FADE IN:
EXT. PASSIVE PARK-DUSK
JACK SMITH, early twenties, is walking from Shannon Hall
through Passive Park at a fast rate. He starts fumbling
around with his coat pockets and then his jean pockets while
his fast pace starts to slow down.
JACK
(frustrated, concerned)
Man! Where did it go? Where the
hell did I put that it was just in
my pocket?!
RICK STEWART, late teens, walks in from opposite direction as
Jack. RICK sees Jack fumbling around along the pathway.
RICK
(enthusiastic)
Hey Jack! What's going on man? How
are you doing?
JACK
(distraught)
Oh, hey Rick. Not much just trying
to find something.
RICK
(upbeat)
Well man what are you looking for?
Maybe I can help ya out?
JACK
(Distraught)
I'm trying to look for my five
dollars. I was gonna run to the
Corner Store and get a pop. I swear
dude I just had it in my pocket!
Ugh.
RICK
(confused)
Um, its just five dollars. No big
D. I'm sure you have other cash to
get a soda.
JACK
(irritated, kicks dirt
after saying last lines)
No dude, that's the only cash I
have left until my next paycheck.
God, this day sucks. (kicks at
dirt)
RICK
Calm down man. I'll help you out.
We'll find your money. Don't worry.
JACK
(depressed)
Alright, thanks. This has really
been a shitty day.
RICK
First things first. Where do you
last remember having it? Your room
maybe or (Cuts off)
JACK
(cuts off Rick,puts hands
on forehead, stressed)
No, no, no. I had it in my hand
when I left Shannon. It was in my
pocket when I walked out the door I
checked.
RICK
(slightly irritated)
OK, ok! No reason to be hostile
here. I'm just trying to help.
JACK
(still stressed)
Sorry. Ugh. It's just been a rough
day. All I want is a bottle of pop.
RICK
Alright, we just need to think
rationally here and retrace your
steps. Ok, so you had it outside of
Shannon, so it was in your pocket,
did you reach inside your pocket at
all since you got to the park?
JACK
No, not till I get to the park to
take it out and it wasn't there. I
didn't touch it since I left
Shannon.
RICK
(walks over to a table and
sits down)
Hmm. Let me think.
JACK
(follows Rick, starts
pacing while Rick sits at
the table and thinks,
getting to a breaking
point with stress)
Dude! We're never going to find it.
This is impossible how are we going
to find a little piece of paper?
(yelling)
Huh? How are we going to find it
genius?! God I just wanted a bottle
of pop, just a simple freakin
bottle.
RICK
(irritated, annoyed,
yelling)
Seriously! Calm the hell down!
Jesus dude get a hold of yourself.
JACK
(calming down, agreeing
with Rick)
Yeah. Your right. I need to calm
down.
RICK
(calmer)
Exactly, just relax. Sit down.
We'll find it.
JACK
(starts to sit down at the
table)
I need to relax. We'll find it.
We're gonna find.
RICK
(looking away from Jack,
shaking his head in
annoyance)
That's right were going to find it
man.
JACK
(sitting at table, props
feet up on table and
looks around)
Ahh. Wow...man it's a really nice
day out. I didn't really get a
chance to notice how nice it is out
here with all this shit going on.
Wow.
RICK
(looks over at Jack in
disbelief of his 180
degree mood change,
sarcastic chuckle)
Yeah its a beautiful frickin...
(trails off, takes a closer look at
Jacks shoes on the table)
You gotta be frickin kidding me
JACK
(curious)
What?
(Rick stares at Jacks
shoes and remains
speechless)
What man?
RICK
(reaches over the table
and smacks Jack in the
head)
You idiot!
JACK
(confused)
What the hell was that for?!
RICK
(reaches to Jacks left
shoe and pulls out a
crumbled five dollar
bill)
Would this be your five dollars?
JACK
(amazed, confused,
excited)
Wow. How the hell did that get in
there? No way! Yes!
RICK
(disbelief)
I cant believe you man. It was in
your shoe the whole time. Ugh.
JACK
(happy, jumps up from
table with five dollars
in hand)
Thank god man! Aren't you glad we
didn't have to search the whole
area to find this?! Wow this is
great. Thanks man.
I owe you big time.
(to himself, jumping up
and down)
God this is awesome.
RICK
(irritated, disbelief,
sarcastic)
Yeah man, that's great that's just
awesome.
JACK
(happy, eustatic)
Wow man. Thanks so much. Your the
best dude! You know what how bout
you come with me to get a pop.
RICK
(stares without speaking
for a few minutes, sighs
and gives in)
Yeah, why the hell not.
(Two characters walk off
together to corner store)
FADE OUT.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Scriptwriting One: Scene Writing: Passive Park
It’s a warm summer night sitting at my usual table in the park. The sun is starting to come down and a light evening breeze is beginning to pick up. Sitting at the table the breeze brings the ashy smell from my cigarette to my nose. The three other seats at the table are filled with my close friends. They are all laughing and joking with each other. Long conversations of past humorous stories, opinions on religion, society and popular culture will all be talked about as we sit here till the wee hours of the morning.
Traffic is slow and only a few cars go by. Each passing car driver stares directly at our table as if unknown thing is drawing their attention towards us. The majority of vehicles being limousines and I swear I’ve seen the same one go around the square of the park at least ten times now.
As I look to my right I see the sun going down across the river and a bright orange and pink tint hitting the tips of Mount Washington. Only a few clouds linger in the sky. Behind me, are strangers walking through the park. Some are familiar faces I’ve seen on campus or at Shannon Hall. Some wave and say hi because they know my friends, others walk past by themselves, MP3 players blasting, tuning out reality, while some walk past in groups yelling and laughing loudly and carrying on like third graders at recess.
While the night lurks on, the breeze becomes heavier and it starts to get chilly. Sweatshirts and jackets that were thrown on the table now have found the bodies they belong on. The metal seats we’ve been sitting on for hours become uncomfortable and cold. The orange and pink highlight on Mount Washington has disappeared and the only remaining lights come from cars and streetlights. If look directly up you just might be able to see a few stars in a blanket of black. Pleasant conversation and laughter still surround the table while we are bathed in an aroma of cigarettes.
As time continues to pass on, the city unwinds itself and goes into sleep mode. I look at my cell and see that it reads 3:41 AM. The only people walking through the park now are either drunk or homeless. An old homeless man comes up to us asks if he can bum a cigarette and I hand him one of mine. He thanks me and walks on his way. It’s pretty chilly now and we are all shaking and huddling our bodies together to try to get warm. Only every so often we see a car go by. We get up from the table to venture to the warmth of our beds to join in with the rest of Pittsburgh in sleep.
Traffic is slow and only a few cars go by. Each passing car driver stares directly at our table as if unknown thing is drawing their attention towards us. The majority of vehicles being limousines and I swear I’ve seen the same one go around the square of the park at least ten times now.
As I look to my right I see the sun going down across the river and a bright orange and pink tint hitting the tips of Mount Washington. Only a few clouds linger in the sky. Behind me, are strangers walking through the park. Some are familiar faces I’ve seen on campus or at Shannon Hall. Some wave and say hi because they know my friends, others walk past by themselves, MP3 players blasting, tuning out reality, while some walk past in groups yelling and laughing loudly and carrying on like third graders at recess.
While the night lurks on, the breeze becomes heavier and it starts to get chilly. Sweatshirts and jackets that were thrown on the table now have found the bodies they belong on. The metal seats we’ve been sitting on for hours become uncomfortable and cold. The orange and pink highlight on Mount Washington has disappeared and the only remaining lights come from cars and streetlights. If look directly up you just might be able to see a few stars in a blanket of black. Pleasant conversation and laughter still surround the table while we are bathed in an aroma of cigarettes.
As time continues to pass on, the city unwinds itself and goes into sleep mode. I look at my cell and see that it reads 3:41 AM. The only people walking through the park now are either drunk or homeless. An old homeless man comes up to us asks if he can bum a cigarette and I hand him one of mine. He thanks me and walks on his way. It’s pretty chilly now and we are all shaking and huddling our bodies together to try to get warm. Only every so often we see a car go by. We get up from the table to venture to the warmth of our beds to join in with the rest of Pittsburgh in sleep.
Scriptwriting One: Memory Writing: Beach
Looking out the car window I see flat land straight ahead of us. The mountainous and hill covered land that I know as home is gone, but it’s a warm embrace for the new environment were driving to. I roll the window down and in comes a gust of air. I breathe in the sweet smell of salt. My eyes stayed glued to the window as I impatiently wait for my family and I to arrive at our destination.
When we finally make it I jump out of the car and turn in a full circle to take in the sights around me. The streets are lined with hotels, restaurants, shops and so much more. Palm trees line the parking lot and the only thing I want to do is run to the beach. My mom snaps me back into reality by giving me a playful smack in the head. We start unloading the car and make our way for the hotel room.
As soon as we get inside the room I run to the balcony to take a glance at the view. The waves crash onto one another, the sun is set high in the sky, and a cool breeze carries the smell of the ocean against my nose. Hundreds of people line the beach grazing in the sun or taking a dip in the water.
I beg my parents to take us to the beach and after unpacking we make our way down to the shore. I step onto the warm sand and feel its softness between my toes. We keep walking to find an open spot to set our blanket down for the afternoon. We lay down the blanket and I apply sunscreen so the hot sun doesn’t burn me. I grab my little brother and take him to the water with me. I slowly make my way to the edge of the crash waves. The water is cold against my feet and ankles but I slowly make my way into the water. After awhile my body gets used to the cold temperatures of the water and I’m waist deep in the ocean. Feeling brave, I dunk under the water and submerge my body. I pop up from the window for hair. I can taste the salt on my lips and look over at my brother and give him a splash.
After cooling off in the water, we decide to head back up to the beach to build sandcastles. We run to our parents sitting on our blanket to grab shovels and beach toys. Then we found a good spot on the beach and began digging. My brother and I race against the tide to get our sandcastle complete before its too late. Within a few hours we have about a foot deep trench built, surrounded by a huge wall. The tide is coming close to our fort and it’s almost time to see our hard work paid off.
Finally the tide hits our sand wall, some water spills over the sides. My brother and I start frantically scooping the water with our buckets and shovel more to reinforce our wall. In a few minutes our castle is completely wiped out. The trench is halfway full of water and the wall is barely visible. We retreat back to the blanket where mom and dad tell us were heading in for the day. By then the sun is starting to go down and streaks of orange and pink start to fill the sky. The wind is picking up and it’s a chilly walk back to the hotel. I stop for a moment and gaze back at the ocean in its serene beauty and smile knowing I’ll be back on the sandy beaches again tomorrow.
When we finally make it I jump out of the car and turn in a full circle to take in the sights around me. The streets are lined with hotels, restaurants, shops and so much more. Palm trees line the parking lot and the only thing I want to do is run to the beach. My mom snaps me back into reality by giving me a playful smack in the head. We start unloading the car and make our way for the hotel room.
As soon as we get inside the room I run to the balcony to take a glance at the view. The waves crash onto one another, the sun is set high in the sky, and a cool breeze carries the smell of the ocean against my nose. Hundreds of people line the beach grazing in the sun or taking a dip in the water.
I beg my parents to take us to the beach and after unpacking we make our way down to the shore. I step onto the warm sand and feel its softness between my toes. We keep walking to find an open spot to set our blanket down for the afternoon. We lay down the blanket and I apply sunscreen so the hot sun doesn’t burn me. I grab my little brother and take him to the water with me. I slowly make my way to the edge of the crash waves. The water is cold against my feet and ankles but I slowly make my way into the water. After awhile my body gets used to the cold temperatures of the water and I’m waist deep in the ocean. Feeling brave, I dunk under the water and submerge my body. I pop up from the window for hair. I can taste the salt on my lips and look over at my brother and give him a splash.
After cooling off in the water, we decide to head back up to the beach to build sandcastles. We run to our parents sitting on our blanket to grab shovels and beach toys. Then we found a good spot on the beach and began digging. My brother and I race against the tide to get our sandcastle complete before its too late. Within a few hours we have about a foot deep trench built, surrounded by a huge wall. The tide is coming close to our fort and it’s almost time to see our hard work paid off.
Finally the tide hits our sand wall, some water spills over the sides. My brother and I start frantically scooping the water with our buckets and shovel more to reinforce our wall. In a few minutes our castle is completely wiped out. The trench is halfway full of water and the wall is barely visible. We retreat back to the blanket where mom and dad tell us were heading in for the day. By then the sun is starting to go down and streaks of orange and pink start to fill the sky. The wind is picking up and it’s a chilly walk back to the hotel. I stop for a moment and gaze back at the ocean in its serene beauty and smile knowing I’ll be back on the sandy beaches again tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)