uggggg...tomorrow's Monday. I am going to be a rage zombie all day at work. Anyway...
cont'd....
INT
- Hall - Rooney, Randal and several recruits are racing through the
halls. There's an alarm sounding.
RECRUIT
Are
we going to die?
ROONEY
We're
in danger, lets just put it that way.
RANDAL
Rage
zombies are particularly violent, they don't just want to bite you.
They want to obliterate you, tear apart your flesh and watch you die.
RECRUIT
So
we are going to die!
RANDAL
No
we're not, we have time to make it to the exit before they lock it
down.
RECRUIT
Why
didn't Mr. Johnson come with us?
RANDAL
He
thinks this is his fault, he's going to stay to try to help whoever
he can. Until we get this contained.
They
approach the exit door, it's just beyond two dark intersections; the
alarm gets louder and the door starts to close.
RANDAL
goes to hold the door open.
RANDAL
HURRY!
The
recruits move on the door. As they get closer a Rage zombie bursts
forward from the darkness and grabs a recruit.
RANDAL
NO!
The
zombie is like an attacking chimpanzee with rabies, it pounds and
bashes the recruit's skull with closed fists then turns to look at
the other recruits. The zombie is between them and the door, they run
in the other direction back into the dark basement. The zombie turns
towards Rooney, just then the beaten recruit jumps to his feet like a
mad dog. He's got the rage.
ROONEY
backs up to the door.
RANDAL
Get
in here quick
Rooney
looks at Randal and then pushes Randal through the door. The door
locks. They're locked on opposite sides, Randal on the side of safety
and Rooney facing down the two zombies.
My posts are getting really Marvel-y but here's another link for you. It's a Punisher short movie that just came out made by the same lead actor as in the feature film (Thomas Jane).
I love it, it's perfect aside from the fact that JD's isn't flammable and the bottle it's made from isn't shatter proof. It's such a simple little story that has a beginning, a middle, a build up and a satisfying conclusion. They really manage to amp up the tension in a 10 minute short, not easy to do. The soundtrack makes the whole thing.
Let's make a new Punisher movie that's has more of this and less of John Travolta, who I assume was awful as the main bad guy in the first one, I never saw it.
Here's my page...
cont'd
Ervin
Alright
people, partner up. We're going to go over some of the basic first
aid procedures for zombie bites.
The
recruits all partner up, the creepy recruit partners up with someone
(with Recruit #3), .
Ervin
Ok,
step one: protect yourself. Everyone put on the pair of rubber gloves
that you'll all carry on you at all times. Do not let your skin
have any contact with the infected area.
The
recruits put on their gloves, the creepy recruit is looking worse.
He's still going unnoticed for the most part. He's looking angrier
and angrier, focused on the unsuspecting Recruit #3 who he's
partnered up with.
Ervin
Now
listen to me, step two is to get the infected party restrained
quickly with your restraint cords. You don't know how long it will
take them before they become a threat to you. A good way to check is
to look at the person's eyes, if you see a slight hue of red starting to set in then you have at max 2 minutes to get them locked
up and tagged for collection.
The
recruits are all handed restraints to practice with. Recruit #3 is
goofy and enthusiastic. He looks at his partner and sees crimson red
eyes.
Recruit
#3
Ummm...Mr.
Johnson?
Randall
inspects the zombie's mouth, he notices a drop of fresh blood roll down
her chin.
RANDALL
Ervin,
we might have a problem here.
The
Creepy Recruit BURSTS
forward onto his partner (Recruit #3), he's violent.
Bashing at him with his fists
like a rampaging ape, his violence is primal. He tears into his arm
with his teeth, the commotion causes everyone to jump back. In the
confusion they back up into Randall and Rooney and fall over, the
chained zombie is released accidentally and immediately starts
attacking and biting people. The room is in total chaos.
Ervin's
eyes dart across the room as violence erupts around him.
F'n Sunday nights, it's pretty much impossible to enjoy them. I know that in about 2 hours I'll have to go to bed and when I wake up my work week resets. Dammit. A big reason that screen writing and filming appeal to me so much is that if I can ever make money off of it; if it can ever become a day-to-day job I feel like it would be a permanent cure for a disease called 'the Mondays'. It would be so much fun, I was watching an episode of Its Always Sunny in Philidelphia, it was the one where Charlie throws Denis in front of a car and he gets his and goes flying. That was their job for that day, to practice pretending to get hit by a car over and over. I process documents.
Anyway here's my page. It's just a little bit of dialogue showing how Rooney has started to get on Randall's nerves with his overbearing protectiveness. The zombie attack is juuuuust about ready to explode.
Rooney,
Randall and Ervin are in the hall .
ERVIN
Rooney
what's up with you?
ROONEY
Nothing's
up...just thought you might want some help.
RANDALL
With
a zombie inspection? Y'know you've been watching over my back a lot
lately and I want to know why.
ROONEY
Watching
over you?
ERVIN
I
can see it, you did lock him in a closet last night when we were
fighting that mummy.
RANDALL
A
MUMMY Rooney, they're the most fragile things in the world.
ROONEY
Some
of them have special powers
RANDALL
Rooney
your the most incompetent person in the department, I should be the
one breathing down your neck. Only PHARAOHS have powers!
ERVIN
Look
I have to get back, you guys need to get that zombie out of here.
They
walk back into class, Rooney and Randall begin to inspect the zombie,
first getting her subdued and then starting the inspection with her
hands. In the back the Creepy Recruit looks a little freaked out, no
one notices the slight hue of red around his mouth. His lip is
bleeding.
RANDALL
No
fresh skin underneath the fingernails, that's good. She didn't get a
hold of anyone.
Continued....
They're coming.
Well, not Marvel Zombies but yeah, the zombie outbreak starts next entry.
Oh man how good was Marvel Zombies, oh and you know what else was WAY better than you'd expect? Wolverine vs the Marvel Universe.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Ok, let's keep rolling with this. I've been working away on this while it's slow at work...actually I shouldn't say that.
cont'd
One
of the recruits nervously volunteers. The zombie thrashes at him
violently
as he gets close enough to let her off of her chain.
Ervin It's
fine
He
unleashes the zombie and falls backwards as it comes for him, just as
he's about to be hurt the collar wraps around her neck and she's
pulled away by Ervin.
ERVIN
Thank
you. As you just saw it's easiest to get your collar around them
when
they're distracted which is why we always work in teams.
RECRUIT
#3
What
if she had bit me?
ERVIN
Then
we would have had an opportunity to show how to properly treat a
zombie
bite. In that case we'd need to act quickly and get you on the
anti-virus
immediately. A zombie bite doesn't have to be a death
sentence,
think of it like a rattlesnake bite...if we can get to you
quickly
enough we can save you.
CREEPY
RECRUIT
So
is she going to be cured?
ERVIN
No,
when it's been this long there's little chance of saving her...It's
sad.
She was pretty.
The
zombie thrashes about.
There's
a knock on the door, one of the recruit's answers. Randall is at the
door with Rooney, they're bickering.
RANDALL
Ervin
I heard you have a zombie that needs to be taken back to holding.
ERVIN
That's
right.
RANDALL
Ok,
I need to do an inspection first.
ERVIN
That's
why you brought Rooney with you?
RANDALL
(agitated)
I
didn't ask him to come with me, he insisted. He's been following me
around everywhere lately.
ROONEY
Randall
this is dangerous.
RANDALL
And
what make you think I can't handle it?
Rooney
flashes back to his vision of Randall dead and bloodied.
ROONEY
Just
playing it safe...
Ervin
pulls them out into the hall.
ERVIN
We're
going to take a break, go get a snack or something and meet me back
here in 15 minutes.
The
recruits all file out, leaving the restrained zombie in the room
alone. The door opens back up and the Creepy Recruit enters alone.
The zombie takes notice, he seems fixated on her. He nervously inches
closer, too close.
CREEPY
RECRUIT
You
were pretty.
The
zombie stops thrashing and stands still, the creep moves closer. He
closes his eyes and inches closer and closer to her lips.
Ok, I am starting a new script now that will be about zombies. Not the undead kind.
I am thinking more about the Rage zombies from 28 Days Later.
It's another episode of DOPE (going to be doing DOPE for a while), here's my summary:
'Ervin is training a batch of new hires on how to safely interact with zombies, when he turns his back for one second it's a full blown zombie outbreak in the lower levels of the Department of Paranormal Events.'
Or something like that, I'll probably end up re-wording it later.
PG 1
INT- A SMALL ROOM
A female zombie is chained to a desk, shestumbles forward; hungry for flesh but is stopped by the chain.Her face still has smears of blood and make-up on it.
Thecamera pans back to reveal a classroom of D.O.P.E recruits sitting onthe floor, Ervin is at the front of the class teaching.
ERVIN
Thekey to handling zombies is not to panic, remember that only in largenumbers should they ever be a real threat. As I am aboutto demonstrate as long as you keep your distance and use theproper tools; you should have no problems subduing yourzombies.
RECRUIT #1
Sir, why don’t we just put thezombies down? I mean they’re already dead aren’tthey?
ERVIN
Incorrect, there are two subspecies of zombie.Rage zombies and the living-dead zombies. Rage zombies are livingpeople who’s minds have been infected by a violent neurotoxin.They are faster than dead zombies and often times more dangerous.It’s policy that since rage virus’s are at time’s treatable;we’re to treat all zombies as though they’re living untilinspection can reveal otherwise. This woman is believed to be avictim of the rage virus, notice the slightly pinkish hue of her skinand lack of visible injury…these are signs of life.
This womanis still alive.
CREEPY RECRUIT
So…theydon’t have brains? They can’t talk or say no…or…
ERVIN
Theyhave brains but their brains are fixated on one thing, violence. The only thing she wants to do is tear everyone in this room apart and eat all of our insides.
Ervinpicks up a pole with a collar on it much like a dog catcher’spole.
Tomorrow I start a new script, it's going to be another DOPE episode (since I actually have to get a bunch of those finished) where zombie training results in a zombie outbreak amongst the staff of the Department of Paranormal Events.
So here's my final first rough draft, there's still a lot I want to change but I am comfortable using this as a working copy to build on. I went back and changed some dialogue and added the feature of Rooney being extra protective of Randall (which will play back to something that happens in the script previous to this).
It's a mix of this:
GHOSTBUSTERS TRAILER (1984)
and this:
30 DAYS OF NIGHT TRAILER
Rooney,Ervin and Randall are running through a forest towards a lonely,secluded little cabin. It's in a dilapidated condition, all three menare panicked and show signs of a struggle. Randall is wearing a bloodsoaked rag around his arm.
Rooney runs right up to the houseand slams himself hard against the door, bouncing off and hurtinghimself, a beat later Ervin smashes through the front door. Rooneyruns inside. Randall stumbles up to the door and almost passes outright at the doorway, Ervin catches him and pulls him in, Rooneyslams the door and presses his body up against it.
Rooney
WHYDID YOU BRING RANDALL?
Ervin
Ididn't know there would be that many!
Randall
DammitRooney I can take care of myself.
Rooney
Yougot BIT Randall
Randall'sarm has been bitten, it's gruesome.
The sound of a hundredvoices moaning and hissing can be heard getting louder and louder,closer and closer. Ervin inspects Randall's bite.
Ervin
Hehave to get this treated immediately, the infection has alreadystarted.
Randall
Canwe cure me before I turn into one of them?
Ervin
Thebites don't turn you immediately, it takes time for the infection tospread. Randall we need to get your to a hospital right now.
Rooney
Ifwe go outside, we DIE!
Ervin
Ifwe stay here HE dies.
Rooney
DOPEthis is Rooney. We need -
Avoice comes over the radio, it's automated
Voiceon the radio
'Dueto a high number of calls your request has been put in prioritysequence, please wait for the next available operator.'
Thethree men share a look
Ervin
Howmany are there?
Rooneylooks out the window of the small cabin, as far as he can see thereare zombie-like vampires pouring out of the woods towards the cabin.The sheer number of the vampire force makes Rooney's face go white.
Rooney
Lots.
Fadeout. Title.
SCENE 2:
INT – Cabin – Night
Asmall cabin, the guys have barricaded the door with what littlefurniture they have, Rooney is pressed against the door holding backthe vampires trying to get in. Ervin is tending to Randall's wounds.
Randal
Canyou keep them from getting in that door?
Rooney
Probablynot
Ervin
Youhave to, everything we have; we used to barricade the windows.
Rooney
Maybeif you didn't break the lock...
Ervin
Wehad to get in didn't we?
Rooney
Wehave to get out, we have to get to the car. Where is it?
Randall
Idon't know, I lost track of it when we started running.
Rooney
Whatdo we have for weapons?
Randall
Ohman, we have our two handed pump action blasters, our ionic poppers,I brought a particle disruptor, some concussion grenades and a bunchof axes.
Ervin
Quickgive me a concussion grenade!
Randall
Allof that's in the car. I have nothing on me.
Ervin
What?
Randall
Whatdo you have?
Ervinsearches his pockets, he finds a lighter.
Rooney
Ok...letmake a torch. Vampires are afraid of fire; right?
Ervin
No
Randall
No
SMASH.A pack of vampires breaks through the window barricade.
Randall
TheWINDOW!
Randalllooks across to see a couple more vampires making their way throughthe window and springs up to re-enforce the window barricade,pressing his body against the old shelves tipped over against thewindow keeping out the invading vampires.
Thevampire in the room lets out a frightening hiss. Rooney jumps up tostand beside Ervin. At the door a hand pokes through the opening, thevampires threaten to break through in a second, Rooney jumps back tothe door and seals it. Ervin on his own has to deal with thevampire.
The vampire pounces on him, Ervin has a deathgrip on it around it's throat and he's pushing it away from his body;keeping it's fangs just out of reach of his jugular. Rooney andRandall are both spending every bit of their focus keeping the restof the monsters outside.
Ervin reverses the position withthe vampire, he's on top and he begins to ground-and-pound it. Thevampire takes a beating but it's incredibly resilient, he screechesat Ervin and mule kicks him across the room. Ervin is slow to get up,in the background we see the vampire pounce at him once again.
Ervinspins around and catches the vamp underneath the armpit and aroundthe head and 'Rock Bottom's him through a nearby table.
Thetable shatters and Ervin grabs a broken fragment. He reaches to thesky and as the vampire roars he strikes down and stabs it in theheart. The vampire starts to glow.
Rooney
Youdid it! He's going to turn into dust now.
Pop.The vampire explodes and his entrails cover the room and all 3 men.All three men take a beat to spit vampire bits out of their mouths.
Voiceon the Radio
'Due to a high number of calls your request has beenput in priority sequence, please wait for the next availableoperator.'
Scene3
INT – Cabin - Night
Ervinis nursing his wounds, Rooney and Randall are manning the barricades.We can hear the vampires howling outside. Rooney takes notice.
Rooney
Thatcan't be good. Do you think they're signaling for more tocome?
Ervin
Eitherthat or they can smell our blood and it's driving them into afrenzy.
Rooney
Ervinthis door isn't going to hold and Randall's passing out at the windowbarricade. We need to make a break for it while he can stillmove.
Randall
It'sabout 4 hours until daybreak, we need to hold out here for as long aswe can.
Rooney
Youreally think we can make it 4 hours?
Ervindoesn't answer, the look on his face is one of skeptisism anddoubt.
It's silent for a beat
SLAM!The door is hit hard, Rooney flies across the room. Another smash andthe door gives way. Several vampires enter the doorway.
Ervintosses Rooney a piece of wood for a weapon. Just then the windowbarricade smashes apart and Randall is pulled outside.
Rooney
Iam going after Randall!
Ervin
Wait Rooney we need a plan!
Rooney
He'lldie!
Rooneysprings out the window. Ervin backs up as 5 vampires stalk him like apack of wolves, circling and surrounding him.
EXT– Outside the cabin window.
Randall is being dragged awayfrom the cabin by 2 vampires, they drag him a few feet and then turnon him, he kicks and claws at them in an attempt to break theirgrasp.
Rooney comes bounding out the window with a sharp chunkof wood in his hands. The vampires let Randall go.
ROONEY
Randall,RUN!
Randalltakes off into the woods. Rooney stands his ground as they start tostalk closer to him. They're within a few feet, Rooney hunkers downready or a fight, then looks at the small piece of wood thatconstitutes his only weapon and his look of confidence fades.
ROONEY
Randallwait UP!
Rooneybursts past the vampires and runs off in the direction that Randallwent.
INT – The cabin
The vampires growl and hissand close in on Ervin, Ervin removes his shirt and gets primal.
ERVIN
ComeON!
Thevampires close in on him, three hang back while two of them pounceson him. He kicks it in the chest and sends it flying, the other takeshim to the ground. It stands over him animalistically and shows himhis fangs. Ervin shoves the lighter in it's mouth and uppercuts it,the lighter explodes inside of it's mouth; lighting on fire.
Inan instant the other one is back on top of him and digs it's clawsinto his chest in a tight grip and pulls him close, as it bites downon his neck; Ervin screams loudly.
EXT– the woods – night
Randallis racing through the woods, he can hear that vampires are on histrail. He can hear Ervin scream in the background.
Randall
Ervin!
Hestops. He can hear something rushing towards him, it's too close forhim to do anything about. It's about to hit him, he braces.
ROONEY
RANDALLMOVE!!
Rooneybursts through the brush and grabs Randall, the pair sprint. Rightbehind Rooney are the two vampires. They run downhill, the vampiresare bloodthirsty and only paces behind them.
Randall
Rooneydo see that?
Upahead is a precipice, a long rigid drop off of a cliff and they'rerunning out of real estate as they bound closer and closer to it'sedge with the vampires hot on their heels.
Rooney
RANDALLCAN VAMPIRES FLY?
RANDALL
What?
ROONEY
CANVAMPIRES FLY??
RANDALL
NO!
ROONEY
Good
Rooneyruns off to the side, out of frame. Randall sees Rooney and turnstowards him to ask him where he's going, he stumbles and falls.Rolling right down to the bottom of the cliff near the edge. The twovampires are right on top of him. Randall stumbles to his feet andbacks up right to the edge of the cliff, the two vampires are in afrenzy and only feet away.
One leans over Randall and opensit's mouths, Something catches it's eye off camera and it's turn andgrowls. With the speed of hurdler Rooney comes flying feet first intothe vampire with a powerful boot right off the cliff.
Thesecond vampire springs onto Rooney and digs into him with it's claws,Rooney manages to kick it off of him and the vampire staggersbackward and trips over the still prone Randall and falls over theedge of the cliff.
The two men sit for a moment and catchtheir breath
Voiceon the Radio
'Your call is being forwarded to one of ouroperators, please stand by.'
Hello, please state your name andthe nature of your emergency.
Randall
This is RandallEdmonds, employee number 5846541-1 I have a government employee indanger and I need assistance immediately. Listen carefully, I needyou to access vehicle registration number G5EDD43 and do a manualoverride. I want you to set off it's alarm system for me. NOW.
Voiceon the Radio
One moment. I see this vehicle was signed out byRooney Rodman, I will have to fill out a 'failure of care' form whichI will need him to sign, a 'failure of care' report will remain onrecord for 6 months.
Randall
Sorry to add to your fileRooney
Thesound of an alarm screams, the two sit up quickly. The car is closeby.
INT - CABIN
Ervinis in a deadly fight with the remaining 5 vampires, he's not doingwell. The vampires surround him, he's badly hurt but still swinging.The blood that's pouring out of him is driving the vampires into afrenzy like a pack of hungry sharks, they fight over him which allowshim a moment's distraction. He readies his piece of shattered woodbehind his back.
The largest vampire wins the battle ofdominance and the right to eat Ervin, Ervin is on his knees and hasalmost nothing left, the vampire grabs him by the throat and getsnose to nose with him. He senses Ervin is resigned to his fate andgoes in for the kill.
Ervin grabs the vamps by the back ofthe head and pulls him closer, in one swift motion he plunges thestake upwards into the vampire's chest. It lets out an agonized howland explodes.
Ervin falls back, the other vampires areexcited and all move on him.
The room lights up, the vampirescringe. It's not the sun, it's headlights from a car. The headlightsilluminate the two figures standing in front, silhouetted from thelight.
They're strapped from head to toe, literally coveredin guns and weaponry. Ervin raises his head with the last of hisenergy, and looks up at them. The guns charge up with a high pitchedhum. Ervin crawls towards thelight, he's out of it.
Ervin
Areyou angels?
Rooney
Yes.
Randall
Ervinwe've got doctors on standby, don't move. Rooney, four targets.
Rooney
4
Heblasts one which explodes and covers the walls in bright red gore,then does the same with the others.
Rooney
3
2
Helines up the last vampire
Rooney
1
Thevampire screeches violently at him before springing forth in hisdirection, Rooney falls back and blasts. The explosion of guts coverhim again.
Ervinpasses out, when he wakes up he's in a hospital bed. He sees Rooneybeside him.
INT– RECOVERY ROOM
Ervin
Rooney...youstayed with me?
Rooney
No,I was just leaving actually. I was here to check on Randall.
Ervin
Howis he?
Rooney
Betterthan you, he only got bit once.
Rooneyturns to leave again
Rooney
Iam heading home, I was the only one to come out of this withoutneeding a sick leave so I am being rewarded with an early, doubleshift tomorrow.
Ervin
Sorry man.
Rooney
HeyIrvin...keep an eye on Randall, check in on him.
Ervin
He'sfine
Rooneyis looking into the hall transfixed on something, he sees a secondvision of Randall dead, bloodied and staring back at him.
Ervin
You don't have to worry about him.
***EDIT OCTOBER 7th 2012 - upon reading this again I gave it a rethink, if I ever come to revise this I would completely revamp it. I would rewrite it like this:
Rooney, Ervin and Randall are chased into a small cabin by a pack of vampires and Randall has been bitten. They can hold up until sunset when the vampires would retreat but if they do that then Randall would die and become one of them. He needs the vampire virus cure which is in the standard DOPE medical kit in their car and he needs it ASAP.
Rooney and Randall risk certain death at the hands of a ravenous pack of wild vampires. Electing to save their friend Ervin constructs a plan to draw the attention of the vampires from within the cabin allowing Rooney to escape out back. Rooney has to race through a kilometer of vampire territory at night to find their car and get it back to Ervin who was left to fortify and protect the cabin from a pack of strong and frenzied vampires who are determined to tear their way inside where Randall lays helpless and dying on the floor; bound to turn into a deadly vampire himself at any minute.
