Prop List

Prop List

Mug of Coffee - This mug of coffee will be one similar to the one seen in the picture. It looks like it was a gift and the audience are presumed to assume that it was a gift from his son, this reinforces the bond between the son and his father to the audience. This particular part where the mug is seen will be in the shot where he is playing with his son - the father will be playing with his son, perhaps playing with some of his toys, and then the camera switches focus to behind the father and son where his mug on the table will be sitting. A title may possibly be spanning around the mug, perhaps the Producer or Editor, something like that.

Newspaper - The newspaper is another possible prop which could be used in the same scene just before the son comes up to his father to ask him to play with his toys with him. Alternatively, it could be used in one of the first scenes where the father discovers there has been a series of mysterious deaths, but he knows they're murders. This could be an important part of the plot because its when the father starts getting dragged into the story.

Toys - The kid will be playing with them during one of the scenes. As mentioned previously, the kid will come up to his dad in one of the opening scenes and asks him to play with him; the father has a conversation with him and then he goes on to play with him, and this is when the shot of the mug takes place. The toys are not particularly significant but they are a prop, and therefore required on the Prop List.

Phone - As mentioned in my Treatment post, the phone will be used when the father is out away from his son and his phone rings, only to be confronted with a mysterious voice on the other end telling him things about his son which he wouldn't otherwise have known without actually being near him, e.g. the clothes he is wearing. The point at which the phone is used is an important turning point in the story as it is when the father realises the true intent of what's happening, and the seriousness of it all.

Letter - This is yet again another prop which may or may not be used in the opening sequence. The father will be posting the letter in a post box and this is where the mysterious phone call takes place, after he posts the letter. The letter won't be significant at all, it could just be something like a Birthday Card the father is posting, but essentially it the letter is what would lead up to the phone call it is not a major prop in the story.
Car - The car hasn't been decided on, however we're not obviously going to be driving it, there will only be shots of us getting in and out of the car and possibly some interior shots of us actually in the car. The car will sort of act as a transition shot so when we get in the car the audience knows we're about to switch scene.

Knives - The knives probably won't even be used apart from in the shot where the father secretively opens the case to reveal the knives. The knives are there to create the effect of violence, and there might be a little montage clip of the father (Jack's Character) observing and cleaning the knives all thoroughly to give the audience the sense that the father is serious, especially when it comes to situations about his 'past life' which also involves his son.

Dusty Box - The dusty box is going to be the box in which the knives are kept, and it's going to be dusty because the father hasn't used them for years since he quit his shady job as an assassin. Because the box is dusty it creates the effect that he's going back to something he hasn't done for a while, and its sort of an "emotional" time in the story for the father as he quit his job long ago and now he is being dragged back into it all.

Booklet/Diary - I mentioned in my treatment that a booklet or diary will be present in the scene with the father and his best friend. This is still a possibility obviously, but the best friend (Daniel's Character) will hand the father a diary containing a page with a name/(s) and the father will rip out the page while looking over his shoulder to check if any body is watching, then he continues to put the ripped page in his pocket.

Gun - Not mentioned in my treatment as this was an idea which our group came up with and developed, but a gun will be used in a scene which will take place within an abandoned barn where the Antagonist (Connor's/My Character) will be holding the father's son at gun point. This is basically right at the end of the opening sequence so the chances are it won't be a very long scene, but it will be a tense moment as it is where everything in the opening sequence has led to.