The Maze Runner Trailer Analysis

Gathering Costume's for actors (12/11/15)

During one of my frees in school I drove over to Cwmbran shopping center in order to gather some of the costumes needed for our film trailer. I gathered 6 t-shirts in total which are all different colours. These different colours are representative of the different groups which we have in the story line of our trailer. I gathered two of each colour for our film trailer (2xgreen, 2xgrey, 2xred) these t-shirts will ensure that the standard of our triler is upped slightly as it will allow us to display the groups clearly and allow the audience to distinguish the groups quite quickly. I am happy with the t-shirts which I have purchased (shown below) and I plan on purchasing another 6 t-shirts before we begin our filming so that every member of our cast will be in the same costume.

Plot for Defiance Film Trailer

This is the final plot for our film trailer. My partner and I came up with the idea together within lessons based on the individual plots we created and then I typed up the plot at home and brought it in to show our teachers.

Defiance (Plot Synopsis)

Setting the scene: In the year 2056 the world has become over populated and is struggling to cope with the demands of every citizen. It has been decided that something needs to be done in order to reduce the population of the planet. Teenagers are being targeted, as well as their families.

A group of teenagers wake up and find themselves on top of a mountain, with no recollection of how they got there. The teens are confused and disorientated. The main character, Olivia, is established. Olivia mutters “what is this place?” under her breath, when she hears a voice saying “hey, check this out” in the background. She turns to spot her ex-boyfriend Connor, walking towards a rock with a note on top.

Meanwhile, at a ‘control room’ two people are watching monitors whilst another person is taking down notes. One of the people sat at the monitors turns to the note taker and says “station 21 is now active.” This is where the characters are situated.

Back at the station, Connor removes the note from the top of the rock and begins to read it. Whilst Connor reads the note, Olivia scans around the group to try and find a familiar face. She spots Nate, a boy who attended her school, who seems strangely at ease. When Nate looks up he sees Olivia, Olivia quickly changes her attention to Connor reading the note. 

“Hello Station 21…as you are all probably aware today’s world is becoming over populated. We are struggling to provide for future generations. As teenagers, you are the future of our planet. You have been put here so we can distinguish the elite to ensure that only the strongest people both mentally and physically survive. You will notice a letter on your left hand, which corresponds with four other people; these are now your groups. Each member is your assigned group must be alive and with you in order for you to survive. The winning group will become a part of our new world along with their families. All other groups will be eliminated as well as each member’s families. There are 8 stations for you to reach. Each one will house a pack for your group containing vital necessities for members of your group. Intelligence is the key to your survival, my the best group succeed”

Connor slowly lowers the note from his eye-line and looks out over the group of teens. The whole group look astonished at what they had heard. Could this really be happening? After a moment of silence the group begin to look at their hands and find their group members. Once in their groups, each team picks up a pack from the rock and head off in separate directions, Olivia with Connor in group A and Nate with his group, group C.

We follow group A whilst they find a safe patch to go through their pack, Connor automatically takes charge handing out rations of food and bottled water. He then finds a map which gives directions to the next location of their next pack. Connor suggests that before they head for their next pack they should find water, to help keep them hydrated. Group A split up and head in different directions in search of water and decide to meet back at their safe spot.

Whilst searching, Olivia forgets the way back to her group and becomes lost in a forest. She comes across group C, who are calling out for Nate. They are searching for him. Olivia tries to stay quiet and hidden. Nate spots Olivia and places his hand over her mouth and pulls her to behind a nearby  tree, before removing his hand Nate whispers ‘shh’ to Olivia. Nate removes his hand and his group head off in the background. Nate then says quietly “we need to get out of here” as Nate begins to walk away Olivia stays put. He then asks her “are you coming?” She then follows him.

Nate leads Olivia to an abandoned building where he has already set up camp with some of his group’s supplies, including their map. He invites Olivia to sit down where she then asks him why did he leave his group. Nate is silent at first; he then begins to explain that he has nothing left to fight for. His mother passed away when he was younger and his father left him and his little sister alone. They had been raised in foster care ever since. He explains to Olivia he left his group because he felt that he could try and escape to find his little sister. “We’ve never been apart, I don’t want to abandon her like my father abandoned us” says Nate. Olivia comforts him saying that none of this is his fault. They then fall asleep in the abandoned shelter.

When the pair wake up Olivia feels guilty and says she wants to go back and help her group, as she is about to leave Nate shouts after her saying “even though they left you for dead?!” Olivia stops in her tracks and begins to realise that none of her group have been to look for her since they parted. She decides to stay with Nate, on the condition that if they find her group then she is leaving with them. They then look at the map and head for the next station where Nate hopes to get his ration from his groups pack before his group collect it.

Back in the ‘control room’ a person who seems of high authority asks the people watching the monitors, “what is going on at station 21?” the people at the monitors reply “they seemed to have formed an alliance, what do you want us to do?” after consideration the person of high authority says “add another pack to the next pick up point, it looks like we have ourselves a rebellion”

Back at station 21 Nate and Olivia reach the next station where they spot one more pack than usual. The pack holds the letters “A+C” on it along with a note. Nate reads the note with Olivia near “we have been monitoring you closely and have decided to bend the rules slightly and allow you to form your own group…good luck”

Nate and Olivia look bewildered at first but then accept the new rule put into place. Whilst on their way back to the ‘safe house’ someone grabs Olivia from behind. When she turns around she sees Connor who says “come on we have to leave” Olivia struggles to get away from Connor when Nate comes along and intervenes. The boys end up in a disagreement, when Olivia splits them up and says “come on Nate we have to go.” Tired from the fight Connor lets them go. On their way back to the safe house Nate and Olivia pass another group. One of the members of the group’s members has been stung and is in anaphylactic shock, very unlikely to survive. In desperation the other group members grab Nate’s bag in search of medication for the group member. Nate shouts back “it doesn’t work like that! We won’t have anything that can save him.” There is no medication in Nate’s pack as each pack holds items specific for each groups needs. The member who is suffering dies, the group member holding Nate’s pack then looks down at the pack and spots the two letters. In a moment of anger he shouts at Nate “what’s this supposed to mean?!” Nate begins to explain how he and Olivia had been placed into their own group. The group then realise that they no longer stand a chance at winning so offer their pack to Olivia and Nate telling them to go forward and save their families.

Back with Olivia’s old group, group A, Connor is unsettled and unaware of the new group which has been formed. He says that they have to search for Olivia. His group however are more concerned with their low running supplies and suggest they go for their next pack then search for Olivia. Connor then agrees and says as he is the fastest he will head for the next pack whilst his group search for Olivia.

Meanwhile Nate and Olivia settle down for the night, however, Nate is still bewildered as to why the group just gave up their pack. Olivia says they just wanted to help them save their families. Nate feels guilty as he doesn’t really have a family to protect.

Olivia and Nate are woken up at the dead of night to a horrendous scream. They head out to investigate. Olivia comes across Connor, who seems to have been pushed from the top of the mountain and is trapped in barbed wire. Olivia rushes to his aid and tries to get the wire off of him, when she eventually gets all of the wire off of Connor; he has already lost too much blood and is becoming weak. She cradles his as he struggles for breath. She begins to cry and shouts to Nate “you have to help him!” Nate replies “Olivia, I can’t save him now” Connor then grabs her hand and says “please don’t hate me; I was coming back for you” The teens share their last look before Connor dies. Olivia weeps for a moment then looks up at Nate with tears rolling down her face saying “we have to complete this”

The pair then leaves Connor at early hours of the morning and head for the next station. As they get to the next station, they see two members of Nate’s group collecting their pack. They keep low. However, they notice one of the members struggling with the windy conditions on top of the mountain; the member kneels down on the floor and appears to be struggling. Before they can get to their pump they fall to the floor and dies from a severe asthma attack. Nate steps out and apologies to the other member. They then turn to Nate and say you’re the last group.

Olivia steps out and joins Nate where they look down at the packs and see each team which hasn’t made it. The pair looks at each other and exchanges a smile. Nate then reaches out and hugs Olivia saying “I couldn’t have done this without you” before Olivia can reply two men appear from nowhere and grab Olivia and Nate. They then take them to two separate helicopters, it is then Nate and Olivia realise that they are being separated. The pair exchanges one last look whilst Olivia shouts “give my love to your sister” Nate grins and says “I will.” They then step into their helicopters and set off. Olivia begins to weep with exhaustion and sadness as to what has happened over the past few weeks. A man then looks at her and says “chin up, you and your family are joining the new world.”

Original film plot

This is the film idea which I original come up with, I developed this plot further in order to create a plot for our film trailer which combined mine and my partners plots together.

Levels (Plot Synopsis)

Set in the future (around 2025) a rare skin disease is spreading around the UK. No cure has been formed to stop the disease, which is killing thousands.With the majority of UK chemists ans scientists becoming infected after getting too close to people who carry the disease (trying to study their systems) the Government have decided to take action. They look to the population which has been least effected by the spread of this disease, teenagers. The government look at records gathered by schools and round up the teens which are most intelligent in order to test them so that they can decided which of the teenagers will be the best to help find a cure to the rapidly spreading disease. Before allowing any of these individuals into the research group they need to test their intelligence to ensure they are capable of finding a cure to this disease. In order to keep track of their testing the government has decided to test 5 teens at one time, the teens which finish all the testing effectively are the ones which go on to join the research group.
The story follows 5 teenagers as they are taken into a 3 story building. The teens are told that they are now part of a government experiment, and that they will take part in 3 challenges which will test their intelligence as well as their capability to find a cure. Those who complete a challenge successfully will move onto the next challenge, if a task is not completed the teen is eliminated from the challenge.
The 5 teens; Jake, Cathy, Will, Sophie and Rob begin their first challenge. Once the challenge has ended two of the teens, Jake and Rob have not completed the challenge successfully, they are then eliminated as the other three move on to the next challenge. One the second level each of the teens are concerned that they will be the next to be eliminated, regardless they carry on with the second challenge. This time Sophie is unsuccessful, so is eliminated from the experiment. On the way to the next challenge Will and Cathy hear a scream from the room they were just in. The pair exchange a concerned look and continue onto the next level.
At the next level the teens are told that only one of them can become a part of the research team. When the teens are in the final room they are faced with a syringe which contains the disease. The teens are told that one of them has to be injected with the disease whilst the other makes a cure. However, once the teen has been injected with the disease they will only have five minutes to be saved. The teens look at each other and neither seem to be willing to inject themselves with the disease. Will then breaks out into a smile and whispers "I trust you" to Cathy and injects himself with the disease. Will falls to the floor, Cathy rushes to his aid then comes to terms with the fact that the only way she can save Will now is if she comes up with a cure. Cathy rushes over to the chemicals which have been laid out and labeled and begins to mix then.
After about four minutes Cathy is struggling to come up with a cure. she adds one final chemical and decided to give it to Will before his time is up. Cathy returns to will and can see that his skin has broken out into a rash, he is struggling for breath. She gives him the 'antidote' she has made and suddenly Will's air ways clear and he is breath easily. Before Cathy can say anything to Will, two men enter the room and take Cathy away. Cathy is then airlifted to a Government building where the research group for the disease is based. Cathy is the first teen to become a part of the team and is the first person to make a real breakthrough with the cure for the disease. However, Cathy never did find out what happened to her friends, including Will. This leaves Cathy worried that she may be disposable to the Government, and may not be as safe as what the Government made out.