Breaking Down My Chosen Script

 

BREAKING DOWN THE SCRIPT

Synopsis – Rocky, a retired boxer, begins his training again in order to win another belt.

PAGE 1

Page 1 of Script

INT. ROCKY’S APARTMENT – PRE DAWN.

·   Fades in from black with alarm clock going off.

·       Low lighting

·       Close-up of alarm clock – bring a sense of urgency and purpose to the sequence. Want it to feel off putting for the spectators too.

·       Slow pace as Rocky gets up – this slow pace that Rocky is going at can be used to juxtapose his pace later that emphasises his shift in character.

·       Low angle of Rocky with high angle of newspapers around mirror to connect eyeline – understanding Rocky’s drive yet knowing he still needs to put the work in. There is a sense of determination to not let defeat win.

·       Close-up of shot of tap running with cold water.

·       Possible birds eye view/p.o.v of sink filling up – this can be used to represent Rocky’s growing power.

·       Tips ice in and submerges face with a side shot.

·       Very quick cut to camera inside cabinet – seeing Rocky take eggs out.

·       Medium shot

·       Close up of eggs in the glass.

·       Pan up with glass to Rocky downing the eggs.

Overall, in this first opening sequence, I would want the pace to start slow, yet for it to only build up using cinematography and faster cuts (editing). The tone begins quite ‘dry’ but has an underlying drive to it that mainly comes off Rocky’s character. To aid that slow pace, it could be wise just to use foley sound, for example, hear the cracking of the eggs which is mainly the character’s doing. I would want Rocky’s character to begin walking at quite a wide and slow, possibly making himself look bigger and more powerful than he may mentally feel – creating that internal conflict.

EXT. STREET OF ROCKY’S APARTMENT – PRE-DAWN

·       Change in outfit. From a t shirt to joggers, Rocky is now in his training outfit of grey sweats and a beanie.

·       Low lighting as suppose to have an atmosphere of 4-5am. Includes potential silhouettes to create that sense of mystery as a boxer, and even his abilities are still a mystery to him and the spectators.

·       Long/wide shot of Rocky jogging underneath some orange-glowing streetlamps – increase mystery and can add some film noir aspects.

·       Close-up of his face/feet running.

·       Medium shot, tracking back so there is a variety of movement and not just static shots.

The goal for this scene would be to start creating an atmosphere that ignites Rocky’s determination and make that visible to the spectators as this is where the montage begins. When doing the potential close-ups, the film noir aspect can come in with the light (from the streetlamps) only making certain facial features, such as his eyes and jaw visible. This could be further taken where only one side of his face/shoulders are lit up to aid that mysterious, intriguing tone, yet can represent metaphorically to the spectator’s there is still a side to Rocky they haven’t seen. The foley sound will start to simmer out and be replaced by the Rocky soundtrack fading in – starts quiet for it only to increase later. Rocky runs with quite low shoulders, as though his belief in himself isn’t fully there so he is almost dragging himself around.

EXT. ART MUSEUM STAIRS – DAWN.

·       Eye level shot of Rocky looking at stairs

·       Cut back and forth to Rocky and steps – sense of contemplation that sparks that mental barrier.

·       Slight high angle on Rocky as he now attempts to run up the stairs.

·       Music/soundtrack increases. This induces the pace to increase simultaneously.

·       Long shot of Rocky running up the stairs.

·       Potential slow zoom in – this gives a false hope to the spectator that he is going to achieve the stairs first time.

·       Cuts to medium shot of his leg’s giving out and then Rocky puts his hands on his hips walking it off whilst looking around.

·       Behind shot of Rocky descending the stairs – his first level of defeat.

·       Fade

When Rocky see’s the steps/attempts them for the first time, I want to give the impression to the spectator that Rocky has a glimpse of belief in himself so therefore, a ‘feel good’ tone has started to override this mysterious tone as now the viewers are creating that emotional connection. This is the first time that everything such as the pace, soundtrack and movement start to increase and become a whole, however, Rocky is still holding himself low, for example, shoulders and back are dropped, so despite the visual/sound cues are there to believe he is going to complete the steps, there is an internal conflict holding him back. When there are the back-and-forth shots between the character and the steps, this can give the impression of a battle – a physical and mental battle – that there is a sort of power hierarchy, yet, until he is unsuccessful of completing the steps the spectators are unsure of if the steps have the higher power or Rocky does.

EXT. CITY HALL – DAWN.

·       Fade in from black – keep continuity from previous scene.

·       Zoom out to Rocky running alongside river.

·       Tracking/long shot that is following Rocky – central to the image; evenly balanced out in the rule of thirds.

·       Rocky stops abruptly, pauses, and leaps whilst punching his fists in the air.

·       Cut to medium shot of him jabbing air punches.

·       Rocky in one rule of thirds composition as he starts to begin running again.

This scene aids that feel good tone to appear more. The soundtrack starts to increase and for the first time, Rocky starts to hold his shoulders higher than before as he runs with more power and determination. Everything starts working as an equilibrium and this could be the possible way of the spectator’s becoming more invested.

PAGE 2

Page 2 of Script

EXT. ELEVATED TRAIN STATION – DAWN.

·       Straight on shot/establishing shot of tunnel.

·       Canted angle of Rocky through the tunnel.

·       Mid shot of Rocky whilst he is still running.

·       Train overhead – possibly shot with a side angle as train passes.

·       The train noises start to align with Rocky to give that increased empowerment.

The inclusion of the train in this short scene is quite difficult. However, even if the shot of the train passing by was taken out, the effect of the train being there can still happen. This can be done by the inclusion of foley sound, but I would have to think how that can be balanced out with the addition of the constant underlying Rocky soundtrack. To increase performance, the train can be aligned with Rocky’s running, such as the beats of the train tracks syncing with the beats of Rocky’s running feet and therefore, can compile an extra depth to the sequence.

EXT. DOCKS – DAWN

·       Wide/long shot of Rocky running under another streetlamp.

·       Fades again.

This is a very short scene; however, I think it is necessary as it will show that time has moved on from the original 4-5am. This can be shown by having a similar shot of the beginning streetlamp as the streetlamp in this scene will now be off and therefore the illusion of time passing will be apparent. The inclusion of multiple fades can also aid with the time, but keeps the montage going at a constant pace, so there is a continuous equilibrium/balance.

INT. GOLDMILL’S GYM – DAY

·       Sound of boxing noises fade in with the image.

·       ‘Dirty’ shot – camera behind the boxing bag (2/3rds) with Rocky punching the bag in the last third.

INT. GOLDMILL’S GYM – LATER

·       Eye level shot from knees of Rocky doing sit ups.

·       An evident sweat to prove his determination.

·       Tone change as Rocky is ‘in the zone.’

·       Cut back and forth whilst Rocky doing sit ups between him and the wrestling belt.

INT. GOLDMILL’S GYM – STILL LATER

·       Low shot/vertical pan following Rocky’s action between two benches doing press-ups.

·       Weight put on his back – shown possibly via a side shot/bird eye view shot.

·       Rocky has intense breathing, yet his eyes are fixated – pushing through the pain.

INT. GOLDMILL’S GYM – STILL LATER

·       Rocky’s hands bandaged up – visible intensity.

·       Cut back to Rocky with the boxing bag – over the shoulder shot.

·       Pan that goes around Rocky that creates further diversity within the whole sequence – aids the illusion of time and speed further.

·       Medium shot where he is drinking from a plastic water bottle – this can slow down the pace, prolong the scene and therefore set a more serious tone and show that his willpower can only be fuelled.

·       Close-up shot of his eyes looking tired, strained and worn.

·       Few shots of stopwatch and time increasing with the possible addition of cutting back and forth to Rocky boxing.

INT. GOLDMILL’S GYM – STILL LATER.

·       Rocky on treadmill – side shot.

·       There is potential to play around using a mirror such as filming Rocky in the mirror then panning/zoom out back in reality.

·       Pan down to feet on treadmill – hold the shot once at feet for a few seconds of him running.

·       Feet then fade into pavement.

The gym scenes in the whole sequence, is personally the most important of the montage. This is the climax of the sequence as this is where the pace is constant – it is steady yet through editing and cinematography there is a rhythm to it, and the soundtrack is now at its highest in terms of volume and the beat is consistent whilst matching to the action. For lighting, as it is indoors there is some control, however, I had visioned the scenes to have more naturalistic lighting so it adds realism, but I could use the assistance of, for example, LED’S to enhance shadows, colour and balance. It would be in these few scenes, that the spectators are seeing the true character of Rocky as he shows off not just his physical strength, yet his mental strength and resilience to become the best he has ever been. Moreover, there is clear evidence for Rocky’s tunnel vision to come into play which will be shown through the cuts back and forth of Rocky training and the wrestling belt – the clear goal is in sight.

PAGE 3

Page 3 of Script

EXT. ART MUSEUM STAIRS – DAY.

·       Feet fade into pavement as Rocky runs to the steps.

·       Zoom out/tracking shot of Rocky – this shows that juxtaposing to last time he faced the steps, there is no hesitation.

·       Runs up the steps – potential opportunity for a drone shot.

·       Long shot of Rocky slightly having a struggling moment – keeps the realism and tension for the spectators.

·       Rocky’s facial expressions are rigid and tight – shows his strength and determination to power through.

·       Rocky manages to succeed reaching the top of the steps – almost collapses yet he stays put on his feet.

·       Low angle shot of Rocky as he punches his fists in the air.

·       This low angle shot can then develop outwards to a medium shot then further expand to a long shot – ‘feeling on top of the world.’

·       The soundtrack heightens for a final time and then comes to an end.

Overall, this last scene I wanted to portray the juxtaposition compared to Rocky’s first attempt of the steps. This last scene I want the pace and tone to carry on from the gym scenes, as it gives it a solid equilibrium that hopefully brings everything together at the end. Rocky now holds himself high and values his training, that will be visible through the course of the sequence through his performance. One of my main aims overall, was to develop Rocky’s character arc that creates that connection to the spectators, so it is like they are going along his training journey with him. Once again, the lighting in this ending will be most likely be naturalistic to give it more authenticity.

 

 

-