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Is this a plot hole?

H

harmonica44

I have a script where kidnappers are broadcasting the threat of killing their hostage, to the person who is paying the ransom. However, the broadcast is live. But why? Why not just prerecord the video, then broadcast it? Why would the kidnappers broadcast it live?

Obviously I want the kidnappers to show it live for suspense purposes, but they could pre-record it for convenience, plus then the signal of where the video is coming from, can be traced, and the bad guys could be gone by then, if they pre-record it. So is their a reason why they would do it live?

Oh also, I was wondering, if I should use a 'FADE IN', since a lot of people don't seem to be using that in modern scripts lately, or does it still make a good impression to use one?

Thanks!
 
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Well in order for the plot to work, such as the cops busting in on the kidnappers while they are broacasting, I have to make it live, or at least make it work another way, in which they are caught in the progress of the crime.
 
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They couldn't record it until after they have the hostage.

There's a time issue with recording it, then shipping the tape off somewhere to broadcast it.

I think the plot hole would be how they have access to broadcasting equipment that the person paying the ransom would see.
 
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Will Vincent said:
The heist footage in Ocean's 11 was pre-recorded to cover up the actual robbery. So, maybe even if it's pre-recorded you don't let the audience in on that until later.
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...Good point! That was a situation where it was necessary to have it pre-recorded. Create a necessity and then fill it.


Alcove Audio said:
It could be a web-cast.
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...True, also. Also a more believable media to convince an audience about not being able to track the signal.



harmonica44,

If you have to have it be a live broadcast, include an element of the kidnapping that requires that it be live. Have them show an established clock showing the time (like a clock tower) and make demands by a certain time. In "The Bone Collector", Denzel had to figure out where the victim was before she got cooked by a huge steam pipe. Maybe include an element into the kidnapping that is set to go off at a certain time should the people not agree to their demands.

The act of something being "live" adds a certain degree of "anxiousness" by it's own nature. Seeing a loved one live on TV is more intense than if it were pre-recorded, Knowing they are right there in front of you and there's nothing you can do. You may not need any justification for a live feed based merely on that.

-Birdman
 
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Okay thanks. But I still don't see why it would be live though to the villains. In season 8 of 24 for example, the kidnappers lead the U.S. government to believe that a foreign leader that is important to them, will be killed on a live broadcast, in a short amount of time.

They are watching on the TV and see that he is still alive, and believe he can be killed at any moment. Jack Bauer and his team bust in, only to find that it was a pre-recording all along, and everyone was only meant to believe it was live. So when the kidnappers can just lie about it being live, and lie about their being an accurate clock in the video, even though it was pre-recorded before, there doesn't seem to be a logical reason for it to have to be live.

But I would like to be for my plot since what is being shown has to be live in order to work.
 
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people who try to take hostages in exchange for a ransom are RARELY ever smart people. It's completely believable to me that they didn't think to do it ahead of time.

Also, you could make is so they recorded it ahead of time, but one of the bad guys (the "idiot" one) accidentally records over the tape, or somehow breaks or destroys it. Maybe the main bad guy executes him for his mistake. "f**k it we'll do it live!"
 
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moonshieldmedia said:
people who try to take hostages in exchange for a ransom are RARELY ever smart people. It's completely believable to me that they didn't think to do it ahead of time.

Also, you could make is so they recorded it ahead of time, but one of the bad guys (the "idiot" one) accidentally records over the tape, or somehow breaks or destroys it. Maybe the main bad guy executes him for his mistake. "f**k it we'll do it live!"
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hahahahahaha that would be so funny if he put that in his script
 
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harmonica44 said:
Okay thanks. But I still don't see why it would be live though to the villains.
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Because in 24 they never intended anything other than the assassination.
maybe you guys actually want to negotiate for something and by doing it live they are using that as leverage

also ask yourself this.. when you were watching 24 did you think to yourself.. no way this is live!! why would they do it live??? or did you accept that it was live at the time and that seemed okay ??

just because one show had a twist doesn't mean that exact same twist has to exist in every single show.

i knew i would regret opening this thread :lol:
 
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First of all... Am I the only one who thinks this is really weird? Why are you questioning your characters motivations? They're your characters. You make them think and act the way they do. It's your plot. You tell us why it's live. If you can't think of any good reason why it has to be live, you can change it to something that suits. It's completely up to you.

Having said that, if you want it to be live, the antagonists could have some kind of a scrambler which prevents the signal from being traced.

Or, they can somehow redirect the signal to another location, so that the good guys can plan the big rescue, burst into the warehouse, and.... Nobody's there!
 
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moonshieldmedia said:
people who try to take hostages in exchange for a ransom are RARELY ever smart people. It's completely believable to me that they didn't think to do it ahead of time.

Also, you could make is so they recorded it ahead of time, but one of the bad guys (the "idiot" one) accidentally records over the tape, or somehow breaks or destroys it. Maybe the main bad guy executes him for his mistake. "f**k it we'll do it live!"
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...He can't have the kidnappers be stupid. The whole reason people are paying $15 to see harmonica44's movie is to see "Smart Kidnappers" trying to pull off something extremely difficult. You can click on any online news site and get plenty of stupid criminals for free.

In the movie, "Now You See Me", the illusionists made a live broadcast, but concealed it using tech. The police burst into a room where they thought the illusionists were broadcasting from only to discover electronic devices. In their case, it HAD to be live, because they were addressing crowds of people gathered in in a large city.

My advice would be to apply an element in the kidnapping that involves a "time restriction". For instance, have one of the kidnappers inject the victim with a toxin that will kill him/her within x amount of hours. Once the injection goes in ...the clock starts ticking. If they pre-record it at a different location or time it would throw off the deadline. Same goes for some type of scenario like in the movie, "Saw". Set up some type of visible booby trap that will kill the victim in x amount of hours.

If you have a timer set on your victim (which is a typical part of a kidnapping) you can justify the live broadcast.

-Birdman
 
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its only a plot hole if its inconsistent.
I dont see how recorded or live would be a plot hole, unless it was inconsistent. I.e. you have them prerecord it and then later get busted when it airs.. that would be a hole.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_hole
A plot hole, or plothole is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot, sometimes even contradicting itself. These include such things as unlikely behaviour or actions of characters, illogical or impossible events, events happening for no apparent reason, or, statements or events that contradict earlier events in the storyline.

Example plot hole: StarWars
Major Plot Hole: Darth Vader is clueless about the existence of his own children, while less powerful members of the family just sense their relationships.

Super Plot Hole: On the topic of the Skywalker family tree, wasn't the existence and identity of Vader's children supposed to be a secret? Why, then, was Luke allowed to retain the surname Skywalker, and why did everyone know that Leia was a Princess (a title she must have inherited from her mother, or else it is the most conspicuous cover identity imaginable)? You don't need Force-powers to put two and two together here....
 
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wheatgrinder said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_hole
A plot hole, or plothole is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot, sometimes even contradicting itself. These include such things as unlikely behaviour or actions of characters, illogical or impossible events, events happening for no apparent reason, or, statements or events that contradict earlier events in the storyline.
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...See bolded text. Harmonica's argument is that it would be "illogical" for the kidnappers to do a live broadcast when they could easily prerecord it and remain completely safe.

It would be illogical for masked gunmen to enter a bank and then remove their masks only to get caught on video. We've seen it happen before in movies, but there were extenuating circumstances that required the mask removal. If you wrote a script having masked gunmen suddenly choose to remove their masks for no apparent reason, you can bet your sweet ass people in the audience will think that was a pretty stupid idea.

On the flip side, we see extremely complex million dollar heist plans where the whole plan hinges on a guard lighting a cigarette at a certain time. NOBODY in their right mind would have their entire heist based on something so completely random and out of one's control ...yet they do it all the time on film.

Harmonica's problem is on the "low end" of the plot hole spectrum, but I share his angst in wanting to resolve the issue.

-Birdman
 
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Sorry, Birdman, but believability and plot hole are two completely different things.

There are hundreds of reasons why the kidnappers might have/want to broadcast live, but it's up to harmonica to write the best one.

If I saw a movie where a bank heister suddenly took off his mask, I'm not thinking "the writer screwed up!"... I'm thinking "what is the writer trying to say about this particular character that he doesn't care if his face is shown?"

And in the case of the wiki definition, illogical means that it doesn't make sense in a literal way i.e. the fact that a particular occurrence negates another occurrence, making it illogical in that sequence of events. Literal, and not subjective. You should have highlighted the section that says "unlikely behaviour or actions of characters" which is subjective, but I wouldn't use a publicly edited website to define a word anyway.
 
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