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comming of age or murder story?

W

wheatgrinder

I had an experience, about 29 years ago that I think would be an awesome jumping off point for a short film.

It involves has hot rods, pretty girls, drugs, class tension and murder set in small town during the early 80's and takes place all in one night.

Some historic info is found in the "history" portion of this appeal document..

http://id.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19850206_0015041.ID.htm/qx

I was also one of two people who found the victim still alive and dragged him into the hospital, I witnessed some of the events, too.. In short, I was only an observer to a few of the key events of the TRUE story, but the night was also a memorable one for me, I just got my license, I was dragging main with a pretty girl of my own, going to a kegger in the hills, etc.

EDIT: Important note, I knew EVERYONE sighted in the case in varying degrees, the convicted was especially close to my older brothers, and I ran with them pretty much all the time...


I would like to "fiction" it up a bit make it a more "coming of age" story for a cooler kid then me (though I was pretty dang cool) So how much "Fiction" am I allowed and yet keep it a "true story?" also, maybe keeping it a true story is a BAD idea, seeing how its a murder case, and there is not statute of limitations I might get some folks a bit upset.. what if I find a different story then the police one? Am I commiting libel if I basically say the other guy did it?

So would you make the murder just another crazy event in a night full of crazy goings on? Or would you make it the KEY story element?

(Just re-reading what I wrote I think I KNOW I want to dig into the murder and make it the meat of the story.. that case report doesn't ring quite complete or accurate.. )
 
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It's a good story. You have to adapt it (not necessarily a short... It's sounds like a feature)
It reminds me of Kurosawa's Rashomon... Every participant in the story has it's own truth to tell.
 
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"Based on a true story" for me is a silly salesman's slogan...
Every story is a true story, if It touches my heart, besides, I believe everything has already happened... :)
 
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I'm a sucker for coming of age stories. And The Who. (what's the difference?)

Go for the feature! Every week there are murder stories on crime-of-the-week shows (both fiction and non-fiction and Law and Order which makes a weekly deal out of stories "ripped from the headlines.") Boring. I want to know how the murder changed you and your friends and your enemies and the kids in that other circle.

Give us the full meat of the story and how the young participants came of age in the classic Stand By Me/American Grafitti vein.

The murder is an excellent (and probably unexpected) crisis point where the arcs of the characters will be ready to resolve.

Brilliant! Can't wait to read/see it.
 
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I'd have to assume that this event had a pretty major influence on the lives of the people involved (not just the victim & perp). Sounds like a Coming of Age movie.

Could make a great feature. I'd stay away from keeping it too factually correct, if only for the reason that true life doesn't always wrap itself up neatly in a 3-act story.
 
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I would go with a coming of age story. Let the murder set the story up but don't go into it that much.

I have a (similar?) story. A kid i knew from my high school was murdered by his father, who also killed his mother, then himself. This happened a week or two before graduation. I only knew him from gym class and walking through the halls, but it was a huge shock for everyone at our school where nothing like that ever happens. he was a very nice and helpful kid, always looking out for others, even if he didn't know them.

I was thinking it could be the catalyst to the coming of age story, getting the kids to think about life, the different paths it can lead to, and how quickly it could end.
 
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Im struggling to dig out a high concept from this memory .. Im trying to work it out here.. in real time.. so dont mind my ramble..

I guess Im not sure what I want to say with it? Its like Iv become enamored with the style of the idea, but dont know what the substance is.

How did it affect people? .. well I dont rightly know.. to get a capital T Truth out of it, Id have to fiction up the ending, like CF said the true story doesn't likely have a dramatic and meaningful ending..

If I focus on what happens to me (me X10 for movie version) I can crate some interweaves and perhaps juxtapositions with the happy adolescent magical things Im going through with the events leading up to and including the stabbing and me and my brother finding the victim and being by his side as he dies.


or..

There are two plot lines.. one is rising, positive emotion leading up to what.. ?? a first back seat make out..
the other is the downward spiral leading from partying, to fighting to finally loss of control and the stabbing..

Inter cutting between the awkward tenderness and the brutal violence could make for an interesting story climax.

sigh..
 
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What if what happens in the back seat mirrors the murder (not directly, of course.) Twist it a bit...what if the girl is more aggressive than the guy is ready for, and she gets upset and (metaphorically/emotionally) stabs him while the other stabbing is happening?
 
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I like this case. If I you were you, I'd do a basic, "Kids" style film and start during the mornig of. Then progrss through the day and up with the "partying". Then go to the point of the first fight. Then after the first fight I'd have the invite shown and switch to POVs of the.main characters and show drunken blurs as to what a normal peer (jury) could percieve what happened through the evidence provided at trial and leave the killing as a final shot and have the audience decide for themselves who they think did it
 
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wheatgrinder said:
Im struggling to dig out a high concept from this memory .. Im trying to work it out here.. in real time.. so dont mind my ramble..

I guess Im not sure what I want to say with it? Its like Iv become enamored with the style of the idea, but dont know what the substance is.

How did it affect people? .. well I dont rightly know.. to get a capital T Truth out of it, Id have to fiction up the ending, like CF said the true story doesn't likely have a dramatic and meaningful ending..

If I focus on what happens to me (me X10 for movie version) I can crate some interweaves and perhaps juxtapositions with the happy adolescent magical things Im going through with the events leading up to and including the stabbing and me and my brother finding the victim and being by his side as he dies.


or..

There are two plot lines.. one is rising, positive emotion leading up to what.. ?? a first back seat make out..
the other is the downward spiral leading from partying, to fighting to finally loss of control and the stabbing..

Inter cutting between the awkward tenderness and the brutal violence could make for an interesting story climax.

sigh..
Click to expand...

A first backseat make-out session is a MAJOR event in most people's lives. In the real world, THIS is coming of age, like a rite of passage. But in the movie world, the event is nothing. The REAL coming of age story is how these events transform our protagonist, or better yet, how they spur our protagonist to decide to change.

You really don't know the story until you know what the internal change is. That's the whole thing. Figure that out first, and let all the other details fall into place.
 
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exactly right CF.
So far I've got:

Good setting- Check
Interesting characters - Check
Tight duration - Check
Visual story elements - Check

I'm missing the glue that brings it all together in an emotionally fulfilling way.

I don't know that that I can make "big change" be that "glue" what are some alternatives?

Maybe I should focus on one small personal change. Maybe the kid is asked to lie to protect the family\friend.. .. maybe this story, like Firebug (any status SteveZen), becomes about loyalty vs "doing the right thing"


whatdayathink?
 
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This is really interesting, and definitely way too much for a short. As far as change/emotional glue, perhaps you can have the main character focused on where his life is going to go. Is he going to leave town and go to college? Go to the local school? Follow the girl so he can be with her? Pack up his car and just leave, to live on the road?

"where your life is going to go" is a very adult question that gets asked of every teenager. These experiences (the makeout/the murder) would/could shape the answers to that. Wherever you go with this, I'm very eager to see the results!
 
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^ I agree with JoshL. I'm thinking, you could change it to having the person who was killed the main characters best friend?

also, are you going to write and direct this?
 
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I agree this is clearly a crime-drama feature worthy basis.
Since there's nothing particularly outstanding, remarkable or historical about the "true events" (same/similar stuff happens across the planet I imagine) I'd steer clear of hamstringing YOUR creative efforts with any dedication to maintaining this "near" likely events fictionalization.

I don't know if I'd make it a coming of age crime drama.
I'd probably go with seminal event or fictional biopic of a f#cked up series of events.
And I'd make it contemporary rather than a 1980s event.

Lettuce see what sort of drama could be pulled out of this...
- Driver was fighter, but backseat buddy was stabber.
- Driver + front seat GF collude about inciting events in the backseat which backseat GF of stabber denies. Hmm...
- Motivations:
- Does driver feel guilty? Beating up for offhand remark is one thing, semi-responsible for the actions of his friend (stabber) can make an emotional mess. Does he support friend or support truth? Why either? Set up conflict of interests before the drive begins. Did Driver and Stabber already have an argument over Stabber's impulsiveness? Did Driver already predict this same outcome earlier? Did Stabber dismiss him or become inspired by it? Did Stabber stab to prove "free will" to Driver? Did the four of them already have a clever metaphysical argument among friends about fate vs. free will? Before Stabber's arrest what was the argument he and Driver had about the event? The argument between Stabber and his GF?
- How are parrents/guardians impediments or enablers?
- Are the driver and his GF deliberately setting up stabbing "friend" in back seat?
- Did Stabber's GF actually provoke victim with a coy grin, a wink, a little more cleavage than necessary, a grope of the vic's groin when Stabber wasn't looking?
- Did Stabber's GF emotionally manipulate Stabber?

A lot of what I'm getting at is not so much that "Poor perpetrator is a victim himself, waa, waa, waa" pawn, but rather there's often more information about any given event than what is reported in the news or even turned up in or supressed from court.

Maybe stabber was a full blown psychopath in the growing.
Maybe this is Stabber's recollection from prison as a mature man about how he achieved self actualization many years ago.
Upon his release he's planning on visiting his friend, the Driver, and his GF to thank them both for helping him become the monster that he is today.
And that he's going to murder them both for it. (Yeah. It's effed up and twisted. Thank them then kill them. That's the plan).

Consider the relationships between sons and fathers.
Is the driver's father a city councilman on the verge of bringing a much needed jobs producing manufacturing plant to town?
Will guilt by association force father to pressure his son to tell the truth rather than support his friend?
Is the Stabber like a second son to the Driver's father? What if City Councilman father of Driver often took the boys out on hiking and camping trips since elementary school? What if he's like surrogate father to the boy? What if the father gave the Stabber the knife as birthday present? (Councilman father is also a businessman and the company logo is embarrassingly imprinted on Exhibit A).
Maybe the Stabber's father is a local city official. How does this complicate things? Good man + bad kid.

Is the stabber rebuking a good father? Or following in the footsteps of a bad father? Is Stabber's father already in prison?
Did Stabber's father previously shame him over being a chicken sh!t little split-tail coward or that if he were "a real man with some backbone or salt" he'd step up and help a friend... and this was his big opportunity to prove to his dad wrong, that he wasn't a coward and would be there for a friend in need. (Vic was getting the upper hand on Driver before Stabber stepped in "to assist").

Maybe this is a reddemptive story.
Maybe despite everyone pressuring the Driver to cut loose his friendship he refuses.
Maybe Stabber and his GF are really in love. What if they secretly get married the next day before he's arrested. Now the mother is telling this story to their child before Stab-Daddy is being released from prison. Maybe this is really her story and not his.
Is she a good woman for remaining faithful to her true love despite his unlawful actions?
Is she a Bible thumper? Is she cosmic? Is she scared as hell? Does she love her husband but is frieghtened by the monster?

With shades of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, Stabber + GF represent those with everything against them yet they inspiringly prevail despite this and subsequent incarceration, meanwhile the Driver + GF represent those that have everything but are determined to make a stomach turning effed-up mess of their lives.

What if "Stabber" is really a martyr?
A poor, dying community, desperate for any attention and funding, finally sees a spot of hope when one of it's boys is accepted to West Point or to receive a college football scholarship.
Many hopes lie upon this one kid's shoulders, and he's just stabbed a former classmate.
Four friends discuss and debate what to do.
Someone will go to jail, will it be the right "man"?

What if Driver is really guilty, but his well financed father offers to provide financial assistance to "Stabber's" family (to save the six generation family farm!) if he takes the rap for his son who has a promising future ahead?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_(United_States_law)#Degrees_of_murder_in_the_United_States
Find some evidentiary element to question and debate under which of these Stabber will be tried and sentenced.

Four people.
Unknown alliances.
Endless motivational and outcome permutations.
 
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