The script for my thesis film
Remember before I became all emo and shit, I used to have crazy and whimsical updates like the Suze Orman's Haunted Vagina or whatever crap I last posted all the time?! Well, hypothetical groupies, you're in luck. I just finished the shooting script for my thesis film. So to answer your first question: Yes, I am shooting this fucker. I highly, highly, HIGHLY advise you read it. I mean, yeah, it's 11 pages, but they're in screenplay format so that's like 8 regular pages which is about the usual space I'd devote to explaining in great detail why no one will ever have sex with me EVER.
I'd also like to say that it's good, but I wouldn't want to oversell it.
And look...I always feel like a dick saying this, but it needs to be said: While Boyd most certainly appreciates you taking the time to read his screenplay, he hopes that should you opt to comment on it, you say something more helpful than "lol thumbs up" or "CONGRATULATIONS! Your message was posted sucessfully!". Honestly, I know I'm a dick to like everyone ever, but even I wouldn't read someone's thesis script and refuse to say anything meaningful. I mean really. That's just a cocktease.
KEY CONSIDERATION: You'll note at the end there are two endings, a good and a bad. Please tell me which you prefer, because I have no idea what I'm doing with my life.
PLAYING WITH POWER
by
Aaron Boyd
2855 Ashley Lane
West Bloomfield, MI 48324
248/366-9375
aaronboyd2@yahoo.com
FADE IN:
MAIN TITLES
EXT. CITY STREET - DAY
A bright, wide open city street, well trafficked and in full public view. On one side of the street stands a WOMAN, young, late teens, early twenties. On the other, three STREET PUNKS whose collective fashion sense resembles a trio of 80’s punk rockers. They stare at each other for one long, unblinking moment. The lead thug then slowly approaches the woman, PUNCHES her in the stomach, slings her over his back, and wordlessly shuffles off, his henchmen right behind him.
INT. MAYOR’S OFFICE - DAY
Inside a well-decorated office sits MAYOR MIKE HAGGAR, 32, a mammoth of a man clad in a skin-tight white shirt and an angry scowl. Mike is performing generic paperwork as he talks on the phone. We do not hear Mike’s voice, nor does he even move at normal speed. Instead, we cycle through two images of Mike, one of him talking on the phone and one of him writing something, in an endless loop. The bottom third of the screen is just a black bar, inside of which we SUPER:
“Mayor Mike is Mayor of “Metro City”! Mayor Mike is making big plans for the parade! When suddenly!”
INSERT: Speaker phone
SUPER:
“Mayor Mike, this Dodongo! I has sent my ninjas and they capture your daughter! Hand over “Metro City”…or else! Are you a bad enough dude to rescue your daughter???”
Mayor Mike ROARS with anger, tearing his shirt and causing the background to flash colors.
SUPER:
“Enough talk! I will smash you in okay!”
Mike rushes out of his office and onto the streets.
SUPER: ACT I: Big City Nights!
EXT. CITY STREETS - DAY
The shirtless Mike is walking down the streets of Metro City, bare-chested and seething with rage. After walking about ten feet a THUG approaches him. Without question Mike savagely beats him. He continues walking forward until he runs into another thug that looks completely identical. Again, Mike beats him down without batting an eyelash. Mike progresses forward and suddenly is attacked by a GANG of about three people, one of whom is the same thug Mike’s been beating on.
Mike fights valiantly, but they crowd of killers prove to be too much. The gang knocks him down and begins their slow, laborious advance when suddenly a YO-YO darts seemingly out of nowhere and SMACKS one of them upside the head. The others don’t even seem to notice until they’re hit. Mike slowly gets up, incredulous, and follows the yo-yo to its owner.
It’s a WOMAN, young and fit but dressed for another occasion. She’s wearing high heels and a tight pink dress.
WOMAN
Once again the mayor must be saved by the president! Ha ha ha!
MIKE
Who are you might I ask?
WOMAN
I am the president of women!
MIKE
Grr…less talk, more chop!
Mike rushes her, but is stopped.
WOMAN
Wait! I know where Dodongo is at!
MIKE
Where is Dodongo at?
WOMAN
Find the Black Manta. And tell him ‘Winners don’t use drugs’.
The mysterious woman runs off.
MIKE
Ken…
EXT. PARK - DAY
Two guys are fighting in front of a small CROWD. One combatant, KEN, is your token hot-blooded All-American golden boy. The other is an expendable THUG in the same vein as the punks we saw earlier. Though the fighters are moving in real-time, the crowd itself is almost completely static and two-dimensional. Like Mayor Mike, they repeatedly move back and forth in two canned positions, showing no real humanity of animation. The fighters themselves move like real people, but only back and forth as if confined to a two-dimensional plane.
In terms of actual combat, the fighters exchange blows until eventually Ken strikes the thug with a powerful blow to the solar plexus.
THUG
BARF!!!
The thug falls down, gets back up, and begins wobbling in place, bobbing his head is small, confused circles. Ken approaches him and suddenly the park grows dark, almost black. No one seems to notice and the crowd is still performing their canned reactions. Ken lets out a SCREAM and hits the thug again.
KEN
HADOKEN!
The thug does not get up.
The crowd dissipates, suddenly free of their two-dimensional trance, and leave as though nothing happened. Ken looks up, ready to go, when he sees Mike, who’s been watching from a distance.
KEN
Oh it’s Mayor Mike wanting to arrest me!
MIKE
No Ken, I have bigger task of you. Is Dodongo.
KEN
Dodongo!?
MIKE
He have kidnapped my daughter. Help find my daughter and I will buy you restaurants.
KEN
Okay let’s go! Warning: The park is dangerous at night!
INT. DODONGO’S HIDEOUT - DAY
Dodongo’s hideout is basically a large, empty garage, and in the middle of it stands Dodongo, staring ahead. Behind him is JESSICA, Mike’s daughter, tied to a chair.
JESSICA
Dodongo, you spoony bard! Let me go!
DODONGO
Never! Now Mayor Mike will have no choice but to surrender Metro City to us Master Blasters!
JESSICA
You’ve gone crazy! My dad will rescue me for certain!
DODONGO
He will come any minute.
Dodongo resumes staring at the entrance to his fortress.
DODONGO
Any minute.
SUPER:
ACT II: Watch out in the Park!
Though it’s obviously still day, they start their journey out of the park and encounter myriad threats, just as Ken predicted.
MONTAGE:
-- Construction workers throwing hammers from trees
-- Ten year olds on skateboards trying to ram our heroes
-- Divebombing birds
-- Armed soldiers
-- A chef carrying a large spoon.
At one point Ken is hit by the chef and suffers damage, collapsing right next to a large garbage can.
KEN
Mike! I’m going into…the great beyond!
MIKE
No! Smash this garbage for safety!
Ken kicks over the garbage can and discovers a turkey dinner inside. He does not eat it so much as he walks over it, but doing so causes him to blink yellow.
KEN
Mmmm! My compliments!
No sooner has Ken finished saying that is he tackled from behind. A gentleman dressed as a stereotypical Frenchman charges by, turns, and faces Mike and Ken.
KEN
Oh no! It is the boss of parks!
FRENCHMAN
C’est la vie! I am Rolento! It will be a pleasure destroying you!
MIKE
Get out of my way!
The Frenchman produces a long baton from behind his back and twirls it ceremonially before charging headlong into our heroes, bowling them over. Rather than continuing his assault while they’re down, Rolento takes a moment to point and laugh. They stagger to their feet and try to launch a retaliatory strike, but again are knocked over, which prompts another burst of laughter from their adversary.
KEN
Argh! His laugh is like fire!
MIKE
Then we fight fire with fire!
While Rolento is laughing Mike attacks with a series of powerful blows, knocking Rolento down for several seconds. He lies prone for some time but neither Ken nor Mike capitalize on this, instead waiting for him to stand back up. Rolento laughs again and is summarily beat down again. Bloody, broken, and near death, Rolento gets back up, twirls his baton, and laughs. Ken delivers a lethal KICK that knocks Rolento down for good.
MIKE
Rolento! Where is Dodongo’s factory?!
ROLENTO
Sorry, I’m dead.
His corpse blinks a few times before flashing out of existence.
KEN
(laughing)
We sure made a monkey out of him!
They run off camera as we fade to black.
SUPER: SCENE CLEAR!!!!!
Which is followed by
SUPER: BONUS STAGE
EXT. DRIVEWAY - DAY
Ken and Mike find themselves in front of a car. Scattered about are crowbars, tire irons, and various other smashing tools. A timer in the top middle of the frame indicates they have 30 seconds to do whatever they please with the car.
MIKE
There is no time to smash a car.
A fifteen second pause.
KEN
Agreed.
Another fifteen second pause. They walk away from the car.
EXT. PARK - DAY
Ken and Mike are continuing their walk through the park, looking exhausted.
MIKE
Oh here is good place to feel asleep.
KEN
Let’s enjoy picnicking together.
CUT TO: Later in the day, Ken and Mike lounging about on the grass. Mike is sitting on a BLANKET next to a BASKET. Ken is lying on his back staring at the clouds.
KEN
Mike, what is the greatest magic in the world?
MIKE
Join the Nintendo fun club today!
Suddenly, everything goes BLACK except for Ken and Mike. A crackle of THUNDER off in the background, and without warning a NINJA appears and drags Ken off into the blackness.
MIKE
Dodongo, you creep!
Mike looks down and sees something the Ninja left behind. It appears to be a NOTE.
INSERT: Note: “EASTMOST PENINSULA IS THE SECRET”.
MIKE
Dodongo is up!
SUPER: FINAL ACT: SHAKE HANDS WITH DANGER
INT. DODONGO’S HIDEOUT - NIGHT
A vaguely nondescript warehouse-type room that really serves no purpose but to be the lair of a villain. The room is just a big gray box, and in the middle of it stands DODONGO, staring out into space for no conceivable reason, as if his life revolves around waiting for Mike to come in. When the door to his hideout opens, Dodondgo springs to life.
DODONGO
You! Intruder! Get the hot bullets of shotgun to die!
MIKE
I WILL TAKE YOUR ROSE!
The two enemies then begin their final battle, which is shot entirely from a far-off semi-overhead perspective. From our viewpoint it would appear as though Mike is significantly smaller than Dodongo and almost has to jump to punch him in the face. Dodongo, meanwhile, is enormous but completely telegraphs all his punches, like in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!. After a long and surreal battle, Mike KO’s Dodongo, and the whole screen goes black except for Mike. Mike runs off to the left and finds his daughter tied to a chair.
MIKE
Oh daughter! It is good to see you again! But where is Ken?
DAUGHTER
There is Ken!
Ken is lying in a pool of his own blood in some corner of the room, his throat slashed.
KEN
I FEEL ASLEEP!!
SUPER:
“BAD END. THIS IS NOT A TRUE ENDING! TRY AGAIN WITH YOUR FRIEND
PASSWORD EECJJ”.
THE END??
OR
DAUGHTER
There is Ken!
Ken is asleep in some corner of the room.
KEN
I FEEL ASLEEP!!
They all share a laugh.
DAUGHTER
I have found the most important magic in the world! It is love and friendship!
SUPER OVER BLACK:
“The gangs went back to school and became honor students.”
FADE OUT.
ROLL CREDITS:
After the token main actor credits, we’ll have a section for STAFF, which will intermingle the actual cast with random Japanese names; “R. Rikimura, Taki...AND YOU!!”.
SUPER: “THANKYOU FOR PLAYING”
THE END.
I'd also like to say that it's good, but I wouldn't want to oversell it.
And look...I always feel like a dick saying this, but it needs to be said: While Boyd most certainly appreciates you taking the time to read his screenplay, he hopes that should you opt to comment on it, you say something more helpful than "lol thumbs up" or "CONGRATULATIONS! Your message was posted sucessfully!". Honestly, I know I'm a dick to like everyone ever, but even I wouldn't read someone's thesis script and refuse to say anything meaningful. I mean really. That's just a cocktease.
KEY CONSIDERATION: You'll note at the end there are two endings, a good and a bad. Please tell me which you prefer, because I have no idea what I'm doing with my life.
PLAYING WITH POWER
by
Aaron Boyd
2855 Ashley Lane
West Bloomfield, MI 48324
248/366-9375
aaronboyd2@yahoo.com
FADE IN:
MAIN TITLES
EXT. CITY STREET - DAY
A bright, wide open city street, well trafficked and in full public view. On one side of the street stands a WOMAN, young, late teens, early twenties. On the other, three STREET PUNKS whose collective fashion sense resembles a trio of 80’s punk rockers. They stare at each other for one long, unblinking moment. The lead thug then slowly approaches the woman, PUNCHES her in the stomach, slings her over his back, and wordlessly shuffles off, his henchmen right behind him.
INT. MAYOR’S OFFICE - DAY
Inside a well-decorated office sits MAYOR MIKE HAGGAR, 32, a mammoth of a man clad in a skin-tight white shirt and an angry scowl. Mike is performing generic paperwork as he talks on the phone. We do not hear Mike’s voice, nor does he even move at normal speed. Instead, we cycle through two images of Mike, one of him talking on the phone and one of him writing something, in an endless loop. The bottom third of the screen is just a black bar, inside of which we SUPER:
“Mayor Mike is Mayor of “Metro City”! Mayor Mike is making big plans for the parade! When suddenly!”
INSERT: Speaker phone
SUPER:
“Mayor Mike, this Dodongo! I has sent my ninjas and they capture your daughter! Hand over “Metro City”…or else! Are you a bad enough dude to rescue your daughter???”
Mayor Mike ROARS with anger, tearing his shirt and causing the background to flash colors.
SUPER:
“Enough talk! I will smash you in okay!”
Mike rushes out of his office and onto the streets.
SUPER: ACT I: Big City Nights!
EXT. CITY STREETS - DAY
The shirtless Mike is walking down the streets of Metro City, bare-chested and seething with rage. After walking about ten feet a THUG approaches him. Without question Mike savagely beats him. He continues walking forward until he runs into another thug that looks completely identical. Again, Mike beats him down without batting an eyelash. Mike progresses forward and suddenly is attacked by a GANG of about three people, one of whom is the same thug Mike’s been beating on.
Mike fights valiantly, but they crowd of killers prove to be too much. The gang knocks him down and begins their slow, laborious advance when suddenly a YO-YO darts seemingly out of nowhere and SMACKS one of them upside the head. The others don’t even seem to notice until they’re hit. Mike slowly gets up, incredulous, and follows the yo-yo to its owner.
It’s a WOMAN, young and fit but dressed for another occasion. She’s wearing high heels and a tight pink dress.
WOMAN
Once again the mayor must be saved by the president! Ha ha ha!
MIKE
Who are you might I ask?
WOMAN
I am the president of women!
MIKE
Grr…less talk, more chop!
Mike rushes her, but is stopped.
WOMAN
Wait! I know where Dodongo is at!
MIKE
Where is Dodongo at?
WOMAN
Find the Black Manta. And tell him ‘Winners don’t use drugs’.
The mysterious woman runs off.
MIKE
Ken…
EXT. PARK - DAY
Two guys are fighting in front of a small CROWD. One combatant, KEN, is your token hot-blooded All-American golden boy. The other is an expendable THUG in the same vein as the punks we saw earlier. Though the fighters are moving in real-time, the crowd itself is almost completely static and two-dimensional. Like Mayor Mike, they repeatedly move back and forth in two canned positions, showing no real humanity of animation. The fighters themselves move like real people, but only back and forth as if confined to a two-dimensional plane.
In terms of actual combat, the fighters exchange blows until eventually Ken strikes the thug with a powerful blow to the solar plexus.
THUG
BARF!!!
The thug falls down, gets back up, and begins wobbling in place, bobbing his head is small, confused circles. Ken approaches him and suddenly the park grows dark, almost black. No one seems to notice and the crowd is still performing their canned reactions. Ken lets out a SCREAM and hits the thug again.
KEN
HADOKEN!
The thug does not get up.
The crowd dissipates, suddenly free of their two-dimensional trance, and leave as though nothing happened. Ken looks up, ready to go, when he sees Mike, who’s been watching from a distance.
KEN
Oh it’s Mayor Mike wanting to arrest me!
MIKE
No Ken, I have bigger task of you. Is Dodongo.
KEN
Dodongo!?
MIKE
He have kidnapped my daughter. Help find my daughter and I will buy you restaurants.
KEN
Okay let’s go! Warning: The park is dangerous at night!
INT. DODONGO’S HIDEOUT - DAY
Dodongo’s hideout is basically a large, empty garage, and in the middle of it stands Dodongo, staring ahead. Behind him is JESSICA, Mike’s daughter, tied to a chair.
JESSICA
Dodongo, you spoony bard! Let me go!
DODONGO
Never! Now Mayor Mike will have no choice but to surrender Metro City to us Master Blasters!
JESSICA
You’ve gone crazy! My dad will rescue me for certain!
DODONGO
He will come any minute.
Dodongo resumes staring at the entrance to his fortress.
DODONGO
Any minute.
SUPER:
ACT II: Watch out in the Park!
Though it’s obviously still day, they start their journey out of the park and encounter myriad threats, just as Ken predicted.
MONTAGE:
-- Construction workers throwing hammers from trees
-- Ten year olds on skateboards trying to ram our heroes
-- Divebombing birds
-- Armed soldiers
-- A chef carrying a large spoon.
At one point Ken is hit by the chef and suffers damage, collapsing right next to a large garbage can.
KEN
Mike! I’m going into…the great beyond!
MIKE
No! Smash this garbage for safety!
Ken kicks over the garbage can and discovers a turkey dinner inside. He does not eat it so much as he walks over it, but doing so causes him to blink yellow.
KEN
Mmmm! My compliments!
No sooner has Ken finished saying that is he tackled from behind. A gentleman dressed as a stereotypical Frenchman charges by, turns, and faces Mike and Ken.
KEN
Oh no! It is the boss of parks!
FRENCHMAN
C’est la vie! I am Rolento! It will be a pleasure destroying you!
MIKE
Get out of my way!
The Frenchman produces a long baton from behind his back and twirls it ceremonially before charging headlong into our heroes, bowling them over. Rather than continuing his assault while they’re down, Rolento takes a moment to point and laugh. They stagger to their feet and try to launch a retaliatory strike, but again are knocked over, which prompts another burst of laughter from their adversary.
KEN
Argh! His laugh is like fire!
MIKE
Then we fight fire with fire!
While Rolento is laughing Mike attacks with a series of powerful blows, knocking Rolento down for several seconds. He lies prone for some time but neither Ken nor Mike capitalize on this, instead waiting for him to stand back up. Rolento laughs again and is summarily beat down again. Bloody, broken, and near death, Rolento gets back up, twirls his baton, and laughs. Ken delivers a lethal KICK that knocks Rolento down for good.
MIKE
Rolento! Where is Dodongo’s factory?!
ROLENTO
Sorry, I’m dead.
His corpse blinks a few times before flashing out of existence.
KEN
(laughing)
We sure made a monkey out of him!
They run off camera as we fade to black.
SUPER: SCENE CLEAR!!!!!
Which is followed by
SUPER: BONUS STAGE
EXT. DRIVEWAY - DAY
Ken and Mike find themselves in front of a car. Scattered about are crowbars, tire irons, and various other smashing tools. A timer in the top middle of the frame indicates they have 30 seconds to do whatever they please with the car.
MIKE
There is no time to smash a car.
A fifteen second pause.
KEN
Agreed.
Another fifteen second pause. They walk away from the car.
EXT. PARK - DAY
Ken and Mike are continuing their walk through the park, looking exhausted.
MIKE
Oh here is good place to feel asleep.
KEN
Let’s enjoy picnicking together.
CUT TO: Later in the day, Ken and Mike lounging about on the grass. Mike is sitting on a BLANKET next to a BASKET. Ken is lying on his back staring at the clouds.
KEN
Mike, what is the greatest magic in the world?
MIKE
Join the Nintendo fun club today!
Suddenly, everything goes BLACK except for Ken and Mike. A crackle of THUNDER off in the background, and without warning a NINJA appears and drags Ken off into the blackness.
MIKE
Dodongo, you creep!
Mike looks down and sees something the Ninja left behind. It appears to be a NOTE.
INSERT: Note: “EASTMOST PENINSULA IS THE SECRET”.
MIKE
Dodongo is up!
SUPER: FINAL ACT: SHAKE HANDS WITH DANGER
INT. DODONGO’S HIDEOUT - NIGHT
A vaguely nondescript warehouse-type room that really serves no purpose but to be the lair of a villain. The room is just a big gray box, and in the middle of it stands DODONGO, staring out into space for no conceivable reason, as if his life revolves around waiting for Mike to come in. When the door to his hideout opens, Dodondgo springs to life.
DODONGO
You! Intruder! Get the hot bullets of shotgun to die!
MIKE
I WILL TAKE YOUR ROSE!
The two enemies then begin their final battle, which is shot entirely from a far-off semi-overhead perspective. From our viewpoint it would appear as though Mike is significantly smaller than Dodongo and almost has to jump to punch him in the face. Dodongo, meanwhile, is enormous but completely telegraphs all his punches, like in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!. After a long and surreal battle, Mike KO’s Dodongo, and the whole screen goes black except for Mike. Mike runs off to the left and finds his daughter tied to a chair.
MIKE
Oh daughter! It is good to see you again! But where is Ken?
DAUGHTER
There is Ken!
Ken is lying in a pool of his own blood in some corner of the room, his throat slashed.
KEN
I FEEL ASLEEP!!
SUPER:
“BAD END. THIS IS NOT A TRUE ENDING! TRY AGAIN WITH YOUR FRIEND
PASSWORD EECJJ”.
THE END??
OR
DAUGHTER
There is Ken!
Ken is asleep in some corner of the room.
KEN
I FEEL ASLEEP!!
They all share a laugh.
DAUGHTER
I have found the most important magic in the world! It is love and friendship!
SUPER OVER BLACK:
“The gangs went back to school and became honor students.”
FADE OUT.
ROLL CREDITS:
After the token main actor credits, we’ll have a section for STAFF, which will intermingle the actual cast with random Japanese names; “R. Rikimura, Taki...AND YOU!!”.
SUPER: “THANKYOU FOR PLAYING”
THE END.