Week 3 Day 2: Twists — THE MATRIX

[William Whelan]

William Whelan – Twists – The Matrix

What I learned from doing this assignment is to add a twist scene to my screenplay.

Scene arc: Interrogation of Mr. Anderson, he asks to make his phone call, torture of Mr. Anderson, it’s all a dream.

Situation: Interrogation of Mr. Anderson.

Conflict: Government vs. Mr. Anderson.

Entertainment value: Constant suspense, twist at the end.

Moving the story forward: Suspense of what the government will do to Mr. Anderson.

Setup/payoffs Torture; Dream

What makes this scene great? Twist at the end.

How the twist was set up: Gluing of Mr. Anderson’s mouth together without any hands on action by the interrogators gave the vibe of a dream

What happened after the twist. Phone rings.

How the twist changed the direction and meaning of the scene. Mr. Anderson is back to reality, and he has a deep-seated fear of being caught by the government.

Interesting action and dialogue. “One life has a future the other doesn’t” “I give you the finger and you give me my phone call”.

[Mary Emmick]

Twists – The Matrix: Interrogation of Mrs. Anderson

The scene begins with Mr. Anderson in a small cell. Three men in black suits with ties enter. A man with dark sunglasses sits down and begins interrogating him. He Tells Anderson that it seems like you’ve been living two lives and is guilty of computer crimes. He tells him that they need his help to reach Morpheus who is considered to be the most dangerous man alive. Anderson tells the interrogator, ” “I give you the finger and you give me my phone call.” The Interrogator then makes his mouth disappear, they beat him up and put a giant insect on his stomach which bevels into his navel and disappears. Twist: Mr. Anderson wakes up in his bed. The phone rings. It seems to have been a dream. Anderson is shaken and worried what will happen as he fears the government is coming for him.

What I learned rewriting my scene is to have a scene go in one direction, then have it suddenly turn in another direction. This change in direction is a twist.

[Deb Johnson]

Initially set in a typical interrogation room scenario, the scene takes an unexpected turn when Neo, the protagonist, realizes he’s in a strange situation where the authorities can manipulate his very being. The twist occurs when Agent Smith and his colleagues, instead of resorting to physical violence, use surreal and unexpected methods to assert control over Neo.

The setup for the twist is carefully crafted with an eerie green glow in the room, surveillance camera footage, and the introduction of a green file, all leading the audience to believe they are witnessing a standard police procedural. The contrast between Thomas Anderson and Neo further reinforces this expectation. Finally, Agent Smith asks Neo to become an informant and Neo defiantly refuses.

The scene takes a shocking turn as Neo’s mouth is glued shut. The agents physically subdue him and then introduce a new element – a mechanical scorpion bug that crawls into Neo’s belly button. This unexpected and creepy action changes the direction and meaning of the scene, revealing the Matrix’s extraordinary power over reality.

The twist is significant in moving the story forward as Neo is now “bugged,” raising questions about the consequences and what will happen next. The twist not only challenges audience expectations but also establishes the Matrix’s nature and its ability to manipulate perceived reality.

The dialogue adds depth to the characters, with Neo displaying courage and awareness of his rights. However, Agent Smith’s response highlights the vast difference in their understanding of the world, as he can manipulate Neo without his consent.

Finally, Neo wakes up in bed – and we think, maybe it’s all a dream. This moves the story forward as we are anxious to find out what’s real and what’s not… also – who’s calling him?

[Isti Madarasz]

The twist is probably the best way to move the story forward. You’re heading somewhere, and then suddenly – after a surprising or new kind of story beat – you’re off in a different direction. Before the twist, the writers ” numb ” the viewer a little, the interrogation scene is as traditional as possible, everything is “analogue”, the folder, the documents, the surveillance camera – there is no trace of the magic that is the Matrix itself and that Neo is about to experience. It is a shocking moment for him and for the viewer. Although at the end of the scene Neo appears to ‘wake up from a dream’, this is a red herring – it soon becomes clear that the nightmare is very real.

What I’ve learned – and rewritten a scene of mine based on this – is that before the twist, it’s worth letting your suspicions go a little bit, to make the twist more surprising.

[Mary Dietz]

The interview starts by seeming that the interviewer has every reason to expect Mr. Anderson to comply to help trap Morpheus. “One of your lives has a future”, “Morpheus is the most dangerous man alive”, “You want to do the right thing.” First twist: Anderson refuses. 2nd twist: His right to a phone call is thwarted by his mouth being manipulated simply by the intention of the interviewer. 3rd twist: Anderson is not beaten as it would seem he would be when the other two agents close in on him, but he is infected with a bug that appears eerily from the interviewer’s pocket case. The big twist: the audience is led to believe that the entire situation was Anderson’s bad dream. Waking and answering the phone will take the action in an entirely different direction. The questions remain. What is Anderson’s association with Morpheus? Is he dangerous? What is the future of Anderson’s hacking?