REVERSE CHRONOLOGY - THE SCRIPTS

SCRIPT#1 - REVERSE CHRONOLOGY - DENIAL
by Bulaien

Shot in first and third person. Three characters: Mickey, Alan, and Phil. The speaking character is Alan. We see some action from the point of view of Phil (Phil is the camera), and some from a third person perspective. The three characters meet to make a drug deal, which turns out to be a set up. Phil and Alan go together to meet Mickey to make the score. The deal ends with Mickey and Alan leaving Phil passed out in the square. The back-story: Because Phil refused Alan’s sexual advance, Alan brokers the deal with Mickey for revenge—he knows Phil has the cash, and Mickey the drugs.


SCENE ONE

Shot in first person. Camera operator (Phil) lying on ground, camera in bag. Sit up and remove bag with free hand. Scan the scene, slowly stand, and stagger around. Find bearings. Walk toward MRT entrance. Fade to black.

SCENE TWO
Shot in third-person. We see Phil on the ground. Mickey is kneeling next to him. Alan returns with two beers and a lit cigarette.
Alan:
“Hurry up, dumb ass. It’s in his front pocket. [Mickey gropes back pocket] Other front fucking pocket! [Mickey finds Phil’s wallet] There you go, Mickey Micardo Retardo. [Mickey tosses the wallet to Alan] OK, let’s get the fuck out of Jackson, hombre.” [Alan and Mickey leave the frame. Phil remains still]

SCENE THREE

Shot in third-person. Tight shot of Mickey waiting. Mickey pulls a pack of cigarettes from a pocket, finds the pack empty, and tosses it down. Camera moves to shoot from behind Mickey and we see Alan and Phil approaching. We hear Alan’s voice as they approach.


Alan:
“That’s huge with a capital fucking H. Six-eight, 320 pounds. I watched him eat five fucking fried chickens and slam back nearly twenty-four cans of fucking beer. You’d think I could remember the fucker’s name, but for the life of me, I can’t think of what it is. Actually, the whole trip is a bit of a blur. Fuck. Hey Mickey! You look like a fucking boner standing over there!”


SCENE THREE

Shot in third-person. Long shot. Mickey, Phil, and Alan standing in the square. Phil hands Alan money, and Alan jogs off to a café. Mickey and Phil awkwardly stand waiting. As soon as Phil turns his body away from Mickey to look at something in the square, Mickey springs into action. He puts a bag over Phil’s head, and stabs Phil in the neck with a pen. Phil goes limp and Mickey helps him to the ground

SCENE FOUR

Shot in first-person. Camera (Phil) and Alan walk the last 10 meters or so to where Mickey is standing. Camera (Phil) moves naturally between Alan, the destination ahead, and Mickey.

Alan:
“Goddamn it’s hot. Fucking hot. Hey bro, this is Phil. Phil, this is Mickey. Dude, got a smoke? [Mickey gestures that he doesn’t]
All right tricky Mickey got no ciggy, let me run over there
[gestures to one of the cafés]
and grab some smokes and some beers. Chill here for a minute.
[Alan turns to leave, then turns back]
Crikey!
[in faux British accent]
Gimme a couple of hundred, will you Phil?
[Camera (Phil) extends hand that is holding money, and Alan takes it]
Fuck yeah, now we’re cooking with gas.” [Alan jogs out of the frame]

Phil and Mickey stand silently. Awkward silence. Stretch it. As soon as camera (Phil) turns to look at something in the square, a bag is placed over the camera (Phil’s head). Camera (Phil) is moved to simulate struggle. Grunting sounds and breathing. Fade to black.

SCENE FIVE

Shot in first-person. Camera (Phil) comes up and out of MRT entrance. By the time camera reaches street level, Alan is approaching—he puts his cell phone in his pocket. Alan and camera (Phil) walk together to an inconspicuous spot in the square next to the Red Theater where Mickey is waiting. Alan does all the talking on the way to the meeting place. Camera (Phil) looks around naturally.

Alan:
“Hey, man. Come on. Got the funds? Good. It’s just over here. Let me do the talking—you know how much I like to talk. [laughs] This shit is nice. Mickey’s got some contact in the Philippines. I’ve been there. Fucking whores. There was this crazy German guy at a bar called Gotham that could open bottles of beer with his fucking eye sockets. Fucker was huge.”

SCENE SIX

Shot in third-person. Close shots of Alan talking on a cell phone.

Alan:
“Yeah, he’s on his way. I told him I’d meet him at the MRT entrance. How much? All of it. I told him if he stepped up and bought it all, you’d knock a thousand off. You sure you can handle your end, ball sack (Balzac)? [turns head] He’s coming.” [walks off in the direction he looked]



SCRIPT#2-REVERSE CHRONOLOGY-Flailing for Footwear
by Lis
This film depicts the cumulatively frustrating experiences of a shopper going over the edge.
Characters: Female Shopper (increasingly amassed with frustration)
Female Shopper 2 (passive aggressive but seemingly oblivious)
5 Sales people, 1 cashier
Location: Hsimen – 2 lingerie stores, 3 shoe stores.
Scene 1
Camera view from outside a shoe store in Hsimen. FS is coming out of the store flailing her arms in anger, shouting at someone to her right. “You bitch! I was gonna buy those!” Camera flips to FS2. She turns and gives FS a scornful, incredulous look, then turns and keeps on walking. FS pathetically flings a chocolate bar wrapper at FS2, Donald Duck style. Then FS says to no one in particular, ‘I can’t believe she did that!’ Scene cuts with FS standing in front of the shoe store looking angry and dejected.
Scene 2
Earlier in the evening:
FS is in lingerie store happily feeling the material of all the pretty bras. Sales woman approaches. FS asks about sizes. Sales woman smiles and shakes her head, ‘Maio.’

Scene 3
FS in another lingerie store. Sales woman shows her a giant granny bra. FS points to pretty one. Sales woman smiles and shakes her head, ‘Maio.’
Scene 4
FS in shoe store #1. Camera pans the sparkly shoes. FS walks on.
Scene 5
FS in another shoe store #2. She sees gorgeous shoes and asks about sizes. The sales woman smiles and shakes her head, ‘Maio.’
Scene 6
FS in shoe store #3. She likes the shoes and they seem to have her size, so she tries some on. She finds a styling pair that she likes, walks around the store in them, smiles and giggles with delight. Then she puts them aside while she continues to try on the others. She’s walking around in an ill fitting pair when she notices that her chosen shoes have disappeared from the fitting bench on which she left them. She sees FS2 at the purchasing counter as the cashier is bagging FS’s chosen shoes.
FS shouts, ‘Hey! . . . HEY!’ Then she starts after her. (First scene occurs at this point)
Scene 7
After her fit of flailing, FS returns to cash register, slouching, plunks a pair of plastic flip flops on the counter, and says, ‘I’ll just take these.’


SCRIPT#3- REVERSE CHRONOLOGY – YOU KNOW WHAT I NEED (Backwards)

by Roberto Azula

One Man, One Woman


Props:

Pack of cigarettes

Lighter

Two drinks

Purse


Scene one: Woman splashes drink in leering, smoking man’s face. Man looks at her in shock. He looks ashamed. He nods, and clasps his hands together. He bows. She shakes her head and blows air out of her cheeks. She snatches the pack from him and throws it off camera.


Scene Two: Smoking man smirks and appears is grinning and leering at woman. He is lustily smoking the cigarette. He is in heaven smoking. But it appears he is making obscene gestures with the cigarette at the woman.


Scene Three: Man takes hold the cigarette and says, “You know what I need.” He puts the cigarette back in his mouth. He lights it.


Scene Four: Woman enters and sits down at her table. She notices the cigarettes are gone. She looks at man, and the cigarette he is holding in his mouth. She looks disgusted and shakes her head.

Scene Five: Man is struggling with himself. Man puts a cigarette in his mouth His hands are shaking. He is struggling with himself. He puts the packet of cigarettes in his pocket.


Scene Six: Man is staring at a pack of cigarettes he is holding. He begins leering and smacking his lips.


Scene Seven: Man sees a pack of cigarettes on a table. He looks around to make sure no one can see him. He grabs the pack and looks at it in quiet horror and desperation.


Scene Seven: Woman is at table. She puts the cigarettes on the table. She shakes her finger at the man in a “No, no, no” gesture. The man nods. The woman points off camera. She gestures at the man not to leave. The man nods. Woman takes her purse and leaves.


Scene Eight: Man takes out the pack of cigarettes, almost in tears. The woman looks on with pity. She stands from the table, and gently takes the pack from him. He looks at her gratefully.


Scene Nine: Man looks longingly at woman. She looks at him with compassion. He says, “You know what I need.” She shakes her head, again with compassion and understanding. She mouths “No, no, no!”


Scene Ten: Man and woman sitting at a table. Man is looking very sad and almost sick. He looks over at woman. He says, “I can’t take it anymore. Just one more smoke. Please!”





SCRIPT#4 - REVERSE CHRONOLOGY - THE CALL
TITLE: THE CALL
BY BEN ANDREWS

A. & B. are interchangeable roles, not intended to be gender specific.

SCENE ONE
EXT. TEMPLE

B. stands in the street looking at the body of A. in disbelief. Her cell phone lights up and the ring tone plays. B. starts with realisation and looks from the body of A. to the phone and back to the body as she brings the phone to her lips. her lips part and her finger hovers over the ACCEPT CALL button.

NOTE: Do not have to show body, only B's reactions.

SCENE TWO

A. and B. are walking out of the temple. A. is laughing, gesticulating wildly, walking backward so he can face B. and harangue her further. A. is clearly enjoying himself.

A.
You're as crazy as the nutjob who rang you. Ever since we've been in this country you've been getting weirder...

A. takes another step backward and falls off the gutter, losing his balance. He turns his head as he falls. We see his P.O.V. A bus is bearing down on him at speed. BANG! All becomes black.

NOTE: You might want to storyboard this for it to be effective. No one has to be put in danger. The action is implied rather than seen. Using the ZOOM as a bus pulls into stop might be the way to go.

SCENE THREE
INT. TEMPLE

B. has a stick of incense and is waving it awkwardly up and down three times, bai-bai. A. is in the background,leaning against a wall, gently mocking B.with his nonchalant attitude and smirk.

SCENE FOUR
INT. TEMPLE

A. and B. Step into the temple. They are unfamiliar with the temple and look about them nervously. A.speaks In lowered tones.
A.
I can't believe you're doing this. We weren't even raised... whatever religion this is! Why do you think it'd make any difference whatsoever? You're not even... religious at all!

B. goes and buys a stick of incense from the temple caretaker.

SCENE FIVE
EXT. STREET DIRECTLY OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE
A.
So we're here to stop whatever is going is to happen to Mum or Dad or whomever. What I want to know is who would stage a practical joke like that? It's got to be that girl you work with... you know? The... the South African chick!

B.shakes her head.

A. (CONT'D)
Yeah, I s'pose you would have known her voice. Hey! Maybe it's one of her friends!

SCENE SIX
EXT.

A. and B. are walking along the street. A. is talking animatedly to B.
A.
So what you're saying is that you got a call, this afternoon, from somebody...

B.raises her head as though about to correct A. But he continues.
A. (CONT'D)
... a woman, you say! who said she was God and that someone close to you would die tonight, am I getting this right?

B.nods
A. (CONT'D)
And then you can expect another phone call, at that moment, to tell you... what? Oh yeah! To REVEAL to you your ultimate purpose in this life. Ha! What a crock!