Living in Oblivion

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A battered 35mm movie camera stands alone on a wooden tripod

surrounded by blackness. Opening credits begin. An almost

imperceptible DOLLY in toward the movie camera. The dolly

forward continues throughout the credits ending in an EXTREME

CU of the camera's lens, filling the frame like a giant,

glass full moon. Fade to BLACK.

Suddenly a door opens directly in front of the camera, wiping

the lens and revealing the following scene in Black and White.

EXT. STREET. NYC. NIGHT

A quiet, deserted industrial street. It is over an hour before

dawn and the street is still cloaked in the heavy stillness

of night.

In the weak light filtering out of their battered van, BERT

and CYBIL -- the Craft Service Managers, finish setting out

breakfast supplies on a 6' table. They work in almost complete

silence, both nearly paralyzed with sleep. A cheap walkie-

talkie, lying beside a paper plate of soggy Oreos, sputters

and buzzes occasionally. Other items on the table include a

mangled banana, seven grapes, and a box of chocolate covered

donuts.

BERT:

What time is it?

CYBIL:

Four. Why?

BERT:

This milk is bad.

CYBIL:

(sniffs)

When did you buy it?

BERT:

Tuesday? I don't know. What's today?

CYBIL:

Monday.

(pause)

There's a deli on Broadway.

BERT:

Nothing closer?

CYBIL:

Nothing that's open.

BERT:

(sniffs the milk)

Is it that bad?

CYBIL:

I don't know. You're the one who

said it was bad.

At that moment a large truck grinds around the corner and

shudders to a stop in front of the building. Bert replaces

the carton of milk neatly beside the orange juice.

EXT. STREET. NYC. NIGHT. B/W

Amid low, one-word greetings, the CREW tumbles out of the

trucks and stands in a groggy cluster around the Craft Service

table. WOLF -- the Cameraman, assumes a place of prominence.

He wears a black leather coat, a black beret, and black

leather half-fingered gloves.

WOLF:

This is the worst f***ing coffee

I've had in my life.

CYBIL:

Then don't drink it.

GAFFER:

What're we doing today?

WOLF:

(pulls out a wrinkled

callsheet)

"Interior. Living Room. Ellen talks

to Mom."

AC:

Any nudity?

CYBIL:

Yeah, you have to take your f***ing

pants off.

AC:

I'll do it. I like Ellen.

GAFFER:

Yeah, she's a babe. She was the nurse

in that Richard Gere movie.

BERT:

I worked on that.

AC:

The shower scene.

WOLF:

Start with the 5K in the window. Run

feeders for three blonds into the

living room.

GAFFER:

Two people. Sitting? Standing?

WOLF:

Who f***in' knows?

GAFFER:

(walks off)

"Ellen talks to Mom."

INT. CAR. NIGHT. B/W

NICOLE sits quietly in the back seat of a beat-up station

wagon. She glances out at the empty city moving past her

window and lets out a deep sigh.

JEFF, the young intern assigned as her driver, glances into

the rearview mirror.

JEFF:

Tired?

NICOLE:

No, I've been up since four. I've

got a big scene today and I'm kind

of nervous.

JEFF:

"Ellen talks to Mom."

NICOLE:

Have you read the script?

JEFF:

No. It's on the callsheet.

NICOLE:

Oh. Well, it's pretty emotional. I

tell my mother I never felt she really

loved me.

JEFF:

You're going to yell at each other?

NICOLE:

I don't know. I'm just going to go

with how I feel. Which is the scary

part. I'm very close to this

character.

JEFF:

Problems with your own mom?

NICOLE:

Yes. But she died before I, well

before we could reconcile...

JEFF:

You were great in that Richard Gere

movie.

NICOLE:

Thanks.

EXT. RESIDENTIAL HOTEL. NIGHT. B/W

CU sidewalk. A pair of women's orthopedic shoes enter the

frame and begin pacing.

Camera pans up to reveal CORA, a small woman in her early

60s, pacing beneath the awning of her residential hotel. She

appears to be rehearsing dialogue with herself.

CORA:

Ellen, I have no memory of this

whatsoever. Ellen... Ellen I have NO

memory of this whatsoever.

Jeff pulls the car up to the curb and Cora gets into the

back seat.

INT. CAR. NIGHT. B/W

NICOLE:

Good morning, "Mom."

CORA:

(gruff)

Morning.

NICOLE:

Sleep well?

CORA:

Not a wink.

Cora immediately lights a cigarette. Nicole instinctively

wrinkles her nose and turns away. Cora notices this and makes

an exaggerated effort to keep the smoke away from Nicole by

blowing it hard out the side of her mouth. Jeff glances back

at the two women in the rearview mirror. No one speaks.

INT. SET. DAWN. B/W

NICK -- the Director, WOLF -- the Cameraman and WANDA -- the

AD, stand in a loose triangle on the darkened set. All are

holding coffee cups. The Gaffer can be seen in the background

fumbling with a light.

NICK:

Look, I'm not blaming anybody, Wanda.

I'm just saying we left last night

and I knew we didn't get that scene.

WANDA:

I'm sorry, I thought it was a great

scene, Nick.

NICK:

It was OK; and it's going to be

alright. But I'm not settling for OK

today. This is a big scene and I'm

not leaving till we get it.

WANDA:

Whatever it takes, Nick. We're here

for you.

NICK:

Alright, here's what I'm thinking.

Wolf, I want to do the whole scene

in one shot.

WOLF:

It's been done.

NICK:

I know that but I'd like to try it

anyway.

WOLF:

Handheld.

NICK:

No, dolly. We go from Close-up to

Wide-shot and back to Close-up in

the same shot.

WOLF:

I'll use the 35, minimize distortion;

I'll light it all from the ceiling.

It could be kind of great.

WANDA:

Sounds incredible. How long, Wolf?

WOLF:

I'll need to see a couple run-

throughs.

NICK:

Not too many. It's a tough scene for

the actors. I want them to feel

relaxed, fresh...

WANDA:

We've got all day, Nick. Whatever it

takes. What do you think, Wolf -- an

hour, 45?

WOLF:

I don't know how you drink that sh*t

black, Nick. I got to dump in the

milk. It's the only way I can cut

the taste.

Suddenly the Gaffer turns on the 5K, flooding the room with

harsh, blinding light.

NICK:

Jesus!

WOLF:

What the f***?!

WANDA:

Flame on, a**hole!!

The screen goes completely WHITE.

INT. SET APT. DAY. B/W

Screen is still white. Gradually it shifts back to proper

exposure revealing NICOLE in Medium CU. Her eyes are riveting;

it is obvious she is emotionally primed for the scene. A

light meter is thrust in front of her face. She barely

registers it.

WS, the entire Living Room set. Nicole sits on a sofa facing

Cora seated opposite in an overstuffed chair. Two flats have

been joined at right angles to create the Living Room corner.

A table lamp and assorted framed photographs complete the

rather scrawny looking set.

Most of the movie crew is seen, including Wolf looking through

the camera.

WANDA:

OK, picture's up. Quiet. Stop the

work. Lock it up. Going for picture.

Nick approaches Nicole and Cora.

NICK:

OK, nice and easy. Cora you're doing

fine. Remember, really listen and

really answer.

(smiles at Nicole)

I've got nothing to say to you. Just

let it happen. It's all there.

WANDA:

Ready, Nick?

WOLF:

Look at this a second, Nick.

Nick moves behind the camera and looks through the eyepiece.

Another CU of Nicole fills the frame. The image is visually

and emotionally breathtaking.

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