Released Script:

INT - PRISON CELL - NIGHT

Fade in:

The cell is darkened but he is centered in a dark blue tint ​to indicate his sinister 

thoughts  and  mindset while he is sat with a hunchback, hiding his face from the
camera  to  create  mystery  for  viewers​. ​A slow tilt is used as the scene starts with a
dutch angle from a ​low angle on ​Harry (18) while it is disrupted into
extremely fast paced flashbacks flickering as a montage edit  to  cause  tension  for 
the  audience  and  to  create  an  enigma  code  straight  away  as  the last flicker is a gun by someone's side with a 
gunshot.  This  would  throw  off  the  audience  from  the  slow  paced,  tilt  movement  due  to  the  shock  alongside 
them  now  being  active  spectators  as  an  enigma  has  been  set  to  make  suspicion  and  uncertainty. 
Throughout his flashbacks, Harry will be the narrator on what happened in his
perspective.

HARRY:
(Mumbling a prayer With no emotion to himself psychotically while holding a
golden christianity cross)
“Lord have mercy on my soul as i am going against your will with what i'm
about to do”
Cut:

INT - LIVING ROOM - DAY

The room is dimly lit by a miniature lamp as the only source of light but
only on the white wall in the background to show MICHAELS (20) positive past
and negative present due to bad choices he has recently made. The couch is
completely black and is in a hunchback position on the couch and is central
to the slow pan that is occuring at the time. Michael will be narrating his
perspective too throughout his flashbacks and while reading his letter. The
camera starts with a ​slow pan then becomes ​hand held and ​zooms in on the
black cross with an ​extreme close up​ on his letter to Harry.

MICHAEL:
(Mumbling to himself in complete guilt, remorse and delusion, while intensely
clutching onto a black christianity cross)
“Brother, i know i don’t deserve the time of day but can you find it in your
heart to forgive me. I haven't slept peacefully since that day… (throat
tightens and clogs with emotion) not a day has gone by where i wish i could
take it all back, but i think you should hear my side of my story”

Fade out:

Fade into flashbacks:

EXT - STREET - DAY

The sun has started to deplete and a blacked out vehicle start its engine.

Driver:

(in a calm and professional manner)

 “Are you ready?”

JAMES (20):

(spontaneously while interrupting the driver in a unsettling, unconfident

tone while loading his 50 mm pistol)

“Yeah i'm ready, and don't ask again.”

Driver:

(still in a relaxed monotone register as if he is used to this or experienced

in illegal activity)

“Remember, you only have one shot, so make it count. I’ll slow down when we
approach Michael, and i'll unwind the window so you can take the shot, but
remember… aim for th…”

James:

(nervous and uneasily interrupting him again)

“Yes! I got it. Aim for the heart, then we dip.”

DRIVER:

(looking well composed as usual and looking straight with his fixated eyes in
complete concentration)

“I’m only asking cus this is family to you and i know how much you preach
about family all the time. But anyways, Let's get this show on a road. The
boss is expecting a clean mission with no witnesses or questions asked.”

James starts having personal flashbacks while in the back of the car, in
which we get multiple fast paced cuts of ​extreme close ups​ of his eyes
twitching, vigorously sweating, and him wiping his face from all the stress.

Dissolve to further flashback:

INT - DINING ROOM - DAY:

There is an ​establishing shot​ outside the house, then the camera to inside in
the dining room where we get a ​truck​ as ​ ROSS (42)​, ​ANGELA (42)​, Harry,
Michael, and James sit ready to eat on christmas day after they say grace,
led by the authoritative figure, Ross. As the truck circles the table, it
slightly ​pedestals upwards​ when approaching Ross and then back down to the
same level for everyone else, to show the patriarchal family structure, and
that he is the breadwinner catering for everyone as they all rely and are
dependant on him as a father figure, as well as a husband. Moreover, the
truck also evidently showcases them all holding hands, showing unity and
close, strong relationships as a family. We then get an ​eye-line shot​ for
Ross, in which he is looking directly at James, in which he is not
biologically related to the rest of them, but the ​POV shot​ implies his love
for him and how important he is to him from a father figures perspective.

ROSS:

(While looking directly at James after looking at all them individually)

“… And lastly, thank you God for blessing me with an amazing family that i
also pray have a long, healthy life, amen“

Further flashback ends:

Fade out:

Fade in:

An ​establishing shot​ is used on a ​jib​ as the vehicle starts to move. We then

get a ​medium shot​ that transitions to a shot reverse shot of ​close ups​ with
the 180 degree rule of Michael and his father talking and walking down a
street.

ROSS:

(In a genuinely caring tone)

“Hey, i just wanted to talk to you ‘one on one’ really quickly. I know your
grades have been down recently, but i want you to know your mother and I
still love you just as much as before and that we’re here for you if things
don't go as planned.”

Michael:

(with a rude expression on his face and an aggressive tone)

“Why do you always do that?”

ROSS:

(confused and a little shocked)

“What was i doing? I was only trying to b…”

 Michael:

(Arrogantly and selfishly while he decides to put on his earphones)

“Yeah, i know, you were just trying to be there for me. Well please don’t.
Just leave me alone i'll be fine on my own.”

Ross:

(speechless and choking on his words)

“Bu…”

A ​pov shot​ is then given of the driver, in which he evidently has a mask on
to foreshadow a crime taking place. Then we get a quick cut to the passenger
behind him with a ​close up​ to show him preparing himself without a balaclava
on, in which the camera changes into an ​extreme close up shot​ of (the
passenger) James’s eye twitching, looking nervous with a muffled sound,
conveying James’s mindset of emptiness due to his uncertainty. Then a ​medium
shot​ and ​close ups​ of Michael and Ross, showcasing their reaction to the
loud sound of a speeding car.

ROSS:

(a little shocked and curious)

“What the…”

It fades out as the car slows down to give James a clearer view on Michael.
Another ​close up​ is used on James as the tinted rear window goes down, in
which it is accompanied with a ​medium shot​ of James aiming to shoot at
Michael, however, he hesitates due to nerves when he sees Ross, and ends up
shooting Ross by accident as he dives in the way of Michael.

DRIVER:

(heatedly but then turns and forces a calm tone to not panic James)

“James! James, just take the shot”

JAMES:

(Fixated on Michael, but sees Ross and feels even more guilty)

*says nothing but has heavy breathing and sweating while he swallows his
saliva heavily*
 ROSS:

(glances over at the rear car window and then instantly to James as he sees
the gun pointed towards James, in which he sprints to him)

“James? Michael!”

JAMES:

*takes the shot*

The screen goes black as Michael continues his narration in which you can
hear distressed dialogue and the car speeding away from the crime scene in
the background. We get a ​close up​ of James gripping his mouth intensely,
trying to hold back the overflowing emotion, but the shredding tears fill his
eyes when he sees the bullet go straight through Ross, as he was extremely
close to him and grateful to him for bringing him up after his parents
overdosed at a young age. The close up on James has no dialogue due to his
facial expression conveying how he feels about shooting Ross. An ​extreme
close up​ is then used on the seat when James tilts his head down to show his
tears hitting the black leather seats in slow motion editing, ti imply that
something dark has occured to cause him to cry, hence the black seats.
Moreover, the medium shot will be in slow motion to highlight that it is a
POV shot​ for Michael in which he has a full view of the shooters face as he
turns around when the shot is taken. Then the scene cuts back to Michael and
Ross, where Ross is falling to the ground in a​ high angle​ and we then see
Michael crumble to his knees in emotional outrage in a ​birds eye view shot​.
The camera pedestals upwards and fades out to a black screen along with
Michaels screaming.

MICHAEL:

(In heightened agony and grief, trying to talk and cry at the same time)

“Dad? Dad? Dad! Wake up. Please. No, no, no. This isn't happening I need you.
Who’s going to be there for me now? I’ll never be fine again without a father
figure”

*Picks up phone and texts ‘You're dead’ to James in an ​extreme close up​*

MICHAEL:

(Narrating his letter in an emotionless register)

And that’s it. That's how he died and i was too ashamed to admit it. I killed
Dad and no one else… Look, i doubt you’re still reading, but if you are, just
know i love you and i want to make things right, because what the point of
anything if you don't have your family and friends behind you at the end of
 the day?

Fade out:

Fade in:

INT - BASEMENT - DAY

A ​POV shot​ is used at a ​low angle​ to show James’s perspective, in which he is

blindfolded and awoken with water being poured on him. The camera will start
off out of focus and will become in focus for ​depth of field​ when he realises
that he has been kidnapped and is tied to a chair with a tight rope knot by
his hands, legs and his mouth is shut with rope also. We then get a ​medium
shot​ of Michael roaming the basement, implicating his dominance and
confidence in his territory while the diegetic, yet contrapuntal opera music
plays in the background to hide James’s attempts to call for help, as he
takes the rope off of his mouth. Then a shot reverse shot is used for their
conversation, in which Michaels perspective is a binary opposite of James’s
view, as Michaels ​POV shot​ is in a ​high angle​, opposing james’s to symbolise
his superior position.

JAMES:

(attempting to speak and scream for help to any nearby people)

*mumbling through the rope*

MICHAEL:

(psychotically while laughing at himself)

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you know… anyways, you know why you're here
so let's not waste any time on pointless questions. Afterall, you don't have
much time on this earth left… well still breathing at least”

*continues to laugh cunningly at himself*

JAMES:

(in a terror-stricken voice)

“Please Michael. Please. They took me in and said it was me or you. I try to
reason, bargain even for your life, but you pissed off the wrong mother
fucker. 20 racks. The fuck you even do to owe him that much?”

MICHAEL:
 (Much more seriously)

“You tried to bargain for my life?”

JAMES:

(A little relieved with a glimpse of hope)

“Yes! I didn't want to do it but they knew we were close so it was their way
of testing my loyalty”

MICHAEL:

(back to his sinister tone while laughing)

*starts to walk back and forth while now wielding a knife and gun*

“Oh buddy, you nearly had me there i must admit. You didn’t beg for my life,
you just tried to give the job of killing me to someone else, which makes it
even worse, because you were too cowardly to do it yourself. And now you're
gonna pay the price with your life”

JAMES:

(terrified for his life)

“No…”

*Michael puts the rope back on his mouth out of anger*

MICHAEL:

(Extremely serious once again, but goes back to his psychotic performance)

“That’s enough from you. Actually, lets get rid of your squabbling and
irritating attempts to beg for your life once and for all… Open wide”

*walks towards James and begins to cut out James’s tongue while smiling with
complete insanity*

Angela overhears James screaming in unimaginable pain and thinks they are
messing about, plus she was going to tell him to turn down the peculiar
diegetic, contrapuntal opera music so goes down into the basement and is
followed with a ​tracking shot​. She expects something normal, but witnesses
the complete opposite as she is greeted with James tied to a chair, half dead
as he has been brutally abused by Michael, in which he is covered in James’s
blood. We will use a ​POV shot​ for Angela in the form of a ​dutch angle​ as she
is in ore, while the camera ​focuses​ for ​depth of field​ on James, then
Michael, and ending with the whole room that is dripping and scattered with
blood, emphasising Michaels uneasy and unhinged mindset. Her speechless
reaction will be showcased through a ​medium shot​ to show her frightened body
language, and traumatized facial expression.

ANGELA:

(petrified as she doesnt know what Michael might do to her)

“M… Mi… Michael. What's happened here?”

*Michael looks anywhere but at his mum out of embarrassment*

MICHAEL:

(shamefully and quietly)

“He killed dad”

ANGELA:

(confused)

“What?”

MICHAEL:

(emotionally)

“It was him. He shot dad in cold blooded murder. A man who cared for you! And
you just shot him like he was a stranger”

*starts off talking to Angela and turns his attention to James*

Angela tries to convince him to not shoot James, in which she slowly closes
the distance between her and Michael while talking with ​close ups​ with a shot
reverse shot. This is clearly implied to the audience through a ​long shot
with both of them in it.

ANGELA:

(cautiously)

“I get that your hurting. Your dad was a great man, father and husband. Trust
me, im hurting just as much, but there are better ways of dealing with this
 anger that might seem uncontrollable at the moment.”

*Michael continues to stare at the floor*

“Look, we can call the authorities and get this all sorted and dealt with in
the right way. But this… this is not the way to deal with problems.”

MICHAEL:

(Nervously)

“It was my fault. Dads death. It was because of me”

ANGELA:

(Concerned and caringly)

“You have got to stop blaming yourself for your fathers death. It Wasn't your
fault, you couldn't have done anything.”

MICHAEL:

(in a depressing tone)

“You don't understand, it all traces back to me.”

ANGELA:

(sympathetically)

“What do you mean it traces back to you?”

MICHAEL:

(Scarcely)

“I was meant to get shot. I got involved with gangs and it ended up with dad
taking a bullet for me. I haven't been able to sleep since, but killing this
traitorous pagan will make that go away so my mind is at ease.”

We then get an ​extreme close up​ on the gun in his dominant right hand,
showcasing his hand shaking impulsively as if he is trying to resist shooting
James, but he can’t give his forgiveness to James, as the last thing he did
with his dad was argue and it was all down to James that that's a reality.
This is accompanied with another ​extreme close up​ of him closing his eyes
while they are twitching to further emphasise his struggle to let James live,
in which the camera cuts back and forth between both extreme close ups very
fast while Angela is trying to reason with him in the back, but the sound
proof noise will be in the back to imply him ignoring what she is saying. A
medium shot​ of Michael shows him to aim the firearm at James who is
defenseless and ‘half-dead’ looking. A quick cut to a ​pan​ of Angela running
and throwing herself in front of Michael as he aims the gun at James.
However, Michael still has his eyes closed when aiming at James while Angela
jumps in the way to save James. A ​close up​ of Angela to show the shock on her
facial expression when she realises she is about to be shot. Then we get an
extreme close up of the gun from a side view when the gun is shot. This shot
will be in slow motion editing from when the gun is shot, and the camera
will be a ​truck shot​, following the bullet while ​panning​ also, heightening
its effect on the audience and to imply how badly it is going to affect
Michael. Another extreme close up of Angelas hand falls upon Michaels shoe,
implicating that Michael would be confused as James was tied to a chair. The
close up​ on Michael reveals this when he opens his eyes in a ​POV shot​, in
which the ​close up​ signifies the horror on his face as he sees his mother
dead on the floor, just like his dad.

*Michael says nothing and just crouches in an outburst of tears*

Michael is seen from a ​high angle​ when crying, until he looks up and sees
James still breathing and he is consumed with so much hatred that he brutally
murders James while he begs for his life. While he relentlessly murders
James. The camera switches to a​ medium shot​ of Michael walking towards James
with a knife already covered in his blood and the camera goes blank and we
hear is james screaming in agony.

JAMES:

(aghast beyond belief belief fro his life)

“No, no, no, Michael. You don't have to do thi…”

*Michael begins to stab him with an expression of loathing*

While he relentlessly murders James, we get a ​long shot​ of the empty basement
from behind James at the basement entrance, where we can only see him
fighting for his life, and all we can hear is him screaming in agony.
Furthermore in the long shot, the camera zooms out on a ​dolly​ and we see
Harry breathing heavily and crying even more heavily behind the door through
a ​medium shot​. Out of panic and a lack of concentration, harry pushes over
the bin besides him and grabs Michaels attention, as we get a ​close up​ of him
looking at the door with a face of psychoticness, indulged in blood. The
camera then cuts back to the ​medium shot​ of Harry closing his eyes and
looking upwards as if he is praying that Michael didn't notice.

MICHAEL:
 (uneasily)

“Hello? Harry? If that’s you, come out i won't hurt you… Harry!”

Harry slowly shows himself and stands strong but is trembling with fear
inside. This is evident from his speech pacing.

HARRY:

(Fuming with resentment of his brother, but also hesitant)

*throat clogs up halfway due to emotion when talking about what was just
witnessed*

“Is it true? And don't bullshit me. I heard everything about dad and
everything else… everything that just happened”

MICHAEL:

(contemplating how to explain himself)

“It wasn't meant to…”

HARRY:

(Interrupting his brother)

“Yes or no? Answer the question. Where you the cause of dad's death?”

MICHAEL:

“Yes, but we can get through this. As a family”

HARRY:

“As a family? What family? You've killed mom and dad, and now you're going to
pay for your sins. Im calling the police”

MICHAEL:

(Aggressively)

Put down the phone Harry.

*aims gun at Harry*

We get a ​focus shot​ of Michaels holding the gun from his side, in which it
switches to focusing on the gun and Harry being at the other end of the gun
barrel. This focus switch is for more ​depth of field​ to then imply that he is
willing to consciously shoot his own brother, intensifying the scene.

HARRY:

(calmly)

“What are you doing? You don't want to do this. Do you really want to have
another murder on your hands?

*No response from Michael*

You are going to prison Michael. You can’t get away with murdering and
torturing people.”

MICHAEL:

(Caring yet carelessly and inconsiderately)

“I wish you had a different opinion, because now i can’t let u leave here.”

I will use a ​medium shot​ of both Michael and Harry, but Michael will be shown
through a ​low angle​ to show his superiority compared to the ​high angled
pedestaled shot​ of Harry. The low angle of Michael will be a ​dutch angle​ to
imply that what he is acting abnormally from which is willingly going to
potentially kill his only sibling. This is furthered by the ​dolly zoom​ on
Michael to symbolise Harry's mindset where he is struggling to understand who
it is in front of him, because he doesn’t recognise his brother at the
moment. Michael then forces Harry to an appropriate position to where he can
see both Angela and James dead. We then get a ​close up​ of Harry once again,
breathing heavily, but furthermore, the shot also highlights a gun coming in
from the side, knocking out Michael and the screen goes black.

MICHAEL:

(Cruelly while walking away and avoiding eye contact)

“I’m sorry things had to plan out like this”

Quick cut:

Fade in:

INT - BASEMENT - DAY

POV shot​ of Harry blinking as he wakes up, in which the camera will be
handheld​ to create this natural sense of realism. All we see are flashing
police sirens reflecting on the wall from the cars outside. Michael has
framed him for the murder of James and Angela, in which he was supposedly
meant to commit suicide but it failed. A loud bang is heard as the door is
breached with lethal force, and the camera ​pans​ extremely quickly to imply
Harry’s shocked, fearful and highly adrenalised state of mind.

POLICE OFFICER:

(Assertively as they break through to the basement)

“Police! We are armed and dangerous.”

HARRY:

(Lying down with his hands up submissively)

“I don't know anything”

POLICE OFFICER:

(Are you Harry Berlin?)

Harry:

(scarcely)

“Ye… Yeah thats me”

POLICE OFFICER:

(With authority)

“Harry Berlin, you're under arrest for the suspicion of committing multiple
homicides and attempted suicide. You may talk but anything you say will be
used as evidence in court”

HARRY:

(baffled facial expression)

“What call? I never called anyone”

*Police officer proceeds to handcuff Harry*

Dissolve to flashback:
INT - BASEMENT - DAY

Extreme close up​ of ‘999’ being dialed, then a ​pedestal​ and ​truck​ camera
movements are combined to smoothly move up to a ​close up​ of Michael calling
the police. During this shot, the camera has lots of ​depth of field​, from how
it changes focus from the phone, to Michael, in which Michael then drops the
phone and walks past the camera, changing the ​focus shot​ to the ​wide-angle
view of the basement, where we can see all three characters on the floor to
emphasise how much Michael has changed as a person, as the shot consists of
two dead bodies, a person knocked unconscious, and lots of blood staining the
cold, hard blue floor.

MICHAEL:

(With fake desperation)

“Hello! Police! I’ve messed up really badly.”

POLICE OFFICER:

(Professionally)

“Okay, calm down sir. What's your name and what has happened and where are
you right now”

MICHAEL:

(Same act of scandalous desperation)

“My name is Harry Berlin. I’ve killed my best friend and mother, and now i’m
going to kill myself, but i just wanted you to know where to find us. 118
Seaford road, were in the basement.”

*Hangs up phone and drops it on the floor, destroying the sim card for any
traces*

Dissolve to present moment:

INT - STREET OUTSIDE HOUSE - DAY

A​ medium shot​ of Michael peaking around the corner to see that the police
have arrived and Harry is being arrested. As Harry is is being being put into
the back of the police car, we get a ​focus shot​ on Harry noticing Michael
around the corner, in which he simply stares for a moment and is then put
into the car. Then the camera cut back to the ​medium shot​ of Michael
swallowing his pride in embarrassment after they had a ‘stare off’ after he
hides around the corner once again.

Fade out of flashbacks:

Fade into the present moment:

INT - LIVING ROOM - DAY

We are reintroduced to Michael in the present in a ​slow pan​ where he is

narrating the letter he wrote to Harry.

MICHAEL:

(Narrating)

“Words can’t explain how much i want to go back to that day and take it all
back… but i can’t. And that's the reality, I want the chance to make amends
with my lil bro. You’re all i have left in the world. I completely understand
if you never want hear from me again.

Regards, your big bro who loves you to moon and back.”

Cut to:

INT - PRISON CELL - NIGHT

Slow tilt​ continuing on from last time to show the progression of him reading
the letter, in which we get an ​extreme close up​ of Harry burning the letter
to emphasise his deep void of hatred for Michael. The slow tilt will also
leave its dutch angle progressively as the tilt pedestals upwards, as it is
shows his reasoning behind what he is about to do. Another ​extreme close up
of Harry’s reply, in which he replied with his narration of, ‘The truth has
been released. I'm getting out of here, and family or not, you're dead.’ The
slow tilt​ and ​pedestal​ camera movement reaches Harry’s face finally and his
head tilts upwards to the camera and we get a glimpse of him, in which he is
covered in tattoos and the word ‘vengeance’ is boldly tattooed across his
forehead. He stands up, and the camera cuts as he walks past it, in which all
we hear is a gun loading, accompanied with a less loud police siren and an
emergency announcement, ‘An inmate has escaped’.

Script by: Canice Touhey

Shooting schedule: Canice Touhey

Storyboard by: Seef Rasowl