COURTROOM

By Jack Adrian

Note to Artist: See attached sheet A for suggested layout for page 1 of this story. Two-thirds of the page (down) should be taken up with a long, dramatic close shot of Dredd; something along the lines of the brilliant piece of artistic delineation roughly (mhah!) sketched out,

Sheet B contains a rough overhead diagram of the Central punishment Court, where the action of this part of the story takes place. It's not really like the Law Courts of today. It's a medium sized room - fairly high ceiling. At one end is the area where the prisoners are. Running right across the room, from wail to wall, is a thick black bar. It's not held up by struts or anything like that. Simply runs from wall to wall. This bar is where the prisoners stand. Rubber-gloved attendants make the prisoners hold the bar with one hand (they'll be in front of the bar), and then an electric current is switched on, which runs through the bar. The prisoner cannot then let go of the bar, but is 'attached' to it. The current won't be too strong; they won't be jumping up and down convulsively. They are thus an ideal target for the Executioner, Dredd - who will sit at the other end of the room, in a large throne-like chair on a raised podium. He will thus be shooting slightly down at the prisoners across the other end of the room. Behind the bar, on one side of the room is a door through which the automopps will come (see in script). On each side of Dredd's 'throne' are two tables. At one will sit the Clerks of the Court, the recorders, etc., while at the other table sit the medics/doctors. On each side of the room are the spectator seats - members of the press and people like that, who come to see that justice is not only done, but seen to be done. There will also be a smattering of privileged members of the public, who like seeing people getting killed. The seats are in tiers, going upwards towards ceiling - rather in manner of one of those medical School operating rooms, where students watch surgeons performing operations. On the wall above the Electro-bar is a large design of the American Eagle gripping the snake. Important to note that there should not be too many fussy details put in anywhere. The atmosphere in this Court is very clinical... cold. This is not the Law Courts, as such - this is the Punishment Court. People are not tried here - if they end up in this room, they've already been tried and found guilty. This is the room where they, ulp... get it.

(1) Scene:
This has got to be a very Big Pic, in every sense. Dredd faces us, the reader, in a spectacularly dramatic pose. You could either have him holding his gun with his right hand, and his left hand slightly out behind him - or, probably better, so that he's holding his gun with both hands. He crouches slightly... tense and dynamic. His expression - behind his helmet-mask - is grim, hawklike - his eyes almost seem to burn. The barrel of the gun is HUGE in the frame - much, much bigger than in my sketch. It's almost like a bleeding cannon we're looking down. In fact, I think we could take it that the gun is the all-important thing in this opening frame, and Dredd is not so important. We see him, sure - but the very first thing that hits us as we glance at this page is the vast, sinister hole - the gun barrel.

(2) Scene:
This frame could be smaller than how I've sketched it on my rough layout. It's not so important as, say, frame 3, Take this from slightly behind Dredd, looking across the room, and slightly down - at three men, holding the bar with one hand each, all three are tough, brutal, slightly Italianate men - and all three are clearly defiant. They glare back at us/Dredd...their faces twisted up into vicious, ratlike expressions of defiance and hatred.

(3) Scene:
This frame should be split up into three narrow ones - something like how I've split it up in my sketch. Frontal shots of Dredd, slightly blurred to show speed. His gun to our left in the first frame... straight at us in the next... and to our right in the 3rd. There are three connected speech balloons running along the top of the whole picture. Emphasise the lithe, tiger-ish speed of this dynamic, but ice-cold, killing machine.

Scene:
A narrow shot of Dredd, full-length. He'll still be standing on his podium - but here he's facing us, holding his gun on the palms of both hands, and looking down at it, sombrely, broodingly. We don't see anyone else in this shot, either - just the tall sombre figure of Dredd.

(5) Scene:
Angle this from Dredd's right boot - the one with the holster in it (holster's empty, of course, since Dredd's still holding his gun). The boot is large in the frame - all we see of Dredd, and we're looking past it - a sort of worm's-eye view across the court at the Prisoner's area. Here we see three white-coated men - the medics - checking the bodies. The three men hang limply from the bar, clearly dead. The medics wear rubber gloves and boots - very clinical. One is applying a stethoscope to a body, and not looking up. Another is peering down at the eyes of one of the dead men. The remaining doc turns towards us, looking up past us. This is the 3rd doc. He has a sombre expression on his face. Maybe wears glasses.

Scene:
We now get a view, of some of the members of the 'audience', on one side of the room. We angle in on three men - or two men and one woman. They all have grave expressions on their faces, and all are clapping - but not wildly or enthusiastically. Their cupped hands come together lightly ...quietly. There must be no sense that they have just seen something enjoyable. It's all very decorous. Of course we see other members of public above and around them - but we angle in on these three, who are talking quietly (not whispering in a secretive manner - just talking quietly amongst themselves). Commenting. The 2nd man nods his head gravely.

(7) Scene:
We now switch to the rear of the court, behind the Prisoner's area. We angle in on two attendants, suitably garbed. They're near the door shown on my sketch. The 1st man jerks a thumb towards the door, while the 2nd man nods. Both have serious expressions.

(8) Scene:
Close on the Automopps (two of them), as they trundle around the prisoner's area. We see that the dead bodies are being taken towards that side-door. The Automopps must look rather funny - slightly ridiculous - but definitely futuristic. My sketches make them look like something out of World War Two! They're rather jolly little things that clean up the mess after executions...wash down the floor, mop up blood (if any)... clean up generally. Revolving nozzles spray water from somewhere on top of them. Very close on these two. But, beyond them, in the background, we see Judge Dredd and another man - man is a recorder, dressed in schoolmaster-like gown - but more 21st Century. Maybe he wears one of those four-cornered caps that French Judges wear. He speaks to Dredd, but Dredd is looking at a sheet of paper he has in his hands. Important to centre attention on the weird Automopps - so that Dredd and recorder are really in b/g.

(9) Scene:
Now close in on Dredd and the Recorder. They are talking quite near to the front of one of the audience areas, so we maybe see a few faces in b/g. The recorder is slightly to one side, looking very worried... nervous... wincing slightly. Dredd is looking at floor, frowning, stroking his chin with his gloved hand... almost puzzled.

(10) Scene:
We now get a large close shot of one of the front members of the audience we're near. This guy is an oaf. There's one in every crowd. He's hooting with laughter... big mouth wide open, roaring with oafish laughter. Guffawing... slapping one knee. A really unpleasant type of creep.

(11) Scene:
Quick change of atmosphere. Close on Dredd - large in the frame. With one hand he is beckoning to the man, while drawing his stick from its scabbard with the other. He looks stern and grim... and cold. The man is slowly getting off his seat, white-faced, and coming down towards Dredd - clearly quaking with fear.

(12) Scene:
Good action shot, here. Dredd is beating the living shit out of the guy - using his stick one-handed. We maybe see three or four 'sticks' as they batter down the guy - a blurred effect, to show that the stick is raising and falling. The guy is being battered to his knees, gasping and gagging with pain - he's pleading and apologising at the same time. From this angle, we can see the stern faces of the audience, one of whom is whispering to another.

(13) Scene:
Close on the recorder. He comes quickly across the floor towards Dredd, who turns towards him. The creep is cowering on the floor. The recorder is accompanied by a couple of ordinary cops.

(14) Scene:
Take this from just above ground-floor level, as Dredd comes towards us, striding purposefully towards us. He's pushing his stick back in its scabbard. He looms above us... a tall grim vengeful figure. Behind him we see the recorder, cops, etc., looking our way, at his departing back. The creep is crawling away towards his seat. But Dredd is the main figure in this shot,

Note [to Pat Mills]: As far as I can see, this will now dovetail fairly easily with what remains of the story that you hold - since the next scene will be the flyover, and the deserted Multi-storey.