THE MOVIE MILL
A Series Written by: Mand paskuski
PLAY ME:
LOGLINE
TEEN COMEDY DRAMA
THE MOVIE MILL
Two teenagers, CALVIN and his best friend GARRET, learn fundamental life lessons working at a run-down movie theatre.
introduction
Set in a small town in North America with a population less than ninety thousand, The Movie Mill is the love child of John Hughes and Judd Apatow.
Calvin leads us through his life as an employee of a local movie theatre called The Movie Mill in a similar way that Ferris Bueller leads us through his day off.
His dilemma is great: There’s only two months left of summer until he must make a decision about what he’s going to do with the rest of his life and he still hasn’t told the girl he’s in love with that he’s in love with her. Despite her scumbag bully of a boyfriend being a major obstacle there’s a bigger reason behind his trepidation. If he chooses the option he wants he might win the girl too, but at the sacrifice of losing his best friend since grade school.
Honest, captivating, hilarious, The Movie Mill is a tale about the time in a person’s life when their colleagues are their family.
Tone + STYLE
Fancy Hand held cam and fast paced at work as to match Calvin’s job, rarely are there moments where a character is seated. Life as a cinema worker means there’s always something to do and therefor the camera is constantly on the move. Quick cuts and flashy sequences with high energy. Slower outside of work, reality is much more present and laid back. We create a nice contrast and balance between the two so as not to overwhelm the viewer while being able to show the juxtaposition. The audience should feel as though they’re with Calvin every step of the way. The visual style of this show is similar to that of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (Edgar Wright).
The Movie Mill is set in the 1990’s however because the town we’re in is so small, we don’t have an overwhelming sense of the nostalgia factor…we just know it takes place at a time when a movie ticket didn’t cost forty dollars a pop.
The soundtrack will be a mixture of punk and indie classics mating with obscure alternative ska tunes…and of course 90’s pop hits anywhere from AQUA to NO DOUBT. A real sonic shock for those acclimated to mainstream music these days…and a real blast rocket to past for those who remember all the words to “I’m A Barbie Girl,” and “Don’t Speak.”
THE TEENS
(From left to right)
CALVIN BUTTMAN (17 and ¾) [ He/ HIM ], is so charming in his dorkiness you can’t help but adore him. Highly intellectual, keenly self aware, he is evolved much higher than your average teenage boy. He likes old movies, Turner Classics and Black and White silent films. His scope and depth of cinematic knowledge is steep for his young years but gives him that extra precociousness that makes him slightly un-relatable and therefor interestingly mysterious. He loves film almost as much as he loves his co-worker Mina. His best friend has been the same since the first day of school in grade one, and it shows. He never had a brother, but he didn’t need one with GARRET at his side.
GARRET NELSON (17 and ½) [ He/ Him ], is every sense the teenage boy we think we know. Young, dumb and full of…(ahem)…popcorn. He enjoys Penthouse magazine, Milk Duds and staring at his co-worker Taruka whom he’s wildly attracted to. The fact that she barely knows he exists and they have worked together for a total of three years has no bearing on his feelings…he’s of the mind that persistence can get you anywhere. More simple in his wants than Calvin, Garret finds himself dreaming about the next slurpie he’ll get, or the next time he’ll catch a glimpse of Taruka’s g-string as she bends over to grab butter…he rarely considers the future outcome of his actions and it shows.
MINA FAIRWATER (17) [ She / Her ], is every bit as swoon-worthy as she is sweet. Mina is a genuinely nice person and when her co-worker BUGS swats at flys, she has a hard time watching. She’s worked at The Movie Mill about a year and a half as a means to save up for art school. In her spare time she paints, though it’s debatable whether she possesses the eye for the oil brush arts or not. Art is subjective? Mina comes from a middle-class background, with good parents who love her and the only stain on her life is one she can’t see: her douchebag boyfriend, CHET.
TARUKA (17 and 10/12 fths) [ She / her / they / them ], carries nun-chucks with her to work on a good day. She’s been almost fired twice for other weapons unsuitable to carry in public. She doesn’t speak much, but when she does she speaks words no person tends to forget easily. If she were a sea creature she would un-doubtably be something deadly poisonous. She never complains, nor explains and is therefor great at her job. It’s unclear what her life plans are but she likes it that way.
CHET LOREDO (18) [ he / him ], is rich by default. His father was a hotshot football player that made a bunch of money in the seventies and eighties and now their family showboats themselves as the winners-about-town. He drives a jeep, like a banshee on speed and has absolutely no plans to do anything at all but spend his father’s money till the day he croaks. He cheats, lies, steals, and unfortunately because he possesses a face like Brad Pitt…gets away with all of it.
BUGS (16) [ he / him / they / them ], is the runt of the litter. He looks the part of typical geek but he has some surprises up his suspenders. Bugs is a nickname he got because of his unhealthy obsession with insects. He collects unique and rare ones in jars and only dislikes flies…which he swats on the regular. He works the ticket booth because the boss won’t advance him to anything else. That suits him just fine, he loves the ticket booth and even has his own little television set inside to watch his favourite Soap Opera: Days of Our Lives.
THE ADULTS
(From top to bottom)
MR. BATERMAN (50’s), might’ve been handsome back in the day but has since let himself spoil like sour milk. He has the general countenance of a gym teacher on steroids and talks like it too. His interest in film spans only to the paycheck he pockets every other Friday and more often than not he has no idea what’s being played at his cinema. If anyone were to wonder why The Movie Mill has gone to almost ruin, they need only look at him. He’s not mean all the time, and his bark generally has no bite to it.
MRS. BUTTMAN (40’s), makes Butt Mugs. When her husband’s business was struggling she quit her job and went into the rare profession of Butt-Pottery and wouldn’t you know it she’s now the main breadwinner of the family. She spends her days carving butts out of clay and she couldn’t be more happier doing it. Though she’s finally doing what she loves, it’s not without hardship – being the main breadwinner brings great responsibility and sacrifice. Her marriage is less perfect than she would have everyone, including Calvin, believe.
MR. BUTTMAN (40’s), owns a racing track called Go-Kart Corner. Back in the eighties it was very successful with people even travelling out of state to take their shot on this incredible course. However, the nineties brought change with a new decade and the kids have found other interests – like portable video games and dance-dance revolution. Ever since his wife has taken over the family finances, he’s felt lacking in his worth. Ultimately, he’s a great man and a unique thinker whom Calvin takes after more than he’d care to admit.
MRS. NELSON (40’s), comes and goes as she pleases. She isn’t as present a parent as Calvin’s folks and it’s done quite a bit of damage to Garret. Her husband left her and her son at a young age, and since then she’s struggled to make a life for herself worth being proud of; Somewhere along the way she just stopped trying. She spends most of her time drinking and flirting with town-passers at the local Irish pub.
