Significance-First Draft (1)
“Significance” A Screenplay By Patrick Collins First Draft Start Date: 2-24-04 End Date: 8-10-04 FADE TO: Rock Films Logo FADE TO: A shelf full of sports trophies, we pan across it. GIRL (voiceover): “Will you just look at all of these trophies? Years and years of sporting achievements captured in gold painted metal. And guess what? None of ‘em are mine.” FADE TO: A small paper certificate tacked to a bulletin board, with a small soccer ball logo stamped on it. GIRL (Voiceover): “This is mine. Yep! One lousy piece of paper! I guess you could say the reason I didn’t get a fancy trophy was because I was ‘insignificant’ next to all those other players. Well, I would be first in line to agree with you. But my coach, Mr. Nilles, would beg to differ.” CUT TO: Various picture of sporting athletes. We pan across these photos as the voiceover continues... GIRL (Voiceover): “You see, he thinks that just because you aren’t famous or have lots of money to look at before you go to bed, doesn’t mean what you do in sports is not important. I think he has watched to many ‘feel-good’ movies, but that’s just me. Anyways, my name is KRISTEN ROLAND, and this is the story of me, or my story, the story of I, ya know, something like that. So here’s how it starts...” CUT TO: EXT- Roland household. KRISTEN ROLAND comes out of the left corner of the screen, and wave to an off-camera person. KRISTEN: Thanks! We then hear a car pull away. KRISTEN goes into her house. CUT TO: INT- Roland household. KRISTEN walks into the living room. We hear a female voice off-camera. Voice: “Who’s in my living room?” KRISTEN (sarcastically): “Oprah and Montel, Mom!” Voice (mother): “Very funny Kris!” KRISTEN laughs. KRISTEN: “I’m gonna go downstairs.” CUT TO: Entryway. KRISTEN’S MOTHER comes in. MRS. ROLAND: “Wait Kris!” KRISTEN stops herself halfway down the stairs and runs back up them. KRISTEN: “Yeah Mom?” MRS. ROLAND: “I saw this in the church bulletin and thought you might be interested.” The MOTHER hands KRISTEN a small piece of parchment that was obviously torn out of a newspaper. KRISTEN (reading the paper): “Saint Benedict’s Catholic Church Sport program is about to be underway. All children ages 8 to 15 can choose from the following sports: Flag Football Baseball Soccer Softball Please fill out the enclosed form. Entry fee is $65 per child.” KRISTEN looks up from the piece of paper, at her MOM. KRISTEN: “And...” MRS. ROLAND: “And...I thought you might like to play a sport this year.” KRISTEN: “Oh, well can I choose which one?” MRS. ROLAND: “Okay. I have to leave in an hour to go to he bank, just make up your mind before then, okay?” KRISTEN nods, and goes back down stairs. CUT TO: Electronic clock, it reads: 3:34 FADE TO: Electronic clock, now it reads: 4:36 KRISTEN runs back up the stairs. KRISTEN: “Okay, I have made up my mind. I think I want to do either softball or soccer.” MRS. ROLAND: “Well, which is it?” KRISTEN squints in deep thought. KRISTEN: “Can’t make up my mind, either one is fine though.” MRS. ROLAND: “Well, you did softball last year at school, so how about soccer?” KRISTEN is still thinking. MRS. ROLAND: “Come on, I haven’t got all day!” KRISTEN: “Okay, soccer then!” MRS. ROLAND nods. MRS. ROLAND: “Alright, I have to go now, be back in a minute. I have the cell on me, incase you need anything.” KRISTEN: “Okay, bye.” The MOTHER exits the house. KRISTEN then proceeds to go down the stairs. CUT TO: The basement. KRISTEN goes over by the television and flips it on. She looks very bored. She absent-mindedly flips with the remote. Then something on the TV catches her attention: a soccer game. Announcer on Television: “And Peterson runs towards the goal line! He’s going, going, going... And he’s there!” CUT TO: Saint Benedict Soccer field Daytime KRISTEN steps out of her MOTHER’S car and onto the grassy field. Gathered on the other end of the field is the rest of her new team. She runs across to them. In the middle of the group is the head coach, ROBERT NILLES. He is in his late twenties and has short spiky hair and a pair of sunglasses. COACH NILLES: “Hey there stranger! Come over here and join the team!” KRISTEN does as the coach light-heartedly asks. The rest of the team looks at her with enthusiasm. Most of them wear their old jerseys from the previous year, but some of them (including KRISTEN) wear regular T-shirts and randomly colored socks. COACH NILLES: “So what’s your name?” KRISTEN: “KRISTEN Roland. I...” The COACH cuts her off. COACH NILLES: “How old are ya?” KRISTEN: “Fourteen.” COACH NILLES writes all of the information down, not on a piece of paper, but on the back of his hand. KRISTEN: “Um...Sir?” COACH NILLES: “Yeah?” KRISTEN: “Would you like for me to get you a proper piece of paper?” COACH NILLES: “Why would I have ya do that?” KRISTEN shrugs, slightly surprised. KRISTEN: “Well, because you are writing on the back of your hand.” The rest of the team laughs quietly. COACH NILLES grins. COACH NILLES: “Well, KRISTEN...Wait! KRISTEN takes way too long to shout out. When you are screwing up during a game I need to be able to speak faster. Anything else I can call ya?” KRISTEN smiles. KRISTEN: “Kris is fine. That’s what all my friends call me most of the time anyways.” COACH NILLES: “Okay, Kris it is. Any way as I was saying: There is a very specific reason I write on the back of my hand...” There is a short pause. KRISTEN: “What is it then?” COACH NILLES flips his hand around to reveal that... COACH NILLES: “Cause the other side is already written on!” KRISTEN now can see that a small diagram of the soccer field is drawn on the palm of COACH NILLES’ hand. The team laughs; KRISTEN tries hard to hold back her own laugh. COACH NILLES: “Now! Where was I? Oh, lets skip the chat, on the field everyone!” CUT TO: Montage of the first practice. CUT TO: Close Up-Whistle blows. The camera slowly backs away to reveal COACH NILLES is the one holding the whistle. COACH NILLES: “All right! Come on in! Everyone gather in!” The team is all sweaty, their once clean clothes now wet and extremely dirty, and some are even torn. Panting, they all gather in a circle around COACH NILLES. COACH NILLES: “That was an okay first practice, but I expect a little better of ya. So I want you to practice as much as you can during your free time, ‘k? (THE TEAM NODS) COACH NILLES (Cont.): “Now, have you all got to know each other yet?” The whole team looks utterly perplexed. COACH NILLES: “Okay then! Are right...uh...how about you? He points to a tall blonde girl in the midst of the group. GIRL: “Me?” COACH NILLES: “Yes, please.” GIRL: “Well, let me see.... uh...” COACH NILLES dips his head down. COACH NILLES: “Okay, do ya know...him?” He is pointing to a short dark haired boy in the back of the circle. GIRL: “Uh...Oh yeah! Bobby! Right?” BOY: “Sorry, but I’m Richard.” A boy with long hair steps forward. BOY #2: “I am Bobby.” COACH NILLES raises his head, as if a light bulb turned on in his head. COACH NILLES: “Okay, in order to work as team, you have to know each other. Know each other’s abilities, so ya know who to pass to, or who to trust on a certain play. So, we appear to have a problem there don’t we?” The team sadly nods. COACH NILLES: “So, here’s the plan: I am going to give you guys a test later this season to see if you know your teammate’s names. I am not saying when, but I will. So ya better get skipping!” KRISTEN: “Uh...Coach?” COACH NILLES: “Yeah...Kris? KRISTEN laughs. KRISTEN: “Well, I was wondering, like, what is our team name gonna be?” COACH NILLES: “Well, the youth group board hasn’t officially told me yet, but we are always called ‘The Laser Beams’, so count on that if someone asks you.” KRISTEN nods. She and the rest of the team all look towards their coach. COACH NILLES: “Alright, come on! Hands in here!” The whole team joins hands in a huddle. “COACH NILLES: “On three, we say ‘Go Laser Beams’. One, two, three! TEAM: “GO LASER BEAMS!” The camera zooms around the team in 360 degrees as the team does this. Once they are done, the camera stops spinning, and lands right in front of the gleaming headlights of MRS. ROLAND’s car. KRISTEN approaches it from between the lights, so that the lights continue to glare the camera. COACH NILLES (OC): “See ya on Wednesday!” FADE TO: -INT- Basement of the ROLAND household. The camera focuses on an overly full laundry basket. On the top of the pile is a soccer shirt and shorts as well as long socks. Then two cleats are thrown from off-camera. The camera tracks upward to see the thrower of the shoes. KRISTEN plops herself on her bed exhaustedly. Her hair is wet, and her clothes don’t match. It is obvious that she just got out of the shower. She lies back onto the bed, without even putting the covers on. She then reaches across and turns the lamp. The only thing visible now is the electronic alarm clock. The camera dollies over to it. It reads “9:30” PM. Then the camera pans over to the wall. A light suddenly pours into the room. The camera goes back over to the clock, which now reads: “6:29 AM”, then it quickly switches to “9:30 AM”, and it goes off, buzzing loudly. KRISTEN awakens suddenly; he eyes still squinting at the new daylight. KRISTEN (tired and irritated): “Okay! I’m up already! Shut up!” She then reaches over and turns it off. CUT TO: -Int- ROALND FAMILY KITCHEN Now fully dressed for school, KRISTEN walks into the kitchen and over to the refrigerator. She proceeds to get some Orange Juice out of it, and then goes to the cabinet and gets the cereal out and fixes a bowl of it. MRS. ROLAND walks in to greet her. MRS. ROLAND: “Good morning Kris.” KRISTEN: “Oh, morning Mom.” MRS. ROALND: “You get a good nights sleep last night?” KRISTEN (with a slight yawn): “Yep.” MRS. ROLAND: “I bet you aren’t really looking forward to the next practice, huh?” KRISTEN: “Yeah I am! Why wouldn’t I be?” MRS. ROLAND: “Sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you!” KRISTEN: “Oh, I know that. The real thing I am dreading is school today.” MRS. ROLAND: “Why is that? Kids picking on you?” KRISTEN: “No, not al all. It’s just that...Well, how about you just see for yourself.” KRISTEN then picks up her backpack off the ground and puts it on the table with a small ‘!THUD!’. KRISTEN: “It’s kinda funny, all the kids and parents talk about nowadays is trouble with bullies, never homework, huh? It’s sort of the “unsung villain”, isn’t it?” KRISTEN then begins to take stuff out of the bag. KRISTEN: “Math...Reading Assignment... Social Studies Essay...Heath Test...Etcetera, etcetera!” KRISTEN sighs, and then starts putting the books back in the backpack. KRISTEN: “But hey! That’s life, isn’t it?” MRS. ROLAND tries to talk, but is cut off by the sound of a horn honking. KRISTEN: “That’s Kelly! I gotta go Mom! Love you! Buy!” KRISTEN then runs over and kisses her Mom’s cheek, and runs out the door. A NOTE ON THE NEXT SCENE: Due to likely complications this scene may produce for filming, and due to the fact that it is largely unimportant to the overall story, it may be omitted from the shooting schedule. CUT TO: -EXT- ROLAND HOUSEHOLD KRISTEN hurriedly exits the front door and runs out to her friend KELLY’S mother’s car parked out front. KELLY’S MOTHER opens the passenger side door for her. KELLY’S MOTHER: “Hello Kristen.” KRISTEN: “Hi Mrs. Kay.” KRISTEN the gets into the backseat. KELLY is there waiting for her. KELLY: “Hey there girl!” KRISTEN: “What’s up?” KELLY: “Not my grades.” KRISTEN: “Ha ha! What else is new, Kel?” KELLY: “Oh shut up!” KELLY’S MOTHER then pulls her car out of the driveway (or street) and onto the road. KELLY: “So, how did your first soccer practice go? Ya didn’t trip anybody over like softball did you?” KRISTEN blushes slightly and then laughs. KRISTEN: “Remind me of that again, won’t ya? That was an accident anyway!” KELLY: “Oh yeah right! You put your foot out in the open with a face that pretty much said “What? I’m not doing anything, I am innocent!” c’mon! You might as well have been looking at the sky and whistling!” KRISTEN playfully punches KELLY on the shoulder. KRISTEN (Smiling): “Some friend you are, huh?” The two girls giggle. KRISTEN: “Anyway, back to your first question! Ha-ha! Yeah, it went okay. But my Coach said we need to improve a bunch. But over all, he thinks we did pretty good. He says he’s, like, going to quiz us at some random practice on the rest of the team.” KELLY: “Seriously? Why?” KRISTEN: “He says it makes the team work better if we all know each other. I am going to be prepared of course!” KELLY: “Ah, gonna do all your homework for it?” KRISTEN covers her ears in mock-horror. KRISTEN: “Ah! My ears! You said the H&W word!” KELLY then laughs hard. KELLY: “I bet they will bleep that out in editing, no worries! He-he!” KRISTEN: “No kidding, Potty Mouth!” KELLY’S MOTHER: “Oh Kristen, you have no idea! H-ha! KELLY’S MOTHER is then distracted by something out side; she turns her head to look out the window. KELLY’S MOTHER: “Ah, we are here!” KRISTEN: “Good ‘ol Saint B’s!” END OF OPTIONAL SCENE CUT TO: -EXT- SAINT BENEDICT’S SCHOOL KELLY and KRISTEN get out of the car and head towards the main entrance. CUT TO: -INT- SAINT BENEDICT’S SCHOOL The hallways are decorated with many children’s drawings, as well as ads for local school projects. The floors are covered in dried bubblegum, and the sound of echoing shoes fills the ears of each student. KRISTEN and KELLY go to their lockers, which are situated close to the main slots. KELLY: “So, what’s our next class?” KRISTEN (Laughing): “Have you even looked at the schedule?” KELLY (Smiling): “Hey, I’m not that dumb! My Mom thought it was junk mail when it came last Wednesday. So...” KRISTEN: “Oh. Our next class is Social Studies. Come on, we’re both gonna be late! I know a short cut to the Academic Wing!” They run down the hall, and turn a corner straight into the school library. CUT TO: -INT- SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM. KRISTEN and KELLY enter the room. It is full of kids from their grade. The TEACHER eyes them. TEACHER: “Well hello Kristen! Kelly. Did you bring your essays? The two friends nods and hand over their three-page essays. TEAHCER: “Thank you. Take your seats now.” KRISTEN then sits down at a desk in the front row. CUT TO: -INT- School Gymnasium Basket balls bouncing, and tennis shoes squeaking all echo as the Gym class progress. KRISTEN is currently on an exercise, KELLY next to her. KRISTEN grabs a water bottle next to her and pours it down her mouth. CUT TO: -INT- Lunch Room KRISTEN quickly eats her lunch, obviously in a hurry. Then after she finishes her last bites, she runs off. KELLY opens her mouth as if to ask why she is leaving lunch early, but doesn’t get the chance speak. CUT TO: -EXT- School Playground KRISTEN grabs a soccer ball off of the ground, and stares at it for a minute. Then she drops it on the ground in front of her feet. She bends her foot back, almost like she is warning the ball. She then kicks the ball across the grass. We watch as the ball speed across the yard. KRISTEN then chases in front of it, getting to the other side of the yard just in time to trap the ball. She then kicks it back to the other side again, and chases it, again getting to it in time. She is now playing a game of catch with herself. This goes on for a bit. Then we cut to a close up of the ball on one side of the makeshift “field”, her foot makes contact with it, but now we are... CUT TO: Saint Benedicts Soccer Field, -Day- The ball goes straight into the goal line. COACH NILLES blows his whistle. COACH NILLES: “Everybody in!” The whole team comes in to a circle, just like the last time. COACH NILLES: “I see a lot of improvement this practice. But a couple of ya don’t look like you are tryin’ hard enough. SO keep on working, our first game is on Saturday. We will give out uniforms then, so don’t worry. Now hand in.” The whole team put their hands in the huddle. COACH NILLES: “On three, we say “Let’s win’, one, two, three... TEAM: “LET’S WIN!” COACH NILLES: “See y’all Saturday! Work hard!” The team splits up and gets their belongings and head toward their parent’s cars. CUT TO: Various shots of KRISTEN practicing. Improvise the specifics on set. Include shots of her running on a track field and practicing on heading the ball. Shot of KRISTEN running up and won the school halls, and then running past the school sports trophies, we slowly dolly close to the trophies. Then we see KRISTEN slip and fall back, but instead of hitting the ground she hits... CUT TO: -INT- Roland House Basement KRISTEN falls onto her bed. She reaches over and turns her light off. Darkness for a few seconds, but then...She turns the light back on. She gets into her drawer and pulls out the school sports directory and flips through it pages, and then lands on a page that says: YOUTH SOCCER LISTINGS TEAM NAME: LASER BEAMS COACH: ROBERT T. NILLES PLAYERS... It then goes on to list all of the players. KRISTEN gets out a piece of lined paper and a pen and copies all of the information down. She then silently reads the names to herself, over and over again. We pan away from her, across the basement. FADE TO: -INT- Saint Benedict’s School Hallway, Day While KELLY is putting all of her homework into her locker, KRISTEN is leaning up against the wall reading the list of LASER BEAM PLAYERS to herself over and over again. KELLY: “What are you doing Kris?” KRISTEN: “I am trying to memorize all of the players names.” KELLY: “What’s the use of that? There aren’t any pictures of the players in there, how do you know which name goes with which player?” KRISTEN (With a mischievous grin): “Ah...you see, this is only phase one! Phase two will be asking each player their name. Since I have each name memorized by then, I will be able to remember which is which.” KELLY nods KELLY: ”Whatever.” KRISTEN: “Well, I’ll see ya tomorrow.” KELLY: “Okay, good luck with the game!” KRISTEN begins to head down the hallway. KELLY: “Hey!” KRISTEN: “What?” KELLY: “Aren’t you going to put that stuff in your locker?” KRISTEN looks down at the mountain of books she is holding. KRISTEN: “Oh...right, thanks!” KRISTEN then opens her locker and begins to put her stuff into it, but then she pauses. We cut to a close-up of a small note on the front of her locker. It says: Meet me at my office on the third floor of the academic wing; you will see my name on the door. -Coach Nilles KRISTEN heads in the opposite direction.
Copyright © 2004 Patrick Collins |