a great project initiated by a soundtrack recorded by howie b. the script to the soundtrack was commissioned after the album was complete and inserted as a booklet with the CD. the script charts the various stories of people who make the most of their 'last bingo in paris'.
last bingo in paris; the script of the film from the soundtrack album
scene 1 - 88
EXTERIOR/ EVENING – PARIS: wide general, slow tracking shot
the city is closing down, hosing down for the evening. small green trucks with flashing orange lights pass along sidewalks washing and brushing the debris of the day into gutters and drains. metal shutters are dragged down roughly in front of boutique windows, bank vaults are sealed. lovers greet each other - some with flowers, some without.
INTERIOR/ APARTMENT: wide general, cut to close up, then wide view from window
high in his penthouse apartment overlooking the sprawl of the twilit city, a lone man moves into frame. he watches the whole city through a set of infra red binoculars...from where he stands, he can see it all...
INTERIOR/ TRAIN STATION: close up tracking shot, circling subjects, then pull out to wide
platform 8 at the gare du nord, two fat ladies hug each other, crying. one of them boards her train. as she waves goodbye to her friend, she sees the platform number behind her in double vision through tear drenched eyes. the last thing she sees as the train pulls out of the station is the platform number. but she sees it twice. she sees 88. this was their last bingo in paris...
scene 2 – chase
EXTERIOR/ URBAN WASTELAND: aerial shot, crash zoom to close up/ chase sequence mix of tracking, locked off shots, hand held and steadicam – some slow motion during crash scene
across town a young couple stand screaming at each other on a deserted concrete walkway. the girl holds a bag in her hand. it is heavy, bulky. she is waving it in her boyfriend's face. he tries to grab the bag from her. she moves back quickly, her reflexes telling her to run. he follows her. the chase is on. close up on the panicked determination on her face. she crosses a park, her furious boyfriend closing in on her. she runs into the heavy rush hour traffic of a huge ring road. cars swerve to avoid her. a truck collides with an oncoming van. blood and glass and metal crunch and smash and splash. the girl doesn't look back as she disappears down an embankment. her boyfriend stands dejected on the other side of the carnage on the road in front of him. there goes his last chance. his last bingo in paris...
scene 3 – mayonnaise
INTERIOR/ CAFÉ: exterior establishing shot. locked off wide on action and close up on faces. some slow motion
a group of teenage kids sit in a fast food café, drinking shakes, eating fries, experimenting with smoking. one of them bursts open a sachet of mayonnaise. it squirts onto his friend's face across the table. everyone laughs. except the friend. he lines up ten sachets of mayonnaise and bangs his hands down hard on them. now everyone has been squirted. its on their hair, their faces, their clothes. a distracted computer hacker eating pizza at the table next to them is also squirted. they all run to the counter for more mayonnaise. soon the whole café is involved. people take cover under their tables but no one can escape. they're squirting smearing showering each other like there's no tomorrow. like it's their last bingo in paris...
scene 4 - beautiful numbers
STREAMING GRAPHIC MOTION TITLES OF RANDOMLY GENERATED NUMBERS
vo: somehow, even now, after everything, it all adds up...
scene 5 - panty down
INTERIOR/ STRIP CLUB: intrusive steadicam; grainy stock
finally the girl running from her boyfriend can stop running. she is safe. she's at the club. he can't get in here. she walks past the huge bouncers, through the bar and around the dancing girls towards her dressing room. the sounds and smells of the club are comforting. the desperate sweat of hungry hands holding out filthy notes to beautiful disinterested naked girls is familiar. this is family. she locks the door and looks inside the bag. if she can get out of town alive, she'll never have to work again. this could be her last bingo in paris...
scene 6 – flashback
INTERIOR/ TRAIN STATION: locked off wide shot
the fat woman left alone in the station can't bear to leave. she wanders round the concourse, lost. she steps into a photo booth and reaches into her handbag. she finds a photo of herself together with her friend she left at platform 8. the picture was taken in this exact photo booth only hours ago. they are smiling at each other. she puts a coin in the slot, places the photo right up against the glass and presses a small revolver to her temple. through the pale blue curtain, a flash ignites.
scene 7 - cab journey
EXTERIOR/ CITY CENTRE: wide pan
now it is completely dark. rain falls heavily on to the roofs of cars. everyone is looking for shelter.
scene 8 - girkin madness
INTERIOR/ CATACOMBS: shaky hand held dv camera set to night vision
and below ground, out of sight, out of range, unspeakable things are happening to innocent initiates. in the grand tradition of the underground, we follow the journey of a young man being led astray by his elder friends – our view is through a murky absinthe green lens but we see clearly enough. deep in the catacombs under the city, the music is bumping the booty is jumping and morals are crumbling. he sees things he should never see, lays hands on untouchable women, drinks undrinkable liquids and feels absolutely fantastico paralitical. tonight is like no other. tonight anything goes. this is his first his only his last bingo in paris...
scene 9 - bearded man
EXTERIOR RIVERSIDE: slow dolly
the bearded man sits by the river, waiting. every day and every night he sits and waits. he juggles numb numbers and mixed up memories. and now from out of the dark, a beautiful young woman approaches him with a bundle. it is a child. he holds the child delicately, tickling him under his chin.
woman: (looking around anxiously, gently picking up the child) father, i have to go now.
bearded man: (his rheumy eyes smile, understanding) will i see you again?
she turns and leaves.
scene 10 - swaying/ separating
INTERIOR APARTMENT: locked off shot from outside window
and now the man watching over the city feels like he could change things, make a difference. he could go down into the heart of it, inside people's lives, strangers lives and he could help. he could change fates. he could. for a moment he really thinks he could. but he knows there is nothing he can do. he stands beating his hands against the glass, tears streaming down his face, over his jaw. he is close to understanding and the closer he gets the harder it becomes. he turns away, then looks back again. he must watch. this is his one night. this is his place. his time. his last bingo in paris.
scene 11 – asylum
EXTERIOR APARTMENT DOOR: locked off. Subjects' POV with reverses
the girl with the bag is knocking on a heavily secured door. the door opens and her boyfriend's face appears, eyebrows raised, smiling. she smiles, shaking her head..
girlfriend: (hands him the bag) no matter how far i ran, how fast i could get away, i knew i'd never be safe.
boyfriend: (leading her inside, checking for surveillance) you'll always be safe now. you'll always be safe.
scene 12 - bingo theme
FADE TO BLACK: voice over
vo: who thought we'd be sitting here, watching this, being us, just like that? just like it's our last bingo in paris......
scene 13 - don't call me roger
INTERIOR CHURCH CONFESSION BOOTH: locked off outside booth – we never see subjects
vo 1: the name is robert
vo 2: roger?
vo 1: no no. robert
vo 2: like the rabbit?
vo 1: no like robert
vo 2: so what's up doc?
scene 14 - i've met you before
DOMESTIC INTERIOR: exterior establishing shot through window. cut to int. locked off camera
in an elegant apartment in a quiet neighbourhood, an old man dresses in front of a mirror. he is immaculately groomed, dressed in a silk italian dinner suit, clean-shaven, not a hair out of place. he ties his bow tie then, by force of habit, looks down at his sleeve, wiping away an imagined piece of lint. he stands straight and checks himself in the mirror. his wife arrives, carrying his dark glasses and white stick. she kisses him gently on the cheek and leads him out the room, smiling.
man: (walking carefully behind her) tonight will be perfect my love.
woman: (out of frame) yes darling, it will be like our first bingo in paris.
scene 15 - system envy
INDUSTRIAL WAREHOUSE INTERIOR: tracking shot establishing location. locked off camera on subjects
three hackers sit surrounded by a cathedral of cables, monitors and keyboards, arguing the same old song, constantly tapping out streams of code as they talk.
hacker 1: you can't mess with the system. not when you're in it.
hacker 2: say i get out
hacker 3: you can't get out. you know that
hacker 2: once i get out i can mess with the system
hacker 1: well. how about if you can only escape to another system?
hacker 3: tap. hack. try all you like. once you're in you're in and once you're out you're still in. that's the system.
hacker 2: okay, i think i get it now. anyone want pizza?
hacker 1: ask for extra mayonnaise...
scene 16 - leaving home
DOMESTIC INTERIOR: close up, pulling out to wide
a beautiful woman, thirtyish, lays in bed, naked beside her lover, wondering what it would take to leave.
woman's vo: just close the door behind you and don't come back. that's all it takes. not coming back is the hard part.
and in a flash, she sees everything she could be, all that she could do on her own. she jumps up on the bed, bouncing up and down.
woman: (screaming) i wanna stay! i wanna stay!
scene 17 – scooter
EXTERIOR STREET SCENE: hand held close up
boyfriend: (pulling on crash helmet) it's a really simple scam. just ride on the back of the bike like normal. when i get up close to a woman with a bag, you stick out your arm, grab it and we ride on. simple. any trouble, we ditch the scooter and walk home. but there won't be any trouble. its as easy as...'
girlfriend: (climbing on to back of scooter) as what?
boyfriend: (smiling, patting girl's leg) as our last bingo in paris...
scene 18 - fancy meeting me
SPLIT SCREEN INTERIORS: locked off mid shots – start in man's apt, then split screen.
and as he stands surveying the city he calls his own, the man in the high tower, in the penthouse flat lays down his binoculars to rest. now he slouches on his chaise longue letting his eyes rest, he feels a presence. a warm, calm hush. the city is waking up. the sun rises. his work is done. tomorrow someone else can watch over everyone. through a pair of infra red binoculars a woman watches him from her penthouse apartment as he melts into a deep peaceful sleep dreaming of his last bingo in paris...