REBOOT!!!!

So I was sitting around at Ram's Horn the other day and thought of a reboot scenario.  Actually there are two, one short one and one longer one.


Short Version:
Nature photographer Frank Hemsky goes to the town of Little Mesa, NM to take some nature pictures.  As he is, he meets some kid who's out to get pictures of the UFOs that supposedly frequent the area.  Frank teaches the kid a little about photography and becomes more involved with the lives of people in the town until maybe he wants to stay or something.

Longer Version:
In this version Frank and a friend are growing up in Little Mesa.  One night they're out taking pictures of supposed UFOs and stuff.  Frank discovers his new career.  He eventually leaves town to become a somewhat renowned nature photographer.  Meanwhile his friend stays in town and maybe settles down with some chick.

Later, Frank returns home for some reason.  He's had it tough in the last 30 years or so.  He's been married and divorced a couple of times and now that he's getting older it's harder for him to get out in the field and do what he loves.  He meets up with his old friend who hasn't had as interesting of a life but is happier.  Mayhem ensues!  Maybe Frank renews acquaintances with his friend's wife or something like that.  Or to combine ideas maybe Frank bonds with his friend's kid over photography.  It'd be kind of like "Bridge of Sighs" only far more interesting and with a main character who doesn't still wish he were six years old.  I'm just saying.

Not sure which (if either) I like better.

Long Version 2

The updated long version would check in on Frank at various points in his life, kind of like "Where You Belong" and stuff.  Or maybe we'd do some of it in flashback.  The chronological way would be that it starts in the 60s or so when Frank and his friend are kids.  They're messing around with a camera and capture a "UFO" on film.  They get it printed in the local newspaper and become local celebrities, which Frank thinks is pretty cool.  But soon after Frank has to leave with his parents.  There's probably a girl too who they excluded from their UFO outing because girls are icky.

Frank goes on to learn more about photography and becomes a nature photographer.  Maybe he goes back to Little Mesa in his twenties and finds his friend and the girl are together.  But while he's there, he hooks up with the girl.  But he leaves her when National Geographic or someone calls and wants to use a bunch of his pictures.  With him about to hit the big time, he takes off, leaving his friends behind.

Fast forward 10 years or so.  Frank is in Yellowstone and meets a hot ranger chick.  They wind up getting hot and heavy and marrying.  Frank's friend and the girl (who are married now--Frank missed the wedding) show up for the wedding and maybe the girl warns Frank about his new wife.  The girl might have a baby or be pregnant--not sure about the timeline yet.

Fast forward another 10 years or so.  Frank's wife has become assimilated by the LA lifestyle.  She wants lots of expensive things and basically to live like a movie star's wife, but Frank isn't making $20 million a year.  This has created some tension and then finally Frank finds out his wife is cheating on him with someone who does make millions of dollars a year.

A couple years later, Frank is feeling old and broken down.  He gets a call from a reporter in Little Mesa.  It's the town's whatever anniversary (or something) and the reporter wants to do a profile on Frank, one of its most famous citizens, which is kind of sad.  Frank decides to go back to Little Mesa for the interview and such.

He meets his friend, the girl, and their kid.  But Frank can see the signs that the girl isn't happy anymore.  Maybe she even goes to Frank and asks him to leave with her because she's bored of Little Mesa and wants to see the world like he has.  When he turns her down, she leaves anyway.  In the meantime, Frank also does some bonding with the kid, who becomes interested in photography.

I was thinking that maybe the kid winds up thinking at the end that aliens beamed up his mom and Frank kind of goes along with it.  Or something.

Still lots to work out, but we're getting closer.  (Or not.)