Phil's G.I. Joe Page
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Wait... you're actually reading this?! |
Monday, January 27, 2003
Kinda hard to make a new post that seems substantial after yesterday's, huh? Well, I'm gonna try anyway. My script wasn't picked for production in my Visual Arts class, but that's no biggie. She wanted a variety of themes in the stories she did pick, and there were a couple like my main idea. And yeah, my ending was a little predictable. But other than that, she seemed to enjoy it. Ah, hell! Here's the script: FADE IN EXT. SIDEWALK – DAY A lone student sits on a bench with his nose in a book. We get the impression that he’s been there for a while. He’s not what you’d call a “textbook nerd,” but he definitely doesn’t fit the bill of a jock. The student’s name is JAKE. Jake seems blissfully ignorant of all the other students and visitors passing by. His cell phone rings. Jake reaches into his pocket, pulls out the phone, and turns it off. Jake is determined not to be distracted from his reading. All of a sudden, Jake lunges up, with an almost scared look on his face. Jake runs off-screen. CUT TO: INT. CAFETERIA – DAY At a rather large table in the cafeteria are seated a group of women who scream popular. They are all talking and gesticulating at once, leaving the viewer to wonder how any of them can communicate at all. Focus on girl at head of table. This is NATALIE. If these women were a gang, she would be their leader. Her plate is empty and she’s bored, almost anxious to leave. She sits impatiently in her seat. Gradually the conversation and action dies down as the girls take note of Natalie’s mood. The girls quickly finish up so that they can leave en masse. One of the girls drops her fork. She’s the only one wearing glasses. As she reaches down to pick it up, CUT TO: INT. UNDER THE TABLE – DAY – CONTINUOUS The girl with the glasses picks up her fork and begins to sit upright again. As she straightens out, CUT TO: INT. CAFETERIA – DAY – CONTINUOUS The table, save for the girl with glasses, is completely bare. The rest of her party are nowhere in sight. She looks around confused, and eventually resigns herself to having lost her chance to hang with the “in” crowd. She walks with her dish tray slowly off stage, as the camera pans away, showing her somewhat isolated. CUT TO: EXT. LIBRARY WALK – DAY We see Jake run toward the camera. It’s now apparent that his run is rather awkward, as he tries not to separate his legs too much. Occasionally he covers his crotch with both hands. It becomes apparent that the reason Jake is in his rush is that he has to go to the bathroom really, really bad. Jake rounds the corner into Price Center, almost falling down the steps and on top of the people walking up it. Awkwardly, he regains his balance without breaking stride while still running across Price Center. He runs into the food court. CUT TO: INT. FOOD COURT – DAY – MOMENTS LATER Jake runs to the bathroom. As he approaches the men’s room he sees a sign on the door: OUT OF ORDER Jake looks annoyed. He rips the sign off, and throws it to the ground. Slightly jumping up and down, he turns around and looks quizzically at the ladies’ room. Coming to a resolution he reaches for the door handle, only to have the door opened from the inside from a co-ed. Jake uneasily averts the co-ed’s gaze, and looks around for other means of relief. He picks up the Out of Order sign, and puts it back on the men’s room door, trying to flatten out the wrinkles he’s given the paper. Jake has a moment of enlightenment, and runs off-camera to the next closest bathroom. CUT TO: EXT. LIBRARY WALK – DAY Natalie and her group of friends walk down the walk. Two male solicitors on Library Walk are too distracted by the lovely ladies as they pass that they give each other pamphlets for the same event. Natalie and others take note of this, and giggle in a slightly flirtatious way. Natalie gets a devilish look in her eyes. She purposefully drops an item in front of the distracted solicitors. She leans over with exaggerated emphasis to pick it up. As if on cue, the distracted solicitors trip on their own feet and fall down, in opposite directions. There’s a kind of symmetry to the mise-en-scène, as the boys’ falls sort of frame Natalie and her cohorts. The women laugh out loud, occasionally pointing at the embarrassed boys. Behind them, a MAN IN A FEDORA walks by. CUT TO: EXT. PRICE CENTER – DAY Jake runs back up the steps, taking a moment at the top to calm down his agitated bladder, on his quest to find another bathroom. The man in the fedora walks on-screen, when he sees Jake and approaches him. This man is BOBBY, Jake’s friend. No one really knows why Bobby wears a fedora, except possibly Bobby himself. He’s just one of those guys who wears a fedora. Bobby wants to chat with Jake, but is instead blocking his path. Jake doesn’t want to be rude, so he uncomfortably tries to make the small talk as abridged as possible. As the two begin to talk, Jake is quite obviously doing the pee-pee dance. Bobby either doesn’t realize this, or doesn’t care. Finally, Jake can take no more of Bobby’s delay. He pushes by Bobby, and right as he makes his pace-setting leap, runs right into Natalie and Company, knocking a few of them over. Everybody stops. Those on Library Walk turn to look at the mess. Bobby approaches, scratching his head, but of course, still with the fedora on. Tumbleweed rolls by in the background. This couldn’t look worse. Jake is practically straddling Natalie. Fear grips Jake and momentarily halts his bathroom troubles. Jake jumps up and sprints for the farthest possible place away from Natalie. CUT TO: EXT. – CENTER HALL STAIRS - DAY Jake runs to Center Hall. He’s halfway up the stairs before he realizes he still has to go to the bathroom. Jake slows his run to a walk, almost leaning on the handle for support. He finishes going up the stairs much slower than he started. CUT TO: EXT. LIBRARY WALK – DAY – MOMENTS LATER Natalie is not amused. As she gets up, she scorns the help of her peers, eyes aimed intently at the path Jake ran. Her clothes are covered in dirt. Natalie futilely attempts to clean herself up, but only for a few seconds. She takes off in a dead walk for Jake, leaving her group to tend to the others and gossip about what just happened. Bobby is seen hitting on a few of the girls in the back. CUT TO: INT. SECOND LEVEL CENTER HALL, JUST OUTSIDE THE MEN’S RESTROOM – DAY Jake comes out of the bathroom, an obvious look of relaxation on his face. He leans against the wall, partly because he’s exhausted from the run, partly because he’s afraid of what will happen if he leaves the building. To his terror, Natalie approaches him, a stern expression chiseled onto her face. She lunges for him with both arms. Jake pulls back, afraid he’s going to be beaten up by a girl. Again. Instead, Natalie embraces Jake and give him a passionate kiss. As their lips part, Jake looks bewildered, but elated. That’s when Natalie gives the strongest slap of her life across his face, and walks off. Jake slumps to the ground, obviously confused. He rubs his sore jaw, and attempts to translate what the hell just happened; he gives up. At this rate, he’ll never understand women. FADE OUT
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| The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of Phillip Donnelly. Unless explicitly stated, all statements are those of Phillip Donnelly. So there! |
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