Screenplay

When trying to meld the narrative together into the performance element, Mike focused largely on storyboarding the narrative section on seperate storyboards, and I compiled this rudimentary screenplay, known to us jokingly as a 'Textomatic' (as opposed to an Animatic). After several drafts, this is the final draft as it stands right now.

(extended intro)

“I cant fucking stand it around here anymore! You just dont get it do you! You're a fucking wreck!”

“Where the hell do you think you're going?”

“As far away from this place as fucking possible!” (any fucking place but this) – shorter

(smash of glass, shriek, fades into intro part) (entire intro has slightly distorted sound, like the noise is overpowering the microphone)

(drums start, brief cut of drums (shot 21/5), fading cut of guy scrambling out front door, looking back, shouting something incomprehensible, bottle flies out door, he runs away off up street on the 'oh', footsteps almost in time with the music)

(right on the ‘oh’, cuts to band, high angle above them, no real focus on the singer at all, perhaps focus on guitarist playing lead, shots 32, 25, 19, 2)

(on the “ohhh” we get the first full shot of the band, zooming in on the singer from the front on, with the rest visible in the background, slightly blurred, mix of shot 7 and 3, shots of the singer from all sides, with each member (guitarist, bassist, drummer) partially visible in foreground of each shot)

Pull the top down, use your knees to drive

(shot 23 or 21, mix perhaps?)

I'll make it worth your while, just let me taste the sky

(long shot of person running down street, possibly down a hill, slowing, slumping up against a wall, finishes back on wall)

You pressed your mouth on mine and fed me a star

(scrabbles in jacket pocket, pulls out trinket/photo, (maybe band photo snuck in there?) and looks at girls face)

Then said we never, can truly, know who we are

('we never can truly know who we are' is scribbled on the photo, cuts to low angle shot of his face, he kisses the photo and darts off down the street, camera remains motionless so he exits out of shot on the left)

(zooms back into band, doesn't focus on singer, almost zooms right past him, shots 24, 28, low angle on bassist to the right of frame with drummer in background to left)

Know who we are...

(brief 14 just for the sung line, 30 (perhaps), 19).

With the lights out and the night inside

(shot 14)

The broken radio was playing suicide

(cuts to radio in girls bedroom, she looks out of window, realising someone is there, and darts out of shot)

I felt myself falling, I confessed to you

(shot 7)

I saw a body, you said you'd seen a few

(camera over the shoulder of the girl, she moves to front door, flings it open and sees the man at the end of the pathway, battered, exhausted and desperate.)

This night has only just begun

If there's discretion that you've not abandoned

Now's the time

We'll finally pass the morning sun

Go grab your bag, I'll bring the gun

The gun...

(side-on shot of singer singing this line, pan sideways so that he slips out of shot and it seems to give the impression that the singer has moved backwards to reveal the next shot. Low cut across the field, moving sideways, catching them running slowly, looking back across, they wrap an arm around each other and keep moving)

Keep the top down, use your knees to drive

I'll hide these words, there only yours to find

You pressed your mouth on mine and said they call us stars

Then said we never, can truly, know who we are

This night has only just begun

If there's discretion that you've not abandoned

Now's the time

We'll finally pass the morning sun

Go grab your bag, I'll bring the gun

(entire section in black and white/liquid effect, seems to feel like a memory)

Everything was burning bright

Everyone was frightened

You said, "Stay Strong"

(low angle shot, she mouths the word ‘stay strong’)

Everybody knowing that what we invited

(singer close up, shot 7, moving hand and face linking with the word ‘knowing’)

Still remains when we're gone

This night has only just begun

If there's discretion that you've not abandoned

Now's the time

We'll finally pass the morning sun

Go grab your bag, I'll bring the gun

Ohhh...

This night has only just begun

If there's discretion that you've not abandoned

Now's the time

(singer throws arm out wide)

We'll finally pass the morning sun

Go grab your bag, I'll bring the gun

The gun..

(blurs, movement in background, camera is moving downwards, not tilting, figures in background are not in focus)

I'll bring the gun...

(brief cut to singer?)

(camera falls down to ground level, body of just the male is seen, slumped on ground, figures come into focus, one is the girl in question, she gives a visible look of shock on the word…)

oh...

(brief shot of possible suicide note, we never can truly know who we are)

(cut after shot of band frozen, singer with head bowed, almost in mourning, microphone held to one side of his face, other hand covering his eyes, the rest of the band mimic this too. Cut up to singers face, medium close up, slowly raises head and uncovers eyes with a notable sigh of regret and grimaces. Slow fade out.)

More to follow...