Saturday, April 18, 2009

48 Hour Film Fest script

Well, that sucked. Read on Facebook that a friend needed a script tonight for the contest, got to writing it, and just as I finished and tried to email it my internet connection went down.

Spent the next hour and a half restarting my computer and texting him. Never heard back. Got online and he didn't want the script anymore; his team got an idea and started writing their own.

Sigh.

He says he's going to shoot it anyway; we'll see. They have a RED camera, so I gave him lots of room to do cool camera angles and lenses, spaghetti western shots, Bruckheimer/Harlin stuff...all in the required genre of comedy.

Because I'm Lis Fucking Fies.

The parameters were 4-7 minutes, comedy, the prop was a plate, and there had to be a character that was James Switzer the electrician. The required dialogue line was "Just remember, you didn't hear it from me."

My friend's team had two comedic white dude actors, 23-27, and permits to shoot in a bar, the desert, and a 40x40 studio with greenscreen.

Here's what I wrote in an hour. You get to actually read some of my screenwriting, since, you know, why not. Theft not a big concern of mine here. Not that I wouldn't hunt a plagiarist down and kill them for sport.

MAGIC WANDS FOR ALL

FADE IN:

EXT. DESERT – DAY

The Vegas wasteland. Still.

A car vrooms past, dust spewing in the air.

INT. CAR - DAY

The DRIVER (23) is a handsome white dude, fingers clinching the steering wheel. Barely keeping his shit together.

Glances at the clock and slams his foot down harder on the accelerator.

EXT. BAR – DAY

The car skids into three parking spots: a perfect job if it were Stevie Wonder driving.

From outside the car we see the driver fumbling furiously with something mysterious in the front seat. Bigger than a bread box. He shoves it under his shirt and falls out of the car. Races to the bar door.

INT. BAR – DAY

Deserted. Looks like there was one hell of a party there last night. If your idea of a party is FROM DUSK TIL DAWN.

The BARTENDER, 28, hot white dude (really, Matt??), looks up from a plate of fries he's munching on.

Blanches at the sweaty out-of-breath figure lurching towards him.

BARTENDER
The fuck?

DRIVER
Dude...

Zoom to the Bartender, pulling out a shotgun. Aims it right at him.

BARTENDER
This is MY bar.

The Driver stops.

DRIVER
Dude...

BARTENDER
You and your pasty white guy ass are NOT bringing trouble here today.

The Driver takes a step forward. He is desperate and determined.

The Bartender narrows his eyes.

BARTENDER
You got the mob on you? Again?

Cocks the shotgun.

The noise echoes in the emptiness.

BARTENDER
Because you are not my problem anymore.

DRIVER
Dude...please...

He raises his hands beseechingly.

IN SLO - MO
The mysterious object slides out of his shirt. He tries to catch it, but it fumbles and clanks to the ground as he yells nooooo.

SMASH CUT:

The floor of the bar. The hugest, most confusing contraption you've ever seen is lying there. Frightening to all mankind...

The Bartender recoils out of instinct, the gun forgotten.

BARTENDER
The fuck?

Slowly he walks across the bar. Stops in front of the driver, the THING right between them. (I would do a reverse reverse on this...keep the tension going and do NOT reveal what they're looking at)

Kicks it with his toe like a dead animal.

It whirs a little and the two men jump back from it.

BARTENDER
Jesus!

DRIVER
I know.

BARTENDER
It's hideous.

DRIVER
It's not that bad.

BARTENDER
You let your woman use that?

DRIVER
She says she only uses it when I'm out of town.

NOW REVEAL:

CU: A magic wand vibrator with a dildo attachment. (If you don't have one, um...BUY ONE.)

The Bartender kneels down in front of it.

BARTENDER
You're not bringing this girl home to mom, are you? Because she is NOT going to approve.

The driver kneels down with him, gingerly picks up the monstrosity.

DRIVER
Dude. I need your help. And I'm out of time.

The Bartender stands. Walks back to the bar.

BARTENDER
Busy. I gotta clean. And then the books--

DRIVER
She's going to be home any minute. I need you. The real you. Not this alcohol-slinging bullshit.

BARTENDER
I want no part of this. I put that life behind me.

The Driver approaches the bar.

DRIVER
Why? Over one stupid mistake? Everyone makes mistakes.

FLASHBACK

The Bartender, dressed then as an ELECTRICIAN, working on wires in a wall. In the background we hear but don't see a group of children playing. The electrcian wipes his brow and walks aways. Flips on a light switch. A spark goes up and we hear children screaming, see the horror on his face (think CLIFFHANGER)

END FLASHBACK

The Bartender is shaking like a war vet. Grabs his plate of french fries and smashes the plate, spraying potato and ceramic everywhere. Lunges at the Driver with a sharp end of the plate.

The driver blocks him and they fight, rolling to the ground. Insert fun fight choreography here.

The Driver wins, beating down the Bartender.

DRIVER
GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!

He slaps the Bartender, who comes out of his vet-like daze.

DRIVER
It wasn't your fault. I don't really get how it happened, but obviously those kids' numbers were up.

BARTENDER
(mumbling to himself)
The screams. The tiny screams...

DRIVER
Even mom says you were set up. Never should have served time for that. It was bogus. Just remember, you didn't hear it from me.

The Bartender calms himself, PTSD episode over. The Driver gives him a hand up.

DRIVER
Now put on your supercape, brother. I need you. I need James Switzer. The best god damn electrician Vegas has ever seen.

The Bartender puffs up, renewed. A glint in his eye.

BARTENDER
How much time have we got?

CUT TO:

INT. BAR – LATER

A table in the corner is covered with the vibrator's guts.

The two men sweat over it, intensely single-focused.

The Bartender, who we now know is JAMES SWITZER, works furiously crossing wires.

DRIVER
Cut the blue wire.

James shoots him a death glare.

JAMES
I don't understand, Jeremy. What were you trying to do to it?

Aha! Now we know the Driver's name is...

JEREMY
It sounds like a lawnmower. She was always embarrassed the neighbors on both sides could hear it, and you know I can't afford to move us. She looks so cute when she uses it. Like
(making the face)
ah!Ahhhhhhaaaawww!!!!!!!!!

JAMES
Don't do that. And I thought she only used it when you were out of town?

JEREMY
I just want to make her happy.

JAMES
So take Viagra.

JEREMY
No man, she's multi-orgasmic. I get tired around the 20th orgrasm. My hands start cramping.

FLASHBACK:

INT. OFFICE CUBICLE

Jeremy is handed a stack of paperwork, but his hands are cramped like claws and he drops them all to the ground, fluttering through the air.

END FLASHBACK

JEREMY
I couldn't talk to clients the next day.

FLASHBACK:

INT. OFFICE CUBICLE

Jeremy on the phone, his tongue swollen and not pronouncing words intelligibly. He takes an ice cube from his coffee mug and applies it to his tongue.

END FLASHBACK

JEREMY
She needs the magic wand. Dude. Hugh Hefner swears by it.

James finishes up one last wire. Closes the wand back up. Turns it on.

Sure enough, it sounds like a lawnmower.

JAMES
Jesus!

The Switzer Brothers stare at the ridiculously loud vibrator.

JEREMY
I told you. But the things it does to her...Come on, man. Just one more time. Use your powers for good!

James sighs. Opens the wand back up.

JEREMY
You're the best big brother ever.

CUT TO:

EXT. CRAPPY APARTMENT – NIGHT

We follow a hot pair of stripper shoes as they click down the sidewalk.

A key in the door, operated by a very sexy female hand.

The door swing open, and there's

JEREMY

butt naked on the couch, a wrapped gift box on his lap.

He grins into the camera.

JEREMY
Guess who is your hero!!!

FADE OUT

ROLL CREDITS

UNDER CREDITS

Lots of female moaning, screaming, “Baby you're the king, you make me so happy awwwwwhhhhhh”, Jeremy ad-libbing, and a now whisper-quiet vibrator.

1 comment:

Hugo Fuchs said...

Heh, that would make a good short.

Of course, what the guy hasn't figured in to the equation is that while the Hitachi is noisy, it muffles the orgasmic noises, if it's quiet like a Wahl, then your neighbors will know by the orgasmic noises. Then again, if the Hitachi doesn't get grounded right, it'll be going into the area of electro-sex.