By popular demand (well, Dawn Christoffersen on Twitter asked), here's the shooting script for our short film The Plotters - which got shortlisted in the 2012 Virgin Media Shorts competition, and which you can watch here:
(Full cast and crew for The Plotters at IMDB.)
ETA: and here's the first rough cut of the film:
The Plotters - First Cut from Thomas Guerrier on Vimeo.
(c) Adrian Mackinder and Simon Guerrier 2012
1 EXT. LONDON, 1605 - NIGHT
Heroic CGI. The old Palace of Westminster in the background. CAPTION: London, November 1605.
2 EXT. THE TAVERN - NIGHT
GUY FAWKES - in beard, hat with buckle, cape - hurries to the door, checks he’s not been followed, goes in.
3 INT. THE TAVERN - NIGHT
GUY joins a group of other PLOTTERS – all in beards, hats with buckles, capes – at a table.
GUY FAWKES:
Gentlemen. We are in accord. Thirtysix barrels of gunpowder now sit beneath the House of Lords. When the heretic king is there tomorrow, Robert lights the powder and foom! We ignite a new world!
The men clank tankards. GUY turns to THOMAS WINTOUR.
GUY FAWKES (CONT’D):
Robert, did you want to say a few words?
THOMAS WINTOUR:
Er, Guy... I’m Thomas. He’s Robert.
He nods at ROBERT CATESBY.
GUY FAWKES:
Oh, er, yes. Robert. Our explosives expert.
ROBERT CATESBY:
What? I’m Robert Catesby. You mean that Robert.
He points at ROBERT WINTOUR. GUY embarrassed.
GUY FAWKES:
Oh yes, we’ve got two Roberts.
ROBERT KEYES:
Er, three.
GUY FAWKES:
Who are you?
ROBERT KEYES:
Robert Keyes. Hi.
GUY FAWKES:
And you’re the explosives expert?
ROBERT KEYES:
Lord no. Horrible stuff, gun powder. Go off in your face! Very nasty.
GUY struggling to make sense of this.
GUY FAWKES:
So we’ve got three Roberts.
ROBERT CATESBY:
It is a bit confusing. Doesn’t help that we all look a bit alike.
The plotters all glance at one another. He’s right!
ROBERT WINTOUR:
I could pop home, get another hat.
ROBERT KEYES:
You don’t have another hat.
GUY FAWKES:
We just need to know which one’s the explosives expert.
The three ROBERTS all point at one another.
GUY FAWKES (CONT’D):
(sigh) All we want is someone to light the powder. (BEAT) And obviously run away quick. Surely You’re not scared?
The plotters all gruffly shake their heads. Of course not.
ROBERT CATESBY:
I’d do it. But they know me from Devereux’s rebellion. I’d never slip past the guards.
ROBERT KEYES:
Bad knee, can’t run. It would be suicide. And that’s a mortal sin.
ROBERT WINTOUR:
Gunpowder makes me sneeze.
GUY FAWKES:
Well, then. Someone else. Thomas? Are you man enough?
Beat.
THOMAS WINTOUR:
Sorry, which Thomas?
GUY FAWKES:
What?
THOMAS WINTOUR:
Thomas Bates, Thomas Wintour or Thomas Percy?
GUY FAWKES:
Oh, now really. We’ve got three Roberts and three Thomases?
JOHN WRIGHT:
And two Johns. I’d do it, but I’m driving the getaway carriage. Sorry.
The plotters bicker.
GUY FAWKES:
Is there anyone who doesn’t have the same name as anyone else?
ROBERT CATESBY:
There’s Ambrose. And Everard.
The men snigger.
EVERARD DIGBY:
Shut up! Anyway, isn’t Ambrose a girl’s name?
More sniggering. AMBROSE is rather burly.
AMBROSE ROOKWOOD:
I’m known from Devereux’s rebellion, too. Why can’t Robert do it?
ROBERT CATESBY:
Which Robert?
They all start bickering again.
GUY FAWKES:
(fighting for calm) It only needs one of you. Really! I’ll do it myself if I have to!
They all fall silent, stare at him.
GUY FAWKES (CONT’D):
Fine. If you want a job doing properly...
4 INT. TORTURE CHAMBER
GUY is chained up, looking miserable. POLICEMEN – in beards, hats with buckles, capes – come in, carrying instruments of torture. An INTERROGATER stands by.
INTERROGATOR:
He’s given us a description of the other conspirators.
He hands the POLICEMEN a paper. It shows a crude drawing of a man in a beard, hat with buckle.
POLICEMAN:
I see. Did he tell you their names?
The INTERROGATOR turns the page over. There’s a list: Robert, Robert, Robert, Thomas, Thomas, Thomas, John, John, Ambrose, Everard.
GUY FAWKES:
(weak) It’s a funny sort of coincidence, but really...
POLICEMAN:
We’ll get the truth somehow. Fetch the thumb screws.
GUY FAWKES:
Bother.
(Full cast and crew for The Plotters at IMDB.)
ETA: and here's the first rough cut of the film:
The Plotters - First Cut from Thomas Guerrier on Vimeo.
THE PLOTTERS
by
Adrian Mackinder and Simon Guerrier
Based on an idea by
Adrian Mackinder and Hannah George
(c) Adrian Mackinder and Simon Guerrier 2012
1 EXT. LONDON, 1605 - NIGHT
Heroic CGI. The old Palace of Westminster in the background. CAPTION: London, November 1605.
2 EXT. THE TAVERN - NIGHT
GUY FAWKES - in beard, hat with buckle, cape - hurries to the door, checks he’s not been followed, goes in.
3 INT. THE TAVERN - NIGHT
GUY joins a group of other PLOTTERS – all in beards, hats with buckles, capes – at a table.
GUY FAWKES:
Gentlemen. We are in accord. Thirtysix barrels of gunpowder now sit beneath the House of Lords. When the heretic king is there tomorrow, Robert lights the powder and foom! We ignite a new world!
The men clank tankards. GUY turns to THOMAS WINTOUR.
GUY FAWKES (CONT’D):
Robert, did you want to say a few words?
THOMAS WINTOUR:
Er, Guy... I’m Thomas. He’s Robert.
He nods at ROBERT CATESBY.
GUY FAWKES:
Oh, er, yes. Robert. Our explosives expert.
ROBERT CATESBY:
What? I’m Robert Catesby. You mean that Robert.
He points at ROBERT WINTOUR. GUY embarrassed.
GUY FAWKES:
Oh yes, we’ve got two Roberts.
ROBERT KEYES:
Er, three.
GUY FAWKES:
Who are you?
ROBERT KEYES:
Robert Keyes. Hi.
GUY FAWKES:
And you’re the explosives expert?
ROBERT KEYES:
Lord no. Horrible stuff, gun powder. Go off in your face! Very nasty.
GUY struggling to make sense of this.
GUY FAWKES:
So we’ve got three Roberts.
ROBERT CATESBY:
It is a bit confusing. Doesn’t help that we all look a bit alike.
The plotters all glance at one another. He’s right!
ROBERT WINTOUR:
I could pop home, get another hat.
ROBERT KEYES:
You don’t have another hat.
GUY FAWKES:
We just need to know which one’s the explosives expert.
The three ROBERTS all point at one another.
GUY FAWKES (CONT’D):
(sigh) All we want is someone to light the powder. (BEAT) And obviously run away quick. Surely You’re not scared?
The plotters all gruffly shake their heads. Of course not.
ROBERT CATESBY:
I’d do it. But they know me from Devereux’s rebellion. I’d never slip past the guards.
ROBERT KEYES:
Bad knee, can’t run. It would be suicide. And that’s a mortal sin.
ROBERT WINTOUR:
Gunpowder makes me sneeze.
GUY FAWKES:
Well, then. Someone else. Thomas? Are you man enough?
Beat.
THOMAS WINTOUR:
Sorry, which Thomas?
GUY FAWKES:
What?
THOMAS WINTOUR:
Thomas Bates, Thomas Wintour or Thomas Percy?
GUY FAWKES:
Oh, now really. We’ve got three Roberts and three Thomases?
JOHN WRIGHT:
And two Johns. I’d do it, but I’m driving the getaway carriage. Sorry.
The plotters bicker.
GUY FAWKES:
Is there anyone who doesn’t have the same name as anyone else?
ROBERT CATESBY:
There’s Ambrose. And Everard.
The men snigger.
EVERARD DIGBY:
Shut up! Anyway, isn’t Ambrose a girl’s name?
More sniggering. AMBROSE is rather burly.
AMBROSE ROOKWOOD:
I’m known from Devereux’s rebellion, too. Why can’t Robert do it?
ROBERT CATESBY:
Which Robert?
They all start bickering again.
GUY FAWKES:
(fighting for calm) It only needs one of you. Really! I’ll do it myself if I have to!
They all fall silent, stare at him.
GUY FAWKES (CONT’D):
Fine. If you want a job doing properly...
FADE OUT.
4 INT. TORTURE CHAMBER
GUY is chained up, looking miserable. POLICEMEN – in beards, hats with buckles, capes – come in, carrying instruments of torture. An INTERROGATER stands by.
INTERROGATOR:
He’s given us a description of the other conspirators.
He hands the POLICEMEN a paper. It shows a crude drawing of a man in a beard, hat with buckle.
POLICEMAN:
I see. Did he tell you their names?
The INTERROGATOR turns the page over. There’s a list: Robert, Robert, Robert, Thomas, Thomas, Thomas, John, John, Ambrose, Everard.
GUY FAWKES:
(weak) It’s a funny sort of coincidence, but really...
POLICEMAN:
We’ll get the truth somehow. Fetch the thumb screws.
GUY FAWKES:
Bother.
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