The Yellowcake Conspiracy
Year 7
What is a Thriller?
Concept / Premise
The Essence of the Story
If you have a strong concept,
you should be able to summarize
the essence of your story
in four or five words.
Examples of “High Concept”
• Boarding School for Wizards
• Teenage Gladiators on Reality TV
• Everyone over 15 suddenly disappears
• Norwegian kids filming trolls
• Conman operates within dreams
Spying on Uranium Smugglers
Treasure Hunt in Timbuktu
Robin Hood in the Sahara Desert
Activity
You have three minutes thinking time
in which to come up with
a four or five word thriller concept
SETTING
"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein
recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
George Bush, State of the Union Speech, 2003
Arlit Uranium Mine, Niger
Fulani
Tuaregs
The Yellowcake Conspiracy:
CHARACTERS
Dr Talata
nuclear scientist
Haroun
Fulani cattle-herder and mineworker
Remy
French spy
Agahan and Zabri
leaders of a Tuareg rebellion
A thriller thrives on tension and suspense.
There’s no terror in the bang of the gun,
only the anticipation of it.
- Alfred Hitchcock, film director
“Chase your character up a tree,
and then throw stones at him.”
Story arc
Sarah Mussi
Jason Wallace