Living in Oblivion Page #12

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WANDA:

Going for picture. Lock it up. And

roll sound.

SOUND:

Speed!

WANDA:

Roll camera!

AC:

Rolling!

CLAPPER:

Scene six, take three!

NICK:

And, action.

INT. THE DREAM. TAKE THREE

Nicole stands motionless in her white wedding dress, looking

genuinely alarmed, possibly because of the huge clouds of

smoke now spewing out of the panting smoke machine.

NICOLE:

I am so hungry.

Tito enters, stares at her hard and walks around her in a

circle holding the apple just beyond her reach. The smoke is

so thick both of them are barely visible. Just as Tito gets

to his mark the smoke machine backfires with a tremendous

explosion and begins filling the room with dense, blinding

smoke.

INT. THE SET. DAY

The smoke blanks out the entire frame. Frantic shouts are

heard from unseen bodies.

NICK:

Cut! Cut! Cut!

WANDA:

Turn it off! Turn it off!

GAFFER:

I can't find the switch!

WOLF:

Pull the plug! Bob! Pull the plug!

WANDA:

Open the door! Get some water!

GAFFER:

I got it! I got it!

The smoke machine emits a loud hiss and dies, filling the

room with sudden silence. Slowly the smoke begins to clear

as the crew moves around muttering and coughing.

WANDA:

Clear the set! Ellen! Tito! Please

step off the set!

TITO (V.O.)

I'm off the set!

NICOLE (V.O.)

So am I.

WANDA:

Then who is that? Who is that? Please

step off the set!

A pair of fuzzy-slippered feet enter the smoky frame. The

camera BOOMS up, passing over a woman's bare shins, a

flowered, blue silk housecoat until finally coming to rest

on the pleasantly smiling face of CORA. This is the same

woman who played Ellen's Mother in Part One; she is dressed

exactly the same as she was in their scene. The camera pulls

back to reveal JEFF the Intern standing nervously beside her

with a red notebook in his hands.

CORA:

Hi, Nicky.

Nick gapes in utter astonishment.

NICK:

Mom!

INT. THE SET PRODUCTION OFFICE. DAY

Wanda speaks urgently into the phone while Nicole stands

beside her. Jeff (still wearing his hat) waits at a distance

clutching Nick's red notebook.

WANDA:

Cora Reve, R-E-V-E. Blue housecoat,

blue slippers. How do I know? Because

she's sitting ten feet away from me.

Well sweetheart, that's going to be

a real f***ing problem.

Nicole turns away and walks past Jeff to the Craft Service

table.

JEFF:

She was waiting outside Nick's

apartment when I went to pick up his

notebook. She said she was looking

for him so I figured I should just

bring her up here. You look really

pretty in that dress.

Nicole nods politely then looks to the Makeup corner where

Nick sits talking earnestly to his mother.

INT. MAKEUP CORNER

NICK:

How did you get here?

CORA:

I took a bus in; went right to your

apartment.

NICK:

How did you get out of your room?

CORA:

Oh, I just went right through the

door.

NICK:

It was unlocked!?

CORA:

No, it was locked. I just went through

it. It's something I've learned to

do, Nicky. I can walk through just

about anything; like air.

NICK:

Mom, you've got to stop doing this.

I'm serious. I'm a little upset with

you. You could have gotten lost, or

hurt.

CORA:

I wanted to see you. I've missed

you.

NICK:

I know, Mom; I've missed you too.

But it's not really a good time.

Nicole approaches, holding up the hem of her wedding gown.

There is a subtle tension smoldering between her and Nick.

NICOLE:

They're sending a car. It should be

here in a couple of hours. They didn't

even know she was gone.

NICK:

Jesus, I don't believe this.

CORA:

I'm sorry, Nick. If I knew there was

going to be a wedding I would have

worn my f***ing hat.

INT. THE SET. DAY

The camera holds on Tito pacing slowly, alone on the set. He

is smoking fiercely, holding his top hat with one hand.

Suddenly he begins laughing in a loud, stage bellow.

INT. A CORNER OF THE SET. DAY

Nick sets a chair for his mother and helps her sit down.

Nicole joins Tito on the set and talks quietly to him.

NICK:

There. How's that, Mom? Can you see?

CORA:

Is the little fellow going to do

gymnastics?

Tito glances up at her quickly.

NICK:

Shhhh! No. Now come on, Mom. You've

got to be quiet. Absolutely quiet.

OK?

CORA:

(whispers)

OK.

INT. THE SET. NEAR THE CAMERA. DAY

Wanda and Wolf stand beside each other in tense, awkward

silence for a long moment.

WANDA:

How are you doing?

WOLF:

Good; real good.

Wolf looks as if he's about to burst into tears as Nick walks

up.

NICK:

How's the smoke machine?

WANDA:

It's dead, Nick. I've got calls out

to every Effects house in the city

but I just can't seem to locate --

NICK:

Forget it. We'll shoot without it.

WANDA:

But Nick, it's a Dream Sequence.

NICK:

That's the way it goes, Wanda. We're

just going to have to roll with it.

Nothing else we can do. We've got to

roll with it, right, Wolf?

Wolf meets Nick's eyes and gives an extremely melancholy

nod. Nick turns to address Nicole and Tito and the edge

immediately slips back into his voice.

NICK:

OK, here we go. Ellen, you've got to

keep reaching for that apple. I don't

feel that you really want it. I mean,

Christ, how many times do I have to

tell you!

Nicole glares at Nick for a moment then abruptly turns and

walks off the set. Nick stares after her in confusion then

quickly follows her.

WANDA:

Everyone stand by. Nobody move. Going

again, right away.

EXT. STREET. NYC. DAY

Nicole stands with her back to the camera as Nick strides up

to her with impatience.

NICK:

Alright, Nicole. What's the matter?

NICOLE:

You tell me! You're the one with the

bug up your ass!

NICK:

Now wait just a second!

NICOLE:

You've been picking on me all day! I

can't do anything right!

NICK:

I'm sorry if I was short with you,

Nicole, but I think you can see I'm

under a little pressure here. I'm

shooting a Dream Sequence without a

smoke machine, my mother's out there

thinking she's at a circus wedding

and you tell me the whole movie seems

fake!

NICOLE:

I never said that!

NICK:

You did too. You said, "Everything

feels fake."

NICOLE:

I meant me! I feel fake! Everything

I'm doing feels fake. I can't act. I

should just do shower scenes in

Richard Gere movies for the rest of

my life!

NICK:

Nicole, that's ridiculous. You're a

fantastic actress. All you have to

do is show me you want that apple

more than anything else in the world;

don't give up. Understand? You cannot

give up.

NICOLE:

OK.

Suddenly Wanda yells out.

WANDA:

Ready, Nick?!

NICK:

Ready!

INT. THE SET. DAY

Nick rushes back onto the set.

NICK:

OK, here we go. Everybody focus,

concentrate. And Tito, we're still

looking for that little laugh, pal.

OK? Call it, Wanda!

WANDA:

Picture's up. There will be no smoke

in this scene. No smoke. No smoke in

the Dream Sequence. And roll sound.

SOUND:

Speed!

WANDA:

Roll camera!

AC:

Rolling!

CLAPPER:

Scene six, take four!

NICK:

And, action.

INT. THE DREAM. TAKE FOUR. DAY

Nicole stands motionless in her wedding gown.

NICOLE:

I am so hungry.

Tito walks in, stares at her hard, then walks around her

once with the golden apple just beyond her outstretched hands.

He stops and the camera dollies into his CLOSE-UP. Nick

watches in hopeful expectation. He waits and waits but Tito

does not laugh.

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