Locations

HACKERS SCENE

This is suitable as the mystery and dinginess of the location adds to that of the hackers, as the audience do not know much about the hackers, similar to the location. Furthermore this location is suitable for us to use as it is located only two minutes away from the school, which is very practical.

LAST SCENE

This location is suitable for us as it is on the school grounds, which adds to the realism of our opening sequence, as ours takes place within a school. This location is very typical of any school meaning the audience will be able to identify where the events are taking place. Also this location is practical for us as we do not have to travel far when filming around school.

OPENING SCENE

This location is suitable as it is an office. This adds to the realism of this scene as it appears as if this is the office of Mr Foster. Furthermore the location of he office is within the school, which is practical as when filming this scene we need to be within the school as we are casting a teacher in the role of Mr Foster.

Characters

Jimmy Fox – George Pickering

Costume – Wears a suit with a special tie that identifies him as an older person that goes to the particular Sixth Form. The connotation of George’s costume is that Jimmy’s wealth is average in terms of the school he goes to.

Performance – Strong charisma shown, very normal looking, nothing distinctive beside being charismatic.

Actor Appearance – George looks like a 17 year old. As such he fits into the school setting as other characters are also 16 – 18 year olds.

 

Arthur Foster – Selwyn Booth

Costume – A suit that distinguishes him as someone of importance, clearly different from the students.

Performance – Looks like a man with problems, demoralized.

Actor Appearance – Someone who has a look of authority and power, Middle aged not a granddad but also not a 20 year old.

 

Hackers – A group of 17 year olds who have a dodgy/ geeky look about them. Dressed in more or less the same manner as Jimmy Fox.

 

School Crowd – A group of boys and girls who are dressed in school clothes so that Jimmy can be part of the crowd.

Comments on The Phoenix Affair- Script and Synopsis

In General

• The lighting in the background will be quite low which makes it tense.
• There will be many close up of props which is usually used in thiller films
• Limited Information will be revealed to the audience, as they will see parts of different scenes which will not make much sense at the beginning about what is going on and why it's going on
• The character of Jimmy Fox looks directly at the camera which directly engages the attention of the audience and connect the audience and the character together. In addition the main target audience is 16-19 year olds and Jimmy is a 17 year old so again the audience can relate to Jimmy easily
• There will be short dialogue between characters which increase the speed which again creates tension
• In the last scene, there are intense and sinister looks between Jimmy Fox and Arthur Foster which creates more enigmas about the relationship between them
  
  Inside the headmasters office- 1st scene

At the beginning the audience sees footsteps walking away and the scene is quite dark. This creates suspense because the lighting is dark. Also that there is a dead body in the headmasters room and instead of helping or trying to finds out what is going on the person is walking away. There is also medicine/pills/drugs in the charaters hand which seems that he has commit suicide so if he has they why was a character in the room and didn't stop him. Futhermore the audience cannot see who the person is which creates enigmas such as who is this? why is he/she walking away? what happened inside the room the moment before?

Script - 2nd Draft

SCRIPT TO The Phoenix Affair

 

INT. HEADMASTER’S OFFICE. DARK

FOSTER lying on the floor dead. Pills lying next to him. Hip flask in his hand. Door closing and footsteps going away.

JIMMY

(Voiceover)

Arthur Foster was a good man. We didn't know it back then. I wish we had. [cut to a view of George talking at camera - dark background](pause) This is the story of the Phoenix affair"

 

Title of movie appearing

[Chronological beginning of the movie]

 

INT. HEADMASTER’S OFFICE. DAY

FOSTER opens a letter with a logo of {BIG CORPORATION} on it an on it and the content of the letter is that their displeased with his refusal for the sale of school grounds. Close ups "we're disappointed" cut to "by your rejection". He turns around and picks up betting slips from his desk and rips them up. He takes a hip flask out of a drawer - drinks from it. 

 

EXT.  OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL. DAY

Cut to a view of Jimmy Fox going to his school. Jimmy meeting up with friends (who look like hackers) discussing the project and saying that they're ready to put it into motion. Jimmy calling someone (His father) saying that the plan is under way as the hackers walk away. 

HACKERS

Matt has access to the mainframe and I got the software ready, Bill is going to hack into the computers and then we upload it to the Finance Computers.

JIMMY

That is good work James. The Plan is a go.

(On mobile)

It’s Started.

 

EXT. INBETWEEN SCHOOL BUILDINGS. DAY

FOSTER coming out from building looks JIMMY. JIMMY a distance from FOSTER, JIMMY being singled out. Eye-line match with Foster, him looking intensely at Jimmy. Jimmy glances back with a sinister look

Script draft

Possible opening sequence:

Arthur Foster (we don't know it's him) is lying on the floor dead.  (Arranged as if he committed suicide) - pills and hip flask lying next to him. Jimmy Fox narrates over it. "Arthur Foster was a good man. We didn't know it back then. I wish we had. [ cut to a view of Goerge tlking at camera - dark background](pause) This is the story of the Phoenix affair"

Title of movie appearing

[Chronological beginning of the movie]

The head teacher (Arthur Foster) opens a letter with a logo of Goldstein-liebgott on it and the content of the letter is that their displeased with his refusal for the sale of school grounds. Close ups "we're disappointed" cut to "by your rejection". He turns around and picks up betting slips from his desk and rips them up. He takes a hip flask out of a drawer - drinks from it. 

Cut to a view of Jimmy Fox going to his school and the atmosphere in the school being very calm and nice. (Possibly a scene of students having fun in the school grounds.) Jimmy meeting up with friends (hackers) discussing the project (put the blame on Foster for stealing money) and saying that they're ready to put it into motion. Jimmy calling someone (His father) saying that "it's started" as the hackers walk away. 

Foster coming out from building looks Jimmy. Jimmy a distance from Foster jimmy being singlled out. eye-line match with Foster, him looking intensely at Jimmy. Jimmy looking back evily

The Phoenix (Gunnersbury) Affair

Synopsis

Jimmy Fox is a 17 year old that is drawn into the world of corporate espionage. The White Star company invades his and many other people's lives brutally and forever changes their view on the world. Nothing will ever be as it used to be.

This is the story of The Phoenix Affair.

Summary

Mr. Arthur Foster is the Head teacher of Phoenix (Gunnersbury) Catholic High School and he is addicted to gambling and he has run up some debts. Jimmy Fox is a relatively popular student in the school. He and his dad Michael Fox have been bribed/blackmailed into making Arthur Foster sell the school grounds.  They are very good grounds in central London and are meant to become grounds for a new shopping centre. Michael Fox is a lowly manager in the White Star company and he has been threatened with being sacked unless he manages to somehow make Foster agree to the sale of the school grounds. Jimmy Fox gets his hacker friends, offers them large amounts of money provided by White Star and gets them to break into the school finance network and make large amounts of money disappear, while leaving a trail of evidence that leads to Foster who has a motive for stealing the money as he is in debt. He is to become the scapegoat for the school finances fraud which would cause him to get sacked. Before the movie started, the corporation has offered money officially for the grounds to be bought, but they were refused. They the decided to bribe the board members but Arthur Foster is the last remaining opposing force.  He is the main force behind the keeping of the school grounds and he does it for the students. Over the course of the movie he becomes a good person as he gives up gambling and gets a loan and tries to pay of his debts,which means that he emerges as a good person at the end of the movie. He is killed at the end of the movie by Michael as the hacking scheme fails. The movie finishes with a shot of the machines driving onto the school grounds, signifying the success of the company. Michael is promoted. He comes home and is happy but he finds a letter from Jimmy that says he is disgusted with his father and he is leaving him. Michael will probably never hear from Jimmy again. There is a huge sense of hopelessness as there is no chance of ever getting evidence against White Star, the grounds being destroyed, and Michael’s involvement not suspected by anyone, which means he gets away with killing Foster. But there is some sense of a balance as Michael loses his son – probably forever.

Synoses of Relevant Films

We have decided to use the espionage subgenre for our opening sequence. Here are some synopses of existing films within this subgenre.

From Russia with Love:

The protagonist called James Bond (007) is on the search for Lektor which is a Russian decoding machine which he must find before an organization known as SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) who are the antagonist are also looking for it (This is his Mission). He loves a girl called Tatiana Romanova who is Russian. Members/Agents of the SPECTRE try to kill him whilst James Bond goes around Istanbul where he has to find the machine. However after we find out that it was actually plot to lure Bond by SPECTRE into a deadly trap. Then he must triumph over evil.

Thunderball:

James Bond's forth mission, this time being he must recover two warheads which have been stolen by the SPECTRE organization, this is because they want the diamonds which are worth 100 million. A vulcan British bomber who is armed with two bombs is hijacked (by thew organization). During his mission, he meets an attrative young woman called Domino. Later in the film we find out that that she is the mistress of Emilio Largo who is a high-ranking agent from SPECTRE, Bond uses Domino to get to Emilio. Afterwards, SPECTRE announce that they have the plane and they will detonate the bombs unless they recieve the diamonds. James Bond finds the plane in the Bahamas. Then he has to battle with Emilio Largo.

You Only Live Twice:

This is the fifth film in the series. An American space- craft is hijacked by a unindefied spaceship while it was in orbit. Different countries think each other has taken it. The British government suspect it has something to do with Japan With the help from a beautiful Japanease agent called Kissy Suzuki, James Bond must find the spacecraft and prevent a war between Russia and Amercia. They find out that SPECTRE is behind it.

Conclusion
The films conventions are

• The protagonist must be clever- like a detective/agent
• A female who is beautiful and attractive- falls in love with the protagonist
• An antagonist who wants to kill the protagonist
• They normally travel to different places around the world
• A mission
• A mystery/ a twist in the plot
• The protagonist wins over the antagonist

Target Audience

Within the thriller genre there are number of subgenres, each a variation from the other. Different subgenres are liked by different types of people, this is mainly based on their age, gender and psychodelic profile. It is important to consider what audience to target in our particular opening sequence. For example and action thriller would suit males from 16-25 rather than females from 25+.

Therefore when we are considering the type of audience we want to target, it has to be particular. The subgenre we plan to work with is an espionage thriller.  The audience we aim to attract is males 16- 25.  We plan to do this by incorporating a young cast which would appeal to this age group.  Moreover, the themes we are planning for our opening sequence (corruption and blackmail) would appeal to males in the age group 16- 25.  Furthermore, by looking at previous espionage thrillers such as the 'James Bond' series, we are able to gather an understanding of the audience we need to target.

Audience -BBFC

BBFC classifications


In order to assess what classification would be suitable our production or see what needs to be achieved to get the ideal classification we will need to understand what each classification contains and how a thriller can or cannot fit into it. The BBFC (British Board of film Classification) is a legal organisation which is responsible for choosing the films that are shown in cinemas with specific classifications, every film can only be released with an age certificate by the BBFC which gives restrictions to who can watch certain films. BBFC set up their classifications on the basis of these certain contents: Horror, Imitable behaviour, discrimination, drugs, language, theme, nudity, sex and violence. These guidelines help form the classifications which are according to age, “U”, “PG”, “12”, “15” and “18”.


Universal (U)

A universal certificate means the film is suitable for all ages. In order for a film to achieve a ‘U’ classification it must “be set within a positive moral Framework” – (BBFC classification guide). This means that in a universal certified film there should be no discriminatory language or behaviour unless disapproved of, no reference to use or misuse of illegal drugs unless there is a clear educational purpose or anti-drug message for the children. Scary sequences must be mild, unlikely to cause anxiety for the child and the outcome must be reassuring, there should be no potential dangerous behaviour and no emphasis on realistic weapons. In terms of language there should only be infrequent use of bad language and occasional natural nudity is allowed with no sexual content. Only mild sexual behaviour like kissing is allowed and reference to sex must be said as in “making love”. Violence is only allowed to be and occasional mild threat or menace. Themes may be problematic but they should be sensitive for the children.

Parental Guidance (PG)
A parental guidance certificate means a child under the age of at least 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children. Discrimination in a PG is unlikely unless it is referred to for educational purposes, drugs must carry an anti-drug message, and in terms of horror frightening sequences must not be prolonged. There should be no detailed potential dangerous behaviour in which children can imitate and no false glamorisation of realistic weapons. There may be only mild bad language and natural nudity with no sexual content. More serious themes feature in a PG film e.g. domestic violence but nothing in the treatment should condone unacceptable behaviour. Moderate violence is allowed without detail and must be justified, for example; for history, comedy or fantasy. 

(12A/12)

A 12 is suitable for people at the age of 12 and over, and both 12A & 12 work with the same criteria. The “12A” classification only works for cinema films, meaning no one younger than 12 can watch the film unless accompanied by an adult but it is not recommended for people younger than the age of 12. Discriminatory behaviour must not be used, and horror can be moderate physical and psychological threat but scenes must not be frequent. The misuse of drugs should not be glamorised and scenes which involve drugs should be infrequent. Imitable behaviour which is dangerous should not appear to be harm free, showing consequences. Moderate language can be used and bad language must not be frequent. Nudity is allowed but sexual content must be discreet and brief. Sexual acts may be portrayed, but only discreetly and briefly, sex references must not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Most themes are acceptable but the treatment must be suitable for young teenagers. Moderate violence is allowed but shouldn’t be dwelled upon, there should be no emphasis on blood or injuries though occasional gory moments are permitted but must be justified by the context. Sexual violence may be implied briefly and must have a strong contextual justification.


(15)
A 15 film is only suitable for people who are 15 and over, no one younger can watch a 15 in the cinema. The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory behaviour and drugs may be shown but the misuse of drugs should not be encouraged. Horror may have a strong threat unless sadistic or sexualised. Dangerous behaviour like hanging or suicide shouldn’t be glorified or dwelled upon which could be

copied and easily accessible weapons shouldn’t be glamorised. There may be frequent use of strong language (for example fuck), the strongest terms like (cunt) may be acceptable but justified within the content. Repeated or aggressive strong language is unlikely to be acceptable. Nudity is allowed in a sexual content but without strong detail and sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. Strong verbal references to sexual behaviour are allowed but the strongest have to be justified within the content. Films who intend to sexual arouse or stimulate the viewer are unlikely to be accepted. No theme is prohibited but it must be suitable for the age group. Violence may be strong but shouldn’t dwell on pain; strong sadistic or sexual violence is unlikely to be acceptable and detailed verbal references to sexual violence is acceptable. Although portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and be able to be strongly justified within the context. 

(18)
A certified 18 film means no one younger than 18 should watch the film. In line with the 1998 Human Right Act, BBFC’s guideline concerns will normally not override the principle that adults should be free to choose their own entertainment; exceptions are most likely in the following areas:


• Where the material is a breach of the criminal law or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence.

• Where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or through their behaviour to society – for example and detailed violent or dangerous acts shown which may cause the public health to be harmed or morals.


• Where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by the content as such images are only appropriate in a “R18” film.



Which classification will be the most suitable in terms of audience and content appropriate for the thriller genre?
The best classification for a thriller sequence would be a “15” as it allows the directors to expand their conventions used in the sequence, which is something they may not be able to do in the “12A” certification. However, the “12A” certification could also be equally effective, but the subgenre must be taken into account as the extend genre could have another certificate. "U" would be a good classification for a thriller as everybody would be able to watch it but in terms of the conventions that are needed to make a thriller it would not be suitable as "U" classification. 


"U" would be a good classification to use because it would target a wide range of audience as everyone would be able to watch it. As everyone has the opportunity to watch the film with that classification it allows the film to be viewed by a very large audience. Though a problem with making the film a "U" classification means hardly anything can be advanced to meet the conventions of a thriller. The theme of a thriller would be too menacing for a "U" classification meaning that, that classification would not be ideal for a thriller. 


"PG"








What considerations must you take into account in terms of content?
As our opening sequence is under the thriller genre the content must proved suspense and dramatic tension. Both the “12A” and “15” classifications can be under the thriller genre, the “12A” classification would be ideal to provide suspense without having to show gory images affecting the audience. Though if we wanted to take it further and have aspects of a dry horror a “15” certificate would be suitable as it can make our options and variety of choice more open as their is an older audience who are more aware of the physical and psychological effects regarding the sequence.