Camcorder By Matt Merrill

EXT. COURTYARD - DAY In the center of the small courtyard, a hazy beam of sunlight shines on a flower growing out from between cracks in the brick-tiled floor. Just outside the light stands an old VHS CAMCORDER on a tripod, aimed at the flower. We see the flower through the Camcorders lens. On the display screen we can see that the camera is currently on "pause". A clock display shows "8:59am". When the clock changes to "9:00am" the "record" light comes on briefly and then goes to "stop". We see the Camcorder again. It settles, relaxing its tripods stiff legs. It tilts its head (the camera itself) from side to side, as if popping its neck. The Camcorder turns and walks out of the courtyard, into the building. INT. CAMCORDERS HOME - CONTINUOUS Camcorder enters a cluttered, dusty room. It hasnt been lived in for a while. Lighting, sound, and other equipment lie around. Passing a calendar on the wall, he stops and flips it to the next month. He goes to a desk, topped with old computer, and TV equipment. He ejects his VHS tape, inserts it into a VCR player, and hits rewind with his tripod arm. In the meantime, he turns on a monitor. The screen is blue and shows "REW." The tape stops and Camcorder hits play. The video appears - but we only see a short glimpse of a flower before cutting to a view of Camcorder. He watches his film, then nods and BEEPS approvingly. An engine ROARS outside, followed by the BEEPING of a truck. Camcorder hits Rewind again, gets up, and goes to the window. Outside in the middle of the street is a large bulldozer. A camera operates it and other cameras stand around filming. Camcorder tilts his head, a bit confused. The bulldozer swings its arm down and smashes a rock. The Cameras BEEP with glee. Camcorder goes back to his desk, the tape has finished rewinding. He ejects the VHS tape, and slides it back into his tape deck.

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EXT. CAMCORDERS HOME - DAY Camcorder opens his door and walks down the front steps to the sidewalk. He looks down the street at a construction site. A backhoe is moving dirt. Several cameras are gathered around the site, filming the backhoe. Camcorder heads in the opposite direction. EXT. STREET - DAY Camcorder walks down the street. Other cameras pass by. The buildings on the street are mainly electronic stores and movie rental places. (not all need to be labeled) He passes a retirement home and slows down to look through the window. Inside are a group of first generation cameras (cinematograph, etc.) sitting around an old TV, watching a black and white, slapstick comedy film. They watch calmly. The living conditions in their little home are rather poor. Camcorder continues on and passes a camera family, made up of two larger cameras and two small flip cams. The flip cams stare after Camcorder and BEEP in wonder. Their parents urge them along. EXT. THEATER - CONTINUOUS Still walking, Camcorder hears a bird SINGING. He looks up into a tree where the bird sits. He watches it a moment, and then it flies off. His gaze follows it until falling on a movie theater. Several fancy Cameras are lined up outside. The billboard above the entrance reads, "Open Screen Day!" Camcorder hurries toward the theater. INT. THEATER LOBBY - CONTINUOUS A line of cameras string from the entrance of the building, through the lobby, and into a theater room. The line passes by a ticket booth area where the cameras are dropping off their films. Camcorder is squished between two larger, fancier cameras. The cameras ahead of him are dropping off DVDs. When Camcorder get to the booth he can barely see over the counter. He ejects his tape and slides it over. The two cameras working in the booth stop their business of sorting (CONTINUED)

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DVDs and stare at the VHS tape. A moment later they erupt into BEEP-LAUGHS. The cameras surrounding Camcorder in the line also start to BEEP-LAUGH. Camcorder hangs his head and pushes forward in the line. One of the booth cameras pushes the VHS tape aside, still CHUCKLING, and takes a DVD from the following camera. INT. THEATER SCREENING ROOM - CONTINUOUS The room is like any theater, big screen up front and tiered sitting, only there arent any seats. Cameras shuffle in, find a place and lower their tripods. Camcorder pushes past bigger cameras to a spot in the middle and settles in. The lights go down and the first film starts, a flashy title card appears: "DOZERS 2: HEAVIER DUTY". The title is followed by loud, heavy-metal music, and flashy, quick moving shots of bulldozers lifting, dumping, driving, etc. When the film ends the cameras around Camcorder stomp their tripod feet, CHEER-BEEP and WHISTLE. Camcorder is a little confused, but then nods and joins in BEEPING. The next films starts: "BIG RIGS 4: BIGGER AND BADDER". The crowd CHEERS again. More heavy machinery appears on the screen. Camcorder is taken aback, more confused than before. Montage: Film after film of bulldozers, cranes, backhoes, etc. with cheesier and cheesier titles. Crowd seems thoroughly pleased. Camcorder is thoroughly confused and progressively bored. He raises his tripod and pushes his way out of the theater. INT. THEATER LOBBY - CONTINUOUS Camcorder comes out into the now empty lobby. He walks to the booth, where the two cameras are BEEP-TALKING. Camcorder BEEPS, interrupting them. They stop talking and peer down at him. He nods toward his VHS tape, still laying on the counter. One of the booth workers BEEPS back angrily and waves him off with his tripod arm.

4. INT. THEATER SCREENING ROOM - CONTINUOUS Camcorder walks back into the theater. Loud MUSIC plays with flashy shots of bulldozers still up on the screen. Camcorder watches for a short moment and then turns to go. Suddenly the music cuts and the screen turns blue. The audience starts to MUTTER-BEEP. Camcorder turns back, looking at the blue screen. INT. THEATER LOBBY - CONTINUOUS The two booth cameras look at the DVD player which says, "ERROR" on its display. They eject and re-insert the disk. Nothing. One camera hits the DVD player. Still nothing. INT. THEATER SCREENING ROOM - CONTINUOUS The crowd is getting restless. INT. THEATER LOBBY - CONTINUOUS One of the cameras continues to fidget with the DVD player. The other looks around and sees the VHS tape. He taps the other camera and points to the tape. They both look at it. They pull a VCR out from a corner and dust it off. They insert the VHS tape and hit play. INT. THEATER SCREENING ROOM - CONTINUOUS Cameras are getting up to leave when the screen goes black. They stop and look at the screen. Then an image of a flower, swaying in the breeze fades in on the screen. Camcorder, still standing by the exit, perks up - his film! He comes in a little further. Another shot of a group of flowers in the sunlight. The other cameras in the audience are now confused. They turn to each other, WHISPER-BEEPING; some even LAUGH-BEEP out loud. Camcorder hears the laughter and hangs his head. He moves back towards the exit but as he does, the laughing and whispering suddenly fades. Camcorder looks up. (CONTINUED)

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On the screen is a vast field of flowers. The audience sits, watching in perfect silence now. One camera WHISTLES in amazement. Various other shots of a variety of flowers appear, then it cuts to the courtyard. Its a time-lapse shot as a stem grows up from the ground and blooms into a flowers. Now the whole audience lets out an "Aaaaa". The film ends. another on the cameras go by. and BEEPS with Black. EXT. CAMCORDERS HOME - DAY FADE-IN, CLOSE-UP of Camcorders door. The door opens and Camcorder steps out, relaxed and happy, but then surprised as he sees something. Across the street another camera is hunched over, filming a flower in a flowerbed. Camcorder looks further down the street to see several cameras, all filming flowers. He slumps a little and shakes his head. Then he hears a bird SINGING. He looks up and spots it in a tree near his house. We see the bird through his viewfinder. The record light comes on. The bird sings a little longer and then takes off. THE END. Lights go up. Cameras exit, BEEPING to one way. Camcorder remains in his place as the He looks back at the now blank screen, nods satisfaction.