"The Movies" Teaser

8/13/2019 "The Movies" Teaser

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THE MOVIES

"PILOT"

Written by

Adam Boyer

Draft 2

(907)[email protected]


2/13

ACT ONE

A crisp, modern title card reads The Movies. Slowly itbegins flickering and fades to black and white.

CUT TO:

FULL SCREEN: An old silent movie. A DAMSEL in distress. Sheflails and overacts as her HERO rushes to save her.

We pull back to reveal:

INT. MOVIE THEATRE - NIGHT - 1913

The ORGANIST twinkles away in the small, but ornate theatre.Dressed to the nines, the half-full crowd watches with mildinterest.

MARSHALL BUCKLEY(30s, plainly dressed, clean shaven with an

Irish accent), watches from the back row. His hands cover hiseyes in shame.

MARSHALLThis is dreadful.

Next to Marshall is DAVID SCHNEIDER(late 20s, handsomeunderneath his large moustache, and dressed in a crisp suit.He speaks with a early New York accent). David watches thescreen with pride.

DAVIDWould you stop?

Marshall lights a cigarette, trying to relax.

MARSHALLThis must be a nightmare. Am Idreaming?

DAVIDNo, youre just annoying.

On screen the hero does a pratfall. The audience and DavidLAUGH. Marshall does not.

MARSHALLI cant sit through this.

Marshall stamps out his cigarette and gets up to leave. Davidgets up to follow him.

DAVIDWait, Marshall! Youre gonna missthe best part!


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INT. THEATRE LOBBY - CONTINUOUS

An old playhouse that updated for the new media, the theatrenaturally have a bar; Marshall trudges towards it. Davidfollows behind him.

DAVIDWhy do you always insist on comingto the premieres if youre justgoing to walk out every time?

MARSHALLIts important to me to see how theaudience reacts.

Marshall sits at the bar and nervously rolls a cigarette.

MARSHALL (CONTD)Gin, please.

DAVIDChampagne.One for my friend also.

David leans against the bar next to Marshall.

DAVID (CONTD)The audience I saw was reactingjust fine.

MARSHALLThey didnt laugh at the mop gag.

DAVIDI heard laughs.

MARSHALLThat was youlaughing.

DAVIDWhat can I say, its a funny gag.

(chuckles to himself,remembering)

Mops...

MARSHALLIt should have gotten a biggerlaugh. That wasnt the only thingthat wasnt working. They didntlove Ramona. You could tell.

DAVIDThey didnt hate her. Thatssomething.

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MARSHALLShes the star, they need to fallin love with her. If they dont,the film doesnt work. The actionhas no excitement, the romanceisnt romantic, and nobody laughs

at the mop gag!

Marshall realizes he just spoke a bit too loud.

DAVID(to bartender)

Forgive my friend here, hes anartist. Very sensitive.

(to Marshall)Marshall, youre being to hard onyourself. You got them in theseats. They didnt boo, they didn'tleave, they didnt burn the theatre

down.

MARSHALLMy film didnt cause a riot, stopthe presses...

DAVIDWhat do you want? You act like youwont be satisfied until peoplestart calling you the Michelangeloof moving pictures.

MARSHALL

I do not.

DAVIDRelax. Theres nothing wrong withbeing just a good director.

MARSHALLI suppose theres no outright flawin mediocrity. I could even makethat my hook, my sales pitch...

DAVID

I can see the posters now,Marshall Buckley presents:adequate entertainment!

MARSHALLCome one, come all! Films sounremarkable they have to be seento be believed!

Marshall laughs, letting the truth sting him a bit.

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MARSHALL (CONTD)Should we go back in?

DAVIDEh. We know how it ends. I proposewe keep drinking.

MARSHALLHere, here!

They CLINK glasses.

EXT. CITY STREETS - NIGHT

David and Marshall walk down the sidewalk, stumblingslightly, but still keeping their composure.

DAVIDWhat are you going to do about

Ramona?

MARSHALLWhat do you mean?

DAVIDYou said it yourself, no ones inlove with her. Why not find ussomeone we could fall in love with?

MARSHALLShes been with us for 3 picturesnow, I cant just cast her aside-

DAVIDSure you can! Shes not some steel-worker with a union and a pension.Shes an actress, we can boot herwhenever we feel please.

MARSHALLStill. It wouldnt feel right.Shes like family.

DAVID

Marshall, do whatever you want.Its your picture. All Im sayingis, you dont keep inviting thegirl to the dance when she doesntput out.

David walks inside a quaint Pub. Marshall hangs back for abeat, considering Davids advice, before joining him inside.

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INT. PUB - NIGHT

The place is mostly empty save a few regulars. In the farbooth JANE WILKINS(20s, motivated; pretty, but not prettyenough to be in the movies) scribbles intently under a dimLANTERN.

DAVID (O.S.)Your hat is on fire.

JANENot again.

Jane quickly looks around the table. Nothing. She looks up tofind David wearing her HAT, sporting a shit-eating grin.

David and Marshall slide in the booth with her. Jane snatchesher hat back and goes back to her writing.

JANE (CONTD)It was blocking the light, Icouldnt see a thing.

DAVIDI think thats why most peoplewrite when the sun is up.

MARSHALLWhy are you doing this to yourself?I thought the script was fine.

JANE

Exactly. It was fine, now I have tomake it great. Did they laugh atthe mop gag?

MARSHALL/DAVIDNo/Yes

JANEI should have known.

DAVIDWhat is the matter with you two? Is

their some sort of plague goingaround that makes people nevercomfortable with their victories?

JANEYes, its called Catholicism.

MARSHALLCareful, Miss. I dont need anyblasphemers on my crew.

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7/13

Jane pulls out a small letter from her stack of paper.

JANEYou got a telegram.

Jane slides David his TELEGRAM then goes back to her work.

MARSHALLWho sent it?

David pauses over the return address: D.B. FRANKLIN. Spooked,he quickly stuffs the telegram in his coat pocket.

DAVID(covering)

Some nobody. Nothing to beconcerned about.

MARSHALL

Are you sure?

DAVID(changing the subject)

Shes not drinking. And neither arewe. This is a tragedy.

JANEWere of sober mind and thought.Tis not unlike Oedipus Rex.

DAVIDI dont know what that is, but Ill

buy you a drink anyway.

David slides out of the booth, leaving them alone.

MARSHALLWhat do you suppose your husbandthinks about you being alone in atavern at night?

JANEI dont suppose much of anythingabout him. One of the many rewards

of him being on the other side ofthe country. Besides. Im notalone, Im with you.

Jane smiles at Marshall. He plants her hat on her head andsmiles back.

At the bar, Davids jovial demeanor fades away.

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8/13

DAVIDThree martinis. Dry.

He lays out the telegram on the counter.

It reads:

SALES DISAPPOINTING STOP

MEET ME IF YOU WANT TO MAKE ANOTHER PICTURE STOP

David CRUMPLES up the note and waves down the barkeep.

DAVID (CONTD)Mind tossing this for me?

He turns away from the bar and the Telegram and pulls out asmall VIAL then bitterly gums a hit of cocaine.

COTTON (PRE-LAP)This... is the lens.

INT. PUB - LATER

The place now bustles with the celebrating film crew andtheir hangers on. COTTON MILLER(20s, Southern good ol boy,slightly on the spectrum), demonstrates the workings of hisMOVIE CAMERA to a couple AMUSED GROUPIES.

AMUSED GROUPIE #1Ooh, what does that do?

COTTONIt focuses the light.

AMUSED GROUPIE #1Why, does the light lackmotivation?

She CACKLES at her own terrible joke. Cotton doesnt react.

COTTONThe light ray needs to be focused

in order to produce a sharp image.AMUSED GROUPIE #2

(totally into it)Ive always wondered, how does thelight make an image in the camera?

COTTONThere are chemicals in the filmthat are sensitive to light.

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(MORE)


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The light takes away particles. Sothe stronger the light the lighterthe image is when its projected.

AMUSED GROUPIE #2Well arent you something. Smart

andhandsome.

She playfully touches his shoulder.

COTTONThank you. I find you attractive aswell. Unlike your friend, whom Ifind quite vapid and shrill.

AMUSED GROUPIE #1I think Im going to go.

COTTON

Please do.(to Groupie #2)

Would you like to come back to mylaboratory? I could show you how Idevelop the film, then afterwardswe could become intimate?

Shes taken aback, but Cotton doesnt register this.

COTTON (CONTD)You dont have a wedding ring, andyou said you found me handsome...

AMUSED GROUPIE #2I better go find my friend. Illsee you around mister...

COTTONCotton. Cotton Miller.

AMUSED GROUPIE #2Right... Goodbye Cotton.

She walks away.

COTTONDo let me know if you ever changeyour mind about the intercourse!

Cotton goes back to his camera. Two hands SLAP Cottonsshoulder, each hand belonging to a different large, Italianman: brothers VINCENZO(20s) and BERNARDO FABRIZIO(16).

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COTTON (CONT'D)


10/13

Cotton recognizes them, but inst excited by their presence.Vincenzo, having better English than his brother, does mostof the talking.

VINCENZOCotton. Back home we have a saying:

(speaks Italian)Which in English means: A wildstallion cannot me mounted.

COTTONI dont-

VINCENZOSignor, please. You cant just aska woman what you just asked. Youhave to tame her first. You have tomake her comfortable. You have todance with her. Caress her. Woo

her. Then when she trusts you, youstrap on that saddle and ride offto the sunset.

COTTONVincenzo...

(beat)I did not catch a word of that.

Marshall passes by the guys on his way elsewhere.

MARSHALLCotton, stop making women

uncomfortable. Vincenzo. Bernardo.A pleasure, as always.

We follow Marshall as he makes his way to the bar. He leanson the counter, waiting for the bartender to return. ALEXEYPAJITNOV(30S, a Russian behemoth of a man) turns to Marshalland looks him dead in the eyes.

ALEXEYYou.

Alexey holds his stare. Marshall starts to get nervous.

MARSHALLCan I help you sir?

ALEXEYYou... You make film.

MARSHALLYes...

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11/13

ALEXEY(star-struck)

Wow! Cant believe! Film man!

Alexey SHAKES Marshalls hand violently then starts mimingscenes from Marshalls movie.

MARSHALLThank you?

Alexey BANGS his hands on the counter.

ALEXEYDrinks! Drinks for film man!

MARSHALLThats nice of you, sir.

Marshalls flattered, but still terrified. He waves over

Vincenzo and Bernardo.

MARSHALL (CONTD)Why dont you say hi to my friends.These fellows also make films.

ALEXEYWow!

Alexey swarms the Italians the same way he did Marshall.

ALEXEY (CONTD)You drink?

VINCENZOWe drink.

ALEXEYHip, hip, hooray, no?

RAMONA(20s, our heroine from the opening film) enters the barwith her proud HUSBAND in tow. Marshall sees this and quicklyruns back to David and Janes booth.

MARSHALLRamona just arrived.

DAVIDAre you going to tell her, orshould I?

JANETell her what?

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12/13

DAVIDWere not inviting her back for thenext project.

JANEWhy?

DAVIDMarshall isnt in love with her.

MARSHALLThats not what I said.

JANE(mocking)

So you arein love with her. I didalways think you two looked nicetogether.

MARSHALLNo. Shes just... Shes notworking. I cant explain it, butshe just isnt...

DAVID/JANEPopping.

MARSHALLExactly.

JANEWho is going to play the Farm-girl

if Ramona is gone?

MARSHALLI dont know. I guess Ill have tofind a new star.

EXT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT

A classic steam-engine train SCREECHES to its stop. The faintstreet lamps struggle to cut through the thick fog as abeautiful YOUNG WOMAN steps out onto the platform.

Alone, with only one bag, she soaks up the area with pie-eyedoptimism. She is GUENEVERE KING(18, blonde, confident).

An ATTENDANT sees her alone and goes to talk to her.

ATTENDANTMiss? Is there someone here to meetyou?

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13/13

GUENEVERENo.

ATTENDANTOh. Well do you know how to gethome from here?

GUENEVEREIm not from here.

ATTENDANTI dont mean to pry, Maam, but ifno ones meeting you and youre notfrom here, then what on Earth isbeautiful young woman like yourselfdoing in a little old town likethis?

Guenevere turns, proud.

GUENEVEREIm going to be in the movies.

CUT TO BLACK:

END OF TEASER

12.

"The Movies" Teaser

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