Sing Street Page #9

CONOR:

Em... We don’t really have...

DARREN:

I’m the camera man.

RAPHINA:

I thought you were the producer.

DARREN:

AND camera man. Saving money all

the way.

Conor takes her by the elbow, walking her out of earshot a

little.

CONOR:

What did you think of the song?

RAPHINA:

I liked it. It’s the only reason

I’m here. Did you write it?

CONOR:

Pretty much. Eamon wrote most of

the music.

RAPHINA:

So you wrote the lyrics? They’re

cool. Who are they about?

CONOR:

Just a girl, I see her about.

RAPHINA:

You know you’ve got really good

cheek bones?

(CONTINUED)

CONOR:

What?

RAPHINA:

Yeah. Look at you. Can I do your

makeup?

CONOR:

Really?

RAPHINA:

Yeah. This light is going to be

really harsh on camera. You should

totally take the edge off it. I’m

actually wearing some make up right

now.

She’s wearing a lot of makeup.

RAPHINA:

In fact, guys! You should ALL wear

makeup.

The band turn around.

DARREN:

Let’s get one thing straight. I am

NOT wearing any makeup.

RAPHINA:

Relax. You’re not even in the band.

DARREN:

Yeah, thank God!

GARRY:

I am in the band. And yet I’m not

wearing makeup.

RAPHINA:

Why not? You’ve got great lips.

GARRY:

Piss off would you?

RAPHINA:

Whatever. Those who actually care

about how their band look and want

to do this half-properly, queue

over here.

GARRY:

Who’s saying we don’t care about

the band? This band is my life!

DARREN:

You’ve been in it for three days.

47.

(CONTINUED)

48.

EAMON:

Alright, stop rowing.

GARRY:

B*tch.

Raphina sets up her stall on a rubbish bin, taking out her

makeup kit. Conor sits down on an upturned box and she begins

applying his make up.

GARRY:

Who is this chick anyway? She’s

here two minutes and she’s

threatening to break the band up!

EAMON:

Shut up Garry.

GARRY:

Bleedin Yoko Ono.

EXT. LANEWAY - MORNING

All of the band are now wearing makeup. It’s a little full-

on, but they look sort of cool.

Conor directs Darren as to what the shot will be, referring

to his notebook. Darren looks through the viewfinder.

CONOR:

Okay, so we’re playing here.

Raphina is standing over there,

against the wall. I go up to her.

Start singing to her. Make sure to

pan up to her eyes, when I sing

“She’s got Dangerous eyes”.

DARREN:

I think a zoom would be better.

CONOR:

Okay. A zoom, whatever.

RAPHINA:

What if I have little lightening

flashes on my eye lids when I close

them?

CONOR:

Can you do that?

RAPHINA:

I can try.

CONOR:

Cool. So then, for the chorus, you

walk off, and I follow.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

49.

Circling you like when he’s

following her in Thriller. Do you

think you can keep the camera

steady, Darren?

DARREN:

What do you think?

CONOR:

Okay, so then I follow her up the

lane. Keeping behind her. Then

we’ll go around and get that angle

in front.

DARREN:

Love it!

EXT. LANEWAY - MOMENT’S LATER

Conor presses PLAY on the tape machine. It is plugged into a

small speaker. He signals to Darren to start filming. Then

runs back to the band, who have started miming to the song.

Raphina is standing against the wall. Conor approaches her,

Darren following.

Conor starts lip syncing to the song:

CONOR:

“Well she’s standing on the corner.

Like an angel in disguise. And I’d

really like to warn her. But she’s

got dangerous eyes.”

Darren crash zooms into her eyes. Raphina closes them, she

has little lightening flashes on her lids.

CONOR:

“Well she tells me she’s a model.

Of international reputation. She’s

lightening in a bottle. But there’s

a stipulation...”

She sets off and Conor follows her. Darren walks backwards in

front of them.

Conor yells “Cut”, and makes some adjustments. Ngig has moved

his synthesiser and stand about three feet to try get in the

back of Conor’s shot.

CONOR:

Cool. How does it look Darren?

DARREN:

Pretty epic. It’s hard keeping

focus on that zoom. And Ngig, stop

moving into the back of his shot.

(CONTINUED)

50.

NGIG:

I haven’t moved an inch!

DARREN:

You started about three foot that

way!

NGIG:

It was windy.

CONOR:

And it’s not too shaky when you’re

following us?

DARREN:

No, it’s grand.

CONOR:

Okay, take 2!

FIRST VIDEO. SHOT ON ACTUAL EARLY VHS.

Here we see their actual results, edited crudely together.

INTRO:
Some zooms into hands playing instruments. Keyboard.

Bass. Guitar. Ngig is wearing leather gloves.

FIRST VERSE:
Conor breaks away from the band, singing into

camera in front of Raphina. Ngig edges into his shot.

Four quick shots of each band member turning their heads and

looking into camera.

Raphina signing autographs for the band members, over the

line “She has an international reputation”.

CHORUS:

Raphina breaks away, walking down the laneway. Conor walks

around her, singing to her, ala Michael in Thriller. But

Darren’s camera work is RIDICULOUSLY shaky. Like sea sick

inducing.

SECOND VERSE:

The band are using the abandoned car as their set. Some

sitting on the roof. Some on the boot (or hood, for our

American colleagues), and others in the body of the car.

Raphina is standing on the sidewalk. Conor gets out of the

car, offering her a lift. She sits in.

Up front, Conor is “driving” Raphina. She looks into camera

for the last line, and mouths “The riddle of the model”

End.

(CONTINUED)

51.

The group laugh as they prepare to watch playback through the

viewfinder.

But this moment is interrupted when Barry Bray appears up the

laneway. He is walking with an unshaven man in his mid-

thirties who is drinking a can of beer. A friend, or brother,

maybe. They are carrying a few plastic bags of shopping.

CONOR:

(under his breath)

Oh sh*t.

Barry and THE MAN pass them, THE MAN slowing down to check

out what’s going on. He looks like he’s had a few cans

already.

MAN:

It’s just kids filming something.

What are you filming lads?

CONOR:

A video for a band. Hi Barry.

Barry shrugs.

MAN:

Are these in your school, Barry?

Whatever has come over Barry, he is less confident in the

presence of THE MAN. Less of a bully.

MAN:

They’re wearing bleedin make up!

Jaysus lads, are yous making a

movie, is it?

His laugh turns into a coughing fit. His tattooed hands over

his mouth as he coughs.

DARREN:

A video for a band.

MAN:

Why don’t you get in the band

Barry? Hah! Dress up and all. You’d

be bleedin’ great.

He starts laughing at the idea of Barry in costume.

BARRY:

Ah piss off.

But he doesn’t like this.

He hits him a slap on the side of his head. It’s a sucker

punch, and totally out of proportion.

(CONTINUED)

52.

MAN:

What did you say?

The mood has suddenly changed. Barry hardly flinches, but you

can see his eyes are watering up. The MAN calms down. Lights

a cigarette.

Barry catches eyes with Conor, who looks away.

MAN:

See yous boys. Good luck. See yous

at the Oscars! Come on Barry.

Rate this script:3.8 / 4 votes