EVIL STEVIL JUMPS AGAIN...3rd Draft

*update* Oct 1

I was talking to Rory in lecture today and he brought up a good point that this draft seems to be pretty dialogue heavy. I'm glad he mentioned that and I should have been more clear that the dialogue I included was mainly to emphasize the character relationships, and the character's personalities. The dialogue I included can be changed or taken out...the reason I added it along with the detailed character explanations was so that everyone could have a clear understanding of who our characters are.

- Frank

Evil Stevil Jumps Again: 3rd Draft

The premise of a film or screenplay is the fundamental concept that drives the plot. A good premise can usually be expressed in a short sentence. For example: A lonely boy is befriended by an alien; A small town is terrorized by a shark; A small boy sees dead people.

Premise: An aged dare devil that lives with death figuratively and literally attempts to complete his legendary final jump, much to the reluctance of Death himself.

Characters/ Character Arc:

Evil Stevil:

An aged dare devil who has spent the last few decades of his life perfecting his legendary jump. He has become a fanatic over the completion of his jump and will not die until it is completed.

- Evil Stevil wants to complete the most spectacular jump ever.
- He needs to perfect it before he can attempt it.
- He Jumps, completes it, but dies after he has safely landed it.
- Does not care that he is dead, but is satisfied that he completed what he set out to do and can finally be content with himself and his life.

Death:

Lives with Evil Stevil, waiting for him to finish his jump so that he can move him on to the after life. Death has a reluctant relationship with Evil Stevil (love, hate). He has grown close to Evil Stevil. They act like an old married couple. Evil Stevil MUST be the dominant one in the relationship, otherwise death would have taken him away long ago.

- Death wants to take Evil Stevil to the afterlife.
- Death needs to wait for Evil Stevil to die (in the jump)
- Once Evil Stevil finally attempts the jump, Death becomes afraid for him. (irony that death is afraid of his friends death)
- Death now supports Evil Stevil’s survival
- When Evil Stevil does die AFTER the jump, death is upset that he has lost a friend.

*what death WANTS changes from Evil Stevil’s death, to Evil Stevil’s survival in order to keep his companion*

*death is a vehicle for the audience’s nervousness for Evil Stevil. Death is the character the audience truly connects with.*


PLOT

Evil Stevil sits at a work table tinkering with a crude model of his legendary jump, evidence around him implies that he is a fanatic dare devil past his prime. A second character, not known to the audience at this point sits in an easy chair channel surfing. (Important that one of the stations he passes involves the young, up and coming dare devil. This set’s up the end). As Evil Stevil is attempting to perfect his model he is eating peas, but due to his feeble nature, keeps dropping the peas out of his spoon as his hand shakes. The peas land on the table around the model and splat, symbolic of his failure to perfect the jump. Death (still unknown to the audience) sits in the chair and impatiently asks Evil Stevil if he is done the jump yet.

Death: are you finished that jump yet?!? It’s been 50 years Steve, how much longer are you gonna make me wait?! People are gonna forget who Evil Stevil was before you ever finish that thing, and would it kill you to get some more snacks around here?! I’m starving.

ES: Ahhh, shut up you bag of bones. Don’t rush me! They ain’t gonna forget who I am! I’ll be done when I’m done!--- *choking noises*

During their argument, Evil Stevil chokes on one of the peas that he’s eating. As he grabs at his neck and flails around, he knocks the crude model, shifting all the pieces around. The character in the easy chair turns and anxiously peers over the chair. At this point it is revealed that the second character is death. As Evil Stevil stumbles around choking, death isn’t phased at all (because he’s death).

Death: oh common! Are you serious Steve? You make me wait all this time for you to do your big legendary jump, and THIS is how you’re gonna die? *sigh* Well…let me know when you’re dead.

Death sits back down in the chair and continues to channel surf. Meanwhile Evil Stevil finally coughs up the pea; it shoots out of his mouth and gracefully goes through the model with ease. The pea rolls to a calm stop at the end of the jump. It works. Evil Stevil stares at it with excitement, realises what he must do, and yells. “THAT’S IT! BY GOLLY IT’S GONNA WORK!”

ES: Death! Fetch me my good JUMPIN’ pants!

Death: *sighs*…alright…let’s get this over with. (Reluctant and bored)

Evil Stevil picks up an old style phone and without even dialing says:

ES: Hello? Mr. President. It’s Evil Stevil, Sir. Notify the country! I’m gonna JUMP AGAIN!

In the next scene Evil Stevil prepares himself in his supped up wheel chair as we are shown the spectacular jump by a massive gorge with bleachers full of people all anxiously waiting. Death sits in the audience, looking bored and anxious for it to be over with. In one last moment of suspense, Evil Stevil wheels his way to the edge of the ramp, and zips, through the most spectacular jump the world has ever seen. During the jump, continuous cuts are made back to death in the audience as he becomes increasingly more interested in what’s going on, and increasingly more concerned for Evil Stevil’s safety. Death makes comments like:

Death: OMG! Rattle snakes?!!?!...he never told me about the rattle snakes!!! He could get seriously hurt!

Death can also be randomly seen wearing giant foam fingers or waving flags as his support for Evil Stevil’s safe completion of the jump grows. Just as it seems he is in the clear, his wheel chair strikes a pebble or a lady bug or something really insignificant, which sends him off balance. The chair flips forward, sending Evil Stevil’s body violently to the ground. In controlled chaos, he topples and rolls across the sand until his battered body slides up into the stage between two models. A photographer leans in to snap a picture the models look down at Evil Stevil’s crumpled body and scream. Time passes and everyone is gone, except for death who sits alone by Evil Stevil’s crumpled body crying at the death of his roomie/ friend. In an ironic twist death is saddened at the death of the man he was sent to collect. Evil Stevil’s soul sits up dazed and looks at death.

ES: what’re you blathering about you wimp!

Death: Y-you’re dead. (Crying out of control)

ES: yeah well…I made the jump right? It still counts doesn’t it?!?

Death: yeah, you did, bu--- (interrupted by Steve)

ES: haha! That’s all I need to hear, Boney! Let’s get the hell outta here! (Slaps death on the back out of joy while death is still crying)

Death: I can’t go with you…This is it, after 50 years, it’s over…so I guess this is good-bye…Jus-Just walk towards the light... (Crying)

(Evil Stevil pauses, confused by Death’s sadness, but ES is oblivious to the reason why, and doesn’t even attempt to make him feel better.)

ES: ohhh…well…See ya!

(death lets out one last cry as his friend leave him forever [comedy of seeing death in mourning])

A shaft of light appears, and Evil Stevil walk’s towards it, oblivious to the fact that Death is so upset at the loss of his friend. Evil Stevil disappears into the light and Death is left alone crying. In The final scene death is sitting in a bigger chair with a big screen TV (A noticeable improvement from Evil Stevil’s home) He is now waiting the same way he was waiting for Evil Stevil, but for the younger dare devil who appeared on the TV in the first scene. Death is happy once again to have a companion.

Young Dare Devil (Crazy Cooter):…uhh, Excuse me…hi…what’re you doing here??

Death: meh, don’t worry about that, just keep working on your jump thingy…no rush…take your time!