Your Big Break

INT. BAGGAGE CLAIM - QUEENSTOWN AIRPORT
A buzzer sounds. Bags roll off the belt. A crowd presses in.
Through the crush of bodies, two 20-somethings (OUR HEROES)
fight their way to the carousel from opposite directions...
A clean-cut GUY: apologizing as he stumbles his way and...
An athletic GIRL: who slides forward with effortless grace.
They reach the carousel and their bags at the same exact
moment. Their bags which sit side-by-side like lovers on the
metal merry-go-round. A perfectly matched pair.
GIRL
Nice bag.
She smiles at him, pure and full of promise. It may just be
the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. But all he manages
in response is a lame nod of recognition, before quickly and
awkwardly grabbing his bag... and leaving.
Her smile drops as the moment shatters. Too bad, he was cute.
Across the floor, our Guy glances back -- watching our Girl as
she shrugs on her bag and then vanishes out into the sunlight.
He sighs. Another missed opportunity. Then exits himself.
EXT. THUNDER CREEK FALLS - WIDE SHOT
Breathing hard, our Girl hikes over a ridge... and there
sprawled out before her is a breathtaking 30 meter waterfall.
Shrugging off her pack, she unzips to get her camera only...
It’s not here! Instead she pulls out vacuum-sealed bags of
perfectly folded men’s clothes. 3 different guide books. A
detailed day-by-day travel itinerary with hotel contacts.
Our Girl shakes her head as she studies it all. Clearly she
and Mr. Cute swapped bags. Which would be a nightmare to most.
But as she pulls free a camera and finds his hotel address...
A big mischievous smile blossoms across her face.
INT. HOTEL SUITE - QUEENSTOWN
Hands throw open french windows onto a vista of Lake Wakatipu.
Our Guy breathes in that pure NZ air before turning back into
his deluxe hotel room. Where he unzips his bag...
And a mess of crumpled woman’s clothing tumbles onto the bed!
As he stares at it in horror, a note suddenly slides under the
door. Paranoid, he stoops to pick it up.
WANT YOUR BAG? MEET ME HERE...
He turns over the note and on the back is a picture: THE GIRL!
Wearing his favorite t-shirt on a jet-boat, hands flung high.
Our Guy races to his door. The hallway is empty. He frowns.
EXT. SHOTOVER CANYON - AERIAL VIEW
Insert 35mm stock footage of a jet boat, as it screams through
the narrow gorge, barely skimming the cliff face at 80 km/h.
Everyone’s laughing, enjoying the rush. Except our Guy, who *
white-knuckles the safety bar in fear.
Until the driver throws the boat into a famous Hamilton 360.
G-force sends our Guy’s hand flying overhead, a primal shout
of adrenaline and pure joy pours forth. Ok, that was awesome!
EXT. SHOTOVER DOCK - LATER
Our Guy hops off the boat, soaked to the bone and grinning
like a 6 yr old. The driver hands him an envelope. Inside is
another picture: the Girl again-- this time wearing his hat on
an island in the middle of a beautiful lake. Her note reads:
GETTING WARMER...
He stares at it in disbelief. This is ridiculous.
EXT. MOU WAHO ISLAND - LAKE WANAKA
Our Guy now kayaks across the mirror surface of the lake. The
mountains reflecting a gravity defying bowl of jagged peaks.
He pulls onto the beach, and instantly finds another picture
fluttering from a branch: it’s the Girl strapped in for bungy
at the Skyline Ledge Jump, wearing his best suit and tie...
TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE!
Our Guy laughs outloud, starting to enjoy this game.
EXT. THE LEDGE BUNGY - BOB’S PEAK
Our Guy stands at the bungy ledge, freaked out of his mind.
He doesn’t want to do this. Only, he needs the next clue...
AHHHHHHHH! He leaps off the edge, the Remarkables Range and
all of Queenstown laid out below. The bungy snaps him back.
EXT. SKYLINE LOOKOUT - AFTER
Back on the platform, our Guy beams pure excitement. And he’s
a changed man from when we first met him. No longer uptight.
2.
The bungy operator hands him a final picture and note:
I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU JUMPED!
Our Guy flips the photo over. His Girl stands on Lake Wakatipu
pier in a 100% Pure New Zealand tee. She has his bag, smiling.
THIS TIME... I PROMISE.
Our guy grins. And as we PUSH IN: on the photo in his hand...
EXT. LAKE WAKATIPU PIER - MAGIC HOUR
The picture comes to life. Our girl waiting at the end of the
pier at sunset. Anxious. Searching faces.
A hand TAPS her on the shoulder. She turns in excitement...
Only it isn’t him. A vacationing Maori family hold out their
camera: would you mind? She lines up the shot and CLICK! She
watches the family leave with a bittersweet smile, and then...
She sees it -- HER BAG! Sitting in the middle of the pier.
She rushes to it. And finds a bunch of photos on top. Each one
a shot of our Guy posing in her scavenger hunt locations. Only
he wears her clothes: glasses, a girly hat, her bikini-top!
The Girl laughs as she flips to the last photo. It’s our Guy
in a matching 100% Pure NZ shirt at the other end of the pier.
Shaking her head in confusion, she looks up from the photo...
And there, in real life before her, is our Guy. He walks up
the pier. Pauses before her to glance down at the 2 identical
bags, laying side-by-side, like perfectly matched lovers.
GUY
Nice bag.
He breaks into a wide grin. She smiles back. As we...
CUT TO:
A FLASH MONTAGE OF SNAPSHOT PICTURES
Jet-boating, kayaking, bungy jumping, etc... Only this time
both Guy and Girl are in the pictures -- holding hands,
laughing. Having the time of their lives. Together.
*Aloha! My name is Jordan Kandell, a screenwriter from Hawaii
committed to making sweet, uplifting films. I recently, along
with my twin brother, sold a feature screenplay to Walt Disney
Pictures. But it’s my dream to direct.
3.
You can check out my 11 min short “The Happiest Man Alive”,
starring Justin Chambers-- and shot in 2 days for under $10K --
here: http://www.evanschiff.com/projects/hma/HMA_v2.91212.mov
And some of my travel shorts (for a sense of the aesthetic for
this one) here: http://vimeo.com/kandell/videos