Scott at 2011-12-13 15:57:24:

Okay, so a guy is stuck in a coffin. Like Chris said in the interview, you have to come up with lots of stuff going on in order to keep the story just being about "a dude in a box making a bunch of phone calls." So here is a partial list of things that happen in the script, complications to reversals: * Realizes he's stuck in a coffin. * Cuts ropes binding his hands. * Discovers the cellphone. * The letters and numbers on the cellphone are in Arabic. * Discovers all his personal information in wallet is gone including the Safe Number. * Calls Female Operator: She's no help. * Calls home: Answering machine. * Calls his wife Linda: Answering machine. * Calls 411 operator who gets him in touch with FBI office in Chicago. * Talks to Special Agent Harris but the connection craps out. * Calls CRT Operator and gets put on hold. * Leaves a message for Alan Davenport, personnel director at CRT. * Finds text message on phone. * Talks to Jabir who demands $5M. * Calls Donna to ask about Linda, they get into an argument. * In a fit of anger, Paul attacks the coffin, bloodying his hands. * Calls Donna back and gets State Department number. * Calls State Department and talks to Rebecca Browning. * Talks with Dan Brenner, commander of Hostage Working Group in Iraq. * Incoming call from Jabir, demands Paul make a hostage video, lowers demand for ransom to $1M. * Finds box inside the coffin and uses glow stick for illumination. * Calls home again. Answering machine. * Calls Brenner, gives him Jabir's phone number. * Jabir tells him again to make vide. * Calls his mother with Alzheimer's. * Jabir has taken a CRT female associate Pamela hostage. * Paul records video. * Paul vs. snake. * Glow stick melts. * Calls wife. Answering machine. * Flashlight cuts on and off. * Paul watches Jabir's men shoot and kill Pamela. * Brenner castigates Paul for recording the video. * Bombing attack causing sand to start filling the coffin. * Davenport calls and does his bull shit exit interview with Paul. * Paul calls Jabir. Can't get hold of him. * Paul and Dan have a call where it looks like no hope for Paul. * Paul records last words. * Jabir calls: Threatens Paul's wife and kids, demands he cut off a finger. * Paul cuts off his thumb. * He hallucinates people are there to free him. * Dan calls. * He talks with Linda, thinking he's going to be rescued. * Dan calls again, only they find another hostage, not Paul. * Flashlight goes out and sand fills the coffin. That's a lot going on, not to mention things like shifting his body around, struggling to use feet and hands to work with items.

Debbie Moon at 2011-12-13 18:21:33:

This isn't structure per se, but.... I'm fascinated by Chris Sparling's statement that to make the movie work, "the “set” itself had to evolve". What a brilliant way to think about the setting for a contained thriller. Rather than taking the action elsewhere, change the location in some way. During the movie, Paul turns over and around in the box; the box is dark or light; it catches fire; it gets smaller as sand starts to leak in. All changes that affect the protagonist profoundly.