Blog #11

Caroline Hess and Trevor Canham

BLOG #11

INT. WILMONT HIGH SCHOOL – HIGH SCHOOL – DAYTIME

It is a Monday morning, and everyone is bustling to get to their next class. BAXTER is walking alone in the halls, face down, until KENNETH comes running toward him. They stop at BAXTER’S locker to have a quick chat.

KENNETH

Baxter! Before the bell rings I need to show you the tickets my dad bought me and him for the concert next Saturday! I can’t believe they already came! I mean, my dad just ordered them and they’re already here! I’m so excited!

KENNETH pulls two TICKETS out of his backpack.

BAXTER

Oh, wow. That sounds really fun.

KENNETH

(Not noticing the change in his friend’s behavior) I’m so excited…I wish we could take you but it’s more of a son- father bonding thing, you know how those things go. Shoot, I think I forgot a book in my locker. I’ll see you later on the bus!

BAXTER

Oh…alright, I might see you later I have some things to do after school

 Baxter is in a daze the whole day. His teachers call on him and he does not know what they are discussing. Finally the last bell rings and Baxter gets on the bus. When he gets home he opens his garage. He sees two fishing poles and shows a look of determination. He grabs the poles and leaves the garage.

Blog #10

Caroline Hess and Trevor Canham

Blog #10

KENNETH

Baxter! Before the bell rings I need to show you the tickets my dad bought me and him for the concert next Saturday! I can’t believe they already came! I mean, my dad just ordered them and they’re already here! I’m so excited!

BAXTER

Oh, wow. That sounds really fun.

KENNETH

(Not noticing the change in his friend’s behavior) I’m so excited…I wish we could take you but it’s more of a son- father bonding thing, you know how those things go. Shoot, I think I forgot a book in my locker. I’ll see you on the bus!

BAXTER

Oh…alright, I might see you later I have some things to do after school

Baxter then goes home on the bus. He opens his garage to let himself in the house. Two fishing poles catch his eye. He remembers being like Kenneth, his father’s only son and proud of it. Now he realizes he wishes his dad had not left without even a real goodbye. He drops his bag and grabs the fishing pole and heads to the pond.

BLOG #9

Caroline Hess and Trevor Canham

Blog #9

JANICE

(sigh) Baxter, what do you want for breakfast? I have to get going soon and I am already rushing.

BAXTER

(shrugs) Do you really care...? I’ll just make something for myself after I pack my bag.

JANICE

Baxter, you cannot just shut me out like that…I’m trying my best to provide for you and if you don’t like that then I’m sorry! Now go upstairs and get ready for school. We’re leaving in ten minutes.

BAXTER

Just forget it, I’m not even hungry anyways.

 

Blog #8

Three important facts about dialogue:
1. Dialogue can be a good way and is what is usually used to show what characters are like in a script.

2. Dialogue should reveal character's relationships to one another, and/or move the story forward

3. Dialogue  should be eventful and entertaining

Blog #7

Caroline Hess and Trevor Canham Blog #7

Opening Scene: There is a road heading towards a sunrise with peacefully swaying grass beside it. This setting is calm and a small bug flutters by. A man and his young son stand hand in hand looking ahead at the horizon. Although they say nothing, the man looks at his son and begins to run away from the boy. Looking scared and confused, the boy chases after him but goes nowhere. The man runs out of sight and is gone. The young boy looks hopelessly at the sky as it begins to turn a misty gray. This picture fades out and now is focused on the same boy, only now he is in his bed. The audience now realizes what happened previously to this boy was a dream. The boy sighs, turns off his blaring alarm clock, and stumbles out of bed.

Setting Up The Story: Because Baxter’s father abandoned the family he feels lonely and insecure as well as hopeless because he has given up on the fact that he will ever return. Baxter’s Mom is very busy with work, mostly to keep her mind off her failed marriage. During Baxter’s time at school he avoids confrontation with other people except for his friend Kenneth.

Inciting Incident: One day Baxter is in school on a particularly bad day and is contemplating his life and the situation he is in. He thinks about all of his problems and he decides that the most prominent one is the guilt that he feels for his father leaving and his family breaking apart. He goes home after school and goes through his garage and finds his old fishing pole that he used to use with his dad when he was still around and he decides that he’s going to take it out and go fishing at the old pond that his father and he used to go to. Baxter heads down to the dock and sits on the edge and casts out his line. He waits awhile but he suddenly notices that a huge fish is near his line and he leans over to take a look. The fish quickly grabs his line and Baxter, being as light as he is falls into the water. He falls headfirst and hits a rock and is immediately knocked out. Luckily a passerby saw the event and jumped in and saved Baxter but unfortunately Baxter was without oxygen for too long and went into a coma. He is brought to the Hospital and his mother and grandfather stay with him there.

Blog #6

Caroline Hess and Trevor Canham

 Script Frenzy Blog #6

1.  Set-Up  Baxter Goodman lives at home with his single mom, although sometimes he feels as though he is alone. His Mother’s extremely busy work schedule rarely ever leaves time for a cooked meal or a night for them to discuss each of their days. His father left the family years ago, so at this stage in Baxter’s teenage life he definitely feels abandoned and hopeless. The scene opens up with a man and his son standing on a road. The boy calls for his dad however he will not respond. The man starts running, leaving the boy behind. The son begins to cry as the man disappears out of sight. Baxter then wakes up, realizing he has just dreamt this. Many nights a week he has vivid dreams and they always relate to his absent father. Baxter is bullied at his school and not very well-liked. He has one friend, Kenneth, who is one year younger than Baxter. Kenneth and Baxter do not really discuss Baxter’s home life problems but Kenneth does know what he is going through. Baxter’s main internal conflict is the guilt he feels because he believes as though he drove his father away.

2.  Inciting Incident   One day at school Baxter is sitting at his desk and thinking about his life. He realizes how depressed he has become and he starts to think of some way to turn his life around. He thinks about all of the problems he is dealing with at home as well as at school. He realizes that the bullying and the loneliness that he feels do not compare to the guilt he carries for his father leaving.  Later on as Baxter is walking into his garage after school and sees the fishing pole he and his dad used to use. Years have passed since he has gone out on the water and for some reason today he decides to because he needs time to think about his life. He goes down to the dock at the local fishing pond and just sits there and casts out his line. After waiting for a while he sees an unusually large fish in the water near where his hook is, he leans over to take a look and sees that the fish had taken his bait. The fish jerks forward and due to the slipperiness of the Baxter slips in and hits his head and is knocked unconscious. Luckily, a small boy and his dad were approaching the pond and saw this all happen, and when the father saw that Baxter had fallen in and was not coming up he immediately ran to save him. The man successfully saves Baxter from the water and calls an ambulance.  He is taken to the hospital and the doctors tell his mother and grandmother that he is in a coma.

3.    Rising Action:

·        Baxter is in the hospital and has a coma, his mother and grandpa stand by his bedside

 

·        Baxter “wakes up” in his mind in his bedroom, he remembers his “dream” about him falling in water

·        He sets off for the quest to find his dad, bringing along his good friend Kenneth, who surprisingly complies with the idea of going on this quest.

·        They find out where Baxter’s dad is now and go to find him.

·        Baxter’s dad finds out he is in a coma and goes to the hospital

4.    The Big Descision: Baxter’s mom is confused when his dad shows up in the hospital and is still spiteful because he left. She does not let him back into the family. Baxter dreams of finding his dad and realizes he does not need him anymore. The reason he left was because he was an unfit parent and Baxter and Kenneth leave together.

5.  After three weeks Baxter wakes up finally from his coma. He realizes that finding his dad was just a dream and he wakes up to the cruel world he left. Baxter and his mom talk about how his dad came back. Although Baxter did not reconnect with his dad in reality, him and his mom have bonded as well as his grandpa.

6.   Resolution: Baxter’s dad is still out of his life but Baxter has changed drastically and built a relationship with his mom and has developed more friends because he has become less shy. His grandpa has become a strong male figure in his family and Baxter is content with his life.

Revised Logline for Script Frenzy

After a father leaves his family without a word, his weak and troubled only son takes it upon himself to find him, or he will live with the guilt of his idleness forever.

Script Frenzy Logline (First Draft)

When a family breaks apart and the father leaves without a word, the only child, a weak and sickly teenage boy takes it upon himself to bring back his dad, or he will live with the guilt of his inactivity forever.