Major Project: Initial Idea Development

Major project idea

I would like to write a feature length script for this project, as with the appropriate level of research and development, I feel I am capable of writing a script for a feature length film to an excellent standard.

What is the subject of my proposed script? Well, all will become clear on the next slide…

The idea

Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve been interested in cars and motorsport. So I decided, why not combine two interests of mine for this project? Motorsport and scriptwriting.

My favourite motorsport is drifting. This is a sport where drivers intentionally slide the back of the car out when negotiating corners, but the skill is in being able to keep the car sideways for as long as possible without spinning or leaving the track.

I feel this motorsport could create an excellent basis for a feature film. Now I know what you’re all thinking, that’s already been done, in the third film in the Fast and Furious franchise: Tokyo Drift. Indeed it has, but I plan to base my script solely on the UK drifting scene, whereas, as the name suggests, Tokyo Drift concentrates on the Japanese drifting scene and culture.

By writing a feature length script for a film covering this subject, I hope to be able to provide an entertaining and informative insight into the excitement and exhilaration that is the grass roots drifting scene in the UK. 

The story

The film will follow a young lad, 12 or 13 at the start, from being a teen tearaway and getting into all sorts of trouble with the law, to then progressing to joyriding and stealing cars. After doing this one too many times and being arrested, found guilty and given a custodial sentence for it, upon his release he decides enough is enough.

Once released from prison, he realises that he must do something with his life, and not get tempted to return to his old ways. So he starts looking into motorsport, and finds out that anyone with a driving license can get into drifting at a grass roots level, as long as they prepare the car themselves. He attends a couple of drift days with his friends as a spectator, and decides that he would like to give drifting a try, so he goes to a training day to learn the basics of it. Once he has mastered these, he buys himself a car and sets about making the necessary modifications to it to enable him to take it drifting.

As he attends more drift days and begins honing his skills, his friends note how good he has become, and suggest to him that he takes it up as a full time job. He makes it clear that it is just a hobby, but after one particularly good drift day, he is approached by the manager of one of the UK’s leading drift teams, and asked if he would like to drift for them. There’s just one catch: he needs to earn £10,000 so he can buy a car that meets their standards for the style of drifting that they take part in. Join him on an adventure as he is torn between returning to his old ways for easy money, or making a fresh start and staying the right side of the law to achieve his dream: to become the ultimate drifter.

The characters (names to be decided)

The main characters:

The lad who gets into drifting

A likeable and friendly lad, but got into a lot of trouble when in school and in his later teenage years as he repeatedly broke the law. He is s fan of fast driving, and motorsport, hence deciding to get into drifting.

His girlfriend.

He meets her through drifting, and for a long time they are rivals on the track before he starts talking to her properly and takes a shine to her.

His parents.

Help and support him in order for him to achieve his dream.

The Driver Main Character

Male, in his 30s, has a questionable past, now “employed” as a driver for whoever wants to employ him. He is a quiet, restrained individual who lets his driving do the talking. He uses this to his advantage, when he uses

Character Inspiration

Name: Aidan Garrett

Age: 30

Dwelling: A flat in Purfleet, Essex situated within walking distance of Arena Essex.

Occupation: Mechanic at Arena Essex

Marital Status: Single

Past: Possible criminal past, uncovered as the film progresses

Interests: Cars, motorsport, drifting

Name: Nigel Sinclair

Age: 31

Dwelling: Apartment in Billericay, Essex

Occupation: Runs his own garage

Marital Status: Married

Past: Had a rivalry with Aidan since they were in school, when they were always trying to outdo each other in order to impress girls.

Interests:

www.behindthename.org

Key Words

Speed

Excitement

Danger

Exhillaration

Risk

Death

Driving

What is the challenge or quest?

To become the ultimate drifter, and get the girl.

Using his driving to impress the girl

Prepared to sacrifice anyone who gets in the way

Time and Space

Set in Arena Essex over the course of a year. Follows Aidan as he comes face to face with an old enemy from his school days, Nigel. Aidan and Nigel still share a fierce rivalry both on the track and off it. There is a female character at the track who is also a drifter. Aidan and Nigel decide that they will make getting with her their goal, as well as winning the drift championship. Their rivalry on the track is so intense, that they resort to all sorts of underhand tactics to try and bring each other down.

However, little does Aidan know that Nigel has knowledge of a secret from their past that could bring him down. He tries desperately throughout the film to prevent Nigel from exposing the secret.