FADE IN:
EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY
A bright yellow kiteboard sail billows in the summer
breeze against an azure sky.
Darryl (23), handsome and fit, angles his kite low in the
window, picking up speed as he slices through the waves.
Darryl carves into an S-turn, pops out of the water and
launches into an arched backward flip called a Raley.
The flip is captured in a camcorder viewfinder.
Nishiwakimichiko "Nishi" (20), a flawless beauty in a
bulky uninflated life jacket, lowers a black magnesium
underwater camcorder housing, reaches for the throttle.
Nishi's four-man Zodiac raft accelerates.
The Zodiac cuts ahead of Darryl's kiteboard as Nishi
maneuvers into position for another shot.
Darryl slices through the waves.
Timothy "Tim" (21), lanky and intense, shoots a digital
SLR camera with a long zoom from the seat of a powerboat.
Darryl's transition is caught in a series of still shots.
Nishi pulls the Zodiac in tight ahead of Darryl's path.
Darryl executes a high-speed, one-handed monkey man jump.
Nishi zooms in for a close-up.
Tim captures the jump in a series of stills.
Darryl's kiteboard fills Nishi's viewfinder.
Darryl's board lands on the stern of the Zodiac.
The Zodiac capsizes as Darryl wipes out.
Tim hits the throttle, spins his steering wheel.
Darryl resurfaces, looks around.
The Zodiac bobs in the waves, hull up, engine stalled.
Tim pulls around, picks up his camera.
Tim's viewfinder zooms and pans across the ocean surface.
Darryl paddles his board, his sail trailing in the water.
Tim zooms in on a dark shadow under the water.
TIM
There's something over there.
Darryl paddles to where Tim frantically points.
The Gates camcorder housing bobs to the surface.
TIM (CONT'D)
Do you see her?
Darryl lifts the camcorder above his head.
DARRYL
It's her camera. She can't be far.
Darryl unbuckles his life jacket, dives.
Tim eases the boat in closer, his eyes straining.
The underwater housing drifts against Darryl's board.
A tense moment.
Nishi surfaces, dwarfed by her inflated life jacket.
Nishi coughs, wipes the hair out of her face.
Darryl resurfaces twenty yards away, sees Nishi.
Tim steers his boat toward Nishi.
Nishi dog paddles toward the boat.
Darryl swims toward his board, grabs the camcorder.
Tim cuts the engines, climbs onto the swim platform.
Nishi grabs hold of the platform, catches her breath.
Tim reaches down to lend her a hand.
NISHI
I can manage. I'm not a fucking cripple.
Tim backs off, apologetic.
With considerable difficulty, Nishi muscles herself onto
the swimming platform, heaves a sigh of relief.
NISHI (CONT'D)
Now you can help me.
Tim lifts Nishi by her armpits onto the stern.
Nishi clutches the ladder, breathing heavily.
Tim hurries up the ladder and climbs aboard.
Tim lifts Nishi's legs over the stern, onto a bench.
NISHI (CONT'D)
Where's my goddamn camera?
TIM
Darryl has it.
NISHI
And my fucking cabin cruiser?
TIM
We'll tow the Zodiac in as soon as we get
the camera aboard.
NISHI
Always the shot first, right Timmy-san?
TIM
Shots are eternal. We're transitory.
Darryl hands the camcorder up to Tim.
NISHI
Did I get your goddamn shot?
Tim hands Nishi the underwater housing.
TIM
See for yourself.
Nishi fiddles with the outside levers, looks through the
external viewfinder.
NISHI
Fucking-A right. You owe me dinner.
INT. DUKES MALIBU - EVENING
Tim and Darryl sip icy mugs of beer in the barefoot bar.
DARRYL
Nishi's going to get herself killed.
TIM
She's right, though. We can't win awards
shooting from the sidelines.
DARRYL
You don't have to throw yourself in front
of a kiteboard running at thirty knots to
get an interesting shot.
TIM
Try telling Nishi.
DARRYL
I can't concentrate on perfect form if
I'm worried about her. Maybe we should
shoot something else for the film.
TIM
Kiteboarding has it all. Bright colors,
graceful motion, pretty girls in bikinis.
DARRYL
Snowbording?
TIM
Nishi can't manage the slopes.
DARRYL
Kickboxing? Pretty girls with tight butts
in skintight leotards. Dramatic lighting.
TIM
Somebody could get seriously injured.
DARRYL
I've always wanted to try parasailing.
TIM
Cost a fortune for helicopters.
Darryl motions Tim to silence.
Nishi approaches in her wheelchair.
DARRYL
If it's not the charming Nishi.
NISHI
Shove it. Where's my beer?
Tim signals the waitress for another round.
NISHI (CONT'D)
Why so serious? I didn't drown.
TIM
We're just questioning the economics.
NISHI
Cut the gimp to reduce overhead?
DARRYL
No way. We're a team and we stay a team.
TIM
But this is hugely expensive.
NISHI
Kitesurfing is sick as sick gets.
TIM
Visually, it can't be beat, but it's
tough operating on water all the time.
NISHI
I could use a kayak. It'd be cheaper.
DARRYL
You're going to shoot and paddle?
NISHI
I can paddle a boat.
Nishi pops a wheelie, spins around, beckons the waitress
with a nod.
DARRYL
Can you do that holding a camcorder?
TIM
Kayaks bounce around too much.
NISHI
I could wear a Steadicam harness.
DARRYL
Paddle and shoot wearing a Steadicam?
Maybe we should get you a boom so you can
capture audio while you're at it.
NISHI
Get me a long one to shove up your ass.
Capture your audio from the flip side.
DARRYL
I just love it when you talk dirty.
The waitress interrupts with the drinks.
TIM
Our film doesn't have to be all about
kiteboarding. We can include other stuff.
DARRYL
I'm riding motocross this weekend.
TIM
Lot of good that does us.
DARRYL
They're doing crazy stuff with dirt
bikes. Backflips. Three-sixties.
Tim shakes his head.
TIM
How's the viewer to develop any empathy
for some guy wearing a helmet?
DARRYL
Check it out at least.
The seating pager vibrates against the table.
TIM
Our table's ready.
NISHI
Give me that thing.
Nishi presses the pager to her crotch.
The pager buzzes for a few moments, falls silent.
Nishi scowls philosophically, tosses the pager to Tim.
NISHI (CONT'D)
Nothing yet, but I'm doing my exercises.
DARRYL
Never give up hope.
NISHI
Give you a ride to remember, if you don't
mind me asking, "Is it in yet?"
Nishi spins around, wheels toward the dining rooms.
EXT. DUNES - DAY
An odd-lot of pickup trucks, SUVs and motorcycles are
gathered haphazardly together in a clearing by a lake.
Darryl parks an oversized Ford F-350 4WD pickup with a
dirt bike and Nishi's wheelchair lashed in back.
INT. PICKUP - DAY
Tim shakes his head, turns to Darryl and Nishi.
DARRYL
Imagine the possibilities.
TIM
Nishi can't move around on soft dirt.
NISHI
Don't worry about me.
TIM
These guys have dirt all over everything.
There's no contrast, no color.
NISHI
Go check it out. I'll be fine.
EXT. DUNES - DAY
Tim and Darryl climb out, looking hesitantly at Nishi.
Nishi shoos them away through the windscreen.
Darryl greets LIZARD (26) muscular, heavily tattooed.
DARRYL
Lizzy! What's doing?
LIZARD
Dialing in my Superman.
DARRYL
Want you to meet my brother, Tim.
Tim offers his hand. Lizard draws him into an embrace.
DARRYL (CONT'D)
Tim, meet Lizard, Lizzy to his friends.
Lizard displays a lizard tattoo covering his back.
DARRYL (CONT'D)
Tim's a filmmaker.
LIZARD
Plenty of sick shit to shoot here.
Tim raises a professional camcorder to his shoulder.
TIM
Show me.
INSERT - SERIES OF SHOTS - DUNES - DAY
A. Two dirt bikes race along the beach, raising rooster
tails of water and sand.
B. Dirt bikes leap small chasms in a graceful ballet.
C. Bikes scale the vertical face of a steep ravine,
leaping over the lip onto the crest.
D. A rider leaps a large dune, executing a mid-air
handstand on his handlebars, before landing.
E. A rider leaps a dune, extending his body flat,
parallel to the seat, and releases the handlebars, to fly
alongside the bike in a stunt called the Superman.
F. A rider attempts a handstand, but wipes out, tumbling
down a dune, with his bike tumbling on top of him.
BACK TO SCENE
Tim looks up from his viewfinder, grimacing in sympathy.
The rider climbs to his feet, stretches his arms over his
head in a victory dance.
Tim shakes his head in relief. Darryl shrugs.
DARRYL
Happens all the time.
Lizard rides up on a 4WD ATV, Nishi perched behind, one
arm wrapped around his waist, a camcorder in her hand.
NISHI
This is so fucking incredible. These guys
go everywhere!
Nishi slaps Lizard's shoulder. He pops a wheelie as Nishi
waves good-bye with the camera.
DARRYL
What do you think?
TIM
I think Nishi's found a new friend.
DARRYL
About motocross, for our film?
Tim shakes his head, uncertain.
A DIRT RIDER spins around, spraying Tim with grit.
Tim turns, cradling his camera like a protective parent.
Tim straightens, cleans his lens with a shirttail.
TIM
Where's the beauty in a bunch of insane
adrenaline junkies brutally attacking
nature with noisy machines?
INT. PIZZERIA - NIGHT
JENNY (20), tight butt and tight jeans, shoots pool with
MANDY (20), pleasantly cherubic and impressively busty.
Lizard carries two frosty mugs of beer, pausing a moment
to admire Jenny, as she stretches to line up a shot.
MANDY
Those beers for us?
LIZARD
Maybe next round.
Lizard joins Nishi, Tim and Darryl at a table.
NISHI
We took a vote and it's decided. We're
dropping kiteboarding for motocross.
TIM
Ignore her. Too much sun today.
NISHI
I'm going to make you a star, Lizzy.
DARRYL
What? You're firing me?
NISHI
You can be Lizzy's comic sidekick.
DARRYL
I take the falls, he gets the groupies?
LIZARD
What if I don't want to be a star?
Lizard inhales another slice of pizza as he scopes Jenny.
NISHI
That's fine, but you still have to sleep
with the producer.
LIZARD
Which one of you is the producer?
DARRYL
I'm just the comic sidekick.
TIM
I would never compromise my artistic
integrity for sexual favors. But I might
arrange a screen test for a blow job.
NISHI
Which one do you prefer?
LIZARD
Hard to choose. Darryl has that tight
surfer butt going, but Tim ...
NISHI
I meant the two babes playing pool.
Mandy chalks her cue, suggestively blows off the excess.
Lizard looks at Nishi steadily.
LIZARD
Tattoos don't make me trailer trash. I
came with you and I'll leave with you.
They'll be back tomorrow, or next week.
NISHI
Let's challenge them to a game.
Lizard looks uncertainly at Darryl and Tim, as Nishi
wheels off toward the pool tables.
Darryl shrugs and reaches for the food.
DARRYL
More pizza for us.
Lizard catches up to Nishi, who pauses out of earshot
from Tim and Darryl to speak confidentially.
NISHI
I've got a lot of baggage, physical and
emotional. If you want to be friends,
that's cool. If you want more, there's no
strings. I know a lot about confinement
and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Lizard leans over and kisses Nishi's cheek.
LIZARD
Let's play pool.
Tim frowns, turns to Darryl.
TIM
How well do you know Lizzy?
DARRYL
What, are you, Nishi's mother now?
TIM
Just concerned, as a friend.
DARRYL
Darryl is solid, and Nishi can take care
of herself.
TIM
As long as you say he's alright.
DARRYL
I'd trust him with my life.
Mandy and Jenny approach with catwalk struts.
JENNY
Nishi says you're filmmakers.
TIM
Videographers. Can't afford film.
DARRYL
Tim's too modest. Imagine the sickest,
most outrageous extreme sports shots
ever, turned into a visual ballet.
TIM
You stole that from me.
MANDY
If you ever need any actresses ...
TIM
Can you windsurf?
JENNY
Love to learn.
DARRYL
How do you look in a French bikini?
JENNY
Want to see my portfolio? |
