Sometimes
inspiration comes from a variety of different sources that don't seem to have
any connection...
So a few
weeks ago two very different types of incidents happened. The first was several trespasser strikes
involving our trains. This something I
wish happened far less frequently than it does, because of the trauma it causes
not only to the person hit, but also to the onboard employees who have to deal
with this. People outside the industry
are either blissfully ignorant or just don't care of what this can do to a
person. I have seen people leave the
business, broken spiritually and mentally from what they have had to
witness. There just never seems to be a
way to spread the word about this.
The second
type of event was my fascination with potentially bad movies. In this case I decided to watch the movie
"The ABCs of Death 2". The
basic premise is that 26 different directors were each given a letter of the
alphabet and then make a short film (usually around 5 minutes) dealing with death
related to that letter. To say it was a
bit...uneven is a little generous.
However, the idea got me to thinking.
Maybe I could use this format to tell a cautionary tale about the
affects of a trespasser strike has. So I
reached deep inside me and found my rusty old screenwriting skills.
I finished
the first version of the following script in a little over an hour.
I tweaked it
a little and decided to share it. Now,
for those not in the film biz, I have to state up front: I cheated.
And to my friends IN the biz I confess:
I know I didn't follow form. It
was deliberate. You see, I added
descriptors, camera directions and story elements to the script to portray my
specific vision. Without this, the
script would be a bit drier, and more open to interpretation, and quite
possibly lost the impact I was trying for.
I probably should have done an outline instead, but hey, it came out as
a script.
So what do I
hope to do with this? Well, I hope
people read it, understand what I am trying for, and think about the
subject. (It would also be cool if one
of my friends or one of their friends found an urge to film it, but lets keep
expectations low for now.) I hope you
give it a read, it's only four pages including the title page.
As to the
title: I kept with the theme from the
movie that inspired it. However, unlike
the film, I didn't say what the "T" was for. I did that because it fits multiple themes in
the script, and I leave what it means to you.
I hope you
enjoy this...
PS-To my friends who work with scripts: I know the INT/EXT shots are supposed to be on the left margin, and they are on the actual script. It became too much a pain in the ass fixing it when I copied it to Word, so I left it. You get the idea...
"T" IS
FOR...
Written by
M.S. Robinson
FADE IN:
INT. SPORTS BAR
Everything is brightly lit, if slightly in
soft focus. MAN 1 is at the bar,
surrounded by friends. They are all
gathered together, watching the big game on the big screen television. Everyone is having fun. After a few seconds of watching the
frivolity, YOUNG GIRL Slowly, almost obliviously, walks into the sports
bar. MAN 1 turns his head and sees YOUNG
GIRL as a slow, high pitch horn sound plays and becomes louder. YOUNG GIRL starts to look up. Everything
turns to white.
CUT
TO:
INT. SPORTS BAR
It is the same bar as
before, but the color is muted, and everything seems overly sharp focused. The bar is mostly empty, save for MAN 1. He is seated at the bar. He is in complete disarray, like he has not
changed or taken care of himself for a while.
There are numerous empty bottles of beer around him, and he has another
half empty one in his hands. It is
obvious he has been drinking, and his face is a study of misery.
FADE
TO:
EXT. FRONT YARD
It is a sunny warm
day. Everything is brightly lit and in soft focus. WOMAN is playing with a couple children, her
kids. They are all playing on the grass,
mainly running through a running sprinkler.
You can see the looks of joy on all their faces. As they are enjoying themselves, YOUNG GIRL
slowly, almost obliviously, walks into the front yard. WOMAN turns her head and sees YOUNG
WOMAN as a slow, high pitch horn sound
plays and becomes louder. YOUNG GIRL
starts to look up. Everything turns to white.
CUT TO:
INT. SHOWER
Again, the color is
muted and everything is in overly sharp focus.
WOMAN is in the shower, not moving, just letting the water fall upon
her. Her face is a blank mask, no
emotion, save for her eyes. They are
locked in a thousand yard stare. She
acts oblivious to everything as the water continues to cascade on her.
FADE TO:
INT. BEDROOM
It is a lazy
morning. Sunlight streams in from an
open window, bathing the bedroom in bright light. Everything is in soft focus. MAN 2 and his wife are in bed. He is sitting upright against the headboard and
she is lying on his chest, with his arms around her. Both have looks of content joy from just
being near each other. They are having a
light conversation. While they enjoying
each others company, YOUNG GIRL Slowly, almost obliviously, walks into the
bedroom. MAN 2 turns his head and sees
YOUNG GIRL as a slow, high pitch horn sound plays and becomes louder. YOUNG GIRL starts to look up. Everything
turns to white.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM
As before, the color
is muted and everything is in overly sharp focus. MAN 2 and his wife are in bed. The wife is the one sitting with her back on
the headboard, while the husband is lying on her chest, nearly in the fetal
position. His face is twisted in sadness
and torment. His wife has her arms
around him, and she is trying her best to comfort him, worry on her face. His hands are grasping her arms like he is
holding on to a life raft to prevent himself from drowning.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAIN CAR 1
Again, everything is
in color and in soft focus. People are
riding the train, enjoying themselves as it rolls along. MAN 1 is there, as he is the conductor of the
train. He is assisting and chatting with
the passengers. As he is doing this,
WOMAN comes into the train car, revealing she is the assistant conductor. Her and MAN 1 chat and joke as they do their
job assisting the passengers.
FADE
TO:
INT. TRAIN ENGINE
MAN 2 is driving the
train, as he is revealed to be the engineer of it. He is doing his job well, being attentive to
his surroundings, and seems content at this.
He sees something far ahead on the tracks and springs to alertness.
CUT TO:
EXT. TRAIN TRACKS
YOUNG WOMAN slowly,
almost obliviously, walks onto the tracks.
She is looking at her cellular phone and not paying attention to
anything else.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAIN ENGINE
MAN 2 is talking
rapidly into the radio about this. He
blasts the horn, which lets out a high pitched sound.
CUT TO:
EXT. TRAIN TRACKS
YOUNG WOMAN hears the
sound of the horn and slowly looks up.
It is too late. The light from
the train engine turns her and the scene to bright white.
CUT TO:
EXT. TRAIN TRACKS
Everything is nearly
monotone and in overly sharp focus. The
view is from the ground looking up.
Grass covers most of the bottom of the view, with the back of the head
of the YOUNG WOMAN in the bottom corner.
It is the only thing out of focus.
MAN 1 and WOMAN come into view, looking all distraught. Their eyes both see the head of the YOUNG
WOMAN at the same time. They stare for a
minute, then start to lose their composure.
FADE TO:
EXT. FRONT OF TRAIN
Emergency vehicles
are all around the stopped engine. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)
have a stretcher with a body bag on it and are taking it to where the body of
YOUNG WOMAN is. Police are investigating
the scene. MAN 2 is on the trunk of a
police car, sobbing as a police officer tries to console him.
FADE TO BLACK.
