New Element

I'm still trying to rewrite the main elements of the plot to this screenplay. Today I ran across something I could add in. This is just a brainstorm.

Here's a movie poster mock-up created by a friend.

Dear Kenosha

For Kenoshans, the biggest question may be "Is this film mocking or honoring Kenosha?" To be honest, I'd say there is a little mocking, but a lot more honoring. I chose Kenosha as the setting for this film to honor my hometown and my friends from Kenosha. For me and my friends, Kenosha has (had) two distinct layers--the "normal" family-friendly city and the slightly eccentric city. Both layers can be seen by driving through most residential areas and by visiting downtown spots such as Frank's Diner and Mike Bjorn's.


I think these two layers make Kenosha a great setting for a motion picture as it will draw in audiences comfortable with one or both, not to mention actual Kenoshans. Besides the place, the time period of the early 1980s makes the story more interesting. Many in Kenosha may look back to the early 1980s as a period of unwanted change as it looked like the city may become one of the rustier parts of the growing Rust Belt. In fact, the entire decade of the 1980s was a period of uncertain transition. But I believe the city has had a happy ending to that transition as the 1990s showed excellent growth and a new image.


What is mocked about Kenosha is more about the past. This story is somewhat of a mocking homage to the culture of the 1980s as Kenosha exhibits some of that culture quite well including the newfound obsession with cars through shows like Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard. The city is not intended as the target of mockery or ridicule. Audiences should leave the cinemas relating and possibly bonding with Kenosha as much of the nation feels its plight.


What I intend to feature the most about Kenosha is the heightened level of uncertainty, a feeling that the whole nation has been feeling for the past year as of May 2009. The best stories focus on periods of change and I think Kenosha of the 1980s strongly exemplifies this. In this sense, realism with both its positives and negatives will be portrayed.


Another concern may be about the main characters attitudes towards Kenosha. The majority of the characters feel a strong sense of pride and loyalty. A few characters' pride may be ridiculed as it is over-the-top. None of the characters will have a feeling of disgust for the city. The main character will have a feeling of ambivalence as his naive pride turns to ambivalence. I think he is somewhat the personification of Kenosha as he is also going through a change, and must make the difficult decision to move on.

How will Kenosha be portrayed? I want the bleakness of uncertainty to feature in poignant parts of the film, but I'd like positive images of the city to be featured at both ends of the film so audiences have a general positive emotional response to the city. To simplify, I'd like the audience to get the feeling that this is a good city going through an ugly transition--a perfect metaphor for the early adulthood of many of the major characters.

Will my personal feelings about the film come out? Most of my immediate family will say they've had more negative experiences than positive ones, but I won't let these interfere with the portrayal of the city. I'd like to consult with friends and family with more positive experiences to avoid casting Kenosha in a biased darker light.

It was only until I left Kenosha that I believed that the city was unique. When describing the city and its people to my non-Kenosha friends, they were intrigued. Before I left, I thought it was your typical family-friendly quiet Midwestern city, almost like its own suburbia. After describing it to friends and then researching the city's late-20th Century history, I realized that it was more unique than I had thought. I hope this uniqueness shows in the film.

Parallels with "American Graffiti"

A friend and I realized that the plot line of this screenplay runs dangerous parallel to American Graffiti, a film by George Lucas. This was not my intention, but here are the similarities.

1. They are both coming-of-age stories that take place during another era. AG takes place in 1962 and Carnosha takes place in 1983.
2. Drive-in restaurants play a major part. The kids from AG hang out at Mel's Drive-In. Two of the major characters hang out at The Spot Drive-In only because one works there.
3. Cars play a major role. The kids go for joy rides and drag racing in AG. Cars are manufactured and obsessed by a few of the characters in the Carnosha.
   
4. Popular music is vital for the soundtrack. AG featured at least 40 top hits from the early 1960s. One character in Carnosha listen to a lot of new wave synthpop from the early 1980s. Other characters in Carnosha have deep discussions about Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd.

Here are some important differences

1. American Graffiti paints a rosy picture of the Kennedy era, while Carnosha shows the uncertain times of the early Reagan era, especially for blue-collar workers waiting for the wealth to "trickle down."
2. Opposed to AG, not all of Carnosha's major characters are in high school. One graduated a year before and another is the father of another major character.
3. Carnosha focuses a little more on family dynamics and the fate of the local automotive industry

With that said, I still think Carnosha needs to distinguish itself a little further from American Graffiti. But I'd like to play off certain similar elements as an homage to George Lucas.

Opening Scene

Matthew’s Datsun jumps Pepsi Hill in the late evening, then driving along the lakefront on Kennedy Drive, drag racing?

Alternate Opening Scene – Matthew and major character #1 on the lighthouse pier watching cargo being loaded and unloaded from a ship to the AMC plant, then driving along the lakefront on Kennedy Drive

Opening Credits over Gary Numan or John Foxx music while Matthew drives around Kenosha, use 1980s futurist or AMC-inspired titles (and if this movie gets picked up by Viacom, the parent company of CBS)

Cue opening credits when Matthew drives under the AMC overpass on 52nd Avenue

Opening dialog between Matthew and major character #1 about working at AMC, Matthew’s Datsun, Matthew’s new Telekon suit, new wave music

Frank's Diner

Frank's Diner is one of the more locally colorful places in Kenosha.

I am planning this to be a hang out or meet-up place for major character #1, his father, and his father's friend. Their major topic of conversation will be Frank Zappa. Major character #1 first thought that Frank's Diner was named after Frank Zappa. I might name major character #3's (the father's) friend Frank for a motif.

If major character #2 can't find major character #1 during the day, he's probably hanging out here. Major character #2 and #4 will take Masumi here. She is not impressed by the food but finds the ambiance interesting.

Major Character #1

Family

• Father is major character #3, who he looks up to for advice, especially in future employment
• Born in 1965
• Mother and siblings to be determined

Friends

• Best friends with major character #2, who is one year older than him
• Likes to play simple card games with major character #2 to pass the time
• Friends with his neighbor and classmate, major character #4
• Friends with his father's coworker, who is huge Frank Zappa fan

Hobbies and Interests

• Loves Frank Zappa, especially music from the mid-seventies onwards. He shares this interest with his father, who prefers the earlier years. They often have friendly arguments over which era of Zappa is best. Major characters #1 and #2 often play card games with jazzy Zappa music in the background.
• Likes Pink Floyd as this is an influence from his father, who only likes Syd Barrett-era Floyd. He actually prefers Pink Floyd after Syd Barrett and loves Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. He feels too intimidated to debate his father on this issue as his father is very sensitive about Syd Barrett. His father hates the song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" whereas he likes it a lot.
• Is a fan of Monty Python's Flying Circus. His favorite movie of all time is Time Bandits. He believes Terry Gilliam will be the next greatest director like Spielberg.
• Unlike his father and his best friend, he doesn't have a car and is not a car enthusiast. He feels as if he should like cars, but is really indifferent to them.

Personality

• Because he hasn't put much time into self-reflection yet, he hasn't developed a strong sense of self. He just has a strong sense of cultural (movies and music) preferences.
• He is a bit shy and reclusive, but is a very loyal friend and son.
• He is a good friend because he's a great listener and finds his friends genuinely interesting.
• He's very interesting in learning more about people, but has a hard time approaching them.

Major Character #3

Family & Background

• Father of major character #1
• Born January 6, 1946, same day as his hero Syd Barrett
• Married at the early age of 18 (in 1964) to his high school sweetheart
• Other children to be determined
• Has a cat named Lucyfur Sam, named after the Pink Floyd song

Career

• Started officially working at American Motors in 1963 at the age of 17, although he helped out his father as "an apprentice" for 3 years before being officially hired by the company
• Because of this, he likes to tell people he's worked at AMC since Kennedy won the elections in 1960
• Likes to take credit for contributing to the design of the AMC Rambler Marlin, which he still drives. He often tells people he meets that he designed the car. To friends and relatives, he'll admit to contributing to the design. In reality, it was only a coincidence that the designer, Vincent Geraci, had similar ideas to him.
• He has a strong work ethic and a stronger loyalty to American Motors.

Hobbies

• Big fan of Syd Barrett as they share the same birthday. Only likes the Syd Barrett-era of Pink Floyd. Holds a grudge against Roger Waters. Likes to sing "Lucifer Sam" aloud to his cat.
• Also is a big fan early Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. He shares this interest with his son, major character #1, and one of his coworkers who owns every album that Zappa ever released, including bootlegs. The Man from Utopia was just released during this screenplay.
• Thinks 1967 was the best year in music history.
• A Green Bay Packers fan. Although he didn't attend the first Superbowl, he did go the famous Ice Bowl of 1966. It was also his son's first Packers game. He took him there as a baby, which his wife strongly protested. "He will thank me for it later!" he replied.
• Also a collector of psychedelic art.
• Although it appears he may experiment with drugs, his only drug of choice is alcohol.

Personality & Relationships

• He suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder - mainly about his contributions to American Motors
• He expects his son, major character #1, to go along with his ideas and plans of following in his footsteps to work at AMC
• Relationship with his wife is to be determined
• He believes his son's friends look up to him

Major Character #4 - Kimberley Kozak

Background and Family

• Intends to enroll at Ripon College, accepted in the winter, would like to major in physics
• Partially modeled after the character Lindsay Weir from Freaks and Geeks
• From a working class family that lives in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Kenosha
• Father works at Kohl's (supermarket)
• Mother works in insurance
• Has a younger brother who is adopted from South Korea
• Her family hosts Masumi, an exchange student at Tremper, for one month

Relationship with Major Characters #1 and #2

• Has been neighbors with major character #1 since childhood
• Thinks major character #2 is too self-absorbed
• Thinks major character #1 has more potential than as an assembly line worker at AMC
• Thinks major character #2 is not realistic in his career dreams
• Always encourages major character #1 to find a better life
• Has no romantic interests in either characters

Motivation

• Wants to study science at Ripon College
• Postpones her social life at high school for one at college
• Has perhaps an unrealistic vision of life in college, such as being surrounded by deep-thinking open-minded scholars
• Wants to travel the world

Major Character #2 - Matthew Savaglio

Car Enthusiast

• Has no loyalty towards AMC cars.
• Drives a Datsun 280 ZX
• Wants to buy a 1984 Chevrolet Corvette
• Better at driving cars than repairing them (that's why he doesn't want to work at AMC)

New Wave Image

• Wears clothing similar to Gary Numan's Telekon suit
• Fan of British new wave synthpop artists like Gary Numan, John Foxx, and OMD
• Has dreams or fantasies about riding one of the lightcycles from the film TRON.
• Buys his first CD (Herbie Hancock's Future Shock) but doesn't have a CD player
  

Job/Hobby

• Works at The Spot drive-in as a temporary job
• Wanted to work at Andy's drive-in because they showcase vintage automobiles
• Longs for a career in driving
• Gets an opportunity to participate in a race at Wilmot Speedway in Kenosha County
• Also participates in demolition derbies
• Was disappointed by attending a monster truck rally in West Allis, WI

Relationships

• Best friends with major character #1, who is one year younger, they've been friends since Lincoln Junior High School
• Acquaintance of major character #4, thinks she is a meddler in #1's life, thinks #1 is wasting his time with her if they are not dating, thinks she is a little snobby
• I am still developing his relationships with others

Personality

• Somewhat reclusive
• Strong work ethic
• A little obsessive about his new wave image
• Nerdy sense of humor - jokes about Star Wars & Knight Rider
• Emotional personality still needs to be developed more so as not to become a two-dimensional comic book character

Name

• I just did a web search for the name and found that there is a real Matthew Valeo from Kenosha.
• It's not too surprising, but I'm open to changing the family name if legal issues arise.
  
• I'd like to keep an Italian surname because I believe there can't be a screenplay about Kenosha without an Italian-American in a major role.
• I think the surname is suitable because an automotive website comes up first when I google "Valeo."

Pleasant Prairie Power Plant

The billowing smoke from the Pleasant Prairie Power Plant can be seen from miles and miles around Kenosha. When flying from Madison to Chicago, I could see the smoke from Kenosha during the entire flight on a clear winter's day. The geography confirmed that it was from Pleasant Prairie. I'd like the polluting smoke to be like a minor character in the background of many outdoor scenes.

I'd like some kind of conflict or realization to take place on the railroad tracks to the power plant. Perhaps it is a challenge with a train. I'm not sure yet.

Character arcs

For #1
Act 1: The perfect world - loves Kenosha, looking forward to working at AMC
Act 2: Trials - AMC future looks uncertain, develops a crush on a Japanese exchange student
Act 3: Rebellion - yearns for a life outside of Kenosha

For #2
Act 1: The perfect world - loves Kenosha, has high hopes for a career in driving
Act 2: Invitation - gets his big break when invited to race at Wilmot Speedway
Act 3: Disappointment - does well at Wilmot, but nothing comes out of it, looking for the next big break

For #3
Act 1: The perfect world - loves Kenosha and his career at AMC, looking forward to promotion
Act 2: Small success - a promotion in title, but little in pay
Act 3: No change – works longer hours, sees less of family, denies that AMC's future is short

Minor Characters

Masumi, Japanese exchange student – only in Kenosha for a month, thinks major character #1 is nice but is not interested in him, thinks Kenosha is very boring, from the city of Kumagaya (compared to Kenosha in size by the US Department of Defense during WW2, plus I have spent plenty of time in both cities)

Tall guy - his height is overemphasized by his Sting-like spiked hair, peculiar character who only says "So," "No," and "I don't know."

Major character #2's friend - also a coworker at AMC, apparently the biggest fan of Frank Zappa in Kenosha, has all of his albums including bootlegs, likes to hang out at Frank's Diner, possibly named Frank for the motif

The Downtown Mall

The downtown still exists, but the outdoor mall no longer does. It was only there for a few decades, including the time of this screenplay. By the late 1980s, downtown Kenosha was as lively as this photograph. I remember it being slightly more lively in the early 1980s because JC Penney's and other retailers used to be there until Regency Mall made downtown Kenosha even more obsolete.

It's not too far from the more photogenic Library Park, but the downtown mall will better contribute to the mood and theme of the film. I'd like a few scenes to take place here.

Major Characters

#1 - a senior at Tremper, intends to work at AMC after graduating
#2 - friend of #1, graduated from Tremper the previous year, works at The Spot drive-in on 75th Street and 22nd Avenue
#3 - father of #1, narcissistic, assembly line worker at AMC for 23 years, looking forward to a promotion soon
#4 - classmate and neighbor of #1, already accepted to Ripon College, introduces #1 to Masumi, has most potential for success among the major characters