SoundStories: Automotive Nightmares Campaign

Edgeryders Topics Circular Economy
1

This wiki is where we coordinate to build the series of soundstories and videos we use in our first campaign to collect experiences around circular economy in the automotive industry. Scripts are posted in comments below.

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_9aVzf5fC4 (it’s in Finnish, but with subtitles … and it’s very to the point … an interview with the guy and some clips would be perfect for a “let’s collect stories” video)
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG9Izqp6WWU ( In English, in it they mention the actual reason for the car’s defect: “water leak in the battery” … so car electrics / electronics, right up our alley
2

Script: Bust a taillight

WE SEE A MAN (TOM) IN A LIVING ROOM, ON A COUCH FACING THE CAMERA

            TOM
We’ve all got that one friend with the terrible car, right? The old one that keeps chugging along like a reliable train despite being old and beat up? That’s my friend, Ricky.

Ricky enters the room

            RICKY
Hey, Tom! What are you talking about?

            TOM
Oh, I’m just telling our friends here about that dinosaur you’ve been driving around.

            RICKY
That old hunk of junk? Yeah, it gets me from A to B pretty well.

            TOM
If it drives so well, go pick me up some dinner, I’m starving!
            RICKY
    (Sarcastically)
You got it, boss.

Ricky Leaves

            TOM
Ricky’s old car may not be the fanciest on the block, but I can assure you of one thing, he can fix it. That's unlike my brand new 2023 "car." It's really more of a big waste of money than a vehicle, honestly. With the more advanced technology that has come with vehicles over the last few years, the more we've seen an increase in the price to fix them. Let me show you what I mean.

SHOT OUTSIDE WITH TOM IN FRONT OF AN OLDER CAR AND A NEWER CAR, HOLDING A BASEBALL BAT.

            TOM
As you can see here on my left...

Tom motions to the older car

            TOM
We have an innocent, unassuming 19XX XXXXX. A solid car for its time, no doubt. And on my right...

Tom motions to the new car.

            TOM
We have a new 20XX XXXXXX. Nothing too fancy, but a solid car from the past couple of years.

Tom swings the bat and knocks out the headlight from the newer car, pauses, and then does the same to the newer car.

            TOM
I've smashed both of these headlights... well, I guess I don't need to tell you that, you saw it. But here's the funny thing. Ricky won't be as mad as my wife.

Ricky enters, eating some food

            RICKY
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU SMASHED MY HEADLIGHT.

Tom looks to the camera

            TOM
If he's this mad, imagine how mad my wife is going to be.

Tom motions with the bat for Ricky to go back inside

            TOM
Just go inside while I finish up here, Ricky.

Ricky puts his hands up and goes inside.

            TOM
I bet you'd be surprised if I told you that Ricky's vehicle trouble could be solved for under 15 EUR. That's right. A simple bulb and lense replacement and Ricky could be cruising back to the store in no time. My wife's car, on the other hand? Well, we're looking at at least 450 EUR, and that's not even accounting for the 150 EUR for testing and repair. If that seems insane, you're not alone. All over the world, folks are experiencing an increased cost for the repairs of vehicles without the simplicity of the cars of years past. In the days of old, one would be able to travel down to the local auto parts store, grab a replacement part, and fix their vehicle themselves. That's not the case any longer, the key fobs, lights, instruments, sensors, and just about everything that makes a modern vehicle function is exponentially more expensive and exponentially less accessible for consumer accessibility. In this world of wanton price increases, we want to hear your story. Is there a time a simple vehicle repair on a single vehicle item nearly broke your bank account? If so, reach out to us to tell us your story! As for me?

Tom holds the bat back up

            TOM
I've got work to do.

Tom walks up to the back of Ricky’s car.

            TOM
When are you returning my lawn mower, Ricky?!

Tom swings the bat at Ricky’s taillight and the camera cuts just as he makes contact.

3

Script: Hack the HeadLight

EXT. HOME - NIGHT

           John comes out of his home and walks to his car, parked in
           the driveway. 



           INT. CAR - CONTINUOUS

           He climbs into the driver's seat and starts the car. He backs
           out of the driveway and takes off down the street. 



           EXT. STREET - MOMENTS LATER

           As John drives down the street, cars that are passing him
           going in the opposite direction are flashing their lights at
           him. John is confused but after the fourth car flashes their
           lights, he pulls over on the side of the road. 

           He turns on his hazard lights and gets out to inspect his
           car. When he gets to the front he sees that his driver side
           headlight is out. 

                               JOHN
                     Oh come on!

           He taps the light gently with his finger. Over and over again
           but nothing happens. 

           Frustrated, he bangs it with his fist three times before
           giving up and getting back in the car. He pulls out with his
           hazard lights still on and does a U-turn to head back home. 



           EXT. HOME - MOMENTS LATER

           John's car pulls back into his driveway and parks. He gets
           out and walks back into the house disappointed. 



           INT. HOME - NIGHT

           John is sitting at the computer, searching for how to replace
           a blown headlight. 

                               JOHN
                     Let's see what we have here. 

           He searches and finds a video. He presses play and as the
           video continues, the expression on his face looks more and
           more confused. 



           EXT. STREET - DAY

           John is driving down the street and turns into a large auto
           parts store. 



           INT. AUTO PARTS STORE - MOMENTS LATER

           John is in the lightbulb aisle, examining every type of bulb.
           Finally an employee comes down the aisle. She smiles at John
           as she approaches.

                               EMPLOYEE
                     Do you need some help sir? 

                               JOHN
                     Uh, yeah, I think so.

           He holds up the bulb that he removed from his headlight. 

                               JOHN
                     I need to replace this bulb. 

           He hands it to the employee and she examines it. 

                               EMPLOYEE
                     Ahh, sure I can help you with this. 

           She takes a few steps and grabs something from the shelf. 

                               EMPLOYEE
                     Here you go. 

           John takes it from her, happily. 

                               JOHN
                     Yeah, that's it. Thanks.

           He turns to leave but...

                               EMPLOYEE
                     Uh sir, you're going to need a few
                     more things. 

           He stops and slowly turns around. 

                               JOHN
                     A few more things?

                               EMPLOYEE
                     Yeah, you see, those are xenon
                     lights and when they blow out, you
                     can't just replace them.
                     You also have to replace the small
                     black box that controls the
                     electronics. 

                               JOHN
                     But...but it's just a blown bulb. 

                               EMPLOYEE
                     In the old days it was that simple
                     but now, with the cars relying so
                     heavily on electronics, when
                     something goes wrong, it's usually
                     an electronic malfunction. 

                               JOHN
                     So, uh, how much is this little
                     black box you're talking about. 

           She points to another place on the shelf. John takes a closer
           look at what she's pointing at and the price on it. 950 Euro. 

                               JOHN
                     What?

           He politely hands her the xenon lamp. 

                               JOHN
                     No thanks. 

           He walks away. 



           INT. DRIVEWAY - LATER

           John is doing something to the front of his car. He's pulling
           and stretching and hammering something. When he's done he
           stands back and admires his work. 

           He's shoved several household flashlights into the hole where
           his headlight should be. He smiles, turns on each flashlight
           and gets into the car.
4

Script: Locked Out

EXT. GROCERY STORE - DAY

           JOHN walks out of the grocery store carrying multiple grocery
           bags in his arms. There are too many bags and he struggles to
           balance them all. 

           While he walks, he drops his cell phone. He slowly bends down
           to pick it up. Then an orange falls out of one of the grocery
           bags and starts rolling away. 

                               JOHN
                     Oh come on. 

           He stuffs his phone back in his pocket and chases the orange.
           He can't run with all of the bags and the orange won't stop
           rolling, so he chases it down one aisle in the parking lot,
           then another. 

                               JOHN
                     A little help please.

           He calls out to someone but they walk right past the orange.
           He chases it past a parked car with two little children in
           the backseat pointing and laughing at him.

           When he finally catches up to the orange, he drops it back
           into the grocery bag. He looks around for his car and
           realizes he's several aisles away from it. He starts walking.

           When he finally reaches his Mercedes Benz, he tries to
           balance all of the bags while reaching into his pockets. 

                               JOHN
                     Where did I put my keys? 

           He searches both pockets and feels the keys underneath his
           phone. He digs deep into his pocket and tries to grab the
           keys from under the phone but when he pulls them out, he
           pulls the phone out too. 

           He bobbles the phone and as it starts to fall to the ground
           again, he catches it but drops his keys in the process.

           As he clumsily tries to catch the keys and the phone,
           groceries start to spill out of his bags. He's trying to
           catch multiple things at once and it looks like he's
           juggling. He doesn't catch anything. 

           The keys fall on top of a sewer grate and dangle between the
           bars. John's eyes widen in fear. 

                               JOHN
                     No, no, no, no, no, no, no. 

           He carefully sets his bags down on the ground. H watches as
           part of the key chain slips through the grate. Just as he
           lunges toward the keys, a car drives by and runs over the
           other end of the grate. 

                               JOHN
                     Hey!!

           He grabs a roll of paper towels that fell out of his bag and
           throws it at the car. 

           Meanwhile, the grate shakes enough that the keys slip all the
           way through and fall into the dark sewer. John, on his knees,
           clinches his fists and looks up to the sky.

                               JOHN
                     Nooooooooooooooo!!

           John jumps to his feet, squats over the grate and grabs it
           with both hands. He pulls with all of his might but the grate
           doesn't budge. He repositions his hands and tries again, but
           nothing. He strains and struggle to lift the grate over and
           over again. 

           Finally he gives, exhausted and out of breath. When he stands
           straight up, he sees several people standing in the parking
           lot, staring at him. 

                               JOHN
                     Anybody have the number for a tow
                     truck?



           EXT. PARKING LOT - LATER

           John is sitting on the back of his car, surrounded by grocery
           bags. He's started eating some of his snacks. 

           A tow truck pulls up. He jumps down from the car. The window
           on the tow truck rolls down. It's a woman wearing an old
           dirty baseball cap behind the wheel.

                               TOW TRUCK DRIVER
                     John?

           He nods, embarrassed.



           INT. TOW TRUCK - LATER

           John is sitting in the passenger seat of the tow truck. The
           driver is outside hooking up his Mercedes Benz to the truck. 

           When she's done, she opens the driver side door and climbs
           in. 

                               TOW TRUCK DRIVER
                     Okay, we're all set. Where am I
                     taking you? You got an extra pair
                     of keys at home? 

                               JOHN
                         (sad)
                     No, that was my last set of keys. 

                               TOW TRUCK DRIVER
                     Uh oh, sounds like you gotta go to
                     the dealership then. And I hate to
                     tell you this but new keys aren't
                     going to be cheap. 

                               JOHN
                     No? 

                               TOW TRUCK DRIVER
                     Nope, afraid not. 

           She starts the truck and slowly pulls off, pulling John's car
           behind them. 



           EXT. MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP - LATER

           The tow truck pulls into the dealership, towing John's Benz. 



           INT. MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP - MOMENTS LATER

           John walks into the dealership, still carrying all of his
           grocery bags in his arms. A salesman in a suit approaches. 

                               SALESMAN
                         (looking confused at the
                          groceries)
                     Hello sir, how can I help you? 

                               JOHN
                     That's my car out there. I dropped
                     my key fob down a sewer. 

                               SALESMAN
                     Oh we can definitely help you with
                     that. Now, do you have a spare at
                     home that we can take you to get
                     or...

                               JOHN
                     That was my spare. I lost the
                     original last year at a New Year's
                     Eve office party. 

           The smile on the salesman's face quickly disappears. 

                               SALESMAN
                     Oooohhh.

                               JOHN
                     Is that going to be a problem? 

                               SALESMAN
                     Why don't you come with me?

           He leads John through the dealership towards a back office.
           He knocks on the door and opens it. 



           INT. OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

           There's a man sitting behind a desk in front of three
           different computer monitors. 

                               SALESPERSON
                     John, this is our Chief Auto
                     Technician. He can help you from
                     here. 

                               JOHN
                     Oh, okay.

           He walks in and the Chief Technician extends his hand to
           shake his but John's arms are still full with grocery bags so
           he just sits down. 

                               JOHN
                     So, I really just need to get a new
                     set of keys for my car. I dropped
                     my last spare down a sewage grate. 

                               CHIEF TECHNICIAN
                     That's not a problem sir. Now
                     because you don't have anymore
                     copies of the original key sets,
                     unfortunately we're going to have
                     to reset your car's computerized
                     system and then create and code an
                     entirely new set of keys. It's kind
                     of like resetting your password on
                     your favorite website. 

                               JOHN
                     Okay, well how much will that cost? 

                               CHIEF TECHNICIAN
                     Well, it's going to be anywhere
                     between two thousand and five
                     thousand dollars. 

           John's draw drops and he drops all of his grocery bags onto
           the floor, spilling groceries all over the office. 

                               JOHN
                     Sorry, I'll get those in a second.
                     Um, is that the only option? 

                               CHIEF TECHNICIAN
                     I'm afraid so sir. 

                               JOHN
                     How about a regular key, like the
                     kind you stick in the keyhole. Like
                     the good old days.

           The Chief Technician shakes his head, no. 

                               JOHN
                     Well, I mean, do I really have to
                     have a key? Can you just unlock it
                     and I just won't ever lock it
                     again. 

           The Chief Technician looks at John in disbelief. 

                               JOHN
                     Fine.



           EXT. MERCEDES BENZ DEALERSHIP - HOURS LATER

           Chief Technician walks with John towards his car. The
           salesman follows behind, carrying John's grocery bags. 

           They get to the car and the Chief Technician hands John two
           sets of brand new keys. He pushes the button and the doors
           unlock. The Salesman places the grocery bags in the back.

           John gets into the car, waves goodbye to them and drives
           away. 

                                                          FADE OUT.
5

Script: Haunted Car

INT. JOHN’S CAR - DAY

           John is driving, listening to music when suddenly the lights
           on his dashboard start to flicker. 

                               JOHN
                     What the...

           He starts to bang on the dashboard and the flickering stops.
           He smiles and continues driving. Then suddenly his radio
           starts to change stations on it's own and the volume starts
           to fluctuate from loud to quiet. 

                               JOHN
                     Hey!

           John looks around the car as if he thinks someone else is in
           the car with him. Finally he just turns the radio off. 

           He gathers his composure and continues driving in silence.
           Then, the windows start to raise and lower on their own. He
           keeps one hand on the steering wheel and uses his other hand
           to try and stop his window from going up and down. 

           He gets his hand on top of it and shoves it all the way down
           and it stops. He wipes the sweat from his forehead. 



           EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS

           John's car is coming to a stop light but he isn't slowing
           down. 



           INT. JOHN'S CAR - SAME TIME

           John pushes the brake but the car doesn't slow down. John
           starts to panic and slams on the brake over and over again
           but the car doesn't slow down. 

                               JOHN 
                     Hey, wait! Hey!

           He sticks his head out of the window and starts to yell.

                               JOHN
                     Get out of the way! Move! Get out
                     of the way, my brakes are out! 

           He brings his head back into the car and grabs the steering
           wheel with both hands and holds on tightly as his car flies
           through the intersection. Cars honking at him from every
           direction. 

           Once he passes the intersection the lights on the dashboard
           start to flicker again and the car finally starts to slow
           down. It gets slower and slower until it stops completely. 

           John immediately jumps out of the car and stares at it. 



           EXT. AUTO SHOP - LATER

           A tow truck pulls into the auto shop lot towing John's car. 



           INT. AUTO SHOP - MOMENTS LATER

           John walks into the dealership and there's a female mechanic
           waiting for him. 

                               MECHANIC
                     How's it going? 

                               JOHN
                     Not too good. My car is acting
                     crazy. Like it's haunted. The
                     lights are flickering, the brakes
                     stopped working, it started slowing
                     down on it's own. 

                               MECHANIC
                     The brakes aren't working but the
                     car slowed down? 

                               JOHN
                     Right. 

           The mechanic doesn't look like she believes John. 

                               MECHANIC
                     Okay, let us take a look at it and
                     we'll let you know what we find. 

                               JOHN
                     Okay, thanks. 



           INT. WAITING ROOM - LATER

           John is sitting in a chair asleep and snoring. The mechanic
           comes in and gently nudges him on the shoulder. John opens
           his eyes and wipes a tiny bit of drool from his mouth. 

                               MECHANIC
                     Hi. 

                               JOHN
                     Hi. Did you figure out what's wrong
                     with my car? 

                               MECHANIC
                     Well, we couldn't find anything. We
                     checked everything we think could
                     have caused the problems you
                     explained but we didn't find
                     anything wrong. 

                               JOHN
                         (confused)
                     You don't think it's really haunted
                     do you?

                               MECHANIC
                         (laughing)
                     No. But we can go ahead and change
                     your brakes to make sure that
                     doesn't happen again. And there
                     were a few other parts that need to
                     be replaced as well. Do you want us
                     to go ahead and take care of those?

           She hands John an invoice. His eyes open wide from shock at
           the price. 

           He reluctantly reaches into his pocket and hands her his
           credit card. 
                      

                               MECHANIC
                     Okay, sit tight and we'll get you
                     out of here as soon as possible. 



           INT. CAR   - LATER

           John is in his car again, driving. His windows are up and the
           music is playing. Then suddenly the lights start to flicker
           again. 

                               JOHN
                     Oh come on!

           The music volume starts to fluctuate again and the windows
           start going up and down on their own. 



           EXT. STREET - SAME TIME

           There's a long line of cars behind John's car, honking at him
           because he's driving so slowly. He reaches his hand out the
           window and waves them by.

                               JOHN
                     Sorry. Go around! So sorry. 

           Suddenly the window starts to roll up before he pulls his arm
           back inside. He has to continue driving with his arm stuck in
           the window. 



           INT. HOME - LATER

           John is sitting at his computer typing on automobile message
           boards and chat rooms. He's typing feverishly and reading
           responses from other people. 

           MONTAGE

           There's a montage of all the different responses that John
           sees. Some are helpful and some are silly and no help at all. 

           END MONTAGE



           INT. HOME - MORNING

           John is asleep in the chair, still in front of his computer.
           There's a notification ding that wakes John up. He sits up
           straight, wipes the drool from his mouth again and leans in
           close to the screen to read. 

           He gets excited at what he reads: "Your car is not haunted.
           It sounds like you need a new crankshaft position sensor. If
           it's defective, it wouldn't show up in the self-diagnosis 
           system and it would explain all of your car troubles. You can
           buy a replacement for about 40 EUR and install it yourself."



           EXT. HOME - MOMENTS LATER

           John rushes out of the house. He opens the door to the car
           and then pauses. He thinks about it and examines the car
           before shutting the door again. 

           He goes to the side of his home and comes back with a
           bicycle. He jumps on and starts pedaling. 



           EXT. AUTO PARTS STORE - LATER

           John rides his bicycle into the parking lot. He jumps off the
           bike, exhausted and sweaty. He runs into the store. 



           EXT. AUTO PARTS STORE - MOMENTS LATER

           John comes running out of the store carrying a plastic bag.
           He puts the handles of the bag into his mouth and climbs back
           onto his bicycle and rides off. 



           EXT. HOME - LATER

           The hood of the car is up and John is leaning into the car
           while holding his phone and watching a Do It Yourself video.
           The video ends and John slams the hood closed. His face is
           covered with grease and dirt. But he's smiling.



           INT. JOHN'S CAR - LATER

           John is driving with the windows up and the music playing.
           Everything is working properly. He comes to a stoplight and
           nervously pumps the brakes and the car slows down and stops
           at the light. John exhales. The light turns green and he
           drives off. 

                                                          FADE OUT.
6

Ping @owen some first video to embed in the form…