Fade in:
Int. Sweden - Jopen Residence Dining Room - Day
RACKS and BEURHA JOPEN, a couple in their forties, sit at the kitchen table eating their breakfast. Racks has an open laptop next to his plate and he looks at the screen more than he eats. SHILF, 23, their son, enters the room.
Shilf
Good morning mother, father.
Racks
Ah Shilf, it is good you are here. Have a seat.
Shilf walks to the table.
Beurha
Can I make you some breakfast, Shilf?
Shilf sits down at the table.
SHILF
Oh sure, thanks.
RACKS
So, how's the apartment, son?
SHILF
It's... it's good. Look, I'll.... I'm gonna pay you back just as soon as I get a job.
RACKS
Oh don't worry about that. Listen, I've got a way you can repay me and then some.
Racks turns the laptop around to face Shilf.
RACKS
There's a dig in the Ukraine, its scheduled to start in 2 days and they need some skilled workers...
Beurha puts down a pan.
BEURHA
Racks...
SHILF
Uhh... I don't know about that pop. Isn't there some sort of controversy over that?
RACKS
Bah. So some people think it defiles the land and the people who lived there. So what? I need...
BEURHA
He is not going.
SHILF
Yeah, I really don't think I should.
RACKS
You'll go or I'll cancel the payment on that apartment of yours.
Shilf sighs.
SHILF
Okay fine, I'll go.
Shilf gets up and leaves. Beurha shakes her head.
Int. Bulgaria - Guyah Residence - Night
PAUL GUYAH sits in his living room, reading a newspaper. ISKRA GUYAH, his wife, and clearly pregnant, enters the room carrying two coffees. She sits down on the couch and holds one out to Paul.
Paul
D'you hear about this? Some company wants to dig up the Albazam Temple in Ukraine. That, that ain't right.
Iskra
Oh I'm sure its not that big of a deal.
PAUL
Oh now hold on. Seems they plan to start digging this week. And they're hiring... anyone? No, no, no. That ain't gonna fly. Not with this Guyah.
ISKRA
Now now Paul, times are hard, I'm sure they'll barely be able to hire anyone. The whole thing's probably going to fall through.
PAUL
Yeah, I'm going to make sure of that.
Paul puts the paper down and stands up.
PAUL
I've got to stop this. It's an insult to all we stand for.
Paul begins to walk out of the room.
ISKRA
Oh Paul, please don't go. Little Ronny is due any day now.
PAUL
Sorry Iskra, but I must.
Paul exits the room. Iskra looks worried and sips some coffee.
Ext. Ukraine - Dig Site - Day
A bus pulls into a large dirt area that looks much like a construction zone. There is some heavy machinery, trailers, chain-link fences and police cars.
Shilf walks off the bus and looks around for a few seconds. He walks past an angry mob held back by one of the fences, in a line with a few other people.
Protester one
You people have no right to do this.
PAUL
Yeah, go back home you bastards.
Paul throws a cup over the fence, nearly hitting Shilf.
SHILF
Hey, lay off, I don't want to be here any more than you do.
Shilf walks up to a trailer. A COORDINATOR sees him and starts to walk towards him.
Coordinator
Can I help you?
SHILF
Yes, I'd like to sign up and help on this dig.
COORDINATOR
Oh good, we can use all the help we can get. Here, please fill out this form.
The coordinator hands Shilf a clipboard with some papers on it.
Ext. Ukraine - Dig Site - Night
The dig area is covered by bright lights, a few people remain working, the police have left, but the angry mob remains on the other side of the fence.
COORDINATOR
Alright, looks like we're gonna need to push this thing over if we wanta get under it.
He signals to a WORKER, who climbs into a bulldozer and turns it on.
The mob grows louder and rowdier.
PAUL
Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the hell do you think you're doing?
COORDINATOR
Look, we need to get under there and that thing is standing in the way.
PAUL
Do you even know what that is?
Shilf runs up to the Coordinator and hands him a folder.
COORDINATOR
No, do you?
The bulldozer plows into the thing, a grayish white cube sticking out of the ground. A side of it begins to crumble.
The mob gives out a loud roar and pushes the fence over. They run towards the workers.
COORDINATOR
Oh shit, run.
Shilf, the Coordinator and other workers begin to run away but the mob overtakes them. Paul Guyah tackles Shilf and brings him to the ground.
SHILF
No. Please. Don't.
Paul holds Shilf against the ground and brings one hand up in a fist.
Int. Sweden - Jopen Residence - Night
The room is dark, but some moonlight dimly lights the bed that Racks and Beurha sleep on.
The phone rings. Racks stirs slightly.
RACKS
H...hello?
The voice on the phone is indistinguishable.
RACKS
What?
Racks turns on the lights and begins to dress.
BEURHA
Huh... what's going on?
Racks runs out the door.
Int. Ukraine - Hospital - Day
Shilf lies on a hospital bed covered in bandages and connected to several machines. Racks looks at him in horror.
A DOCTOR enters the room.
RACKS
What the hell happened to my son?
DOCTOR
Apparently there was a bit of a tussle between the workers at that archaeological site and some of the protesters. Shilf here didn't even get the worst of it.
RACKS
Is my boy going to be alright?
DOCTOR
Hard to say, but for the moment he's in a stable condition. There's not much you can do for him right now, so why don't you leave?
RACKS
No, I want to stay and look after my son.
DOCTOR
Sorry, but visiting hours are over. Please leave or I'll have security remove you.
The doctor takes a phone out of his pocket.
RACKS
Okay, fine, I'm going. The hell's amatter with you?
Racks exits the room.
EXT. UKRAINE - DIG SITE - DAY
Racks walks around the dig site. It is completely abandoned. The fences are still knocked over and there are a few fires burning.
RACKS
Hello?
Racks sees the bulldozer crashed into the white cube and walks over to it. He kneels down and examines the cube. He rests his hand on the ground and lifts it back up with a jolt. It is covered with blood.
RACKS
What the..?
A shadow appears over Racks. Racks turns around and sees a GUARD.
Guard
Excuse me sir, this is a restricted area, I'm going to have to ask you to leave immediately.
RACKS
But I... my...
The guard puts his hand on the pistol strapped to his waist.
Int. Ukraine - Police Station - Day
Racks stands at a counter, hunched over slightly and hands clutching the counter top. A POLICE OFFICER sits on the chair on the opposite side.
Racks pounds a fist on the counter.
RACKS
What do you mean they were all released?
OFFICER
Sorry, but there were just too many of them. No way we could keep them all locked up. And there were no real witnesses anyways. No one credible enough anyways.
RACKS
What's that supposed to mean?
OFFICER
Most all the people involved were foreigners and far as I know, no nationals were hurt.
RACKS
How the hell is that an answer?
OFFICER
Look, we just don't have the resources to get involved. I'm surprised we were posted there as long as we were.
RACKS
You guys didn't think things were going to get out of hand?
OFFICER
That's not really my concern.
RACKS
What the hell? You're a cop aren't you? What the fuck else would concern you? There's pools of blood everywhere. My son...
OFFICER
I don't really like your tone, Doctor Jopen. I think it'd be best if you get out of here.
RACKS
Now wait just a minute.
Two more POLICE OFFICERS walk up behind Racks on both sides and grab his arms.
RACKS
Hey. Let go of me at once.
One of the officers punches Racks in the stomach. Racks grunts and begins to fall down. The officers drag him out of the station.
INT. UKRAINE - HOSPITAL - Night
Racks sits in a hallway, eating a snack. Several doctors and nurses run by him towards Shilf's room.
Racks gets up and follows them. He makes it to the door, but a large ORDERLY pushes him back into the hallway and locks the door.
RACKS
Hey. Hey. That's my son. Let me in.
The employees ignore him and block his view with a curtain. Racks sits down on the floor against the wall opposite the door.
The door opens and the doctor walks out. Racks stands up and meets him in the middle of the hall.
DOCTOR
Sorry, Mr. Jopen, Shelf is dead.
Racks falls to his knees, sobbing.
RACKS
What? No. No it can't be. You're lying.
The doctor walks away and several more of the employees exit the room and walk off in both directions.
Racks remains on his knees clutching his face and crying.
Int. Ukraine - Court House - Day
A JUDGE reclines at his desk, feet crossed and resting on top of the desk.
Racks paces back and forth frantically in front of the desk. He stops in front of the desk, places both hands on it and leans forward towards the judge.
RACKS
I demand justice. My son is dead and the murderers were let off with out so much as a warning.
Judge
Ha. You demand? Let me tell you something, what was it, Mister Joe Pen?
RACKS
Doctor Racks Jopen.
JUDGE
Right, well, neither side in this little dispute was Ukrainian, and even if they were, there were no cops there. It'd be one man's word versus another's, and that's pretty much useless around here.
RACKS
Little dispute?
JUDGE
And perhaps you don't know this, but we're going through some pretty tough times here.
RACKS
My son is dead.
JUDGE
We don't have the time or the resources to investigate or prosecute anyone for this, even if we wanted to.
RACKS
Wha... wait, even if you wanted to?
JUDGE
Let's just say that most of us round here weren't exactly in favor of this 'dig' you Swedes were putting on.
RACKS
How dare...
JUDGE
Denys.
A GUARD, DENYS, walks into the judge's chambers.
DENYS
Yes?
JUDGE
Escort Mr. Pen off the premises.
Denys nods, walks up to Racks and grabs his shoulder.
RACKS
Wha... what the hell is the matter with you people?
Denys strikes Racks' head with a nightstick. Racks falls down. The judge chuckles.
Int. Sweden - Racks' Laboratory - Night
Racks, sporting a fresh black eye, is feverishly working on something. He mumbles to himself quickly and indistinguishably.
Racks has a mask over his mouth and nose and there are several beakers, jars, and other equipment spread out across the table.
Beurha opens a door and sticks her head in.
BEURHA
Racks, what are you doing?
Racks, caught off guard, turns around to see her.
RACKS
What? What are you doing in here? Get out of here now.
Beurha tries to peek behind Racks and notices his mask.
BEURHA
Okay fine, I will get out of here. I'll get out of here for good. I'm leaving you, have a nice life.
She exits the room and slams the door shut.
Racks turns around back to the table. He sighs deeply and continues on with his work.
Ext. Ukraine - Reservoir - Night
Laughing to himself maniacally, Racks backs his car up to the edge of a reservoir.
He gets out of his car and looks around for a moment.
He walks to the back of the car and opens the trunk.
Racks removes a few containers from the trunk and begins to pour a liquid into the reservoir.
Racks puts the containers back into the trunk, wipes his hands off and walks back to the front of the car.
He gets in and drives away.
INT. SWEDEN - JOPEN RESIDENCE - Day
Racks sits on his couch watching the news on television.
REPORTER
...and in a more baffling mystery, nearly one fourth the population of the Ukraine seems to be suffering from an unknown illness. Authorities are advising all residents to remain inside until the situation is under control.
Racks grins slightly.
Fade out.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Ithaca College GDC Game Jam
Very fun.
Made a game in 24 hours.
No sleep.
Result:
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/102725#
Heavy modifications and additions likely over Thanksgiving Break.
Made a game in 24 hours.
No sleep.
Result:
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/show/102725#
Heavy modifications and additions likely over Thanksgiving Break.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
CHARACTER FILM Final Draft
FADE IN:
EXT. Ithaca - IC Campus - Night
The campus is quiet and dark, the streets dimly lit by occasional street lights. No cars or people can be seen. A voice is faintly heard.
Joe (O.s)
Ow. Wow you suck.
FOOTSTEPS are heard running off into the distance.
INT. Dorm Room - night
The room is dark but fairly lit from the moonlight. KEYS JANGLE briefly. There is some banging on the door. The door opens and JOE's silhouette appears, flooded by the bright hallway lighting.
KEVIN lies in bed, partially lit from the stream of light. He rustles in the sheets.
Joe enters the room and the door closes with a THUD.
Kevin gives a muffled grunt.
Joe walks over to a dresser and opens up a drawer. He looks through it and SLAMS it shut.
Kevin grunts again louder than before.
Joe begins to walk across the room. He trips and falls to the floor
JOE
Ow.
Joe struggles to get back to his feet.
Kevin sighs.
Kevin
What the hell you doin'?
JOE
Eh? Nothin'. Go back to sleep.
KEVIN
Well quit making so much damn noise.
Joe takes a few steps and there is a CRUNCH.
Joe
(quietly)
Fuck me.
Kevin growls.
KEVIN
Are you serious?
Kevin gets up and turns the lights on.
Joe has a black eye and is bleeding from his arm.
JOE
Sorry I broke your...
KEVIN
Jesus Christ, what the hell happened to you?
JOE
Funny story actually.
Joe sits down on the chair by a desk and opens a drawer. He looks through it.
KEVIN
Well?
JOE
Some guy, like, tried to mug me.
KEVIN
Kinda looks like he succeeded.
JOE
No, not really.
KEVIN
Hey umm, you alright?
Joe closes the drawer and opens another one.
JOE
Hmm? Yeah. Sure sure.
KEVIN
You bleedin'?
Joe looks down at his arm briefly.
JOE
Yes.
Joe closes the drawer and sighs.
KEVIN
Uhh... you should really get that looked at. Doesn't look good at all.
JOE
Eh, I'm fine.
Joe opens the mini fridge and looks through it.
Joe
Hey, do you have any gauze?
KEVIN
Umm, no, I don't think most people keep gauze in their room.
JOE
Hmm, I guess you're right.
Kevin shakes his head, confused.
KEVIN
How the hell did this happen?
JOE
Welp, I was walkin' back here after working on some project that's due in a few days and....
Flashback - Ext. Ithaca College campus - night
Joe walks on the grass next to a building. A THUG comes around the corner of the building as Joe nears the end of it. Joe halts in his tracks.
Thug
Give me your wallet.
JOE
Sorry bro, don't got one.
Joe begins to walk around the thug.
THUG
Empty your pockets.
Joe sighs and sticks both hands in his side pants pockets. He removes his keys and ID with one hand and his phone with the other.
THUG
Gimme those.
JOE
You want my ID?
THUG
Yeah, hand it over.
Joe
This is my ID, what the hell are you gonna do with it? It's got my picture on it.
THUG
Give me your fuckin' stuff.
JOE
What are ya? James Bond? You gunna slice yer picture onto my ID? And these are my dorm keys. Sean's gunna realize you aren't me. I bet you don't even know where I live. This ain't worth your trouble, dude.
Joe again tries to walk by the thug.
INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT
KEVIN
I take it you tried to explain all this to him.
JOE
I did.
Joe lays down on his bed.
JOE
G'night.
KEVIN
Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can't just go to bed.
JOE
Why the hell not? I'm tired as fuck.
KEVIN
You go to bed like that, you're gunna bleed to death.
JOE
You already said we don't have any gauze.
KEVIN
Well shit, go to the health center, you idiot.
JOE
Heh, shame this isn't a medical school, right?
KEVIN
(slowly)
Health Center.
JOE
The what now?
KEVIN
Dude. The health center. Go to the fucking health center.
JOE
We have a health center?
KEVIN
Uh, yeah, every college has one.
JOE
Cool.
Joe turns on the laptop on the desk.
KEVIN
So how come you bleedin'?
JOE
Hmm? Oh.
KEVIN
Your arm...
JOE
Well, the guy wanted my stuff, right? Well I...
FLASHBACK - EXT. ITHACA COLLEGE CAMPUS - NIGHT
THUG
Give me your goddamn stuff.
Joe walks up to the thug and shoves him.
JOE
You want it, you're gunna have to take it.
The thug takes a switchblade out of a pocket, flicks it open and stabs Joe in the arm.
JOE
Ow. Wow you suck.
The thug glares at Joe for a second and punches him in the face.
Joe falls down.
INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT
KEVIN
Yeesh. Sorry man.
JOE
No worries, no worries.
KEVIN
So, um, does it like not hurt or something?
JOE
Can you beleive that bastard?
KEVIN
What are you doing?
JOE
What a jerk.
KEVIN
Mmm... yes. Again, what are ya doing?
JOE
Wha?
Kevin points to the laptop.
JOE
Oh, you said this place had a health center. I'm looking it up on the map.
KEVIN
I see..
JOE
Ah there it is. Well, gotta run.
Joe stands up and walks towards the door.
KEVIN
Why didn't you call the cops?
JOE
Guy took my phone.
Joe pauses in the doorway.
Joe
Oh, I guess he did succeed.
Joe walks out the door.
Ext. Ithaca - Public safety office - Day
A POLICE OFFICER taps Joe's shoulder. Joe is lying asleep in front of the door to the building. Joe shakes his head a few times and kicks his legs. The officer taps Joe's shoulder again.
POLICE officer
Excuse me, sir?
Joe opens his eyes and sits up.
JOE
Oh, hi.
POLICE OFFICER
What the hell are you doing?
JOE
I would like to file a police report.
The police officer notices Joe's sleeve is soaked with blood.
POLICE OFFICER
Why haven't you gone to a hospital?
JOE
Health center was closed. So I came here. Also closed. Was too tired to walk back to my dorm.
POLICE OFFICER
Okay then. What happened to you?
JOE
Lots of things have happened to me.
The police officer is staring at Joe's wounds.
JOE
Oh right. Some guy stabbed me. And then he took my phone. He also punched me in the face. I don't remember a whole lot after that.
The officer EXHALES loudly and moves a hand down to Joe.
POLICE OFFICER
Let's get you inside, huh?
wide shot - Public safety office and Parking lot
The officer helps Joe up. He opens the door and they begin to walk inside.
JOE
Oh also, he ruined my favorite shirt.
POLICE OFFICER
Yep.
JOE
And did I mention...
The door closes and the conversation cut off.
INT. DORM ROOM - Day
Joe opens the door and walks in, he carries a single piece of paper and has a bandage on his arm.
JOE
Hello friend.
Kevin is in bed, not quite awake, not quite asleep.
KEVIN
Dude, it's like 9 AM. Not so loud for fuck's sake.
JOE
Check out this public safety alert.
Joe hands Kevin the piece of paper. Kevin begins to read it.
KEVIN
A stabbing... outside of some building. Suspect described as... you want a hand with that?
Joe holds a bottle of pills in one hand and has the lid between his teeth. He hands the bottle to Kevin. Kevin opens it and hands it back to Joe.
Joe stares at Kevin fondly.
JOE
(softly)
Thank you.
Kevin
Er right, no problem.
Kevin looks back down at the paper.
Kevin
...described as a male between the ages of 15 and 30 and wearing a hat.
Kevin looks up from the paper.
KEVIN
That's... that's some description there.
Joe nods rapidly.
JOE
Yes.
KEVIN
15 to 30?
JOE
Indeed.
KEVIN
You couldn't come up with a smaller range?
JOE
I'm a terrible judge of age...
KEVIN
Right... Wearing a hat?
JOE
Well he was.
KEVIN
You think a 15 year old stabbed you?
JOE
Hey man, this is New York.
KEVIN
Yeah, people usually only say that about New York City, not Ithaca.
Joe stares at Kevin for a few seconds.
JOE
I'm going to be late for class.
Joe grabs a backpack and runs out the door.
The door SLAMS shut.
KEVIN
It's Sunday...
FADE OUT.
EXT. Ithaca - IC Campus - Night
The campus is quiet and dark, the streets dimly lit by occasional street lights. No cars or people can be seen. A voice is faintly heard.
Joe (O.s)
Ow. Wow you suck.
FOOTSTEPS are heard running off into the distance.
INT. Dorm Room - night
The room is dark but fairly lit from the moonlight. KEYS JANGLE briefly. There is some banging on the door. The door opens and JOE's silhouette appears, flooded by the bright hallway lighting.
KEVIN lies in bed, partially lit from the stream of light. He rustles in the sheets.
Joe enters the room and the door closes with a THUD.
Kevin gives a muffled grunt.
Joe walks over to a dresser and opens up a drawer. He looks through it and SLAMS it shut.
Kevin grunts again louder than before.
Joe begins to walk across the room. He trips and falls to the floor
JOE
Ow.
Joe struggles to get back to his feet.
Kevin sighs.
Kevin
What the hell you doin'?
JOE
Eh? Nothin'. Go back to sleep.
KEVIN
Well quit making so much damn noise.
Joe takes a few steps and there is a CRUNCH.
Joe
(quietly)
Fuck me.
Kevin growls.
KEVIN
Are you serious?
Kevin gets up and turns the lights on.
Joe has a black eye and is bleeding from his arm.
JOE
Sorry I broke your...
KEVIN
Jesus Christ, what the hell happened to you?
JOE
Funny story actually.
Joe sits down on the chair by a desk and opens a drawer. He looks through it.
KEVIN
Well?
JOE
Some guy, like, tried to mug me.
KEVIN
Kinda looks like he succeeded.
JOE
No, not really.
KEVIN
Hey umm, you alright?
Joe closes the drawer and opens another one.
JOE
Hmm? Yeah. Sure sure.
KEVIN
You bleedin'?
Joe looks down at his arm briefly.
JOE
Yes.
Joe closes the drawer and sighs.
KEVIN
Uhh... you should really get that looked at. Doesn't look good at all.
JOE
Eh, I'm fine.
Joe opens the mini fridge and looks through it.
Joe
Hey, do you have any gauze?
KEVIN
Umm, no, I don't think most people keep gauze in their room.
JOE
Hmm, I guess you're right.
Kevin shakes his head, confused.
KEVIN
How the hell did this happen?
JOE
Welp, I was walkin' back here after working on some project that's due in a few days and....
Flashback - Ext. Ithaca College campus - night
Joe walks on the grass next to a building. A THUG comes around the corner of the building as Joe nears the end of it. Joe halts in his tracks.
Thug
Give me your wallet.
JOE
Sorry bro, don't got one.
Joe begins to walk around the thug.
THUG
Empty your pockets.
Joe sighs and sticks both hands in his side pants pockets. He removes his keys and ID with one hand and his phone with the other.
THUG
Gimme those.
JOE
You want my ID?
THUG
Yeah, hand it over.
Joe
This is my ID, what the hell are you gonna do with it? It's got my picture on it.
THUG
Give me your fuckin' stuff.
JOE
What are ya? James Bond? You gunna slice yer picture onto my ID? And these are my dorm keys. Sean's gunna realize you aren't me. I bet you don't even know where I live. This ain't worth your trouble, dude.
Joe again tries to walk by the thug.
INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT
KEVIN
I take it you tried to explain all this to him.
JOE
I did.
Joe lays down on his bed.
JOE
G'night.
KEVIN
Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can't just go to bed.
JOE
Why the hell not? I'm tired as fuck.
KEVIN
You go to bed like that, you're gunna bleed to death.
JOE
You already said we don't have any gauze.
KEVIN
Well shit, go to the health center, you idiot.
JOE
Heh, shame this isn't a medical school, right?
KEVIN
(slowly)
Health Center.
JOE
The what now?
KEVIN
Dude. The health center. Go to the fucking health center.
JOE
We have a health center?
KEVIN
Uh, yeah, every college has one.
JOE
Cool.
Joe turns on the laptop on the desk.
KEVIN
So how come you bleedin'?
JOE
Hmm? Oh.
KEVIN
Your arm...
JOE
Well, the guy wanted my stuff, right? Well I...
FLASHBACK - EXT. ITHACA COLLEGE CAMPUS - NIGHT
THUG
Give me your goddamn stuff.
Joe walks up to the thug and shoves him.
JOE
You want it, you're gunna have to take it.
The thug takes a switchblade out of a pocket, flicks it open and stabs Joe in the arm.
JOE
Ow. Wow you suck.
The thug glares at Joe for a second and punches him in the face.
Joe falls down.
INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT
KEVIN
Yeesh. Sorry man.
JOE
No worries, no worries.
KEVIN
So, um, does it like not hurt or something?
JOE
Can you beleive that bastard?
KEVIN
What are you doing?
JOE
What a jerk.
KEVIN
Mmm... yes. Again, what are ya doing?
JOE
Wha?
Kevin points to the laptop.
JOE
Oh, you said this place had a health center. I'm looking it up on the map.
KEVIN
I see..
JOE
Ah there it is. Well, gotta run.
Joe stands up and walks towards the door.
KEVIN
Why didn't you call the cops?
JOE
Guy took my phone.
Joe pauses in the doorway.
Joe
Oh, I guess he did succeed.
Joe walks out the door.
Ext. Ithaca - Public safety office - Day
A POLICE OFFICER taps Joe's shoulder. Joe is lying asleep in front of the door to the building. Joe shakes his head a few times and kicks his legs. The officer taps Joe's shoulder again.
POLICE officer
Excuse me, sir?
Joe opens his eyes and sits up.
JOE
Oh, hi.
POLICE OFFICER
What the hell are you doing?
JOE
I would like to file a police report.
The police officer notices Joe's sleeve is soaked with blood.
POLICE OFFICER
Why haven't you gone to a hospital?
JOE
Health center was closed. So I came here. Also closed. Was too tired to walk back to my dorm.
POLICE OFFICER
Okay then. What happened to you?
JOE
Lots of things have happened to me.
The police officer is staring at Joe's wounds.
JOE
Oh right. Some guy stabbed me. And then he took my phone. He also punched me in the face. I don't remember a whole lot after that.
The officer EXHALES loudly and moves a hand down to Joe.
POLICE OFFICER
Let's get you inside, huh?
wide shot - Public safety office and Parking lot
The officer helps Joe up. He opens the door and they begin to walk inside.
JOE
Oh also, he ruined my favorite shirt.
POLICE OFFICER
Yep.
JOE
And did I mention...
The door closes and the conversation cut off.
INT. DORM ROOM - Day
Joe opens the door and walks in, he carries a single piece of paper and has a bandage on his arm.
JOE
Hello friend.
Kevin is in bed, not quite awake, not quite asleep.
KEVIN
Dude, it's like 9 AM. Not so loud for fuck's sake.
JOE
Check out this public safety alert.
Joe hands Kevin the piece of paper. Kevin begins to read it.
KEVIN
A stabbing... outside of some building. Suspect described as... you want a hand with that?
Joe holds a bottle of pills in one hand and has the lid between his teeth. He hands the bottle to Kevin. Kevin opens it and hands it back to Joe.
Joe stares at Kevin fondly.
JOE
(softly)
Thank you.
Kevin
Er right, no problem.
Kevin looks back down at the paper.
Kevin
...described as a male between the ages of 15 and 30 and wearing a hat.
Kevin looks up from the paper.
KEVIN
That's... that's some description there.
Joe nods rapidly.
JOE
Yes.
KEVIN
15 to 30?
JOE
Indeed.
KEVIN
You couldn't come up with a smaller range?
JOE
I'm a terrible judge of age...
KEVIN
Right... Wearing a hat?
JOE
Well he was.
KEVIN
You think a 15 year old stabbed you?
JOE
Hey man, this is New York.
KEVIN
Yeah, people usually only say that about New York City, not Ithaca.
Joe stares at Kevin for a few seconds.
JOE
I'm going to be late for class.
Joe grabs a backpack and runs out the door.
The door SLAMS shut.
KEVIN
It's Sunday...
FADE OUT.
Monday, October 26, 2009
CHARACTER FILM
FADE IN:
EXT. Ithaca - IC Campus - Night
The campus is quiet and dark, the streets dimly lit by occasional street lights. Very few buildings emanate any light and no cars or people can be seen. A voice is faintly heard.
Joe (O.s)
Ow! Wow you suck.
FOOTSTEPS are heard running off into the distance.
INT. Dorm Room - night
The room is pitch black. KEYS JANGLE briefly. There is some banging on the door. The door opens and JOE flicks the lights on.
Joe has a black eye and is bleeding from his arm.
KEVIN lies in bed, he rustles in the sheets.
Kevin
Dude, turn the fucking lights off!
JOE
Yeah, hold on a second.
Kevin throws the pillow off his head and sits up.
KEVIN
Jesus Christ, what the hell happened to you?
JOE
Funny story actually.
Joe walks over to the dresser and opens up a drawer. He looks through it.
KEVIN
So?
JOE
Some guy, like, tried to mug me.
KEVIN
Kinda looks like he succeeded.
JOE
No, not really.
KEVIN
Uh huh... go on..
Joe closes the drawer and opens another one.
JOE
Well, he wanted my wallet, but I don't ever carry it with me.
KEVIN
Are you bleeding from the arm?
Joe looks down at his arm briefly.
JOE
Yes.
KEVIN
So what the hell happened?
JOE
I was walking back here after working on some project that's due in a few days and this guy walks out from behind this building I'm about to pass. He says "Give me your wallet," and I'm like, "I don't have one," so he's like "Empty your pockets," and I did. I had my keys, my ID and my phone. Then he was like, "give me those."
Joe closes the drawer and walks over to his desk. He sits down on the chair and opens a desk drawer.
JOE
So I was like, "You want my ID?" and he was like, "Yeah, hand it over." So I said to him, I said, "this is my ID, what the hell are you gonna do with it?" I mean, it's got my picture on it and all, so unless he's gonna do some James Bond move and slice his picture onto it, it's not gonna do him a whole lot of good. And at that point, is it even worthwhile? Seems like more trouble than its worth.
KEVIN
Uh huh...
JOE
And what's he want with my keys? They're for this room and I told him that Sean would recognize him as not being me. Oh and so would you. And the mailbox never has anything worthwhile either, just old outdated notices about stuff.
KEVIN
I take it you tried to explain all this to him.
JOE
I did.
KEVIN
And then what happened?
JOE
He still demanded I give him my stuff.
KEVIN
Right...
Joe closes the drawer and sighs.
JOE
Hey, do you have any gauze?
KEVIN
Umm, no, I don't think most people keep gauze in their dorm rooms.
JOE
Hmm, I guess you're right. Heh, shame this isn't a medical school, right?
KEVIN
Ya know, we do have a Health Center...
Joe's eyes perk up
JOE
(surprised)
We do?
KEVIN
Uh yeah, most colleges have one.
JOE
Cool.
KEVIN
Anyways, you were talking about the guy who mugged you...
JOE
Yeah, yeah.
Joe turns on his laptop
KEVIN
Well?
JOE
Hmm? Oh.
KEVIN
He wanted your stuff...
JOE
Right, so you know what I did?
KEVIN
What's that?
JOE
I walked right up to him, shoved him in the chest and told him he'd have to take it if he wanted it. And you know what he did?
KEVIN
What?
JOE
He stabbed me! That bastard.
KEVIN
What are you doing?
JOE
What a jerk.
KEVIN
Mmm... yes. Again, what are you doing?
JOE
Wha?
Kevin points to the laptop that Joe has started to use.
JOE
Oh, you said this place had a health center. I'm looking it up on the campus map.
KEVIN
I see..
JOE
Ah there it is! Well, gotta run.
Joe stands up and walks towards the door.
KEVIN
Why didn't you call the cops?
JOE
Guy took my phone.
Joe pauses in the doorway.
Joe
Oh, I guess he did succeed.
Joe walks out the door.
Ext. Ithaca - Public safety office - Day
A POLICE OFFICER taps Joe's shoulder. Joe is lying asleep in front of door to the building. Joe shakes his head a few times and kicks his legs. The officer taps Joe's shoulder again.
POLICE officer
Excuse me, sir?
Joe opens his eyes and sits up.
JOE
Oh, hi.
POLICE OFFICER
What the hell are you doing?
JOE
I would like to file a police report.
The police officer notices Joe's arm is bleeding.
POLICE OFFICER
Why haven't you gone to a hospital?
JOE
Health center was closed. So I came here. Also closed. But I was too tired to walk back to my dorm.
POLICE OFFICER
Okay then. What happened to you?
JOE
Lots of things have happened to me.
The police officer is staring at Joe's wounds.
JOE
Oh right. Some guy stabbed me. And then he took my phone. He also punched me in the face. I don't remember a whole lot after that.
The officer EXHALES loudly and moves a hand down to Joe.
POLICE OFFICER
Let's get you inside, huh?
wide shot - Public safety office and Parking lot
The officer helps Joe up. He opens the door and they begin to walk inside.
JOE
Oh also, he ruined my favorite shirt.
POLICE OFFICER
Yep.
JOE
And did I mention...
The door closes and the conversation cut off.
INT. DORM ROOM - Day
Joe opens the door and walks in, he carries a single piece of paper and has a bandage on his arm.
JOE
Hello friend!
Kevin is still in bed, not quite awake, not quite asleep.
KEVIN
Dude, its like 9 AM. Not so loud for fuck's sake.
JOE
Check out this public safety alert.
Joe hands Kevin the piece of paper. Kevin begins to read it.
KEVIN
A stabbing... outside of some building. Suspect described as a male between the ages of 15 and 30 and wearing a hat.
Kevin looks up from the paper.
KEVIN
That's... that's some description there.
Joe nods rapidly.
JOE
Yes.
KEVIN
15 to 30?
JOE
Indeed.
KEVIN
You couldn't come up with a smaller range?
JOE
I'm a terrible judge of age...
KEVIN
Right... Wearing a hat?
JOE
Well he was!
KEVIN
You think a 15 year old stabbed you?
JOE
Hey, this is New York man.
KEVIN
Yeah, people usually only say that about New York City, not Ithaca.
Joe stares at Kevin for a few seconds.
JOE
I'm going to be late for class.
Joe grabs a backpack and runs out the door.
The door SLAMS shut.
KEVIN
It's Sunday...
FADE OUT.
EXT. Ithaca - IC Campus - Night
The campus is quiet and dark, the streets dimly lit by occasional street lights. Very few buildings emanate any light and no cars or people can be seen. A voice is faintly heard.
Joe (O.s)
Ow! Wow you suck.
FOOTSTEPS are heard running off into the distance.
INT. Dorm Room - night
The room is pitch black. KEYS JANGLE briefly. There is some banging on the door. The door opens and JOE flicks the lights on.
Joe has a black eye and is bleeding from his arm.
KEVIN lies in bed, he rustles in the sheets.
Kevin
Dude, turn the fucking lights off!
JOE
Yeah, hold on a second.
Kevin throws the pillow off his head and sits up.
KEVIN
Jesus Christ, what the hell happened to you?
JOE
Funny story actually.
Joe walks over to the dresser and opens up a drawer. He looks through it.
KEVIN
So?
JOE
Some guy, like, tried to mug me.
KEVIN
Kinda looks like he succeeded.
JOE
No, not really.
KEVIN
Uh huh... go on..
Joe closes the drawer and opens another one.
JOE
Well, he wanted my wallet, but I don't ever carry it with me.
KEVIN
Are you bleeding from the arm?
Joe looks down at his arm briefly.
JOE
Yes.
KEVIN
So what the hell happened?
JOE
I was walking back here after working on some project that's due in a few days and this guy walks out from behind this building I'm about to pass. He says "Give me your wallet," and I'm like, "I don't have one," so he's like "Empty your pockets," and I did. I had my keys, my ID and my phone. Then he was like, "give me those."
Joe closes the drawer and walks over to his desk. He sits down on the chair and opens a desk drawer.
JOE
So I was like, "You want my ID?" and he was like, "Yeah, hand it over." So I said to him, I said, "this is my ID, what the hell are you gonna do with it?" I mean, it's got my picture on it and all, so unless he's gonna do some James Bond move and slice his picture onto it, it's not gonna do him a whole lot of good. And at that point, is it even worthwhile? Seems like more trouble than its worth.
KEVIN
Uh huh...
JOE
And what's he want with my keys? They're for this room and I told him that Sean would recognize him as not being me. Oh and so would you. And the mailbox never has anything worthwhile either, just old outdated notices about stuff.
KEVIN
I take it you tried to explain all this to him.
JOE
I did.
KEVIN
And then what happened?
JOE
He still demanded I give him my stuff.
KEVIN
Right...
Joe closes the drawer and sighs.
JOE
Hey, do you have any gauze?
KEVIN
Umm, no, I don't think most people keep gauze in their dorm rooms.
JOE
Hmm, I guess you're right. Heh, shame this isn't a medical school, right?
KEVIN
Ya know, we do have a Health Center...
Joe's eyes perk up
JOE
(surprised)
We do?
KEVIN
Uh yeah, most colleges have one.
JOE
Cool.
KEVIN
Anyways, you were talking about the guy who mugged you...
JOE
Yeah, yeah.
Joe turns on his laptop
KEVIN
Well?
JOE
Hmm? Oh.
KEVIN
He wanted your stuff...
JOE
Right, so you know what I did?
KEVIN
What's that?
JOE
I walked right up to him, shoved him in the chest and told him he'd have to take it if he wanted it. And you know what he did?
KEVIN
What?
JOE
He stabbed me! That bastard.
KEVIN
What are you doing?
JOE
What a jerk.
KEVIN
Mmm... yes. Again, what are you doing?
JOE
Wha?
Kevin points to the laptop that Joe has started to use.
JOE
Oh, you said this place had a health center. I'm looking it up on the campus map.
KEVIN
I see..
JOE
Ah there it is! Well, gotta run.
Joe stands up and walks towards the door.
KEVIN
Why didn't you call the cops?
JOE
Guy took my phone.
Joe pauses in the doorway.
Joe
Oh, I guess he did succeed.
Joe walks out the door.
Ext. Ithaca - Public safety office - Day
A POLICE OFFICER taps Joe's shoulder. Joe is lying asleep in front of door to the building. Joe shakes his head a few times and kicks his legs. The officer taps Joe's shoulder again.
POLICE officer
Excuse me, sir?
Joe opens his eyes and sits up.
JOE
Oh, hi.
POLICE OFFICER
What the hell are you doing?
JOE
I would like to file a police report.
The police officer notices Joe's arm is bleeding.
POLICE OFFICER
Why haven't you gone to a hospital?
JOE
Health center was closed. So I came here. Also closed. But I was too tired to walk back to my dorm.
POLICE OFFICER
Okay then. What happened to you?
JOE
Lots of things have happened to me.
The police officer is staring at Joe's wounds.
JOE
Oh right. Some guy stabbed me. And then he took my phone. He also punched me in the face. I don't remember a whole lot after that.
The officer EXHALES loudly and moves a hand down to Joe.
POLICE OFFICER
Let's get you inside, huh?
wide shot - Public safety office and Parking lot
The officer helps Joe up. He opens the door and they begin to walk inside.
JOE
Oh also, he ruined my favorite shirt.
POLICE OFFICER
Yep.
JOE
And did I mention...
The door closes and the conversation cut off.
INT. DORM ROOM - Day
Joe opens the door and walks in, he carries a single piece of paper and has a bandage on his arm.
JOE
Hello friend!
Kevin is still in bed, not quite awake, not quite asleep.
KEVIN
Dude, its like 9 AM. Not so loud for fuck's sake.
JOE
Check out this public safety alert.
Joe hands Kevin the piece of paper. Kevin begins to read it.
KEVIN
A stabbing... outside of some building. Suspect described as a male between the ages of 15 and 30 and wearing a hat.
Kevin looks up from the paper.
KEVIN
That's... that's some description there.
Joe nods rapidly.
JOE
Yes.
KEVIN
15 to 30?
JOE
Indeed.
KEVIN
You couldn't come up with a smaller range?
JOE
I'm a terrible judge of age...
KEVIN
Right... Wearing a hat?
JOE
Well he was!
KEVIN
You think a 15 year old stabbed you?
JOE
Hey, this is New York man.
KEVIN
Yeah, people usually only say that about New York City, not Ithaca.
Joe stares at Kevin for a few seconds.
JOE
I'm going to be late for class.
Joe grabs a backpack and runs out the door.
The door SLAMS shut.
KEVIN
It's Sunday...
FADE OUT.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
CONVERSATIONS
INT. DINING HALL - NIGHT
Dozens of college students sit at tables talking loudly,
laughing, and eating their dinners.
MIKE
Lot of fuckin’ noise in here.
VICTOR
I was wondering why you were gonna
do it here.
MIKE
Um, I realized the other day that
I’m incredibly bad at
decision-making. I used to think
that I was just indecisive, but now
I realize that all of my decisions
fucking suck.
Victor laughs.
MIKE (cont’d)
Really badly.
Victor laughs again.
MIKE (cont’d)
Everything I do is fail.
VICTOR
Oh yeah?
MIKE
Yah.
There is a long pause as both Mike and Victor eat part of
their dinners.
VICTOR
I wouldn’t say all your decisions
suck.
MIKE
Name one that doesn’t. You don’t
even know any.
2.
VICTOR
You came to IC.
MIKE
Mmm.
VICTOR
You chose to take 220 this
semester.
MIKE
Actually, I’m not even the one who
did that. I was thinking here or
Dalhousie, which was in Nova
Scotia. I was on a field trip to
New York City and my parents sent
in the ...actual acceptance thing.
So, I could have been in Nova
Scotia right now.
VICTOR
Your parents decided whether you
went here or there?
MIKE
Yeah, pretty much. It - I wasn’t
sure what I was gonna do. And then
like traveling there is a bitch.
VICTOR
Connecticut to uh Ithaca is much
better than Connecticut to Nova
Scotia.
MIKE
Yah.
VICTOR
Also! If you think Ithaca is cold
huh huh...
MIKE
I don’t.
VICTOR
I know. Huh.
MIKE
I woulda loved it there.
Mike pauses for a bit.
3.
MIKE (cont’d)
Umm. Where was I? Oh right. One of
the reasons why I didn’t end up
going there is cus I never got
around to getting a passport
because I pushed that off for too
long.
VICTOR
Going to country; going to college
in-country makes a lot more sense.
MIKE
Yeah, um.
VICTOR
You don’t have to deal with
custsoms every time you come home
for break.
MIKE
I could of just stayed there, like
get a little, I don’t know, hotel
room or something. It’s actually a
popular place - Dalhousie’s right
on the capital city.
VICTOR
Where in Nova Scotia?
MIKE
The main city.. what was it called?
Um.
There is a rather long pause.
MIKE (cont’d)
The name is blanking on me.
VICTOR
Quebec?
INT. DORM HALLWAY - NIGHT
A group of girls giggle someplace far off screen. Doors
open and close constantly.
ALEXANDER
Josh. Open up. I know you’re in
there, I can see the light through
the peep-hole. And I can hear you.
Hurry up, we are goin’ to be late.
(MORE)
4.
ALEXANDER (cont’d)
Don’t make me late for this...
buddy ol’ pal. It’s 6:48 and I have
to be there 5 minutes early to sign
in. Let’s go... I can see you
looking. Come on, hurry up, we’re
going to be late.
A door slams in the distance.
ALEXANDER
Can we go? Fuuuck.
ALEXANDER (cont’d)
(singing)
Where over the vaaagina... A.. I
want you...
ALEXANDER (cont’d)
I can hear you. I can fucking hear
you.
Dozens of college students sit at tables talking loudly,
laughing, and eating their dinners.
MIKE
Lot of fuckin’ noise in here.
VICTOR
I was wondering why you were gonna
do it here.
MIKE
Um, I realized the other day that
I’m incredibly bad at
decision-making. I used to think
that I was just indecisive, but now
I realize that all of my decisions
fucking suck.
Victor laughs.
MIKE (cont’d)
Really badly.
Victor laughs again.
MIKE (cont’d)
Everything I do is fail.
VICTOR
Oh yeah?
MIKE
Yah.
There is a long pause as both Mike and Victor eat part of
their dinners.
VICTOR
I wouldn’t say all your decisions
suck.
MIKE
Name one that doesn’t. You don’t
even know any.
2.
VICTOR
You came to IC.
MIKE
Mmm.
VICTOR
You chose to take 220 this
semester.
MIKE
Actually, I’m not even the one who
did that. I was thinking here or
Dalhousie, which was in Nova
Scotia. I was on a field trip to
New York City and my parents sent
in the ...actual acceptance thing.
So, I could have been in Nova
Scotia right now.
VICTOR
Your parents decided whether you
went here or there?
MIKE
Yeah, pretty much. It - I wasn’t
sure what I was gonna do. And then
like traveling there is a bitch.
VICTOR
Connecticut to uh Ithaca is much
better than Connecticut to Nova
Scotia.
MIKE
Yah.
VICTOR
Also! If you think Ithaca is cold
huh huh...
MIKE
I don’t.
VICTOR
I know. Huh.
MIKE
I woulda loved it there.
Mike pauses for a bit.
3.
MIKE (cont’d)
Umm. Where was I? Oh right. One of
the reasons why I didn’t end up
going there is cus I never got
around to getting a passport
because I pushed that off for too
long.
VICTOR
Going to country; going to college
in-country makes a lot more sense.
MIKE
Yeah, um.
VICTOR
You don’t have to deal with
custsoms every time you come home
for break.
MIKE
I could of just stayed there, like
get a little, I don’t know, hotel
room or something. It’s actually a
popular place - Dalhousie’s right
on the capital city.
VICTOR
Where in Nova Scotia?
MIKE
The main city.. what was it called?
Um.
There is a rather long pause.
MIKE (cont’d)
The name is blanking on me.
VICTOR
Quebec?
INT. DORM HALLWAY - NIGHT
A group of girls giggle someplace far off screen. Doors
open and close constantly.
ALEXANDER
Josh. Open up. I know you’re in
there, I can see the light through
the peep-hole. And I can hear you.
Hurry up, we are goin’ to be late.
(MORE)
4.
ALEXANDER (cont’d)
Don’t make me late for this...
buddy ol’ pal. It’s 6:48 and I have
to be there 5 minutes early to sign
in. Let’s go... I can see you
looking. Come on, hurry up, we’re
going to be late.
A door slams in the distance.
ALEXANDER
Can we go? Fuuuck.
ALEXANDER (cont’d)
(singing)
Where over the vaaagina... A.. I
want you...
ALEXANDER (cont’d)
I can hear you. I can fucking hear
you.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Personal Film
FADE IN:
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
The room is partially lit, from behind and by a television. MATT, a 17 year old male wearing shorts and a T-shirt, and an OLD WOMAN in her early 80's sit on an L-shaped couch watching the TV.
On the TV, a shiny ball slides down a pole. The ball hits the bottom and FIREWORKS GO OFF.
Matt
Happy New Year.
Old Woman
Happy New Years!
Matt and the Old Woman tap their champagne glasses together and both take a drink.
They go back to watching the TV.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
A door opens and a middle aged couple walks in. They place some bags on the kitchen counter. Matt's father, GARY, takes a bottle of wine from a bag, walks a few steps and puts it in the refrigerator.
GARY and ANNA, Matt's stepmother, walk towards the living room.
Matt and the Old Woman get off the couch and walk towards Gary and Anna.
GARY
Hello.
MATT
Hi. Happy New Year.
GARY
You too.
Matt and Gary shake hands. Matt turns to Anna.
MATT
Heya.
Anna
Hi, so, the year off to a good start?
MATT
I suppose.
GARY
Well, good night.
MATT
Good night.
Gary and Anna turn to their right and walk down a hallway. The Old Woman goes up a flight of stairs.
Matt returns to the couch. He picks up the remote and cycles through a few channels.
Matt SIGHS. He turns the TV off and puts the remote down. He stands up and walks out of the living room. Some lights begin to fade until they go out.
INT. MATT's BEDROOM - NIGHT
Matt sits at a desk in the dark room. The only source of light is a laptop which he is using.
The phone RINGS. Matt looks up at his clock. Its display reads 2:40 AM.
Matt gets up from the chair and walks to the door. He opens the door and the phone stops ringing. He listens quietly.
A muffled conversation is heard a few rooms down. Matt can make out part of the end of it.
GARY
... there in half an hour.
Matt walks out of his room and picks up a phone. He checks the caller ID and sees GRAF, STEFAN.
Matt hears a commotion in the other room. He returns to his room and flicks a light switch. The light goes on and Matt locates his shoes and some socks.
Matt sits down on his bed. He quickly puts the socks and shoes on. He stands up and looks at his laptop. He walks back to the door, flicks the light off and walks out.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Matt stands with his back against the wall of a hallway.
The door on the other end opens and Gary walks out, moving towards Matt.
MATT
I'm going with you.
GARY
Alright.
Matt and Gary walk out the door.
EXT. RURAL CONNECTICUT - A ROAD - NIGHT
A Jeep Grand Cherokee cruises down the road, no other cars in sight.
INT. JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE - NIGHT
Matt has his face against the front passenger side window and looks out sullenly.
Gary has both hands on the steering wheel and stares out at the road intently.
EXT. HOSPITAL - PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Matt and Gary exit the car and walk towards the hospital.
INT. HOSPITAL - WAITING ROOM - NIGHT
Matt and Gary enter the waiting room. Matt sees UNCLE STEFAN and AUNT JENNIFER already there.
Jennifer walks over to Matt and hugs him.
Jennifer
Hey, how are you?
MATT
Oh, I'm alright, you?
JENNIFER
Fine.
They let go of each other.
MATT
Hey, Stefan.
stefan
Hey.
The four of them sit down on some chairs.
A DOCTOR walks in through the doorway.
doctor
Graf family?
STEFAN
Yes.
DOCTOR
Please come with me.
They all get up and follow the doctor out of the room.
INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
At the end of the hallway is a thick glass and plastic door. The doctor swipes a card through a device on the wall and the door splits open in the center and retracts into both sides of the wall.
Matt, Gary, Stefan and Anna follow the doctor into the ICU.
INT. HOSPITAL - ICU ROOM - NIGHT
An ELDERLY WOMAN lays on a bed, surrounded by machines and tubes. A mask is over her face, her chest heaves up and down rapidly. There is a constant BEEPING noise.
The family stands around the foot of the bed.
DOCTOR
She was doing fine a few hours ago. Even watched the countdown. Then she stopped breathing, we didn't notice for about 10 minutes.
There are a few minutes of silence, nothing but the rhythmic BEEPING of the machines.
DOCTOR
But we got her hooked up to the life support systems now and she is breathing steadily. ..She was not responsive when we put the tube down her throat.
GARY
...That's not a good sign.
DOCTOR
We're going to run a few tests in the MRI in about an hour. There's not really much more you can do. You should go home and get some rest. We'll call you if there's any updates. It doesn't look promising but we'll do what we can do.
GARY
Well, alright...
Gary walks over to the side of the bed and holds the woman's hand for a moment.
Matt, Gary, Stefan and Anna walk out of the room slowly.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
The Jeep pulls into the driveway and parks in the garage.
INT. HOUSE - MATT'S ROOM - DAY
Matt sits on his bed, laptop on his lap. He stares at the screen and types in several short bursts.
Two KNOCKS come through the closed door.
MATT
Yes?
The door opens slowly. Gary stands in the doorway. He sighs.
GARY
She's gone.
MATT
Oh.
Gary turns around and leaves the room. Matt closes his laptop's lid. He droops his head and closes his eyes.
MATT
What a shit year.
FADE OUT.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
The room is partially lit, from behind and by a television. MATT, a 17 year old male wearing shorts and a T-shirt, and an OLD WOMAN in her early 80's sit on an L-shaped couch watching the TV.
On the TV, a shiny ball slides down a pole. The ball hits the bottom and FIREWORKS GO OFF.
Matt
Happy New Year.
Old Woman
Happy New Years!
Matt and the Old Woman tap their champagne glasses together and both take a drink.
They go back to watching the TV.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
A door opens and a middle aged couple walks in. They place some bags on the kitchen counter. Matt's father, GARY, takes a bottle of wine from a bag, walks a few steps and puts it in the refrigerator.
GARY and ANNA, Matt's stepmother, walk towards the living room.
Matt and the Old Woman get off the couch and walk towards Gary and Anna.
GARY
Hello.
MATT
Hi. Happy New Year.
GARY
You too.
Matt and Gary shake hands. Matt turns to Anna.
MATT
Heya.
Anna
Hi, so, the year off to a good start?
MATT
I suppose.
GARY
Well, good night.
MATT
Good night.
Gary and Anna turn to their right and walk down a hallway. The Old Woman goes up a flight of stairs.
Matt returns to the couch. He picks up the remote and cycles through a few channels.
Matt SIGHS. He turns the TV off and puts the remote down. He stands up and walks out of the living room. Some lights begin to fade until they go out.
INT. MATT's BEDROOM - NIGHT
Matt sits at a desk in the dark room. The only source of light is a laptop which he is using.
The phone RINGS. Matt looks up at his clock. Its display reads 2:40 AM.
Matt gets up from the chair and walks to the door. He opens the door and the phone stops ringing. He listens quietly.
A muffled conversation is heard a few rooms down. Matt can make out part of the end of it.
GARY
... there in half an hour.
Matt walks out of his room and picks up a phone. He checks the caller ID and sees GRAF, STEFAN.
Matt hears a commotion in the other room. He returns to his room and flicks a light switch. The light goes on and Matt locates his shoes and some socks.
Matt sits down on his bed. He quickly puts the socks and shoes on. He stands up and looks at his laptop. He walks back to the door, flicks the light off and walks out.
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
Matt stands with his back against the wall of a hallway.
The door on the other end opens and Gary walks out, moving towards Matt.
MATT
I'm going with you.
GARY
Alright.
Matt and Gary walk out the door.
EXT. RURAL CONNECTICUT - A ROAD - NIGHT
A Jeep Grand Cherokee cruises down the road, no other cars in sight.
INT. JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE - NIGHT
Matt has his face against the front passenger side window and looks out sullenly.
Gary has both hands on the steering wheel and stares out at the road intently.
EXT. HOSPITAL - PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Matt and Gary exit the car and walk towards the hospital.
INT. HOSPITAL - WAITING ROOM - NIGHT
Matt and Gary enter the waiting room. Matt sees UNCLE STEFAN and AUNT JENNIFER already there.
Jennifer walks over to Matt and hugs him.
Jennifer
Hey, how are you?
MATT
Oh, I'm alright, you?
JENNIFER
Fine.
They let go of each other.
MATT
Hey, Stefan.
stefan
Hey.
The four of them sit down on some chairs.
A DOCTOR walks in through the doorway.
doctor
Graf family?
STEFAN
Yes.
DOCTOR
Please come with me.
They all get up and follow the doctor out of the room.
INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
At the end of the hallway is a thick glass and plastic door. The doctor swipes a card through a device on the wall and the door splits open in the center and retracts into both sides of the wall.
Matt, Gary, Stefan and Anna follow the doctor into the ICU.
INT. HOSPITAL - ICU ROOM - NIGHT
An ELDERLY WOMAN lays on a bed, surrounded by machines and tubes. A mask is over her face, her chest heaves up and down rapidly. There is a constant BEEPING noise.
The family stands around the foot of the bed.
DOCTOR
She was doing fine a few hours ago. Even watched the countdown. Then she stopped breathing, we didn't notice for about 10 minutes.
There are a few minutes of silence, nothing but the rhythmic BEEPING of the machines.
DOCTOR
But we got her hooked up to the life support systems now and she is breathing steadily. ..She was not responsive when we put the tube down her throat.
GARY
...That's not a good sign.
DOCTOR
We're going to run a few tests in the MRI in about an hour. There's not really much more you can do. You should go home and get some rest. We'll call you if there's any updates. It doesn't look promising but we'll do what we can do.
GARY
Well, alright...
Gary walks over to the side of the bed and holds the woman's hand for a moment.
Matt, Gary, Stefan and Anna walk out of the room slowly.
EXT. HOUSE - DAY
The Jeep pulls into the driveway and parks in the garage.
INT. HOUSE - MATT'S ROOM - DAY
Matt sits on his bed, laptop on his lap. He stares at the screen and types in several short bursts.
Two KNOCKS come through the closed door.
MATT
Yes?
The door opens slowly. Gary stands in the doorway. He sighs.
GARY
She's gone.
MATT
Oh.
Gary turns around and leaves the room. Matt closes his laptop's lid. He droops his head and closes his eyes.
MATT
What a shit year.
FADE OUT.
Date Preperation: Class version.
Fade in:
INT. BASEMENT - DUSK
A pair of hands come up from a sink basin, the water cloudy.
The hands slowly massage DAVID's face, eventually wiping the water way when he moves them down.
David looks apathetic and tired, slight wrinkles have begun to form on his forehead and his eyes are drawn in surrounded by dark circles.
He appears again, although very distorted. He looks at himself in a grimy, tarnished mirror, the front of a medicine cabinet.
He reaches out and opens the medicine cabinet. There are several bottles of pills, many of which are empty, a few rolls of gauze, a case of band aids, a razor, a stick of deodorant, a tooth brush, a tube of toothpaste and nothing else.
WIDE ON BASEMENT
The room is dimly lit by one light bulb hanging down by a wire in the center of the room.
A car speeds by outside, the noise muffled. Two more cars speed by with sirens blaring. Several gunshots are heard.
David is unfazed by this. He reaches into a drawer in the sink counter and removes 2 gloves and places them on the counter.
David walks over to the table. On the chair is a vest. He puts it on and tucks a necklace behind his shirt.
He walks over to the bed and picks up a trench coat. He puts this on as well, straightens it out and grabs a suitcase.
David walks back to the sink. He puts the gloves on and slowly walks up the stairs.
A light switch is flicked and the room goes black.
EXT. A RUN DOWN SLUM - NIGHT
A yellow street light flickers outside a dilapidated building with no lights on.
Light appears out of two windows at the bottom of the building.
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
David loudly fumbles down the stairs, he is clearly in a hurry.
He is no longer wearing his trench coat and does not have his suitcase with him. He is clutching his left arm which is clearly bleeding.
He rushes over to the sink counter and opens up both bottom drawers. He removes a bottle of vodka and a pair of pliers.
David takes the pliers to his left arm, shoves them in a small hole and removes a bullet. David grimaces and then drops the bullet in the sink.
He opens up the medicine cabinet and removes some gauze. He wraps his arm up and tears it off. He takes a swig of vodka.
He takes off his vest and shoes, leaving them on the floor.
David walks to the hanging light. He reaches into his pants pocket and removes a roll of money. He looks at it. He throws the money onto the table.
David reaches up and grabs the light. He turns the bulb until the room goes black.
A few footsteps are heard. David gives a loud sigh and then the mattress springs make some brief noise.
FADE OUT.
THE END
INT. BASEMENT - DUSK
A pair of hands come up from a sink basin, the water cloudy.
The hands slowly massage DAVID's face, eventually wiping the water way when he moves them down.
David looks apathetic and tired, slight wrinkles have begun to form on his forehead and his eyes are drawn in surrounded by dark circles.
He appears again, although very distorted. He looks at himself in a grimy, tarnished mirror, the front of a medicine cabinet.
He reaches out and opens the medicine cabinet. There are several bottles of pills, many of which are empty, a few rolls of gauze, a case of band aids, a razor, a stick of deodorant, a tooth brush, a tube of toothpaste and nothing else.
WIDE ON BASEMENT
The room is dimly lit by one light bulb hanging down by a wire in the center of the room.
A car speeds by outside, the noise muffled. Two more cars speed by with sirens blaring. Several gunshots are heard.
David is unfazed by this. He reaches into a drawer in the sink counter and removes 2 gloves and places them on the counter.
David walks over to the table. On the chair is a vest. He puts it on and tucks a necklace behind his shirt.
He walks over to the bed and picks up a trench coat. He puts this on as well, straightens it out and grabs a suitcase.
David walks back to the sink. He puts the gloves on and slowly walks up the stairs.
A light switch is flicked and the room goes black.
EXT. A RUN DOWN SLUM - NIGHT
A yellow street light flickers outside a dilapidated building with no lights on.
Light appears out of two windows at the bottom of the building.
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
David loudly fumbles down the stairs, he is clearly in a hurry.
He is no longer wearing his trench coat and does not have his suitcase with him. He is clutching his left arm which is clearly bleeding.
He rushes over to the sink counter and opens up both bottom drawers. He removes a bottle of vodka and a pair of pliers.
David takes the pliers to his left arm, shoves them in a small hole and removes a bullet. David grimaces and then drops the bullet in the sink.
He opens up the medicine cabinet and removes some gauze. He wraps his arm up and tears it off. He takes a swig of vodka.
He takes off his vest and shoes, leaving them on the floor.
David walks to the hanging light. He reaches into his pants pocket and removes a roll of money. He looks at it. He throws the money onto the table.
David reaches up and grabs the light. He turns the bulb until the room goes black.
A few footsteps are heard. David gives a loud sigh and then the mattress springs make some brief noise.
FADE OUT.
THE END
Date Preperation. Version I
Fade in:
INT. BASEMENT - DUSK
A pair of hands come up from a sink basin, the water cloudy.
The hands slowly massage THE MAN's face, eventually wiping the water way when he moves them down.
The man looks apathetic and tired, slight wrinkles have begun to form on his forehead and his eyes are drawn in surrounded by dark circles.
He appears again, although very distorted. He looks at himself in a grimy, tarnished mirror, the front of a medicine cabinet.
He reaches out and opens the medicine cabinet. There are several bottles of pills, many of which are empty, a few rolls of gauze, a case of band aids, a razor, a stick of deodorant, a tooth brush, a tube of toothpaste and nothing else.
His hand reaches for a bottle of pills, he takes a few, puts the bottle back and closes the cabinet.
Looking at himself again, he throws the pills into the back of his throat and swallows.
WIDE ON BASEMENT
The room is dimly lit by one lightbulb hanging down by a wire in the center of the room. There are only two windows in the room, both very small, at the top of the exterior wall. The windows are both covered in scum and can not be looked through.
It is a small room with only a few objects - a counter with a sink and faucet, six drawers and the medicine cabinet above. There is a twin sized bed with one pillow and one sheet, both are gray. Near the middle of the room is a table with a single chair. Against the wall is a cabinent and in the corner is a stair well leading upstairs.
A car speeds by outside, the noise muffled. Two more cars speed by with sirens blaring. Several gunshots are heard until they are out of hearing range.
The man is unfazed by this. He reaches into a drawer in the sink counter and removes two white pieces of cloth, they are both a little dirty and have a few stains. He also takes out 2 black leather, fingertipless gloves and places them on the counter by the strips of cloth.
The man walks over to the table. On the chair is a black vest. He puts it on over his faded white t-shirt and tucks a necklace behind his shirt, holding it by the pendant so that it is unclear what it is. He zips up the vest and then grabs the suitcase on the table.
He walks over to the bed, puts the suitcase down on the matress and picks up a long, heavy, trenchcoat. He puts this on as well, straightens it out and grabs the suitcase again.
The man now walks back to the sink counter. He ties the white cloths around his knuckles and then puts the gloves on. He picks up the suitcase once more and slowly walks up the stairs until he is out of view.
A lightswitch is flicked and the room goes black.
EXT. A RUN DOWN SLUM - NIGHT
A yellow street light flickers outside a dilapidated building with no lights on.
Light appears out of two windows at the bottom of the building.
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
The man loudly fumbles down the stairs, he is clearly in a hurry.
He is no longer wearing his trenchcoat and does not have his suitcase with him. He is clutching his left arm which is clearly bleeding.
He rushes over to the sink counter and turns a handle. It squeaks and water begins to pour from the faucet. He opens up both bottom drawers of the counter and removes a bottle of vodka from one and a pair of pliers from the other.
He takes a swig of vodka then pours some on the pliers. He reaches into his pants and takes out a lighter. He holds a flame under the pliers and rotates them over the flame for a few seconds.
The man takes the pliers to his left arm, shoves them in a small hole and removes a bullet. The man grimmaces and then drops the bullet in the sink.
He opens up the medicine cabinet and removes some gauze. He wraps his arm up and tears it off. He puts the gauze back and takes a handful of pills from one of the bottles. He throws them all back into his mouth and takes another swig of vodka. The man closes the medicine cabinet.
He washes his hands briefly and wipes his face. He turns the faucet off.
He walks over to the bed and takes off his vest, necklace, and shoes, leaving them all on the floor.
The man looks around the room then walks to the hanging light. He reaches into his pants pocket and removes a roll of money bound together with a rubberband. He looks at it and gives a short, tired laugh. He throws the money onto the table.
The man reaches up and grabs the light. He turns the bulb until the room goes black.
A few footsteps are heard. The man gives a loud sigh and then the matress springs make some brief noise.
FaDE OUT.
THE END
INT. BASEMENT - DUSK
A pair of hands come up from a sink basin, the water cloudy.
The hands slowly massage THE MAN's face, eventually wiping the water way when he moves them down.
The man looks apathetic and tired, slight wrinkles have begun to form on his forehead and his eyes are drawn in surrounded by dark circles.
He appears again, although very distorted. He looks at himself in a grimy, tarnished mirror, the front of a medicine cabinet.
He reaches out and opens the medicine cabinet. There are several bottles of pills, many of which are empty, a few rolls of gauze, a case of band aids, a razor, a stick of deodorant, a tooth brush, a tube of toothpaste and nothing else.
His hand reaches for a bottle of pills, he takes a few, puts the bottle back and closes the cabinet.
Looking at himself again, he throws the pills into the back of his throat and swallows.
WIDE ON BASEMENT
The room is dimly lit by one lightbulb hanging down by a wire in the center of the room. There are only two windows in the room, both very small, at the top of the exterior wall. The windows are both covered in scum and can not be looked through.
It is a small room with only a few objects - a counter with a sink and faucet, six drawers and the medicine cabinet above. There is a twin sized bed with one pillow and one sheet, both are gray. Near the middle of the room is a table with a single chair. Against the wall is a cabinent and in the corner is a stair well leading upstairs.
A car speeds by outside, the noise muffled. Two more cars speed by with sirens blaring. Several gunshots are heard until they are out of hearing range.
The man is unfazed by this. He reaches into a drawer in the sink counter and removes two white pieces of cloth, they are both a little dirty and have a few stains. He also takes out 2 black leather, fingertipless gloves and places them on the counter by the strips of cloth.
The man walks over to the table. On the chair is a black vest. He puts it on over his faded white t-shirt and tucks a necklace behind his shirt, holding it by the pendant so that it is unclear what it is. He zips up the vest and then grabs the suitcase on the table.
He walks over to the bed, puts the suitcase down on the matress and picks up a long, heavy, trenchcoat. He puts this on as well, straightens it out and grabs the suitcase again.
The man now walks back to the sink counter. He ties the white cloths around his knuckles and then puts the gloves on. He picks up the suitcase once more and slowly walks up the stairs until he is out of view.
A lightswitch is flicked and the room goes black.
EXT. A RUN DOWN SLUM - NIGHT
A yellow street light flickers outside a dilapidated building with no lights on.
Light appears out of two windows at the bottom of the building.
INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT
The man loudly fumbles down the stairs, he is clearly in a hurry.
He is no longer wearing his trenchcoat and does not have his suitcase with him. He is clutching his left arm which is clearly bleeding.
He rushes over to the sink counter and turns a handle. It squeaks and water begins to pour from the faucet. He opens up both bottom drawers of the counter and removes a bottle of vodka from one and a pair of pliers from the other.
He takes a swig of vodka then pours some on the pliers. He reaches into his pants and takes out a lighter. He holds a flame under the pliers and rotates them over the flame for a few seconds.
The man takes the pliers to his left arm, shoves them in a small hole and removes a bullet. The man grimmaces and then drops the bullet in the sink.
He opens up the medicine cabinet and removes some gauze. He wraps his arm up and tears it off. He puts the gauze back and takes a handful of pills from one of the bottles. He throws them all back into his mouth and takes another swig of vodka. The man closes the medicine cabinet.
He washes his hands briefly and wipes his face. He turns the faucet off.
He walks over to the bed and takes off his vest, necklace, and shoes, leaving them all on the floor.
The man looks around the room then walks to the hanging light. He reaches into his pants pocket and removes a roll of money bound together with a rubberband. He looks at it and gives a short, tired laugh. He throws the money onto the table.
The man reaches up and grabs the light. He turns the bulb until the room goes black.
A few footsteps are heard. The man gives a loud sigh and then the matress springs make some brief noise.
FaDE OUT.
THE END
Character Biography: Joe Vidor
Character Biography
1. Joe Vidor
2. The Caveman
3. Male
4. 19 years old.
12. Joe's home life was pretty boring and stable. Both his parents worked and they had a decent income. When Joe was 12, his parents divorced and he was forced to split time between their houses. His parents were fine, they did take care of him, but for the most part stayed out of his life and let him be. Joe has one older brother, the two of them are almost complete opposites when it comes to many aspects of their lives. They fought excessively until they were about 13 and 16 years old, now they get along just fine, but still don't talk very often.
13. Joe went through elementary, middle and high school with no troubles at all. He excelled at academics but never really got involved with any extra-curricular activities or sports. Joe applied to 5 colleges and was accepted to all of them, even with his lack of extra-curriculars or interests. Joe is doing pretty well in college, has a 3.3 GPA and for the most part never struggles, though some classes do present him with quite the challenge.
14. Joe likes his parents and sibling. He wishes them no ill-will and does care about them. However, he still won't call them, almost ever. He is not exactly attached to them, nor is he to anyone. If his parents or brother call him, they will have a 2 to 20 minute conversation, depending on how long it has been since they last talked, with 3+ weeks being 20 minutes and 5 days being 2-8 minutes.
15. A collection of Christmas eve/ morning memories from when Joe was about 10-16 are the best of his childhood memories. He can't really remember a whole lot about his childhood, as nothing particularly good stands out.
16. Joe's worst childhood memory was coming back to his dad's house after half a week at his mother's to find his aging cat dead on the floor. For a few seconds he just thought he was sleeping, but soon the reality took hold.
17. Joe lives on a college campus, in a fair sized building. He has a single room and doesn't really interact with the others on his floor all that often.
18. Joe goes to college, he studies mathematics and languages for the most part.
19. Joe is taking 18 credits this semester, an increase from last year's 16, and the two extra credit hours are providing him with quite a bit more school work than he is accustomed to. It is a good thing he doesn't keep a job during the school year as he probably wouldn't have a whole lot of time to fit in both school work and job work and still have a minimal amount of time to himself. His schedule is a bit hectic and he doesn't get much of a break during the week.
20. Joe is pretty indifferent to most people. He doesn't not get along with anyone, but this even-ness means that his doesn't really have a clique and no close group of friends. Joe sees his classmates, they are his classmates, he goes to class with them. Over the course of a semester, Joe will get 'closer' to one to three/four of them.
21. Joe has no idea what others think about him. He doesn't ask, they don't tell, for the most part. A few of the people that know Joe better than most say he is hilarious, but Joe usually disagrees with this.
22. Joe has no place in the community. He leads no one, he follows no one. He is alone. Historically, Joe has not been a member of any clubs, but recently he has decided to join one, as it is based on a topic he is actually interested in. Joe is a registered Democrat and extreme atheist.
23. Joe does not have a significant other. He doesn't even have an other.
24. There aren't very many important people in Joe's life, he could count them on one hand, with the extended edition requiring two hands. His parents, his brother, a select few other relatives, and one or two people he knew from years ago. Joe doesn't really have a best friend, but there's about 3 people who could vie for this spot, if he actually spent any time with them. He has no mentors but does respect and admire the intelligence of some peers and professors. He has no adversary; Joe is too even-keel and can get along with anyone(mostly.)
25. Joe is not religious at all, to the point where he hates religion, zealously. If he could bring about an end to religion world wide, he would.
26. Joe likes baseball, hockey, watching movies, listening to music and playing video games. He is not into pop culture / hip things, or fads.
27. Joe has a pet cat. She is very small and playful. Bizzle, as he calls her, is a bulls-eye tabby with a great personality and can be quite feisty. She can be picked up with one hand with no problem and is fine with being worn around the back of the neck. A very trusting cat and Joe cares for her more than most people; she is the one thing he misses from home.
28. Joe hates himself. He doesn't like his looks, but sometimes finds them to be quite interesting. Joe is very insecure and has 0 self-confidence /esteem. He often jokes that he is bi-polar, but often wonders if that might actually be true. He either has or doesn't have crippling depression, but its most likely the former.
29. Joe is probably something that would be called an 'inextrovert,' taking on characteristics of both introverts and extroverts, but leaning more towards introvert. He is very shy and not outgoing at all. He doesn't like crowds and is uncomfortable around people. This discomfort lessens as he gets to know the people, but usually still remains in part. He doesn't really care about his feelings, you could say what ever you want about him and chances are, it wouldn't bother him. One can not effectively make fun of him because Joe just doesn't care.
30. Joe is very easy going and extremely pessimistic. He is the definition of apathy.
31. Joe does indeed have a sense of humor, however it is very different than most people's. His sense of humor encompass a wide range of attributes; it can be dry, sarcastic, inane, insane, intelligent, dirty, cynical and confusing. Often times when he is joking around, people will have no idea what he is talking about. Sometimes he will explain, others he will not.
32. Yes, Joe has been in love, even though I've called him the least capable of love.
37. Joe is not happy with his current life. His social life is un-fulfilling and lacking and he wishes he had done more things -anything- up to this point in his life. His childhood and adolescence left him unsatisfied.
38. Joe would like to be in a log cabin up on a snowy mountain.
39. Joe fears rejection and failure more than anything. He's not too fond of hornets either.
40. Since Joe has done nothing in/with his life, has hasn't really experienced anything scary.
42. Joe's most precious belonging is his computer. He uses it every day and would be lost without it.
–
43. Joe wants to be left alone.
44. Joe needs a girlfriend.
--
Yes, the numbers don't make entirely too much sense. GTFO.
1. Joe Vidor
2. The Caveman
3. Male
4. 19 years old.
12. Joe's home life was pretty boring and stable. Both his parents worked and they had a decent income. When Joe was 12, his parents divorced and he was forced to split time between their houses. His parents were fine, they did take care of him, but for the most part stayed out of his life and let him be. Joe has one older brother, the two of them are almost complete opposites when it comes to many aspects of their lives. They fought excessively until they were about 13 and 16 years old, now they get along just fine, but still don't talk very often.
13. Joe went through elementary, middle and high school with no troubles at all. He excelled at academics but never really got involved with any extra-curricular activities or sports. Joe applied to 5 colleges and was accepted to all of them, even with his lack of extra-curriculars or interests. Joe is doing pretty well in college, has a 3.3 GPA and for the most part never struggles, though some classes do present him with quite the challenge.
14. Joe likes his parents and sibling. He wishes them no ill-will and does care about them. However, he still won't call them, almost ever. He is not exactly attached to them, nor is he to anyone. If his parents or brother call him, they will have a 2 to 20 minute conversation, depending on how long it has been since they last talked, with 3+ weeks being 20 minutes and 5 days being 2-8 minutes.
15. A collection of Christmas eve/ morning memories from when Joe was about 10-16 are the best of his childhood memories. He can't really remember a whole lot about his childhood, as nothing particularly good stands out.
16. Joe's worst childhood memory was coming back to his dad's house after half a week at his mother's to find his aging cat dead on the floor. For a few seconds he just thought he was sleeping, but soon the reality took hold.
17. Joe lives on a college campus, in a fair sized building. He has a single room and doesn't really interact with the others on his floor all that often.
18. Joe goes to college, he studies mathematics and languages for the most part.
19. Joe is taking 18 credits this semester, an increase from last year's 16, and the two extra credit hours are providing him with quite a bit more school work than he is accustomed to. It is a good thing he doesn't keep a job during the school year as he probably wouldn't have a whole lot of time to fit in both school work and job work and still have a minimal amount of time to himself. His schedule is a bit hectic and he doesn't get much of a break during the week.
20. Joe is pretty indifferent to most people. He doesn't not get along with anyone, but this even-ness means that his doesn't really have a clique and no close group of friends. Joe sees his classmates, they are his classmates, he goes to class with them. Over the course of a semester, Joe will get 'closer' to one to three/four of them.
21. Joe has no idea what others think about him. He doesn't ask, they don't tell, for the most part. A few of the people that know Joe better than most say he is hilarious, but Joe usually disagrees with this.
22. Joe has no place in the community. He leads no one, he follows no one. He is alone. Historically, Joe has not been a member of any clubs, but recently he has decided to join one, as it is based on a topic he is actually interested in. Joe is a registered Democrat and extreme atheist.
23. Joe does not have a significant other. He doesn't even have an other.
24. There aren't very many important people in Joe's life, he could count them on one hand, with the extended edition requiring two hands. His parents, his brother, a select few other relatives, and one or two people he knew from years ago. Joe doesn't really have a best friend, but there's about 3 people who could vie for this spot, if he actually spent any time with them. He has no mentors but does respect and admire the intelligence of some peers and professors. He has no adversary; Joe is too even-keel and can get along with anyone(mostly.)
25. Joe is not religious at all, to the point where he hates religion, zealously. If he could bring about an end to religion world wide, he would.
26. Joe likes baseball, hockey, watching movies, listening to music and playing video games. He is not into pop culture / hip things, or fads.
27. Joe has a pet cat. She is very small and playful. Bizzle, as he calls her, is a bulls-eye tabby with a great personality and can be quite feisty. She can be picked up with one hand with no problem and is fine with being worn around the back of the neck. A very trusting cat and Joe cares for her more than most people; she is the one thing he misses from home.
28. Joe hates himself. He doesn't like his looks, but sometimes finds them to be quite interesting. Joe is very insecure and has 0 self-confidence /esteem. He often jokes that he is bi-polar, but often wonders if that might actually be true. He either has or doesn't have crippling depression, but its most likely the former.
29. Joe is probably something that would be called an 'inextrovert,' taking on characteristics of both introverts and extroverts, but leaning more towards introvert. He is very shy and not outgoing at all. He doesn't like crowds and is uncomfortable around people. This discomfort lessens as he gets to know the people, but usually still remains in part. He doesn't really care about his feelings, you could say what ever you want about him and chances are, it wouldn't bother him. One can not effectively make fun of him because Joe just doesn't care.
30. Joe is very easy going and extremely pessimistic. He is the definition of apathy.
31. Joe does indeed have a sense of humor, however it is very different than most people's. His sense of humor encompass a wide range of attributes; it can be dry, sarcastic, inane, insane, intelligent, dirty, cynical and confusing. Often times when he is joking around, people will have no idea what he is talking about. Sometimes he will explain, others he will not.
32. Yes, Joe has been in love, even though I've called him the least capable of love.
37. Joe is not happy with his current life. His social life is un-fulfilling and lacking and he wishes he had done more things -anything- up to this point in his life. His childhood and adolescence left him unsatisfied.
38. Joe would like to be in a log cabin up on a snowy mountain.
39. Joe fears rejection and failure more than anything. He's not too fond of hornets either.
40. Since Joe has done nothing in/with his life, has hasn't really experienced anything scary.
42. Joe's most precious belonging is his computer. He uses it every day and would be lost without it.
–
43. Joe wants to be left alone.
44. Joe needs a girlfriend.
--
Yes, the numbers don't make entirely too much sense. GTFO.
Monday, October 5, 2009
A Monolouge.
INT. DINING HALL - NIGHT
Two college students sit next to each other at a table
eating their dinners. DAVE wears a black sweatshirt and
black pants. JOE wears a T-shirt and some baggy pants.
Joe holds his glass in his right hand and stares straight
ahead.
JOE
And then like every night its loud
yelling and bad music. Damn
teenagers and their parties. Ya
know, I wouldn’t mind so much if it
weren’t for all the damn noise. I’m
very sensitive to noise, as I am to
light. I can hear my father’s watch
ticking from 10 feet away. But its
odd, he’ll start talking to me and
I’ll have no idea what he’s saying.
Talked to my mom the other day and
apparently I’ve had some sort of
problem with processing noises
since I was a child. That’s
unfortunate. And you know what
else? The inside of my right ear is
disfigured, mal-formed really. Go
put your thumbs in your ears, with
the uh.. palm portion - the feely
side- facing up. Notice that
vertical line? I mean, horizontal
line, wow. Anyways, its supposed to
be a straight line. And with my
left ear it is, but the right one,
that one has a 90 degree angle.
Like, what the hell. That’s not
right. And it makes using ear buds
impossible with this ear. Then
again, they don’t much like the
other ear either but hey. Then
there was this one time last year,
some guy in my class wanted to show
me something on his phone. It was
called like sound grenade. And
apparently he activated it. I
didn’t even realize. He was talking
about how annoying it was and how
(MORE)
2.
JOE (cont’d)
that was a sure fire way to clear
people out at a party. I just
looked at him confusedly. Is that a
word? Then the guy next to us says
to turn the damn thing off,
because, as he had said earlier,
its so damn annoying. He turned it
off. I noticed no difference.
Apparently this sound grenade thing
plays a frequency that just
irritates everyone in the area. And
my ears don’t pick it up. Again,
unfortunate, but you know what, is
it really? This is thee sound to
piss people off and I’m immune. Not
really sure what the reason is,
perhaps I’ve heard too many saw
blades in my time. Eh whatever, so
I’m like both glad and disheartened
by this recent revelation. What
other sounds can I not pick up?
Can’t help but think this is
related to why I can’t ever
understand what the hell my dad is
saying. Or maybe he’s just fucking
with me, cuz I don’t exactly speak
the clearest... as I’m sure you’re
aware... I’ve never been much of a
talker, and I got no idea how you
got me speaking like this, all run
on and what not, that’s usually
reserved for my online a-postin’.
Which I have linked back to my lack
of talking in the real world- gotta
vent someplace, I guess. Mom says I
gotta talk more, but um, yea. I
don’t think so. It’s not my
personality. Never has been,
probably never will be. Can’t
change a man’s personality, its who
he is, so unless I go through some
sort of mid-life crisis type thing,
I don’t see that happenin’.
Joe takes a sip from his glass.
Dave’s eyes are wide-open and his mouth agape. He stares at
Joe in awe.
JOE
Anyways, where were we? Somethin’
about talking... Oh yeah, this uh,
(MORE)
3.
JOE (cont’d)
what we’re doing here, don’t happen
a lot for me. And the other day I
was talking to two people at once.
That’s a big step for me. Two
people’s like a group or something.
This one-on-one is like a uh..a.. a
duo, and that’s how most of my
conversations are. So yeah, two
people. Big step up. And we talked
for like an hour too! Sure, I felt
somewhat uncomfortable several
times during it, but I had nothing
better to do. Was probably just
gunna go watch a movie. Truth is I
probably shoulda been doing some
homework, but I wasn’t feeling it.
Joe drinks from his glass.
DAVE
You need to do stand-up.
Joe chuckles softly for a second and sighs.
JOE
I...I don’t think so.
I wonder how the format will end up.
Two college students sit next to each other at a table
eating their dinners. DAVE wears a black sweatshirt and
black pants. JOE wears a T-shirt and some baggy pants.
Joe holds his glass in his right hand and stares straight
ahead.
JOE
And then like every night its loud
yelling and bad music. Damn
teenagers and their parties. Ya
know, I wouldn’t mind so much if it
weren’t for all the damn noise. I’m
very sensitive to noise, as I am to
light. I can hear my father’s watch
ticking from 10 feet away. But its
odd, he’ll start talking to me and
I’ll have no idea what he’s saying.
Talked to my mom the other day and
apparently I’ve had some sort of
problem with processing noises
since I was a child. That’s
unfortunate. And you know what
else? The inside of my right ear is
disfigured, mal-formed really. Go
put your thumbs in your ears, with
the uh.. palm portion - the feely
side- facing up. Notice that
vertical line? I mean, horizontal
line, wow. Anyways, its supposed to
be a straight line. And with my
left ear it is, but the right one,
that one has a 90 degree angle.
Like, what the hell. That’s not
right. And it makes using ear buds
impossible with this ear. Then
again, they don’t much like the
other ear either but hey. Then
there was this one time last year,
some guy in my class wanted to show
me something on his phone. It was
called like sound grenade. And
apparently he activated it. I
didn’t even realize. He was talking
about how annoying it was and how
(MORE)
2.
JOE (cont’d)
that was a sure fire way to clear
people out at a party. I just
looked at him confusedly. Is that a
word? Then the guy next to us says
to turn the damn thing off,
because, as he had said earlier,
its so damn annoying. He turned it
off. I noticed no difference.
Apparently this sound grenade thing
plays a frequency that just
irritates everyone in the area. And
my ears don’t pick it up. Again,
unfortunate, but you know what, is
it really? This is thee sound to
piss people off and I’m immune. Not
really sure what the reason is,
perhaps I’ve heard too many saw
blades in my time. Eh whatever, so
I’m like both glad and disheartened
by this recent revelation. What
other sounds can I not pick up?
Can’t help but think this is
related to why I can’t ever
understand what the hell my dad is
saying. Or maybe he’s just fucking
with me, cuz I don’t exactly speak
the clearest... as I’m sure you’re
aware... I’ve never been much of a
talker, and I got no idea how you
got me speaking like this, all run
on and what not, that’s usually
reserved for my online a-postin’.
Which I have linked back to my lack
of talking in the real world- gotta
vent someplace, I guess. Mom says I
gotta talk more, but um, yea. I
don’t think so. It’s not my
personality. Never has been,
probably never will be. Can’t
change a man’s personality, its who
he is, so unless I go through some
sort of mid-life crisis type thing,
I don’t see that happenin’.
Joe takes a sip from his glass.
Dave’s eyes are wide-open and his mouth agape. He stares at
Joe in awe.
JOE
Anyways, where were we? Somethin’
about talking... Oh yeah, this uh,
(MORE)
3.
JOE (cont’d)
what we’re doing here, don’t happen
a lot for me. And the other day I
was talking to two people at once.
That’s a big step for me. Two
people’s like a group or something.
This one-on-one is like a uh..a.. a
duo, and that’s how most of my
conversations are. So yeah, two
people. Big step up. And we talked
for like an hour too! Sure, I felt
somewhat uncomfortable several
times during it, but I had nothing
better to do. Was probably just
gunna go watch a movie. Truth is I
probably shoulda been doing some
homework, but I wasn’t feeling it.
Joe drinks from his glass.
DAVE
You need to do stand-up.
Joe chuckles softly for a second and sighs.
JOE
I...I don’t think so.
I wonder how the format will end up.
So, just a let you know.
Hi. Its been awhile hasn't it, my friends?
Since I'm doing no direct video game stuff atm, but rather things related to .. things i needed for the major that never was, I'll post it. Its like stories and scripts and what not. yay.
(You can tell he is filled with tremendous self-loathing.)
Since I'm doing no direct video game stuff atm, but rather things related to .. things i needed for the major that never was, I'll post it. Its like stories and scripts and what not. yay.
(You can tell he is filled with tremendous self-loathing.)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Turning Killonw into a Board Game
Well for starters, the transition from video game to board game would see the loss of the F in FPS - really hard to make a flat overhead board something to look as if its playing out in front of you through your eyes. However the mechanics could still stay - shoot things they die, get shot too much, you die. The board game would most likely have to be just one level as compared to the multiple levels in the video game, althought they could have a few levels ...of story mode presented on one board- it would be difficult and the game would be long. Killzone is also primarily a one person game, and that is fine... as long as there is something to do/fight against. One person has not no problem having fun as long as there is a computer on the other end to control his enemies and the gameplay. In a board game, there is no computer, no nothing to control what happens and the enemies movements, so it would be very, very boring. Most likely, a board game version would have to be a battle grounds type thing, where 2 players each pick a side and go at it on cardboard. Each person would have have a handful of figurines/men to control, and die would control their movement on the board and/or their shooting ability. Health would be based on a pre established mechanic, something like 3 hits and that guy is dead. The player with any remaining soldiers once the other's are dead is the winner. Card pickups could be used toe determine what weapons a player has and how much ammo..
That's pretty much it.
That's pretty much it.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
What Could Have Killed The Zone.
Things that could have been better in Killzone.
------
There could be a few more maps. The ones in the game are great, but it could have used a few more.. maybe like 150% of its amount.
The same could be said for weapons, though they did cover a lot of the basic gun types, there's only a few handfuls of weapons and they aren't all that creative - bullets, grenades and rockets...
Sometimes the frame rate slows down /game slows down during some of the more intensive things in the game (when a lot is going on) and a slower running game is never good, especially for a fast-paced first person shooter. Occasional frame skips are annoying.
When you pause the game, it takes a few seconds for any sort of menu screen or anything to show up, rather, it just freezes the game where it was for a bit. I do not like this part, as it can sometimes trick you for a half second as to wheter or not you paused the game. Upon unpausing, it takes a lil' longer than it should for the game to return to the play mode.
------
There could be a few more maps. The ones in the game are great, but it could have used a few more.. maybe like 150% of its amount.
The same could be said for weapons, though they did cover a lot of the basic gun types, there's only a few handfuls of weapons and they aren't all that creative - bullets, grenades and rockets...
Sometimes the frame rate slows down /game slows down during some of the more intensive things in the game (when a lot is going on) and a slower running game is never good, especially for a fast-paced first person shooter. Occasional frame skips are annoying.
When you pause the game, it takes a few seconds for any sort of menu screen or anything to show up, rather, it just freezes the game where it was for a bit. I do not like this part, as it can sometimes trick you for a half second as to wheter or not you paused the game. Upon unpausing, it takes a lil' longer than it should for the game to return to the play mode.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Things that went well in the Zone.
The Sound- each weapon makes a unique noise, some of the are quite memorable, particularly the shotgun. The explosions and gun shots heard in the background give the game the feel that you’re in a battle zone.
The Simplicity- there are no complex puzzles or overly annoying challenges, which is great for a fps – it’s a no strings attached, get what you expect shoot ‘em up.
The Game-play and mechanics- several short/mid-length missions, can change the difficultly level and it has a clear affect. The pros and cons to each playable character adds a deeper level to the game – your choice can make a difference. You can only carry three weapons at a time and only so much ammo for each, which is much more realistic than games where you can haul around 12 massive guns with incredible amounts of ammo for each.
The look and feel- there are several maps, many of which look different / have different themes – snowy-cold places, jungles, sandy-hot places, urban areas (streets and buildings), a space station. The dirt and dusk clouds add a lot to the atmosphere, give it the feel of being in a war zone.
The Simplicity- there are no complex puzzles or overly annoying challenges, which is great for a fps – it’s a no strings attached, get what you expect shoot ‘em up.
The Game-play and mechanics- several short/mid-length missions, can change the difficultly level and it has a clear affect. The pros and cons to each playable character adds a deeper level to the game – your choice can make a difference. You can only carry three weapons at a time and only so much ammo for each, which is much more realistic than games where you can haul around 12 massive guns with incredible amounts of ammo for each.
The look and feel- there are several maps, many of which look different / have different themes – snowy-cold places, jungles, sandy-hot places, urban areas (streets and buildings), a space station. The dirt and dusk clouds add a lot to the atmosphere, give it the feel of being in a war zone.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Victory Conditions.
In Killzone, there are essentially three types of playing- Story mode, Battle grounds; offline and online.
For the story mode, the victory conditions are pretty clear, as they are in the others... The player must make their way through each of the levels, avoiding death and accomplishing the mission objectives in the level. When you beat a level, you move on to the next. For three of the levels, beating it unlocks a character for you to play. Once unlocked, you can choose to play any of the characters at the start of a level. The story levels are pretty linear and each one ends the same way no matter what way you take/ the tactics you use. Get through the levels, moving 'up' a level to the next until you run out of levels to beat.
In the Battlegrounds, there are a few ways to win, usually involving points or kill count. The win conditions are related to setting the player chooses, namely amount of kills required to win and time limit. If a player gets the required amount of kills needed to win before the other one, that player wins. If neither player scores enough kills or points to win before the timer runs out, the player with the most amount of kills/points wins.
That's essentially it, KZ is about as straightforward as they come in terms of games. Its victory conditions are the same as any other FPS out there.
For the story mode, the victory conditions are pretty clear, as they are in the others... The player must make their way through each of the levels, avoiding death and accomplishing the mission objectives in the level. When you beat a level, you move on to the next. For three of the levels, beating it unlocks a character for you to play. Once unlocked, you can choose to play any of the characters at the start of a level. The story levels are pretty linear and each one ends the same way no matter what way you take/ the tactics you use. Get through the levels, moving 'up' a level to the next until you run out of levels to beat.
In the Battlegrounds, there are a few ways to win, usually involving points or kill count. The win conditions are related to setting the player chooses, namely amount of kills required to win and time limit. If a player gets the required amount of kills needed to win before the other one, that player wins. If neither player scores enough kills or points to win before the timer runs out, the player with the most amount of kills/points wins.
That's essentially it, KZ is about as straightforward as they come in terms of games. Its victory conditions are the same as any other FPS out there.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sounds of a Killzone
Audio: Creating the Atmosphere.
--
Importance of game audio- Killzone uses the whole range of game audio setting the game in a more believable universe and making it a much more immersive experience than it would be without the sounds it uses. The game takes place in the future, but not so far in the future so it still uses physical guns rather than things like laser blasters and what not. Killzone is also based on war themes, and there is a certain... aura/atmosphere to war... Killzone presents both these things nearly perfectly.
Game audio formats- Killzone is exclusively for the PS2 that came out in 2004. As such, it does not face the limitations of earlier games from the 80’s and the like- no frequency modulation synthesis or module music. However, KZ still made use of beeps, occasionally, however these beeps were used in navigating menus/selecting menu buttons. Still, the PS2, according to Joris de Man, KZ’s composer, the PS2 doesn’t have much memory, so he had to make/use small sounds that still worked well. Killzone features Dolby Pro Logic II technology.
--
--
Sound effects- the things that basically put you ~into~ the game. They can make a world of difference in a game when used well compared to when not used well or at all. One of the main aspects of the sound effects was their use in weaponry. Every gun has its own sound- for shooting and reloading. There are also the sounds of stomping… the rushing of feet, it could be your own, or it could be an enemy’s! This would provide some warning so that you could prepare yourself to end the foe while minimizing the damage you would take.
When playing a game, its hard to know what is behind the audio other than what you hear, so I did some research on this and apparently, the biggest innovation in game audio is the stapler, according to de Man at least. I have an odd, tiny black bump on my arm. It’s been there awhile. De Man goes onto talk about the stapler more and foley:
Voiceovers- There is only a handful of characters in Killzone who get dialogue, and only a few of them get any sort of real speaker-time. The dialogue consists of the four main characters, 2 human generals, and 2 Helghans, with the occasional peon getting a line or two in the cut scenes. During game play, there is also voice acting, with people on both lines throwing out one liners once in awhile. My favorite one-liner is from Hakha, who will occasionally say after a particularly cruel or gory kill, “nasty! But effective!” This would often be heard when sneaking up on someone and cutting their throat with a knife.. or some other knife related kill. Regular soldiers on both the human and helghast sides also talk it up, and the composer, de Man, revealed that “We also used an intern for helping us edit the myriad of in-game voices.” The audio department on the game was very small, essentially consisting of de Man by himself for the majority of the project, and eventually a colleague, along with that one intern.
Music- In the Dolby- Joris de Man interview about audio, there was a small bit that perfectly described and revealed the nature and use of music in KZ:
----
It is pretty clear that the music in KZ was designed to warn the player, pump them up and heighten the thrill. Their resources were not wasted, and besides, as an FPS, the player would eventually tune any music-music out and focus on what they were doing, being careful not to get spotted, expose themselves or do some other stupid move that could get them killed in a music beat.
Looping music and Adaptive music- For relevance to Killzone, these two areas are best explained by de Man in the segment of interview directly before this. – The game does not use much song-music, but rather focuses on aural / atmosphere music that adapts to in game conditions to tell the player what is going on and set the feel for the situation.
Game vs. Film scoring-
Once again, a segment of Dolby – de Man interview can sum up how KZ and its music/composer relate to game audio..:
--
Some content of today’s post provided by
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/games/interview_04.html
(Interview with Joris de Man, Sound Designer for Guerrilla, the Developer of Killzone)
My laptop is still not up to speed…
I have come across this link to a trailer… for Duke Nukem. I thought it thoroughly illustrated what fail is - in all aspects, including sound, but particularly video/image.
http://kotaku.com/5026127/duke-nukem-trilogy-trailer-takes-the-cake
--
Importance of game audio- Killzone uses the whole range of game audio setting the game in a more believable universe and making it a much more immersive experience than it would be without the sounds it uses. The game takes place in the future, but not so far in the future so it still uses physical guns rather than things like laser blasters and what not. Killzone is also based on war themes, and there is a certain... aura/atmosphere to war... Killzone presents both these things nearly perfectly.
Game audio formats- Killzone is exclusively for the PS2 that came out in 2004. As such, it does not face the limitations of earlier games from the 80’s and the like- no frequency modulation synthesis or module music. However, KZ still made use of beeps, occasionally, however these beeps were used in navigating menus/selecting menu buttons. Still, the PS2, according to Joris de Man, KZ’s composer, the PS2 doesn’t have much memory, so he had to make/use small sounds that still worked well. Killzone features Dolby Pro Logic II technology.
--
“de Man: Dolby was very helpful to us and once we got the SDK (Software Developers Kit) we had it implemented in days. I couldn't believe the difference it made. They'd also sent us a surround setup so we could try it out straight away. A decision was made shortly after that we were going to support it all the way—not just in-game but also in the cutscenes and music mixes.
Dolby: What has been your favorite game in terms of the audio you've created?
de Man: Again, Killzone. It has really been a dream project come true. The game has a very strong visual design that is futuristic yet not sci-fi, very gritty and hard-edged. During the game I really wanted to immerse the player in sounds of a battlefield, with bullets whizzing past his or her head, screams in the distance, explosions, etc. Dolby® Pro Logic® II is perfect for delivering that. We encoded premixed ambiences which were mixed in Quad to Pro Logic II as background ambience, while the game sound effects themselves are real time, panned by the Dolby SDK. The combination of those two makes for a very immersive experience.
Dolby: Could you describe how audio is so important in Killzone?
de Man: The audio functions as aural cues for the player, so they know who is shooting at them from where, which would have been much more difficult without surround sound. Apart from that, I had the opportunity to work with two live orchestras for the soundtrack, which was amazing and very satisfying. With one I recorded the main titles (a few years earlier, which we used in the pitch for Sony) and the other for all the cutscene music earlier this year.
I'm very pleased with the way the game sounds. It features a lot of weapons with very detailed reloading animations and I spent a lot of time making them sound real and beefy. I also created "headwhizzes," which are little bullet trail sounds, which work beautifully in surround. Each time a bullet flies past the player close to his head you'll hear it whizzing past. This also serves as a signal to the player that the enemy is getting too close!”
--
Sound effects- the things that basically put you ~into~ the game. They can make a world of difference in a game when used well compared to when not used well or at all. One of the main aspects of the sound effects was their use in weaponry. Every gun has its own sound- for shooting and reloading. There are also the sounds of stomping… the rushing of feet, it could be your own, or it could be an enemy’s! This would provide some warning so that you could prepare yourself to end the foe while minimizing the damage you would take.
When playing a game, its hard to know what is behind the audio other than what you hear, so I did some research on this and apparently, the biggest innovation in game audio is the stapler, according to de Man at least. I have an odd, tiny black bump on my arm. It’s been there awhile. De Man goes onto talk about the stapler more and foley:
“In a search for objects to use for foleying, I came across this office stapler that had some nice mechanical sounds. People at Guerrilla often see me wandering about the building tapping or hitting things to see if they could be useful somehow soundwise.
Anyway, the stapler sounds ended up being used for the reloading of the grenade launcher. Holland has strict weapon laws, which meant I would never get close to recording a real one.
A few game magazines got hold of that story and since have reported that all the weapon sounds in the game are made with various staplers!”
Voiceovers- There is only a handful of characters in Killzone who get dialogue, and only a few of them get any sort of real speaker-time. The dialogue consists of the four main characters, 2 human generals, and 2 Helghans, with the occasional peon getting a line or two in the cut scenes. During game play, there is also voice acting, with people on both lines throwing out one liners once in awhile. My favorite one-liner is from Hakha, who will occasionally say after a particularly cruel or gory kill, “nasty! But effective!” This would often be heard when sneaking up on someone and cutting their throat with a knife.. or some other knife related kill. Regular soldiers on both the human and helghast sides also talk it up, and the composer, de Man, revealed that “We also used an intern for helping us edit the myriad of in-game voices.” The audio department on the game was very small, essentially consisting of de Man by himself for the majority of the project, and eventually a colleague, along with that one intern.
Music- In the Dolby- Joris de Man interview about audio, there was a small bit that perfectly described and revealed the nature and use of music in KZ:
Dolby: The music in Killzone is played by a real orchestra, so you obviously put a lot of love into it. Still, in many instances of the game the music is conspicuous for its absence and the audio world is populated only by beautifully crafted soundscapes that communicate the mood of the game extremely well. What made you decide whether to use full-on music or only soundscapes in Killzone?
de Man: It was a technical decision; during the game we wanted the player to rely on aural cues of the environment, and be immersed in the battle ambiences. In order for those to be high quality we had to stream them from disc. Each level in Killzone has four different ambiences which were all mixed in Pro Logic II. However, since the game is also streaming level data at the same time this meant there was no room for music.
Instead, I decided to employ the music during the storytelling, which is the cutscenes, and the menus. In general I think it is better to not have too much music during game play anyway, as it can distract the player too much, especially if he or she needs to rely on aural cues.
At the end of the day I'd rather have people say "lovely music, wish there was more" than flip through the audio options to turn it the hell off!
----
It is pretty clear that the music in KZ was designed to warn the player, pump them up and heighten the thrill. Their resources were not wasted, and besides, as an FPS, the player would eventually tune any music-music out and focus on what they were doing, being careful not to get spotted, expose themselves or do some other stupid move that could get them killed in a music beat.
Looping music and Adaptive music- For relevance to Killzone, these two areas are best explained by de Man in the segment of interview directly before this. – The game does not use much song-music, but rather focuses on aural / atmosphere music that adapts to in game conditions to tell the player what is going on and set the feel for the situation.
Game vs. Film scoring-
Once again, a segment of Dolby – de Man interview can sum up how KZ and its music/composer relate to game audio..:
“Dolby: What sort of problems have you faced when laying down tracks and mixing for games?
de Man: ~~The biggest issue with game sound is that it is a non-linear format. You can't predict exactly what is going to happen, so the game in effect mixes itself during play, and you have to be more careful with the individual sounds.~~ Our biggest problem on Killzone was memory—the PlayStation® 2 just doesn't have that much of it—so the trick is to make small sounds that still work well.
Dolby: Do you think audio is taken seriously enough in the gaming community?
de Man: These days, certainly. I think people are finally realizing that the days of "bleep bleep" are long gone and that you can have near movie-like quality audio in-game. Surround only reinforces that.
Dolby: How do you envisage audio changing and developing—do you think it will go down the track of background music and soundtracks like films, or become an integral part of game play (for example, invisible enemies only identifiable by sound)? Or both?
de Man: I think both. I think we've barely scratched the surface of what is possible with, for instance, interactive music in games. The hardware is getting better and better as well, supporting all sorts of surround formats from the get-go.
Knowing what we are working on ourselves, I think what you'll find is that a lot more processes that would normally happen off-line in a mix (reverb, effects such as flanging/chorus, voice processing) will be feasible in real time on the next-gen. platforms.
…
Dolby: Where would you personally like to go from here—what sort of audio do you want to create for games?
de Man: I'm a big fan of movies and really like the production values that Hollywood productions have. That's the kind of quality I'd like to create for games, both music and soundwise—that larger-than-life sound.
Naturally, surround is a big part of that sound, and I'm looking forward to doing more in that format.”
--
Some content of today’s post provided by
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/games/interview_04.html
(Interview with Joris de Man, Sound Designer for Guerrilla, the Developer of Killzone)
My laptop is still not up to speed…
I have come across this link to a trailer… for Duke Nukem. I thought it thoroughly illustrated what fail is - in all aspects, including sound, but particularly video/image.
http://kotaku.com/5026127/duke-nukem-trilogy-trailer-takes-the-cake
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Gameplay and Levels.
Gameplay
--
Gameplay is the choices, challenges, and consequences that players face when playing a game. A game is its gameplay, without it, it’s just a television show.
Victory conditions – how to win: In Killzone, you must kill everyone (in your way at least) that opposes you in each of the various zones(levels) This is the case for the story mode at least. In the Battles modes, there are other types of gameplay/objectives, such as killing a certain amount of foes first and capturing the enemy’s base. In the story mode, once you have beaten each of the individual levels(met the victory condition – not dying and reaching the end of the level as well) you move onto the next level until there are no more levels, at this point the main victory condition has been met (beating all levels).
Loss conditions – There is essentially only one way to lose in Killzone’s story mode, and that is to die. Taking enough damage to get killed is the only way to lose, and this generally happens when you are shot too many times, but an additional way would be by tripping a laser sensor rigged to explosives, or being blown up by other forms of explosives (grenades, rockets).
Interactivity modes – Interactivity is how the game is played in one sense Interactivity modes are who or what you play against or with. In Killzone, the player plays the story mode against the computer and no one else. However, in the battlegrounds area, the player(s) can play with another person, either locally or through the internet, on the same team or against them. You can team up with a person to play against other people or against a computer and can also be grouped with the computer fighting against the computer. So the game features both Player-to-Game and Player-to-Player modes, but lacks Player-to-Developer, at least from what I’ve seen –the game is not constantly updated and doesn’t need to be maintained as an MMORPG does. As for player-to-platform, you use the PS2 controller, to control what is on the television screen. I believe you can use a headset when doing online play to communicate with others.
Game theory – this involves types of conflicts and how players respond to these conflicts.
- Zero-sum - Killzone is predominately a zero-sum game. You compose a side, the enemy composes a side – in the end, only one will win, the other will lose. This goes for the story mode and the battlegrounds mode(with one possible …oh what’s the word.. to the rules.. exception, that’s it.
- Non zero-sum - In some of the battleground mode… modes, you can team up with another person to beat the enemy, so it is still a someone will lose someone will win situation, but you can work together to achieve this goal, as your interests don’t oppose each other’s.
Types of challenges – challenges are often linked together and are related to the game’s genre.
-Explicit – Killzone is an FPS, as such, nearly everything is immediate and intense. You run around the level and when you come across bad guys, engage in a firefight with them until one side is dead. If you survived, you move along until the next battle. Types of enemies vary from level to level and spot to spot so you’re never sure what exactly you’re going to face (unless you have already gone through a spot before).
- Implicit – some implicit challenges in Killzone would be deciding the best course of action to succeed in a level – to engage in a front-on, all-out assault or crawl through the vents picking people off from above while staying concealed… Choosing which character you want for a particular level is also an implicit challenge – sort of – each character has their own advantages and disadvantages.
-Intrinsic and Extrinsic Knowledge – As an FPS, Killzone is a pretty straightforward game that follows the lines of other FPS’s – shoot things. There is however some intrinsic knowledge that the player must pick up while playing the game, such as how certain weapons work. Many weapons have two types of firing modes (the primary and secondary), the only way to find out which does what is to use them. Then there is the case of a particular weapon.. it is not a gun, but rather some manner of laser + GPS tool that you use to select an area that’s of a fair distance away. When you “fire” this weapon, you don’t shoot anything. Within a few seconds however, missiles rain down from the sky on your target… destroying anything in range. It took me a few tries while playing the game to get the kinks and nuts and bolts of this weapon down.
The main piece of extrinsic knowledge used in this game from the outside world is – bullets, grenades, and rockets kill people. Know that and you know how to defeat your foes.
Challenges and goals –
- Advancement- beating a level in Killzone means you go onto the next level, thus advancing through the game to higher and harder levels.
- Conflict- Once again, Killzone is an FPS, combat is one of the key points to its playability. You are on one side, the Helghans are on another- you try to kill them, they try to kill you. There is also non- violent conflict in the game, namely Jan and Luger’s sexual tension + issues relating to that, and Hakha and Rico’s semi-hatred towards each other based on who the other is.
- Capture- One of the Battlegrounds modes involves taking over the enemy’s base or supplies – this is capture in its purest form – taking something while avoiding death.
Balance – balance is crucial to a game, if a game ain’t balanced, no one will want to play it.
- consistent challenges- as you progress through the game, the levels get harder; this keeps it interesting and worth playing from beginning to end.
- lack of stagnation- there is no way, at least that I’ve found, to get stuck in a level without being able to move forward. If this however does happen, its easy enough to just restart the level – they aren’t excessively long so redoing them is not that big of a deal.
- lack of trivial decisions- nothing really pointless to pick in the game—who you want to play, what weapon you’ll use of the ones available, and how you want to go through certain parts of some levels (full-blown assault or stealthy), you choose these things based on your preferences and needs.
- difficulty levels- From the options menu, there is the ability to choose the difficulty level you want to play on, so inexperienced people can succeed and have fun and hardcore players can challenge themselves with hard settings.
Symmetry – the simplest way to balance a game- giving all players the same starting conditions and abilities. In Killzone, the story is not what you would call symmetrical- its you (and possibly up to 3 of the other main characters) against an entire map filled with enemies. You start with one or two weapons and a limited amount of ammo. Good luck!
In the Battlegrounds are, the player can make these choices and set the symmetry or balance to whatever… you select how many NPC’s characters you want on your team, how many characters the computer’s side has, the difficulty of the NPC’s as well as other options such as whether or not friendly fire is on. So you can make each team perfectly balanced, give you and your team a clear advantage, or give the enemy a major advantage (you against 7 difficult-leveled NPCs with no friendly fire).
Dynamic- dynamic balance allows players to interact with the game. In Killzone, this is primarily done through restoration.
-Restoration- the game world is unbalanced and you must restore it. The majority of levels in Killzone are based in Human-controlled areas (the colony of Vetka) which are overrun with invading Helghast soldiers. Your primary task is to eliminate these invaders and restore human control.
Levels
--
Levels are the environments, scenarios, and/or missions in a game.
Structure – levels structure a game into subdivisions, organize progress and enhance gameplay. Killzone is structured in a linear form, with one level leading to the next, starting with the first and ending with the last.
Goal – the goal in Killzone is to progress through the levels by eliminating any foes and reaching the end point of the level that generally ties into the next level. There aren’t a whole lot of side objectives.
Flow – You almost always have to kill the enemies that are in your way, though, I have never tried to run past them to get by. The levels are generally rather linear with the occasional shoot-off in direction possibility, but it is rather easy to figure out where you are supposed to go and how. In some spots there is more than one option for getting by an area, you can take the hallway or the vent shaft, climb a ladder or not. In the end you’ll still get to the same place.
Duration – Levels in Killzone aren’t excessively long nor are they ridiculously short. They find a good mid-ground and a player could do one in a sitting and possibly be satisfied, or do a handful without too much grief. It is also possible, if you are on the more intense side of gaming, to do all the levels in a single sitting, though I wouldn’t advise it. In the Battlegrounds modes, the player can choose the length a level will last, either timewise or points/kills. You can make a mission last 10 minutes or 30 minutes, 50 kills, 100 kills and 500 kills as well as in between.
Availability – Killzone has many levels, both in the story and for the battlegrounds. Once you have beaten a level in the story line, you can go back and redo it as much as you want whenever you want. In the battlegrounds area, you select one of several maps that the play session will be played on. If you decide you don’t like a map, you can quit it and redo the “mission” on another.
Relationship – The levels in Killzone’s story line are all linked to the level before it and after it. For example, one level takes place in a run down part of a city and you navigate through the buildings and streets until you come to a point where you finish the level and start the next, its in the same city, but a different part, that is not as rundown and this part of the city leads to a park that is part of another level. All the levels flow directly into the next. Another set is: military base, space ship, space station- each its own unique level that have a clear organization of events.
Progression – Generally levels in Killzone get harder as you advance through them, though this can also be attributed to the player – someone is good at/likes something while another is better at something else. End levels are clearly harder than starting ones, there are more foes, they have higher armor and health and do more damage to you per hit or are more accurate with their aim.
Time – There is not really time in Killzone other than it moves forward from level to level. You can take as long as you want in a level, it will have no effect on the game- so feel free to grab another drink while your character idles, nothing will change while you are gone (just don’t leave when people are shooting at you.) Levels do not go from day to night, but as levels move on time passes as a way of advancing the story line.
Space – the physical environment of the game. You are always on the ground (even if that ground is in space), so there is no flying you control and thus no problems related to flight.
Perspective and camera – It is an FPS- first person shooter – you get a first person view and nothing else, other than cut scenes which show things from many views (mainly third-person / television show-esque)
Scale – Everything in Killzone is scaled to be a size that is appropriate to what it would be in real life if you saw things through your TV screen. People are a certain size and that size fits buildings the way the person-building ratio works in real life. Weapons on the ground are about the right size one would expect them to be, however ammunition is not, it is scaled up so that is easier to see and grab, the same for health packs, though those I have not really seen in real life as there is no object you can walk over to fill up your health bar, we don’t even have health bars!
Boundaries – Boundaries in Killzone are essentially those in real life. You can not walk through walls, you can not climb up broken ladders, you can not fit into vents that you are wider than, you can not walk on water or float in the air (if you wander off the edge of a giant crane/platform you will fall, and you will likely die.) There is the occasional locked door, but these doors are never unlocked, you just have to find a different way.
Realism – The game isn’t completely realistic in environmental and character graphics, but it is pretty close. It certainly isn’t cartoonish or childish- it has real world like objects and people, so it does display the environment realistically... while not completely or as much as some newer games.
Style – Killzone is rated M. It takes place in a war-torn world; things are gritty, dirty and rundown. There’s haze/dust/fog/gunpowder/dirt floating in various areas and the overall feel is that you are in the middle of a war. An urban, semi-futuristic war, there are billboards and vending machines advertising things (they are generally torn or otherwise beaten to hell), slums, massive amounts of debris everywhere, particularly in city streets and buildings, trenches plowed in the dirt, pools of blood on the ground, and dead bodies lying around. The sensation/vibe is that this is a dark game in a place set in bad times with danger lying around every corner. In other words, it’s great.
--
Gameplay is the choices, challenges, and consequences that players face when playing a game. A game is its gameplay, without it, it’s just a television show.
Victory conditions – how to win: In Killzone, you must kill everyone (in your way at least) that opposes you in each of the various zones(levels) This is the case for the story mode at least. In the Battles modes, there are other types of gameplay/objectives, such as killing a certain amount of foes first and capturing the enemy’s base. In the story mode, once you have beaten each of the individual levels(met the victory condition – not dying and reaching the end of the level as well) you move onto the next level until there are no more levels, at this point the main victory condition has been met (beating all levels).
Loss conditions – There is essentially only one way to lose in Killzone’s story mode, and that is to die. Taking enough damage to get killed is the only way to lose, and this generally happens when you are shot too many times, but an additional way would be by tripping a laser sensor rigged to explosives, or being blown up by other forms of explosives (grenades, rockets).
Interactivity modes – Interactivity is how the game is played in one sense Interactivity modes are who or what you play against or with. In Killzone, the player plays the story mode against the computer and no one else. However, in the battlegrounds area, the player(s) can play with another person, either locally or through the internet, on the same team or against them. You can team up with a person to play against other people or against a computer and can also be grouped with the computer fighting against the computer. So the game features both Player-to-Game and Player-to-Player modes, but lacks Player-to-Developer, at least from what I’ve seen –the game is not constantly updated and doesn’t need to be maintained as an MMORPG does. As for player-to-platform, you use the PS2 controller, to control what is on the television screen. I believe you can use a headset when doing online play to communicate with others.
Game theory – this involves types of conflicts and how players respond to these conflicts.
- Zero-sum - Killzone is predominately a zero-sum game. You compose a side, the enemy composes a side – in the end, only one will win, the other will lose. This goes for the story mode and the battlegrounds mode(with one possible …oh what’s the word.. to the rules.. exception, that’s it.
- Non zero-sum - In some of the battleground mode… modes, you can team up with another person to beat the enemy, so it is still a someone will lose someone will win situation, but you can work together to achieve this goal, as your interests don’t oppose each other’s.
Types of challenges – challenges are often linked together and are related to the game’s genre.
-Explicit – Killzone is an FPS, as such, nearly everything is immediate and intense. You run around the level and when you come across bad guys, engage in a firefight with them until one side is dead. If you survived, you move along until the next battle. Types of enemies vary from level to level and spot to spot so you’re never sure what exactly you’re going to face (unless you have already gone through a spot before).
- Implicit – some implicit challenges in Killzone would be deciding the best course of action to succeed in a level – to engage in a front-on, all-out assault or crawl through the vents picking people off from above while staying concealed… Choosing which character you want for a particular level is also an implicit challenge – sort of – each character has their own advantages and disadvantages.
-Intrinsic and Extrinsic Knowledge – As an FPS, Killzone is a pretty straightforward game that follows the lines of other FPS’s – shoot things. There is however some intrinsic knowledge that the player must pick up while playing the game, such as how certain weapons work. Many weapons have two types of firing modes (the primary and secondary), the only way to find out which does what is to use them. Then there is the case of a particular weapon.. it is not a gun, but rather some manner of laser + GPS tool that you use to select an area that’s of a fair distance away. When you “fire” this weapon, you don’t shoot anything. Within a few seconds however, missiles rain down from the sky on your target… destroying anything in range. It took me a few tries while playing the game to get the kinks and nuts and bolts of this weapon down.
The main piece of extrinsic knowledge used in this game from the outside world is – bullets, grenades, and rockets kill people. Know that and you know how to defeat your foes.
Challenges and goals –
- Advancement- beating a level in Killzone means you go onto the next level, thus advancing through the game to higher and harder levels.
- Conflict- Once again, Killzone is an FPS, combat is one of the key points to its playability. You are on one side, the Helghans are on another- you try to kill them, they try to kill you. There is also non- violent conflict in the game, namely Jan and Luger’s sexual tension + issues relating to that, and Hakha and Rico’s semi-hatred towards each other based on who the other is.
- Capture- One of the Battlegrounds modes involves taking over the enemy’s base or supplies – this is capture in its purest form – taking something while avoiding death.
Balance – balance is crucial to a game, if a game ain’t balanced, no one will want to play it.
- consistent challenges- as you progress through the game, the levels get harder; this keeps it interesting and worth playing from beginning to end.
- lack of stagnation- there is no way, at least that I’ve found, to get stuck in a level without being able to move forward. If this however does happen, its easy enough to just restart the level – they aren’t excessively long so redoing them is not that big of a deal.
- lack of trivial decisions- nothing really pointless to pick in the game—who you want to play, what weapon you’ll use of the ones available, and how you want to go through certain parts of some levels (full-blown assault or stealthy), you choose these things based on your preferences and needs.
- difficulty levels- From the options menu, there is the ability to choose the difficulty level you want to play on, so inexperienced people can succeed and have fun and hardcore players can challenge themselves with hard settings.
Symmetry – the simplest way to balance a game- giving all players the same starting conditions and abilities. In Killzone, the story is not what you would call symmetrical- its you (and possibly up to 3 of the other main characters) against an entire map filled with enemies. You start with one or two weapons and a limited amount of ammo. Good luck!
In the Battlegrounds are, the player can make these choices and set the symmetry or balance to whatever… you select how many NPC’s characters you want on your team, how many characters the computer’s side has, the difficulty of the NPC’s as well as other options such as whether or not friendly fire is on. So you can make each team perfectly balanced, give you and your team a clear advantage, or give the enemy a major advantage (you against 7 difficult-leveled NPCs with no friendly fire).
Dynamic- dynamic balance allows players to interact with the game. In Killzone, this is primarily done through restoration.
-Restoration- the game world is unbalanced and you must restore it. The majority of levels in Killzone are based in Human-controlled areas (the colony of Vetka) which are overrun with invading Helghast soldiers. Your primary task is to eliminate these invaders and restore human control.
Levels
--
Levels are the environments, scenarios, and/or missions in a game.
Structure – levels structure a game into subdivisions, organize progress and enhance gameplay. Killzone is structured in a linear form, with one level leading to the next, starting with the first and ending with the last.
Goal – the goal in Killzone is to progress through the levels by eliminating any foes and reaching the end point of the level that generally ties into the next level. There aren’t a whole lot of side objectives.
Flow – You almost always have to kill the enemies that are in your way, though, I have never tried to run past them to get by. The levels are generally rather linear with the occasional shoot-off in direction possibility, but it is rather easy to figure out where you are supposed to go and how. In some spots there is more than one option for getting by an area, you can take the hallway or the vent shaft, climb a ladder or not. In the end you’ll still get to the same place.
Duration – Levels in Killzone aren’t excessively long nor are they ridiculously short. They find a good mid-ground and a player could do one in a sitting and possibly be satisfied, or do a handful without too much grief. It is also possible, if you are on the more intense side of gaming, to do all the levels in a single sitting, though I wouldn’t advise it. In the Battlegrounds modes, the player can choose the length a level will last, either timewise or points/kills. You can make a mission last 10 minutes or 30 minutes, 50 kills, 100 kills and 500 kills as well as in between.
Availability – Killzone has many levels, both in the story and for the battlegrounds. Once you have beaten a level in the story line, you can go back and redo it as much as you want whenever you want. In the battlegrounds area, you select one of several maps that the play session will be played on. If you decide you don’t like a map, you can quit it and redo the “mission” on another.
Relationship – The levels in Killzone’s story line are all linked to the level before it and after it. For example, one level takes place in a run down part of a city and you navigate through the buildings and streets until you come to a point where you finish the level and start the next, its in the same city, but a different part, that is not as rundown and this part of the city leads to a park that is part of another level. All the levels flow directly into the next. Another set is: military base, space ship, space station- each its own unique level that have a clear organization of events.
Progression – Generally levels in Killzone get harder as you advance through them, though this can also be attributed to the player – someone is good at/likes something while another is better at something else. End levels are clearly harder than starting ones, there are more foes, they have higher armor and health and do more damage to you per hit or are more accurate with their aim.
Time – There is not really time in Killzone other than it moves forward from level to level. You can take as long as you want in a level, it will have no effect on the game- so feel free to grab another drink while your character idles, nothing will change while you are gone (just don’t leave when people are shooting at you.) Levels do not go from day to night, but as levels move on time passes as a way of advancing the story line.
Space – the physical environment of the game. You are always on the ground (even if that ground is in space), so there is no flying you control and thus no problems related to flight.
Perspective and camera – It is an FPS- first person shooter – you get a first person view and nothing else, other than cut scenes which show things from many views (mainly third-person / television show-esque)
Scale – Everything in Killzone is scaled to be a size that is appropriate to what it would be in real life if you saw things through your TV screen. People are a certain size and that size fits buildings the way the person-building ratio works in real life. Weapons on the ground are about the right size one would expect them to be, however ammunition is not, it is scaled up so that is easier to see and grab, the same for health packs, though those I have not really seen in real life as there is no object you can walk over to fill up your health bar, we don’t even have health bars!
Boundaries – Boundaries in Killzone are essentially those in real life. You can not walk through walls, you can not climb up broken ladders, you can not fit into vents that you are wider than, you can not walk on water or float in the air (if you wander off the edge of a giant crane/platform you will fall, and you will likely die.) There is the occasional locked door, but these doors are never unlocked, you just have to find a different way.
Realism – The game isn’t completely realistic in environmental and character graphics, but it is pretty close. It certainly isn’t cartoonish or childish- it has real world like objects and people, so it does display the environment realistically... while not completely or as much as some newer games.
Style – Killzone is rated M. It takes place in a war-torn world; things are gritty, dirty and rundown. There’s haze/dust/fog/gunpowder/dirt floating in various areas and the overall feel is that you are in the middle of a war. An urban, semi-futuristic war, there are billboards and vending machines advertising things (they are generally torn or otherwise beaten to hell), slums, massive amounts of debris everywhere, particularly in city streets and buildings, trenches plowed in the dirt, pools of blood on the ground, and dead bodies lying around. The sensation/vibe is that this is a dark game in a place set in bad times with danger lying around every corner. In other words, it’s great.
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