This was another script I wrote under pressure. I actually wrote this in about four hours, which is not too long for being a six-page-short (I guess I'm a really slow writer).
This is the first "drama" script I ever wrote. Although this was for an assignment, I wanted to write something real, that wasn't like a spiritual, or existentialistic piece. I wanted something that went straight to the point, and that didn't need much thought needed to comprehend, but that left the audience making an effort to believe that what they watched is something that is based on a true story.
So, I dug deep in my childhood and early teenage years, and tried to find something that I always thought that needed to be told, or something that at least changed the way I think and go about my day. And what better story to tell that what four members of my family experimented; getting threatened by a cartel in México.
Yes, this script is a little bit of a compilation of three different stories, about a man approaching a loved one and asking for money to have a business, or otherwise getting killed. So, I called my uncle (we'll name him, ummm... Charles) Charles and asked him once again what happened, and he told me a story I not only couldn't believe when I heard it again, but realized that there was a crazy part, where I actually had to omit on the script because of two main reasons:
- Budget
- Believable
Indeed, a part on the story, where my uncle is driving down the highway at 100 miles/hr while some people from the cartel are shooting at him with AK-47s and he got away and had to leave his life in México forever.
Crazy, isn't it? Well, although this action scene makes it perfect for a thrilling, nail biting and full of energy action film, it wasn't really what I was going for. No, I wanted people to understand that this things do happen, and that probably other horrendous things happen in other countries too, some that we don't know, unless someone is willing to share it with the rest of the world, but even more difficult; makes us believe it's real.
After writing this, to my surprise the script actually got selected for me to direct in my class, and I was given although a low budget at the time, the biggest budget and crew I've ever worked with.
Check the script out. Once again, first/final draft.
It's also worth mentioning that I will be releasing the short with an interview of what the real story was, told by my own uncle. So, check it out, coming soon (unless is like 2030 and it's been out for years).