The Uninvited Guest – by Lorraine Dmitrovic

Assignment for my Explore Filmmaking course (Week 5: Lesson 5.11 – Transitions)

The party scene:
“The Uninvited Guest”

An out-of-focus shot that gradually focusses medium long shot on a lone male sitting on a couch, eyes half-open and bloodshot. People are milling about in groups drinking and laughing

Male, taking a long sip of a tequila martini, then says with a drunken slur: Why tonight?

He looks over to a bunch of girls, tittering. Camera zooms in quickly on his ex-girlfriend of that evening, who points to him and laughs.

Male, camera medium close.
Male: You never loved me, did you?

Camera shifts to girls, who giggle more loudly.

Male slams his martini glass on the table hard enough that the ice cubes jump up out of the glass onto the table and slide off the edge. The male shrugs, looks to the ice cubes now on the floor as does the camera. He kicks them clear across the room toward the still laughing girls. They scatter with the camera on them long shot.

Then camera close-up to the male. There are tears in his eyes.
Male: Just like everything else in my life.

The camera follows the host of the party as he brings the male another drink with ice cubes.

Camera on host.
Host: Word is you and your sheila have broken up. For good this time?

Camera on male. Male takes the offered drink, nods his thanks.
Male: She seems to think so.

Camera on both host and male, in profile.
Host: You’ve got other fish to fry, you know …. See? That girl, just moved into the building last week. No boyfriend.

Male, eyes the girl thoughtfully over the rim of his drink.
Male: You’re sure? She’s pretty enough.

Camera on male. Male searches the room to see if his ex-girlfriend is hanging around.

Camera back to host and male in profile again.
Host: I think she left for the evening, along with her friends. She wasn’t any good for you anyway. Here … I’ll leave another drink for the new girl in case she walks your way.

Male: Thanks, bud. We’ve been tight since grade school, eh?

Host: Got your back always.

Male: Now f*** off so I can …

Host: Got it. But be warned. She lives with her 6 foot-ten brother.

Male, rolls eyes: Now you tell me ….

Host and male fist-bump, and the host goes to small-talk with his other guests.

Male, camera close-up on his face as he looks around the room and zeroes in on the new girl. Quick camera cut to new girl, and back to male. He catches her eye and winks.

Camera now on medium long shot on girl and she looks around to see who he’s winking at.  She points to herself, mouthes: Me?

Male, smiling, nods, lifts up the drink the host left for her. He waves her over. The camera watches him watching her walk over to the sofa. He waves his hand for her to be seated.

Close up on face of girl.
Girl: Didn’t you come to the party with a girl? You’re not trying to make anyone jealous, are you?

Medium camera shot on the sofa. The male laughs, spitting out some of his drink.
Male: Yes. And no.

Camera on girl.
Girl: Okayyyy … is this for me?
Girl picks up drink.

Camera on girl and male in profile.
Male: Hope you like – whatever it is.

Girl, sips and smiles: My favourite. Vodka and lemon-lime soda. Cheers.

Girl downs the drink, and the male’s eyes widen.

Male, calls out to his host friend: Hey dude, bring us a whole tray!

The girl shakes her head in the negative: I don’t really drink. We don’t need –

Camera follows action of male. The male places his hand on the girl’s stocking-ed leg. Male: Oh yes we do. Drink ’til dawn and then ….

Camera on girl, then moves quickly back and forth between girl and male. Girl: No. You’ve got it wrong! Please –

Girl moves away from him on the sofa. He leans over, trying to take hold of her leg again.

Girl, almost panicking: You’re drunk! Get away from me!

Camera zooms away into a long shot, sofa with two people behind it seen with only a portion of them from chest to waist. Suddenly, one of them pours large decanters of mixed cocktails over the male and the girl on the sofa.

Male, looking up, camera close-up on his horrified face: Sophie! What are you … Why did you …?

Camera close-up on girl. The girl gasps.

Camera follows two large male hands grasp the male by the shoulders and lift him forcibly up from the sofa.

Camera to girl.
Girl: Tim! Don’t! I’m sorry, my brother ….

Camera to male.
Male: My ex! Sophie!

Camera swings up to view his ex looming.
Sophie: You got that right –

Camera front on male and Sophie, angled.
Male: No, you’ve got it wrong! We made up – remember?

Sophie laughs.
Sophie: That was 2 weeks ago, then I met this girl’s brother. You and I are off again. His sister is underage, untouchable, so you’ve got everything wrong.

Camera on girl’s brother.
Girl’s brother: Should we call the police on him? Serving booze to a minor with intention –

Camera on male.
Male: Go ‘way with you – is this a set up?

Medium shot on Sophie and girl’s brother. Sophie and the brother laugh.
Girl’s brother: No, just a nice send-off.

Camera on the brother as he takes the girl’s hand and takes her from the couch. She’s escorted away by Sophie.

Camera medium close-up to male.
Male, resigned: This is going to hurt, isn’t it?

Male looks around for his buddy. No sign of him.

Camera on girl’s brother.
Girl’s brother: A hard lesson to learn. You should quit drinking. Then maybe you’ll stop picking up girls already taken or off limits.

Camera on male.
Male: Sophie told you about my bad habit?

Camera on the male and girl’s brother. The girl’s brother, a foot taller than the male, wraps his fingers into the male’s collar, lifts him from the sofa. He’s about to give the male a punch in the face when a hand grips his bicep. The brother pauses.

Camera cuts quickly to host as he starts talking.
Host: Take it out to the hall. No blood on the furniture. It’s not paid for yet.

Camera slightly shaky following as the brother begins to push the male through the room toward the front door. An anonymous guest opens the door for them. As they pass through the door into the hall, all the guests in various states of drunkenness in the room raise their glasses.

Camera pans the crowd of guests. The guests, simultaneously: CHEERS!

Sound of the door slamming, and party noises slowly resume.

The Uninvited Guest
Copyright © July 18, 2018: Lorraine Dmitrovic-Giampieri

“Maybe I Shouldn’t Live Alone” by Lorraine Dmitrovic

Assignment for my Explore Filmmaking course (Week 5: Lesson 5.3)

“Maybe I Shouldn’t Live Alone.”

The camera follows closely as a little old lady shuffles into the kitchen in worn slippers and housecoat, yawning, sets her table for breakfast and then turns on the kettle for coffee. She goes to the fridge, takes out a carton of eggs and wax-paper wrapped homestyle bacon. She reaches for the milk and finds barely enough for half a glassful in the carton. She pours the almost empty carton down the sink after looking at the best-before date. Close-up on the date. She grabs her change purse from the counter, and walks out the side door to go to the corner convenience store, still in her housecoat and slippers.

Cut to her (medium shot) entering the milk store. A jarring bell announces her. She waves without saying good morning to the clerk and walks toward the back of the store.

Cut to her close-up studying a cooler stocked with dairy and juice cartons. She squints, quickly searches her pocket for glasses and comes up empty. She squints more closely at the glass door, then opens the door of the cooler, grabbing a litre size carton.

Cut to her medium close-up paying at the cash register at the front of the store, and leaving with the carton in a bag.

Medium close-up cut to her kitchen counter. She leaves the bag and quick cuts to making scrambled eggs and bacon, spooning coffee into a single size filter, the kettle starts whistling. She pours water into the filter, it steeps into a large ceramic cup.

Cut to breakfast close-up ready on the plate. Coffee is ready and she goes to the sideboard, opens the bag and pulls out the carton. She squints, camera very close, quickly grabs her glasses off the counter and her eyes widen.

“Mango juice!!??” she yells. Close-up on her face. She looks to the coffee and shrugs, and pours the juice into the coffee. “Hmmmmmm, it needs a little more sugar,” she says medium close-up – as she picks up the pepper and begins to shake it into her cup!!

Copyright © July 2018: Lorraine Dmitrovic-Giampieri