Josh Ronen's Scene-by-Scene Outline

This outline is still a little rough around the edges. I'm used the techniques displayed in "Vantage Point" but am sizing them down A LOT to incorporate multiple perspectives into the film. I will work out the kinks in my screenplay and it'll sound much clearer.


"Second Strike"

Act 1

Scene 1 (Set-Up)

Setting: Downtown San Francisco & DHS Headquarters, Gitmo-by-the-bay, San Francisco

Main Idea: Severe Haircut Lady is interrogating Marcus following the riot in downtown San Francisco after the city-wide announcement of the attack on the Bay Bridge was made.

The film will begin with some credits at the beginning. (Insert sound effects here.) There will be a voice over that sounds like a person speaking over a loudspeaker: “REPORT TO SHELTERS IMMEDIATELY, I REPEAT, REPORT TO SHELTERS IMMEDIATELY.” (Repeat x3) Video will come up and the shot will move in and out of focus until it completely becomes clear. (The shock of the bombing was felt like an earthquake all throughout the city, Marcus was thrown on the ground by the explosions.) Marcus’s eyes give the viewers the first camera shot. There are people running in every which way frantically to get below ground. After 10 seconds or so of video, the screen goes black (hear voices…DHS agents picking up Marcus with Severe Haircut Lady, Hummer is starting up and drives away). Video slowly fades in and out of focus until Marcus regains full consciousness in an interrogation room.

Severe Haircut Lady: “Hello Marcus, I have some questions for you.”

One of the DHS agents knocks Marcus unconscious (screen fades to black, viewers hear the Hummer starting up and driving away, a door opens). Marcus is thrown out onto the road in front of his house). He slowly gets to his feet and walks in.

(End scene. Fade to black.)

Scene 2 (Set-up)

Setting: DHS vehicle, Terrorist Headquarters

Main Idea: Osama Bin Laden turns out to be the leader of the terrorist operation to blow up the Bay Bridge. He survives the blast and tries to escape but DHS arrive on the scene and arrest him. He doesn’t know if any one of his associates are still alive but is satisfied with the success of the mission.
There is a bag over Osama’s head and his hands are tied behind his back. The DHS agents are taking him back to headquarters for questioning.

Agent 1: “We’re not letting you get away with it this time, you terrorist freak!”

Osama: “You pathetic Americans, if you think I will tell you anything your national security is not the only thing that’s a joke.”

(Cut to nearby terrorist headquarters on in an underground lair near the Golden Gate Bridge).

The terrorists are running, sweating, and panting. Their headquarters are in sight.

Terrorist 1: Where’s Osama? (Looks behind him.) I thought he was with you! The Americans must have taken him!

(Back at their headquarters)

Terrorist 2: (Gazing at a computer screen) Looks like the DHS arrested another boy today. Marcus Yallow. These stupid Americans think that the kids are the terrorists. We have done our job. Let’s nab him and see if he can help us can Osama back. He won’t have a choice.

(End scene. End Act 1. Fade to Black.)

Act 2

Scene 3 (Inciting Incident)

Setting: Terrorist Headquarters

Main Idea: The terrorists arrive at Marcus’s house, break into his house quietly while he is sleeping and kidnap him, thrown them in their truck and drive off. Marcus wakes up on a tattered bean bag chair against a wall at the terrorist headquarters. Very raggedy surroundings. He sees a laptop and television but that’s it. The terrorists force him to use the Xnet to infiltrate the DHS database and find the blueprints for Gitmo-by-the-bay so they can plan a rescue mission. Marcus finds them and the terrorists plan their mission to rescue Osama from the grasps of the DHS.

Scene 4 (Rising Action)

1. Marcus infiltrates the White House cyber-net infrastructure through the Xnet, finding the blueprints that he would need to give the terrorists. The terrorists told him that his family would be used as collateral if he did not get the job done.
2. The following day, the DHS headquarters in San Francisco get a call from the White House that someone had infiltrated their heavily secure cyber-net infrastructure of the White House and stole blueprints to the Gitmo-by-the-Bay.
3. Severe Haircut Lady and her agents try waterboarding Osama to get information out of him but he will not budge. They can’t kill him because they will lose their leverage on the terrorists.
4. Osama is thrown back into his cell as the DHS agents and Severe Haircut Lady find out the next plan of action. Osama tells them that his comrades will be coming for him.
5. Marcus is forced into an empty room after he is done with his job for the terrorists. The terrorists proceed to talk about how they will infiltrate the DHS headquarters, pointing out where Osama is being held. They decide the rescue mission will under the cover of night the next evening

Scene 5 (Climax)

Setting: Empty Room where Marcus is being held, Gitmo-by-the-bay

Main Idea: Marcus reaches into his pocket only to find his cell phone in pieces. He proceeds to put it back together. The battery pack was still intact; an hour later he turns it on and to his surprise, it works. He calls Barbara Stratford, the news lady that his parents introduced him to. This lady knew that something was obviously wrong with the way the DHS was handling things following the attack on the Bay Bridge. After overhearing the terrorists’ conversation he gives Stratford directions to the DHS headquarters and tells her to bring some heavy artillery with her evening of the next day. The terrorists drive to about a mile out for the DHS headquarters. Each of them grabs some weapons and ammunition before leaving the truck and starts off. The terrorists lock Marcus in the truck so he can’t leave. Marcus texts Stratford telling her to move in on the terrorists and DHS agents once they start exchanging fire.

(End Act 2. Fade out to black).

Act 3

Scene 6 (Falling Action)

Setting: DHS Headquarters, SF,CA

Main Idea: The terrorists break into the DHS Headquarters without being seen. They begin looking for Osama and can’t find him. They remember seeing the blueprints, picturing Osama being held in a cell behind a steel gate 1 foot thick. They needed a code for it that only Severe Haircut Lady had. They find the cell, then proceed to find DHS agents and Severe Haircut Lady. DHS agents and terrorists exchange fire. Stratford moves in with CHP State Troopers. Marcus is able to break the lock that the terrorists tied him to and run to safety.

Scene 7 (Resolution)

Setting: DHS Headquarters, SF, CA

Main Idea: Stratford ended up bringing State Troopers and Swat Teams with her, enough to keep both sides from shooting anymore when they arrived. After the shooting had stopped and the rogue DHS Agents, including Severe Haircut Lady, and the terrorists and Osama were put under arrest and tried under old criminal justice system.

Marcus gets a day named after him in San Francisco and gains worldwide recognition for his heroic efforts.