Living in Oblivion Page #14

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NICK:

We're going with it, Wanda!

WANDA:

Alright everyone, listen up. That is

a wrap on Scene Six.

The set erupts in applause.

SOUND:

Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!

WANDA:

What?!

SOUND:

I need to record room tone. I'll

need thirty seconds of silence.

WANDA:

Oh, alright! Quiet. Quiet! Shut up!!

Thirty seconds of room tone. The

sooner you're quiet the sooner we're

done.

CORA:

(whispers to Nick)

What's room tone?

NICK:

It's for the sound, Mom. We just

have to be quiet.

At that moment a door opens at the rear of the set and a

DOCTOR and NURSE enter. The Nurse carries an extra overcoat.

Jeff, the Driver, turns and sternly whispers for them to be

quiet.

WANDA:

And roll sound. Nobody move.

SOUND:

Speed.

INT. THE SET. DAY

The camera is wide, showing the entire set, actors, and crew.

Everyone stands in perfect silence, as motionless as statues.

As the silence continues the mood on the set gradually

changes. One by one people drift into their own private worlds

of reflection.

MS the Sound man, alternately watching his recorder and his

stopwatch. Behind him the Boom man holds the mike in position

to record general ambiance while staring off into the

distance.

CU the tape recorder spinning in quiet precision.

CU the stopwatch, its giant second hand showing five seconds

have passed.

MS Nick standing next to his mother who drapes one arm

casually over Nick's shoulder. Nick glances up and sees Nicole

beside him, absorbed in her own thoughts. Suddenly she looks

up and her eyes meet Nick's. She slips him the barest hint

of a smile.

The camera DOLLIES slowly through the standing, silent group,

passing over faces in different degrees of thought.

CU the Sound man's stopwatch, the giant second hand showing

ten seconds have passed.

MS Nick. He is so immersed in thought he looks at no one.

The camera slowly DOLLIES into a CU of him.

INT. AN AWARDS CEREMONY

CHAD PALOMINO stands at a gleaming podium, looking radiant

in an immaculate tuxedo. He holds an envelope in his hands.

CHAD:

We have a new category this year:

Best Film Ever Made by a Human Being.

And the winner is none other than my

Best Bud, Nick Reve!

Amid thunderous applause Nick bounds on the stage and accepts

an Oscar from Chad. He stands grinning like an idiot as the

applause continues.

INT. THE SET. DAY

MS Nick, still wrapped in thought, his lips starting to form

the same idiotic smile. MS Nicole. The camera DOLLIES slowly

into her face, now tinged with a slight uneasiness.

INT. A CHEAP RESTAURANT

Wide shot at the counter. Nicole stands facing a large bald

man with his back to the camera. She is wearing a cheap pink

waitress uniform and has her hair under a hairnet.

MAN:

Had any experience?

NICOLE:

I was an actress for a while.

She pulls her headshot out of her shoulder bag and hands it

to the man with a hopeful smile. He flips over the headshot

and looks at her credits with confused annoyance.

MAN:

Yeah, but can you cook a hamburger?

NICOLE:

(doubtfully)

Probably.

INT. THE SET. DAY

MS Nicole. She jerks her head slightly in response to this

moment of thought.

CU the stopwatch, showing fifteen seconds have passed.

MS Wolf. The camera begins a slow DOLLY into his CU.

INT. WANDA'S APT. DAY

Wolf stands like Thor in the middle of the Red Set, his arms

crossed over his chest, his jaw set in determination. Smoke

billows around him. At his feet, dressed in Nicole's wedding

gown, Wanda sobs hysterically.

WANDA:

Wolf, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!

I love you, Wolf! Please! Give me

one more chance. Let me prove it! I

love you! I love you, Wolf!

Wolf remains unmoved for a long moment. Finally he reaches

out with a forgiving smile and pats Wanda's head.

INT. THE SET. DAY

MS Wolf. He glances furtively at Wanda with a trace of hope

still in his eyes.

MS Wanda, looking off. The camera DOLLIES into her CU.

INT. A CHEAP HOTEL ROOM

This is the same hotel room from Part Two, in which we saw

Nicole and Chad Palomino. At the moment Wanda and Chad lie

panting in the sweat-soaked sheets.

WANDA:

What I love about you, Chad, is you're

not afraid of my power.

CHAD:

Oh God, Wanda! I love your power.

It's like an afferdesiac to me!

INT. THE SET. DAY

MS Wanda. She shifts slightly and glances quickly around

her. Her smile is tinged with the hint of sexual pleasure.

MS the Gaffer, frowning, absorbed in thought. The camera

DOLLIES into a CU of him.

INT. A CHEAP RESTAURANT. DAY

Suddenly, a CU of an incredibly beautiful hamburger being

placed in a toasted bun on a gleaming white oval plate. A

hand places a garnish of parsley on it then carries the plate

to the lunch counter. Camera PANS to reveal the GAFFER sitting

on the stool. He picks up the hamburger and takes a huge

bite out of it. This shot holds for quite some time as he

continues to chew.

INT. THE SET. DAY

MS The Gaffer. A hopeful, delicious smile spreading over his

face.

CU the Sound man's stopwatch, the giant second hand showing

twenty seconds have passed.

MS Cora. She gazes serenely out before her.

INT. NURSING HOME. DAY

In the pale afternoon light, Cora stands in the middle of

her drab, barren room. She appears to be staring at the door.

Suddenly she begins striding toward it. Effortlessly, easily,

she walks right through it.

INT. AN AWARDS CEREMONY

Nick still stands at the podium with his Oscar.

NICK:

In closing I'd like to say to all

the people who told me not to make

this movie, who wouldn't meet with

me or return a simple phone call. To

my favorite professor at Film School

whose parting advice to me was to

take a job teaching at a women's

college. To Delores DelSporto, the

girl I loved in high school who left

me for a Jr. Varsity football player:

to all these people I'd like to say

thank you but I can't because what I

really feel like saying is go fu --

!!

INT. THE SET. DAY

MS Nick, his head and body jerking in a sudden spasm. He

finishes the last word of his speech in a choked whisper and

the Sound man frowns hard at him.

CU the Sound man's stopwatch showing twenty-five seconds

have passed. The camera stays on the watch until the final

five seconds have elapsed.

SOUND:

And, that's a cut on room tone.

The room erupts with activity. Everyone moves and talks at

once. Nick whispers something to Nicole then runs off.

WANDA:

OK, strike the set. Props! Art

Department! Redress for Scene thirty-

one. Let's go! Right away people!

Nick! Nick! Anyone seen Nick?!

WS the set. Suddenly the fake door closes right into the

lens, turning the frame completely BLACK.

END CREDITS.

THE END:

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