Short Screenplay

[Fortunato]

Something I wrote for my dystopia class in response to the massive amount of anti-technology dystopian films that are out there. The formatting doesn't carry over form when I copy/paste it, but it should be readable at least.

SCENE 1: ACOLYTES

Black screen. REVEREND begins his speech.

REVEREND
The cancer is spreading. It's
eating away at the poisoned body.
Ripping out chunks of flesh with
its jagged teeth and spitting them
onto the ground. It is the jackal
of society. The hyena. The
scavenger and the disease mixed.
The cancer is spreading, spreading
its blanket of darkness across the
land. Tucking in the little
children each night, stealing them
away while they sleep. This cancer
is no supernatural blight. This is
nothing mysterious. Nothing sacred
or untouchable. This is the cancer
that humankind made for themselves.
Humans, in all their fallibility
and excess, have made their own
cancer, and it is spreading! The
time to sit still and watch is
over.

Fade in on CONGREGATION watching REVEREND preach. Outdoors.
Away from man-made things. Natural setting.

REVEREND
That's right! The time to sit by
in comfort while the cancer
destroys us from the inside is
over! The cancer is the darkness, but
we are the children of light! The
children of the sun! We will fill
up the room with our radiance,
throw open the curtains of pure and
holy reverence on that vile cancer
and banish it forever! Now,
brothers and sisters, some of you
are wondering just where it came
from. Just what happened to make
it what it was. The answer is
simple. Arrogance. Humans were
arrogant. Look up at the sun!
Look at its blinding light! Do you
think you can be that light? Does
anyone thing they can replace it?
People did for so long, so long my children.
They thought that they could be the
sun, that they could control that
holy fire without getting burned!
And because of it, people have
died. Morals have died. All that
is good and holy has DIED, and it
is the fault of humankind! Well,
no more. I have heard the voice of
the sun, I have seen that blinding
light and looked right into that blinding
eye! I have seen the way to the
light, to the cure. So do you want
to let the cancer eat away at you
any longer? Do you want to die anymore?
Are you tired of dying slowly, of
giving in? Are you like me? We
don't need "progress." That's just
the cancer spreading itself. We
don't need any of it! What we need
is a return to what is good and
pure and untouched! That's what
I'm offering. And each and every
one of you has taken the first step
towards happiness. Towards life.
Towards longevity in the smiling
eye of the burning sun.

SCENE 2: PEACE

MAN and WOMAN sit in a clearing. They wear white robes.
They do not smile. They sit cross legged. They do not look
at each other. MAN closes his eyes and practices meditative breathing.
WOMAN does the same after a few moments. They do not smile.

SCENE 3: MEAL

MAN, WOMAN, REVEREND, and CONGREGATION sit in a different clearing.
They wear white robes. They are quiet, for the most part.
They eat simple meals consisting of fruits and vegetables. REVEREND
moves amongst CONGREGATION, smiling and greeting. MAN has
an apple. He looks at the apple. He looks at WOMAN. He
takes a bite. He offers her the apple. REVEREND slaps his
hand, and gestures to a woman in CONGREGATION, who gives
WOMAN an apple. MAN eats his apple in silence.

SCENE 4: SPEECH

MAN and WOMAN are in the other clearing. They are alone.
They wear white robes. They do not smile. They sit cross
legged. MAN looks at WOMAN. Then looks forward again.

MAN
Have you always lived here?

WOMAN
Of course. Where else would I
live?

MAN
Some came from the Badlands.

WOMAN
Did you?

MAN
No. I have always been here.

WOMAN
That's the way it should be.

MAN
Of course.

A moment of silence. Then...

WOMAN
Did you speak to them?

MAN
Who?

WOMAN
The ones from the Badlands.

MAN
No. I heard about them from
someone else.

WOMAN
I never heard of them.

MAN
Brother Reverend saved them. I was
glad.

WOMAN
Then the sun's eye smiled on them.

MAN
What about everyone else?

WOMAN
Don't you listen to Brother
Reverend?

MAN
No, I mean the ones in the Badlands
still.

WOMAN
I don't think about that.

A moment of silence. Then...

WOMAN
You shouldn't either.

MAN
Of course. You're right.

WOMAN
Brother Reverend is right. I just
listen.

SCENE 5: QUESTIONS

MAN and REVEREND are in a clearing. They wear white robes.
MAN is sitting cross legged.

REVEREND
Is something bothering you,
brother?

MAN
No, Brother Reverend.

REVEREND
There are no secrets here,
brother. Please; what question
weighs down your mind?

MAN
The apple... Why couldn't I share
it?

REVEREND
You mustn't do such things. The
sun's eye will not smile on you if
you do. Such gifts lead to immoral
things.

MAN
Immoral things?

REVEREND
Yes. And you mustn't think about
them.

A moment of silence. Then...

MAN
Have you been to the Badlands?

REVEREND
Many times. Why so curious,
brother? Has the burning orb
gifted you with such questions?

MAN
Yes, and so many more. What were
the people like?

REVEREND
In the Badlands, they live in
corruption. They are immoral and
unclean. They do not follow the
word of the sun. There is much
death there. It is not a pleasant
place; you mustn't think about it.

SCENE 6: DEATH

MAN is walking through the forest. He sees ELDER. ELDER
has fallen and is hurt. MAN stands and watches. His face
is blank. ELDER coughs and moans in pain. ELDER cries and shouts.
Then, ELDER dies. MAN watches, not understanding. Then,
MAN turns and leaves.

SCENE 7: PICTURE

MAN and WOMAN are in the clearing. They wear white robes.
They do not smile. They sit cross legged. MAN pulls a camera
from his robe.

WOMAN
What's that?

MAN
I found it. In the forest. It
freezes what you see.

WOMAN
What do you mean?

MAN
So that you can see it again later.

WOMAN
What tree did it grow on?

MAN
I don't think it grew on any tree.
It was on the ground.

WOMAN
Like potatoes?

MAN
No... I think it came from the
Badlands.

WOMAN
Well then... you should give it to
Brother Reverend. You mustn't
touch such things.

MAN
Watch!

MAN takes a photograph of the clearing. The camera is a poleroid.
He takes the picture out and waits. Then...

MAN
See!

WOMAN
(Looking at the picture)
You... You shouldn't have that!

MAN
But now, you can see the beauty of
the forest! The sun's creation!

WOMAN
It's from the Badlands. Brother
Reverend said...

MAN
How can it be bad when it only
shows what the sun gave life to?

WOMAN
Well... It is only showing the
sun's creation.

MAN offers WOMAN the photograph. She accepts it, and puts
it in her robe.

SCENE 8: LOVE

MAN and WOMAN sit in the clearing. They wear white robes.
The sun is setting. They sit cross legged and do not speak.
MAN is looking at a picture. Then, MAN sits up. He crosses
to WOMAN and kisses her. The picture is of WOMAN. They
make love.

SCENE 9: DISCOVERY

MAN, WOMAN, REVEREND, and CONGREGATION are assembled. REVEREND
holds the camera, and a fistful of photographs.
CONGREGATION sits. MAN and WOMAN stand at the front before
REVEREND.

REVEREND
...and you both knew! How long?
How long have you had this unclean
contraption?

They do not answer him.

REVEREND
(To CONGREGATION)
That which defies the sun and seeks
to capture it is unholy and
unclean. You want to grab the sun
in your hand and wave it around!
You want to make it yours! Those
who try to control the sun will
burn up in its glorious rays!

As REVEREND reaches a crescendo in his speech, MAN grabs WOMAN'S
wrist, and the two run. They run through the forest, chased
by REVEREND and CONGREGATION. Eventually, they are only
chased by REVEREND. Then, they are alone. They keep
running.

SCENE 10: DEFILERS

MAN and WOMAN are walking along the side of a road. A car
approaches and slows. A window rolls down.

DRIVER
Need a lift?

Later, in the city, MAN is briefly alone. He wears normal
clothing. REVEREND finds him. REVEREND wears normal
clothing.

REVEREND
Is this the path you have chosen?
To fly in the face of the sun?

MAN
You chased me to this path.

REVEREND
You think you'll find something
real? Something alive here? You
won't.

MAN
I was dead with you. And so are
the rest of them.

REVEREND
You disgust me. You, and your
filthy kin.

MAN
Brother Reverend, I tried to ask...

REVEREND
You're no sibling of mine.

REVEREND leaves in disgust.

SCENE 11: EPILOGUE

MAN sits on a bench in the city. He wears normal clothes.
He looks at the people in the city. He smiles. WOMAN approaches.
She wears normal clothes. She is tentative. She sits
beside him. They embrace.

WOMAN
It isn't perfect.

MAN
Nothing ever is.

[FireWrath]

Wow, that was a rather good read. Are you planning on expanding it?

Some of your scenes are rather long but related, I would suggest that you fuse them. Scenes like two and three can clearly go together with a transition of some sort. Is there a reason why you left them separate?

I must say though, I love how your depictions through the reverend came through. That screenplay is really well done, though short, it still has a good feel to it.

[Fortunato]

I don't plan on expanding it, no. It stands alone as in; there are a few things I wished I had added the first run through, but I don't like to make large edits. First thought; best thought. That sort of thing.

As for the scenes, that's just the way I've been taught to write theater and, by extension, screenplay; a scene stands on its own, ending when whatever it is meant to communicate has happened. These scenes are actually quite short compared to what I normally write; generally, I write scenes that last at least 3-4 pages. And even that is medium length compared to most theater.

[FireWrath]

Originally Posted by Bunneh

I don't plan on expanding it, no. It stands alone as in; there are a few things I wished I had added the first run through, but I don't like to make large edits. First thought; best thought. That sort of thing.

Well absolutely no argument that there.

Originally Posted by Bunneh

As for the scenes, that's just the way I've been taught to write theater and, by extension, screenplay; a scene stands on its own, ending when whatever it is meant to communicate has happened. These scenes are actually quite short compared to what I normally write; generally, I write scenes that last at least 3-4 pages. And even that is medium length compared to most theater.

I was taught the same thing, with the exception that if a scene ends up being shorter either expect or the rest of them, and if it relates to a scene before or after it, to tie it in. Aside from that and the few typos, there's nothing to complain. Even the character development, if you could call it that, is evident, and the story as a whole was interesting to read.