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Stalked
A hunting weekend in the Scottish Highlands becomes a struggle for survival as a groom and his stag party find themselves the quarry of an itinerant clan of cannibals.
Background: Sawney Bean
The story of Sawney Bean is one of the most gruesome of Scottish legends. Sawney was the head of an incestuous cannibalistic family, who oversaw a 25-year reign of terror along the Scottish borders in the early 15th century. Sawney and his wife supported themselves by robbing and murdering travellers and locals, and surviving on their victim’s pickled and salted flesh. In time the family grew to an incestuous gang of 46 sons, daughters and grandchildren. It is estimated that in their 25-year reign of terror they killed more than a thousand men, women and children. Eventually Sawney and most of his family were captured and suffered slow and barbaric execution. But what of the ones who evaded capture? Fast-forward 600 years and it seems the Bean clan is beginning to flourish again, with pockets dotted around Scotland and potentially beyond. This is the story of one of them.
Premise
It's a celebration of blood and booze, a weekend-long intensive stag hunt in the wilds of Scotland and, according to best man Richard, the ultimate manly send off for his mate Sean, a London banker who's lost the terrier attitude he once had. But things don't go according to plan: the transport is a dingy white minibus, the accommodation a dormitory on a country estate that's seen far better days, and the whole show seems to be run by the gamekeeper. It looks like Richard's been conned.
If only that was the truth: turns out the gamekeeper's the head of an extended family of cannibals who have just taken over the manor, and who see these new arrivals as the perfect solution to an empty larder. So the hunt starts with a bullet to the head, and it's not long before the stag party are snared, sniped and gutted, prompting a struggle for survival that will sort the men from the boys.
Stalked will be brought to the screen by the multi-award winning directing and producing team, Simon Hynd and Micky MacPherson, and exciting young novelist and screenwriter, Ray Banks.
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The Wheelman
Lennon didn't scream when the van smashed into his getaway car during the biggest heist of his career. He didn't scream when they stuffed his bleeding body down a drainage pipe. Or when they threatened to kill his loved ones. But Lennon's going to enjoy listening to everybody scream when he gets even. It's the quiet ones you should worry about.
Premise
Meet Lennon, a mute Irish getaway driver who has fallen in with the wrong heist team, on the wrong day at the wrong bank.
Betrayed, his money stolen and his battered carcass left for dead, Lennon is on a one-way mission to find out who is responsible - and to get back his loot.
But the robbery has sent a violent ripple effect through the streets of Philadelphia.
And now a dirty cop, the Russian and Italian mobs and the mayor's hired gun maneouvre for position as this adrenaline-fuelled story twists and turns it's way towards its explosive climax.
Brought to the screen by the multi-award winning writing, directing and producing team, Simon Hynd and Micky Macpherson, and acclaimed authors Allan Guthrie and Duane Swierczynski, Wheelman will send you reeling.
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Two Way Split
Directors Notes
A betrayal. A bungled robbery. A brutal killer after his head. Robin Greaves is having a bad weekend. And it’s only going to get worse when his brother comes to stay.
Source
Allan Guthrie’s novel Two-Way Split caused a storm on its release, heralding a new wave of Scottish crime writers who are pushing the genre in thrilling new directions. The novel was released in America first and this is apt given its tale of heisters, femme fatales and moody anti-heroes. I picked up a copy of the US edition and was floored by it. The story left me breathless as it blind-sided me over and over again. The characters jump off the page, fully-fledged and rich with dialogue that pops and crackles. I read it cover to cover in one sitting and came away knowing that Two-Way Split screamed ‘movie’ louder than any novel I’d read in years. Since then the novel has won numerous awards and become a Waterstones best seller. I believe the film could be even more successful.
Story
Robin Greaves is a thief who discovers his wife has been sleeping with their best friend. To make matters worse, the three of them are about to carry out an audacious post office robbery together. Pearce is an ex-con with a heart, whose life is about to be irretrievably altered when Robin’s gang bungles the robbery, leaving carnage in their wake. Pearce and Robin are now set on a collision course, from which neither will survive intact.
Two-Way Split is a crime story like no other. The film will build up a relentless pace as a series of events, seen from multiple viewpoints, send our character’s lives spiralling out of control. This linear trajectory is fractured with flashbacks that gradually reveal how the characters arrived in their current predicament. Moments of humour will be contrasted with bursts of startling violence, keeping the audience constantly on their toes. Two-Way Split is a 21st Century neo-noir with a peculiarly Scottish flavour.
Style
As with many noirs, duality is a major theme in Two-Way Split. This duality will be a guiding principal in the film’s style and will inform every decision I make directing the movie.
Edinburgh is the perfect location to explore this estrangement, it’s vibrant yet conservative, historic and modern, dark but beautiful.
The duality at the story’s heart will manifest itself through the use of visual pairings, using mirrors and reflections, and through contrasting imagery within the frame.
Low-key, film-noir inspired nighttime interiors will be set against dazzlingly bright daytime exteriors.
I’ll be looking to fill every frame with visual disparities: natural/manmade, beauty/squalor, rich/poor, ancient/modern.
Two-Way Split will exude effortless cool. Prowling, long-lens photography, coupled with the judicious use of slow motion and time cuts will give the film a slick sheen rarely seen in Scottish cinema. Although dealing with the criminal underclass, Two-Way Split will have a more American, hard-boiled feel, similar in look to the work of David Fincher, Tony Scott or Michael Mann.
Hand-held photography will give the film a sense of pace and urgency, helping the audience feel part of the unfolding narrative. It will also mean that the film can be shot quickly and economically, with the emphasis placed on plot and performance.
The violence in Two-Way Split will not be sensationalised. It will be sudden and frightening but undercut with humour. Most importantly it will have very human consequences.
Music will play a large role in Two-Way Split, often being used in an ironic context, emphasising the duality at the heart of the film. For example, classical music by Bach and Purcell will be used as a counterpoint to the action set-pieces. Scenes of violence will be accompanied by the upbeat swing of the likes of Louis Jordan’s There Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens.
Cast
Two-Way Split is full of the sort of characters that actors love to play. They’re rich, flawed, complex and bursting with great dialogue for actors to get their teeth into. Pearce (Kevin McKidd) is the emotional heart of Two-Way Split, eminently likeable, despite his hard man exterior. His quest for revenge will bring him close to destruction, but also offer him a chance of redemption.
The gang are younger, and will be made up of a new generation of Scottish acting talent. These are the sorts of actors who’d be cast in Trainspotting if it were being made in 2010. Robin is our way into the gang. There’s little as tense as unpredictability and this is introduced early on when it is revealed that Robin has stopped taking his medication and is gradually losing his grip on reality. Carol, his wife, is an attractive, sensual woman. She’s a thrill-seeker, bored with her banal life with Robin and attracted to the danger and excitement that Eddie offers. Eddie is the cold-blooded mastermind behind the post office knock-off. He’s a gambler, and no amount of overtime is going to pay off this debt. His affair with Carol has clouded his judgement when picking accomplices. As the plot escalates and tensions rise, relationships within the gang deteriorate. Then Robin’s brother arrives and things get really screwed up.
Audience
A strong cast, playing fascinating characters engaged in exciting activities within a compelling plot, Two-Way Split is designed to appeal to a wide mainstream audience. A vibrant and urgent visual style, coupled with an edgy soundtrack, should attract a similar crossover audience to films like Shallow Grave and Se7en. Though set in Scotland, with a bias towards Scottish themes, the plot and characters of Two-Way Split are universal. Indeed, the success with which Two-Way Split was published in the States proves the story will appeal to audiences internationally, as well as at home.
In conclusion
Two-Way Split could be produced on a relatively small budget; but low budget should not be equated to low production values. By controlling the budget, and shooting with creativity and intelligence, Two-Way Split will transcend its resources and become a truly innovative, compelling and hugely cinematic piece of work.
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