Concept Worksheet 8 - Blacktop Vigilante

Short film - 10 min - for festivals, as basis for a feature film

Story Statement: A rogue vigilante in a one-of-a-kind car goes head to head with the driver of an oil tanker for an evil oil company.

Visual Style: Big, open expanse contrasted with the speed of two objects hurtling toward each other.

Plot: The desert is empty, desolate, save for the single dilapidated two-lane road that stretches across it. Dark clouds rise from an oil refinery off in the distance. A lone tanker truck heads away from the clouds, the words OIL CO. emblazoned on its side. The truck is heavily armored, some of it obviously just hastily welded-on scrap metal. The driver is eating a large sandwich and listening to ‘70s rock and roll. Suddenly, a voice comes in over the CB radio, but it is unintelligible. The driver turns off his music. “Can you repeat that?” He says. The voice comes in clearer now. “Drop your cargo and drive away,” it says.

            “Who is this?” asks the driver.

            “You know who this is,” says the voice.

            “You…” the driver says quietly. He nervously tightens his grip on the wheel.

            “Drop your cargo and drive away,” the voice says again.

            “You know damn well I can’t do that,” says the driver.

            “That gasoline isn’t making it to the border. It’s up to you whether you do.”

            “These new trucks are more heavily armored than most tanks,” the driver responds. “I’d like to see you try-“

            The voice cuts him off. “I see you’ve already made your choice.” 

The driver is visibly shaken. He scans the horizon. He sees something in the road ahead of him, off in the distance. He squints, then realizes what it is. It looks exactly like he’d heard from the few survivors. It looks like an extravagant Motorama show car from the 1950s, only covered in makeshift scrap metal armor. He can hear its engine, too. Not the roar of a normal combustion engine, but instead a strange, menacing hum. The car is barreling towards the tanker truck at great speed. The truck driver stares, astonished. He hesitates, then presses a red button on his dashboard. A metal plate with a small slit swings down in front of the windshield; large spikes come out of the front. The driver floors the gas pedal. The two vehicles hurtle towards each other. The tanker truck driver struggles to control his vehicle at such high speed. The Motorama car almost floats over the bumpy road. The two vehicles are just a few hundred meters apart. The tanker truck driver closes his eyes. The Motorama car driver pulls a lever; a panel under his car opens, and a group of spiked metal balls spill out onto the road. He then expertly maneuvers around the tanker truck, pulls his emergency brake, and skids to a stop. The tanker truck runs over the spiked balls, which explode, destroying the tires. The truck driver loses control. The truck jackknifes, flips on its side, and skids to a halt. The door flips open, and the broken, battered truck driver climbs out. A panel opens on the Motorama car, and a rocket shoots out. It hits the truck in its weak underbelly, igniting the gas inside. The truck driver jumps out of the way as the truck explodes. The Motorama car turns and drives off the road into the desert, leaving the truck driver alone.

Audience Connection: Should be an exciting, thrilling movie that connects with an important issue of out time.