Criterion B: Developing · Scene 1: The Setup · Focus: Cinematography
FBI agent A has to hand a USB drive holding the only copy of the case against a gang, witness names included, to Agent B, but while A waits and talks to B on the phone, a gang member listens at the door, creeps in and steals the drive from the table, so A must chase him before the only copy of the case is gone for good.
Agent A: an FBI agent. Confident and a little careless: he turns his back on the drive while he talks. He needs to get the drive safely into Agent B’s hands so the FBI can move on the gang tonight.
Agent B: the agent A is handing the drive to. We only hear B’s voice and see an outline in the dark. Careful and calm. B is two minutes away and wants the drive kept in sight.
The Criminal (C): a gang member, hood up. Quiet, patient and quick. He has followed A and wants the drive because it holds the case against his gang, including the names of the people who informed on them.
By the end of Scene 1 the audience should understand that A and B are FBI agents meeting to hand over a USB drive that holds the whole case against a gang, and that the handover matters because the FBI moves on the gang tonight.
They should understand why the criminal steals it: he listens at the door, hears that the witness names are on the drive, and takes it while A’s back is turned. The audience sees him before A does, which builds the suspense.
They should understand why the chase begins: the drive is the only copy of the case, and B is still two minutes away, so A alone must keep the criminal in sight or the case, and everyone named on it, is lost. The mood moves from quiet suspense (a ticking clock, a stranger at the door) to sudden urgency and fast movement.
| Section | What happens | Audience learns or feels |
|---|---|---|
| The Conversation | A waits in the empty Art Pod with the drive on the table, on the phone with B. B asks if it is the only copy; A says it is, the whole case is on it. A turns to the window and says the witness names are on it and that the FBI moves tonight. Behind him the criminal appears at the door and listens. | The audience learns what the drive is, that it is the only copy, and that the FBI moves tonight. They feel suspense: they can see the criminal, A can’t. |
| The Trigger / Inciting Incident | The criminal creeps in while A talks. His hand closes around the drive. A turns: the table is empty. He looks up; the criminal is in the doorway. He holds up the drive, smiles, and runs. | The audience learns the handover has failed and the gang now has the case. They feel the shock of the empty table after the slow, quiet approach. |
| Launch the Beginning of the Chase | A’s chair scrapes back and he runs. B on the phone: “Don’t lose him. I’m coming.” In the hallway the criminal turns a corner with A behind him. | The audience feels urgency: B is on the way, but for now A is alone, and if he loses sight of the criminal the case is gone. |
INT. ART POD – DAY (AFTER SCHOOL)
The empty Art Pod. A clock ticks. AGENT A sits at a table, a phone to his ear. On the table, next to his bag, lies a USB drive.
INT. DARK ROOM – UNKNOWN
Darkness. Only the outline of AGENT B, holding a phone.
AGENT B
You’ve got the drive?
INTERCUT – ART POD / DARK ROOM
AGENT A
Right here.
AGENT B
Is that the only copy?
AGENT A
The only one. The whole case is on here.
AGENT B
Then keep it in sight. I’m two minutes away.
Agent A turns to the window, his back to the room. Behind him, the CRIMINAL appears in the doorway, hood up. He stops and listens. We see him. A doesn’t.
AGENT A
Relax. Witness names, everything. Once it’s in your hands, we move on the gang tonight.
The criminal creeps in, one slow step at a time. Only the clock and his breathing.
His hand closes around the drive.
AGENT A
...and they won’t even know we’re–
Agent A turns back. The table is empty. Only the bag.
He looks up. The criminal is in the doorway. He holds up the drive, smiles, and runs.
Agent A’s chair scrapes back. He runs after him.
AGENT B (V.O.)
(through the phone)
A? What’s going on?
AGENT A
He took it! He’s got the drive!
AGENT B (V.O.)
Don’t lose him. I’m coming.
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY – CONTINUOUS
Ahead, the criminal turns a corner. Agent A follows.
END OF SCENE 1