A Screenplay about Manila, Philippines
Roughly two years ago, i went on a backpacking trip to manila. i was found wandering around this enigmatic city. The experience i had for close to one hundred sixty eight hours was more than enough to fuel my mind in writing a screenplay which i now treasure forever. It took me about a week to research, come up with sequences and finally complete the script with dialogue.
I guess it's time to share it to everyone reading this.
In participation to this month's blog carnival entitled "Manila in Focus", i present to you the first 17 sequences of my full length screenplay.
NOTE: i cannot post the entire script because this work is intended for competition.
MANILA
A Screenplay written by Jerik de Guzman
1. int.
/ old bedroom/ DAY
An old man wakes up from sleep
in the early morning day. the face is not showing. he is wearing an undershirt
and pajamas. he sits for a while. then, he puts on his pair of tsinelas. the
floor is dirty.
he opens his curtains, an old
set of window panes appear. the sun is glaring. he is looking at it.
insert sound of airplane landing
cut to
2. iNT.
/ MANILA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT/ DAY
MONTAGE OF AIRPORT INTERIOR
INSERT NATURAL SOUND
SHOT LIST:
-PLANE LANDING
-BUSY DAY AT THE AIRPORT
-IMMIGRATION officer ASKS for PURPOSE OF VISIT at a
young man
-A YOUNG MAN ANSWERS...
young american man
Vacation!
-PASSPORT STAMPED
-BALIKBAYAN BOXES from ofws
- BUSINESSMEN
-beautiful filipina FLIGHT
ATTENDANTS WITH THEIR TROLLEYS
-travellers with their
backpacks
FADE TO BLACK
3. EXT. /
MANILA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT/ DAY
A YOUNG TOURIST ARRIVES,
“TISOY” looking. he is WEARING SUNGLASSes, CARGO SHORTS, A PRINTED POLO AND FLIP-FLOPS.
HE IS STANDING OUTSIDE THE AIRPORT. HE IS CARRYING HIS BACKPACK AND A guide
BOOK. HE USES HIS HANKY TO WIPE HIS SWEAT DRIPPING FROM HIS FOREHEAD. HE’S
TRYING HIS BEST TO READ THE MAP AND HEAD FOR MANILA.
v.o. joe
I’m Joe. 25. i’m an american.
insert animation of joe’s american passport details
insert animation (slow to fast) of joe’s passport
pages (THE PAGES FLIP CONTINUOUSLY AND THEN STAMP
ACTION OF ARRIVAL WITH MATCHING POSTCARD PHOTO OF HIMSELF (inserted) IN A
LANDMARK)
-BERLIN, GERMANY where joe is
seen with angry looking german men
-AMSTERDAM, netherlands where joe
is seen with prostitutes
-BANGKOK, THAILAND where joe
is seen posing with the emerald buddhas
-JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
where joe is seen with zebras and giraffes
-PARIS, FRANCE where joe is
seen posing infront of the eiffel tower
-TOKYO, JAPAN where joe is
seen posing with japanese haRAJUKI WOMEN
-BEIJING, CHINA WHERE JOE IS
SEEN POSING AT THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
-SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA WHERE JOE
IS SEEN POSING WITH BACKGROUND OF SYNDEY HARBOR BRIDGE
V.O. YOUNG JOE
I’ve been travellin’ AROUND THE WORLD Y’a
know...trying to find myself AND WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY... I just wanna get
away... i wanna escape...
You ask me what brought me to M’NILA, i say... IT’S
just en route, nothing special!
CUT TO
4. EXT.
/ INT. / TAXI / DAY
JOE ENTERS THE AIRPORT TAXI.
IT’S AN OLD WHITE CAR WITH RED FITTED SEAT COVER AND A WEIRD SMELL; IT HAS LOTS
OF trinkets, memorabilias INSIDE. THE TAXI DRIVER GREETS HIM WITH A SMILE.
TAXI DRIVER
Good day ser! How is your day?
HE SEES A STO. NINO FIGURINE AND
ROSArY HANGING IN THE MIDDLE.
JOE
I’m good and you?
TAXI DRIVER
Ok na ok ser!
JOE SHOWS THE NAME AND ADDRESS
OF THE HOTEL FROM HIS GUIDE BOOK.
JOE
So hey, can you take me to this address in M’NILA PLEASE...
JOE SEES THE TAXI DRIVER
MAKING A SIGN OF THE CROSS AND THEN DRIVER BLASTS THE CAR RADIO.
INSERT SONG “MANILA” BY HOTDOGS continuously playing
THE DRIVER SPEEDS UP THE CAR. JOE
SEES A MAD MOVING DOG figurine TO HIS RIGHT. AND THEN JOE SMILES. he looks at
the window of the taxi.
CUT TO
5. int.
/ old bedroom/ DAY
THE OLD MAN IS NOW DRESSED IN
SLACKS BIG FOR HIM. IT’S ALSO A LITTLE TOO SHORT FOR HIM. HE’S WEARING OLD
LONGSLEEVES. IT IS TUCKED. HE IS USING SOME SUSPENDERS SO THE SLACKS WON’T FALL
OFF. HE IS STARTING TO DANCE and groove. his face is still not showing. he puts
on his pomade and fixes his hair and continues to dance.
upsound music manila by hotdogs
intercut to
6. ext. / manila/ day
INSERT MONTAGE OF MANILA with v.o. of joe
INSERT low NATURAL SOUND
SHOTLIST:
-TRAFFIC JAM
-JEEPNEY DRIVERS
-MALATE
-FARANGS WITH FILIPINA
GIRLFRIENDS
-YOSI TAKATAK BOYS
-CHILDREN SELLING SAMPAGUITA
-MEN SLEEPING IN THE AFTERNOON
ON THE SIDEWALK
-CONSTRUCTION AHEAD
-CONGESTED
-POLLUTION
-RANDOM MEN AND WOMEN STARING
v.o. joe
what you read from guidebooks about m’nila is
probably true... i wasn’t surprised to see most of it... the traffic is bad.
and there’s smoke everywhere. but in manila, everyone’s smilin’, just havin’ a
good time... and the women... that’s another story...
SONG “MANILA” BY HOTDOGS fades out
7. EXT.
/ INT. / HOTEL/ DAY
JOE goes down the taxi. he
ENTERS THE HOTEL. IT'S OLD, BRINGS A LOT OF NOSTALGIA to it. IT’S QUIET INSIDE.
NOT A LOT OF TRAVELLERS STAYING. HE SEES A male concierge. his name is pablo.
concierge pablo
Hello! You need room sir?
JOE
Yes please... how much?
8. INT. / JOE’S HOTEL bedROOM/ DAY
JOE WALKS INTO HIS ROOM. IT’S
a small room with white painted walls. there’s a little art here and there.
mostly IT’S bare with just white sheets. HE PUTS HIS BACKPACK ON THE FLOOR AND SITS
ON THE BED. HE LOOKS SO TIRED. HE WIPES HIS FACE WITH A HANDKERCHIEF. THEN HE
LIES ON THE BED. HE CLOSES HIS EYES.
9. INT.
/ joe’s HOTEL bedROOM/ DAY
JOE JUST GOT BACK FROM THE
SHOWER. HIS HAIR IS STILL WET. HE IS HALF NAKED; HE IS using a WHITE TOWEL to
cover up. HE OPENS HIS LAPTOP, CHECKS HIS EMAIL. HE RECEIVES DOZENS OF MESSAGES
AND PICTURES FROM HIS FRIENDS WHO ARE OUT TRAVELLING SOMEWHERE. HE IS GREEN
WITH ENVY. HE CLICKS ON THE REPLIES. THE CAMERA FOCUSES AS HE TYPES IN ON
FACEBOOK...
joe stevens: “I JUST ARRIVED IN MANILA”
joe clicks and LOOKS AT THE
PICTURE OF HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND AND THEM TOGETHER. SHE SEES HER FACEBOOK STATUS.
THE CAMERA FOCUSES ON THE WORD...
“SINGLE”
10. EXT.
/ MALATE/ NIGHT
JOE STROLLS along THE NOISY
CROWDED STREETS OF MALATE. THERE ARE A LOT OF OLD FOREIGNERS WALKING AROUND
WITH THEIR FILIPINA GIRLFRIENDS. THERE’S AN ELECTRO LIGHTS DISPLAY OF THE
STRIP. HE SEES AGO-GO BARS, PUB HAUSES, MASSAGE PARLORS, COFFEE SHOPS AND
RESTAURANTS. HE PASSES BY GIRLS ASKING HIM TO GO INSIDE THEIR PUB HAUS.
GIRL 1
Hey you, you come!
GIRL 2
Come! Come!
JOE CONTINUES TO WALK. HE THEN
SEES A LOVELY FILIPINA GIRL infront of the pubhaus SMILING AND STARING AT
HIM. HE SMILES BUT DECLINES. FOR A SHORT
TIME AT THAT MOMENT, EVERYTHING FREEZES.
AS HE CONTINUES TO WALK, HE
STUMBLES UPON THE SAME TAXI DRIVER THAT GAVE HIM A RIDE EARLIER.
TAXI DRIVER
Hey ser, I REMEMBER YOU KANINA. you want a tour of
Manila night?
Good time!!!
JOE DECLINES BUT HE CONTINUES
TO SMILE. HE WALKS AWAY. HE CROSSES THE STREET AND ALMOST GOT HIT BY A JEEPNEY
DRIVER.
HE GOES TO A KARINDERYA. IT’S
A DARK PLACE with not a lot of people eating. HE IS THERE ALONE EATING WHILE HE LOOKS AT PEOPLE
PASS BY HIM. then he leaves after a while.
11.
INT. / joe’s HOTEL bedROOM/ NIGHT
JOE IS SITTING ON IN HIS BED.
HE GRABS his cellPHONE. HE TRIES TO CALL ABROAD TO HIS PARENTS. ANSWERING
MACHINE ANSWERS, a filipina sounding woman...
“Hi! Timothy and Elsa are out on a cruise for a
month. Just leave a message after the beep.”
JOE PUTS DOWN THE PHONE. HE
OPENS HIS LAPTOP AND READS THE LONG E-MAIL MESSAGE OF HIS GIRLFRIEND...THE
CAMERA FOCUSES ON THE WORDS...
“i’m SORRY”
AND
“BREAK-UP”.
HE CLOSES HIS LAPTOP. HE GATHERS
HIS SOILED CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR AND PUTS THEM BACK IN HIS BACKPACK. HE IS
FIXING HIS STUFF NOW. then he closes his backpack
12.
exT. / TRAVEL AGENCY/ DAY
ESTABLISHING OF ERMITA IN
MANILA AND THE STRIP OF NUMEROUS TRAVEL AGENCIES. JOE IS SEEN INSIDE ONE OF THE
AGENCIES. HE IS TALKING TO A TOURIST AGENT.
INSERT GFX DAY 3
V.O. JOE
three days after... i got lonely, i felt i wasn’t
welcome here y’a know... so i booked a flight out of m’nila next day..
13. EXT.
/ MANILA BAY/ DAY
INSERT GFX TEXT: MANILA BAY
JOE SITS IN THE BAYWALK. he is
looking around observing. IT’S DIRTY, TRASH IN THE CORNER, THE TILES ARE FILLED
WITH GRIME. BAYWALK IS FULL OF COUPLES SITTING, EMBRACING EACH OTHER WHILE LOOKING
AT THE BEAUTIFUL SUNSET. PINOY POP LOVE SONGS BLASTING FROM A CELLPHONE.
v.o. joe
they say when you’re in m’nila, atleast go to m’nila
bay...
i did...
i never knew my life would change here for’ver!
joe WATCHES AS THE SUN SETS. IT’S
BEAUTIFUL. HIS EYES GOT TIRED. HE FALLS TO SLEEP FOR A WHILE.
FADE TO BLACK
joe HEARS SOUNDS CALLING HIM.
filipina GIRL
PSSST... HUY! HUY!
fade in
HE OPENS HIS EYES AND WAKES UP
NEAR THE CLIFF. HE IS ALMOST FALLING TO THE BAY. A GIRL CATCHES HIM FROM THE
ELBOW. THE SAME FILIPINA GIRL ASKING HIM THE OTHER NIGHT TO GO INSIDE THE PUB
HAUS.
INSERT CHEESY PINOY POP LOVE SONG
SLOW MOTION OF THE EVENT
THE FILIPINA GIRL TALKS TO HIM.
HER NAME IS MANILA. SHE IS WEARING A RED FLORAL DRESS, THE COLOR COMPLIMENTS
HER RED LIPS. SHE’S FULLY MADE UP.
MANILA
Want to hab a gud taym?
JOE says NO.
MANILA
hmmmppph... Okey!
MANILA WALKs AWAY. JOE SEES
HER WALKING AWAY. HE SUDDENLY stands up to
FOLLOW HER.
JOE
HeyA...
MANILA
Yo!
JOE
How much?
MANILA
You... go to club. Ask mama! Me dey op!
JOE
Where you goin’ then?
MANILA
Eat! eat!
JOE
Can i go with ya?
MANILA
Wach your neym?
JOE
Joe! and you?
manila
manila...
MANILA CONTINUEs to WALK. JOE TRIES
TO FOLLOW HER from behind.
14.
EXT. / ROXAS BOULEVARD/ NIGHT
JOE AND MANILA ARE STROLLING ALONG
ROXAS BOULEVARD. YOU COULD SEE THE LIGHT POSTS, THE LIGHTS OF THE HOTEL. manila is talking to joe. manila points out to
the strip of restaurants. she makes a sign of eating. THEY STOP AT THE HARBOR
VIEW STRIP OF RESTAURANTS. joe nods. then, they go inside.
15.
INT. / RESTAURANT/ NIGHT
joe and manila are seated in
at the corner of the restaurant. MANILA IS LOOKING AT THE MENU AND POINTING HER
ORDERS TO THE WAITER. Joe sees customers in the other tables, some are local
couples, BUT more of them are foreign male tourists with their Filipina
girlfriends. manila is staring at joe AS HE IS LOOKING AROUND. he’s a really
good looking guy.
MANILA
Joe, you pers taym?
JOE LOOKED AT HER WEIRD
LIKE SHE’S INTO SOMETHING.
JOE
WHAT
DO YA MEAN?
MANILA
MANILAAA!
MANILA PAUSED FOR A WHILE AND REALIZES JOE IS THINKING
ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE.
JOE
OH
I SEE, I’M SORRY!
IT’S MY FIRST TIME HERE IN THE CITY!
MANILA
ANO BA PEELING MO SINASABI KO???
MANILA IS LOOKING INTENTLY AT
JOE’S EYES.
MANILA
HOOOY!!!
JOE
WHY ARE Ya’ MAD?
MANILA
CHE!
TEKA TEKA TEKA...
KANINA NUNG
TINATANONG KITA PARA KANG PIPe...
MANILA COPIES JOE’S FACIAL
EXPRESSION WHEN HE SAID NO.
MANILA
NGAYON NAMAN ANG
DAMI MONG TANUNG...
JOE LOOKS AT MANILA CLUELESS.
MANILA
ADIK KA BA?
16.
EXT. / MALATE/ NIGHT
JOE AND MANILA CONTINUE TO
WALK. THEY ARE CRUISING THE STREETS OF MALATE. they pass by joe’s hotel. joe
pointS out where he’s staying. THEY CONTINUE TO WALK. MANILA POINTS OUT WHERE
SHE’S WORKING. AND THEN WALK FOR SOME MORE. THE LOOK LIKE THEY’VE BEEn TALKING
FOR A WHILE NOW.
insert gfx text malate
JOE
SO MY DAD WENT TO M’NILA. BUT OLD MAN GOT A JOB IN texas.
MANILA
WHERS YOR MAM?
JOE
dad met her here. she’s filpina actually!
MANILA STOPS WALKING AND LOOKS
AT JOE.
manila
anuuuuu? eh gago ka pala eh! kanina mo pa ako
pinahihirapan, pilipino ka naman pala!
joe
filipino? technically... no. i’m an american citizen.
and why are ya always mad?
manila
k, K, sorry!
17.
ext. / videoke bar/ night
Joe and manila ARE walking IN
MALATE till they finally arrive infront of A videoke bar. this bar is filled
with many people happily singing. JOE HEARS OUT OF TUNES SINGERS. WAITRESSES
PASSING BY CARRYING BEER BOTTLES, LOCALS GO INSIDE.
joe
So hey m’nila! think its gettin’ late. think i need to
call it a night?
manila
Whaaaat? are you sherious? may curfew? halika nga sa
loob, papakilala kita sa mga friendly friends ko..
manila shrugged joe on her
shoulder and went inside the videoke bar. JOE IS SURPRISED. joe is wandering
around. there’s a lot of singing. its loud inside, everyone’s drinking. they
approach a table WITH three people SITTING.
a gay MAN, a boy and a girl. they are manila’s friends.
manila
hello! helloooo!
manila greets her friends, the
gay friend’s name is rachel ann, the girl’s name is sarah and the boy’s name is
christian. joe and manila go to seat in the table.
rachel ann
sin sha?
manila
friend kowh.. meet joe! joe meet the champions...
joe extends his hand to
everyone to meet everyone personally. THE FRIENDS INTRODUCES THEMSELVES AND
THEIR NAMES.
CHRISTIAN
PARE... CHRISTIAN!
SARAH
HI! I’M SARAH!
RACHEL ANN
HELLO I’M GORGEOUS...
MANILA
SIRA! SHE... HE... is RACHEL ANN!
A FEW MINUTES AFTER, joe is
still a little shy. he sees manila having a good time. HE IS LOOKING AT THEM
WHILE MANILA IS cracking jokes with her friends. he looks at her in the eye.
manila NOTICES... SHE is now MOVING closeR to joe. suddenly, manila gives joe a
drink.
manila
RED HORSE?
THE VIDEOKE MASTER ANNOUNCES
THE NEXT SET OF PERFORMERS. HE INTRODUCES THE CHAMPIONS, MANILA’S FRIENDS. THEY
STAND UP AND GO TO THE STAGE AND STARTED SINGING. JOE AND MANILA ARE LOOKING AT
EACH OTHER. THE CHAMPIONS ALL SING OUT OF TUNE. MANILA AND JOE STARTS TO LAUGH.
HOURS PASSED. THERE ARE A LOT
OF BEER BOTTLES IN THE TABLE. JOE APPEARS TO BE A LITTLE TIPSY NOW. HE IS
INTOXICATED. MANILA IS LAUGHING. JOE IS STARTING TO FEEL NAUSEOUS. THE FRIENDS
ARE DRUNK AS WELL. MANILA LOOKS INTO JOE’S EYES AND STARTS TALKING WHILE DRUNK.
MANILA
ALAM MO JOE, IBA KA?
JOE CONTINUES TO TRY TO LOOK
STRAIGHT INTO MANILA. HE’S RESTLESS NOW.
MANILA
KAYA SUMAMA AKO SAYO! ALAM KO IBA KA...
MANILA
LOOKS AT JOE FOR A SECOND.
MANILA
YOU KNOW PORINERS, TOUCH TOUCH AAALLLL THE TIME! GRAB
Hir. GRAB dur... GRAB EbRYWHERE...
MANILA POINTS HER FINGER INTO
JOE’S CHEST.
MANILA
BUT YOU... YOU TALK! I LAYK DUT!
SUDDENLY JOE CALLS MANILA’S
NAME...
JOE
M’NILAAA...
MANILA
YEEEEESSSS?
JOE STARTS TO VOMIT INFRONT OF
MANILA. THE PEOPLE INSIDE THE VIDEOKE BAR STOPS THEIR BUSINESS AND LOOKS AT JOE
AND MANILA.
FADE TO BLACK
----------
the story of manila is about...
A traveller, a local girl...
Two different people from different sides of the world,
With two different stories to tell.
A love story so unforgettable,
In one picturesque destination...
Manila.
Who will leave? Who will fall in love? Who will
remember forever?
Manila is a tale of two lost souls, one destiny. Two
people searching for happiness, two people searching for answers... When the
truth is revealed, who will weep? And who will love forever?
Manila... You can travel miles and miles away to forget
about her, to leave her... but she will never leave you. She will stay in your
heart forever... a city like no other in the world... Manila.
This entry is part of
Theme: Manila in Focus
Host: Lakwatsero
DISCLAIMER:
THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. ANY SIMILARITIES WITH PERSONS, WHETHER LIVING OR
DEAD, IS SIMPLY COINCIDENTAL. THIS IS AN ORIGINAL WORK OF THE AUTHOR AND SHOULD
COINCIDE WITH THE COPYRIGHT LAWS. IF YOU FOUND THIS OFFENSIVE AND/OR
UNFIT FOR THE SAID INTENTION, KINDLY LET THE AUTHOR KNOW, AND WILL BE
RE-PUBLISHED WITH CAUTION.
22 Comments:
liked! :)
Dude! This is awesome. I can feel your creative juices flowing through. Is this screenplay already complete?
@Renevic Thanks so much!!! You don't know how happy i am sharing to everyone my most prized possession. Cheers!
@Grace Yup. It's finished already. I am planning to submit it again for competition so i can't post everything in the blog. maybe for technicality reasons? But for the first 17 sequences, i am pretty sure you get the story, the tone but of course, it's a bittersweet story which i am a fan of. Thanks so much Grace. I appreciate your kind words. :)
waaah!! ang ganda.. na-bitin ako! ang galing..
What an original post. Gawin ng indie movie eto Jerik
hi bro....i'm kemang from Malaysia..just find out ur blog..u love to travel right? i'm a travelholic too, hope we can be a travelmate soon :)
btw i'm planning for a backpack to manila, now i'm busy searching for information about manila :D
i've linked you to my blog :)
Only creative writers can do this and I'm certain you're expert on this field. Am really carried away by the scenes. Thanks for sharing this.
Waaaaaaw grabe ang ganda ng post na 'to! Galing. Pang indie-film ang level!
WOW! just WOW! WOW MANILA. very creative and natural. i tweeted this to carlos celdran, let's see what will happen. galing sir!
wala akong masabi. speechless. napapasmile lang ako =)
yun na yun :)
super creative love it!!!!
@Batang Lakwatsero Complete na ang script di ko lang puwede i-post ng buo. he he Maganda siya pramis, joke time pero sobrang ma-drama. naiyak ako sa sarili kong script.
@Markyramone kelangan ko ng bigating producer pero game na toh. may mga tweaks na lang unti pero more or less, this is game na!
@kemang~ sure, no problem! let me know when you hit Manila, i'll cheers beer with you for sure! Thanks so much for visiting!
@Islandvacations Thanks! :)
@RM Bulseco Thanks RM and welcome to the blog. Feel free to read my other entries. Hello fellow travel blogger!
@journeyingjames idol salamat!!! By the way, hope to get tips from your other blog. I'm starting to run too! Thanks bro!
@doi Thanks Doi! hope to be back in Cebu and meet you and Ed! Salamat gid!
@joan of The Backpack Chronicles I'd like to thank Manila for giving me the inspiration.. :) Thanks Joan! :)
Hi kuya nice post :) we also visit MANILA area last Sept. 2, 2011,im glad that they still preserved the LUNETA park and they protect the foreign people:) proud pa din ako sa bansa natin
@May Yes! We need people like you who think positively. With all the corruption and poverty, it's time we look at the future with an open mind and positive heart,
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