The Birds Page #3

TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND THE MAN - IN THE ELEVATOR

The birds are CHIRPING wildly in their cage. The man and

Melanie stand silently side by side. The man's eyes wander

down to the bird-cage. Melanie's eyes move toward him. Self-

consciously, she stands with the cage of CHATTERING birds.

The man is dead-panned, unsmiling. The elevator stops. The

doors begin to open.

FULL SHOT - MELANIE

stepping out of the elevator as the doors open. The man is

right behind her. She begins looking for apartment 3B. The

man is walking down the corridor beside her. She stops in

front of the apartment, hesitates, hoping the man will turn

the corner in the corridor. Instead, he stops at the apartment

just opposite. He begins fumbling in his pocket for his key.

He looks at Melanie.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

smiling at him feebly.

FULL SHOT - THE CORRIDOR

The man spread change and an assortment of junk on the palm

of his hand as he searches for his key. Impatiently, Melanie

watches him. Making a decision, she puts the birdcage down

before the door to apartment 3B, and then opens her purse.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE'S GLOVED HAND

reaching into the purse for a white envelope.

INSERT - THE FACE OF THE ENVELOPE

written there in Melanie's handwriting: MR. MITCHELL BRENNER.

MED. SHOT - MELANIE

as she props the envelope against the cage, and then hurriedly

goes down the hallway, intent on retreat.

MAN'S VOICE

Miss...? She stops, distressed.

FULL SHOT - THE CORRIDOR

the man at the one end, key in his hand; Melanie at the other

end, near the elevator.

MAN:

Is that for Mitch Brenner?

MELANIE:

(curtly)

Yes.

MAN:

He's not home.

MELANIE:

That's all right.

She presses button for the elevator.

MAN:

He won't be back until Monday. I

mean, if those birds are for him....

MELANIE:

Monday?

MAN:

Yes. I don't think you should leave

them in the hall, do you?

MELANIE:

(trapped)

Well, I...

The elevator doors open.

MELANIE:

Well, where did he go?

MAN:

Bodega Bay. He goes up there every

weekend.

MELANIE:

Bodega Bay? Where's that?

MAN:

Up on the coast. About sixty miles

north of here.

MELANIE:

Sixty...

(her face falls)

Oh.

MAN:

About an hour and a half on the

freeway. Or two if you take the coast

highway.

MELANIE:

Oh.

MAN:

I'd hold the birds for him, but I'm

going away myself. Someone's got to

feed them, I suppose.

MELANIE:

(in utter despair now)

Yes. Yes, someone's got to feed them.

MAN:

(apologetically)

I'm awfully sorry.

He puts the key into his lock, opens the door, and goes

inside. The door closes. Melanie is alone in the hallway.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

exasperated. She looks at the open elevator. She turns to

look at the birds.

LONG SHOT - THE LOVEBIRDS

in their cage outside the apartment door, CHATTERING.

MED. SHOT - MELANIE

surrendering with a gesture of resignation. She walks down

the hall, picks up envelope and puts it in her purse, picks

up the bird cage, carries it back to the elevator. The birds

are COOING and CHIRPING madly.

MELANIE:

Oh, shut up!

And she steps into the elevator.

DISSOLVE:

FULL SHOT - MELANIE'S OPEN CAR - (MATTE)

on the coast highway. It is a spectacularly beautiful day,

with a cloudless blue sky. The montage of SHOTS that follow

should alternate between the winding, twisting road and the

ocean below, and CLOSEUPS of Melanie driving with the caged

birds on the seat beside her. The last shot should be a FULL

SHOT of the car rounding a particularly sharp curve.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

She turns wheel forcefully.

CLOSE SHOT - THE LOVEBIRDS

in the cage as the car rounds the bend. They lean to one

side as the car turns, come up straight again as the car

rounds the curve.

FULL SHOT - (MATTE)

Car approaching Bodega Bay seen high up.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

at the wheel, she glances out toward the bay.

FULL SHOT - A CLUSTER OF BUILDINGS AT WATERFRONT

ahead, through the windshield as the car approaches.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

behind the wheel, leaning forward slightly for a look at the

town.

LONG SHOT - DOCKS ON LEFT

through the windshield as Melanie slows her speed.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

behind wheel.

LONG SHOT - STORES

on right of the road as Melanie enters the town. SLOW PAN

matching car's cruise past BAKERY, SHOE REPAIR, CLEANERS,

RADIO AND TELEVISION.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

behind wheel.

LONG SHOT - THE TIDES

past the gas station and beyond to the parking area and the

docks, continuing Melanie's slow observation of the place.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE - (PROCESS)

studying the town. The car turns into road by gas station.

FULL SHOT - THE TOWN

through the windshield. The car turns right. There is life

in the town now, fishermen crossing the road, women with

their hair in curlers, old ladies carrying shopping bags.

This is Saturday morning, and the town -- such as it is --

is alive with its inhabitants. We see them from Melanie's

P.O.V. AS SHE SCANS THE PLACE FOR ITS POST OFFICE. (THIS TO

BE TAKEN ON BACK LOT.)

FULL SHOT - THE CAR

pulling in, in front of the post office. Melanie opens the

door and steps out. She is smartly dressed in a traveling

suit and sweater. She looks up at the sign, and then walks

quickly toward the front door.

MED. SHOT - MELANIE

enters post office.

CLOSE SHOT - POSTAL CLERK

behind cage as Melanie approaches it. He is busy filling out

a form of some kind, affixing stamps to it, etc. He does not

look up as she approaches.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

through the bars of the cage.

MELANIE:

Good morning.

CLOSE SHOT - POSTAL CLERK

CLERK:

(without looking up)

Morning.

TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND THE CLERK

MELANIE:

I wonder if you could help me.

CLERK:

Try my best.

MELANIE:

I'm looking for a man named Mitchell

Brenner.

CLERK:

Yep.

He is still busy with his form, still does not look up.

MELANIE:

Do you know him?

CLERK:

Yep.

MELANIE:

Where does he live?

CLERK:

Right here. Bodega Bay.

MELANIE:

Yes, but where?

CLERK:

Right across the bay there.

MELANIE:

Where?

It seems as if the Clerk will not answer her. Suddenly, he

leaves the window.

CLOSE SHOT - MELANIE

through the bars, exasperated.

REVERSE SHOT - FULL - MELANIE

as she tries to peek through the bars to see where he's

vanished. A door to the left of the window opens, and the

Clerk steps out. He walks a little distance as Melanie watches

him, then stops, turns and looks at her surprised, as if

he'd expected her to be right behind him. He stands stock

still, looking at her, saying nothing. She understands then

that he wants her to follow him, and she catches up, neither

speaking. They go to the front door. He opens it, looks at

her, then looks out across the town and the bay. He extends

his arm and points.

CLERK:

See where I'm pointing?

MELANIE:

Yes?

FULL SHOT - THE BAY - THEIR P.O.V. - (MATTE)

CLERK (O.S.)

See them two big trees across there?

MELANIE (O.S.)

Yes?

CLERK (O.S.)

And the white house?

MELANIE (O.S.)

That's where the Brenners live.

TWO SHOT - MELANIE AND THE CLERK

MELANIE:

The Brenners? Mr. and Mrs. Brenner?

CLERK:

Nope, just Lydia and the two kids.

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