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"THE LISTS" / "THE
UNDESIRABLES” / “BURDENS"
Copyright © 2006 Marc Jäger
"i want to be overwhelmed by the
beauty of the ugliness that is there..." - K.M. -
7 mins - very
short, want controversial/offensive
SYNOPSIS:
- The
government tasks a man to kill 'undesirables' who are a 'burden on
society'. (People unemployed for over 4 years, especially criminals -
major or petty - drug dealers, street prostitutes, addicts etc)
- At
first he's doing the job (killing those undesirables after giving them a 6
month warning to become employed...).
- The
next dimension of the story is that the assassin then gets a new list(orders) for targets (without the 6 month warning
now) who are on disability allowances and pensioners...
- The
lead character (the assassin) objects and may be warned with something
like; "Well... if you don't want to cooperate, who's to say we don't
deem YOU a burden on society?",. Some 'twist
ending' is called for...
(latest
choice ending) Another killer/free agent kills him – end…..
<<NEW IDEA: Story will be done in flashbacks as the lead
char. is explaining his story to a woman in a bar >>> Smooth
transitions or jarring flashes? Colour or B&W
BASIC FLASHBACK SCENES:
--- this is what needs 'fleshing-out' - basically i
need cool dialogue and some character development.
> INTRO: Our
guy is sitting in a bar - he is to be very insecure and SIMPLE but full of himself too.
> BAR:
Government agent approaches our guy with a contract-work-proposition to kill
government-determined 'undesirables' - this was to be an older man, but could
be a very icy female (tall, immaculate business-dress). He defines to our guy
what an undesirable is (ie someone draining our
economy - someone non-productive) - some stats may be quoted on the cost to tax
payer of unemployed and criminals incl. drug rehab, criminal rehab, dole etc etc
> guy accepts starter
kit/payment, and goes to work...
> kill scene 1
- execution style shot to the back of the head in a swamp in the rain - male
victim, - opera singing music - very sad - very sombre
and dark/blue/gloomy - water to sparkle off gun
> kill scene 2
- picks up hooker, she's a smacky and doesn't even
remember him from the 6 month warning - he shoots her in his car....
> kill scene 3 -
............... drug dealer in his own house?,
> kill scene ......
whatever......................................................, (minumum 3)
> SOME TIME LATER
- perhaps same BAR as INTRO - Government
agent approaches our guy again with new lists - this time jobs don't include 6
month warning period and include pensioners and people on disability
allowances.
> perhaps same BAR as INTRO: our guy objects
>ENDE our guy is killed or
his imminent death is implied or he suicides(guilt)
PSEUDO SCRIPT
|
IE: NOT including flashback scenes
|
<INTRO:SCENE 1>
-<Lead Character is sitting @ BAR drinking alone - obviously depressed
& distressed - maybe crying into his drink, definitely drinking too much
>-
-<Woman keeps looking/noticing Lead Character and eventually approaches him
and asks him what's wrong>-
Woman: "What's
her name?"
Lead Character:*Annoyed/startled* "What??"
Woman:
"Oh... sorry... You're drowning yourself in your sorrows here.... I
thought it was because of a woman..."
Lead Character: {find better reaction/dialogue} *Shaking head* "....Nope, I'm just a
government contracted murderer waiting to die..."
Woman: *nervous/cautious* "Come again?"
Lead Character *caustic/sarcastic* "Government killer, me,
kill people, for government, like in the movies, get it?"
Woman:
*not taking him seriously* "Oh wow, so how did you get into this
line of work?"
Lead Character: "I was recruited...."
Woman:: *gestures
for him to continue*
Lead Character: "This fucking guy comes up to me in a bar, I don't
even remember how he struck up a conversation"
*he stares off as if to remember, then regains his concentration and continues*
<FLASHBACK
1 (BW?) MEETING WITH GOV. AGENT SCENE TO PLAY WHILE THE FOLLOWING DIALOGUE
RUNS>
-< L is
people-watching in bar>- -<Agent with silver case @ his feet makes
conversation>-
Agent: {need slick dialogue here} “Robert right?”
Lead Character: “yes?”
”I’m Phillip, would you be interested in earning good money and helping your
country at the same time?...”
Lead Character: “yes?”
Agent: “What do you think of dole bludgers?”
Lead Character: “Not much..”
Agent: ”Well, here’s the thing; the
government spends $XXM a year on these parasites… They’d just as soon pay a
couple of grand one time to get ‘rid’ of the problem” *gauges reaction*
Lead Character: “???”
Agent: “As
a free-agent, you’d have no official ties to the gov.
You’d be paid $2000 for each… ‘parasite’ you kill…”
Lead Character: “Hahaha yeh right, great,
where do I sign up?”
Agent: “I’m
serious” *shows briefcase* [gun and $$$ is in briefcase] “We’ve been doing this for a couple of years
now – works well…”
Lead Character: “What the fuck are you on?!” “What like you have a hit list and…
Agent: *interrupts* “EXACTLY!” “We provide
you the lists – all the details – you visit such a person, you warn them – get
a job in 6 months… blah blah blah.
Then in 6 months if they’re still bludging you retire
them. Make sense? So you in?
Lead Character: “Yes”
"Anyway, he tells me he works for the government and how they have this
'arrangement'... they recruit free agents... independent agents I think he
said, or contractors.... "This is the kicker This
guy PAYS me to off people.... "
"He gives me lists with everything about the 'targets' and I see them,
warn them, then in 6 months I kill them... " "Every
fortnight, he pays me $1000 per kill...." *waits for reaction*
< END FLASHBACK 1>
Woman: {find better reaction/dialogue} "The Australian Government pays you to kill people.... for
what?.. why? what have they done?
Lead Character: *sighs heavily* "Why?
Because they have been deemed to be a burden on society....." *notices
Woman's skepticism* "Look, you asked and I really don't give a shit
what you think". *sighs* "I've killed 47 people in the
last 4 months.... *trailing off*
<
FLASHBACK 2 (BW?) - KILLING SCENES - >
KILL SCENE 1-< Sad opera music – rain – SET: SWAMP – vic 1 is kneeling in the water – Lead Character is
standing behind and over him with pistol to the back of head>-
-< Shot – fade out from blood seeping through water >- -- no dialogue
necessary?
KILL SCENE 2 -< Lead Character pulls up @ street corner hooker >-
Hooker: “Hi honey,
you need some directions?”
Lead Character: “You don’t remember me from 6 months back?”
Hooker: “Sorry sweety… maybe… ahh”
{she doesn’t remember because she’s a smacky}
Lead Character: “Jump in?”
-< Hooker smiles & gets into car – Lead Character drives to an empty
car-park, embraces and shoots her dead Hooker >- {maybe he asks her why she didn’t
get a job}
KILL SCENE 3
-< Lead Character drives to Vic. 3’s (scum-bag drug dealer) house >-
-< Front door is opened – Lead Character walks Vic. 3 in at gun-point – they end up in living room - Lead Character tells Vic.
3 to sit
down >-
{Some dialogue-> touch on: Vic. 3 “This isn’t right!”.
And Lead
Character is to justify his actions (“you were warned” etc etc)
-< Lead Character shoots Vic.
3 while seated on his
couch… maybe brain-matter to spray onto TV
>-
< END FLASHBACK 2>
[ Lead Character: Now, they'l probably kill
me..." ]
Woman:
“What??" "Why??"
Lead Character: "Because I didn't want to do my new contracts.... *trailing off/mumbling* "..old
people ....no warnings.."
Woman:
"What are you talking about?! Warnings?"
Lead Character: *stares straight at woman for the first time* "Look, it started with people who've been
unemployed for over 2 years, scum, bludgers, you
know, drug dealers, junkies, criminals and so on....." "I see them, give them a warning and 6 months later, if they are
still leaching... bludging... and jobless.... I
remove them from society...."
Woman:
"But....."
Lead Character: *Interrupts* My NEW
contracts they were fucking pensioners and people on disability allowances and
there was no 6 month warning period"....... *trailing off and
drinking more* "fuckers..."
<FLASHBACK (BW?) 2nd MEETING WITH GOV. AGENT SCENE TO
PLAY WHILE THE FOLLOWING DIALOGUE RUNS>
{dialogue needed:}
<REAL TIME BAR SCENE>
Woman:
"....This....is... /phew/ This is .. is..." "Uhm... you
didn't think it was WRONG before now?"
Lead Character: Look, I don't want to get into the (fucking) moral crap...
I killed scum who were leaching our hard-earned and paid tax dollars - wasting
it, millions of dollars... end of story"
Woman: "So what now?"
Lead Character: "What now?..". *half-chuckle* "Now I... look, you should
probably fuck off... I don't know how this works, but they threatened me and I
haven't heard from my contact .... We spoke yesterday
- I objected and left.... He said, maybe I was a burden on society now....
Surprised they haven't come for me already..... heh... Are YOU one of them?...
Just leave me alone. ("I'll probably top myself anyway")
Woman::"...Yeh, right,...whatever…
you know what, you’re right... have a good night... go to the cops of
something... whatever...."
<LEAD TO END SCENE> -< Lead Character drinks up
and leaves bar >-
<END SCENE> -< Alleyway/street - unmarked van is a
red herring Lead Character avoids the van and practically walks into the woman from
the bar, who casually puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger- >-
