"Clear As Mud"

By Locky Campbell, Jeff Agapitos and Romy Papas

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPT
Log Line: "Two friends who grow up together, as next door
neighbours, through thick and thin. They always have
each-others back and are there in times of need."
Theme: Intimacy
EXT. DANIELS BACKYARD - INTRODUCTORY SCENE
Fade In
The sound of rain is heard whilst the scene fades in from
black.
Shot opens to two children, STELLA and DANIEL, who are
facing each other. It is raining and is early afternoon.
An emotional soundtrack takes over and the action begins
to move in slow motion.
CUT TO a medium shot of Daniel as Stella slaps him across
the face with a muddy hand. The slow motion and music
instantly stops as he is slapped.
Long shot reveals the kids playing in a suburban backyard
having a mud fight in the rain. The children laugh as they
throw mud at each other.
STELLA
Take that!
DANIEL
Youll never get me!
STELLA
Youre gonna wish youd never
been born when Im done with you!
They continue to fight for a couple of minutes. They take
cover from each other, Stella behind a shed and Daniel
behind a the fence between their neighbouring houses.
DANIEL
Bombs away!
STELLA
Ahhhh!
Daniel narrowly misses Stella as she pokes out from behind
the shed leaving mud all over it.
DANIEL
There is no escape for you
Stelly! Surrender now and I will
allow you your life. This is my
first, and final warning, before
I blow you to oblivion! You have
ten seconds to comply. Ten!
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

2.

Daniel begins to count down from ten, while he does Stella

sneaks around the back of the shed and flanks Daniel. She
approaches him with a hand full of mud and prepares to
attack.
STELLA
Hey Danny!
Stella throws her handful of mud at Daniel as he turns
towards her. Before he can anticipate it the mud hits him
square in the face. And he squats to the ground clenching
his face.
STELLA
HA HA! I got you! Whos going to
oblivion now! You got smashed to
smithereens! Victory is mine!
Victory is mine! Bow down before
me!
Stella then pauses, and looks down at the motionless
Daniel.
STELLA
Well come on get up you big old
baby! Admit your defeat!
Daniel begins to sob.
DANIEL
Its in my eye!
STELLA
What?
DANIEL
The muds in my eye. You got it
in my eye! (Crying)
STELLA
No I didnt! Come on you cry
baby, get up!
DANIEL
It hurts!
STELLA
Stop being a wuss Danny! Stop
being a wuss! Come on get up!
Face your defeat!
Another pause as Daniel continues to sob. Stella kneels
down besides Daniel.
STELLA
Danny! Danny! Stop crying, youre
gonna get us in trouble.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

3.

DANNY
Im not gonna get in trouble you are!
STELLA
No Danny, your mum will get mad
at you, and shell never let you
play in the rain again because
all you do is hurt yourself.
DANIEL
I didnt hurt myself, you threw
mud in my eye.
STELLA
She doesnt care! All shell
think about is the mess youll
make when you come back inside.
DANIEL
No thats DANIELS MOTHER opens back door, yelling from inside out
of the rain.
DANIELS MOTHER
Daniel! Stella! What happened?
STELLA
Daniels getting cold, were
gonna come back inside now.
Stella picks up Daniel and they begin to walk to the back
door.
DANIELS MOTHER
Youre not coming inside with all
that mud on you. Stand still and
Ill clean you both up.
STELLA
Okay.
DANIEL
Okay.
Daniels Mother grabs the garden hose, and without
hesitation sprays it at Daniel and then Stella. The
children scream as the cold water hits them both. Cut to
black, as the title of the film flashes on screen.

4.

FILM SYNOPSIS
After the opening titles, the audience is further
introduced to the childrens time growing up together. We
see some minor struggles through junior school in which
Dan is teased, and Stella will always stick up for him.
During their upbringing, we see the children doing almost
everything together. In one instance, they try and
befriend the neighbours dog, only to end up running as
fast as they can away from the fence!
There is a key scene where the two of them have a fight.
It is over something that is trivial to Stella but means a
lot to Dan. She thought she was helping him by telling his
family and everyone in the class that he likes to play the
guitar and that he should be in the talent show. Daniel is
completely mortified, and as a few of the boys snicker in
the class, his family demand he show them his skills. He
ignores Stella for days at school, and the two of them are
both having a miserable time. Stella approaches him in the
library, says she is sorry. He said he forgives her but he
is still upset because he always wanted to be in the
talent show but he is scared hell be the worst in the
show. A sheepish grin appears on Stellas face.
The talent show comes around and Stella puts herself as
the act just before Daniel. She does a purposely horrible
act, where she plays multiple instruments at once as a one
woman band. After seeing Stella do an awful job, Dan feels
confident enough to go on stage and play a simple song
that he had been practising. He begins, with a song he
wrote himself, and he sees Stella in the front of the
audience. We as an audience relate to the audience in the
film.
This is where the film then ages Dan just over a decade
into the future, where he finishes playing the exact same
song at a formal function. He then walks off stage and
there is a fade to black.
We then see Dan waiting outside a cafe for Stella.
INT. CAFE - CONCLUDING SCENE
Daniel is waiting in a cafe for Stella. Stella arrives,
and it is apparent that Daniel has outgrown her immensely.
They have not seen each other in a couple years.
STELLA
Dan!
DANIEL
Hey Stell!
They embrace in a hug, then walk into the cafe. They sit
at a booth next to the window and talk.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

5.
STELLA
Im so glad we bumped into each
other, I havent seen you in
ages.
DANIEL
Yeah, its been so long, hey?
STELLA
Ever since I moved out, I think.
Time sure does fly after you
leave school.
DANIEL
It really feels like a long time
ago, doesnt it, eh?
STELLA
It really does, so what have you
been up to? Whats happening in
your world. Dan?
DANIEL
Well, actually, I dropped out of
uni after a semester. Just wasnt
for me.
STELLA
Oh really.
DANIEL
Yeah, never realised just how
much high school knocked academic
motivation out of me! Youre at
uni though arent you?
STELLA
Yeah, Im in the last year of my
degree. Its been a blast but Im
ready to move on.
DANIEL
What do you wanna do when youre
done?
STELLA
I dont know just yet, but I have
a couple ideas. Maybe work for a
bit and go travelling, just like
everyone else our age seems to
these days.
DANIEL
Yeah, I get that. Travellings
pretty much all Ive been doing
since I left uni. Saving up money
then taking trips, then savin,
then travellin.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

6.

STELLA
Wow, thats awesome! Wheres next
on the map?
DANIEL
Im actually saving up to go to
South America in a few months.
WAITER comes over.
WAITER
What can I get for you two this
afternoon?
DANIEL
Ill just have a flat white
please mate.
STELLA
Make that two, and to eat Ill
have... umm... some scones too
please, with whipped cream.
WAITER
Of course. Ill have them out in
a couple of minutes.
Waiter walks off.
DANIEL
Still got that sweet tooth, I
see. (smirks)
STELLA
Yeah, its so bad I swear when my
cholesterol gives in Im gonna be
a whale!
DANIEL
(Laughs) Nah, you look good
though, still swimming.
STELLA
Yeah, for the uni team. Between
that and assignments Im pretty
much in the thick of it.
DANIEL
Its good youve kept that up,
you were always much better than
me back in the day.
STELLA
Oh my god, yes! When we went and
swam in the river.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

7.

DANIEL
Yeah, you used to dunk me all the
time, and Id always end up in
tears.
STELLA
Yeah, but lets be honest, you
were a little wimp.
DANIEL
Oh come on! You were a crafty
little devil. You always got
around my mum somehow too, how
did you never get in trouble.
STELLA
Just my natural charm.
Waiter arrives with the food and coffee.
WAITER
Here we are.
STELLA
Thank you.
DANIEL
Thanks. You have to admit, you
were pretty mean to me.
STELLA
I will not! I never did anything
of the sort.
DANIEL
Oh, of course, of course. The
little princess you were.
Daniel leans back into his chair as he speaks and Stella
flicks some of the whipped cream at him, which lands on
his face, evoking memories of the mud fight they had as
kids. Daniels face is of mild annoyance and disgust.
STELLA
Little princess indeed.
Stella laughs, slowly Daniel is infected by her laughter
and the two share the moment of hilarity. Cut to black.