Official site for the short Riding Into The Sunset
WOW! It’s been over a year since the idea of this film was started. Unfortunately, nothing ever came of the first idea and the production never happened 😦 . And so this story has kinda sat on the shelf for most of a year. But things might be happening again 🙂 .
We have reach the 3rd version of the script now, and now it’s going to go one of two ways. It will either stay mostly like it is (great) and get produced, or it can have an aspect developed that could either ruin it (which is why we make several backup copies 😉 ) or turn the script from great to AMAZING. Course, I, as the scriptwriter, am sure that it’s going to be ruined, but you know, it could (and probably will) surprise me and turn out AMAZING. Given the choices, I guess I’d better start developing that aspect.
The producers have decided to shoot in the Summer of 2011. We had originally thought to shoot in the spring, but we decided to wait till summer to give more time for preproduction and to wait for people to be out of school and able to help us 😛 . So, if anyone in the Tucson area wants to help with a Christian Western short that is the step toward a feature, please email me!
Also, the producers have decided on the location, but we still need to reserve it. It’s a beautiful spot near Benson that many westerns have shot in. Course, I can’t tell you more till we are sure we have the location, but I will tell you that its beautiful.
So, that’s where we are now. Horses are coming into play, we need to look into costumes, and get other details ironed out, but things are slowing coming together!
Please, if you can keep us in prayer about this project. Right now we need prayer for financing, so that we can secure the location and horses and such, prayer for the writers and the script, that we tell the message God wants told and that we tell the STORY God wants told. I’ve already tried it the other way, and trust me, it don’t work 😛 . And if you want to help with funds or suport, or just want to volunteer to help out in some way, please email me for more information at azdreamproductions@gmail.com !
Thank you so much and God Bless!
Tabitha Groleau – Producer/Screenwriter
It was a normal day. Daddy took Uncle Jared to town and Mommy was getting ready to bake bread. I love it when mommy bakes bread. Mommy lets Sissy and me roll out little rolls and play with the dough scraps. It’s so much fun.
Mommy had just put the bread in oven to cook when some men came up. Mommy acted real funny when they came and told Sissy and me to go hide in the pantry. I didn’t understand but Mommy pushed us in there. I wanted to see, so I cracked the door a tiny bit. Mommy got Daddy’s big shotgun, the one Sissy and I are never supposed to touch when Daddy’s not around. She looked very scared.
Then the men came up the porch. They stomped and walked really loud. And Mommy opened the door and said “That’s far enough, Lenard.”
The men laughed and said not nice things to Mommy. But when Mommy pulled back the hammers on the shotgun, they got very serious. And then Mommy said “Don’t come any closer. I’ll shoot.” The bad men laughed and said “Now, why would the nice girl do that?”
Mommy steeled herself and fired. But I think the shot went up the air because one of the bad men came in and pushed Mommy and shot her. I had to put my hand on Sissy’s mouth so that she didn’t scream. And I shut the door. I didn’t want to see anymore and I didn’t want to the bad guys to come shoot Sissy.
Unfortunately, no work has really been done on this recently. I had a hint on a possible producer, but as of yet, that has gone no where. And I, as a writer, have been really busy and, to be honest, unmotivated to work on the script. BUT work on this script will happen and you WILL see this film next year.
How do you define masculinity? Riding into the Sunset deals with the theme of masculinity in the characters of Mark and Jared.
Masculinity, as defined by Mark – Buff, Protective, Able to Provide, Steadfast, Humble.
Masculinity, as defined by Jared – Strong, Persistant, Brave, Humble, Protective, Puts others interests before his.
How do YOU defined Masculinity?
It started on http://www.christianfilmmakers.org. The composers had an idea “What if we composed a piece of music and the writers wrote a script off that piece of music and then the directors and producers made a short off the script and piece of music.” All of us thought this was a great idea, so the composers got busy.
In about a month, five composers had turned out five pieces of beautiful music. Each was wonderful. Then it was the writers turn. The writers got to pick out of the five the one they were going to write to. I was excited to be a writer for this, and jumped right in.
I personally chose Riding Into The Sunset, composed by Benjamin Curlee.
The title made me think of a western and I ran with that idea. The first thing I did was listen to the piece several times, noting when speific moments happened in the music, like when it was very dark sounding, or when a new instrument came in. Part of the requirement for the writers was that we had to write our script so that the producers and directors could read it and listen to music and see where each piece went. For example at the beginning of an action line, I write 00:18 because at that moment in the music, this bit of action starts.
Then I thought about what kind of stories could be told with this music. I had three ideas:
Idea 1: Two cowhands, one older with a lot of experience and one fresh in the saddle, are taking a trip into town. In town, they meet the bad guys, who threaten them. On the way out of town, the cowhands are ambushed and the older hand is shot. Younger hand takes care of his wounds while also avoiding the encircling bad guys. The older hand dies. Younger hand gets his horse stampeded and is chased by the bad guys. He comes upon a burned out house, his former home. He then confronts the bad guys, they have a shoot out and Younger hand wins. He than rides off into the sunset, the town at rest again.
Idea 2: Two cowhands, one older with a lot of experience and one fresh in the saddle, are leading a herd to the market. They are watched by rustlers, who rush in and steal the herd, wounding the older hand in the process. Younger hand tends the older hand’s serious looking wounds. Older hand makes younger hand promise to get the cows back and then dies/goes unconscious. Younger hand goes off to find the cows in a draw with the rustlers at camp beside them. Younger hand steals back the cows and has a final showdown with the leader of the rustlers. Younger hand wins, older hand survives, and the cows are again on their way to market.
Idea 3: A young couple (maybe newly weds) are out riding/on a trip on horseback. Bad Guy sees them (maybe is hiding out for them). Bad Guy rides in, shoots the Guy and kidnaps the Girl. Guy is knocked out and Girl is concerned for him. Bad Guy don’t care and rides off with Girl. Guy wakes up and looks for Girl. He finds Girl in Bad Guy’s camp, in bad circumstances. Guy has showdown with Bad Guy. Guy wins, thus rescuing the Girl. The couple than ride off into the sunset.
I was allowed to communicate with the composer during the development of the script, so I asked him which story idea he liked best. We eventually decided on Idea 1.
The next thing I did was to completely time out the music, writing a short sentence about what I thought would happen at that time.
Start:
00:00 – Opening credits
00:16 – Introduce the hero (or the love interest)
00:32 – Introduce the sidekick (or the hero)
01:05 – Arrive at town (first sight of bad guy and his cronies)
01:25 – Intimidation by Bad Guy (bad guy slides off to ambush the couple)
01:53 – Leave town (couple advances into the ambush)
02:15 – Ambush! (Ambush)
02:34 – Aftermath (Hero wakes up to find girl gone)
02:56 – Bad guys close in as older hand dies (bad guys threaten girl)
03:58 – a pause, could be hand’s last words (?)
04:07 – Running begins (hero chases after the bad guys with girl)
4:29 – Hero could stumble on something (Girl confident that she will be rescued)
04:48 – Running resumes (chase continues)
5:12 – Pause, something happens (Hero’s wound could reopen)
5:26 – Hero loses horse (Hero loses the trail and wanders around looking for it, bad guy boasts that hero will never find them)
6:08 – Hero sorrows over horse (Hero finds a possible trail)
6:13 – Hero begins to struggle on to town (nope, not the trail)
6:17 – Is that the bad guys (another possible trail)
6:22 – Nope, its the town (nope, dead end, hero despairs again.)
6:43 – Hero tells townsfolks about his partner’s death (horse finds a clue to where the girl is)
7:12 – Bad guys show up in odd corners, stalking the hero (Hero finds traces of the bad guy’s camp and finally finds the camp)
7:53 – The bad guys close in (Hero creeps into camp)
7:57 – Hero notices, bad guys stop for a moment (hero makes sound, attracting attention of a gaurd)
7:58 – Hero continues walking, bad guys continue closing in (Guard shrugs off sound)
8:01 – Hero looks around and sees the number of guys closing in (Hero appears next to girl and keeps her from screaming or saying anything)
8:02 – More walking, more closing in (Hero cuts girl’s bonds, girl watches to see if anyone notices)
8:06 – the Bad guys are all around the hero (Bad Guy stands up to come to Girl)
8:07 – ? (Hero tries to cut faster as Bad guys approaches)
8:32 – The SHOWDOWN! (Showdown)
9:03 – After the showdown (Hero defeats bad guys, frees girl and revives her after her swoon.)
9:19 – Hero rides off into the sunset (Hero and Girl ride off together into the sunset.)
9:25 – End credits
The composer looked it over, gave some feed back, and I then redid the timing sheet to look like this:
TIMING FOR IDEA 1
Start:
EXT. TRAIL – DAY
0:00 – Opening credits
0:16 – Introduce the hero
0:32 – Introduce the sidekickEXT. TOWN – DAY
1:05 – Arrive at town
1:25 – Intimidation by Bad Guy
1:53 – Leave townEXT. TRAIL – DAY
2:15 – Ambush!
2:34 – AftermathEXT. TRAIL SIDE – NIGHT
2:56 – Bad guys close in as older hand dies
3:55 – Hand officially dies.EXT. TRAIL – DAY
4:07 – Hero begins hunting down the men that killed his friend and partner.
4:29 – Hero comes upon the burning remains of the ranch.
4:48 – Hero continues following trail.
5:12 – Hero loses horse in a gunshot by bad guys
5:26 – Hero sorrows over horse
6:08 – Hero begins to struggle to town on foot
6:13 – Hero is running out of water in the hot sun
6:17 – What is that ahead?
6:22 – its the town! Hero is SAVED!INT. TOWN BUILDING – DAY
6:25 – Hero tells towns folks about his partner’s death and is warned that the bad guys are looking for him.EXT. TOWN – DAY
6:37 – Bad guys ride into town.
6:49 – Someone tries to talk Hero out of confronting Bad Guys (to no avil)
6:56 – Bad guys dismount and begin to take up positions around the town.
7:12 – Hero slowly walks out to the street. Giving it a “The Guy, Bad and Ugly feel. (must watch that movie ) (Mingled with flashbacks at certain points)
8:32 – The shooting begins!
9:03 – After the showdown
9:19 – Hero rides off into the sunset
9:25 – End credits
This was the ground work, the structure of the script. With this timing sheet at my finger tips, the script was almost ready to write itself.
**To Be Continued**
Welcome! This is the official site for the upcoming short, Riding Into The Sunset. Here you’ll find updates on the script, insights on the process not only of the writing process, but also the budgeting, casting, directing, anything.
The film is slated to be released late in 2011.
October 17, 2011
Tabitha G
Riding Into The Sunset Production Site 