FADE IN
Act 1
INT. CINEMA - 12:35
Ticketing counter. PETER and his WIFE are at the end of a short queue.
PETER (V.O.): The movie my wife wants to see will be screened from 12:40.
They hear the STAFF talking to CUSTOMERS ahead of them.
WIFE: They aren't seeing our movie.
PETER (V.O.): To me, it's keeping my wife company that counts.
Getting the tickets from the Staff, they rush inside a theatre.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't want to miss a movie's opening image as I want to check if the closing image mirrors it.
Inside, only one seat is occupied. Later, a few SOULS join them.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): This is the only show of the movie in this cinema today.
Act 2
MONTAGE OF PETER'S MOVIE-GOING EXPERIENCE WHEN YOUNG
A. Late 1950s. Cinema, Central. Sitting between his PARENTS (20s), Peter (4-5) is watching western films in colour.
B. Mid 1960s. Cinema, Hung Shui Kiu/Yuen Long, Peter (11-13) is watching films in colour.
END MONTAGE
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I was working as a hotel waiter in the summer of 1970, I watched three movies a day on my off days.
A movie trailer is being shown on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I wanted to escape from my daily life, following characters' stories that are very different from mine.
A public interest announcement is being shown.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): From the movies, I might also learn about historical events, different cultures and new perspectives on human behaviour.
Fade in. A movie's opening image appears on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The location is in Kam Tin. My family was in the vicinity last December when we bid goodbye to Nana, the family pet turtle.
More moving images, characters and dialogues.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Life is full of challenges. They've to be resolved.
Watching the same but different actions.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If characters don't succeed at first, they try again, and again.
.
Later, we see the movie's closing image.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What's in the frame isn't artistic.
Fade out. End credits begin to roll on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A lot of people are involved in the making of the movie.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What motivates people to make movies?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To express their ideas in the artistic fashion? Or to make business profits?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Must they entertain the audience? Or should they attempt to educate them?
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Upon retirement, I wrote a 120-minute feature screenplay - my autobiography, with love stories.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The screenplay was dear to me and I thought about directing and producing a movie.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But recreating the scenes, including decades-old flashbacks could be very costly.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I want to play myself too. But I could only play my role as I'm. I wasn't a kid or a young man anymore.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While my theme should be deep in humanity, it may not appeal to the audience..
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Movies aren't something that people can't live without.
Act 3
INT. CINEMA - CONTINUOUS
Lights on.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Any idea, whether written or not, can be expressed in many art forms, movies being one.
Peter checks his smart phone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): An App generates memorable short movies for me regularly. I love them as they're raw and real.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In a controlled environment, I've been telling my stories in the screenplay format or in music videos. I just want to showcase creativity.
FADE OUT
THE END
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