Day 15 Assignments

[David Kandel]

David Kandel’s Day 15 Assignment QE Cycle #2 John & Nick

Logline: Co-workers/roommates, John and Nick, get into a brawl when John accuses Nick of stealing his ideas and submitting them to their boss by claiming he was the creative author.

Essence: Despite Nick’s generosity when it comes to sharing living arrangements, this scene proves Nick is a conniving, manipulative person in the workplace when he steals John’s ideas and submits a report to their boss and claims the ideas were his.

INT. APARTMENT LIVING ROOM – DAY

John and Nick are both employed by Octopus Marketing. John has been there five years. Nick has been there only one year. John and Nick have the same title and have been working together since Nick started with the company. They became roommates sharing an apartment for just the past two months to save money. Because of the pandemic, their separate jobs have been turned into one job which their boss has allowed them to share.

JOHN

Why did you go into my room?

NICK

Why do you think I was in your room?

JOHN

Do you think I’m stupid? My flash-drive was on my dresser this morning. I put it face down. I come home from work tonight and it’s face up.

NICK

Jesus John, that sounds like a fucking Agatha Christie mystery. The case of the upside down flash-drive.

JOHN

No, it sounds like a nosy roommate who had no business messing with my stuff.

Nick pretends to make a phone call on his cell.

NICK

I’m calling Sherlock Holmes. We need to get him on this case.

JOHN

You were in my room. You took my flash-drive. You read what I spent all last night writing. And if I know you, I can see you e-mailing our boss and taking credit for my creative work.

NICK

Oh, that’s rich, Johnny-Boy. You fucking kill me. I pay for the utilities, the cable, the Internet. I do the cooking, the cleaning. Shit, I even do your laundry sometimes. You pay half the rent. That’s it. I do all these things for you and you never do anything. You come home. You go to your room. You lock your door and you don’t come out ’til morning.

JOHN

I go to my room to be alone. Why do I want to be alone? Because I can’t stand being in the same room when you and Donna start pawing each other. I mean, I’m in here watching the game on TV and you start taking off her damn top.

NICK

Jealousy doesn’t flatter you, John.

JOHN

I really don’t care what you and Donna do. Fuck her brains out. I don’t care. I go to my room and lock the door because I’m sick and tired of all the noise I’m forced to listen to every night.

NICK

OK. I’ll tell Donna that her moans of passion upset you. I’ll tell her that we must fuck in complete silence from now on so we don’t disturb your beauty rest.

John realizes he’s being played.

JOHN

That’s a great idea. Do that.

NICK

Done.

Silence for a few beats.

JOHN

Connie asked me to put some recommendations together. She asked me, not you. I’ve been with the company five years. You’ve been there one. I have the highest respect for Connie. She’s the best boss I’ve ever had. She likes me. I like her. She values my work. That’s why she asked me, not you.

NICK

Oh I forgot. You’re the only one who has good ideas in the entire department.

JOHN

Thank you.

NICK

The fair-haired boy who can do no wrong.

JOHN

You keep forgetting that one of us was going to get laid off because of the pandemic. Had I not asked Connie if we could share the position, your ass would’ve been on the street. That was my idea. You owe me big time.

NICK

That’s not what Connie told me. She said the job share was her idea.

JOHN

You love to re-write history, don’t you? It was her idea to approve it but the concept was mine so we could save your ass. And I’m the one who came up with the idea of dumping the consultant and contracting with Revamp Associates. Connie said that my idea was out of the box, forward thinking, and bold. Those were her exact words.

NICK

And I’m the one who has operationalized your ideas and made you look good.

JOHN

Just answer me this. Did you take my flash-drive and did you read my report?

Long pause.

NICK

I’m done with this conversation.

Nick’s cell phone rings. He answers.

NICK (CONT’D)

(on the phone)

Hello? Yes. Connie? How are you? Yeah. Living the life.

Nick starts to go to his room. John follows.

NICK (CONT’D)

(on the phone)

You did? Thank you. That means a lot to me. Yeah. John and I think alike on so many issues. Yeah. He’s a great guy. Great. Yeah. Glad you liked it. I hope it helps. See you tomorrow.

Nick hangs up and starts to leave the apartment.

NICK (CONT’D)

I’ll be at Donna’s tonight.

JOHN

You son-of-a-bitch. You bastard. You read my report, didn’t you?

John grabs Nick by the shirt collar.

JOHN (CONT’D)

You read my shit and sent my ideas to Connie as if you wrote them yourself, didn’t you?

NICK

Chill out, John.

Nick pushes John away. John charges Nick and wrestles him to the ground which erupts into an all out brawl.

[Tom Wilson]

Rewritten scene based on Hal’s two helpful videos:

SITUATION: 2 people who don’t trust each other team up to do a job.

SCENE ARC: From: being forced together

to: making a total mess out of the situation.

NANCY
Traits

– Confrontational

– Stubborn

– Scheming

– Caring

Subtext: Nancy is a scheming lady who’s covertly competitive with peers.

SQUIRE
Traits

– Evasive

– Selfish

– Happy-go-lucky

– Seductive

Subtext: Squire is a seductive guy who uses his charm to control others.

————————-End Scene Description—————

LOGLINE: A car accident draws scammers like flies.

ESSENCE: Everyone’s a con artist.

SCENE: A Lamborghini runs off a country road.

EXT. TWO LANE HIGHWAY WHERE TWO TOWNSHIPS MEET – NIGHT

SQUIRE assists NANCY as they exit a Lamborghini and climb from a ditch.

Their sports car just wiped out a giant high voltage steel tower.

Nancy’s outfit and hairdo are decades younger than her mid-forties.

Squire’s smile charms. His eyes scheme. Jet black hair belies his sixty years.

SQUIRE
I’m missing the last hour. What
just happened that disappeared?
One minute I’m on top of the world.
Next we’re looking at law suits and jail time.

NANCY
What the hell do we do now? It’s another one of
your senior moments. It was you sweet-talked
me into this boondoggle. I bet we ain’t seen the worst.

SQUIRE
Something else is going on here. What’s missing?
One minute we’re having the usual heated
discussion. Next, we’re tramping around in the boonies.

NANCY
I fear our best days are behind us.
So much for our rosy future.

SQUIRE
But what the hell just happened?
I could have been killed. You could have
handled this a lot better.

NANCY
Are you okay? Cuts, bruises? If you
hit your head, it didn’t hurt you.

SQUIRE
You just totaled a quarter-million
dollar wet dream rental car.

NANCY
And were you too stupid or was it too cheap
to pay for the comprehensive insurance?
I just flashed on our financial future — a freshly dug grave!

A police car arrives. Uniformed policewoman FRITZ exits and greets them.

Nancy rushes up to her.

Officer Fritz pulls out her notebook.

NANCY
Good to see a female on the job. I’m always
looking for ways to jack up – not off – guys
who follow their joints around looking to stick it in …

Squire steps between them sporting his smoothest smile for Officer Fritz.

SQUIRE
Your hair looks good. You
got here so quick. Did someone call or …

Officer Fritz nods at the downed steel tower.

OFFICER FRITZ
First clue was our power went out …

SQUIRE
You’re so smart. You should be the police chief.

OFFICER FRITZ
Actually I am. Also, receptionist, janitor and maid.

NANCY
Of course. Poor dear. You must be
the only one at the cop house.

SQUIRE
She meant “police station,” didn’t you, Honey?

NANCY
Don’t honey me, cocksucker. After what you did.

OFFICER FRITZ
Whoa! What happened here? Sir?

Another cop car – flashing lights, siren – speeds from the opposite direction.

Nancy nods at Squire.

NANCY
He’ll just lie. He had way too many snorts at
that dumpy eatery of yours. Insisted he
had to check his Schwab account on his phone.
Same time doing twenty over the speed limit.

Fritz writes.

Squire gapes at Nancy like she’s possessed.

SQUIRE
I’m sure you’re smarter than to believe that, Officer.
It was her who insisted on driving. I let her. My bad.

NANCY
If it was me driving, we wouldn’t be in this hellhole.

SQUIRE
Officer, she didn’t mean that. I bet your cozy
little community has a comfy motel a ways out
of town where town folk renew old acquaintances.

OFFICER FRITZ
Let’s see your drivers’ licenses.

Squire and Nancy hand them over.

OFFICER FRITZ
Same last name. You’re married.

NANCY
Were. He pimps me. I wear knee pads
and use mouthwash a dozen times a day.
He says I have to earn my alimony.

The other police car screeches to a halt. Uniformed OFFICER MARLON fumbles from the car, tightens his belt holding up heavy cop paraphernalia.

He advances on them trying to look older than his twenty years. Halts. Rushes back to grab his uniform hat. Stuffs it on. Joins them.

Nancy fields a grin like she’s about to mount this lad where he stands.

NANCY

Can we vote which officer cuffs us face
down. Does what he must to get us to
come. Up. Again and again. With the truth.

OFFICER FRITZ
All taken care of, Officer Marlon.

Marlon whips out a GPS. Waves it in a loop for the best signal.

OFFICER MARLON
Not according to this. Their vee-hickle’s
just inside our town line.

OFFICER FRITZ
Skid marks. The car left the pavement
on our side. It’s our collar.

OFFICER MARLON
But it’s my turn.

NANCY
Are you two screwing with us?

Officer Marlon composes himself. Thinks of something cop-ish to say.

Squire uses his best sad face on Officer Fritz.

SQUIRE

I’m not used to all this drama. How serious is it?

Fritz glances at the wrecked Lambo and broken high voltage tower.

A utility truck pulls up. Workmen carry equipment to the downed tower.

OFFICER FRITZ
Car moving plenty fast. Driver lost control. Pure
and simple. Don’t know what you pay for electricity.
Next month’s bill’s gonna be a whopper.

MARLON

What about that deer?

Fritz stops writing.

Squire blinks, staggers in a circle. Did he say ‘a deer’? Am I losing my mind?

Marlon shows him several pictures of a deer galloping across the highway.

Squire’s face lights up.

SQUIRE
I forgot about that deer. Swerved to avoid it.
Caused us to run off the road.

He reaches for one of Marlon’s pictures. Marlon pulls it out his reach.

MARLON
How much cash yah got on yah?

OFFICER FRITZ
Better yet.

She holds up a photo of an attacking seven-foot grizzly bear Photoshoped like it’s standing in the middle of the two lane.

MARLON
My deer are more believable.
Squire looks through his wallet.

SQUIRE
Two thousand.

Marlon examines Squire’s tiny wallet.

MARLON
I spotted more inside that there flap.

SQUIRE
Those are grocery store coupons.

OFFICER FRITZ
How about the fierce some bear for $1800?

Marlon shuffles his deck and produces another photo.

MARLON
My best deer for $1775.

A car with a State Farm Insurance ad on the side slows down and parks.

OFFICER FRITZ
That’s Mel. Your time’s just about run out.

Squire wipes sweat off his neck and takes deep breathes.

Nancy takes his hand.

NANCY
What’ll it be? Defrauding the insurance
company, or do you have an extra quarter
million to buy the wrecked booty-magnet?

SQUIRE
What about the tower of power?
I bet it costs more than the Lambo.

MARLON
For $2000, which deer picture do you like?

SQUIRE
You just said $1775.

OFFICER FRITZ
A person’s better motivated to run off the
road by a bear than a deer. $3000.

MARLON
The man has only $2000.

Fritz whips out a wireless credit card reader. She waves it in a loop.

OFFICER FRITZ
Good signal.

Reluctantly Squire pulls out a credit card.

MARLON
If you want my best deer, I’ll let it go for $25,000.

SQUIRE
Why’s the price keep spiking for Chrissakes?

MARLON
It’s a true mystery.

Fritz holds the card reader under Marlon’s nose.

OFFICER FRITZ
If you wanta use my
machine, we be splittin’ it.

In his eighties, insurance man Mel exits his car with a clipboard. Takes pictures of the sports car and the tower. Joins the others.

MEL
What’s happened to
these lovely children?

Fritz looks at Squire and Nancy.

OFFICER FRITZ
Give us a moment.

She takes Mel by the arm and walks him over to the Lamborghini.

They finish whispering and return.

Mel hands Squire the clipboard.

MEL
Sign at the bottom.

SQUIRE
What’s all this handwriting? What am I signing?

MEL
It’s your account of how that horrible beast …

He turns to Fritz and Marlon.

MEL
So what’s it gonna be this time? Bear or deer?

In horror, Squire stares at Nancy. She doesn’t try to hide her grin. #

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Tom Wilson.