OUTLINE FOR 10 EPISODE TV SERIES

 

A kick-ass band out of Santa Cruz (WILL, MARK, MARIANNA & VENUS) with a long history of obscurity and love triangles, gets their big break when an inmate escapes during their prison concert, and their You Tube video goes viral.

 

 

EPISODE 1

 

Blackout.  Silence.

 

Blackout reveals a night sky which slowly begins to turn to dawn.  As the first visible outlines of the landscape appear, East Cliff Drive, Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, the sound of the ocean also becomes audible, and below that, the lowest possible bass “F” drone, almost too low to hear, slowly rising unnoticed like the sound of the earth’s magnetic field.  As the daylight rises, we see the silhouettes of a few surfers getting in the water and paddling out.

 

As the sun comes up over the water, we see VENUS on a bench on the cliff, poised over a set of bongo drums.  She raps in a two measure intro, and the warmest toned electric guitar ever rips in over the coolest F7 groove known to man.

 

The music jams on the F7 riff as the sun moves steadily across the sky, morning, afternoon, late afternoon, and other percussion layers in as a drum circle slowly materializes on the cliff, the surfers below catching one killer wave after the next.

 

The audio jam continues and eventually the orange orb of the sun sets over the ocean in the west, the full moon rising over the ocean in the east, and we see a drone in the sky, we become aware that our vantage point is from the bird’s eye view of another drone, and the drones begin a mating dance, like two butterflies, swirling slowly down from the sky as they mate, and the other drone crashes into the ocean and we fly off.

 

The drone flies over the parking lot where MARK is putting his board onto a rack on the top of his truck.  It flies over the town until it swoops over a particular backyard, just as the lights in a huge greenhouse grow room click on. 

 

The drone flies between the thick green marijuana foliage inside the grow room, and the camera zooms in on a particular leaf, zooming in to reveal a microscopic white fuzzy mite on one of the leaves, which is then instantly vaporized by a laser fired by the drone.

 

Through the window of the greenhouse, we see into the window of the main house, where WILL sits on a couch with his guitar and a yellow legal pad, several vape pens and a cell phone on the couch beside him. He is writing lyrics to Shenowah Valley Prison Song.

 

Zoom in on the cellphone showing the still of a YouTube music video of “We Love Money” by The Lost.  WILL presses the arrow and the music video plays, cuing perfectly with the still grooving F7 background jam.

 

SONG 1 – WE LOVE MONEY (Will, Marianna, Venus)

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Mark enters and comments that Will never seems to get tired of listening to his own song, and Will says he is on a mission to make his video go viral even if he has to do it himself one play at a time, and give me your cell phone.  (This theme repeats with every person Will meets) Mark hands him his cellphone and Will clicks a few clicks “twelve hundred forty seven views” and starts the same video on Mark’s phone “Life is cheap, and living is expensive” grinding out of sync with the other audio, before he hits mute and hands it back. 

 

Will gets a text message from Derek the bass player who has crashed his motorcycle and broken his wrist, and Mark agrees to play bass the opening night of the tour tomorrow at Moe’s Alley, while Will tries to find a permanent replacement. 

 

Mark, Will, Venus, and Marianna rehearse in Mark’s living room.  Mark reveals that his girlfriend of 4 years, Danielle, has gone to Bali for three months to teach and attend yoga retreats (and they’ve decided to open their relationship while she’s gone).

 

 

FIVE YEARS EARLIER.

 

Marianna catches her boyfriend and her best friend en flagrante delicto.  Out of her anger and devastation, she takes the opportunity to reinvent herself, and she steals her ex’s classic convertible and heads to California to pursue her dreams of fame and fortune as a singer on the “R U PRIME?” show.

 

The band rehearses the song “Prime” in Mark’s living room in the PRESENT while montaging with scenes of Marianna on the road from FIVE YEARS EARLIER.

 

SONG 2 – PRIME (Marianna)

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Taking the scenic route down Highway 1 from San Francisco to L.A., Marianna’s car breaks down near Santa Cruz, where she is “rescued” by Mark, aka, the Starlight Man.  There is an instant attraction.

 

SONG 3 – STARLIGHT MAN  (Mark, Marianna)

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EPISODE 2

 

 

FIVE YEARS EARLIER:

 

Driving in his truck, Mark insists that Marianna’s breakdown in Santa Cruz is a positive omen, as would’ve arrived in L.A. with no friends, no plans, no prospects, and no money.  He suggests she stay in Santa Cruz until she’s not so desperate, and drops her off downtown where she can make a few bucks singing on the street.  He invites her to a party where his band is playing that night.

 

Marianna meets Will who’s hanging out downtown playing guitar and they play and sing together.  He is blown away by her voice.   

 

SONG 4 – DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ  (Will, Marianna, Venus)

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Will is playing and singing on Pacific Avenue when Marianna comes upon him.  Will’s twin sister Venus also shows up on the scene, and she and Marianna make an instant connection.  When Venus learns that Marianna is stranded in Santa Cruz, she takes her under her wing, and they go back to her place to jam and get high.

 

SONG 5 – ESCALONA DRIVE  (Mark, Will, Marianna, Venus)

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At the quintessential Santa Cruz naked hot tub/pool party at Wesley’s house (the house Mark lives in now in the PRESENT), Will, Mark and The Lost perform ESCALONA DRIVE, and Marianna and Venus have a great time dancing, swimming, and hot tubbing.   WESLEY, the host of the party, a self-described sex-addict, makes a public declaration, in honor of his 40th birthday, vowing a commitment to celibacy for one year.

 

PRESENT:

Mark and Marianna are in the hot tub, trying to sort out what they feel about the current situation.  Clearly there’s still an attraction, and also wounds from the past that haven’t fully healed.  Marianna wants to know if Mark is going to go on the tour?  He doesn’t really want to be out on the road; he loves his life in Santa Cruz; he’s got responsibilities to the thriving pot business; how can he be gone for 8 weeks? 

 

5 YEARS EARLIER:

 

After the party, Venus gives Marianna a massage, and ultimately seduces her.

 

Will and Mark have a nightcap on their front porch, noticing the flickering candlelight in Venus’ window across the street and speculating on what might be going on over there.

 

SONG 6  --  NUCLEAR BLUES (Marianna, Venus)

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(Montage of Venus and Marianna making love 5 YEARS EARLIER with the band onstage playing NUCLEAR BLUES in the PRESENT).

 

Still on the porch, Mark is disappointed because he has fallen in “love at first sight” with Marianna, while Will teases him that he’s fallen in love with a lesbian, judging by the sounds of pleasure carrying through the open window on the quiet night.

 

Mark sneers at Will’s drunken dreams of touring with their band—driving endless miles in a smoke filled van playing shitty clubs for fifty bucks-- and Will teases Mark that he’s a bigger dog than Wesley.  Will informs Mark that he is moving to LA to work for his cousin’s record label.

 

PRESENT:

Mark and Will discuss the logistics of the tour, and Mark agrees to go.

 

 

 

 

EPISODE 3

 

PAST:

 

Mark calls Wesley, and concludes that taking a six month vow of celibacy himself would be a good way to change some of his old patterns around women and sex.

 

 

SONG 7  --  GIRLS TOWN (Mark, Marianna, Venus)

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(Songs from now on mix montage of scenes 5 YEARS EARLIER and the band onstage at various live music venues on the tour in the PRESENT)

 

The next morning, Marianna wonders if this means she’s a lesbian?  And is she still going to LA?  Venus convinces her to stay with her awhile and just go with the flow.

 

SONG 8 --  JOKER (Marianna, Venus)

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A few weeks pass. Marianna gets a waitress job; Venus gets them some gigs.

 

Will calls Mark from LA.  He wants Mark to drive down to do some recording with Joey “something or other” in the Rockville Desert.  Mark reluctantly agrees.

 

Venus is falling hard for Marianna, and writes her a love song.  Marianna is a little freaked out by this expression of love, and wants to run, but has nowhere to go.

 

SONG 9  --  JUST ONE THING  (Marianna, Venus)

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Mark runs into Marianna on the street and asks her to look in on his cat while he’s away in Rockville.  They flirt a bit and make a date to go surfing when he returns.

 

 

EPISODE 4

 

SONG 10 --  ROLLING INTO ROCKVILLE  (Will, Mark)

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Mark and Will find themselves in an ugly situation with Joey, as too much alcohol and coke doom the recording session.

 

Marianna also has a few too many drinks, and breaks up with Venus between sets at their gig.

 

SONG 11  --  LOSE CONTROL  (Marianna, Venus)

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Mark and Will wake up on the floor after passing out at Joey’s and take off for home.

 

SONG 12  --  ROLLING OUT OF ROCKVILLE (Mark, Will)

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On the ride back to Santa Cruz, Mark is angry at Will.  To pass the time, Will starts noodling on the guitar, and together they write a new song.

 

SONG 13  --  JIMMY Z  (Will, Mark)

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EPISODE 5

 

Back in Santa Cruz, Mark finds Marianna crashing in his house, and he invites her to move into Will’s old bedroom.  They start surfing together, and begin to fall in love.

 

SONG 14  --  I THINK WE’LL FALL IN LOVE  (Mark, Marianna)

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Venus gets a call from her mother that Will’s in rehab in Florida.  She shares the news with Mark and Marianna, and they’re all upset.

 

SONG 15  --  JUNIOR (Mark, Marianna, Venus)

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Marianna is reminded of her mother’s spell in rehab, and Mark comforts her, and eventually they start kissing.  But Mark stops the inevitable from happening by informing her that he’s only 3 months into a 6 month vow of celibacy—and he’s in love with her.  She loves him too.  So much for the vow of celibacy…

 

Venus is sad and leaves a voicemail for Will, and then goes out dancing alone.

 

SONG 16  --  AND THEN SHE DANCE (Venus)

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EPISODE 6

 

Will is going through dark times in Rehab

 

SONG 17  --  CIRCUIT CITY (Will)

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Marianna goes to a huge open audition for the “R U PRIME?” show at the San Jose Arena.

 

SONG 18 – SUNRISE THIS MORNING (Marianna)

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Marianna is devastated after not making even the first cut at the audition.  Sharing her feelings with Mark and Venus, she comes to realize how happy she is with her life in Santa Cruz.

 

SONG 19  --  I FEEL LOVE (Mark, Marianna)

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Will’s last night at the rehab center.  He leaves an emotional voicemail message for Venus.

 

 

EPISODE 7

 

SONG 20 – REDEMPTION (Will)

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Will returns to Santa Cruz.  He’s just gotten a gig to be the opening act for an upcoming summer tour.  He asks Mark and Marianna to be in the band.  Marianna is ecstatic, but Mark is lukewarm. 

 

SONG 21 --  GENERATION X  (Mark)

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Mark goes out surfing at night and makes his decision not to go on the tour.

 

Marianna cries on Venus’ shoulder, and makes her choice to go with Will without Mark.

 

SONG 22  --  PRIME REPRISE  (Marianna, Will)

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EPISODE 8

 

Wesley directs Mark towards the practice of Tantra, and also back into his celibacy as Mark recognizes that he vowed six months and only lasted three.  Wesley talks about selling his pot business and moving to Maui. 

 

Venus meets the love of her life, CHANTAL, during a lunar eclipse.

 

SONG 23 --  ECLIPSE (Venus)

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Will and Marianna are having a great time on the tour.  He teaches her to play keyboards.

 

SONG 24  -- THIS LOVE SONG’S NEVER DONE (Will, Marianna)

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Mark meets DANIELLE at a tantra workshop.

 

SONG 25 -- TANTRAMAN (Mark)

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PRESENT:

In a motel after one of the shows, Mark and Marianna hook up again.

 

 

EPISODE 9

 

FIVE YEARS EARLIER:

 

Back in LA in Will’s shit apartment after the tour, there’s no money, and Will’s pot smoking increases while Marianna’s drinking also increases.  Will starts drinking again, too, but claims it’s just the coke that causes him the problems.

 

SONG 26  --  SMOKE ANOTHER BOWL OF WEED (Will)

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Marianna is singing with a wedding band where she is seduced by a slick bling music industry dude at the party who makes hollow promises about making her a star, and takes her for a ride on his motorcycle.

 

SONG 27 -- GOING FOR A RIDE (Marianna)

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Venus and Chantal are doing great and are even talking about having a baby.  Mark and Danielle are also falling in love.

 

SONG 28 -- SO GOOD (Venus)

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Marianna breaks up with Will.

 

SONG 29  --  SHE SAYS (Will)

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EPISODE 10

 

Will is down and out and doing coke again.

 

SONG 30 -- ONE MORE TIME (Will) 

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Will wakes up alone on the floor in his mess of pizza boxes, empty bottles, and a smashed guitar.  He pours the last of the vodka down the drain, flushes the remainder of his coke in the toilet, and crying in shame, calls his mother and asks if he can come home again.

 

PRESENT:

 

Marianna comes out of the bathroom in the motel room she’s sharing with Mark.  She has a pregnancy stick and it’s positive.  They’re both shocked and elated.  They’re nearing the end of the tour.

 

SONG 31- SHENOWAH VALLEY PRISON (Will, Mark, Venus, Marianna)

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A riot breaks out during their prison show, and an inmate escapes.  The inmate remains at large. As a result of the huge media attention, the band becomes famous. “WE LOVE MONEY” goes viral, and instead of the obscure venue they were scheduled to play in Austin at South by Southwest, they get invited to perform on the live 3D mainstage.

 

The band suddenly has offers coming in to play Saturday Night Live and continue on tour and take it to the next level.

 

Danielle shows up in Austin, having returned from Bali to catch the last show of the tour as previously planned. She arrives the night before the show, and informs Mark that she’s 4 months pregnant.  She didn’t realize till now because her periods had been so irregular, skinny vegan yoga teacher that she is, and she wanted to wait to tell him in person.

 

SONG 32 – TAKE 3 (Mark)

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On stage in Austin, the band comes out for an encore.

 

SONG 33 – PRIME REPRISE 2 (Marianna, Will, Mark,Venus)

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