"Hands" (My First Screenplay-Pg.2)

 

Meet Rupert | Page 2 | Hands

Welcome my "Hopeless Romantics" to my passion project. I am writing a screenplay in hopes to turn my book project into a movie. My "disclaimer" is that if any of my writing contains characters that resemble anyone in real life, it is purely coincidental as I have always drawn from my imagination to create my fiction stories/novels. This is best illustrated with my character "Rupert" who I first envisioned in the fourth grade. 

Around the 3rd grade, I was complimented by a teacher on having a wild and vivid imagination in writing. 

I felt that I could potentially be a writer...but I also aimed to be a scientist-cheerleader when I was around 9 or 10. So...when thinking about it...life presented many options at this point. Given the compliment about my wild imagination, I did enter a 3rd grade writing contest. I had learned only one writing style at that point, the "narrative." 

With the help of a writing tutor after school I was able to construct a highly-fictionalized story about aliens invading the earth and forcing the human race to wear clothing made of banana peels. This story was about recycling and banana-peel clothing blended my love for saving the planet with fashion design.

I submitted a two page paper (which was a very long story...basically a novel...in the mind of a 3rd grader). 

The teacher called out names starting with a 5th place (which means my chances were pretty high. In my mind, my story's originality alone should secure me first or second place). 

As the teacher called names for 4th, 3rd, and then...2nd...

In my mind there was only one conclusion...

I won.

I must have. 

The teacher didn't even have to open her mouth. I stood up. I was ready to accept my place in this 3rd grade classroom as the class's grand fiction author. I was ready to go up and read my two page work of literature to the class...

"Melissa" The teacher calls out.

I did not hear. I have made up my mind. I won. 

Meeting Melissa at the front of the class was one of my life's more awkward moments. I only wish that my life's awkward moments ended there...but as it turned out...that was only the beginning...not to mention "my crush curse" which has lent my life story so much comedy that I have no choice but to document the best of these events in another work of fiction (coming soon). I would like any fans of my writing to keep following so that you do not miss my next book projects. If "this" goes well, and by "this" I mean adaptations of my books into film, then there is a very epic story coming up. 

Below: Rupert Drawn as a 3rd/4th Grader

Given my history with writing, it was only natural that I vowed that day I would one day seek to vindicate myself. I would seek vengeance on those who did not give me my place as Mrs. Wakefield's 3rd Grade Class' true 1st Place Winner...

I would write...a book...with a parrot I drew in art class and find Melissa...and tell her "what's-what" after I win a literary award.

Just kidding. 

That is not the motivation for this novel. You would have to revert to the "1st page rant" to discover the events that took place to send me on a writing journey. 

...but I did learn something from Melissa and Mrs. Wakefield. 

I was forced to listen Melissa's winning story. It was the story of her dog dying and how she remembered this dog. 

I was crying...not because the story was sad...but it was very good that it was a sad story because it masked the true intention of my tears. After all the work I did...the after school tutoring and the extra imagination I used in oder to dress this planet in banana peels in an early effort to recycle our waste into fashion, why didn't I win? I mean...I am saving the world with my inventive mind, right? 

I left everyone leave the class to break for recess while I asked the teacher to explain why didn't my story even get "a place?" Why did Melissa win?

Kids are uninhibited...and at that point I was completely unraveled by this election. It was rigged. Melissa won the class presidency too...and her mom was on the PTA... and always made clever snacks. While I loved the snacks, I also hated the feeling that my working mom faired no shot in this political environment where PTA moms clearly lobbied for their children...

"Your story isn't real. Melissa's was a real story about her real feelings...and her dog died."

I buried my sobbing red face into my hands and muttered, "...but my mom won't let me have a dog."

I clearly missed the point.  

***Flash Forward***

Here I am...I made a story with a parrot I drew in the 3rd grade.

Rupert is a character I made "for kids." I originally wanted a very colorful parrot as the conduit between Benny's dull and monotone life to his transition into accepting a more colorful existence. A colorful parrot would be a perfect "donkey" for a modern adaptation of "Don Quixote." Upon reflection though, I knew that a much greater point would appear after making this character one solid color...green. 

Rupert drawn for my book "Hands." A parrot scarf made from an adult rendering of my 3rd grade attempt at painting a parrot: 

I feel I will "leave this blog up" after I complete this screenplay project so that records of "where" all of my inspiration comes stay available to the growing fans of this book. I didn't think, at the time it was written, that I would later attempt a film project of "Hands." Otherwise, I would have not used a parrot as one of my main characters if that was the case. The "issue" with a talking parrot would be how to realistically address this in the film...

...and then I saw a film called, "Paulie." 

This film's main character was a talking parrot. So, now I know exactly how I would create my "Rupert" character. I would audition a trained parrot and have an actor create the voice-over. 

Without further ado, this is the 2nd page to this "90 day screenplay" project. In this scene, all I want to accomplish is an "introduction" to Rupert. 

_________________

Page 2/Scene 2

V.O. NARRATOR 

Benny is always daydreaming of a future wife or girlfriend. Sometimes, while lost in thought, he is especially absent-minded...as he was last week...when he left the bird cage open on accident. See, Benny owns a talking parrot named, "Rupert." He bought Rupert as a way to practice talking without feeling judged. He has talked to Rupert everyday for three years. As a result, Rupert talks quite well for a parrot , and Benny talks much better as a human. Nevertheless, Rupert does not enjoy being caged and frequently plots his escape to one day fly back home to "Mexico" and visit his "senoritas." 

INT-BENNY'S ALL-WHITE BEDROOM

Inside of a white bird cage a green parrot paces back and forth while the narrator explains the dynamic of this pet-owner relationship. From the POV of the parrot we see Benny's face approach the cage door. 

While the shot is muted, his moving lips indicate a deep conversation. This causes Rupert to flap around the mesh at the bottom of his cage and let it spill out of the cage. (Possibly a shot created by pointing the camera upward at the bottom of the cage while someone "throws" mesh with their hand while no actual parrot is inside could create an illustration of the mess without involving the parrot). 

V.O. NARRATOR

As of Friday of last week, Rupert decided to trick his "Tonto" owner by playing around in his cage until it was an absolute mess. Left with no other option, Benny had to open the cage door in order to clean. Benny and Rupert formed a pact a long time ago. Rupert told Benny that he did not like his wings clipped, and Benny promised not to clip them as long as Rupert did not fly away...Rupert did not stay true to his promise. 

EXT-QUICK CLIPS SHOT IN A PARK

As a close up of Benny's hand reaches into the cage.

A green parrot flies into an endless baby blue sky.

The parrot is followed by a camera trying to "make it on its own." 

The parrot rummages for food amongst pigeons while being tossed bread crumbs by a lady on a bench. 

A kid runs into the pile of birds after pointing out the unusual parrot. 

It spends the night on a tree branch and gets scared by a blind opossum. 

V.O. RUPERT 

Hey, watch it...are you blind buddy?

V.O. OPOSSUM 

Yep...I certainly am

Rupert, clearly unable to handle "the wild," flies off.

EXT. BENNY'S BEDROOM BALCONY 

V.O. NARRATOR 

With his newfound freedom, Rupert managed to fly out the window for a whole hour before returning to the telephone wires outside of Benny's bedroom. Rupert stayed loyal. Instead of flying to Mexico. He perched himself among the common birds...and decided to let his owner practice talking to him every evening. 

BENNY

Why don't you just come back? 

Don't you know how silly you look up there? 

The other birds aren't green. 

Benny shakes his head in exasperation. 

A newspaper just tossed onto the 2nd floor balcony of Benny's apartment from a boy in a bike downstairs. It just barely misses Benny's head. Benny, a "nice guy," waves back and picks up the rolled up town paper. 

INT BENNY'S ALL-WHITE BEDROOM

He unfolds it to read as he makes his way inside his all-white bedroom. The paper opens up to the "classifies" where the camera zooms in to "Parrot for Sale/Female." Benny contemplates. 

BENNY

Maybe, I ought to get him a little seniorita friend...

The camera pans and zooms in on $800 next to the personal ad. Benny purses his lips and lets a noise escape him that indicates the steepness of the purchase. 

BENNY (Muttering to Himself) 

Well...the females are always pretty expensive...

Could be even more high-maintenance from my experience...

V.O. NARRATOR

It seems Benny has made a choice to buy a "señorita" parrot and a new cage to lure Rupert, one of his only and most loyal friends, back. Benny's stutter has gotten in the way of his social life...hence, all the free time to invest in the social life of his parrot.