The Devil's Game.
Pitched by Danielle
Worrall
Synopsis:
A man with a lot of personal troubles has lost all hope, he thinks by chance he comes across an old
book containing a ritual in which you can contact the Devil. In a last effort the protagonist contacts the
Devil in order to bargain for a better life. The Devil planned for this to happen, and his plans have
finally weaved its ways into this feeble humans mind.
In order to gather the answers that the protagonist so desperately desires, he needs to challenge
Satan to 'The Devil's Game'. To play 'The Devil's Game' you need your wits to be as sharp as glassalways be prepared for the game to take an unexpected turn in the opposition's favor. If victorious he
will achieve his greatest desires, however if he fails he will have to pay the most valuable thing he has
left.
The protagonist and Devil engage in a battle of intellect, 30 years of intellect versus the prince's
endless pit of knowledge... the victor of the game seems inevitable but in the games anyone can win if
they play their cards right.
The protagonist slips up and doesn't come out whole, his most valued possession was himself- and his
soul gets trapped within the mirror (which was the portal to hell).
Pray, for devils have no reason
Satan waits to curse your ways
Have you seen it in his eyes in the sunset?
Have you wondered if he’s laughing when he plays?
-Kansas, 'The Devil Game'.
Genre/ style:
There is no specifies genre that I had in mind wile developing 'The Devil's Game', however looking at
the tone that I wish to create I would place it in the horror and drama genre. I plan to apply a dark and
gloomy color palette to 'The Devil's Game'. I am going to do this in order to create a gritty atmosphere
that is supposedly tense to watch, as well as the atmosphere enhancing the dialogue and interactions
between the two main characters.
The style of 'The Devil's Game' program would hopefully be comparable to the auteur Tim Burton. He
tends to used gloomy locations with ill looking characters- and this usually induce fear in the
subconscious minds of the audience (Alice In Wonderland, Edward Scissor Hands, Legend Of Sleepy
Hollow, Sweeney Todd, Beetle Juice ).
Also to keep the dark theme I planned to include the song 'The Devil Game' By Kansas within the
trailer for 'The Devil's Game'. I think it would be entertaining because they share a name, and also
because the song itself would create an odd twist to the trailer, while fitting the theme I am trying to
create at the same time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DoGF0Ci9JI
Concept art:
Characters:
Lucifer:
He is an extremely clever entity, and uses his mind to achieve his goals- and pushing through whoever
gets in his way. He is very charming and knows how to manipulate mortals, they are merely
entertainment for him to kill the next few centuries with. The more interesting you are, the longer he'll
keep you around.
Lucifer used to be a loyal high-ranking angle, however the life God had goven him did not seem fitting
enough. Lucifer grew tired of the humans that God adored, and wanted more power. Consequently he
was made to fall from heaven as a result of his pride, left to roam the earth for the remainder of the
universe.
Tobias:
His wife suffered a miscarriage, as a result she grew depressed and eventually committed suicide.
Tobias comforted her and did everything he could possibly do to help her, however she had grown
tired of life and the hurt she had experienced. Consequently he also grew depressed, started
drinking and lost his job in an office. He felt betrayed by the lack of support he got from his
colleagues and employers- they just rejected him. Tobias had lost faith in humanity and grown
tired of trivial everyday matters. He had to sell his house and rent a small shabby apartment in a
bad area of town- somewhere where he knew nobody, but that is what he wanted. Isolation.
Actors:
Satan: Godfrey Gao
The reason I chose him to play the role was because I think he played Magnus Bane
perfectly in 'The Mortal Instrument: City Of Bones'. When I watched Gao in that film, I
could instantly see him in the role of Satan in 'The Devil's Game'. He contains charisma,
charm, and wit- all of these are critical traits to obtain when playing the ageless prince
of darkness. I think that Godfrey Gao would fit the role perfectly and produce flawless
work.
Protagonist: Robert Knepper
From watching Knepper's performance as 'Tea Bag' in 'Prison Break', I came to
the realization that he would be great for the role of the desperate protagonist.
The protagonist has nothing to lose, is desperate for answers- these things
reminded me of Teabag's sprint for freedom and money within 'Prison Break'.
He was pushed into a corner on numerous occasions and yet he always
managed to get himself out by using his intellect. Knepper is more than capable
of providing the necessary character aspects needed to execute the act of my
main character.
Director's statement:
I want to tell this story because I personally feel passionate about it. I am genuinely interested in
mythology, supernatural occurrences (I don't believe in it but it is still interesting to read about), and
symbolism within history. Obviously there is little evidence of supernatural occurrences in real life, so
the happenings in 'The Devil's Game' have no evidence to support it- however I am going to use that
fact to my advantage. The fact that there is no evidence ,means that creatively I have no rules to follow
(apart from TV regulations- however they could easily be overcome by showing 'The Devil's Game' past
the 9pm watershed on television). I can exaggerate or play down the storyline as much as I please, as
there is no one to tell me what is and is not realistic within this horror drama genre.
I feel that if I intertwine my plot with relatable characters (rejects of society), then I will gain the
audience's attention and sympathy for my characters. I cannot think of a television program that sets
it's entire base plot in one location for the entirety of the program- I realize that I will have to be
extremely careful to thicken the plot so as not to bore the audience with the similar surrounding.
Rather than the television program being concept based, I'm aiming to make it character based in order
to put the audience in different situations with each character- meaning that hopefully my program will
be more relatable. I'm purposefully including a lack of locations so as to focus on the conversations and
interactions between the two main characters. This will allow the audience to know them and try to
guess what will happen next in the plot- hopefully the plot twist will be unexpected though.
Location:
In the story the correct setting is an abandoned building at midnight. Yes, this is cliche, but you can't exactly
execute a satanic ritual in broad daylight can you? The lack of light will add suspense and tension.
In reality, I don't have access to an abandoned building at midnight, it would break multiple health and safety
issues, and since I'd be filming by myself a lot of the time I don't want to put myself at risk by being out so late.
I have thought of a solution to make up for the lack of abandoned building within my grasp- I plan to film
establishing shots, and perhaps some close-up shots from the outside. I might be able to get away with filming
exterior shots of the building outside, as it will be dark and hopefully no one will be able to tell.
As for actual location- Wealstone Lane park in Upton seems like a place with many opportunities- it has leaves on
the ground which could act as debris inside the abandoned building, as well as open shelters and trees outlining
the perimeter- they could be used to film the protagonist walking to the abandoned house.
Budget:
Camera was around £120
Memory card around £4
Tripod £20
The only thing that I needed for this project was equipment (which I already owned). The rest of the things I
needed such as candles, ribbon, and a mirror are also already owned by me.
Shooting time:
I plan to shoot over a period of 1-3 days. I will do exterior shots first at the park, then
exterior shots of buildings, then interior shots of the actual ritual (inside my house).
I'll have to schedule my filming time around my days off as well, if I stick to a rigid shooting
schedule then it should all be fine, regarding time management.
Key workers:
Danielle Worrall[ Director, producer, writer, editor]:
Danielle attended Upton-By-Chester High school since 2008 and focused on
the artistic subjects which she enjoyed, she then attended sixth form at
Upton for 1 year. Danielle currently studies at West-Cheshire college in
Ellesmere Port and studies Film and Video Level 3. She has little experience
with a camera, and mainly enjoys the editing and writing process of the film
industry as opposed to the physical side. Danielle works at Watergate Deli
and the Chester Dungeon in Chester, and often likes to watch television
shows in her free time.
Her skills include; basic editing, planning a plot and film, collaborating with
others to finish a job to a high standard.
Contact:
[email protected]
07922226616
01244 378748
Any questions?