CUT THROAT CAMERA DAVE

by Simon Arms

Short Film
Email: [email protected]

CUT THROAT CAMERA DAVE

FADE IN:

INT:  NEWSROOM-NIGHT

A soberly dressed NEWSREADER in his mid fifties looks solemnly at his audience.  When he speaks everything but his mouth is completely still.

 

 NEWS READER
David Collins the man who fifteen years ago blamed the murder of ten citizens on the constant pressure of a camera filming his every move is to be released in ten minutes.

Behind him a PHOTOGRAPH as big as the screen FADES IN.  It is of a man in his early twenties, with short cropped hair, bulging eyes and his mouth wide open as if were letting out a menacing scream.  Diagonally across the picture, in red letters, is the caption:  EARLY RELEASE OF CUT THROAT CAMERA DAVE.

NEWSREADER
 The home office decided that it was no longer in the public’s interest to imprison the man who in the last year has captured the imagination of Britain’s youth. Earlier Prime Minister Jones spoke to our reporter Linda Smith.

CUT TO:

2.  INT:  BEDROOM-MORNING

The PRIME MINISTER, a young man in his early thirties, is sat on the edge of a  king sized bed with nothing on but his white boxer shorts.  He is putting on his socks.  LINDA SMITH a young attractive blonde is lying on the bed, the sheets wrapped around her naked body so we can only see her bare arms and shoulders.  She watches the prime minister intently as he dresses.

LINDA SMITH
Mr Prime Minister don’t you think you’re isolating the older voters.  People that can actually remember Cut throat Dave?

PRIME MINISTER
Off the record.

LINDA SMITH
Of course.

PRIME MINISTER
To hell with’em they’re the minority.  It’s the kids that vote for me.  This lunatic could win me another term.  

CUT TO:

3.  INT:  NEWS ROOM-NIGHT

NEWS REPORTER
We can now go to Fred Wilson who reports live from Aylesbury prison in Buckinghamshire.

CUT TO:

FRED WILSON, a man in his early thirties with slicked back hair dressed in a purple suit, a shiny green shirt and a tie.  He has a slightly nervous demeanor, continuously looking over his shoulder at a sea of teenagers jumping up and down and screaming.   The teenagers are all dressed in t-shirts emblazoned with a cartoon of a man stamping on a camera that lays in a pool of blood.  In the picture the blood trickles down to form the words KILLER BUT NOT SINNER.  Beside Fred is BRITNEY who with her calm, but intense demeanor gives every impression of being the leader.

FRED WILSON
(shouting)
We are about to witness a landmark in British criminal justice.  When Dave Collins walks to his freedom in just ten minutes it will be the first time in our history that a killer will be reinstated into public life without first being proven innocent.

Turns to Britney smiling.

FRED WILSON
Beside me is Britney.  The seventeen year old who…

Britney suddenly grabs Freds microphone, pushes him to one side, and steps right up to the CAMERA.  The crowd suddenly goes quiet.

 

BRITNEY
Our lives are being repressed.  Every step, every gesture we make is framed on the screens of our televisions.  We cannot do anything without the world knowing.  And in spite of this we are told we are free.  We are told we are safe.  When we are none of these things.  Everyone is just too paranoid, too godamn self conscious to make a mistake that could be labelled by society as immoral.  And like a prophet David took a stand. 

Loud cheers from the crowd.

BRITNEY
The true icon of a new generation that will not put up with this media intrusion. A man who said no to self restraint

She turns to the crowd with the microphone thrust into the air.

BRITNEY
and yes to human nature.

 

CROWD
(shouting)
Human nature
Human nature
Human nature

Fred leans into the camera to make himself heard over the chants.

FRED
(shouting)
We can now relive some of the best moments that lead up to this awful injustice.

DISSOLVE TO:

 A school photograph of a class of infants.  Over the image violins fade in and the CAMERA closes on David Collins as a boy with messy blonde hair, freckles and a care free smile.

VOICE OVER
David Collins was just like any ordinary boy.  Classmates said he was happy go lucky child.  His teachers said he was pleasant.  Nothing it seems pointed to the fact that one day this bonnie lad would become a killer… 

CUT TO:

A photo of David as a teenager head thrown back and mouth wide open as if he is screaming. 
VOICE OVER
Or did it?

As the we track in on David’s mouth we HEAR what sounds like a hysterical scream FADE IN, continuing as we…

FADE TO TITLE:  THE DAVID COLLINS STORY

Over the title the scream becomes a loud laugh, continuing as we…

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT:  GARDEN- DAY

The loud laugh changes to a happy giggle and we see David, a giggling toddler, running to his father DR JAMES COLLINS who is at the bottom of the garden leaning on his spade, smiling. 

VOICE OVER
David’s early life was nothing, but happiness.  The only offspring of loving, liberal parents he wanted for nothing and invariably got everything.

When David is almost to him he rushes forward and scoops David up lifting him high in the air.

VOICE OVER
Until that is his father was accused of being a paedophile.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT:  THE COLLINS FAMILY HOME- DAY

Dr James Collins is being shoved into the back of a police car admisdst a flurry of camera flashes and reporters shouting for his attention.  Beyond this large crowd, on the steps of a rather grand looking house, a confused David looks on holding the hand of his mother.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT:  CINEMA-NIGHT

We see on a cinema billboard the title of a film:  IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY: an uplifting tale of family strength. 

VOICE OVER
But the claims were false.

Dr Collins, David and his mother are stood on a red carpet being interviewed by a REPORTER from the BBC.  Women in a variety of colorful dresses and stilettos and men in tuxedo’s walk past arm in arm waving and smiling at the media who surround them on either side of the carpet.

REPORTER
Dr Collins why do you feel it’s important for this film to be released.

DR COLLINS
Two years ago I was accused of a crime I did not commit.  I love my family and it hurt me to my soul.  With this documentary I want to show the world that admidst a society that is becoming more and more about the individual we are forgetting our need for love and security.  A need that is not wrong, but human nature.

REPORTER
Dr Collins can you tell us how important your family is to you.

He puts his arms around his wife and son and pulls them closer to him.

DR COLLINS
With my hand on my heart I can tell you now that without my boy, without my wife I would not be here today.

A FREEZE FRAME of the happy family.  Turns into a photograph on the front of the TIME MAGAZINE.

The picture is torn in half and behind it is Fred Wilson.  He throws the two pieces of the picture mindlessly over his shoulder.

FRED
Six months later his father ran off with a younger woman.  His mother turned to drugs.  And David was thrown aside like an unwanted toy, his young imagination spinning out of control.

CUT TO:

EXT:  SCHOOL PLAYGROUND:  DAY

A thirteen year old David is sprinting through the playground.  It is raining.  School boys stop and laugh calling him names.  One older kid pushes him over, but David gets up and without even glancing back at him continues running, pushing another LARGER KID out of the way.  He runs onto the school playing field.

CUT TO:

EXT:  SCHOOL PLAYING FIELD:  DAY

David is knelt behind some bushes looking out onto an empty football pitch.  It is still raining and we can see that the back of his school blazer is splattered with mud.

VOICE OVER
David’s damaged mind was besieged by the idea that every step he took a camera was there to film it.  It plagued his young life, driving him slowly mad.

Suddenly David turns and notices the camera behind him.  His feet slide in the mud as he tries to run but he falls flat on his front.  He picks himself up again but as he comes out from the hedge he stops, noticing we presume a CAMERA that is tracking towards him.  He starts to run to the left of the screen but crashes straight into an OLDER KID.

OLDER KID
You need to slow down kid.

An arm lands on Davids shoulder.  At first he looks around like he is expecting death, but calms down when he sees the head of another YOUNG kid come right up to his ear.

YOUNG KID
Or you may have an accident.

The older kid and young kid grab him by the arms and the LARGER KID whom David pushed earlier walks into the frame rolling up his sleeves.

LARGER KID
A bad one.

David is staring beyond the larger kid at the camera that is TRACKING in towards him. 
DAVID
(talking with great speed )
It won’t stop at me.  It wants me now because I have the precence.  It wants to devour my precence and grow stronger on my star quality. 

He looks back at the boys with begging eyes

DAVID
But it will go for you next.  No one’s safe. 

The three boys turn to look at the camera, to David, then back to each other.  They look confused.  The camera is now metres away.

David
(Shouting and struggling to free himself)
Let me go.  Goddamn you.   Just let me go.

The CAMERA is  right upon David framing in a CLOSE UP.

   
DAVID
(screaming)
No.  No. Nooooo

CUT TO:

EXT:  STREET- MID-AFTERNOON

We HEAR the loud shattering of glass and the show window of a DIY store collapses onto the pavement.  A 17 year old David stands in the window frame, his face and clothes smeared with blood, a long handled sledge hammer in his hands.  He is smiling manically.  Business men, women with children and elderly people run screaming in all directions. 

In the rush a young lady falls over and an elderly man stops and helps her up.  He is pushed to the ground as people, including now the young lady, try and save them selves, trampling all over him.

David walks to the CAMERA and draws his face right up to the lens. 

DAVID
You want something to film.  Huh? Want something to film? I’ll give you something to film.

David walks up to the elderly man who is now crawling across the road in agony.  David rises the hammer above his head and brings it down.

CUT TO:

INT:  COURT ROOM - DAY

A judge slams down his hammer.  David is in the dock dressed smartly in a suit, a policeman on either side of him.

JUDGE
I hereby pronounce you guilty of ten first degree murders.  I cannot accept your plea for insanity.  I see your act Mr Collins as entirely premeditated and unusually vicious.  It is with a thought to public safety that I sentence you Mr Collins to 200 years in prison, at the very minimum.  Take him away.

As David is lead away he manages to break free from the policemens grip and rushes forward addressing the courtroom, lifting his shackled hand to point to individuals in the public gallery as if he were holding a gun. 

 

DAVID
(pointing to a red haired girl)
The camera sees you

Points to a middle aged man with glasses

DAVID
And it sees you.  It sees you all. 

David is dragged away but still facing the court room

DAVID
Buts its me it loves.   The camera loves me I tell you.  You are minor characters in the story of my life.  Walk on parts.  Extras.  Small insignificant blotches.

FADE TO BLACK

FADE IN:

EXT:  OUTSIDE AYLESBURY PRISON-DAY

The crowd surrounding the prison are grouped together, their hands in the air counting down from ten.  In front of them stood  on top of a YOUNG MAN’S shoulder is Britney, like a conductor puntucuating each screamed number with a pump of her fist. 

Suddenly on the count of 8 there is a shout of there he is followed by a chorus of screams.  Hundreds of excited hands point toDave Collins facing them and stood alone at the prison gates dressed in the suit that he wore in court and holding a suitcase. 

David runs off to the left of the screen and the crowd follow.

CUT TO:

EXT:  ALLEYWAY-DAY

David has been backed into an alley way and we can HEAR his slow heavy breaths.  The crowd are edging towards him. He has nowhere to go.  Leading the way are the cameraman and Fred Wilson.

FRED
David do you have anything to say to the audience back home.

DAVID
(hyper ventilating and loosening his tie)
This is not real.  This is not real.

FRED
It’s real alright.  How do you feel?

DAVID
(slumps onto a pile of black bin bags, holding his head in his hands)
You’re in my imagination.  This is not real.  This is not real.

Suddenly laughter fades in and the CAMERA PULLS AWAY until we see we are in a packed cinema.

INT.  CINEMA- NIGHT

David is up on the screen, his head thrown back, struggling to catch his breath.  The audience are in hysterics.

DAVID
This is not real.  This is not real.  It’s only my imagination. It’s not real.

CUT TO:

INT:  HOSPITAL BEDROOM-NIGHT

David is sat upright in his bed, sweat pouring down his face, his eyes wide with fear, the sound of applause ringing around the room

FADE TO BLACK

 

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