Speaking of Hitchcock, another
reason why I love his work is because of his attention to detail that makes his
horror films so successful at giving me nightmares. After studying a little
more for that project (read the previous post if you already forgot what it was
for), I discovered a plethora of fun facts about Alfred Hitchcock.
My favorite fun fact was that
Hitchcock makes a cameo in all of his own movies! Apparently Stephenie Meyer
didn’t start the trend with her Twilight
fims, but copied one of my movie idols. Feel free to debate the quality of her
writing, but you can’t deny the fact that she knows who to mimic!
Inspired by Hitchcock (once again),
I wrote another scene, and included my own Hitchcock-ian cameo. And the
Hitchcock blog marathon continues!
TWO POLICE MEN
INT. PANERA BREAD – DAY
TWO POLICE MEN sit
down in a booth, sipping coffees and staring at an iPad. A GIRL with red hair sits in the booth behind them, quietly eavesdropping.
POLICE MAN #1:
Budget’s tight this year; I wish we didn’t have to lay off three men, but we
do.
POLICE MAN #2: Let
me just pull up their performance reviews and we can start figuring this out...
POLICE MAN #2 taps
the screen of the iPad, and it brightens. He pulls up a performance review,
along with the picture of a heavy-set man, late 50s.
POLICE #1: Jerry
Wringler, fifty-seven. Great guy, he’s been on my squad since my first day as
Chief.
POLICE #2: It says
here that he’s due to retire in a few years—
POLICE #1: After he
pays off his daughter’s college tuition.
POLICE
#2: You can’t take that into account, Lyle.
POLICE
#1: (mutters) He’s still a good guy.
POLICE
MAN #2 scrolls down on his iPad, eyeing the review.
POLICE #2: Says here
he got a twenty-five in the productivity section.
POLICE
#1: Out of what?
POLICE
#2: a hundred.
(pause)
POLICE #1: Maybe
he’s gotten a little lazy with paperwork, but he’s always got your back if you
need him to.
(pause)
POLICE
#1: Okay, what about the next guy?
POLICE MAN #2 taps
the screen twice, and the picture of a YOUNG MAN with a crew cut pops up.
POLICE
#2: Jared Gray, ex-soldier, twenty-two.
POLICE
#1: An ex-soldier at twenty-two?
POLICE
#2: That’s what it says.
POLICE #1: Did he
mention anything about it in his interview?
POLICE MAN #2 pulls
up the interview notes on his iPad and scrolls through them quickly.
POLICE #2: Doesn’t
look like it. He’s got an awful scar on the side of his neck though, so maybe
it has to do with that?
POLICE #1: Maybe.
What’s his review look like?
POLICE #2: Says he’s
very disciplined about his work. All his paperwork is flawless.
POLICE #1: Anything
else?
POLICE MAN #2
scrolls down.
POLICE #2: And he’s
good at taking orders... but his relationship with his co-workers isn’t the
strongest.
POLICE #1: Why is
that?
POLICE #2: Well,
have you ever talked to the man, sir?
POLICE #1: No, but
I’ve seen him around. He seems like an okay guy to me...
POLICE #2: He is, he
is. Just not one for small talk, I guess.
POLICE #1: And that
means we should fire him?
POLICE #2: No, but
he was the last person hired.
POLICE MAN #1 stops
to think. He drums the table with his fingers and takes a long swig of coffee.
POLICE #1: Keep him;
he served our country. The least we can do is give him a little more time to
prove himself.
POLICE MAN #2 taps
the screen of his iPad, and the picture of JARED GRAY disappears.
POLICE #2: We have
to fire somebody, Chief.
POLICE #1: (annoyed)
I know that... so who’s next?
POLICE MAN #2 pulls
up a picture labeled DONALD ORZO.
POLICE #2: (smiling)
Donny, he’s the best.
POLICE #1: And why
is that?
POLICE #2: We’re all
really close with him, sir. He’s so damn funny, like this one time, when we
were getting coffee between shifts—
POLICE #1: I’m not
asking why you’re BFF’s. Why should I keep him?
POLICE #2: He’s
great at calming down tense situations. And he’s crucial to the squad dynamic;
he keeps our spirits up.
POLICE MAN #2
quickly scrolls through DONNY’s review, when something catches THE CHIEF’s eye.
POLICE #1: Go back.
POLICE #2: To what,
sir?
POLICE #1: Just
scroll up a little bit. I thought I saw a ten.
POLICE MAN #2
reluctantly scrolls up.
ZOOM IN on the
screen of the iPad.
POLICE #1 (O.S.):
Stop.
Screen stops moving,
and CAMERA focuses on the performance review.
TEXT appears on the
screen. It reads:
PUNCTUALITY... 10
ZOOM OUT.
POLICE #1: A ten?
Out of one hundred?
POLICE #2: He’s only
a few minutes late in the mornings. He has to drop his son off at school and—
POLICE #1: A ten?
POLICE #2: I know
it’s hard to look past this, but Donny’s really a great guy.
POLICE #1: I thought
you said I couldn’t take personal information into account. I have to stay
objective, right?
POLICE #2: Yes, sir.
THE TWO POLICE MEN
are silent. You can hear the BUSTLE of PEOPLE talking over their lunches. AN EMPLOYEE
comes to wipe the table next to THE TWO POLICE MEN. THEY stare, and SHE leaves.
POLICE #2: (timid)
What about you, sir?
POLICE #1: What
about me?
POLICE #2: Well,
have you thought about your retirement at all?
POLICE #1: Excuse
me?
POLICE #2: I don’t
mean to be rude, but—
POLICE #1: You are
being rude—
POLICE #2: But have
you ever considered stepping down from Chief?
POLICE #1: No.
POLICE #2: Never?
POLICE #1: Never.
POLICE MAN #2 looks
at his watch. POLICE MAN #1 crosses his arms.
POLICE #2: I’m sorry
sir, I have some paperwork to do.
POLICE #1: Is that
so?
POLICE #2: Yeah,
I’ve been really swamped lately.
Without another
word, POLICE MAN #1 gets up from the table.
POLICE #1: Well, I
wouldn’t want to keep you from your job. Thank you for your help, Officer.
POLICE MAN #1 is
smiling, and it makes POLICE MAN #2 nervous. POLICE MAN #1 holds the door open
for POLICE MAN #2.
POLICE #2: Uh,
you’re welcome sir.
THE TWO POLICE MEN
walk away from the café to their respective cop cars. Before getting in, POLICE
MAN #1 waves to POLICE MAN #2, and smiles.
FADE OUT.
MOVIES WATCHED: 20
SCREENPLAY PAGES WRITTEN: 53
NOVEL PAGES WRITTEN: 76
PAGES LEFT IN FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: 336
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