Baby | Orthographs #1

Storyboard Scenes: Four & Five

Baby | Face Orthographs

Baby | Production Design

Storyboard 1st two scenes

Baby Designs

Prop Designs

Feedback Welcome | Script Changes | The Mafia Baby

We've made some changes to our script while drawing some rough storyboards. We're still a bit unsure with how our 'montage scene' should play out so for the time being, this has stayed the same at this point.

Opening

The scene starts within a cafe. We see the Mafia Boss and another guy sat at a table. Polite conversation is exchanged while drinking coffee. During the conversation, a black duffel bag is kicked across the floor beneath the table from the stranger to the Mafia Boss. Its slightly open so we can see some of the cash inside. 

A baby is shown crawling under the seat and climbs into the bag unbeknown to the two men. The Mafia boss reaches under the table and grabs the bag, zipping it in one swift movement, trapping the baby inside and he is none the wiser that the infant is inside. The meeting is closed and both men stand and shake hands before parting ways. Both men exit the cafe.

Office

Scene cuts to the Mafia boss walking through this office door and drops the bag on the floor before sitting at his desk. The bag tips over and we see the bag bulging and moving before a baby crawls out. Baby starts tugging on coat which is on a hat stand. He starts pulling it over.The Boss looks up and sees the hat stand moving and storms over to investigate.

He grabs the kid and picks it up. 

“Where did you come from kid?” 

Baby gurgles. He looks over to the bag which is on its side with cash scattered around it. Baby looks up at him and gurgles.

“Well kid, I don't even know you’re name…How’s about Snake Eyes”

Door swings open and we see a crew member stood in the doorway. The mafia boss and baby are shocked and caught off guard like a deer in headlights.

The crew member asks “What is that?”

“Just take it!” cries the Mafia boss.

The crew member takes the baby.

Montage Scene

Mafia boss is sat at his desk writing on something with the baby crawling around his feet. 

Boss hands the boss a bottle of beer instead of milk. The boss opens his own beer and continues with his work. The baby has a swig and smiles. As soon as the Boss has his back turned he pours the drink away in a potted plant. Boss places a tie around his neck. Patting him on the head.

Scene changes to the boss talking to his crew with them passing the baby around. Someone hands it a knife and they laugh at it waving the knife about before it stabs one of the guys in the foot. The whole crew erupts into laughter. One guy dresses him in a white shirt to match his tie before pushing him on his way.

Baby plays poker with the crew. Wins all the money. Guys are laughing along enjoying the situation. Boss walks past visibly disgruntled. Scene cuts to a tailors where the crew is getting the baby measured for a suit.

Scene changes to the boss talking to his crew with the baby wandering about grabbing cigarets and cash from each persons pockets before shoving the evidence down its nappy. Crew stands up and evidence pours out of the baby’s nappy. Crew laughs before completing his look with a hat. 

Planning the Heist

The crew is shown sat around a big table all visibly on edge. The Mafia Boss explains a heist drawn out on a board. Baby is fully dressed in his suit and begins to interrupt, first by shaking his head. The boss gets visibly annoyed. The baby gets up and walks down the table to confront the Mafia Boss. The battle with their pointers arguing about the best strategy. The crew are getting confused so the baby drops down to the table and redraws the plan and holds it up for them to see. He holds it up and the crew agree. The Mafia Boss is obviously annoyed as the crew are agreeing with the baby over him.

The Heist 

Crew exits a trapdoor in front of the vault door. As the Mafia Boss’s head peaks out, the baby climbs straight over him to get out. The Mafia Boss is fuming by now. The baby is taking things too far over ruling his authority.

They all look at the vault door ready to begin. A crew member steps forward and starting trying to crack the combination to the door while the others put on gloves and open bags ready to place the jewels, cash and gold inside. The door swings open and the waltz in and start placing the contents in the bag.

We see the Mafia boss leaning against a wall away from the vault, lighting a cigar, leaving his crew to get on with business. We see the baby in the background leaning against the vault door, keeping an eye on the crew.

The boss walks into the vault to check that its empty. Hears a laugh behind him and turns to find the baby at the vault door. We see a close up of the Baby smirking.

“I backed away from him without a word and got out of the room.”

The baby kicks the door shut. The Mafia boss is plunged into darkness, trapped inside the vault. The baby dusts off his clothes and beckons. Long shot of the Baby walking out with the Crew behind him carrying bags of cash, gold and jewels.

Post Ending

Fades up on a Police line up including the Mafia boss. A woman’s hand points at him

“That’s him officer! He stole my baby!”

Analysing Movie Posters | Research

Looking into Mafia movies brought up some similarities with their respective movie posters.

• They're all very centralised
• Characters are 'suited and booted' or looking very suave
• Black suit or pinstripe suit
• Black, white, red and gold colour theme runs through out most
• Males have slicked back hair
• Fedoras and Trilby hats
• Power stance or power glance from main characters
• Posters are minimalistic

1931 Little Caesar, 1972 The Godfather, 1974 The Godfather Part 2

1983 Scarface, 1984 Once Upon a time in America, 1987 The Untouchables 

1990 Goodfella, 1990 Miller’s Crossing, 1990 King of New York

1990 The Godfather Part 3, 1991 Bugsy, 1993 A Bronx Tale

1995 Casino, 1997 Donnie Branco, 1997 Hoodlum

1998 Mafia!, 1999 Analyse This, 2002 Road to Perdition

2002 Gangs of New York, 2006 The Departed, 2007 American Gangster

2007 Eastern Promises, 2009 Public Enemies, 2015 Black Mass

The Mafia | Research | Influence Maps

Mafia

ˈmafɪə/

noun

noun: Mafia; noun: the Mafia

1. an organized international body of criminals, operating originally in Sicily and now especially in Italy and the US and having a complex and ruthless behavioural code.
• any organized group of criminals resembling the Mafia in its way of operating.noun: mafia; plural noun: mafias
  "the rise of criminal mafias in Russian and Eastern Europe"
  
• a group regarded as exerting a hidden sinister influence.noun: mafia
  "the British literary mafia"

To help us understand a little bit more about our project, I thought it would be a good idea to look further into the Mafia as a whole. I found the dictionary definition of the Mafia and began looking into the stereotypical images of the Mafia.

Now the reign of Mafia mobs is over, they have secured a place in culture today as your standard bad guy. Everyone remembers them by the smart black suit, hat and tie. Guns and knives aren't always depicted but they're definitely implied. People today still get the same reaction to this imagery as those did in real life. A large group of people in a standard attire doesn't always provide comfort or a sense of belonging. In this case it was used to instil fear.

The 'Italian Mafia' is not actually the first mafia as people believed. It was actually first used to describe the Sicilian Mafia. The 'Italian Mafia' is more commonly referred to as 'The Mafia' due to their preceding reputation as a criminal organisation. These are those that we have stereotyped for films but did actually once exist. 

The Mafia is primarily a type of organised crime syndicate who thrive off of 'protection racketeering' (or intimidation), oversight of illegal agreements and transactions as well as the stereotyped actions such as gambling, loan sharking, drug trafficking and fraud.

There is no easy way to understand how the Mafia works. Bugsy Malone is a strangely 'kidified' version of the inner works of the Mafia but the suits and the crew standoff is a perfect example of clothing, attitude and the brutality of the gangs.