Dracula


The Dracula character (Gary Oldman) is more “human” than “The Terminator” character, as he starts as a religious man who is in love. After learning that his wife Elisabeta is eternally damned for committing suicide, he renounces his faith and swears to return from the grave to reap his vengeance. I thought Dracula was more convincingly scary as his rage and quest for revenge seemed a lot more pre-meditated and determined. Dracula himself appears in many forms throughout the course of the film, such as a wrinkled old-man and as his revitalised younger-self.

Dracula is obviously integral to the plot of the film and as such, all happenings revolve around him. This character is flawed as he is pure evil.

Protagonist

Mr. Miyagi


Mr. Miyagi is an important character in the first of the “Karate Kid” films. He has an integral part in the first film, training Daniel up to beat the bullies at the National Karate Championships. He is a driving force behind Daniel’s retention of pride and honour throughout the course of the film.

Mr. Miyagi isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. In one scene he is shown heavily drunk on the anniversary of his wife’s / son’s death. This partly explains his fondness for Daniel, and his desire to help / protect him.

Ben's Thriller

“Thriller” as a genre is very tricky to define. Thrillers are usually fast paced, have plenty of action, include the protagonist beating / facing impossible odds. There are also many plot twists, red-herrings, cliffhangers and awkward silences/pauses to help build the desired tension. The plot twists are used to create heightened tension and keep the audience on the “edge-of-their-seats” right up until the piece’s climax. Thrillers usually involve the Protagonist in a dangerous / mysterious situation to acknowledge or escape. Thrillers are usually implemented with one of the many sub-genres associated with the genre.

Sub genres include Action-Thriller, Conspiracy-Thriller, Crime-Thriller, Disaster-Thriller, Drama-Thriller, Eco-Thriller, Erotic-Thriller, Horror-Thriller, Legal-Thriller, Medical-Thriller, Political-Thriller, Psychological-Thriller, Spy-Thriller, Supernatural-Thriller and Techno-Thriller.

Good examples of “Thrillers” are “The Usual Suspects”, “Seven” and “Memento”. All of these films keep the audience in the dark until the very last moment with a combination of plot-twists and red-herrings. “The Usual Suspects” uses nearly the entire film to spin a web of red-herrings, culminating in a monumental plot-twist at the end. In “Seven” there are much fewer red-herrings, the film is more about the development of a complicated, multi-faceted plot with many twists and turns along the way.

Overall I think that the main role of a thriller is to keep the audience on the “edge-of-their-seat” right up to the end of the film, preferably with an ending that they didn’t see coming.