Day 29: The Silent Movie Project - Scene Six

Project for November 29, 2013

I believe I have figured out how everything is going to work, but I'm going to use the next scene to finally solve it and work out what actually happened. Technically, though, you have all the pieces of the puzzle.  We'll see if I can make it fit and if it makes sense logically.  So who dunnit?

I hope you enjoy and remember to Live Orange!

The Silent Movie Project - Scene 6

SCENE: Opens with Mia and Grim going up the walkway of a very large, nice house.

MIA: (Checks a piece of paper in her hand and then looks back up at the house).  Wow, this was not what I was expecting.

GRIM: That’s the trouble with you humans, you always have expectations for fellow humans.  I expect nothing out of the human race.

MIA:  Wow, Socrates, that’s deep.  Now come on.  We have one more witness to interview.
They start walking up the sidewalk.  The camera focuses of Mia and when it comes around to face her, Grim isn’t there.  Mia stops, looks over, notices his absence, shakes her head, and continues on her way to the door.  The door opens after she knocks and she steps inside.

DANIEL: Thank you for looking into my sister’s death, Ms. Silverton.  I can’t tell you how much that means to me.

MIA:  Of course, Mr. Miller, anything I can do to help.  I have to ask you a couple of questions.  First, do you know a Judy Kipster?

DANIEL:  She’s a neighbor of Elsa’s, I think, right?  I recognize the name, but I don’t know any of them.  Once in a while if she needs help with things around her house, I go over, but it’s not very often.

MIA:  How would you describe how you and your sister got along?

DANIEL:  We got along as well as any siblings do, I suppose.  We weren’t particularly close growing up, but then, when both of our parents died, we reconnected.  We are both friends with Hudson Bancroft and would see each other occasionally at events that he hosted.  She asked me help her change the oil in her car once.  But even so, I do really miss her.  She was the last of my family, I have no one else.  I just wish we could – (he pauses and puts his head in his hand for a moment and then looks back up) I can’t wish her back, but I wish that we could catch her killer.

MIA:  I know you do, Mr. Miller, and both the police and I are trying our hardest to figure this out, but it will probably take some time.

DANIEL:  I know.  But please, do all you can.

MIA:  We will.  But I would like to ask you, where were you on the afternoon and evening that your sister was killed between 4:00-6:00pm?

DANIEL:  I wish I could tell you that I have a perfect alibi, but I don’t.  You see I went to the dry cleaners to pick up a coat, then I went to the drug store for some supplies.  I picked up some dinner and then came back her to watch Seinfeld until 6:00.  I know that Elsa called me to come over that afternoon so that I could bring my ladder over to help her change the battery in her fire alarms.  She didn’t have a ladder herself.  By the time I got dinner I was tired so I told her I would come over later, or wait until the next day.  I wish I hadn’t now!

MIA:  I know, Mr. Miller, and I’m sorry, but everything will work out, I’m quite sure of it.  Thank you for your time and I will be in touch just as soon as I know more.  (She stands up and moves to the door.  Daniel follows. They stop by the coat rack and Mia notices the coats as she picks up her own)

DANIEL:  Thank you for coming by, Ms. Silverton.  And please don’t hesitate to call with any news.  I want to know as soon as you discover who the killer is.

MIA:  I will. (She goes back down the sidewalk and to her car.  Grim is leaning against it.)

GRIM:  Well?

MIA:  Well what?

GRIM: Are we any close to discovering the killer?

MIA:  Yes, I am.  But first I need to check something out tonight.  Then, tomorrow, we need to get everyone together and sort this out.

GRIM: (sighs) You humans can be such dramatists!

MIA: At least I convey exactly what I want to say.

GRIM: Just drive.
(They get into the car)

Day 28: The Silent Movie Project - Scene Five

Project for November 28, 2013

Even though I have been planting clues, I'm still not sure who the actual killer is myself. I have an idea, but it's kind of fun to figure it out along with Mia and Grim. I guess we'll see how everything is going to turn out! See what you think...

And Live Orange!

MIA: Forgive me, Mr. Bancroft, but you’re not exactly what I expected given the description of your generosity by Ms. Johnston.

BANCROFT: And what did you expect, Ms. Silverton?  A banker?

MIA: Of sorts.  She said you were backing her financially.

BANCROFT: I am.  I have a soft spot for small businesses – which is how I got started myself.  Maggie has some great ideas, she just needs help getting them off the ground.

MIA: Do you know a Judy Kipster?

BANCROFT:  No.  Should I?

MIA: She was Ms. Miller’s next door neighbor.

BANCROFT: I’ve never seen her before.

MIA:  What was your relationship with Elsa Miller?

BANCROFT:   She lived in my neighborhood.  I enjoy entertaining so I would invite her over to my house along with some friends for barbecues fairly frequently.  I enjoyed her company.

MIA: Did you ever ask her out?

BANCROFT?  You mean on a date?

MIA: Yes.

BANCROFT:  Not yet.  I mean I would have liked to ask her out, but she was a bit out of my league.  I was working up the nerve to do so.  She was just really quiet.  I mean she never even talked to her neighbors – especially the one with the curlers in her hair who watched her all the time.  She was not the most interactive at parties, either, but she was a very sweet person.  She wouldn’t hurt a soul!

MIA: What about the claims from Ms. Johnston that Elsa had cheated her out of her business?  Were you really going to back her and then date the woman who cheated her partner?

BANCROFT:  Miss Silverton, there is more to the story than what you probably heard from Maggie.  She’s rather sensitive about things.  Elsa didn’t cheat her so much as make several executive decisions that kept the company from going under.  Even though Maggie’s designs were what sold, Elsa was the marketing genius that kept them afloat.

MIA:  So how do you propose to keep Maggie’s new line from going under?  Isn’t that quite a risk?

BANCROFT:  No, not really, I have a contract with a buyer who will guarantee that Maggie’s next line will be a hit and has already purchased the rights to make them for mass production.  But please, I am only telling you this because you are investigating Elsa’s death.  I want to keep things on the down low for a bit until we finalize everything.

MIA: Of course.  Where were you, Mr. Bancroft, between 4:00 and 6:00 pm the night Elsa Miller was killed?

BANCROFT:  I was with Maggie, going over paperwork for the business.  We had to get everything set so the bank would sign off on it.  Then, I headed over to Dan Miller’s house, Elsa’s brother.  He had just purchased a new television and wanted me to see it.

MIA:  Were you that close with her brother?

BANCROFT:  Like I said, I often asked Elsa over for barbecue and met her brother through her one day.  We became good friends.  We have had several movie nights with other friends of ours, played laser tag together and occasionally play video games when we find the time.

MIA:  One last question, Mr. Bancroft, how did Elsa break her leg?

BANCROFT:  It was at my house, I’m afraid.  She slipped on a spilled drink on the patio at a barbecue and unfortunately fell on her leg the wrong way.

MIA: Thank you for your time.

BANCROFT: Of course.  If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to call.

MIA: Nods her head, shakes his hand, and walks out of the office. She walks out to the sidewalk and starts to walk down the street.  She almost walks straight into Grim. 
And just where did you disappear to while I was doing all of the work?

GRIM:  Well since you have shown that you have some semblance of skills with investigation, I decided to do a little on my own.  I went to the police station and looked at their files and pictures.  Here’s one of the scene of the crime.

MIA:  This is closed information!  It’s a criminal act with multiple offenses to so that!

GRIM: Relax, it’s just a copy.

MIA:  You’re a horrible human being, you know that?

GRIM:  Why thank you, my dear.  I take my designation as non-human one of the greatest benefits of my existence.

MIA:  Just shut up and come on!

GRIM:  And where are you going now?

MIA:  We’re going to interview the victim’s brother, Daniel Miller.

GRIM:  And do you suspect him?

MIA:  I’m not sure, but we’re about to find out.
Scene ends

Day 27: The Silent Movie Project - Scene Four

Project for November 27, 2013

I had to make several adjustments in this scene due to the clue that was in it.  I had to figure out how not to give away the possibility that each suspect could have committed the crime while not directly pointing fingers at anyone.  I'm not sure how successful I'll be in this round, but we'll have to see!

Don't forget to Live Orange!

NOTE: I know there is a backlog in publishing these, but sometimes internet connectibility is touch and go for me.  Not wanting to publish them all at once, I'm going to try to catch up by publishing a couple a day until I am up-to-date.

THE SILENT MOVIE PROJECT - SCENE 4

SCENE: Mia sits down in a chair opposite the first suspect, Ms. Maggie Johnston, in that lady’s living room.

MIA: Thank you for speaking with me, Ms. Johnston.

MAGGIE: Did I really have a choice?

MIA: What do you mean?

MAGGIE:  I mean that if I don’t cooperate I’m going to look guilty, then the police might consider that I was the one who killed that rat.

MIA: I take it you and Elsa Miller, the victim, weren’t good friends?

MAGGIE: Friends?  She was a cheat!  She cheated me out of my business!  I worked hard to build it and she tore it down!

MIA: How did she do that?

MAGGIE: I was looking for a partner and she knew that I wasn’t good with figures.  I’m a designer, not an accountant!  Anyway, she bribed my banker into telling me I had more money invested than I did and so I unintentionally sold her a controlling amount in the business.  Once I had my name out there, she thought the business would be better without me, so she made the decision to fire me and forced me to sell my portion.

MIA: That’s terrible!

She notices Grim in the other room, snooping around.  He picks up a hat and looks at it, then puts it down.  Then he picks up a file lying on a table and flips through it.  He continues to look around.  Mia gets a little distracted, but Maggie never notices.

MIA: What did you do next?

MAGGIE:  I had to sell and start over!

MIA: Do you know a Judy Kipster?

MAGGIE: No.  What does she have to do with anything?

MIA: I was just curious.  Where were you the afternoon of the murder between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm?

MAGGIE: Oh, I was at Mr. Hudson Bancroft’s house.  He is such a sweetheart!  He’s helping me start my business back by cosigning on my loan.  He’s even buying a share of this new business after I told him the story about my first business!  I was going to go over later to Elsa’s to brag, since she had broken her foot, but when I got there the police were already at the scene.  Poor girl couldn’t even get to her crutches in time to escape!

MIA:  I’m sorry to hear that, about Elsa, I mean.  But that was nice about Mr. Bancroft.

MAGGIE: Indeed!  He’s always looking out for people!

MIA: Well, thank you for your time, Ms. Johnston.

MAGGIE: That’s it?  That’s all the questions?

MIA: Yes, for now.  Have a nice day!

Grim comes out of the bushes behind her as she’s making notes.  She jumps because he taps her on the shoulder with his scythe.

MIA: Geeze!  Don’t do that!

GRIM: folds his arms across his chest. You need to relax.  What did you find out?

MIA: I’ll fill you in on the way.  We need to go to a Mr. Hudson Bancroft’s house.

They walk off screen.

Day 26: The Silent Movie Project - Scene Three

Project for November 26, 2013

So as I continue to write, I'm getting excited and I suddenly realized that this may go overboard with the length of the script. But that's okay. I have decided that I should keep writing and then cut later if I need too. It's so hard to figure out what to leave in and what to take out. I finally had to go back and stop writing so much back and forth with Grim and Mia. It was a lot of fun and I could make them take shots at each other forever, but it doesn't progress the story any - so I guess I have to stop.  

It's hard to think realistically. Considering movies nowadays, and the potential there is in making an awesome one, it's really hard not to try to fit all the cool effects and locations in!  

And then I remember that there is no budget.

And then I have to go back to writing realistically.

So, here's scene three!

Live Orange everyone!

THE SILENT MOVIE PROJECT - SCENE 3

SCENE: The camera is focused on the curb of a street when a car pulls up beside it.  The focus moves from the back wheels and slowly pans to the top of the car where there is a scythe sticking out of the sunroof.  It pans back down to the window of the car, which is rolled down, and Mia is driving with Grim in the passenger's seat.

MIA: Okay, I followed your directions, so why are we here?

GRIM: It's the house of a key witness.  The crime took place next door so we need to question this lady.

MIA: Couldn’t we get all of this from the police report?

GRIM: You have absolutely no sense of adventure!
Mia sighs and gets out of the car, Grim tries to get out, but the scythe won't come with him, it's stuck in the sunroof.  Camera focuses on the scythe as he tries to pull it out but it just won't come, finally, with a last yank, he pulls it from the car.  MIA knocks on the door, GRIM is not beside her, but she doesn’t notice.  She waits at the door and the witness opens it [for the purpose of the script it will be a woman, but the details can change if the casting changes].  The witness (JUDY) is a middle aged woman who is still in her house coat.  She looks at MIA with a bit of disgust.

MIA knocks on the door, GRIM is not beside her, but she doesn’t notice.  She waits at the door and the witness opens it [for the purpose of the script it will be a woman, but the details can change if the casting changes].  The witness (JUDY) is a middle aged woman who is still in her house coat.  She looks at MIA with a bit of disgust.

JUDY: Yeah?

MIA: Hi, my name is Mia Silverton, I’m a private investigator.  Are you Judy Kipster?

JUDY: Yeah, what of it?

MIA: We’d like to ask you some questions about the murder the other night.

JUDY: We?

MIA: (Looks behind her but Grim isn’t there. She tries to think of something quickly).  Sorry, habit, I usually have a partner.  I would like to ask you some questions.  I heard you saw someone over at Elsa Miller’s house the day she was killed.

JUDY: Yeah, it was 5:00, right after Oprah and right before Seinfeld.  I was just going for my afternoon round of bean dip, whiz cheese and tortilla chips when I heard a car pull up outside.  I looked out the window and there was this person in a hat and trench coat.  Had a key and just went in.

MIA: Could you tell if it was a man or a woman?

JUDY:  No, the coat was too big for whoever it was.

MIA: So how long did you observe them?

JUDY: What am I? A snoop? I went back for my bean dip.

MIA: When did they leave?

JUDY: About fifteen minutes later.

MIA: What kind of car did they drive?

JUDY: It was blue.

MIA: Did you notice anything else about it.

JUDY: What am I?  A security camera?  Talk to someone else (She goes back into the house and slams the door)

MIA: Wow. (She gets back into her car and starts the engine)

GRIM: You need lessons in interrogation.

MIA (Jumps as Grim speaks because she hasn’t seen him up till now.)  Dude!  You need a bell!  Stop doing that.  And way to leave me hanging there.

GRIM: You honestly think that she would have answered questions if she saw me standing at the door?

MIA: Point taken.  Where to next?

GRIM: The first suspect.

They drive off with Grim’s scythe back through the sunroof.

Day 25: The Silent Movie Project - The Script Scene Two

Project for November 25, 2013

One of the difficulties I'm encountering is that I have a picture in my head of what everything should look like, but actually being able to describe it in the script is a whole other story!  I have a lot more respect for script writers now.  Being able to write directions is a pain in the backside.

I'm thinking that a lot of it should be left to interpretation as we film.

I want to have fun with the characters.  My detective, Mia Silverton, and Grim are both extremely sarcastic, which is why I'm having so much fin writing them.  I'm really curious to see how this will work as a silent movie.  It should be a lot of fun.  It's meant to be comedy - almost campy - and still a mystery.  I hope you enjoy!

Keep Living Orange!


THE SILENT MOVIE PROJECT - SCENE 2

SCENE: Fades in - a somewhat small office with lots of junk and paper airplanes.  The door has a rickety sign that says Silverton Investigations.  Zooms in on Mia Silverton who is in her office and is bored - she has her back to the door and is fiddling with a paper airplane.  A shadow falls across the desk and then across her.  Cut to Mia reaching down and grabbing what could be the handle of any weapon –knife, baseball bat, etc.  She yanks it up as the shadow gets closer and turns around and starts whacking on the shadow, now revealed as Grim, with a frying pan.  He takes the frying pan away from her and holds it up out of her reach.  She snatches it back and whacks him again.

MIA: Who the heck are you?

GRIM: You don’t recognize the scythe?

MIA: I didn’t realize that it was Halloween.

GRIM: I miss the middle ages.  People were appropriately terrified of me then.

MIA: Get out!

GRIM: You need my help.

MIA: Sits back down at her desk, ignoring him

GRIM: Pleads with her to help but she doesn’t appear to be listening to him.  Finally he says: I will guarantee that you will get more business if you help me out.

MIA: What’s in it for you?  Why come to me?

GRIM: I have my own little problems to solve.  Let’s just say that authorities are more likely to accept help from a mere mortal than from me.  As for why you?  You are as desperate as I am.  This so-called business needs actual clients.  And you have none.

MIA: I’m working on a promotional this week.  Two cases for one.  I’ll get customers.

GRIM: So far the only customers coming in are the rats and roaches. (A roach runs across the floor in front of Grim. He kills it with the end of his scythe.)

MIA: Fine, I’ll help you, but you had better deliver on your promise of getting me more business. (She sweeps past him out of the door.  Grim waits with his arms folded over around his scythe.  Mia comes back in.  Um . . . where are we going? 

GRIM: The middle ages were SO much easier on me! (shakes his head and then walks out the door.  Mia follows him and after she shuts the door, the doorknob falls off.

Day 24: The Silent Movie Project: The Script, Scene One

Project for November 24, 2013

So the more I thought about what I wanted to do with my movie, the more I realized that I had to actually have a script to finalize things.  Adapting everything wasn't going to be a piece of cake and the clues would have to fit in order for everything to line up at the end.  I really wanted to do a casting call first, but I don't think I could do that without knowing what the characters will look like in the end.

                 Then I'll call Robert Downey Jr.

                                      Okay, so I'll call some friends of mine.

Anyway, I decided to see what writing the scene would be like, so here it is. I know there's dialogue and that this is a silent movie, but I will be working on flashing the dialogue up on screen.  This is by no means final, but it certainly is a start.

I hope you enjoy!

And Live Orange! 

THE SILENT MOVIE PROJECT - SCENE 1

SCENE: There is a woman sitting on a bed and her foot is broken.  She is studying books so she doesn’t see the figure approaching with a gloved hand and a knife.  Cut to the girl and her studying then back to the approaching hand and knife.  The girl looks up just as the knife is being raised and screams.  Cut to a shadow of the knife falling.  A pair of crutches falls to the floor.  The killer’s hand picks up the crutches and sets them against the wall then walks out and shuts the door.

SCENE: Pans back to the woman on the bed and then see a shadow with a scythe cross the woman’s body.  Camera pans slowly over and then up to reveal the Grim Reaper.  The woman who was the victim comes up behind him.

VICTIM: Whoa!  What happened to me?

GRIM: I thought that was obvious.

VICTIM: You mean I’m – I’m

GRIM: Yes, your dead, now come along.

VICTIM: No.

GRIM: What do you mean no?

VICTIM: I’m not going anywhere until you bring my killer to justice.

GRIM: You don’t exactly have a choice in this matter.

VICTIM: Yes I do, and I’m going to haunt this room until my killer is found and brought to justice.

GRIM: But you have to cross over!  I have a quota to meet!

VICTIM: That’s not my problem.

Scene fades out