“A L M O S T  H O M E”

A Screenplay
By
Dustin Martin

(Final Draft)

1/30/03
Plainville Entertainment Productions
Dustin Martin
301 Silver Grove St.
Las Vegas, NV
89144

FADE UP:

EXT: NEVADA DESERT-DAWN

We fade up to the Nevada desert blooming into the sunrise of another evenings day. The music is soft and low key with a guitar solo.

Credits Roll Over:

Overlap Fade To:

SHOT 1: EXT: MOUNTIANS-DAWN

The red in the sky gives it a dramatic feel to the story. 

Overlap Fade To:

SHOT 2: EXT: JOSHUA TREE-DAWN

The title appears in front of a Joshua tree with the sun in the background shinning through to give it a shadowy look.

“ALMOST HOME”

Title fades away:

Credits End:

Overlap Fade To:

SHOT 3: EXT: SUMMERLIN MOUNTAIN-DAY

Now its daytime in the desert where you wouldn’t think that no body survives.

Heat waves stride across the screen as to show that in this area that it’s so hot. Very dry and not humid either.

Smash Cut To:

EXT: STATE HIGHWAY-DAY 

This is a handheld shot as we look down the state highway. One car is in sight and is driving by very fast. We pan with the automobile. The Car passes by, and reveals the central character. He has his thumb sticking out looking like he’s trying to hitch a ride. He is known to us as “The Drifter”. Tall with long black hair, sporting a pony tail. He’s wearing a white tank top with jeans that has holes in where the knees are. The Drifter is holding a black guitar case filled with stickers of bands. His head has a green baseball cap backwards. He picks up his backpack and walks to the direction where the highway leads to all things possible.

SHOT 1: EXT: STATE HIGHWAY-DAY

He walks in not much of a fast pace, but with the guitar music in the background, it will give it a nice little feel.

SHOT 2: EXT: PHOTO

The Drifter stops after from all that walking. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Polaroid picture and looks at it. There’s a women in her mid-thirties and a man looking in is mid-thirties as well.

He looks at the photo for a few seconds. It seems like that there on vacation in the Caribbean of some kind. They seem happy together. 

SHOT 3: EXT: STATE HIGHWAY-DAY-SAME

The Drifter takes his photo and put it into his pocket. He looks around at the desert landscape. 

EXT: STATE HIGHWAY-DAY-FEW MINUTES LATER

The Drifter walks with all of his stuff on the side of the highway. The camera pans with him across the street. Then we see this sign that stretches across the side of the road. Bonnie Springs Motel, Petting Zoo, Old Nevada Mining Town. He looks up at the sign and starts to walk down to where the motel is.

Camera: Slow Zoom

EXT: ROAD TO MOTEL-DAY-MINUTE LATER

The long motel road looks to stretch for miles and miles. No car is in sight. He walks down the road in kinda of a fast pace but no to fast. This continues as we………

Overlap Fade To:

EXT: ROAD TO MOTEL-DAY-SAME

……Overlap fade on the same image. The Drifter is further down the road. This gives it a unique style of motion to capture the image. We………

Overlap Fade To:

EXT: ROAD TO MOTEL-DAY-SAME

………do another overlap fade. Now The Drifter is down at the end of the road. So far that he looks like a small ant at the end.

EXT: BONNIE SPRINGS RANCH MOTEL-DAY

SHOT 1: RAILROAD SIGN-DAY

SHOT 2: EXT: RAILROAD TRACKS-DAY

SHOT 3: EXT: BONNIE SPRINGS-DAY

The little 16 or 14 gauge railroad is coming through the shot. We pan with it till it gets to the railroad crossing.

The Drifter stands in the middle of the road and waits for the train to pass by. There are onlookers waving to him. He doesn’t wave back.

EXT: BONNIE SPRINGS RANCH MOTEL-DAY

SHOT 1: MOTEL SIGN-DAY

SHOT 2: MOTEL-DAY 

The Drifter walks down to where the motel registration is, so he could check into a room for the night. 

INT: MOTEL LOBBY-DAY-SAME

Were looking through a window and we see The Drifter walking towards the room. We stay on this shot as he continues to enter in the lobby. 

He enters and sets down his guitar case and with out a word sticks up one finger. He is asking for a room for the time being.
The counter desk with out a word nods his head no. But not with anger, just a simple no.

The Drifter sighs……

He picks up his guitar case and walks out of the motel lobby. With out a word.

EXT: FRONT OF MOTEL-DAY

As The Drifter walks out carrying his stuff along with him, he gets back on the road where the exit is to get back on the highway.

Fade To:

EXT: MOUNTAIN-EVENING

SHOT 1: MOUNTAIN-EVENING

The sun is lowering and its becoming into darkness quickly. 

EXT: ROAD TO MOTEL-EVENING

The Drifter is walking back to the highway. He feels like he’s not wanted anywhere. There are no cars in sight once again. The camera stays in position as we……

Overlap Fade To:

EXT: ROAD TO MOTEL-EVENING-SAME

 ………overlap fade on the same image. The Drifter is now closer in the middle of the road. This is the same process in the way he came in. Then we……

Overlap Fade To:

EXT: ROAD TO MOTEL-EVENING-SAME

……overlap again on the same image. The Drifter is now up close, and walks out of frame.

EXT: ROAD MEETS THE HIGHWAY-EVENING-SAME

The Camera pans down from the sign to the road as The Drifter keeps on walking. He stops at the corner, looks both ways, and then just walks down the other way of the highway.
Fade To:

SHOT 1: EXT: MOUNTAINS-EVENING

EXT: CAMPING GROUND-NIGHT

The Drifter walks towards an abandon camping ground. No one is in sight. There’s a little residential area from the distance. He walks by the camera as we……

Smash Cut To:

EXT: CAMPING GROUND-NIGHT-SAME

The Drifter stands there and pulls out a lighter. He snips it on and then we……

Smash Cut To:

SHOT 1: CAMPFIRE-NIGHT

The glowing sensation of a fire is burning with twigs and leafs. The camera tilts upward to reveal The Drifter cold and burning a little fire to get warm. The fire is not big, but small. The wind is blowing towards the fire and putting it out rather quickly. There are no wind sounds to hear but silence.

Music stops:

EXT: CAMPING GROUND-NIGHT-SAME

The Drifter is getting ready to go to sleep. He lies down on a bench near the burned out campfire. He’s fast asleep. His hat covering his face. His guitar case and backpack on the table. 

EXT: CAMPING GROUND-NIGHT-SAME

Slow Motion: Green lighting:

The trees are blowing from the impact of the wind. Something or someone is lurking from those trees. The slow motion and green lighting gives this a feel of pain and torture. A man appears from the trees and slowly comes forth The Drifter. This is “The Thief”. He’s from the near by residential area.

He creeps over and slowly takes The Drifters belongings. His guitar is stolen, and his backpack. The Thief runs away with the belongings. He’s left with nothing. All alone with no supplies or clothes. 

Fade Out to Black:

Fade in from Black:

EXT: CAMPING GROUND-DAY

We open on the burned out campfire. Still steaming from the smoke. Not to much. The camera pans right to reveal The Drifter still asleep. 

He wakes up, stretches and yawns, and reaches to pick up his guitar case and backpack. Nothing! He looks, to his surprise there gone. Looking under the bench, table, everywhere. He’s left with nothing. 

EXT: CAMPING GROUND EXIT-DAY

The Drifter walking out of the campground kicking rocks as far as he can. He’s angry and mad. But doesn’t take it out in madness.

Walking where the highway begins feels like that its for miles and miles.

EXT: ROAD-DAY

We see him doing at what he does best. Walking. A white pickup truck is driving by. As he gets nearer to The Drifter he slows down. Pulling over to the shoulder of the road.

He walks over to the truck.

Cut To:

INT: WHITE TRUCK-DAY-SAME

He looks through the window. We don’t see the driver what so ever.

The Drifter
Hey, Hey.

He opens the door and gets in.

The Drifter (CON’T)
Thanks for the ride man. It’s
Been getting hot out there.

He realizes that there’s something wrong here. He takes a closer look.

The Drifter (CON’T)
Wait a sec……

He pulls out the Polaroid picture and looks at it.

 The Drifter (CON’T)
……dad?

Cut To:

INT: WHITE TRUCK, DRIVER SIDE-DAY-SAME

The man that is in his photo is the one whose driving the truck. He’s older now, with a little grey hair on his head. 

Dad
Yeah, it’s me.

Both father and son hug. Both are hugging each other that either one of them won’t let go. 

Dad
I forgive you.

The Drifter
But I didn’t even apologize.

Both have a little laughter. Then they break up the hug.

Dad
Come John……

He starts up the truck.

Dad (CON’T)
………I’m taking you home.

Cut To:

EXT: ROAD-DAY-SAME

The white truck is started and starts to pull off the shoulder and off on the road. The truck drives on the winding road as the camera slightly zooms out. 

When fully zoomed out, the camera pans rightward to reveal the beautiful landscape with bird chirping in the background. When panning it tilts upwards to the sky and then……

Fade to Black:

T H E  E N D   

PRODUCTION NOTES 

This film is a short silent picture with no dialogue until the end. The movie would not have a big budget and a big cast. Only four cast members would be part of this film. With a low budget, the only thing that would be expensive is the crew. Shooting in digital was is way to go on this project. Lighting would be very tough for the night scenes. But during the daytime scenes, nothing would go wrong. 

Dustin Martin-

CAST:

The Drifter (John)
The Thief 
Dad
Hotel Desk Person

Budget:

Cast-$1500
Crew-$1500
Camera accessories- $5000
Editing-$300
Music-$250

Total-$8500

Shooting Locations

Bonnie Springs Ranch, Nevada
Red Rock National Park, Nevada

Crew
Written & Directed by Dustin Martin
  Produced by Dustin Martin & Martin Aleman
Editing by Nik Vaselopulos
Music by Lennie Niehaus
Cinematography by Dustin Martin