Tài liệu Writing the short film 3th - Part 41 pptx

THE LADY IN WAITING by Christian Taylor 1. EXT. FORTLEY MANOR. EARLY MORNING All is quiet as the first rays of sunlight hit FORTLEY MANOR. At the front gate is a large sign which reads: “Bartle and Johnson of London announce the sale of Fortley Manor, an extensive country estate.” Across the bottom is plastered SOLD. 2. INT. FORTLEY MANOR. MORNING Large rooms lie empty of furniture, everything is spartan and clean, and nothing moves save the morning light that gradually increases throughout the building. A distant RUSTLING is heard. 3. INT. DINING ROOM. MORNING A pair of woman’s hands sifts through a packing box filled with newspaper-wrapped objects. A small bundle is added, and the box is closed. A sticker is placed on the box which reads AUCTION. There is a sigh from the owner of the hands, MISS PEACH. Miss Peach is a grey-haired, formal-looking woman in her late fifties. She sits awkwardly on a suitcase in the middle of the dining room, which is bare of furniture save a few packing boxes and the odd piece of newspaper. Miss Peach is conservatively dressed in a drab woolen coat and unassuming hat. Miss Peach lifts a cardboard box from the floor in front of her and places the box on her lap. Carefully, she opens the box and reveals inside an array of letters and correspondence. At the top lies a faded postcard of New York skyline. Miss Peach turns over the postcard and it reads: “Dearest Walter, I Miss You, New York Misses You. Oh how stubborn you British are! Love Always, Catherine.” Miss Peach replaces the postcard and closes the box. SARAH, a plump rosy-cheeked maid, enters; she too is dressed in a coat and hat. She carries a box. SARAH I believe this is the last box from his Lordship’s study. 270 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 270 MISS PEACH Thank you, Sarah. This box contains Lord Walter’s private correspondence. They can be destroyed. Miss Peach places the box on the floor. 3. INT. DINING ROOM. MORNING (CONT.) SARAH That lawyer in charge of the will, Mr. Case, came by earlier; he brought this. Sarah withdraws from her coat pocket a white envelope and hands it to Miss Peach. SARAH He said you would know what it was. Miss Peach takes the letter and examines it. It reads: “Catherine Spencer, 356 Park Avenue, Penthouse, New York, NY 10022.” She pauses and then places it in her handbag. STEVENS, a young butler, enters. STEVENS Will that be all, Miss Peach? MISS PEACH Yes, yes. I believe our jobs are finished here. SARAH Miss Peach, I’d just like to say you ran a beautiful house. It was a pleasure to work on your housekeeping staff. Miss Peach gathers her things. SARAH If his Lordship was alive I’m sure he would have said the same. MISS PEACH Indeed. When you’ve finished closing up the house, Stevens, drop the keys at Mr Case’s office. Short Screenplays 271 App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 271 4. INT. HALLWAY. MORNING Miss Peach exits the dining room and walks down the marble hallway. CUT TO: 3. INT. DINING ROOM. MORNING (CONT.) STEVENS Where is she going? SARAH I think Miss Peach may be travelling to meet her rival. 5. EXT. FORTLEY MANOR. DAY Miss Peach exits Fortley Manor, and, carrying her suitcase, she walks down a quiet country lane. THE TITLE: THE LADY IN WAITING appears on the screen. CUT TO: 6. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE. NIGHT Seventies MUSIC builds over a BRIDGE view of New York City, glistening and alive. Cars whiz along avenues, and a myriad of lights shine from an array of windows. This is New York in its heyday—vibrant and energetic. Over the view comes the title card: Wednesday, 13 July 1977. 9:15 p.m. CUT TO: 7. EXT. CAB. NIGHT Miss Peach sits in the back of a cab as it enters the city. She peers out of the windows, mesmerized as the lights of the city flash past. CUT TO: 8. EXT. APARTMENT BLOCK. NIGHT A taxi drives up and stops outside an apartment building. Out steps Miss Peach dressed similarly as 272 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 272 before. She looks up at the high-rise block (#8A) and then enters the building. CUT TO: 9. INT. APARTMENT BLOCK LOBBY. NIGHT A doorman wrestles with a large bouquet of flowers, which is being delivered by a young man on roller skates. The young man holds out a receipt card, which the doorman struggles to sign. Miss Peach enters the lobby and walks right past the busy doorman. Arriving at the elevators, she presses the button and waits. From her purse she withdraws the letter, takes a quick look, and then quickly returns it to her bag. The elevator arrives and Miss Peach enters. CUT TO: 10. INT. ELEVATOR. NIGHT Miss Peach enters the elevator and presses the button for the penthouse. The doors close, and Miss Peach stands alone. Miss Peach presses the penthouse floor button again, a DOORBELL sounds. The sound of a DOOR OPENING and . . . Miss Peach begins to mumble to herself as the numbers of the floors flick past. MISS PEACH Oh hello . . . Miss Spencer? Miss Peach pauses. Miss Spencer? Miss Catherine Spencer? I am Miss Peach. I have a letter from Lord Walter. Could I come in? The elevator continues to rise, 25 . . . 26 . . . 27 . . . 28, and, PING, it comes to a stop. Miss Peach is jolted from her day dream as the doors open, and there stands SCARLET, a stunning and heavily made-up black woman. She boasts a pair of sunglasses, a large wig, a fancy theatrical dress, and a large leather zipper bag. She rushes in, ignoring Miss Peach, and presses the lobby button. The doors close and the elevator continues to RISE. Short Screenplays 273 App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 273 SCARLET I don’t believe this. Miss Peach stares at the dramatic and chaotic figure of Scarlet who now stands slumped against the wall. Miss Peach is silent but continues to stare. Scarlet stares back. 10. INT. ELEVATOR. NIGHT (CONT.) SCARLET I know. It’s like a crash on the highway—you can’t look at it and you can’t look away. Miss Peach attempts a smile, but Scarlet stares blankly back. Miss Peach quickly turns away. There is a moment of awkward silence as the elevator continues to glide up. Suddenly the lights in the elevator begin to flicker, and there echoes a loud SOUND of energy being drained. CUT TO: 11. EXT. NEW YORK CITY. NIGHT A traffic signal goes blank. A DON’T WALK signal stops blinking. A street light fades. Blocks of apartment buildings go dark. The Empire State Building switches out . . . SOUNDS of a chaotic city echo out. CUT TO: 12. INT. ELEVATOR. NIGHT The DRAINING SOUND CONTINUES; the lights in the elevator become dimmer and dimmer and dimmer; there is a loud ZAP; the elevator comes to an abrupt halt, followed by a bright flash . . . and then BLACK. MISS PEACH What’s happened?! Silence in the dark. A lighter is lit revealing Scarlet. SCARLET Lady, we’ve broken down. 274 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 274 12. INT. ELEVATOR. NIGHT (CONT.) MISS PEACH Oh dear . . . we can’t do that . . . what now. Miss Peach stares at Scarlet utterly nervous and mesmerized. Scarlet reaches down into her large leather bag, which is on the floor. MISS PEACH Wait! What are you doing? Scarlet ignores Miss Peach and crouching over her bag continues her search. Miss Peach opens a panel and removes an emergency telephone. MISS PEACH Hello . . . I’m trapped in the lift . . . anyone there? There is no reply. Miss Peach fiddles with the telephone and then replaces the receiver. Scarlet continues to rummage in her bag. MISS PEACH How long do you think . . . how long are we going to be stopped? SCARLET I don’t know. Scarlet continues to rummage in her bag. An emergency light flickers on. MISS PEACH Oh. We might be trapped for hours. Scarlet finds some cigarettes and looks up frustrated. SCARLET Lady, I’m aware of that! Short Screenplays 275 App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 275 12. INT. ELEVATOR. NIGHT (CONT.) MISS PEACH I wish you would stop saying that. I’m not a Lady. No Lady this, Lady that. Just Miss Peach. My name’s Peach. Scarlet stands. SCARLET Scarlet. How do you do? Scarlet lights a cigarette. Miss Peach gives a disapproving cough. SCARLET I have to smoke! MISS PEACH Scarlet is that . . . a stage name? SCARLET You could call it that. MISS PEACH I knew it. My mother was a theatre person. And what do you do in the theatre, Miss Scarlet? SCARLET People . . . hire me for private parties and things. I sing mostly. MISS PEACH All that excitement . . . never saw the point really. Scarlet notices an ornate diamond broach on Miss Peach’s lapel and removes her sunglasses to make a closer inspection. SCARLET No room for glitter maybe, but give me diamonds anytime. 12. INT. ELEVATOR. NIGHT (CONT.) Miss Peach makes a small protective gesture to check her broach. 276 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 276 . similarly as 272 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 272 before. She looks up at the high-rise block (#8A) and then enters the building. CUT. carries a box. SARAH I believe this is the last box from his Lordship’s study. 270 Writing the Short Film App-B.qxd 9/27/04 6:02 PM Page 270 MISS PEACH Thank