‘’The Arcade Story’’

By Sammy Ali and Adrianna Paniak

Throughout the story we learn that DENNIS is not the hero we think he is, we see the two sides of

him, the absentee father and the winner in the arcade. He has a hard and absent relationship with

his son. Deception is on the card. People are not who we think they are. In the arcade DENNIS is the

hero but outside where there is drudgery. Outside the arcade, there is drudgery, hardship of life but

inside the arcade, life is but a dream, DENNIS becomes a different man, a master of his fate, the time

flies by as he is on the verge of grasping his dream.

EXT. MARGATE, TURNER CONTEMPORARY, MORNING

Dutch tilt of a pair of man’s shoes on the pavement, it’s a pair of dirty trainers.

Dolly follows the steps taken on the pavement.

Medium shot of the man’s mysterious silhouette.

A close up of his right hand which holding a jar 2 pence coins.

Crabbing shot of the Turner Contemporary in Margate with the man becoming the focus of the

camera. It’s DENNIS who is a thirty three year old man, father of Leo, he tries to win the favour of his

son after being absent from his life for most of his childhood because of career choices, he is a

wealthy man but doesn’t dress like it, he hopes that winning the toy car at the arcade will bring him

and Leo closer together.

POV, we see the scene through the eyes of the protagonist, an empty street.

Long shot of an empty street, a single driving car and the silence of the scene, it is becoming eerie

because it is very unnatural. The town is waking up, the sun is peeping out from the horizon, there is

a cleaning van on the beach, bar and cafes are just beginning to open.

Digetic sound of seagulls, sea and the cleaning van on the beach.

Medium shot of DENNIS walking towards a crossing.

Close up of DENNIS’s hand pressing the button.

Long shot of the street with the green light flickering and DENIIS walking on.

Medium shot of the carrier bag DENNIS is holding in his other, left hand. He sits on bench nearby

and takes a thermos from it.

Close up of the pouring tea.

Over the shoulder shot of DENNIS looking up to the clock tower.

A zoom of the clock’s hands moving to point out 6 o’clock in the morning.

An arch shot of DENNIS looking towards the street opposite him as in to wait for something to

happen.

An extreme wide shot reveals a boy at the corner of the street. It’s Leo, a kid who hangs around the

arcade, DENNI’S son, he doesn’t know his father and is not interested in meeting someone who left

his mother in such a poor state, he supports the family by pick pocketing.

An arc shot of DENNIS at the sight of the boy; he hurries of the bench, puts the thermos back in the

carrier bag and walks towards the next crossing without even waiting for the light to turn green.

A panning shot of the arcade windows.

A POV shot of DENNIS chasing Leo until the boy stops outside FUN SHINE AMUSEMENTS.

A reaction shot, an extreme close up of a 2 pence coin on the pavement, a close up of LEO’s smirk

on his face. He picks the coin up and puts it in his pocket. He walks inside the arcade.

A mid shot (low angle) from the outside of the arcade, sound is inaudible.

INT. MARAGTE, FUN SHIME AMUSEMENTS, MORNING

Camera tracks LEO as he takes a step inside the arcade.

Camera continues tracking LEO as he walks between the colourful machines.

Overwhelming digetic sound of pop music, coins falling and machines playing.

POV of the man inside, ANTONY. He is a flirt with everyone starting with old ladies and ending on

young women, they all love him. He works at the arcade as a staff member behind the prize counter.

He follows Leo with his eyes, suspecting the little boy is up to something.

Mysteriously he vanishes behind a dark door saying ‘’STAFF ONLY’’.

Over the shoulder shot of LEO looking over his shoulder at where ANTHONY went.

Camera tracks LEO as seeing no sign of the employee he goes on a drive by of all the working

machines, seeing if any coins have fallen out and kicking in into some of them seeing if pressure will

make them spill out cash. He stops at one 2 pence machine where the coins are stacked down to fall

sooner or later.

Close up of LEO taking out the 2 pence coin he found outside the arcade. He blows on it for luck and

puts it in the slot.

Deep focus on LEO’s sour expression

Eyeline match of LEO scouting on for his next victim around the vicinity of the establishment and

automatically spotting a boy and a girl standing together trying to win a cuddly toy. LEO has a smirk

on his face again and smiles to himself thinking they has no idea what will they are in for.

EXT. MARGATE, STREET, MIDDAY

Again he is observed by someone outside. Long shot of a figure’s back.

INT. MARAGTE, FUN SHIME AMUSEMENTS, MIDDAY

LEO walks towards the couple and says that he knows which machine always give out toys and that if

they will follow him the girl will have what she wants. The girl’s boyfriend persuaded by her agrees

and takes out his wallet.

A three shot shows LEO positing himself behind the boyfriend so that being victorious in seeing

where the boy has his wallet and secluding them from the rest of the people he goes into action.

Just as he is about to pick pocket the couple he is interrupted by someone walking past them.

Close up of DENNIS’s shoes stepping into the arcade.

LEO’s operation is blown. The boyfriend doesn’t win the toy and walks off with the disappointed

girlfriend.

The Camera seizes up DENNIS while he takes from his bag a page ripped out from a catalogue.

POV DENNIS, everything is moving very quickly. The camera zooms in on the car behind the ‘’ PRIZE’’

shelf.

The camera tilts from the shelf to DENNIS.

Now DENNIS is observed by LEO who has watched him from the moment the old man interrupted

his gig. Long shot of a figure’s back.

Close up of DENNIS folding the page and restoring it into his chest pocket on his cardigan.

Medium shot of DENNIS walking towards an exchange coin machine.

A close up of DENNIS taking out a £1 coin from his wallet.

Close up a picture of LEO inside the wallet.

A Dutch tilt of the 2 pence coins falling out.

A low angle shot of DENNIS, showing his God like status in the arcade.

A POV shot of LEO watching DENNIS put all the coins into his jar.

Camera tracks DENNIS as he finds out a new game ‘’PAC MAN’’ in the arcade.

A tilt of coins going in on one end and tickets coming out on the other.

There is a zoom of the words on the screen saying ‘’WINNER’’.

There is a fast montage of DENNIS winning tickets in the game. A two shot of them both with

ANTONIO observing his with amazement and suspicion. DENNIS is drinking more and more from his

thermos. Random strangers played by extras: Sammy, Adrianna, Marissa, Umit walking around the

establishment.

Two shot of LEO coming to stand next to DENNIS side by side. LEO tries to pick pocket DENNIS

however DENNIS has watched the kid try his tricks on many players at the arcade that he is ready for

whatever the boy tries on him. Before the boy can do anything DENNIS persuades him to play

against him.

LEO puts in a coin into the slot and tries to challenge DENNIS. They play the game for many rounds

on end.

Close up of DENNIS and LEO’s face. They start to sweat. DENNIS puts all his energy into beating LEO.

DENNIS wins.

Digetic tune announcing the winner in the game beating all the previous records.

Mid shot of LEO looking at the screen from behind.

Extreme close up of his eyes in which for the first time there is disappointment as for the first time

when he tried to earn something it all paid him nothing.

Tracking shot of DENNIS going to the ‘’PRIZE’’ counter.

Dutch tilt of DENNIS putting all his tickets into the EXCHNAGE machine and receiving a little receipt

with the number of all his tickets.

Over the shoulder shot of DENNIS observing LEO.

Mid shot on the machine eating tickets and DENNIS looking down to receive the receipt.

Extreme close up on the number 8500 on the ticket. DENNIS takes the receipt and goes over to the

counter.

A panning shot of DENNIS walks past all the toys on the display and stopping at the counter.

Medium shot of DENNIS pressing the bell on the counter and waiting for someone to appear from

the ‘’STAFF ONLY’’ door.

Digetic sound of the bell ringing.

Medium shot of ANTHONY emerging from behind the door.

Over the shoulder shot of ANTONY looking suspiciously at DENNIS.

Dennis smiles and puts the receipt and the ripped out catalogue page with an image on the desk in

front.

An extreme close up of a car, circled with a red marker pen.

ANTONY nonchalantly picks it up and walks off.

Crabbing shot of ANTHONY looking for the item off the page. Camera stops as he finds it. He takes

off it the tag with the number of tickets that it was up for.

POV ANTONY as he shuffles around the other toys to fill in the empty space on the display cabinet.

Close up of the car as ANTONY drives it down the ledge of the counter into DENNIS’s finger.

Asynchronous sound of the car’s alarm.

Dutch tilt of DENNIS taking the car and nodding to ANTONY before he turns to the exit.

Close up of DENNIS’s shoes as they walk out of the arcade and step onto the pavement.

EXT. MARGATE, STREET, AFTERNOON

Over the shoulder shot of DENNIS noticing LEO across the road, looking out into the sea.

Long shot of DENNIS rushing over the road with the car in his left hand.

Two shot of DENNIS standing next to LEO.

Medium shot of their backs.

DENNIS dishevels LEO’s hair.

DENNIS

1955 vintage Fiat Fiesta.

(Turning to him his face)

Are you happy now kid? What am I going to tell your mum?

LEO (taking out a female purse)

That you just won the lottery, dad.

(Throwing the pursue into DENNIS)

Camera zooms to LEO’s right side of his face.

Soft focus as the two walk down to the beach. LEO smiles.

They talk and laugh but the sound is inaudible.

Two shot of LEO running into the sea and DENNIS looking out in the water still.

THE END