Script for thriller

2. INT INSIDE JANITOR’S OFFICE. DAY

The Janitor is in his office/room. Janitor bends down to pick up mop, which has fallen down to the floor. As he gets up he props the mop up against the wall. Once he is standing upright he is standing in front of a mirror that hangs on the wall. He stares at the wall for several seconds before slowly turning towards the wall next to the mirror.

Camera focuses on the photos of Lucy from his point of view.

Joe reaches out and strokes the face of Lucy on one of the photos provocatively and smiles creepily. (Camera shows close up of his smile).

JOE
W…w…who are you?

MYSTERY PERSON
…*Heavy breathing*…

JOE
W…w…what are you doing with that?

Joe is then hit on the head with a hammer. (Camera focuses on blood that is trickling down the side of his face).
Joe then falls to the floor and a puddle of blood appears beside him and under his head, which gets bigger every second. (The camera does not show who hit him only what his facial expressions are). The camera then shows the killer’s black gloves with the hammer in his hands and a cloth. He wipes the hammer clean of blood and places it on the table next to him. The camera catches the back of him as he walks out.

Fargo Script Analysis

Watch the opening sequence and look at the script along with your viewing.

1. Is it the same as the script? The opening of Fargo is the same as the script, apart from the scene in the hotel lobby, which was edited out of the final piece. I noticed that some of the actors said a couple of other words within their dialogue.
2. any changes? (see answer to no.1)
3. does the script portray what you expect to see in the film? Yes, the script does portray what you expect to see in the film, again apart from the part in the hotel lobby.

Now view the sequence again. This time looking at the dialogue, answer the following questions based on the script for each character.

1. What is their name? Jerry Lundegaard
2. What type of words describe this person? Shy, nervous, weak, talk’s well
3. Can you tell from this sequence the role of this character? i.e. are they a protagonist/Antagonist? You can’t tell that this character is a protagonist/antagonist.
4. How do you know this? I know this because it is too early to tell in the film.

1. What is their name? Carl
2. What type of words describe this person? street smart, he comes back with quick quips.
3. Can you tell from this sequence the role of this character? most likely an antagonist
4. How do you know this? when he says ‘you want your own wife kidnapped’

1. What is their name? Gaear Grimsrud
2. What type of words describe this person? intimidating, strong, henchman
3. Can you tell from this sequence the role of this character? most likely an antagonist
4. How do you know this? because he works with Carl, whom we also assume is an antagonist

Character Profile

Basic Information

Name: James McMahon

Age: mid 30’s

Nationality: African-American

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Current Residence: New York, New York

Occupation: President of a very big company in New York and he is the crime lord in New York

Siblings (describe relationship): Jermaine - younger brother, is his apprentice

Spouse (describe relationship): he is single, but is looking for someone to have children with

Children (describe relationship): none

Grandparents (describe relationship): none

Grandchildren (describe relationship): none

Significant Others (describe relationship): he does not have a girlfriend because of his occupation

Relationship skills: he has money, which means he gets the women

Physical Characteristics: very athletic, very muscular (due to steroids)

Height: 6’2

Weight: 257lb

Race: African

Skin color: black

Shape of Face: oval

Distinguishing features: big nose, very thin hairline

How does he/she dress? Usually smart suits

Habits: (smoking, drinking etc.): only smokes cigars, only likes ‘classy’ drinks e.g. champagne, wine etc.

Health: average weight, doesn’t exercise, but knows how to fight

Style (Elegant, shabby etc.): very elegant and classy, shows his dominance over people by the way he walks and struts.

Greatest flaw: his massive ego

Best quality: his power over people and how he uses his money to get his advantage

Which character from a thriller film is your character most likened to? Wilson ‘Kingpin’ Fisk (Daredevil)


Intellectual/Mental/Personality Attributes and Attitudes

Educational Background: he was home schooled as his parents were rich

Intelligence Level: very high IQ level

Any Mental Illnesses? none

Character's short-term goals in life: He wants to destroy his rival's companies.


Character's long-term goals in life: to become the richest man in the world, to get a wife and start a family

How self-confident is the character? He is very self confident

What would most embarass this character? Being put into jail and seeing bad headlines in the press about him and/or his company and to appear weak in the eyes of his rivals


How the Character is Involved in the Story

Character's role in the thriller (Protagonist/antagonist etc.): the main antagonist

Scene where character first appears: he will appear in the first scene, when the main protagonist has a dream of Mr. McMahon killing his parents.

Relationships with other characters:

1. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the film). Sarah Rains – Mr. McMahon kidnaps Sarah and tries to make her his wife.

2. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the film). Jermaine McMahon – Mr. McMahon’s younger brother. And heir to the company, unless Mr. McMahon does not have any children.

3. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the film). Bill Crowe – relationship with McMahon doesn’t change through the film as Bill is the assistant and dies at the end of the film.

How character is different at the end of the film from when the film began: he changes his perspective of life at the end of the film. At the beginning, he wants to take over America like he has New York.

Protagonists/Antagonists

The main protagonist in Phone Booth is Stu Shephard. And the main antagonist does not have a name, but on www.imdb.com he is listed as ‘The Caller’. Stu Shephard is walks into a phone booth on the street, so he can make a phone call. After he finishes his call and starts to walk out of the phone booth the phone starts to ring and a man with a deep voice is on the other end. ‘The Caller’ starts saying that he can see Stu and tells him that he has to stay in the phone booth so that Stu or someone he loves doesn’t die.

The main protagonist in ‘Mortal Kombat’ is Liu Kang. And the main antagonist is Shang Tsung. Liu Kang is the main hero in both ‘Mortal Kombat’ movies, and it's there that his love interest with Kitana develops. His tactics during the bulk of the movie are intimidation and trickery; for example, he allows Johnny Cage to challenge Goro on the condition that he may challenge anyone of his choosing, in any place, as the final battle for the tournament, thus setting the stage for Liu and Johnny's desperate move to save Sonya and leading to the climactic battle between Tsung and Liu Kang.

The main protagonist in ‘Spider-Man’ is Peter Parker (or Spider-Man). The main antagonist is Norman Osborn (or The Green Goblin). Peter Parker is best friends with Norman Osborn’s son, Harry Osborn. Harry and Peter both love the same girl, Mary-Jane Watson. To help Harry, Norman becomes The Green Goblin so he can eliminate Peter and thus Harry will get Mary-Jane.

None of these characters are flawed in any way.

The Thriller is a type of genre which is used in literature, film and television. Thrillers often take place in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, polar regions, or high seas. The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger: law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen, or aviators. However, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident. While such heroes have traditionally been men, women have become increasingly common. The sub-genres include: Action Thriller; Conspiracy Thriller; Crime Thriller; Disaster Thriller; Drama Thriller and Supernatural Thriller.
Examples of films, which are in the ‘Thriller’ genre include:
· Phone Booth
· Ronin
· The Bourne Identity
· The Manchurian Candidate

Other examples of the thriller in movies include Donnie Darko, Red Eye, Psycho, North by Northwest, In the Line of Fire, The Fugitive, Solo Voyage, The 4th floor and Marathon Man. - from http://blackboard.centralsussex.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_271_1

Thrillers usually overlap with mystery stories, but they are distinguished by the structure of their plots. Thrillers also occur on a much grander scale: the crimes that must be prevented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or the overthrow of governments. Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements. While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others. In thrillers influenced by film noir and tragedy, the compromised hero is often killed in the process.