Looking for a certain type of film to watch...

Hi guys....

I'm trying to find some movies that have no dialogue (or little) set in one small location like a house or warehouse or something, with, for the most part, only one protagonist.

I want to start working on my first screenplay and my idea is set around one man, alone in a house. So I need to watch a few of these types of films first and hopefully find the screenplays online to read through!!

Some that immediately spring to mind are:

Moon (too much dialogue)
I am legend (not a small enough setting)
Buried (too much dialogue)
Cast away (not a small enough location)
devil (looks like it will be too much dialogue)

Some that look like they may fit the criteria, that I haven't seen yet:

The Thief - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045230/
Hell in the pacific - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063056/
one hundred mornings - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327827/
le dernier combat - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085426/
ofelas - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093668/
quest for fire - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082484/
the bear - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095800/
two brothers - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338512/
 
The Twilight Zone has dozens of stories that would fit your criteria.

For starters, check out the episode "The Invaders". :abduct:


I am legend (not a small enough setting)

You can get a copy of The Last Man on Earth (Vincent Price) for about $1 in pretty much any collection. It's the first movie adaptation of the I Am Legend story, and is about as spartan of a location as you can think of.


quest for fire

That sure ain't "one man in a single location" - not even close. :lol:

Good luck. :)
 
EVIL DEAD 2!!

- set in one location (a house)
- hardly any dialouge
- kick ass as hell!

Oh man, that is awesome! It's been so long since I've seen any of the Evil Deads.... Thanks a bunch!!

The Twilight Zone has dozens of stories that would fit your criteria.

For starters, check out the episode "The Invaders". :abduct:




You can get a copy of The Last Man on Earth (Vincent Price) for about $1 in pretty much any collection. It's the first movie adaptation of the I Am Legend story, and is about as spartan of a location as you can think of.

Sweet thanks mate...


[/quote]That sure ain't "one man in a single location" - not even close. :lol:

Good luck. :)[/QUOTE]

Oh well :D

I'm guessing it's like Apocalypto?
 
I actually just finished a somewhat similar film. A man alone in a fallout shelter. Eventually a second character enters, but he is alone with pretty much no dialogue fopr the first 8 minutes of a 25 minute short.
 
??? Home Alone, Duh.:) What about Cast Away??

Home Alone! hahaha....

Yep, I actually watched cast away 2 weeks ago on BD... I thinks it's just got too much of an open location.

I actually just finished a somewhat similar film. A man alone in a fallout shelter. Eventually a second character enters, but he is alone with pretty much no dialogue fopr the first 8 minutes of a 25 minute short.

Cool, Can we watch it? :D
 
If you're seeking that reclusive, secluded and solitary display. I can offer you not a film, but a book.

"The Diving Bell and The Butterfly" - Jean Dominique Bauby.

Although there IS a movie upon the book, i'd suggest that you read before you watch the movie, that is if you choose to do so at all, ofcourse.
 
Thanks Papertwinproductions!

I'm wondering if, on top of the solitary type film if you guys could also help by recommending movies with a type of twist ending like the usual suspects, the machinist, fight club, the sixth sense, the orphanage, old boy etc... Not just a regular twist but where something we thought was true the whole time is revealed in the form of flashbacks?

EDIT: I think this style is called unreliable narrator?
 
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I, too, am writing a screenplay that uses one location and one actor. Unfortunately, I've only been able to come up with one story idea I find interesting that can take place under these restrictions, so I can't give it away here. :)

What is comes down to, I think, is what do you personally find interesting? Fishing for ideas is fine, but to really make this work it has to be something you yourself would actually want to watch. I'd recommend just writing down a bunch of idea fragments, and then piece together the ones that grab your attention and see if you can form a whole story from them.
 
I, too, am writing a screenplay that uses one location and one actor. Unfortunately, I've only been able to come up with one story idea I find interesting that can take place under these restrictions, so I can't give it away here. :)

What is comes down to, I think, is what do you personally find interesting? Fishing for ideas is fine, but to really make this work it has to be something you yourself would actually want to watch. I'd recommend just writing down a bunch of idea fragments, and then piece together the ones that grab your attention and see if you can form a whole story from them.

I've already got the idea all sorted out. I just want to watch a few similar type movies not for ideas but to see how it's all put together and kept interesting, also to hopefully read the script and see how it's all done there too (i'm very new to all this)
 
Why is "Cast Away" too big of a location? He's on a freaking island. And you've got the entire Outback at your disposal! Without knowing anything about your story, I'm finding it difficult to answer your question.

Because, to be frank, I can't help but wonder why your screenplay needs these constraints. Are you planning to shoot this yourself? Are you writing something that you think would be easier to shoot? If so, I understand that, cuz I've done the same. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this.
 
Why is "Cast Away" too big of a location? He's on a freaking island. And you've got the entire Outback at your disposal! Without knowing anything about your story, I'm finding it difficult to answer your question.

Well he's got the whole island, a lot of things to do to keep the audience entertained. For this particular idea I have, it's set in a house and maybe the back yard or front yard....

Because, to be frank, I can't help but wonder why your screenplay needs these constraints. Are you planning to shoot this yourself? Are you writing something that you think would be easier to shoot? If so, I understand that, cuz I've done the same. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this.

I was planning to shoot it with a small a crew as possible in one location.

It's about one man in a house. I have an idea for it already with a few scenes written down but I just wanted to find similar movies to see how they are put together.
 
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What about "Silent Running"? I haven't seen it since I was a kid, but I remember the majority of the film is just one guy. Probably more locations than you'll be using, but it might make for a good case study.
 
I think the only one location / one actor thing I could stand would be if she was a very hot chick, with not much in the way of wardrobe.

Why are people driven to make these things?
 
I think the only one location / one actor thing I could stand would be if she was a very hot chick, with not much in the way of wardrobe.

Why are people driven to make these things?

I can't speak for anyone else, but for me it's pure logistics. Pretty much all I have available to me is one location, and one actor.

I feel lucky in that I've come up with a story I can tell under these restrictions that is actually interesting and should make for a good and entertaining film. I hate boring movies and have no intention of making one of those. :)
 
What about "Silent Running"? I haven't seen it since I was a kid, but I remember the majority of the film is just one guy. Probably more locations than you'll be using, but it might make for a good case study.

Awesome, i'll check it out. Thanks!

I can't speak for anyone else, but for me it's pure logistics. Pretty much all I have available to me is one location, and one actor.

Yep, same here. Although I'm a long way off actually making it yet... Although when I do get to the point when I'm ready I'll be renting all the proper equipment (especially cameras) So it will be as cinematic as possible.

I feel lucky in that I've come up with a story I can tell under these restrictions that is actually interesting and should make for a good and entertaining film. I hate boring movies and have no intention of making one of those. :)

Good luck with it, I hope our ideas are different. What stage have you reached with yours?

BTW, have you seen "The 24th Day"? Not 1, but 2 guys in a house most of the film and apparently not a bad little flick to boot. My mum recommended I watch it for this.
 
Good luck with it, I hope our ideas are different. What stage have you reached with yours?

I'm betting our ideas are different, but you never know. I was contacted by a friend of a friend who had an idea for a movie and was wondering if I could do some CG shots for a promotional teaser. Turns out his idea was nearly identical to a script I was already 60 pages into writing, and it wasn't the most obvious thing ever. Crazy stuff. (I'm currently stuck on page 87 of that script, but once I get past this trouble spot it's a clear shot to the end of the story.)

For the one-actor movie idea I have 18 pages written out in full and have my basic story arc to the end all planned out. Now it's just a matter of filling in all the little details.

BTW, have you seen "The 24th Day"? Not 1, but 2 guys in a house most of the film and apparently not a bad little flick to boot. My mum recommended I watch it for this.

Nope, hadn't heard of that one. I'll give it a watch!
 
Hi guys....

I'm trying to find some movies that have no dialogue (or little) set in one small location like a house or warehouse or something, with, for the most part, only one protagonist.

I want to start working on my first screenplay and my idea is set around one man, alone in a house. So I need to watch a few of these types of films first and hopefully find the screenplays online to read through!!

Some that immediately spring to mind are:

Moon (too much dialogue)
I am legend (not a small enough setting)
Buried (too much dialogue)
Cast away (not a small enough location)
devil (looks like it will be too much dialogue)

Some that look like they may fit the criteria, that I haven't seen yet:

The Thief - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045230/
Hell in the pacific - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063056/
one hundred mornings - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327827/
le dernier combat - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085426/
ofelas - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093668/
quest for fire - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082484/
the bear - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095800/
two brothers - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338512/


This may not fit your needs, since there is a great deal of talking, but it's in a small space the entire time, and it's beautifully written. Glengarry Glenross is one of the best films I've ever seen, and the best script I've ever read. You can find the script online. It's a great film with some amazing AMAZING actors. While there is a lot of dialogue it's a must see for ANYONE writing a script. It teaches great character development, and it's just a great film. Check it out.
 
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