3.26.2011

MOVIE PITCH: Dead Dog

-- WINTER: There's this kid.  Fifteen, Sixteen.  Rural Maine.  Young for his age. Very poor.  I posted the rough opening segment introducing him, his poor mutt, his trailer without heat in the middle of the winter, his mother and sister reading tabloids in their winter coats, his sword and sorcery novels. Life sucks.
-- SPRING: So: When next we see the kid he's sweeping the floor of a massive garage; in and out come work trucks; on said trucks crews load batteries and equipment that are (as we'll learn) installed on cellular tower sites...

-- The FLOOR MANAGER sees the kid eating pizza with the other garage workers, and gives him hell: I told you, kid, there ain't no work for you here!
-- Kid's reply is he figured he'd work for free as long as it took to get paid.
-- It happens that as this is going on one of the truck drivers is sitting in the office, and is watching the kid.
-- This same driver needs a helper, and picks the kid --
-- You got work boots?
-- No.
-- Gloves.
-- Naah, I don't.
-- alright kid, come on then.
-- The Kid rides through the night with the driver, trucking north.. They stop at a SUPER WAL-MART, the Driver buys the kid new clothes, boots, gloves.  They get a motel room for the night.
-- The kid happens to wake in the night: the Driver is coming back into the room; 3AM; and lays down in the the next bed.  Ahh whatever, must have gone out for.. well.. whatever -- zzzzzzz.


-- The next day the Boy goes to work; installing battery packs to run up a cell tower and power the equipment...  The Driver shows him the ropes, and is a good teacher, a nice guy -- takes the kid under his wing.. It's good to work out of doors, even if it's still pretty cold.  More of this for three days they work, get to know each other; at night the driver gets it out of the kid all the bad stuff in his life.  By the end of the weekend they are paired to eachother.. father/son, older brother/younger brother, teacher/pupil --  for good.. The Driver asks if the kid wants the job full-time as his helper.. Damn Straight, I do.
-- NOW THEN:  After dropping off the kid we go with the Driver to his house, an old farm, and he sees on his approach that police cruisers are in the yard.  He waits them out.  An old man is on the stoop yelling at the coppers -- Get the frig off my praw-pet-tee.
-- LATE: Driver goes into the house.  His elderly father is in a huff that the cops came back again.  His elderly mother is not quite so mystified.. she shoots the Driver a look.. a knowing look, read me?  Driver goes down to his apartment in the cellar.
-- LATE: Friendship established, right?  Driver and Kid? Right.   Work Montage.  Kid introduces Driver to his ma and sis; Driver eats tv dinners with them.  Maybe helps fix up the trailer a bit.  
-- SUMMER: Driver and Kid are in a motel bar.. yeah he sneaks the kid in.  A TOWN GIRL; herself too young, (but then this is like Presque Isle or somewhere..), she takes a liking to the Kid, she's flipping her hair all over the place.  She talks him up, asks him about himself.  Some Townie thinks this is no good... Unfortunately for that Townie, Driver ain't nuttin to fut wit. 
-- Townies taken care of, Driver decides that on this night he'll rent TWO ROOMS, and have the Kid take the girl to a private room.  What happens is innocent -- Kid and Girl stay up late TALKING.. kind of innocent and beautiful.  One Kiss, and they sleep beside each other.  And a romantic goodbye.
-- BACK ON THE ROAD, Driver wants to hear what happened.  Kid tells him.  WHAT?  That's what happened? Driver seems put off in a strange way.  The ride back down south is muted, creepy, cool.
-- Driver dumps the Kid in front of a trailer, and drives off in a big rush.  Strange.  Kid goes into the house.. his mother also seems put off that the Driver was in such a hurry -- she had done her makeup and everything.
-- BOOM: Back on that same motel bar the next night.  Here's that same town girl rooking drinks out of Townies.  She looks up: Isn't that the guy she saw with that kid?  Hmm.
-- She walks over.
-- Hiya, where's your friend?
-- Oh him?  He's back in the room.
-- CUT TO THE NEXT MONDAY OR TUESDAY: Kid is waiting to get picked up for work, but Driver is late.  He's sittin with his Ma watching Pat Callahan on WCSH when --  
-- Driver's truck pulls in the yard.
-- Just as Kid stands up, picks up his duffel bag, he glances over..  There's a missing girl Pat Callahan says...  Strange, that girl looks familiar...  


-- Anyway, a tinker script.. Something local and super low budget -- I'm pretty sure I know what's going down in the AUTUMN final act, but hey, who knows.. anyone have an idea let me know, maybe I'll steal yours.

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