one location

NikeeGoddess · Nov 17, 2007

location, location, location!!! too many locations can blow your budget. my current wip is set in one basic location. i need to find more scripts with one location and it is tough. i need your suggestions and links to scripts.

i already have: panic room and phone booth
i'm looking for others like: tape, laurel canyon, death and the maiden
not looking for: the shining (or any other horror)

you guys know of any (good or bad matters not) for me to study?

also scripts with a tiny cast of characters.

clockwork · Nov 17, 2007

How about Wait Until Dark. Adapted from, it seems, a far superior stage play but I found the film atmospheric enough with good performances from Hepburn and at the time newcomer Alan Arkin.

clockwork · Nov 17, 2007

And, of course, there's Hitchcock's Rear Window, Lifeboat and Rope, also set in very restricted locations.

And there's Misery though it takes place in quite a few locations.

ETA - sorry, you asked for links to scripts.

Here's Rear Window
Here's Misery

The others are proving more elusive. I'll keep looking.

NikeeGoddess · Nov 17, 2007

thanks - i've read misery and rear window
but the others are great examples... of scripts that are hard to find

keep em coming

cynicallad · Nov 17, 2007

Clerks, 12 Angry Men, Cube (technically).

jonpiper · Nov 17, 2007

Most of Alien takes place in the spaceship.

I found two very different versions by two different screenwriting teams.

http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/alien_shooting.html
and
http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/alien_early.html

Daydreamer · Nov 18, 2007

Hard candy has very few locations. I don't have the link right now but I'm sure you can find it on the usual script websites (see sticky tips thread).

clockwork · Nov 18, 2007

NikeeGoddess said:
thanks - i've read misery and rear window
but the others are great examples... of scripts that are hard to find

keep em coming

Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't read your op correctly.

Still, I'd recommend taking a look at Wait Until Dark. I can't say I loved it but as an example of how to set 98% of film in one location it's pretty good. (Word of warning though, you'll probably find yourself hurling abuse at the screen on more than one occasion.)

zeprosnepsid · Nov 18, 2007

I think you'll have a hard time finding too many more films than you've named that take place entirely in one location, so to add another to the pile of films that take place almost entirely in one location - Sunset Blvd.

NikeeGoddess · Nov 18, 2007

thanks for your suggestions but,
it's not the films that are hard to find, its the scripts.
and yeah there are more out there - i just watched Melvin Goes To Dinner tonight (it just happened to be on) and then i remembered My Dinner with Andre and Look Who's Coming to Dinner and one of my favorites Big Night, Celebration (which is Dutch, i think) and Gosford Park - food and eating around a dinner table seems to be a huge one location draw

not only that: On Golden Pond, Dog Day Afternoon, One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, The Apartment - methinks these (and a couple of others mentioned) are all Oscar winners. things that make you go, Hmmmm!

okay, you people are lame!!!
<<<the NikeeGoddess just shakes her head>>>
you so called movie writers have got to see more flicks LOL!

jonpiper · Nov 18, 2007

The Dinner Game, a French movie with English subtiles, takes place mainly in an apartment with two actors.

Also Slueth takes place in one home with two actors.

Smiling Ted · Nov 18, 2007

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover I believe...One of Peter Greenaway's, and fairly disturbing.

In general, check out any stageplay that was made into a movie - like the old HBO production of Steambath (or some of the titles already mentioned...)

Joe270 · Nov 18, 2007

Disturbia.

Room 1408.

Last Tango in Paris.

Das Boot.

Apollo 13.

NikeeGoddess · Nov 19, 2007

thanks guys. i'm off looking for the scripts.

p.s.
i knew my sado tendencies with the "lame" comment would light a fire under your asses. how'd i know? how'd i know?! LOL!!!

FinbarReilly · Nov 19, 2007

Joe270 said:
Disturbia.

Duuuuude! How can you possible mention Disturbia without mentioning Rear Window? What kind of movie geek are you

?

FR

FinbarReilly · Nov 19, 2007

Also, why do so many movies that feature one location have number names? Like P2...

Also, a number of shorts are based on some variation of a prison cell. I wish I consider exact names, but I do recall that one made the SciFi Channel's short film project a while back.

I would also recommend The Cold Equations, Dark Star, and Silent Running, just to make sure that scifi has a contigent (you'll also note that these movies have VERY small casts), and the Fear Inside to beef up the horror side (like it doesn't have enough help already!).

Also, if you're just looking for examples, I have two scripts you may want to look at. Strip Poker happens mostly in an apartment, and Shorn Wool is actually three-three-THREE! shorts in one, two of which happen in one location (one happens in two).

FR

Joe270 · Nov 19, 2007

Duuuuude! How can you possible mention Disturbia without mentioning Rear Window? What kind of movie geek are you?

Rear Window was already mentioned. I didn't think it was necessary to mention the original movie when listing the re-make, not in the Screenwriting forum, at least.

Lifeboat.

Casablanca.

The San Pebbles.

Pappillon.

The Big Bus. (Shudder)

The Poopside Down Adventure. (AKA The Posiedon Adventure)

Speed.

Die Hard.

The Cave.

The Breakfast Club.

Lisamer · Nov 21, 2007

My Dinner With Andre?

sinister · Nov 29, 2007

Penny Dreadful took place in a car for the most part, so did Wind Chill. I saw both recently and they were both decent.

NikeeGoddess · Nov 29, 2007

no horror, no shorts

thanks for all the suggestions!!!

John Paton · Nov 29, 2007

look at plays that are adapted into films.

Many have one location in the play form and a few in the movie form. Many of them.

Plays - love 'em.

mikeland · Dec 1, 2007

Cast Away. Well, most of it anyway.

nganok · Dec 1, 2007

John Q - most of it

Blue Lagoon

Shawshank Repemption

Platoon - All Vietnam and great script

Vanilla Sky - (yeah I know but, technically he's in the same place)

Basic

Dead Poets Society - school

Snatch - England - Cheaply made

The Terminal - GREAT SCRIPT!!!!

Salem's Lot

StarGate - ok - two places

La Confidential - Just LA

The Departed - Just Boston

Four Brothers - Just Detroit

Night at the Museum

Okay that's my contribution. -Tony

dpaterso · Dec 1, 2007

A city isn't one location. One location means a single house or apartment. It means not having to move crew and equipment to other location(s) -- if you're breaking down, transporting, then setting up again, you're wasting valuable shooting time. It also implies low(er) budget, so big FX are out.

-Derek

jonpiper · Dec 2, 2007

jonpiper said:
The Dinner Game, a French movie with English subtiles, takes place mainly in an apartment with two actors.

Also Slueth takes place in one home with two actors.

My son just told me that the Borat star will play a lead in the American remake of the Dinner Game.

The French version was a belly-laugh comedy.

one location

NikeeGoddess

clockwork

In the zone...

clockwork

In the zone...

NikeeGoddess

cynicallad

jonpiper

Daydreamer

clockwork

In the zone...

zeprosnepsid

NikeeGoddess

jonpiper

Smiling Ted

Ah-HA!

Joe270

NikeeGoddess

FinbarReilly

FinbarReilly

Joe270

Lisamer

sinister

NikeeGoddess

John Paton

carn the mighty hawks !!

mikeland

Call me Pookie

nganok

Life is Just a Dream

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

jonpiper