Tuesday, March 20, 2007/20.3.07
Confidant
Ielle Palmer
2006
Page One, Three Panels:
Panel One: CU of a female hand wearing a short leather gauntlet, snapping back to catch a large rubber bouncy-ball.
Psychic (O.P): Yes well, I see boff a positive ann ah neegative here cheyel…
Panel Two: Loose CU of the owner of the hand (MARE) rolling the ball over the back of her hand before her face as she hold a cellphone to her ear. She’s alone in a very very small studio apartment. Her walls are covered with news clippings and posters giving the whole place a very urban punk style. Her windows have dark bed sheets drawn over them. MARE seems to be taking this phone call very serious, her face looking very concerned.
PSYCHIC (O.P over the phone): The star Thanh Long ’ll help ya make yourself noooticed and ta be in good shape, mary, and magnanimous.
MARE: Right, so where this catch?
Panel Three: Medium LS of MARE stretching in front of a mirror in her crappy studio apartment. We can see that it only has enough room for a full-sized bed (which is unmade and messy), a small desk with a laptop (and a ton of junk paper) and a microwave and a Chinese changing screen which is partially blocking a toilet and sink in the corner. She lets her ball drop into the overflowing wastepaper basket beside the desk.
PSYCHIC (O.P.): Be patient cheyel, ders moe good news.
MARE: *sigh* Sorry. Hold on a sec,
Page Two, Four Panels:
Panel One: Medium of MARE switching the phone over to speaker phone. We see that she has a rabbit’s foot hanging from the corner of the mirror. Near that a four leaf clover has been taped to the glass.
MARE: Ok, go on.
PSYCHIC (O.P): Yer goin’ ta enter a paceful peeriod.
Panel Two: LS of MARE doing “proud warrior”, (the yoga pose where you place both arms straight out at your sides and you have one knee bent and one leg stretched out to one side, balancing yourself) in what little room she has (the floor is a mess too). The Phone is sitting on her desk now as the psychic’s voice boom forth into the room.
PSYCHIC (O.P): Cut to da chase, yer emanatin such a positive energy, yer eyes are soooo bright and yer smile is soooo charmmin’ dat’cha painlessly gatha all the hearts in yer path.
MARE: But?
Panel Three: Medium of MARE stretching back into a deep backbend.
PSYCHIC (O.P): Paychence cheyel. Das haf yer problem. Yer in such a goddamn hurry all da time. Now, do ya want ta hear da rest of dis o not?
MARE: I’m not paying you 3.75 a minute for my health.
PSYCHIC (O.P.): Heh, what about yer mental health?
Panel Four: Medium LS of MARE kicking up high at a stuff animal she’s hung (noose like) from the archway of the very short hallway/breezeway of her room that leads to the door. Her kick is quite impressive, knocking the toy up and away.
MARE: I try not to think about it anymore.
Page Three, Four Panels:
Panel One: CU of MARE spinning a butterfly knife about in her fingers. She’s chewing on a beef jerky stick (slim jim whatever).
MARE: So, you gonna get to this negative some time today or what?
PSYCHIC (O.P): Yer a hardheaded one, aincha?
MARE: Don’t need to be a psychic to figure that out, lady.
Panel Two: CU of MARE slipping the closed knife into her boot.
PSYCHIC: Well, hart wise, beware o temptations cuz the opposition ‘tween da stars Thien Su and Hoa Quyen are great.
Panel Three: Loose CU of MARE (still chewing on her jerky looking over a folder)
MARE: I’m not worried about the heart stuff. Skip it.
PSYCHIC (O.P): Skip it?
MARE: Please.
Panel Four: Medium of MARE walking away from us, back to her bed. Her desk is in the foreground. We can see some of the papers within the folder she just dropped behind. A surveillance picture of a middle aged guy in a nice suit shaking hands with a few dignitaries is on top. The cellphone is half buried under the folders.
PSYCHIC (O.P): Den what do ya want?
MARE: I told you when I called.
Page Four, Three Panels:
Panel One: CU of MARE laying on her back on her messy bed, staring wearily up at her ceiling.
MARE: What do all the people who call you want?
Panel Two: Medium side angle of MARE she’s rolled onto her side now. We’ve pulled back a bit to see more of the bed. It’s a mess and various small boxes with caliber numbers written on the sides are laying nearby. She has one box in her hand and is tapping the lid.
MARE: Why does anyone bother waste twenty dollars to listen to you guys stall and stall?
Panel Three: Loose CU of MARE up on her elbows holding a gun in her hands and peering through the empty chambers.
MARE: I want to know my future, Miss Clara.
Page Five, Six Panels:
Panel One: CU of the cellphone. It’s flashing the words: INCOMING CALL.
Cellphone: BEEP BEEP BEEP!
MARE (O.P) Damn it.
Panel Two: MS of MARE holding her phone under her chin while slapping a clip up into a gun.
MARE: Miss Clara, stay on the line… this will only take a sec…
MARE (linked): Steven? Hi! Oh no, I was just talking to a friend, nothing too important. You’re picking me up -- uh, wow!
Panel Three: Loose MS of MARE holding the files from earlier over the “bathroom” sink while lighting the end with a Zippo.
MARE: Well actually I’m not home. Hmm? NO… no I’m standing on a subway platform actually. Yeah, my provider rocks.
Panel Four: LS of MARE rapidly throwing her hitman gear together. In the foreground the fire is eating the files which she’s discarding into the sink. We can read the name STEPHAN REGAN under the picture of the nice man with the dignitaries.
MARE: Why don’t I just meet you there, kay? Yeah… I know not very romantic. Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. Where are you now? Uh huh. Okay. Give me twenty minutes. These trains are acting a bit nuts tonight, I might have missed mine. K, see ya soon.
Panel Five: CU of MARE standing before her mirror again. She’s touching her rabbit’s foot. In her other hand she’s holding her phone out away from herself again, flipping it back on speaker.
MARE: Miss Clara? My future?
PSYCHIC (OP): I-I don’t know, luv. Ya can’t jus pin point-
Phone fx: Beep
Panel Six: Low angle Medium MS of Mare holding the phone at her side now her whole body has slumped. She looks defeated already. In the foreground we see a wrinkled newspaper with the horoscopes in sight. The listing for Taurus is most prominent and reads:
Newspaper: Taurus: The actions of the past have come back to haunt you. Time to take stock and re-evaluate what matters most. A errant path can lead to hard times. The end of a long journey is near.
end
