The Texas Rattlesnake Murders

By Jack R. Stanley

Young and attractive TV reporter Kodi Burch has visions of three rattlesnake murders. Her insights at first surprise the Texas Rangers who are assigned to the case but become invaluable as other such murders occur.

Ranger Keith Catlin and his partner Tomas Botello reluctantly seek the help of a carnival snake handler, Guich Rohn, as they try to piece together the facts of the seemingly unrelated killings.

When Kodi Burch and her crew seem to be a step ahead of authorities, Keith gets Kodi to join them, too.

All across Texas these murders continue to happen and the fact that the snakebites are of unique strength becomes the next clue as Kodi continues to experience in her dreams each of the murders as they happen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jack R. Stanley
• Release date: Oct 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301180356

Jack R. Stanley

Jack R. Stanley is an award winning novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. As an officer and combat photographer in Vietnam he earned the Bronze Star. Yet he says, “When you’re in a firefight and everybody else on both side have guns while you have a camera --- you get to change your pants a lot.” After his military service he received both his M.A. and his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in Radio-TV-Film. His doctoral dissertation was on the long running TV series GUNSMOKE. Stanley also received two of Michigan1s most prestigious creative writing awards, The Hopwood Award, one for a one-act play and the second for a novel. Still married to his gifted high school sweetheart, Stanley’s first academic position was TV Area Head at The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Radio-TV-Film. He later moved to deep-south Texas and the Lower Rio Grande Valley for a challenging position with The University of Texas-Pan American. Here he taught Theatre-TV-Film for 30 years in the Department of Communication serving as Department Chair at U.T.P.A. for 11 years. He did take one year out to work for The University of Alaska Anchorage as a visiting professor. Back in Texas, Stanley directed for stage at The University Theatre, produced and directed fifteen student staffed, cast, and crewed feature films, writing most of the original screenplays. Just a few of his credits are available on IMDB.com. He now lives in the Texas Panhandle where he writes his fiction and runs his blog, www.TheFictionWritersNotebook.com . His webpage is www.jackrstanley.com.

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The Texas Rattlesnake Murders

An original screenplay

by

Jack R. Stanley

The Texas Rattlesnake Murders

Tex copyright © 2012 by Jack R. Stanley.

All rights reserved.

This book may not be copied or reproduced, in whole or in part, by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in his/her review.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any persons, events or localities is purely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author and publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-947726-32-1

Wrightbridge Press

[e-mail]

www.thefictionwritersnotebook.com

www.jackrstanley.com

ABOUT READING SCREENPLAYS

A movie script is a story told in visual terms as seen by the film or television camera, and just as it will be seen by the audience on the screen.

Screenplays are not, however, really meant to be read by the general public. In fact, the version you’ll see here is NOT the professional format but one more accessible to the non-professional reader.

As a document, screenplays are actually a technical writing intended for the eyes of professional working on the film or video production based on the script. And yet, a good screenwriter knows that the script should be first of all be a good reading experience for professional script readers, potential producers, directors, and actors. The text is written for these professionals who, hopefully, will combine their talents to mount a production of the script.

The description of the sets, lights, props, actions and sounds are often written phrases and incomplete sentences, not punctuated correctly, and annotated in a code expected to be interpreted by those who know the code. Think of the difference between a script and a movie as the difference between a blueprint and a building.

In a very real sense, "..the movie (like a play) is the thing" – not the screenplay. Still, a well written script will play out in the mind of the reader like the movie running in their head.

The protocol of the screenplay is that each scene begins with a heading in all caps that tells the reader where the scene is located (INT. for interior or inside, and EXT. for exterior or outside) followed by a specific place (BEDROOM or SQUAD ROOM, or CITY STREET) and often the time of day (DAY or NIGHT). In the format you’ll see here all Scene Headings are underlined like this:

EXT. CEMETERY - NIGHT

ANGLE – a single camera shot. Camera shots are also written as CLOSER or WIDER or even DIFFERENT ANGLE or ANOTHER ANGLE. These, too, are in all caps and underlined.

ON - BILL or BACK ON – BILL are general camera shots but not necessarily a CLOSE UP or MEDIUM or even OVER THE SHOULD shot of the character. The ON or BACK ON shot simply means that the audience’s attention should shift but exactly how is a decision for the director to make. Again, these are in all caps and underlined.

BILL or BACK ON – SCENE means return to a previous shot after allowing the audience to see something specific.

The stage directions or action paragraphs below the Scene Headings or shots, describe briefly the local, (war torn or modern steel and glass) and what action is taking place. These very general descriptions appear here with character names in ALL CAPS if it’s a character’s first appearance in the story.

JOHN DODGE sprints from tree to bush and drops into a bomb crater his rifle ready to cover the rest of the team. One by one ALICE, MAC, and TINY join him each securing a different direction.

Certain other words may appear in ALL CAPS just to make them jump out because screenwriters know the old joke: Why do producers hate to read? Because their lips get tired. For this reason the punch up the script so even if the producer just reads what in ALL CAPS and the dialogue, they’ll get the story.

Directing from the page is a major no-no for screenwriters so writers don’t try to specify certain shots beyond EST. or establishing shots to tell the reader where the doors and windows are or other set specifics as absolutely necessary. Often the mere use of a different paragraph of stage direction indicates a different shot but it’s not the writer’s job to tell the director what shot or what lens to use unless it is mandatory. For example if Hans unsnaps his holster while talking to the bounty hunter in the bar, this will be noted.

Here are some of the terms you’ll see in all screenplays.

BEAT – a pause equal to a single count or beat of a waltz; usually a one second pause in action or dialogue.

P.O.V. – point of view; a camera shot taken from the vantage point of a person or object.

V.O. – voice over; narration, a person’s thoughts or memories.

O.C. – off camera; dialogue, sound effects or action which takes place but which is not seen at that moment.

You will also see a few all caps and underlined transitions in the script (DISSOLVE TO: or FADE TO BLACK: and FADE IN:). Unless otherwise noted it’s normal to CUT TO: the next shot or scene from the previous. But you will find some writers to still use CUT TO: for emphasis.

Characters names are in BOLD and all caps, just above their dialogue.

BILL

Hi, Sam. What's up?

Dialogue is written in upper and lower case under the CHARACTER’S NAME (in all caps).

Parentheses under the character’s name or within dialogue are stage directions to the actors

BARTOK

(Yawning)

My partner here, yet, or is he still home getting laid?

PATROLMAN

Upstairs. And the Captain's on his way, too.

In some earlier periods, the stage for plays used to be raked or slanted with the lower portion being toward the audience and the upper portion being the back of the stage, away from the audience. So when something or someone is to be U they are to be Up Stage and D is Down Stage. The action and description in the script might indicate that some object or person is to be above or below something or someone else (C D or R U). Thus above and below usually refer to Up Stage and Down Stage of the camera’s point of reference.

X means cross or an actor moves from one place to another on the set.

ASIDE is a line a character says mostly for the audience’s benefit but is often said as if the character is talking to himself and no one else on screen is supposed to be able to hear the line.

One more point before you start reading. All screenplays, no matter how long the writer has been working on it, is a First Draft when it reaches the studio. It’s like someone working in the music business and suddenly having a smash hit and they’re called an overnight success.

Now read and enjoy the movie.

EXT - RANCH - DAY

A windmill labors to turn in the heat of the day. It sounds eerie as the blades chop at images of the sun and white fluffy clouds. Suddenly the scene is shattered.

A RANCHER has just thrusts his sweaty head into the water of a 10 foot diameter water trough. The CAMERA pulls back to reveal that the trough and the windmill stand in a field near a barbed wire fence. The Rancher is a man of , lean, weathered with years of country living. He stands and lets the water flow down his chest and back. He puts his cowboy hat back on and smiles. He is at peace with the land, the heat, and his hard working life.

Down the dirt road beyond the