Your Big Break

EXT. BEN LOMOND, QUEENSTOWN - DAY

A breathtaking view of BEN LOMOND looms over pristine green fields. The soft breeze is the only sound. CHARLIE (late 20's) sits with his legs crossed. He's in a daze: at peace, content.

ANGLE ON: Charlie's FACE as he inhales slowly and shuts his eyes.

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. SHADOW FAX MACHINES INC. - DAY

A stack of folders is SLAMMED onto Charlie's DESK as his eyes JOLT open, bringing him back to REALITY.

His workspace is as bland as an uncooked potato. A desk far too small in a laughably undersized cubicle. Tall stacks of folders and forms surround him. His view is of an off-white wall. The lighting is sickeningly ARTIFICIAL, and there is a soft haze of smoke in the air. The persistent CHIRP of office phones provides the annoying soundtrack.

Outside of his cubicle, the rest of the company mechanically drones on, the life being sucked from them, one time-card at a time.

Another stack of papers SMACKS on top of the first, nearly causing Charlie's styrofoam coffee cup to topple. He catches the cup and looks up at his fart of a boss, HARLEN (50's).

HARLEN: Tomorrow by ten... that's AM

Charlie forces a semi-believable smile and nods.

Harlen leaves, and a stack of papers TUMBLES off of Charlie's desk.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. SHADOW FAX MACHINES INC. - NIGHT

ESTABLISH: Only one office light remains lit in the building.

INT. SHADOW FAX MACHINES INC. - NIGHT

Charlie's stack of work has significantly decreased in size, and the FINISHED work is in a separate pile that has grown.

Though it looks like he is working, we see that he is taking a break, DRAWING in his notebook.

ANGLE ON: THE DRAWING. It's a VERY well done picture of BEN LOMOND, drawn from the memory of his daydream.

He draws a WINDOW FRAME around the outside edges, and PINS the drawing to his wall. He now has a view (kind of).

Charlie reaches for his "to do" box to get back to work when DISASTER STRIKES:

He brushes against his coffee mug, which tips and drenches him in STEAMING HOT COFFEE. He panics and KNOCKS OVER the tall stack of COMPLETED WORK!

DIVING to save his work, he KICKS the WATER COOLER, which also joins the inadvertent Rube Goldberg.

Water spills over ALL of his work, DRENCHING it. The work is lost.

Charlie sits back down, DEVASTATED. He breaths hard, and places his head in his hands to calm himself. Breathing an deep and slowly, he looks at his new window and closes his eyes.

A moment of calm... and then...

Charlie FLIES out of his chair and CRASHES into the ceiling, then FALLS back onto his DESK, and onto the floor. Confused, he regains his feet, only to FLY towards the WALL, which he SMASHES THROUGH!

ANGLE: CLOSE ON CHARLIE'S TERRIFIED FACE as he plummets towards the ground.

EXT. KAWARAU BRIDGE, QUEENSTOWN - DAY

Charlie is SHOCKED when he is SAVED from certain death by a BUNGY CORD!

He is pulled up onto the platform and is patted on the back by several LIVELY YOUNG PEOPLE. We recognize them as his COWORKERS. They congratulate Charlie, who eases up, laughing along with them!

The group moves towards an old VW BUS, and Charlie follows.

BEGIN MUSICAL SEQUENCE:

I/E. BUS, QUEENSTOWN - DAY

The group cruises through QUEENSTOWN: Joking and laughing, experiencing the sights, sounds, people, and wildlife.

EXT. GIBBSTON VALLEY WINERY, QUEENSTOWN - EVENING

Charlie swirls, sniffs and sips a glass of RED WINE with his friends while watching the late-evening sun dance on the perfect rows of grapevines.

EXT. THE WORLD BAR, QUEENSTOWN - NIGHT

THE POSSE has grown, and they sit together around an elegant table at a swanky NIGHT CLUB, swaying to the beat while enjoying the scene.

EXT. LAKE WANAKA, QUEENSTOWN - MORNING

Charlie and friends huddle under blankets with HOT COFFEE in-hand, watching the sun rise over the mountains from the banks of LAKE WANAKA.

EXT. BEN LOMOND, QUEENSTOWN - DAY

The friends hike on a GORGEOUS mountain trail in the shadow of BEN LOMOND. They arrive at a serene meadow, and Charlie SLOWS, falling back from the others.

He looks around hi and realizes: This is the SAME SCENE that he had imagined before! He turns and sees BEN LOMOND before him, and LAUGHS at the realization.

He finds a soft patch of grass, spreads his arms wide, and FALLS BACK.

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. SHADOW FAX MACHINES INC. - MORNING

Charlie QUICKLY sits up from his reclined position, rubbing the SLEEP from his EYES. It looks like it was all just a dream... A FEMALE COWORKER leans out of her cubicle to see what the commotion is about.

Charlie smiles at her, and pulls a folder off of the top of his "to-do" pile and gets back to work. We DOLLY around him and see his DRAWING, which is not a drawing at all anymore, but a REAL WINDOW through which BEN LOMOND is perfectly framed!