Keelhaul - Video

This is what we came up with in 2 days for the 48 Hour Film Festival (got me a Best Writing nomination - 2nd year in a row)...

48 Hour Film Project - Keelhaul

Happening this week. Will let you know of the outcome for Skelly Films

Two of Hearts

Last year, I was invited and honored to write for Skelly Films for the Hampton Roads 48-Hour Film Festival. We had to write, shoot, edit, and turn in a 4 to 7 minute movie in exactly 2 days. We were given a genre (Romance), a line of dialogue ("There's not enough time"), a character name and description (Tam Gordon - poet), and prop (playing cards) to include in the film. This was my first written piece produced, which I co-wrote with award-winning playwright, Denise Dillard. It was also my first cameo. In the end, we walked away with 5 nominations including best ensemble, best actress, best use of dialogue, best use of prop, and best writing. Enjoy "Two of Hearts" - A couple play their hand at love.

Ninjas Are From Japan... Final Thought

The boys and the mystery woman arrived at a shoddy warehouse… there's always a warehouse.

"Okay, Gavin. How say we clean you up, darling,” she said as she screeched to a stop. The boys followed her as she began to introduce herself. “Gavin, you know me. Just not right now. I’m Sheila, and that’s all you’ll need to know. Jacob has been waiting for you to show up for a long time.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘show up’? And who is Jacob? No, wait. I know him, too, right? Just not right now?”

“Precisely,” Sheila assured.

“Uh, Gav? What the hell are we doing here?” Craig nervously asked.

“I’m sure I know, just not right now,” Gavin irritably replied.

Gavin’s demeanor was no longer nervous as he followed Sheila inside. He was more collected, focused, and in deep thought trying to gather recollection from this woman, from this building, from anything in the past few weeks, the past few years. They walked across the empty warehouse to a case of grated stairs. Sheila stopped and stepped aside. She blushed.

“Gentlemen, after you. I seem to have forgotten my knickers this morning,” she confessed.

Craig's eyes widened in interest... a slight change from the fear that still settled in his gaze. Gavin simply marched up the stairs, his hormones in check. Once they reached the top, Sheila directed them into a room full of shadows, lit only by a dim desk lamp.

“Hello Mr. Riley,” greeted a man’s antiquated Irish voice from behind the desk. “I’ve been waiting for you…”

“To show up,” Gavin finished.

“You remember?” Asked the man.

“No, Sheila just told me.”

“Who?”

“My apologies, Jacob,” Sheila interrupted, “I told ‘em my name was Sheila.” She turned to the boys, Craig still bewildered, Gavin focusing. “The name’s actually Colleen.”

“Enough of the charades,” Gavin demanded. “What the hell is going on here? Who are you all? Where are we? Why are we here? Who was that man? Are you involved with what happened in Shanghai? And most importantly, who the hell am I?”

“Mr. Riley, who are we to answer your last question? If you do not know, how should we?” Jacob answered as he swirled around to face Gavin and Craig.

Colleen was now standing next to the desk a few feet from the boys. “Now, the only thing I can answer you is that Yes, we were involved in Shanghai. We had to clean up your mess to keep it from the media. Just like we are doing now as we speak at the MacDonald’s,” Jacob answered sternly.

Jacob was a balding man with red hair at his temples. The wrinkles on his face showed decades of restlessness. His skin was freckled and leathery, as if he spent an eternity in the sun. And with his eyes slightly slant, he convincingly could pass for Jinn, the Muslim devil.

“Mess? What about Self-defense?”

“My boy, that self-defense mambo-jumbo only works for civilians. You, son, are an international defense system. Are you remembering now?”

Gavin closed his eyes and grabbed at his forehead. A slight pain jolted through his brain. Craig looked confused. He had spent countless hours with Gavin for the last 15 years. So much time that they would often have trouble telling whose house they were staying at when they woke up. Brotherly were the two that it was impossible for Gavin to be away from Craig even once without noticing a difference.

Gavin crinkled his forehead as he began to remember years of confrontations in distant lands. Scars he had nursed himself to hide from his family and closest friends. He didn’t know if it was the man’s accent or his eyes that rushed Gavin’s mind with experiences and skills he had not known he had acquired. People he had not known, killed by his own hands. Families crushed and diplomatic relations hampered.

“But now it’s too close,” Jacob continued. “This project is terminated... effective immediately.”

“Terminated?!?!” Craig squealed out.

Craig looked over and saw the dark Russian wrap his branch of a forearm around Gavin’s neck. It was like the cold beast bled from the shadows. Gavin did not struggle as the Russian pulled up a syringe filled with orange and green liquid and pricked Gavin in the temple. As Craig was about to shout out to Gavin he, too, felt a sting in his temple.

…

“You gonna eat the rest of those fries?” Craig snatched Gavin’s fries before he could even answer.

As Craig devoured Gavin’s remaining fries like a Viking on a conquest, a dark figure entered the opposite side of the restaurant carrying in with him an overcast of fear. The building chilled and those in attendance froze as the man glided towards the friends.

“Mr. Gavin Riley?” The mysterious man questioned in a heavy Russian accent.

“Uh, na-na-na-nooo?” Gavin replied, feeling droplets forming a river down his spine.

The man’s towering structure intimidated the boys. He was especially frightening to Gavin as he began to shake uncontrollably. Craig’s was frozen in awe with fries corked in his mouth.

“Please excuse, you are not Gavin Riley?” Questioned the man for a second time.

“NO!” Gavin Squeaked, “I’m Gav, Ga-Gavin Roberts.”

The tall man smiled, “Forgive me, Sir.” He turned around and walked back out the door, all eyes on him until he was out of sight down the street. Gavin was still shaking. Craig quicly gulped down his food.

“Dude,” Craig broke the silence as Gavin sniffled, “Did you piss your pants?"

Gavin looked down in his lap, his face flushed. Next to their table a mother and her two young sons snickered. One of the boys pointed towards Gavin's lap, "Look, Mommy. He pee-pees in his pants, too!"

Craig threw a fry at Gavin, then burst out laughing. "Dude, you totally pissed your pants!!!”