Last November, my friend Paul Martin, a director (and occasional script collaborator), was one of five filmmakers chosen to participate in the Sony 4K Challenge as part of the Napa Valley Film Festival. Every participant was provided with a brand-spanking-new Sony 4K camera, assigned a genre, and allotted 72 hours to make a five-minute film, from start to final edit.
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| Ready? Set? SHOOT! |
The rules included:
1.) Genre (Western, Noir/Thriller, Rom-Com, Comedy, and Drama) would not be assigned until the clock started on the challenge.
2.) Each genre included a required location, though additional locations could be used.
3.) All footage had to be shot on locations within Napa Valley.
4.) In addition to the assigned genre and location, each film must include a required catch-phrase ("There's something a little off about that guy."), feature a shot of the Sony equipment, and incorporate an assigned prop.
5.) Only Sony equipment could be used for filming and post-production. Editing must be done on Sone Vegas.
So, when Paul called and told me, "I need a script! Like, now!" a few days before the Challenge began, we started brainstorming a story that:
* was readily adaptable to multiple genres,
* wasn't reliant upon a single location,
* required minimal actors, lighting, set-up, and SFX,
* could be made with no budget,
* was visually interesting.
We came up with a romp in which a time-traveling documentarian discovers love when a colleague accidentally joins him on a botched trip to the past.
The script was readily adaptable for pure comedy, romantic comedy, or drama, if we got assigned those genres. It featured a scene set in the "Wild West" and one set in the 1929, either of which could be expanded for either a Western or Noir.
It made use of the locations we thought we knew we could count on: a castle, a saloon, and a train. Plus, we knew we had access to horses and riders.
It also took into account that Paul is a huge fan of Mel Brooks, so whenever possible, he gravitates toward oddball physical humor (Hence, the Lackeys).
The first version of the script was very straightforward. It included an in-text note that shouted "I HATE THIS APPROACH! CONSIDER THIS ALTERNATIVE" in reference to a section Paul suggested and it wasn't nearly oddball enough to make him smile. In it, each "time change" was marked by a flash of bright light and a "wub-wub-wub" sound effect -- something Paul hated even more than the scene meriting my in-text note.
Eight hours and four rewrites later, we had come up with this, the original jumping-off script (reformatted for blog purposes):
VALENTIMES DAY
FADE IN
INT. TIME TRAVEL ROOM - FUTURE - DAY
Sterile lab-like area. GREG, 20’s, our hero in futuristic goggles, inspects a video camera with all the intensity of a skydiver checking his safety harness.
KARIUS, a goggled technician monitors the situation through a window.
Greg psyches himself up... Gives a thumbs up.
KARIUS: Copy. Initializing outgoing sequence.
The door opens. LACKEY 1, wearing swim goggles, escorts goggle-wearing TESS (20-something) into the room.
LACKEY 1: Parka yu butt.
Lackey 1 leaves. Slams door behind him.
KARIUS: She can’t be in there.
GREG: You can’t be in here.
TESS: This isn’t the restroom.
She runs for the door. Her goggles flash red. She smacks into the door. It doesn’t open.
Karius worriedly checks monitors. Situation not good. LACKEY 2, wearing a rubber diving mask, plays swimmer in the window.
KARIUS: Coding is not calibrated for two.
GREG: You heard her. Get out.
Goggles flashing, Tess body slams the door. Nothing. Greg drops his camera and helps her.
KARIUS: It won’t abort! I’m losing con--
Greg and Tess both lunge for the door.
INT. MEDIEVAL CASTLE - 1350 - DAY
Greg and Tess burst through into a gorgeously frescoed dining hall. Greg takes off his goggles.
Tess walks smack into a wall. She checks her unlit goggles.
GREG: Might as well take ‘em off. They don’t work here.
TESS: We’re lost in time AND WE’RE DISCONNECTED?
GREG: They’re working to bring us back. I’m sure it won’t be long.
INT. TIME TRAVEL CONTROL ROOM - FUTURE - DAY
Chaos reigns. Alarms sound. Monitors flash dire warnings. Lights flash. Karius frantically punches buttons.
Lackey 2 wears a fire helmet and knocks periodically on it. Lackey 1 shoots off a fire extinguisher.
LACKEY 1: Bee-do! Bee-do! Baa-hahahaha!
POOF! Smoke! Situation deteriorating!
INT. MEDIEVAL CASTLE - 1350 - DAY
GREG: Rule number one -- don’t interact with anyone.
TESS: Stealth mode. I. Am. Invisible.
She freezes in front of a fresco of a woman in the same pose.
GREG: No. You’re in the way. Ooo, if we were connected, I’d tell you EXACTLY what you are--
He turns around--
And discovers a spear point at his throat.
A club smashes him to the ground. Lights out.
INT. TORTURE ROOM - LATER
Tess, wearing a steel helmet, holding a mace, sneaks in.
GREG (O.S.): Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.
Tess taps her mace. It BOOMS like a drum. She does it again -- adding a cool back beat to Greg’s Ow’s. She smiles. Gets into it. This is fun!
GREG: WILL YOU KNOCK IT OFF!
Tess hurries over. Greg is in an iron maiden. He’s seen better days. Tess fiddles with the latch.
TESS: You were about to tell me what I am?
GREG: You’re late. What took you so long?
TESS: Promise you won’t get mad?
The latch won’t open. Tess smacks on it with the mace handle.
GREG: Stop it! Someone’s going to hear!
Tess spins her mace meaningfully. Shakes her head.
TESS: We interacted.
She springs the latch. The iron maiden flings open, toppling Greg to the ground.
GREG: Ow.
TESS: You’re mad, aren’t you?
Greg reaches out and grabs Tess’s hand for help up. Tess screams and jerks away, repulsed.
TESS: Think of the pathogens! Uh-oh.
Sounds of clanging metal and pounding feet. An angry horde of medieval men outside. The door shudders. There is no way out. They’re trapped.
The door flies open--
INT. WESTERN BAR - 1849 - DAY
A gold rush saloon in full swing. Spittoons. Gambling men. The great unwashed. A PATRON pulls a floozy into his lap.
Tess and Greg materialize in a dark corner of the bar.
PATRON: I got me a snort of oh-be-joyful. Now how ‘bout a Valentine’s kiss?
The floozy squeals with laughter. She snuggles the man. Tess stares, riveted.
She pulls her goggles from her pocket-- They don’t work. She makes goggles with her hands and focusses on the couple.
Greg picks a hat up off the bar and places it on Tess’ head.
CLINK. CLINK. CLINK. Spurs rattle as footsteps of an angry TOUGH GUY approach.
TESS: What are they doing?
GREG (to Tough Guy): We don’t want any trouble.
TOUGH GUY: Only women in here’s working girls. You ain’t working. Girl.
Tough Guy reaches for Tess. Greg stands and gets in his way.
Tough Guy spits. Grins evilly. Pulls his gun. The bar falls silent. Patrons scoot out of the way.
PATRON: What’s that!?
A red laser light appears on a wall. Bar patrons scramble over themselves to get it. (Cats after a light.) The light disappears.
ALL: Awwwww.
Tess and Greg are gone -- running through a swinging door.
TOUGH GUY: Git em!
EXT. WESTERN SCRUBLAND - MOMENTS LATER
Greg and Tess hide in a bush near a railroad track. Tess picks up dirt and runs it through her fingers.
Tough Guy passes them on horseback.
TRAIN WHISTLE blows.
GREG: He’ll be back. Let’s go.
INT. WESTERN TRAIN CAR - MOMENTS LATER
Greg and Tess collapse, exhausted. The car is empty.
TESS: I’m starving.
Greg digs in his pocket and produces a tiny box full of teeny pills. Tess brightens. She happily eats one.
TESS: You brought enough for a week. What were you researching?
GREG: The Great Disconnect. How, and when, we stepped away from reality. Stopped letting things touch us.
Tess makes goggles of her hands again.
TESS: What are you talking about?
INT. DINING CAR - 1929 - DAY
The train car transforms into a sumptuous 1920’s dining car, packed with people, wine, and a sumptuous, elegant buffet. (Include props: wine bottle, corkscrew, olive oil & cupcakes)
TESS: What is that?
She points to a fruit plate.
GREG: I have no idea. And we just ate.
Tess ignores him. She samples some of the food. It’s heaven.
TESS: Oh, this is good... And this is--better!
A CONDUCTOR approaches, punching tickets.
Tess holds a decadent cupcake toward Greg.
CONDUCTOR: Your tickets.
Tess offers the conductor a bite.
EXT. SPEAKEASY - 1929 - MOMENTS LATER
The train rolls away, as Tess and Greg hit the ground. A MUG lurking outside watches them suspiciously.
Tess surveys the sad remains of a smashed cupcake.
TESS: Well, that’s just criminal.
MUG: Who you calling names, Dame? What do you know?
GREG: Nothing.
TESS: I know it’s Valentine’s Day.
She licks crumbs from her fingers. Greg cringes.
MUG: You know too much.
Mug reaches for them. Tess and Greg scuttle backwards to evade him. Mug herds them inside--
INT. SPEAKEASY - MOMENTS LATER
A big BOSS sits in a corner. Mug pulls a gun and looms over Greg and Tess.
MUG: Spats told me to peel an eye for ‘spicious characters. That’d be these two crumbs.
Boss nods. A violin case sits on the table in front of him.
TESS: Is that real?
BOSS: No.
GREG: No.
TESS: Can you play it?
Greg hides his face in his hands.
BOSS: Rub ‘em out.
Mug laughs evilly. Starts to pull the trigger.
Tess and Greg instinctively grab each other. They close their eyes.
EXT. CLASSY HOTEL - 2015 - EVENING
Tess and Greg hugging. People all around them walk and stare at their electronic devices. A SECURITY GUARD walks by and smiles.
SECURITY GUARD: That’s what it’s all about. Happy Valentine’s Day, folks.
The activity around Tess and Greg stills. As one, the people put their electronic devices and look at the couple.
Slowly, the people connect with one another, reacting to Tess and Greg. Some high-five. Some hug.
One couple kisses. Tess and Greg watch, curious.
INT. TIME TRAVEL ROOM - FUTURE - DAY
Tess and Greg materialize kissing.
Karius smiles with relief. She’s no longer wearing her goggles and drinking a glass of wine.
Lackey 1 puckers up and comes toward Karius. Karius becomes instantly serious.
KARIUS: No.
Tess and Greg come up for air.
GREG: We may have changed a few things while we were gone.
TESS: Yeah. Well, I still need to pee.
They kiss again.
Lackey 1 and Lackey 2 pucker up and head toward the camera.
FADE OUT
The process of making a movie in less than three days could fill up a month's worth of blog posts.
Twenty-four hours before the challenge, our lead actor pulled out and Paul had to recast. The day of challenge, Paul learned that he'd been assigned a Western genre, with olive oil as the required prop, and had lost access to both the required location and the saloon. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
Here is the result of on-the-fly filming, taking a basic script and making it work within the parameters of what is possible at the moment: (Note that the flashes and SFX to designate time changes were added back in. I stood vindicated.):
Participating in the challenge as the "offsite midwestern writer" was great fun. I learned about how very fluid a script needs to be when presented with challenges of the trenches. The tighter the budget and the schedule, the more the script will change to meet immediate demands. That's why the original premise must be clear -- so the inevitable changes don't derail the story.
The cool thing is: "Valentimes Day" is an official selection of The Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, this weekend. And it was chosen without the selection committee knowing that it was filmed in three days on no budget -- and edited on Vegas, for heaven's sake!
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