Living in Oblivion Page #2

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WOLF:

I pushed in a foot. She's incredible.

It's coming right through the lens.

Nick grips Wolf's shoulder in gratitude.

NICK:

That's great, man. Beautiful.

WANDA:

Ready, Nick?

NICK:

Let's go. Right away.

WANDA:

And, roll sound.

SOUND:

Speed!

WANDA:

And, roll camera!

AC:

Rolling!

CLAPPER:

Scene six, take one.

(hits the sticks)

NICK:

Action.

INT. APT. THE SCENE: TAKE 1. COLOR

From the moment Nick calls "action" the film will cut directly

to the shot the set camera is filming. The shot is fluid,

graceful and in richly, beautiful COLOR. Nicole's performance

is very strong; flawed only slightly by her nervousness.

NICOLE:

Dad hit me first and knocked me down.

It didn't hurt that much but I started

crying anyway, hoping he would leave

me alone. He went over and started

hitting Danny.

CORA:

Ellen, I have no memory of this

whatsoever.

NICOLE:

You were just standing there looking

at me. Then you pulled me up and

said, "You're not hurt." Like I was

disgusting for faking, for doing the

only thing I could think of to keep

him from hitting me again.

CORA:

I was worried about Danny.

NICOLE:

You do remember.

CORA:

He was smaller than you.

Nicole turns to Cora with the heartbreaking gaze of an

abandoned child. Nick and the rest of the crew watch in awe.

NICOLE:

You were so worried about Danny --

Suddenly the BOOM dips all the way into the shot.

INT. SET APT. DAY. B/W

WOLF:

Cut! Boom in. Sorry, I had to cut.

Les, your boom was all the way in

the shot.

BOOM:

Well, where's the frame line?

All the crew move around, all talking at once.

WANDA:

OK, can we get a frame line? Hold it

down. We're going again right away.

Nobody moves. Les, you got the frame

line?

BOOM:

I guess so.

WANDA:

OK, here we go. Right away. Picture's

up.

Nick approaches Nicole and Cora.

NICK:

Beautiful; both of you. Stay focused.

Stay with it. No big deal. Let's go,

Wanda. Right away.

WANDA:

Roll sound!

SOUND:

Speed!

WANDA:

Roll camera!

AC:

Rolling!

CLAPPER:

Scene six, take two.

(hits the sticks)

NICK:

And, action.

INT. APT. THE SCENE: TAKE 2. COLOR

NICOLE:

Dad hit me first and knocked me down.

It didn't hurt that much but I started

crying anyway, hoping he would leave

me alone. He went over and started

hitting Danny.

CORA:

Ellen, I --

The image suddenly goes out of focus.

INT. SET APT. DAY. B/W

AC:

I'm sorry, I have to cut. I was

completely off on the focus. It's my

fault, I'm sorry.

WANDA:

Thanks for the apology but you'll

never work in this town again.

(laughter)

AC:

I've got it now.

WANDA:

Here we go, right away. Lock it up.

And roll sound...

SOUND:

Speed!

WANDA:

Roll Camera!

AC:

Rolling!

CLAPPER:

Scene six, take three.

(hits the sticks)

NICK:

And, action.

INT. APT. THE SCENE: TAKE 3. COLOR

The scene begins once again. Remarkably, Nicole's enormous

commitment is just as full and sharp. Nick is in ecstasy.

NICOLE:

Dad hit me first and knocked me down.

It didn't hurt that much but I started

crying anyway, hoping he would leave

me alone. He went over and started

hitting Danny.

CORA:

Ellen, I have no memory of this

whatsoever.

Suddenly a car stops right outside, a heavy, bass-driven rap

song blasting out of its trunk-mounted speakers.

INT. SET APT. DAY. B/W

SOUND:

Street noise!

WANDA:

That's a cut!

(into her walkie)

What the f***'s going on down there!?

You call that a lock-up!? Get that

car out of there!

NICK:

Jesus Christ. Why doesn't the guy

just get a flatbed trailer with about

600 speakers on it and tow it behind

his car.

Everyone nods in annoyed agreement; everyone except the Boom

man who appears to be following the music with the mike,

bopping to it through the headphones. Slowly, interminably,

the music fades off into the distance.

SOUND:

And... it's clear.

WANDA:

(into her walkie)

Do I have a lock-up?

WALKIE (V.O.)

kkkkkssst... sttttss yes.

WANDA:

Is that a real lock-up?

WALKIE (V.O.)

ssssssssssssppppkkss.

WANDA:

OK, right away. Picture's up. Roll

sound.

SOUND:

Speed!

WANDA:

And, roll camera!

AC:

Rolling!

CLAPPER:

Scene six, take four.

(hits the sticks)

NICK:

Action.

INT. SET APT. THE SCENE: TAKE 4. COLOR

NICOLE:

Dad hit me first and knocked me down.

It didn't hurt that much but I started

crying anyway, hoping he would leave

me alone. He went over and started

hitting Danny.

CORA:

Ellen, I have no memory of this

whatsoever.

NICOLE:

You were just standing there looking

at me. Then you pulled --

Suddenly the BOOM drops into frame again.

INT. SET APT. DAY. B/W

WOLF:

Boom's in.

NICK:

Jesus Christ.

BOOM:

Where?

WOLF:

The whole left side of frame, Les.

WANDA:

Alright, can we please get a

motherfucking frame line please?!

BOOM:

The frame keeps changing.

WOLF:

That's the idea, Les.

SOUND:

May I make a suggestion? Is it

possible to maybe break the shot

down? Maybe two shots instead? Might

make it easier for Les.

NICK:

No.

SOUND:

Then I need ten minutes to switch to

radio mikes.

WANDA:

Your call, Nick.

NICK:

There won't be any other sound

problems?

SOUND:

No more boom problems.

NICK:

Switch to radios.

WANDA:

That's a ten-minute break. Release

the lock-up. Stand by.

WOLF:

(to the AC)

Get me a coffee. Half milk.

INT. SET APT. DAY. B/W

Nick looks for Nicole but sees only Cora standing by the

couch. Les has both arms up the back of her dress, running

the wire to her radio mike. She's wearing stockings rolled

down to just above her knees.

Nick turns and spots Nicole by herself in a dark corner of

the set and walks over to her.

INT. SET APT. A CORNER. DAY. B/W

NICK:

I'm sorry about all this, Nicole.

NICOLE:

It's not your fault, Nick. Is there

a way to use some of the earlier

takes?

NICK:

Not unless I change the shot; do a

cutaway of Cora or something and

intercut the takes. I don't want to

do that. It's a really nice shot and

what you're doing is incredible.

NICOLE:

Thanks, Nick.

NICK:

The radio mikes are going to make

everything easier. So, look. Take a

moment. Let all this sh*t go. We

don't roll till you're ready.

NICOLE:

OK.

Nick moves back to the set, leaving Nicole in the shadows.

Camera stays on her as she begins emotionally preparing

herself once again.

SCRIPT (V.O.)

How was she in that Richard Gere

movie?

CYBIL (V.O.)

So-so.

Camera slips halfway through an open bedroom door, holding

Nicole on one side of the frame while revealing PAM the Script

Supervisor and CYBIL sitting on the floor smoking. Though

separated by the wall, Nicole hears everything the two women

say.

SCRIPT:

Her career really took off, didn't

it?

CYBIL:

I saw her in a Michael Bolton video.

SCRIPT:

She is nice; but I could do a better

job.

Camera slips into a CU of Nicole. She closes her eyes as the

two women continue talking about her. Screen goes BLACK.

INT. SET APT. DAY. B/W

A BLACK scrim, held by the Gaffer, passes in front of the

camera, revealing the set with Nicole and Cora settling in

for a take.

WANDA:

Where's that flag going?

GAFFER:

It's a scrim.

WANDA:

Wolf!

WOLF:

Two seconds, Wanda.

WANDA:

No. No more tweaking. Picture's up.

(into her walkie)

Lock it up!

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