Tainted Getaway

Objective

The rough cut of Tainted Getaway was shown to its producer after a few months of editing, during which I sifted through footage shot by the initial director and his crew. After the preview, it confirmed what the producer (and myself) had feared for a while: there wasn’t enough action, the climax was rushed, and its length was merely 70 minutes or so, all shot from a heavily rewritten 80-page script.

This resulted from the director's decision to cut and alter scenes to meet the schedule. These changes included removing a planned fight sequence and significantly shortening the climax.

Dissatisfied with its current state, the producer tasked me with ‘extending’ the film by finding spots to add action scenes and spice up the finale.

A glimpse of the earlier cut

It was quite a challenge because the action scenes needed a narrative reason for existing. Since I was the initial screenwriter for the project, I was at least already familiar with the motivations of the main characters, so I had that going for me.

The budget for the reshoot wasn’t grand, so options were limited, including the locations and actors. After finalizing which of them were willing to return, it became clear that adding extra characters was a must—including five new antagonists.

From there, I wrote the 3 new action scenes and a detailed shot-list, and assisted in the scheduling for the 7-day reshoot. Providing copious notes for the makeup artist’s continuity to match the original production was also critical.

Approach

Timeline of the initial assembly cut, totalling 70 minutes

Additional action scenes inserted to the timeline to add more excitement, extending runtime to 88 minutes

Continuity and scheduling documents during discussion meetings for the reshoot

5 new villains were added to the story

“After finalizing which actors were willing to return, it became clear that adding new characters was a must.”

Result

After a tiring, fast-paced production, the task of editing and crafting a fuller film was underway for several months. These combined efforts gave the project more excitement and a pace better suited for an action thriller, totaling 88 minutes.

It was happily screened to Perth audiences during its premiere, and this expanded version later became an official selection for three film festivals, progressing all the way to the finals in one of them.