Thriller Opening; Working Script

Working Script

“Taken”




1. Atmospheric music plays in background, camera shows a mid-shot of hooded man walking away from the camera in a corridor, approaching some steps; a metal bar is held behind his back.
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2. Black screen, white writing says “An S.L.N Production”
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3. High angle shot of a young woman working controls at a mixing desk in a
music studio, she types and moves the mouse.
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4. Black screen, white writing days “presents a POW film”
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5. Mid-shot of the hooded now walking down the steps, the metal bar remains behind his back; the music builds up as he reaches the bottom of the steps.
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6. Black screen, white writing says “starring”
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7. Long shot of the hooded man, he has reached the bottom of the steps; turning right, the camera begins to track him.
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8. Over the shoulder shot of another man playing piano, the same atmospheric music remains. His head turns as he follows where his hands are placed on the keys.
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9. Black screen, white writing says “Grant Long”
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10. Tracking shot of hooded man turning towards a door, the camera stops tracking as he reaches for the handle and walks in.
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11. Woman working at the controls of the mixing desk, she continues to type on the keyboard; remaining unaware of the imminent danger.
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12. Black screen, white writing says “Joe Costello”.
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13. Inside one of the rooms in the recording suite, high angle pans around, tracking the hooded man as he peers through the window in a voyeur like style at the woman working the controls; she remains unaware of his presence.
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14. Black screen, white writing says “Rachel Newbolt (Rapture)”
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15. High angle shot of woman at mixing desk then pans to pianist, he is focused on playing; both still unaware of any danger.
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16. Black screen, white writing says “Directed by Philip Streete”
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17. High angle over the shoulder shot of pianist finishing playing, then tracks him as he gets up, clicks his fingers, and walks over to a window which he can see into the mixing room through.
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18. Black screen, title comes up in type writer effect in white writing; “Taken”
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19. over the shoulder shot of the pianist looking through the glass; as he observes, the hooded man walks into the mixing room that the woman is in, and he kills her.
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20. Close up shot of the pianists reaction to what is happening; the camera is almost from the point of view of the killer, as if we are seeing the reaction of the pianist through the eyes of the killer.
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21. Close up of the hooded man’s face, he is side on, and then turns face on to the pianist through the window; wearing a content smirk, he moves closer to the glass.
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22. Close up of the pianists face, his eyes move back and forth between the body of the dead woman and the killer.
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23. Mid-shot of the back of the woman’s head slumped over the arm of the chair she sat in, her arm rests slightly clenched on the keyboardtowards the back of the shot.
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24. Wide shot pan’s in slow motion, and then gains speed, as we see both characters rush towards the door that connects the two rooms in which they are.
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25. High angle shot of the pianist trying to lock the door, holding the door handle. As the pianist steps back from the door that he manages to lock, the camera pans in and we see the door handle violently being pulled up and down from the other side.
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26. Mid shot of the pianist in his surroundings, he looks around for an escape route, and focuses on the window which leads to the outside. As he does this the camera cuts back to the door handle vigorously shaking, and back again to the mid shot.
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27. Close up of the door handle, still violently being pulled up and down from the other side.
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28. Pianist quickly walks towards the open window, looking outside to see if he can escape via this route.
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29. High angle shot of the killer through a circle window in the door the pianist has locked, he uses the full force is his body, trying to smash open the door.
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30. Mid-shot of pianist climbing up to the window, resting one foot on the window ledge; he looks behind him to see if the killer has entered the room.
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31. Full body shot from the side of the pianist climbing up to the window, he checks once more behind him.
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32. High angle shot of the killer through the circle window again, still trying to force his way into the room.
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33. Side view of the pianist at the window, he checks for the last time to see if the killer has entered, then makes the jump out of the window.
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34. Extreme low angle shot of the pianist as he jumps out of the window, which tracks his landing and running off up a steep hill.
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35. Point of view shot from the pianist’s perspective, running towards the peek of the hill.
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36. Long shot of the room the pianist was just in from outside; door bursting open, the killer rushes in and makes his way towards the window.
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37. Point of view shot, again from the pianist’s perspective, heading for the peek of the hill.
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38. Mid-shot of the killer, he is now walking towards the window where the pianist escaped; we d not see the killers face.
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39. Blurred point of view shot from the pianist’s perspective, he falls to the floor and blacks out.
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40. Point of view shot from pianist’s perspective, the sky is grey, it’s wet, and he begins to blink slowly. As he blinks for the second time, the killer comes into view against the backdrop of the overcast sky; raising the metal bar, the killer strikes the pianist; screen fades to black.

END