Flashback Friday: The Return

"I know you don't smoke weed, i know this; but I'm gonna get you high today, 'cause it's Friday; you ain't got no job... and you ain't got shit to do", said Smokey. I love the line and the acting even more by Chris Tucker. This post isn't about any of that, but I thought I would remind you of the iconic scene from the first of the Friday installments. Like the previous flashback, I plan on revealing a little something I wrote from years past. I've had trouble sorting through all the mess that litters my computer and I've finally created a folder specifically for my writings. Wow, this is much easier now. Should I continue with installments of the partial novel I'll probably never finish? Or, what about the beginning of the screenplay? I choose...

The portion of the screenplay I have finished had taken me months to write my freshman and sophomore year of college. Writings usually occurred after hours in the basement of the dorm, not on the weekends because that time was for something unrelated (well kinda). I spent the longest time on the opening credits, trying to perfect everything down to the music selection. Looking back now, after years of psychology courses and research, I am baffled trying to remember what exactly I was thinking when I wrote the credits. Was it an outline for the whole movie, hidden in the supposed first three minutes of the movie? I think so, but then again, I never finished the movie.

O well. Before I confuse myself further, I'll publish those opening credits below. The style of writing is different from what you've seen previously; formatted for screenplay writing. It may be hard to read and follow, and the best advice I can give you is to imagine the scene as best you can as you progress (more like a movie than a novel). I hope you enjoy what I have to offer.

(1)INT. 1950’S AVERAGE LIVING ROOM - DARK

(Possible entry song - Kings of Leon-Seventeen)Scene opens showing black and white video of baby fetus developing in womb. The whole scene is shot in black and white. As camera fades out toward the couch, two figures become visible. The room is decorated with grey flower wallpaper (barely visible). A young girl, age 14, is showing only her shoulders and back of her head to the camera as she sits on the left side of the couch. She is munching on popcorn and fully immersed into the television. A young boy, age 14, is also showing only his shoulders and back of his head to the camera as he sits on the right side of the couch. The boy rocks as if dizzy (on and off) for several seconds. He pulls out his white handkerchief and clogs his nostril. He tilts his head back and at the same time the television fades ever so slightly and becomes blurry. The girl is unaffected and zombie-like. The boy removes the handkerchief and prepares to look at the blood (the blood is vibrant but unfocused). Their faces are never remotely seen. 

(2)INT. ONE PIECE OF PAPER - LIGHT (CONTINUOUS) 

As he brings the handkerchief to his eyes, it transforms ever so meticulously into a piece of loose leaf paper with scratching in red ink. The scratching is blurry at first but slowly becomes focused and reveals the [opening credits #1 idea (Looking through eyes of an unknown character the entire scene): the blood is revealed as black writing in pen. The paper is being held by two hands (shaky and young) and the right carries a Black pen. The piece of paper hides the background environment completely. He crumples it up revealing a white page with three …’s on the top line. (the white page takes up the bottom half of the screen. The top half has a Ohio State University banner vibrant in red (half focused) dull in grey. The right corner in the scene has a shadow of a illuminated desk lamp head (bright with white light onto the paper only.)Typing from a typewriter is heard as the next names are typed in black ink. As the typing stops we hear the faint sounds of a printer come into focus. The names change and the next names are written in red Simplified Arabic Font (this font). The left half of the scene reveals a cluttered, dusty, relatively old dark cherry desktop. The computer is on and filled with black typing that is unreadable (distance). The printer sits to the right filled with blank paper. We hear a relieving exhale. We see a plume of smoke rise. Fills the scene.

(3)INT. OHIO STATE DORM ROOM (1981) - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

The smoke fades revealing a vague man in his early 20’s. Camera is focused behind revealing shoulders and head with vague features. He is facing the typewriter on his neat brightly lit desk. (He has his feet crossed resting on the desk. His hands are resting on the top of his head. The desk has multiple closed notebooks that pile up to the ceiling and actually seem pile up to the sky. They are all vibrant and in different colors. His right hand is grasping an open pen.)He picks up a piece of paper filled in red ink, crumples it and throws the piece across the room without looking. (Flight of paper: The camera follows the path of the paper from behind. As it moves the scene passes by into empty black space. There is no more room. The paper begins to take up more and more space on the screen as camera fades in toward it. 

(We see the next credit written in red on the crumbled paper.)

 The paper rotates fast as time speeds up. The crumbled paper is now central of focus and taking up the middle of the screen (50% total). A blinking object appears in lower right corner as time speeds up. It starts small and becomes bigger as time passes fast factored in with the traveling path of the camera. The object becomes and is extremely blurred. (Speed up only lasts 3 seconds?) Speed slows to minimal abruptly. Rotation of paper is hardly evident now. 

(We see the next credit written in same red font and crumpled in the same way as before. It is in all caps and a more vivid red.) 

The paper begins to rotate fast as time speeds up again. The object steadily becomes bigger and more in focus. We can now make it out as a cream colored wastebasket. The picture on the basket is foggy. On the left of the piece of paper, immeasurable amounts of blank dull yellow post-it notes appear. Time speed slows drastically in split second and we enter perspective of soaring paper. The yellow sticky notes occupy everywhere that is not occupied by the wastebasket. The majority are blank and glowing yellow. The others have red scribbling that is unreadable. 

(We see the next credit written in vibrant red font on a dull yellow sticky note. The same font from the last credit. It is the only one readable. The other red scribbled notes are unreadable and also dull yellow.) 

At the same time:

The wastebasket is now in focus because of slowed motion. Lies in bottom right, (25%) portion of scene. It is Empty, dull cream, and a dull grey bust of The Beatles is screenprinted on the outside surface. The image is all shades of grey. The faces are blurred.

We are still in the paper’s perspective of flying during the whole last scene. We speed up. The yellow sticky notes become blurred and diminish as we get closer to the wastebasket. They are vibrant yellow. The wastebasket now enlarges as we fly closer and becomes central focus (although now out of focus due to speed up of time). Time slows abruptly. 

We are somewhat looking down at the wastebasket as if to go in. We first see that it is overflowing with crumpled white papers, all of which have random areas of crumpled red scribbling. There are many crumpled papers on the floor. The wastebasket comes firmly into focus. It is vivid white in color. The picture of album ‘Rubber Soul‘ comes into focus. We can assign The Beatles their names with clarity. They are all looking at us flying towards them. John begins exhaling smoke out of his mouth, while the others casually look away. He keeps his attention focused straight the entire time. (next credit is revealed under album in black font.

(At the same time) 

        The yellow post-it notes are now vibrant yellow. They are covering everything except for the wastebasket and crumpled trash, which both are resting on top of the notes. Vibrant red scribbling is on every note. They are out of focus since the focus is on the wastebasket scene. We can barely see what appears to be the bleeding of vibrant fuzzy red from the crumpled notes on the floor. The bleeding starts as John begins to exhale smoke and finishes when he is done. It bleeds throughout this entire scene to fully cover every yellow post-it note. The red blood is vibrant and fuzzy in the background due to the distinctly grey plume of smoke. The wastebasket remains completely clean and the whiteness left on the crumpled papers is unaffected as the bleeding occurs.

Time speeds up. We hit the blurry face of a Beatle on the wastebasket. And fall into the pile of crumpled papers on the floor. We are buried by white papers everywhere. They have no trace of red on them. We can see through many holes created by the randomness of the clutter we are apart of. All we see is a blank piece of uncrumpled paper float towards us. The piece of paper creates darkness as it covers the holes. We hear a door slam.

 (5)INT. OHIO STATE DORM ROOM (1981) - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

A rewind of what just occurred starts. The paper rises and the holes are revealed. We rise and rehit the Beatle. We float back fast, while the previous flight scenes repeat backwards without a stoppage of time. They are all blurry and back flight of paper takes only 10 seconds to complete (less time?). We are uncrumpled, with the one hand, and keep perspective at the same height/place of the uncrumbling. We see the top of his shoulders as we look at a slightly side (more behind) angle. A blurry orange object lies on the desk while the focus is centered on him reading the neat and red filled paper (We can read no words). He puts his feet to the ground and puts the paper on the desk. Before the paper hit’s the desk, we see the orange object become the focus. It’s a thin plain guidebook that only reads, “Free Tutor for Psychology. Best of Luck.” The paper then covers the guidebook. Time is still rewinding as we see a lighter come into his left hand (he threw it across the room). We also see a blunt return to his right hand from across the room as well. He seems pissed cause the lighter is not working. He tries to light it 5 times (progresses backwards in emotion from mad to excited). He then takes the blunt away from his lips, opens the right desk drawer, enters his hand. 

(6)INT. DESK DRAWER (1981) - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

 As he approaches the desk drawer, the view is changed to completely first person (looking through his eyes only). The scene only shows the drawer and objects inside. The drawer contains a slightly crumpled pack of cigarettes, complete deck of cards, an ounce of marijuana divided into 1/8’s, and around eight journals with folded edges signifying wear. He sifts through the objects looking for something.

(7)INT. DESK DRAWER (1998) - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

As he sifts, the objects in the drawer change. Some journals become empty computer paper while the remaining develop into busting portfolios. Cigarettes become 10 shot sample bottles of liquor from across the world. The marijuana changes into a small orange case for carrying prescription pills. These change and he searches while [opening credits #4] are shown as engravings in the bottom of the antique wooden drawer. He grabs the pill case and looks up.

(8)INT. PSYCHIATRIC OFFICE - DAY (CONTINUOUS)

We are sitting facing a computer, printer and fax machine. We are looking out through his eyes. The focus is on the computer which reads “Enjoy the Ride… ®“. A mirror is hanging in the upper right corner in the scene. It is blurry because the main focus is on the computer. The man’s bust is unrecognizable. He may be in his 40’s, he probably does not have a beard, and does not wear glasses. His psychedelic shirt is barely readable and states, “Research to prove the safety of the drug …“. The office also boasts several dust covered frames of his psychological Diploma’s. The gold border around each frame is vibrant in color, while the dust filled glass reeks of hidden credentials. He takes pill out of case and holds it inches away from his eye. Central focus begins to shift to the pill as it gets larger. The typewriter, mirror, and frames blur to be unrecognizable.   

The clear pill becomes readable and states “TITLE OF MOVIE”.

The man swallows the pill and the camera follows through the throat as it turns into a bright light. The light intensifies for a few seconds. The light bulb burns out and darkness ensues. A faint light is visible at the focal point in the distance. Footsteps are evident in backround. It becomes pitch black with the sound of the door shutting in the distance.