2 minute short film: Cell Lock Film references: Inception, District 13, Shutter Island Outline of film idea: Guy in a mental hospital room, begins to ‘escape’ from the hospital, there are people chasing him trying to get him because he has a bag on him. Free running chase sequence. Ends with him dropping the bag and going back for it, when he gets to it he gets pushed off a building by the people chasing him, he wakes up back in his hospital room shaken from the ‘fall’ and looks straight at the CCTV camera in the corner of his room. Detailed idea: Sequence 1: Approx. 18 seconds Pitch black, with title – the sound of lock picking is heard - camera slowly pans left downwards to a close-up of a key hole with the protagonist pick locking it from the other side. The lock picking stops and an eye appears in the key hole briefly before it disappears. The camera then zooms out so the whole door is visible, quickly cuts to a low angle side shot of the door as he breaks down the door – shoulder first – and stumbles into the wall opposite (long shot). CCTV camera view (high angle medium shot) above the door frame of him holding his head talking to himself frantically saying, “I’m okay, I’m okay…” Camera view changes to back medium shot from the side he’s running away from; he gets startled by the fact that there’s a bag on his back (turns his head around to the bag/camera over his shoulder) but ignores it as he needs to get out. Close up front shot of him suddenly looking up at the camera, before quick footsteps are heard down the corridor, he turns his head and starts running off; the camera pans to his back and we see him run away down the corridor, shortly a shoulder appears in front of the camera. CUT. Sequence 2: Approx. 45 seconds Camera looking down the high street as the protagonist walks into the camera (side view) and looks around panting, very tired. From above, looking down in a long shot of him running away from the hospital. Cuts to where he came out of, 3 guys appear in the same way he did; one points in the direction he ran in and they all start running towards him tactically. Camera cuts to protagonist running (filler). Slo-mo medium close-up from the side of the bag sliding off his shoulder and him turning his head. Still slo-mo high angle POV of crazy dude watching the bag fall to the ground, with a low field of depth not focusing on anything further than the bag. As it hits the floor the slo-mo stops and the people running after him behind it come into focus. Cut to close up of protagonist’s face as he is running; camera slowly pans to the bag when suddenly he changes direction (camera has zoomed out to a midshot of him as he changes direction). Camera pans in a semi-circle upwards to the sky and then you see the chasers running towards the camera. Cut to low angle looking up at the sky with a ladder on the side of a building with the protagonist climbing up it onto the roof tops. Repeated shot of chasers changing direction the same way the protagonist did. Cut to long shot on top of roof of protagonist getting onto the roof and running past the camera. Cut to the chasers, same angles going up ladder and onto the roof (parallel editing with protagonist climbing up the roof).
Sequence 3: Approx 30 seconds - FIRST 10 SECONDS RUNNING ON ROOFS (angles unsure until location located) Next 20 seconds: He jumps across two buildings, camera focuses on his feet when he takes off (mid-shot; slightly slo-mo). Camera then cuts to low angle shot from the ground, looking up at the sky and we seeing jumping across (silhouette). The bag drops again. Slow-mo of the bag dropping on the floor from protagonist’s POV. Distracted from the falling bag, he rolls as he lands on the other side; camera pans with his roll at ground level. The other side of the building is a dead end (too tall/no other buildings). There is then a close-up of his head looking in a direction, which then cuts to a mid shot of one of the guys holding a gun aimed at him, this repeated for all 3 of the guys chasing him and then finally for him looking down the gap where the bag dropped, which then cuts to a POV looking down and his hand out of focus which then comes into focus to reveal a gun in his hand. Cut to a close up of his face looking up straight ahead. Immediate cut to black. Black screen with heavy breathing then a gun shot. Sequence 4: Approx. 10 Seconds Fade in from black, series close-up of protagonist’s startled face/eyes/etc. Mid shot of side of protagonist’s face which then turns to the side away from the camera and the focus changes to the bag on the floor, the camera then changes focus back to his head as he turns it and stares straight ahead. CUT TO BLACK– CREDITS.