[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 23 – Resolve Act 4
What I learned writing this lesson is that it’s so easy to settle it once the climax is worked out. Still have a lot of work to do on it.
INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT
Cal is pacing up and down the corridor outside the room where Brinda is.
Brinda is in a state of shock.
Cal walks in and sits by her side.
Brinda wakes up.
CAL
Hey – you made it kid.
BRINDA
Where am I?
Brinda tries to get up but she realizes that she’s in a hospital.
CAL
Wooo, woo woo, take it easy.
Brinda lies back down on the bed.
BRINDA
Is Mr. Webber alright?
CAL
He’s fine. You didn’t kill him thank god.
Brinda looks almost disappointed that she didn’t kill him.
BRINDA
Did they find…
CAL
Mary Lou? No. Not a trace.
BRINDA
I’m not surprised.
CAL
We’re still out looking for her. Can you remember anything she said?
Just when Brinda has the opportunity to say that the Mary Lou killer is actually her mother.
BRINDA
No, just jibberish. The woman’s not well. But she’s definitely a woman.
CAL
I believe you now.
BRINDA
I feel groggy.
CAL
Dr. Sonya’s back. She made sure they took good care of you.
BRINDA
Dr. Sonya?
CAL
Yup. She’s up and around.
BRINDA
Took care of me.
CAL
Boss almost bit the dust. You saved him.
BRINDA
Hmmm.
There’s a very loud silence in between them.
CAL
Well, I’m gonna go check on him right now. You rest well, ok?
BRINDA
Ok
Cal leaves the room.
Brinda is left thinking to herself about what she knows about Webber and Boss.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson Lesson 22 – The climax Scene
What I learned writing this was all the many holes that I still have to sew up before this scene comes, but it makes sense for the justification of both the protagonist and the antagonist. More holes to fill in but here it is.
INT. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART – NIGHT
Brinda runs into the museum. She knows there is a large tribute going on. The revealing of a major wing in the museum.
She gets there. At the revealing she notices Webber, Boss and alot of high society people.
She cannot find Cal, nor can she find the killer.
She starts looking frantically.
Boss notices and gets up and looks after her. He starts following her.
Webber is socializing with the hobnobbers and notices Brinda as well. He is not pleased.
He gestures to Boss to go follow her.
Brinda finally gets to the Roman wing, and notices the blonde haired woman with Boss.
Boss is drugged up and about to have his eye cut out.
Brinda rushes in and points her gun.
BRINDA
Stop!
Mimi looks up and sees Brinda. She stops and gets up from the Boss.
BRINDA
Put your hands up please and through down the knife Mary Lou.
Mimi turns around to look at Brinda and drops the knife.
They both look at each other for the first time.
Brinda almost knows her, but yet she doesn’t.
MIMI
It’s alright, I would never hurt you baby.
Brinda reacts uneasily.
BRINDA
Shut up. Don’t call me baby.
MIMI
But you are my baby. They took you away from me. Don’t you see what they did?
BRINDA
Who? What did they do?
MIMI
Them, with their dirty lies, their filthy secrets.
Mimi starts coming closer.
MIMI
It’s what took me away from you.
BRINDA
Mary Lou stay where you are. I’m not who you think I am.
MIMI
I’m not who you think I am.
BRINDA
Who are you?
MIMI
It’s me baby. Don’t you know.
BRINDA
No.
Mimi removes her blonde wig. Brinda is still a little confused.
MIMI
They tried to kill me baby. They tried to shut me down. They took me away from you.
Brinda is shaking with her gun pointed.
BRINDA
No – you’re lying Mary Lou.
MIMI
I’m not baby. I’m not.
Brinda does not know what to do. She does not recognize the woman although she looks really familiar.
MIMI
You were so little when they took me away from you.
BRINDA
No!
MIMI
Then they killed your daddy. I’ve come to save you from them.
At this point Webber comes in and points a gun and is about to hit Mimi.
Brinda turns around.
BRINDA
No!
Both guns shoot at the same time. Brinda shoots Webber where it hurts. It takes him down.
Webber’s bullet just skims Mimi.
Brinda runs up to Webber. Mimi runs away.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 21 – Act 4 Begins

What I learned to writing this lesson is I just have to write out many different ideas and scenarios in order to get to the climax. So many holes and unanswered questions but the good news is, the ideas are flowing.

ACT 4 – Key # 1

INT: Brinda’s Apartment – NIGHT

After Brinda opens the wooden box file that was hidden in Dr. Sonya’s drawer, she finds many old files from 1946-58.

Many of the people are Lobotomized in the file but then she stumbles upon her mother’s file – Miriam Joan Cage.

She finally has the files of her mother in hand, and what they did to her in the insane asylum. She is riveted when she finds out that her mother was ultimately lobotomized, under the direction of Dr. Jacobson, and ultimately died in the mental hospital. She then finds an almost empty file of a Mary Lou Baker, whose file is scarcely there. There have been things taken out of it. Not even her picture is there.

Then the crying woman calls back and say, “Don’t let them hurt me.” By the end of the call, Brinda takes a stake and asks, “is This Mary Lou? There is silence on the end of the line. And she hangs up.

Brinda is confused. She does not know what the antagonist wants.

She goes back into the file and looks through it thoroughly and sees if there’s anything on a Mary Lou Baker. There’s pictures of all of the patients but none from Mary Lou Baker.

She goes looking for Cal at the police station. He’s not there because he was just chewed out by Boss. The secretary comes up to Brinda. Brinda asks where’s Cal. That he went out, not too long ago. Probably to the bar at 44^th.

Mimi possibly calls Brinda from the bar phone booth or maybe just outside from it. Brinda asks the secretary if she can show her the pictures from the murder file of Jesse. She opens up the pictures and takes a look at the girl in the pictures again. Or can she have a copy all their own? Possibly back at the flat where she realizes that the girl in the photos look like

She runs out to the bar.

Key #2 – Possiblities

Brinda gets to the bar but can’t find Cal.

1. Where does Brinda and Cal find out that Webber and Boss have been looking for Mimi the entire time?

2. When do Webber and Boss find out that Dr. Sonya was the person who mixed the files up and let Mimi escape?

3. How does Mimi lose them and outsmart the men in this?

4. How does she assume all different scenarios?

5. How does Dr. Sonya play into this game?

6. And is it Mimi who did that to Dr. Sonya? Or was it Webber and his friends to make it look like it was Mimi?

7. At the climax, who shows up at the place where they catch Mimi.

8. Why does Brinda go to kill Webber or at least injure him and then Mimi gets away? When Webber tries to shut Mimi up, which they have been doing for years.

9. At the climax, How does Boss, Webber, Cal, Brinda and Mimi get there?

10. Somewhere within the script we find out that Webber is a big donor to the insane asylum.

11. What did Mimi see that Webber and Bos did not want her to see? It was Dr. Sonya that saved her by letting her loose but Mimi is still a sick woman.

[Byrne]

BERN WILSON – LESSON 20 – FINISH ACT 3
What I learned in this lesson was that there’s many holes in it. Key scenes are good, but I have to add in more atmosphere. Also while I’m doing this, I’m thinking of more scenes that need to be added in ACt 2 to lead up to this moment. Many many holes but I have to keep rolling. More ideas coming down the pike!

INT. CAL’S CAR – DAY
Brinda is really shocked by what she just saw.
Cal understands because he knows that Brinda almost met the same fate like her mother before her.
He pulls over.
CAL
YOu know you don’t have to do this anymore.
For the first time we see Brinda break down in tears and Cal holds her. She really breaks down.
PLACEHOLDER: Does she kiss him or not? Maybe not. Does she tell him that she’s a virgin?
EXT./INT. OUTSIDE BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Cal pulls up to Brinda’s apartment.
CAL
You want me to come up?
BRINDA
No, I’m fine. I’ll be alright.
CAL
You sure?
BRINDA
Yeah. Thank God I got out of there. Some of us were not so lucky.
She begins to get out of the car.
CAL
Hey. Call me if you need anything.
BRINDA
Sure thing.
Brinda gets out and goes up to her apartment.

INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Brinda is still wondering about the place where she was and how long she’s come.
She goes to her closet and takes out an old suitcase.
She starts looking through old memories and finds an early picture of her mother. And a wedding photo of her parents. How young they look. How innocent.
FLASHBACK: INT. OLD CHEVY CAR – DAY
Brinda as a little girl is driving in a huge old chevy with her mother.
Her mother looks beautiful but unsteady.
MIMI
It’s what we have to do baby. Don’t let any of them think their dirty thoughts on you baby.
END FLASHBACK
Brinda cannot fathom what she’s thinking and feeling. She has thoughts for Cal but she’s afraid of them.
THE PHONE RINGS
Brinda goes and answers.
BRINDA
Hello?
It’s the crying woman again.
MIMI
They’re gonna hurt me.
BRINDA
Who is going to hurt you?
MIMI
YOU KNOW BABY.
BRINDA
I don’t know. You have to tell me.
MIMI
Don’t let him touch you baby.
BRINDA
Is this Mary Lou?
There’s a dead silence on the phone. There’s hardly a breathe. Then the line goes dead.
Brinda hangs up the phone, gets her things and runs out.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY
Brinda comes into hospital room. Dr. Sonya is awake. Her eyes are still bandaged.
DR. SONYA
Who is it?
BRINDA
It’s me.
DR. SONYA
Thank God.
BRINDA
Sonya, I need to ask you about someone you might have remembered.
DR. SONYA
Yes?
BRINDA
She was a person you treated at Silver lake. A Mary Lou Baker
Dr. Sonya is drugged and doesn’t respond.
BRINDA
She was there around the same time that my Mom was there.
Sonya struggles a bit.
DR. SONYA
I don’t remember.
BRINDA
Her file said that you were her doctor. But there’s no indication that she was still there or gone.There Was no release record.
DR. SONYA
I would have to look at my files but I at the moment I don’t recall her.
BRINDA
Of course.
Brinda looks across at the closet and silently goes and opens it.
She looks for Dr. Sonya’s keys.
DR. SONYA
Is Doctor Owen still there?
BRINDA
Ah, no. We only were able to talk to Dr. Peele. Do you know her?
DR. SONYA
No, she must of come as a replacement after I left.
BRINDA
Yes it’s been a while.
Brinda finds certain keys and puts them in her pocket.
A night nurse comes in with some medication.
BRINDA
You must be tired. I will tell Cal.
DR. SONYA
Thank you.
Brinda leaves the hospital room as the nurse gives Dr. Sonya some drugs.

INT. DR. SONYA’S OFFICE – NIGHT
Brinda starts going through the different file cabinets of Dr. Sonya’s.
She can’t find anything so far.
Then she look at an old key on the chain.
She starts opening different drawers.
At the bottom drawer she finds a wooden box.
Brinda takes out the box and sees a group of files.
THERE”S A SOUND OF SOMEONE IN THE HALLWAY.
Brinda takes the wooden box out and takes it with her.

INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Brinda starts searching through the files.
She comes across a Miriam Joan Cage, a brown-haired beauty who looks alot like Brinda.
She knows it’s the file of her mother. Reading this file is horrifying to her.
In this file she finds out who put her there. It was a different circumstance than the one she was told. She finds out that Dr. Sonya was the doctor attending her.
Brinda takes out another file.
It’s the Mary Lou Baker file. She realizes that there were files switched.
Brinda attempts to call Cal.
THE PHONE RINGS OFF THE HOOK.
She grabs her stuff and goes to leave. She thinks a minute and then she goes to the bedroom, opens the night table and takes out the gun and puts the bullets in.
She then exits.
INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT STAIRWELL – NIGHT
As Brinda comes down the stairs because she lives five flights up, she notices MAYBELLE on the third level coming out.
MAYBELLE
What’s cooking honey?
BRINDA
I have to go.
MAYBELLE
Baby – where you skitdaddlin to?
Brinda hurries away.

PLACEHOLDER: BOSS WITH CAL – NIGHT
Boss is pissed at Cal for going up to the insane asylum without his permission. That you went there without keeping him in the loop.
Cal is a bit surprised by this.
Boss tells Cal that he needs to wrap up the case. They’ve got someone already in custody.
Cal says that this person could not have possibly done it. And we think it might be a real woman.
Boss thinks that’s still a stupid notion, and not solving the problem. Now go and interrogate the person we have in custody.
PLACEHOLDER: CAL INTERVIEWS A POTENTIAL KILLER
Cal goes in and interviews a potential killer, but it turns out this trans person just steals from people, but doesn’t kill anyone.
PLACEHOLDER: CAL CONFRONTS BOSS
Cal goes in and says WTF. There’s no way this person is the killer. Why are you putting someone like this away? They were not even near the scene – both scenes and she does not know Jesse nor the ATTORNEY who was killed.
This is the person we’re going to go with. There are too many backups.
Cal can’t believe how ridiculous the whole thing is, espeically with BOSS. It seems that Boss is hiding something.
PLACEHOLDER – CAL OVERHEARS BOSS
Cal overhears Boss talking on the phone to Webber.
Cal realizes that Webber is caught up with Boss in a undercover plot to capture the killer themselves and silently put the person away or kill them.
Cal does not know who to turn to. He’s all alone on the team at the police station. He does not have much clout.
PLACEHOLDER:
Could Webber be pushing a major drug ring where Brinda’s mother got caught up in?
Was Webber working with Dr. Feelgood and supplying everyone with the very drugs that his son is killed with?
Where can we mix Boss and Webber in the thick of what Mimi is trying to confront.

INT. NEW YORK BAR – NIGHT
This is a place that Cal comes frequently.
He notices a blonde looking woman at the bar. But not bombshell material. She doesn’t look like Marilyn. She looks like a respectable woman.
CAL
Can I buy you a drink?
MIMI
Why sure.
Only it is the REAL Mimi!
INT. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT – CAL’S DESK – NIGHT
Brinda comes in and finds that Cal is not at his desk.
A COP is at his desk.
BRINDA
Is Cal around.
COP
He left half an hour ago.
BRINDA
Do you know where? He’s not at home.
COP
Don’t know. Maybe a drink?
BRINDA
You know what bar he goes to?
COP
We all go to Smith’s on 44th
BRINDA
Thanks.
Brinda leaves.

PLACEHOLDER: Another part of the script – I have to introduce Mimi as answering a question to someone at another bar – the same way – right before she drugs them. Gets them out of the bar or wherever she picks them up, and then kills them.

PLACEHOLDER: Somewhere here I have to put down that Jack Cage was working as a cop on the beat with the BOSS. Mimi, before Jack Cage came home from the war, was having an affair with Mr. Webber, Jesse’s father. She was even passed around to the BOSS at one point.
When Jack came home, Mimi kept up the front, but was losing it. Jack found out about it somehow. Even though Webber told Mimi to keep her mouth shut.
Mimi was well in the mental institution before Jack found out that the person he was working for, WEBBER, was the one doing his wife.
Unbeknownst to Jack, BOSS was working for Webber and in the heat of the night, Boss killed Jack. IT WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT! BOSS got promoted. Mimi still in institution.
PLACEHOLDER: In order to escape the mental institution of which Webber gives a shit load of money to, Mimi switched the files of who was going to be lobotmized. She went in, switched them and then escaped as Mary Lou Baker.
Dr. Sonya knew all about what Mimi did, but changed the files. She knew Brinda’s mother was still alive, but she played the game because Webber knew how to promote her as well.
Only Mimi turned on Dr. Sonya especially when it came to Brinda. Especially when mimi found out that she was grooming Brinda for the same fate.

PLACEHOLDER:
Where is Mimi getting the money for expensive up keep? She’s dancing’/stripping for her supper as Mary Lou. She has a different disguise. Instead of brown hair she has blonde hair. Like Mary Lou. For 7 years.
How do we
Where is she getting the drugs to poison the men? Does she have a prescription from her doctor? – Dr. Feelgood?
Why can’t she get to the BOSS and Jesse’s Father – Mr. Webber? – She wants her daughter first.
Mimi wants revenge and she wants her daughter back.
How does she know that Jack was killed by BOSS?
Was she there and then got away?

[Byrne]

BERNADETTE WILSON – LESSON 19 – TURNING POINT
What I learned doing this is that I have to commit more character sketches to fill in. But there’s more atmosphere, more work to do before I get to this Turning Point.
TURNING POINT
The part of the hospital records where Brinda figures out how her mother died and that Dr. Sonya was a part of it. Both Cal and Brinda figure out that Mary Lou Baker might be the killer, but she has no record of escape
The Antagonist Mimi is coming closer to trying to save Brinda from the people that screwed her and now they’re getting to Brinda. They’re turning her away from her like they origianlly did.

INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Brinda is still wondering about the place where she was and how long she’s come.
She goes to her closet and takes out an old suitcase.
She starts looking through old memories and finds an early picture of her mother. And a wedding photo of her parents. How young they look. How innocent.
FLASHBACK: INT. OLD CHEVY CAR – DAY
Brinda as a little girl is driving in a huge old chevy with her mother.
Her mother looks beautiful but unsteady.
MIMI
It’s what we have to do baby. Don’t let any of them think their dirty thoughts on you baby.
END FLASHBACK
Brinda cannot fathom what she’s thinking and feeling. She has thoughts for Cal but she’s afraid of them.
THE PHONE RINGS
Brinda goes and answers.
BRINDA
Hello?
It’s the crying woman again.
MIMI
They’re gonna hurt me.
BRINDA
Who is going to hurt you?
MIMI
YOU KNOW BABY.
BRINDA
I don’t know. You have to tell me.
MIMI
Don’t let him touch you baby.
BRINDA
Is this Mary Lou?
There’s a dead silence on the phone. There’s hardly a breathe. Then the line goes dead.
Brinda hangs up the phone, gets her things and runs out.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY
Brinda comes into hospital room. Dr. Sonya is awake. Her eyes are still bandaged.
DR. SONYA
Who is it?
BRINDA
It’s me.
DR. SONYA
Thank God.
BRINDA
Sonya, I need to ask you about someone you might have remembered.
DR. SONYA
Yes?
BRINDA
She was a person you treated at Silver lake. A Mary Lou Baker
Dr. Sonya is drugged and doesn’t respond.
BRINDA
She was there around the same time that my Mom was there.
Sonya struggles a bit.
DR. SONYA
I don’t remember.
BRINDA
Her file said that you were her doctor. But there’s no indication that she was still there or gone.There Was no release record.
DR. SONYA
I would have to look at my files but I at the moment I don’t recall her.
BRINDA
Of course.
Brinda looks across at the closet and silently goes and opens it.
She looks for Dr. Sonya’s keys.
DR. SONYA
Is Doctor Owen still there?
BRINDA
Ah, no. We only were able to talk to Dr. Peele. Do you know her?
DR. SONYA
No, she must of come as a replacement after I left.
BRINDA
Yes it’s been a while.
Brinda finds certain keys and puts them in her pocket.
A night nurse comes in with some medication.
BRINDA
You must be tired. I will tell Cal.
DR. SONYA
Thank you.
Brinda leaves the hospital room as the nurse gives Dr. Sonya some drugs.

INT. DR. SONYA’S OFFICE – NIGHT
Brinda starts going through the different file cabinets of Dr. Sonya’s.
She can’t find anything so far.
Then she look at an old key on the chain.
She starts opening different drawers.
At the bottom drawer she finds a wooden box.
Brinda takes out the box and sees a group of files.
THERE”S A SOUND OF SOMEONE IN THE HALLWAY.
Brinda takes the wooden box out and takes it with her.

INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Brinda starts searching through the files.
She comes across a Miriam Joan Cage, a brown-haired beauty who looks alot like Brinda.
She knows it’s the file of her mother. Reading this file is horrifying to her.
In this file she finds out who put her there. It was a different circumstance than the one she was told. She finds out that Dr. Sonya was the doctor attending her.
Brinda takes out another file.
It’s the Mary Lou Baker file. She realizes that there were files switched.
Brinda attempts to call Cal.
THE PHONE RINGS OFF THE HOOK.
She grabs her stuff and goes to leave. She thinks a minute and then she goes to the bedroom, opens the night table and takes out the gun and puts the bullets in.
She then exits.
INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT STAIRWELL – NIGHT
As Brinda comes down the stairs because she lives five flights up, she notices MAYBELLE on the third level coming out.
MAYBELLE
What’s cooking honey?
BRINDA
I have to go.
MAYBELLE
Baby – where you skitdaddlin to?
Brinda hurries away.

INT. NEW YORK BAR – NIGHT
This is a place that Cal comes frequently.
He notices a blonde looking woman at the bar. But not bombshell material. She doesn’t look like Marilyn. She looks like a respectable woman.
CAL
Can I buy you a drink?
MIMI
Why sure.
Only it is the REAL Mimi!
INT. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT – CAL’S DESK – NIGHT
Brinda comes in and finds that Cal is not at his desk.
A COP is at his desk.
BRINDA
Is Cal around.
COP
He left half an hour ago.
BRINDA
Do you know where? He’s not at home.
COP
Don’t know. Maybe a drink?
BRINDA
You know what bar he goes to?
COP
We all go to Smith’s on 44th
BRINDA
Thanks.
Brinda leaves.

PLACEHOLDER: Another part of the script – I have to introduce Mimi as answering a question to someone at another bar – the same way – right before she drugs them. Gets them out of the bar or wherever she picks them up, and then kills them.

PLACEHOLDER: Somewhere here I have to put down that Jack Cage was working as a cop on the beat with the BOSS. Mimi, before Jack Cage came home from the war, was having an affair with Mr. Webber, Jesse’s father. She was even passed around to the BOSS at one point.
When Jack came home, Mimi kept up the front, but was losing it. Jack found out about it somehow. Even though Webber told Mimi to keep her mouth shut.
Mimi was well in the mental institution before Jack found out that the person he was working for, WEBBER, was the one doing his wife.
Unbeknownst to Jack, BOSS was working for Webber and in the heat of the night, Boss killed Jack. IT WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT! BOSS got promoted. Mimi still in institution.
PLACEHOLDER: In order to escape the mental institution of which Webber gives a shit load of money to, Mimi switched the files of who was going to be lobotmized. She went in, switched them and then escaped as Mary Lou Baker.
Dr. Sonya knew all about what Mimi did, but changed the files. She knew Brinda’s mother was still alive, but she played the game because Webber knew how to promote her as well.
Only Mimi turned on Dr. Sonya especially when it came to Brinda. Especially when mimi found out that she was grooming Brinda for the same fate.

PLACEHOLDER:
Where is Mimi getting the money for expensive up keep? She’s dancing’/stripping for her supper as Mary Lou. She has a different disguise. Instead of brown hair she has blonde hair. Like Mary Lou. For 7 years.
How do we
Where is she getting the drugs to poison the men? Does she have a prescription from her doctor? – Dr. Feelgood?
Why can’t she get to the BOSS and Jesse’s Father – Mr. Webber? – She wants her daughter first.
Mimi wants revenge and she wants her daughter back.
How does she know that Jack was killed by BOSS?
Was she there and then got away?

[Byrne]

BERNADETTE WILSON – LESSON 18 – MIDDLE SCENES
What I learned doing this assignment was I broke through on the mystery and how to solve it. The justification of the protagonist.

INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Brinda is still wondering about the place where she was and how long she’s come.
She goes to her closet and takes out an old suitcase.
She starts looking through old memories and finds an early picture of her mother. And a wedding photo of her parents. How young they look. How innocent.
FLASHBACK: INT. OLD CHEVY CAR – DAY
Brinda as a little girl is driving in a huge old chevy with her mother.
Her mother looks beautiful but unsteady.
MIMI
It’s what we have to do baby. Don’t let any of them think their dirty thoughts on you baby.
END FLASHBACK
Brinda cannot fathom what she’s thinking and feeling. She has thoughts for Cal but she’s afraid of them.
THE PHONE RINGS
Brinda goes and answers.
BRINDA
Hello?
It’s the crying woman again.
MIMI
They’re gonna hurt me.
BRINDA
Who is going to hurt you?
MIMI
YOU KNOW BABY.
BRINDA
I don’t know. You have to tell me.
MIMI
Don’t let him touch you baby.
BRINDA
Is this Mary Lou?
There’s a dead silence on the phone. There’s hardly a breathe. Then the line goes dead.
Brinda hangs up the phone, gets her things and runs out.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY
Brinda comes into hospital room. Dr. Sonya is awake. Her eyes are still bandaged.
DR. SONYA
Who is it?
BRINDA
It’s me.
DR. SONYA
Thank God.
BRINDA
Sonya, I need to ask you about someone you might have remembered.
DR. SONYA
Yes?
BRINDA
She was a person you treated at Silver lake. A Mary Lou Baker
Dr. Sonya is drugged and doesn’t respond.
BRINDA
She was there around the same time that my Mom was there.
Sonya struggles a bit.
DR. SONYA
I don’t remember.
BRINDA
Her file said that you were her doctor. But there’s no indication that she was still there or gone.There Was no release record.
DR. SONYA
I would have to look at my files but I at the moment I don’t recall her.
BRINDA
Of course.
Brinda looks across at the closet and silently goes and opens it.
She looks for Dr. Sonya’s keys.
DR. SONYA
Is Doctor Owen still there?
BRINDA
Ah, no. We only were able to talk to Dr. Peele. Do you know her?
DR. SONYA
No, she must of come as a replacement after I left.
BRINDA
Yes it’s been a while.
Brinda finds certain keys and puts them in her pocket.
A night nurse comes in with some medication.
BRINDA
You must be tired. I will tell Cal.
DR. SONYA
Thank you.
Brinda leaves the hospital room as the nurse gives Dr. Sonya some drugs.

INT. DR. SONYA’S OFFICE – NIGHT
Brinda starts going through the different file cabinets of Dr. Sonya’s.
She can’t find anything so far.
Then she look at an old key on the chain.
She starts opening different drawers.
At the bottom drawer she finds a wooden box.
Brinda takes out the box and sees a group of files.
THERE”S A SOUND OF SOMEONE IN THE HALLWAY.
Brinda takes the wooden box out and takes it with her.

INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Brinda starts searching through the files.
She comes across a Miriam Joan Cage, a brown-haired beauty who looks alot like Brinda.
She knows it’s the file of her mother. Reading this file is horrifying to her.
In this file she finds out who put her there. It was a different circumstance than the one she was told. She finds out that Dr. Sonya was the doctor attending her.
Brinda takes out another file.
It’s the Mary Lou Baker file. She realizes that there were files switched.
Brinda attempts to call Cal.
THE PHONE RINGS OFF THE HOOK.
She grabs her stuff and goes to leave. She thinks a minute and then she goes to the bedroom, opens the night table and takes out the gun and puts the bullets in.
She then exits.
INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT STAIRWELL – NIGHT
As Brinda comes down the stairs because she lives five flights up, she notices MAYBELLE on the third level coming out.
MAYBELLE
What’s cooking honey?
BRINDA
I have to go.
MAYBELLE
Baby – where you skitdaddlin to?
Brinda hurries away.

INT. NEW YORK BAR – NIGHT
This is a place that Cal comes frequently.
He notices a blonde looking woman at the bar. But not bombshell material. She doesn’t look like Marilyn. She looks like a respectable woman.
CAL
Can I buy you a drink?
MIMI
Why sure.
Only it is the REAL Mimi!
INT. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT – CAL’S DESK – NIGHT
Brinda comes in and finds that Cal is not at his desk.
A COP is at his desk.
BRINDA
Is Cal around.
COP
He left half an hour ago.
BRINDA
Do you know where? He’s not at home.
COP
Don’t know. Maybe a drink?
BRINDA
You know what bar he goes to?
COP
We all go to Smith’s on 44th
BRINDA
Thanks.
Brinda leaves.

PLACEHOLDER: Another part of the script – I have to introduce Mimi as answering a question to someone at another bar – the same way – right before she drugs them. Gets them out of the bar or wherever she picks them up, and then kills them.

PLACEHOLDER: Somewhere here I have to put down that Jack Cage was working as a cop on the beat with the BOSS. Mimi, before Jack Cage came home from the war, was having an affair with Mr. Webber, Jesse’s father. She was even passed around to the BOSS at one point.
When Jack came home, Mimi kept up the front, but was losing it. Jack found out about it somehow. Even though Webber told Mimi to keep her mouth shut.
Mimi was well in the mental institution before Jack found out that the person he was working for, WEBBER, was the one doing his wife.
Unbeknownst to Jack, BOSS was working for Webber and in the heat of the night, Boss killed Jack. IT WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT! BOSS got promoted. Mimi still in institution.
PLACEHOLDER: In order to escape the mental institution of which Webber gives a shit load of money to, Mimi switched the files of who was going to be lobotmized. She went in, switched them and then escaped as Mary Lou Baker.
Dr. Sonya knew all about what Mimi did, but changed the files. She knew Brinda’s mother was still alive, but she played the game because Webber knew how to promote her as well.
Only Mimi turned on Dr. Sonya especially when it came to Brinda. Especially when mimi found out that she was grooming Brinda for the same fate.

PLACEHOLDER:
Where is Mimi getting the money for expensive up keep? She’s dancing’/stripping for her supper as Mary Lou. She has a different disguise. Instead of brown hair she has blonde hair. Like Mary Lou. For 7 years.
How do we
Where is she getting the drugs to poison the men? Does she have a prescription from her doctor? – Dr. Feelgood?
Why can’t she get to the BOSS and Jesse’s Father – Mr. Webber? – She wants her daughter first.
Mimi wants revenge and she wants her daughter back.
How does she know that Jack was killed by BOSS?
Was she there and then got away?

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 17 – Act 3 begins

What I learned in this lesson is that there was a serious gap in my thinking about the midpoint. But building the scenes up to it got me to the midpoint. Lots of overwriting and underwriting but finally getting to the point of emotion where Brinda has to save herself propelled me into Act 3. Pressing on.

INT. SILVER LAKE FACILITY – DAY
Brinda and Cal arrive at the Mental Instittuion.
CAL
We’re here without the bosse’s permission so let me do most of the talking.
BRINDA
Why do we need his permission?
They enter into the Institution and are greeted by guards. Heavily guarded gated facility.
Brinda is a little nervous being there. She hated it here.
CAL
We’re here to see the administrator.

GUARD
Do you have an appointment?
CAL
No, just credentials.
The guard looks at his badge and calls the administrator.
GUARD
She’ll be right out.
BRINDA
She?
Brinda turns around and looks at Cal.
BRINDA
They’ve changed administrators.
An Ver Well Dressed ADMINISTRATOR, VIVIAN PEELE comes to the front.
VIVAN
How do you do?
CAL
I’m Cal Pratner. This is…my partner, Julie.
Brinda looks at him weird but she goes along with it.
VIVAN
Will you follow me please.
INT. VIVIAN’S OFFICE – DAY
VIVAN
It’s not really our procedure to go into someone’s private files detective unless you have a warrant.
CAL
I understand that but we need to answer a few questions. A Dr. Sonya has been hurt and we need to find out who might have done this to her.
VIVAN
Dr. Sonya Vieteg.
CAL
Yes.
VIVAN
She has not been here in 4 years let alone have any clients here any longer.
CAL
Did the Doctor leave with a good record.
VIVAN
As far as I know. I came after her.
CAL
Do you know anyone who might want to have hurt her. An angry patient. Someone psychotic.
VIVAN
From what I understand Dr. Vieteg had an impeccable reputation here. She was mostly on the side of the patient.
CAL
On the side of the patient.
VIVAN
Yes, I understand that she stopped many a lobotomy that was unneccessary.
BRINDA
We’re inquiring about a Miriam Cage, who was here.
VIVAN
One moment let me check.
Cal looks at Brinda weirdly.
CAL
What? A relative?
Vivian comes back.
VIVAN
I’m sorry there was no one under that name here within the past 10 years.
BRINDA
Not here?
VIVAN
I’m sorry?
BRINDA
Maybe an alias? Another name? Someone by the name of Baker?
Vivian looks again.
VIVAN
Yes – here we are. Mary Joe Baker.
Vivian take the file out and examines it. She hands it to Cal.
BRINDA
Mary Joe Baker was not lobotimized.
CAL
How do you know this?
BRINDA
My dad put me in here under my mother’s maiden name. Baker.
Cal is astonished.
BRINDA
AShamed I guess.
VIVIAN
Here we are. There’s a Mary Lou Baker.
BRINDA
Bingo.
Vivian looks at the file.
VIVIAN
There’s no further record on her I’m afraid. Doesn’t have a release date.
BRINDA
May I?
Vivian gives her the file.
BRINDA
So this Mary Joe Baker was not lobotomized and has no record of being here as of 7 years ago.
CAL
It doesn’t say anything.
BRINDA
What happened to her?
VIVIAN
It could be a family situation. For privacy reasons. We have no way of knowing.
BRINDA
Who was the doctor attending to her?
VIVIAN
Dr. Sonya Vieteg.
BRINDA
How could you k not know about a patient here?
VIVIAN
Miss, I’m not at liberty to discuss any patient with you. Now if you have a search warrant or are family, then maybe we can help you.
CAL
We’re sorry. We’re just looking for a lost relative. Please, can we take this file?
VIVIAN
I’m sorry I can’t do that.
Someone calls out Vivian for a moment.
VIVIAN
Will you excuse me?
She leaves the room for a moment.
Brinda and cal start looking through the files. And Brinda has a camera with her. And takes pictures of the file.
Or no – she’s right outside the door.
Vivian comes back in –
VIVIAN
I’m sorry I have a meeting to attend to. Thank you for coming.
CAL
I appreciate your help.
Both Brinda and Cal leave the office.

INT./EXT THE MENTAL HOSPITAL’S LOBBY – DAY
Brinda and Cal are walking out of the lobby when a PATIENT passes by who Brinda recognizes. THE person is lbotomized.
BRINDA
Kathy…Is that you.
Kathy looks up at her but does not really recognize her.
BRINDA
It’s Brinda. Remember?
Kathy looks up and stares and smiles at her. But she does not really respond.
The NURSE keeps wheeling her along.
Brinda is quite pulverized by the reaction from Kathy.
Cal and Brinda walk out of mental institution.
INT. CAL’S CAR – DAY
Brinda is really shocked by what she just saw.
Cal understands because he knows that Brinda almost met the same fate like her mother before her.
He pulls over.
CAL
YOu know you don’t have to do this anymore.
For the first time we see Brinda break down in tears and Cal holds her. She really breaks down.
PLACEHOLDER: Does she kiss him or not? Maybe not. Does she tell him that she’s a virgin?
EXT./INT. OUTSIDE BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Cal pulls up to Brinda’s apartment.
CAL
You want me to come up?
BRINDA
No, I’m fine. I’ll be alright.
CAL
You sure?
BRINDA
Yeah. Thank God I got out of there. Some of us were not so lucky.
She begins to get out of the car.
CAL
Hey. Call me if you need anything.
BRINDA
Sure thing.
Brinda gets out and goes up to her apartment.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY
Brinda is in there talking to a very Sick Sonya.

PLACEHOLDER – Perhaps in this scene we see Mimi’s file, but there’s another file of a Mary Joe Baker.
In Mimi’s file we see that she was lobotomized for violent tendencies and died 7 years ago here.
Mary Joe Baker was releaased but there is no record.
Perhaps Mimi ran away, but is disguised as a hospital worker/nurse and getting the drugs from this hospital.
They pass by a woman who has a bunch of files with her. She looks at Brinda and Cal as they pass by.

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  Byrne Wilson.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 16 Finish ACT 2
What I learned from this lesson is that I need more scenes and justifications, but have to press on to Act 3
PLACEHOLDER:
INT. DR. SONYA’S OFFICE – NIGHT
There could be a cop undercover that poses as a patient and finds out info about Dr. Sonya, now that Brinda is out of the experiment.
A fake patient comes in and Dr. Sonya figures it out.
Dr. Sonya figures it out. – Nice try.
INT. – SHOOTING GALLERY – DAY
Shooting range where Cal takes Brinda.
Cal hands Brinda a gun. She can barely hold it. She’s shaking a little because it’s loaded.
CAL
It’s ok. It’s just a gun.
BRINDA
And it’s loaded?
CAL
Yeah.
BRINDA
Oh boy
CAL
It’s ok – Just breathe. Like it’s part of you.
Brinda breathes in.
CAL
Now try to hit the mark.
BRINDA
Kind of far away.
CAL
Maybe. Hold it with both hands. Focus your eye on the target.
BRINDA
Target.
CAL
In the heart or head to kill. In the knee to hurt.
BRINDA
Ok.
Brinda shoots for the heart and it is a bullseye.
CAL
Jeez
Brinda can’t believe it either.
They pull the target further away. Brinda shoots again. BULLSEYE.
CAL
I don’t believe this. You sure you’ve never done this?
BRINDA
Positive.
CAL
To himself – A natural.
Cal takes the gun from Brinda’s hand and puts 2 more bullets in it.
CAL
Here. Take it home.
BRINDA
I don’t want to take this home.
CAL
I think it’s a good idea. When you get home unload it.
Brinda takes the gun reluctantly.
INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT LOBBY – NIGHT
Brinda goes to the mailbox again. No mail from anyone or from Mimi.

PLACEHOLDER:
INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Maybelle is doing up Brinda’s hair and makeup.
Has to be a little bit of some comic timing here to give the audience a bit of a break.
MAYBELLE
No more frizzy hair. Now we have dippity do
BRINDA
I hate that stuff.
MAYBELLE
Works like a charm baby.
INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT BEDROOM – NIGHT
Phone rings
Brinda, asleep with curlers in her hair goes to answer it with the dippity do in her hair.
BRINDA
Hello?
There is a woman crying on the line.
WOMAN’S VOICE
Please, don’t let them hurt me.
BRINDA
Who is this?
WOMAN’S VOICE
Please, please. They’re out to get me and you.
BRINDA
Who is. Who is out to get you?
WOMAN’S VOICE
You’ll see. Don’t let them do it.
The PHONE CALL ENDS
BRINDA
Hello, Hello!
Brinda puts the phone down and now can’t sleep. She’s terrified. She goes into the drawer and takes out the gun.
She keeps the gun next to her bed, still unloaded.

INT. POLICE STATION – NIGHT
Cal is dressed up as undercover business man.
The police still think that it is a drag queen, meaning a man who is seducing men to their fate.
BOSS
Whoever we’re looking for, keep your eyes tight.
CAL
This is going to not be tight if there’s a million marilyn’s we’re looking at.
INT. GENTLEMEN’S CLUB – NIGHT
Brinda is walking around in her outfit as cigarette girl
BRINDA
Cigars, cigarettes – tipparillo.
Maybelle is dressed in drag behind the bar.
PLACEHOLDER:
This is a major scene where there are showgirls and men everywhere. One of the guys who is not undercover gets fresh with Brinda. Brinda does not know how to handle it.
Someone else gets hurt. Someone recognizes Brinda.
“Hey did not know you worked here.”
It turns into Mayham and it goes wrong and the police are called.
MAybelle might kick someone’s ass too like Brinda. They blow cover and get in trouble.
Cal is really pissed. He starts yelling at Brinda and Maybelle.
What they realize is that there is no killer there. A call comes in.
TP – another murder of the ATTORNEY has happened at another club.
PLACEHOLDER
I could intercut with Mimi at another club. We think it’s the same club but it’s not.

It’s a completely different club where Mimi is hanging out with the ATTORNEY.
PLACEHOLDER
Cal is really pissed at this because the police are laughing at him. He’s a proud man.
PLACEHOLDER
We need a scene where they figure out that Mimi is after anyone close to Brinda.
TP – They realize that it’s someone who knows or who is close to Brinda. The cops start really moving in and investigating what they can find.

Key # 3
INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Brinda comes home and can’t wait to get out of the stupid outfit she’s got on. She feels as hopeless as ever. The plan of the cops did not work.
She gets a phone call of a woman crying. The woman says to meet her at the automat. The doorbell buzzer rings.
Brinda wants to know who is it? – It’s Cal.
CAL ENTERS. WANTS TO BE SURE SHE’S OK AND THAT HE’S SORRY WITH WHAT WENT DOWN.
Brinda tells him of the phone call. CAl says we can try to have it traced. What did it sound like. The voice – It sounded like a woman crying.
He’s beginning to like her. But she is reluctant. She’s has very little faith in men who are interested in her. Except for Jesse who was her protector.
He tells her his wife left him. Almost as if he becomes the patient.
Brinda says there’s no shame in talking about who you are.
Cal say, “so why don’t you?”
Do they hatch a plan together or on her own. Why doesn’t she tell Cal about the phone call?

TP:
Cal wants Brinda to go into Dr. Sonya’s files and see if the killer is in there.
Brinda says, that’s impossible. None of the patients that are part of the group are violent. None of them.
Maybe some of the people of the hetero variety are but I did not interview them.
Cal wants the files. Brinda can get them.
She decides to do it herself and go to the automat. – With Maybelle.
Maybelle goes with her

KEY POINT #4
After Brinda and Maybelle goes to the automat, something goes really wrong.
Brinda goes to the automat. She sees Dr. Sonya there. Dr. Sonya puts a nickel in one of the slots and opens the slot.
It is rigged. It shoots out some kind of liquid that goes right into her face.
Brinda catches her in time. Maybelle goes over and helps Dr. Sonya. Brinda tells Maybelle to call the police. She tells someone to call the police.
She then runs behind the counter at the automat. There is no one there but an old woman who is replacing the automat windows.
She can’t find anyone. She runs out the back by the alley and sees someone running away. Does she take out her gun? Not yet.
It looks like a woman with blonde hair.
INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT
Dr. Sonya is healing in the bed.
Her eyes and head are covered in bandages as she talks to Brinda.
Dr. Sonya is happy to be alive. She’s happy she did not look all the way into the automat window otherwise she would have lost both of her eyes.
Brinda finds out that Dr. Sonya was called to go there.
Brinda asks, By who?
Dr. Sonya – The crying woman.
Brinda
Do you know her?
BRINDA
She told me to meet there as well.
Dr. Sonya is in pain and groggy.
BRINDA
Do you know her?
DR. SONYA
Please.
BRINDA
Why did she want me to see you hurt?
DR. SONYA
I can’t….
BRINDA
Please tell me.
DR. SONYA
She’s your…
BRINDA
Who is she?
The power goes out in the hospital. When the lights come on,
Sonya is either gone or almost dead.
Need to keep her alive.
INT. NYU – DR. SONYA’S OFFICE – DAY
Brinda goes tracing through the files. She can’t seem to find anything that the police have not found.
She gets another phone call from the crying woman that tells her to dig deeper.
All hope is lost almost but then, she finds a secret file at the back of Sonyya’s desk.
It’s a file of Brinda when she was at the mental institution with Jesse.
TP:
SHE THEN FINDS THE FILE ON HER MOTHER. WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO HER. HOW SHE WAS LOBOTOMIZED AND THEN DIED TRAGICALLY IN THE SAME MENTAL INSTITUTION THAT BRINDA ALMOST GOT LOBOTOMIZED IN.
But Dr. Sonya stopped Brinda from being Lobotomized as well as Jesse. Why could Sonya not save Brinda’s mother?
Is this person from the mental institution getting revenge?
Did this person know Brinda’s Mother and why is she taking revenge now?
Is it a man or a woman? Is it a Man dressed as a woman.
INT. CAL’S DESK – POLICE DEPARTMENT – DAY
CAL IS SITTING AT HIS DESK LOOKING AT AN EDITED VERSION OF THE FILE. BRINDA HAS KEPT ALOT FOR HERSELF.
CAL
HOW WOULD WE KNOW?
BRINDA
We have go up there and start asking some questions. Maybe there was a friend of my mother’s who was there, who knew and saw what happened to her.
CAL
Why would they want to take revenge now, so many years later.
BRINDA
Maybe they just got out. Trust me. They keep people in there longer than they should.
CAL
It doesn’t make sense.
BRINDA
It makes perfect sense. This person is protecting me. They’ve come after every person I know or love.
CAL
What?
BRINDA
Maybe they’re coming after me next.
CAL
They would have by now.
BRINDA
THe crying woman is talking to me.
BRINDA
She tells me where to go and then tries to kill my mentor in front of me? Is she threatening me or warning me?
CAL
We have to get a warrant.
BRINDA
She hasn’t come after any of my friends, just authority figures.
CAL
You mean…
BRINDA
People in power. Jesse was a person of power in my life. Dr. Sonya, The Attorney?
CAL
What about the other guy in the caberet.
BRINDA
I think that was just to get us off the scent.
CAL
Well, I’m out of ideas.
BRINDA
I think it’s the best we can do now.
CAL
Yup.
PLACEHOLDER:
BOSS puts a stop to going up there. That’s grabbing at straws.
This is where maybe Brinda and Maybelle can look through the files and find something on Jesse and his father and the boss.
Also find out what role the BOSS played in Brinda’s father’s death.
How they were all in it together. That maybe Jesse’s father was having an affair with Mimi – Brinda’s mother and Jack found out about it.
That Jesse’s father paid BOSS to bump off Jack Cage and made the BOSS the head honcho down at the police department.
Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 15 – The Midpoint
INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT
Brinda is sitting outside the hospital room of Sonya’s. Cal brings Brinda a cup of coffee.
CAL
She’s in bad shape but the doctors say she’ll be fine.
BRINDA
They’re getting closer.
CAL
Can you remember anyone. A client, a person part of the study that might want to do this.
BRINDA
They’re telling me something.
CAL
What? What are they telling you.
BRINDA
The person wants me to see that?
CAL
They’re getting cocky. And it didn’t work. Almost did.
BRINDA
I don’t know what the message is. Do they want to kill me? Get back at me some how?
CAL
For what? Don’t be silly. They trust you.
BRINDA
Trust me?
CAL
They want you to get close to them and then let you witness a killing to help them?
BRINDA
It’s not easy like that. It’s more. They want more than just speaking to me. They want revenge, somehow. From my mentor?
CAL
Is anyone want your job? Was anyone jealous of your position with the Professor?
BRINDA
No, never. I don’t know anyone really, not in my class, I don’t hang with them.
CAL
There’s gotta be someone who is after the people close to you.
Brinda thinks for a moment.
BRINDA
Wait. What about…
CAL
What.
BRINDA
The mental institution.
CAL
Silver Lake
BRINDA
Yes. She worked there for years before I got there. Maybe an angry patient.
CAL
We’ve got to go there.
INT. SILVER LAKE FACILITY – DAY
Brinda and Cal arrive at the Mental Instittuion.
CAL
We’re here without the bosse’s permission so let me do most of the talking.
BRINDA
Why do we need his permission?
They enter into the Institution and are greeted by guards. Heavily guarded gated facility.
Brinda is a little nervous being there. She hated it here.
CAL
We’re here to see the administrator.

GUARD
Do you have an appointment?
CAL
No, just credentials.
The guard looks at his badge and calls the administrator.
GUARD
She’ll be right out.
BRINDA
She?
Brinda turns around and looks at Cal.
BRINDA
They’ve changed administrators.
An Ver Well Dressed ADMINISTRATOR, VIVIAN PEELE comes to the front.
VIVAN
How do you do?
CAL
I’m Cal Pratner. This is…my partner, Julie.
Brinda looks at him weird but she goes along with it.
VIVAN
Will you follow me please.
INT. VIVIAN’S OFFICE – DAY
VIVAN
It’s not really our procedure to go into someone’s private files detective unless you have a warrant.
CAL
I understand that but we need to answer a few questions. A Dr. Sonya has been hurt and we need to find out who might have done this to her.
VIVAN
Dr. Sonya Vieteg.
CAL
Yes.
VIVAN
She has not been here in 4 years let alone have any clients here any longer.
CAL
Did the Doctor leave with a good record.
VIVAN
As far as I know. I came after her.
CAL
Do you know anyone who might want to have hurt her. An angry patient. Someone psychotic.
VIVAN
From what I understand Dr. Vieteg had an impeccable reputation here. She was mostly on the side of the patient.
CAL
On the side of the patient.
VIVAN
Yes, I understand that she stopped many a lobotomy that was unneccessary.
BRINDA
We’re inquiring about a Miriam Cage, who was here.
VIVAN
One moment let me check.
Cal looks at Brinda weirdly.
CAL
What? A relative?
Vivian comes back.
VIVAN
I’m sorry there was no one under that name here within the past 10 years.
BRINDA
Not here?
VIVAN
I’m sorry?
BRINDA
Maybe an alias? Another name? Someone by the name of Baker?
Vivian looks again.
VIVAN
Yes – here we are. Mary Joe Baker.
Vivian take the file out and examines it. She hands it to Cal.
BRINDA
Mary Joe Baker was not lobotimized.
PLACEHOLDER:
Cal – How would that be?
Brinda – my father would not put his last name on me. I was in here as Brinda Baker.
Cal – Why
Brinda – My Dad was ashamed I guess.
Let’s see –
They look at the file. Only Baker was not lobotomized. There is no more of a record for her.
Admin – People are either taken away by their family or otherwise.
BRINDA
So this Miriam Baker was not lobotomized and has no record of being here as of 7 years ago.
CAL
It doesn’t say anything about that nor her release.
BRINDA
What happened to her?
ADMIN
We have no way of knowing.
BRINDA
Who was the doctor attending to her?
ADMIN
Dr. Sonya Vieteg.
BRINDA
PLACEHOLDER – Perhaps in this scene we see Mimi’s file, but there’s another file of a Miriam Baker.
In Mimi’s file we see that she was lobotomized for violent tendencies and died 7 years ago here.
Mary Joe Baker was releaased but there is no record.
Perhaps Mimi ran away, but is disguised as a hospital worker/nurse and getting the drugs from this hospital.
They pass by a woman who has a bunch of files with her. She looks at Brinda and Cal as they pass by.

PLACEHOLDER:
Where is Mimi getting the money for expensive up keep?
Where is she getting the drugs to poison the men?
Why can’t she get to the BOSS and Jesse’s Father – Mr. Webber?
They were part of convincing jack that she was insane and tookk her away from Brinda and her family even though it was the BOSS and Webber in cahoots.
Mimi wants revenge and she wants her daughter back.
How does she know that Jack was killed by BOSS?
Was she there and then got away?

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 15 – The Midpoint
What I learned in this lesson was that there is more plot points coming out that I could not think of before. The story is getting clearer. Everything still a bit of a mess, but I know that I can press on and fix it later.
INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT
Brinda is sitting outside the hospital room of Sonya’s. Cal brings Brinda a cup of coffee.
CAL
She’s in bad shape but the doctors say she’ll be fine.
BRINDA
They’re getting closer.
CAL
Can you remember anyone. A client, a person part of the study that might want to do this.
BRINDA
They’re telling me something.
CAL
What? What are they telling you.
BRINDA
The person wants me to see that?
CAL
They’re getting cocky. And it didn’t work. Almost did.
BRINDA
I don’t know what the message is. Do they want to kill me? Get back at me some how?
CAL
For what? Don’t be silly. They trust you.
BRINDA
Trust me?
CAL
They want you to get close to them and then let you witness a killing to help them?
BRINDA
It’s not easy like that. It’s more. They want more than just speaking to me. They want revenge, somehow. From my mentor?
CAL
Is anyone want your job? Was anyone jealous of your position with the Professor?
BRINDA
No, never. I don’t know anyone really, not in my class, I don’t hang with them.
CAL
There’s gotta be someone who is after the people close to you.
Brinda thinks for a moment.
BRINDA
Wait. What about…
CAL
What.
BRINDA
The mental institution.
CAL
Silver Lake
BRINDA
Yes. She worked there for years before I got there. Maybe an angry patient.
CAL
We’ve got to go there.
INT. SILVER LAKE FACILITY – DAY
Brinda and Cal arrive at the Mental Instittuion.
CAL
We’re here without the bosse’s permission so let me do most of the talking.
BRINDA
Why do we need his permission?
They enter into the Institution and are greeted by guards. Heavily guarded gated facility.
Brinda is a little nervous being there. She hated it here.
CAL
We’re here to see the administrator.

GUARD
Do you have an appointment?
CAL
No, just credentials.
The guard looks at his badge and calls the administrator.
GUARD
She’ll be right out.
BRINDA
She?
Brinda turns around and looks at Cal.
BRINDA
They’ve changed administrators.
An Ver Well Dressed ADMINISTRATOR, VIVIAN PEELE comes to the front.
VIVAN
How do you do?
CAL
I’m Cal Pratner. This is…my partner, Julie.
Brinda looks at him weird but she goes along with it.
VIVAN
Will you follow me please.
INT. VIVIAN’S OFFICE – DAY
VIVAN
It’s not really our procedure to go into someone’s private files detective unless you have a warrant.
CAL
I understand that but we need to answer a few questions. A Dr. Sonya has been hurt and we need to find out who might have done this to her.
VIVAN
Dr. Sonya Vieteg.
CAL
Yes.
VIVAN
She has not been here in 4 years let alone have any clients here any longer.
CAL
Did the Doctor leave with a good record.
VIVAN
As far as I know. I came after her.
CAL
Do you know anyone who might want to have hurt her. An angry patient. Someone psychotic.
VIVAN
From what I understand Dr. Vieteg had an impeccable reputation here. She was mostly on the side of the patient.
CAL
On the side of the patient.
VIVAN
Yes, I understand that she stopped many a lobotomy that was unneccessary.
BRINDA
We’re inquiring about a Miriam Cage, who was here.
VIVAN
One moment let me check.
Cal looks at Brinda weirdly.
CAL
What? A relative?
Vivian comes back.
VIVAN
I’m sorry there was no one under that name here within the past 10 years.
BRINDA
Not here?
VIVAN
I’m sorry?
BRINDA
Maybe an alias? Another name? Someone by the name of Baker?
Vivian looks again.
VIVAN
Yes – here we are. Mary Joe Baker.
Vivian take the file out and examines it. She hands it to Cal.
BRINDA
Mary Joe Baker was not lobotimized.
PLACEHOLDER:
Cal – How would that be?
Brinda – my father would not put his last name on me. I was in here as Brinda Baker.
Cal – Why
Brinda – My Dad was ashamed I guess.
Let’s see –
They look at the file. Only Baker was not lobotomized. There is no more of a record for her.
Admin – People are either taken away by their family or otherwise.
BRINDA
So this Miriam Baker was not lobotomized and has no record of being here as of 7 years ago.
CAL
It doesn’t say anything about that nor her release.
BRINDA
What happened to her?
ADMIN
We have no way of knowing.
BRINDA
Who was the doctor attending to her?
ADMIN
Dr. Sonya Vieteg.
BRINDA
PLACEHOLDER – Perhaps in this scene we see Mimi’s file, but there’s another file of a Miriam Baker.
In Mimi’s file we see that she was lobotomized for violent tendencies and died 7 years ago here.
Mary Joe Baker was releaased but there is no record.
Perhaps Mimi ran away, but is disguised as a hospital worker/nurse and getting the drugs from this hospital.
They pass by a woman who has a bunch of files with her. She looks at Brinda and Cal as they pass by.

PLACEHOLDER:
Where is Mimi getting the money for expensive up keep?
Where is she getting the drugs to poison the men?
Why can’t she get to the BOSS and Jesse’s Father – Mr. Webber?
They were part of convincing jack that she was insane and tookk her away from Brinda and her family even though it was the BOSS and Webber in cahoots.
Mimi wants revenge and she wants her daughter back.
How does she know that Jack was killed by BOSS?
Was she there and then got away?

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 14 – Act 2 Middle Scenes
What I learned in this lesson is that I’m solving the early problems in the script by inserting plot points as I go. The speed writing is fun. It’s inspiring new ideas and new justifications and new scenes for the protagonist and antagonist.
Key # 3
INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Brinda comes home and can’t wait to get out of the stupid outfit she’s got on. She feels as hopeless as ever. The plan of the cops did not work.
She gets a phone call of a woman crying. The woman says to meet her at the automat. The doorbell buzzer rings.
Brinda wants to know who is it? – It’s Cal.
Cal enters. Wants to be sure she’s ok and that he’s sorry with what went down.
Brinda tells him of the phone call. CAl says we can try to have it traced. What did it sound like. The voice – It sounded like a woman crying.
He’s beginning to like her. But she is reluctant. She’s has very little faith in men who are interested in her. Except for Jesse who was her protector.
He tells her his wife left him. Almost as if he becomes the patient.
Brinda says there’s no shame in talking about who you are.
Cal say, “so why don’t you?”
Do they hatch a plan together or on her own. Why doesn’t she tell Cal about the phone call?

TP:
Cal wants Brinda to go into Dr. Sonya’s files and see if the killer is in there.
Brinda says, that’s impossible. None of the patients that are part of the group are violent. None of them.
Maybe some of the people of the hetero variety are but I did not interview them.
Cal wants the files. Brinda can get them.
She decides to do it herself and go to the automat. – With Maybelle.
Maybelle goes with her

KEY POINT #4
After Brinda and Maybelle goes to the automat, something goes really wrong.
Brinda goes to the automat. She sees Dr. Sonya there. Dr. Sonya puts a nickel in one of the slots and opens the slot.
It is rigged. It shoots out some kind of liquid that goes right into her face.
Brinda catches her in time. Maybelle goes over and helps Dr. Sonya. Brinda tells Maybelle to call the police. She tells someone to call the police.
She then runs behind the counter at the automat. There is no one there but an old woman who is replacing the automat windows.
She can’t find anyone. She runs out the back by the alley and sees someone running away. Does she take out her gun? Not yet.
It looks like a woman with blonde hair.
INT. HOSPITAL – NIGHT
Dr. Sonya is healing in the bed.
Her eyes and head are covered in bandages as she talks to Brinda.
Dr. Sonya is happy to be alive. She’s happy she did not look all the way into the automat window otherwise she would have lost both of her eyes.
Brinda finds out that Dr. Sonya was called to go there.
Brinda asks, By who?
Dr. Sonya – The crying woman.
Brinda
Do you know her?
BRINDA
She told me to meet there as well.
Dr. Sonya is in pain and groggy.
BRINDA
Do you know her?
DR. SONYA
Please.
BRINDA
Why did she want me to see you hurt?
DR. SONYA
I can’t….
BRINDA
Please tell me.
DR. SONYA
She’s your…
BRINDA
Who is she?
The power goes out in the hospital. When the lights come on,
Sonya is either gone or almost dead.
Need to keep her alive.
INT. NYU – DR. SONYA’S OFFICE – DAY
Brinda goes tracing through the files. She can’t seem to find anything that the police have not found.
She gets another phone call from the crying woman that tells her to dig deeper.
All hope is lost almost but then, she finds a secret file at the back of Sonyya’s desk.
It’s a file of Brinda when she was at the mental institution with Jesse.
TP:
SHE THEN FINDS THE FILE ON HER MOTHER. WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO HER. HOW SHE WAS LOBOTOMIZED AND THEN DIED TRAGICALLY IN THE SAME MENTAL INSTITUTION THAT BRINDA ALMOST GOT LOBOTOMIZED IN.
But Dr. Sonya stopped Brinda from being Lobotomized as well as Jesse. Why could Sonya not save Brinda’s mother?
Is this person from the mental institution getting revenge?
Did this person know Brinda’s Mother and why is she taking revenge now?
Is it a man or a woman? Is it a Man dressed as a woman.
INT. CAL’S DESK – POLICE DEPARTMENT – DAY
CAL IS SITTING AT HIS DESK LOOKING AT AN EDITED VERSION OF THE FILE. BRINDA HAS KEPT ALOT FOR HERSELF.
CAL
HOW WOULD WE KNOW?
BRINDA
We have go up there and start asking some questions. Maybe there was a friend of my mother’s who was there, who knew and saw what happened to her.
CAL
Why would they want to take revenge now, so many years later.
BRINDA
Maybe they just got out. Trust me. They keep people in there longer than they should.
CAL
It doesn’t make sense.
BRINDA
It makes perfect sense. This person is protecting me. They’ve come after every person I know or love.
CAL
What?
BRINDA
Maybe they’re coming after me next.
CAL
They would have by now.
BRINDA
THe crying woman is talking to me.
BRINDA
She tells me where to go and then tries to kill my mentor in front of me? Is she threatening me or warning me?
CAL
We have to get a warrant.
BRINDA
She hasn’t come after any of my friends, just authority figures.
CAL
You mean…
BRINDA
People in power. Jesse was a person of power in my life. Dr. Sonya, The Attorney?
CAL
What about the other guy in the caberet.
BRINDA
I think that was just to get us off the scent.
CAL
Well, I’m out of ideas.
BRINDA
I think it’s the best we can do now.
CAL
Yup.
PLACEHOLDER:
BOSS puts a stop to going up there. That’s grabbing at straws.
This is where maybe Brinda and Maybelle can look through the files and find something on Jesse and his father and the boss.
Also find out what role the BOSS played in Brinda’s father’s death.
How they were all in it together. That maybe Jesse’s father was having an affair with Mimi – Brinda’s mother and Jack found out about it.
That Jesse’s father paid BOSS to bump off Jack Cage and made the BOSS the head honcho down at the police department.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 13 – ACT 2 BEGINS

What I learned from this lesson is that the 2nd act and the third are the hardest for me to write. But I am having fun with the new ideas being introduced and solved. Pressing On.

KEY SCENE 1

Brinda has to learn how to shoot A GUN. She feels uncomfortable with learning how to shoot, but as she does it, she realizes she’s a perfect shot and impresses Cal and the others.
INT. – SHOOTING GALLERY – DAY
Shooting range where Cal takes Brinda.
Cal hands Brinda a gun. She can barely hold it. She’s shaking a little because it’s loaded.
CAL
It’s ok. It’s just a gun.
BRINDA
And it’s loaded?
CAL
Yeah.
BRINDA
Oh boy
CAL
It’s ok – Just breathe. Like it’s part of you.
Brinda breathes in.
CAL
Now try to hit the mark.
BRINDA
Kind of far away.
CAL
Maybe. Hold it with both hands. Focus your eye on the target.
BRINDA
Target.
CAL
In the heart or head to kill. In the knee to hurt.
BRINDA
Ok.
Brinda shoots for the heart and it is a bullseye.
CAL
Jeez
Brinda can’t believe it either.
They pull the target further away. Brinda shoots again. BULLSEYE.
CAL
I don’t believe this. You sure you’ve never done this?
BRINDA
Positive.
CAL
To himself – A natural.
PLACEHOLDER:
INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Maybelle is doing up Brinda’s hair.
Has to be a little bit of some comic timing here to give the audience a bit of a break.
MAYBELLE
No more flat hair. Now we have dippity do
BRINDA
I hate that stuff.
MAYBELLE
Whatever works baby.
PLACEHOLDER:
INT. DR. SONYA’S OFFICE – NIGHT
There could be a cop undercover that poses as a patient and finds out info about Dr. Sonya, now that Brinda is out of the experiment.
A fake patient comes in and Dr. Sonya figures it out.

INT. POLICE STATION – NIGHT
Cal is dressed up as undercover as well. As a business man.
Both Brinda and Maybelle are with Cal and TWO OTHER UNDERCOVER POLICE.
The police still think that it is a drag queen, meaning a man who is seducing men to their fate.
BOSS
Whoever we’re looking for, keep your eyes tight.
KEY SCENE 2
INT. GENTLEMEN’S CLUB – NIGHT
Brinda is walking around in her outfit as cigarette girl
BRINDA
Cigars, cigarettes – tipparillo.
PLACEHOLDER:
This is a major scene where there are showgirls and men everywhere. One of the guys who is not undercover gets fresh with Brinda. Brinda does not know how to handle it.
Someone else gets hurt. Someone recognizes Brinda.
“Hey did not know you worked here.”
It turns into Mayham and it goes wrong and the police are called.
MAybelle might kick someone’s ass too like Brinda. They blow cover and get in trouble.
Cal is really pissed. He starts yelling at Brinda and Maybelle.
What they realize is that there is no killer there. A call comes in.
TP – another murder of the ATTORNEY has happened at another club.
KEY SCENE 3
I could intercut with Mimi at another club. We think it’s the same club but it’s not.

It’s a completely different club where Mimi is hanging out with the ATTORNEY.
KEY # 4
Cal is really pissed at this because the police are laughing at him. He’s a proud man.
PLACEHOLDER
We need a scene where they figure out that Mimi is after anyone close to Brinda.
TP – They realize that it’s someone who knows or who is close to Brinda. The cops start really moving in and investigating what they can find.

[Byrne]

BERNADETTE WILSON – LESSON 12 – FINISH ACT 1

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS LESSON IS THAT I HAVE MORE PLOT AND IDEAS IN HERE THAN I THOUGHT. LOTS OF PLACEHOLDERS BUT SO BE IT. PRESSING ON! And the script is beginning to make sense to me.

FADE IN:

INT. 1964 – NYU THERAPY OFFICE – DAY

A MAN, dressed in full wig and makeup is lying on the couch talking in therapy. His therapist, BRINDA CAGE (26) is taking notes and listening to him.

THE SOUND OF A TAPE RECORDER begins taping.

BRINDA

Let us begin. August 5, 1964 at 2:00 pm at the NYU lab of Dr. Sonya Vieteg, interviewing patient number 220. Can you tell me how long you have had your feelings?

MAN

It’s funny. I think I’ve always known that I would love to be a woman. Loving the male attention and glamorous clothes.

INTERCUT – INT. PHOTOGRAPHER’S STUDIO – DAY

A WOMAN – MIMI – WHO RESEMBLES MARILYN MONROE is rolling through satin sheets on a bed but hiding her face except for one eye at a time while JESSE, a photographer is shooting her with his Hasselblad Camera.

MAN (V.O.)

Like a movie star. Like Rita Hayworth or lovely Marilyn.

CAMERA CLICKS

INT. 1964 – NYU THERAPY OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

MAN

I’m hoping that my trip to Denmark will be worth it. I’ve waited so long.

BRINDA

And what outcome are you hoping for?

MAN

Freedom. So that I can walk down the street in my lovely dresses and have my hair and nails done when I want, like all those ladies on the Upper East Side.

INTERCUT – INT. – JESSE’S LOFT – CONTINUOUS

CAMERA CLICK

The back of Mimi rises from the bed and goes up to Jesse, almost to kiss him. Jesse kisses her back.

INT – NYU THERAPY OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

BRINDA

We are now ending Session 1 of Patient 220 of Dr. Sonya’s Vieteg’s experiment.

SHE SHUTS OFF THE TAPE RECORDER.

The man gets up from the couch.

MAN

Thank you.

BRINDA

Of course. See you next week.

The man leaves the office

INT – NYU MENS ROOM – DAY

The man, still in wig and makeup, goes into ladies room and hides in a stall. In the stall she takes out some mabeline cream and takes off all of his makeup. He then removes his wig. He flushes the toilet, comes out of the stall, and goes to the mirror, washing his hands, and then exits the mens room.

INT/EXT – NYU PSYCHOLOGY BUILDING – DAY

The man walks out of the building and puts his sunglasses on and assumes his role as a man in broad daylight, carrying his shopping bag of wig and makeup.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN

INT – BRINDA’S APARTMENT – DAY

SOUND OF A SMITH CORONA TYPEWRITER

Brinda is typing part of her thesis, while the rest of her apartment is full of books and scattered papers. She finishes typing and takes the paper out of the typewriter.

She roams into the

INT – BRINDA’S BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS

She looks into the rusty mirror and begins her speech.

BRINDA

The topic of my thesis is based on the extended work of Dr. Evelyn Hooker. On the normalcy of homosexuality in life in…

She forgets the speech.

BRINDA

Oh Damn it!

THE PHONE RINGS

Brinda walks to the phone and picks up

BRINDA

Hello?

MAYBELLE, a DRAG QUEEN and model answers.

MAYBELLE (O.C.)

Hey Honey – what’s goin on? Where’s the man?

BRINDA

He’s not there?

MAYBELLE

No,he’s not here and we been waitin over 30 minutes in the heat. And these girls are gettin nasty.

BRINDA

Ok, ok – I’ll come down and open up ok. Tell them not to leave.

MAYBELLE

I’m waitin…

END OF PHONE CALL

Brinda hangs up. Grabs her purse and leaves.

THE RADIO IS STILL ON and is saying something about the death of Marilyn Monroe as definitely a suicide.

EXT./INT. OUTSIDE JESSE’S LOFT – DAY

Brinda shows up.

The girls are really pissed. And they are arguing about who they are going to be and Maybelle calms them down.

MAYBELLE

Honey, I don’t know how long I can stay. I got a party uptown. What is he? Snoozin up there.

BRINDA

I left a message for him last night. I don’t know.

Brinda opens the door to loft. They all pile in old loft elevator and go up to 3rd floor. They pile out of elevator.

INT – JESSE’S LOFT – DAY

Brinda and the 3 DRAG QUEENS pile in. Maybelle and the 2 other girls get into modeling clothes for cover shoot. Maybelle notices the clothes hanging.

MAYBELLE

OOH, I’m a pirate’s girl today.

Brinda walks over and notices the bed is unmade but cold. She notices that there is undeveloped shot film in the camera. She takes the camera off the tripod.

BRINDA

I have to change the film.

She walks into the darkroom. Takes the film out of the camera. She reaches for the phone. She rollo dials a number.

OPERATOR (O.C.)

Bells Are Ringing?

BRINDA

Yes, hi, ah this is Brinda Cage and I was wondering if Jesse picked up my calls?

OPERATOR

No, I’m sorry Ms. Cage he has not picked up any of his messages.

BRINDA

Thank you.

THERE”S A LOUD KNOCK AT THE DOOR.

Brinda hangs up the phone and puts the film in her pocket.

MAYBELLE

Oh No! It’s Lillian!

Brinda opens the door.

There are TWO COPS standing in the doorway.

COP 1

Is this James Webber’s apartment?

BRINDA

Yes. I’m his fiancee. What’s happened?

COP 1

We need you to come with us Miss?

BRINDA

Cage. Brinda Cage.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN

INT – NYU POLICE MORGUE – DAY

Brinda walks into the morgue and the MORGUE ATTENDANT pulls out the coffin case.

Brinda looks at Jesse’s dead body and his missing eye.

CAL

Is this your fiancee, Miss Cage?

Brinda nods yes and almost faints.

Cal goes to hold her and take her out of there.

INT – POLICE DETECTIVE DESK – DAY

CAL PRATNER (38), is sitting typing up info on Brinda, as the other police officers stare at her.

The BUREAU SECRETARY – LUCY brings Brinda some coffee.

LUCY

Here you are sweetie.

BRINDA

Thanks Lucy.

Lucy goes back to her desk. She sees the OTHER OFFICER by her.

LUCY

Recognize the girl?

OFFICER

No. Who is it?

LUCY

That’s Jack Cage’s daughter.

OFFICER

The one he put away.

LUCY

Yup. Never thought I’d see her again. Like a phoenix.

Cal starts talking to Brinda.

CAL

Miss Cage. Can you tell me when you last spoke with Jesse?

BRINDA

Two nights ago I think?

CAL

And where were you?

BRINDA

I spoke with him on the phone. He does photography for cover art and I help him put together the models for the shoot this evening.

CAL

And that was the last time you heard from him?

BRINDA

Yes.

CAL

He’s your fiancee and you don’t see him or talk to him for a few days?

BRINDA

I have my own apartment. I am a PHD student in Psychology at NYU and I’ve been busy these past couple of days.

CAL

Writing your thesis?

BRINDA

Yes.

CAL

Did you notice anything strange about where he was going or who was seeing or anything?

BRINDA

No, just that I prepared the clothes for the shoot at the studio 2 days ago, in between my classes and then he wasn’t there. I called and left a message at his answering service that everything was ready.

CAL

Did he respond.

BRINDA

No.

CAL

Did you find it strange?

BRINDA

No.

CAL

Why not?

BRINDA

I don’t…Don’t talk to him everyday. Where was he? Where did they find him?

CAL

At a drive-in in Queens.

BRINDA

Doesn’t make sense.

CAL

What doesn’t?

BRINDA

He doesn’t even own a car.

DR. SONYA VIETEG, Brinda’s mentor and professor comes in with her ATTORNEY and stops CAL from talking any more to Brinda.

DR. SONYA

Brinda, Are you alright?

Brinda is surprised. She starts crying on Dr. Sonya’s shoulder.

CAL

I’m Sorry Maam. I’m trying to talk to her.

DR. SONYA

My name is Dr. Sonya Vieteg. I’m Brinda’s doctor. How do you do?

CAL

I’m a little…

DR. SONYA

There will be no more questions. CAn’t you see, she’s traumatized?

Cal is a bit pissed by this.

CAL

Dr. I was only asking her when she last spoke with the deceased.

ATTORNEY

Please, there will be no more questions without me being here, is that clear?

Brinda comes to and says

BRINDA

No, no, I want to answer the questions.

ATTORNEY

Are you sure.

BRINDA

Yes, of course.

Brinda assures Dr. Sonya that she’s fine.

CAL

You say he didn’t own a car.

BRINDA

Not to my knowledge, no.

PLACEHOLDER – Jesse’s father and mother The WEBBERS Mr. And Ms. WEBBER come in.

Jesse’s mother slaps Brinda.

MRS. WEBBER

You did this. How could you have done this to my boy.

Everyone is shocked.

BRINDA

I didn’t. I swear I didn’t.

DR. SONYA

That’s enough.

Mrs. Hampton speaks to Dr. Sonya.

MRS. WEBBER

I wanted you to save my boy. You corrupted him. With her and that filthy crowd.

Cal steps in.

CAL

Ok everybody calm down.

Mr. HAMPTON steps in

MR. WEBBER

I want to talk to your boss.

ATTORNEY

This is over. Let us know when we can come into a more agreeable environment.

Dr. Sonya, Brinda and Attorney leave.

CAL

This way Sir.

Mr. Hampton gestures to his wife.

MR. WEBBER

Calm yourself dear. I’ll be back.

PLACE HOLDER – needs to be a meeting with Cal’s boss.

Here Mr. Webber tells and important info – about how Brinda and Jesse met. About how they met in mental institution. That Jesse was almost lobotomized to solve his problem.

When he met Brinda that they both thought that Jesse was calming down his deviant urges and marrying a fine woman. As it turns out she does not come from the best of circumstances. Which pisses off the Boss.

Mr. WEBBER then says that Brinda has got a hand in it. She’s not as innocent as she appears.

That she and that Doctor are up to something. Had I handled it the way I wanted, this would not have happened. But my wife insisted.

He commands that there be justice or he will take it to a higher authority than you, pal.

PLACEHOLDER: The BOSS used to be the partner of Jack Cage before he was killed in action. It was the BOSS who knew Jack and his wife. It’s why he’s the Chief of Police. Something with Mimi, Jack and Mr. WEBBER went down.

PLACE HOLDER: BOSS WITH CAL

Cal and Boss have a chew down session. Webber is pretty big wig in big circles in this town.

He won’t stop until they find someone.

It’s not gonna be pretty.

I want you to check her out. Make sure she’s clean.

These shrinks are sometimes crazier than the patient.

Cal says , you got me there boss.

INT. DR. SONYA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Brinda is asleep in the guest bedroom of Dr. Sonya. Dr. Sonya dn Attorney are talking.

ATTORNEY

She must eventually give a statement.

DR. SONYA

She’s been through enough for one night. I’ve given her a sedative so that she can sleep.

ATTORNEY

I will call in the morning and see what the next step will be.

DR. SONYA

Thank you for your help.

Attorney leaves. Dr. Sonya goes and pours herself a cocktail from her wet bar.

THE PHONE RINGS. Dr. Sonya answers

DR. SONYA

Hello?

AN ODD AND SCARY VOICE (O.C.)

Don’t you touch her.

DR. SONYA

Who is this?

AN ODD AND SCARY VOICE

You touch her I’ll kill you too.

Dr. Sonya hangs up in terror. She goes and locks the door. There’s a look of terror on her face.

EXT. – NY APARTMENT BUILDING ENTRANCE – NIGHT

ATTORNEY come out of the building and a shadow in the background comes out of a phone booth. The shadow has blonde hair. The Attorney gets into cab.

The Blonde Shadow gets in another cab and follows the Attorney.

FADE TO:

INT – DR. SONYA’S GUEST BEDROOM – DAY

Brinda wakes up early. She realizes the horror of yesterday and wants to somehow fix something she can’t.

She puts her clothes on and slips out of the door.

INT. – ELEVATOR – DAY

While taking the elevator down, she reaches into her pocket and notices the film that she took out of Jesse’s camera.

She knows what she has to do.

INT. POLICE OFFICE – CAL’S DESK

PLACEHOLDER:

Have to have a scene with Dr. Sonya here with attorney talking about Brinda and her cases. Was Jesse one of your patients – Yes – Could it be one of the patients from the mental institution. I Have no idea. Gives a glimmer of how Brinda knows Jesse and the mental institution and more info about Brinda. I’m happy to help the police department but not to mess up the research I am doing now. Brinda is assisting me.

Would there be any case files that you are working on that would do something like this? Dr. Sonya knows that Jesse was troubled but he was doing fine. Brinda and he were good together. Dr. Sonya – was Jesse a homosexual?

INT. JESSE’S LOFT DARKROOM – DAY

Brinda gets to the loft. And inside the darkroom.

She proceeds to develop the film.

The pictures are of blonde woman, but she hides her face underneath the satin sheets in every frame. There’s a little of a eyelined eye. She looks as though she’s imitating Marilyn Monroe.

THERE’S A SOUND OF SOMEONE COMING INTO THE LOFT.

Brinda listens from the door. She’s scared about who might be there.

She looks around for an instrument to use but there is nothing.

She turns off the red light in the room.

She peeks out of the room.

It’s Cal looking around and for something.

PLACEHOLDER: Maybe make this from Cal’s perspective.

He gets scared because he knows someone is in there. He takes out his gun and almost pulls the trigger. Out comes Brinda.

CAL

Jesus.

BRINDA

I’m sorry. I…

CAL

You almost bought it kid, like your boyfriend.

BRINDA

I’m sorry.

CAL

What are you doin here?

BRINDA

I remembered this morning that when I came to the loft yesterday, I noticed some shot film in his camera so I wanted to develop it and bring to you.

CAL

Really.

BRINDA

It wasn’t like I was hiding it.

CAL

You shouldn’t be here.

BRINDA

This is Jesse and my space too.

CAL

It’s a crime scene.

BRINDA

Doesn’t a crime scene have blood in it?

Cal is just incensed by this. He can’t answer.

BRINDA

I’m developing the film.

CAL

And?

BRINDA

Have a look.

They walk into

INT. – JESSE’S DARKROOM – DAY

The pictures are developing in the trays. Some are hanging up.

CAL

Do you know this person?

BRINDA

Never saw her in my life, but she could be familiar.

CAL

Familiar. Like one of the patients.

BRINDA

It could be, but I can’t recognize someone by just seeing half an eye. The hair is a wig, maybe.

PLACEHOLDER: They need to look into Jesse’s appointment book. Brinda knew some of the appointments, but lately since she’s been busy, she has not been able. But I responded to this appt by setting up the shoot. What kind of a shoot. Model shoot. Sometimes he does acting headshots. He told me to set up the clothes. They were lingerie. He does all kinds of things.

CAL

Let’s take this to the station.

INT. POLICE OFFICE – CAL’S DESK – DAY

CAl’s boss is looking at the prints.

BOSS

How could we possibly have any idea who this is.

CAL

I’m sayin it’s a start.

BOSS

The report came back. The body was full of oleander.

CAL

So he was dead before she cut it out of him.

BOSS

You sure it’s a girl? With all the crazies these two were hangin with/

CAL

You think it’s a queen?

BOSS

Would a broad do this. I don’t know.

PLACEHOLDER: They find out that Jesse was poisoned first before the victim had his eye cut out.

They find out that he car was registered to a Dr. Jacobson on the upper east side.

CAL

Swanky guy.

BOSS

Go up and see what he’s about.

Cal is looking at Brinda. What do we do about her and her friend?

BOSS

Let’s talk to the queers too.

The jailers take Maybelle out of the cell and he is led into the office where Brinda is. She is beaten up a little.

BRINDA

Did you have to do this?

BOSS

You need to shut up missy, you’re not off the hook.

Maybelle sits down. They show her the pics.

BOSS

You recognize this person, sweetie?

MAYBELLE

I have no idea. Looks like a nice wig.

BOSS

One of you girls know where to get nice wigs?

MAYBELLE

A few places. That looks like a Bergdolf. Not a woolworths.

PLACEHOLDER: This is where they try to rough her up a bit but Brinda protects her friend. The Boss goes a little psycho.

What they do next is go to Dr. Jacobson’s place.

INT. DR. JACOBSON’S TOWNHOUSE – DAY.

PLACEHOLDER: Dr. Jacobson is the notrious dr. Feelgood who had a party that Jesse attended.

Cal asks Doc and Mrs. Jacobson if Jesse was there at the party. Who was he with and when did he leave.

Why does he have your car?

Doc Jacobson said he did not know he had the car. I reported it stolen that next morning.

Cal is frustrated.

INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – DAY.

Brinda is mending the eye of Maybelle.

Placeholder: This should be as they establish their friendship and think about what Jesse might have done.

MAYBELLE

Ouch.

BRINDA

I know it hurts but it won’t leave a scar this way.

MAYBELLE

So much for trick trade tonight.

BRINDA

You’ll be alright.

PALCEHOLDER: They are really good friends. Maybelle is really protective of Brinda as well as Jesse was.

Maybelle says he’ll stay with her until they get this figured out.

Brinda is happy about that.

EXT. MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE – NIGHT

Mimi and another man are driving on a empty but swirly highway. Who is the man she killed? Someone close to Jesse Webber and Brinda? THE ATTORNEY

PLACEHOLDER: Maybe this could be in a movie theatre.

In silouette Mimi drugs the guy and he falls asleep. It’s a midnight movie. The movie is a Marilyn Monroe Movie – Some like it hot.

EXT. OFF THE CLIFF – NIGHT

The next scene we see the mustang go off the cliff. With Mimi staring from the cliff, smoking a cigarette.

TURNING POINT:

They try a setup at a gentlmen’s club with drag queens who dress up as Marilyn Monroe. Only they have the wrong person. It goes badly.

They do an undercover job at the club only for it to go wrong because someone comes back and finds that someone went off a cliff with the same eye torn out.

PLACEHOLDER:

SCENE with Brinda and Dr. Sonya in her office telling her to take it easy on the thesis.

Brinda says if she doesn’t work on the thesis she will not know what to do.

Dr. Sonya insists. Brinda is sad. Can’t she still interview patients?

We have to keep the integrity of the study.

“So you’re taking me off the study? How am I going to get my degree.”

Don’t worry. We can work something out.

Turning Point:

They figure out that the killer might be coming for Brinda next. Or killing the people close to her.

Another person is killed. Brinda can’t participate in the thesis work with Dr. Sonya. She asks if she can help solve the problem.

Maybe the ATTORNEY or someone who is close to Brinda. The police decide to train her in how to shoot a gun and how to be girly so that she can portray a cigarette girl in another club.

They have to plant Brinda as the bait that will bring the killer forward.

She finally agrees after another person who is close to her is killed.

END OF ACT 1

[Byrne]

Lesson 11 – Bernadette Wilson – Act 1 Turning Point

What I learned in this assignment is that I needed to brainstorm some possibilities and keep going or else, I’ll get stuck. So pressing on!

FADE TO:

INT – DR. SONYA’S GUEST BEDROOM – DAY

Brinda wakes up early. She realizes the horror of yesterday and wants to somehow fix something she can’t.

She puts her clothes on and slips out of the door.

INT. – ELEVATOR – DAY

While taking the elevator down, she reaches into her pocket and notices the film that she took out of Jesse’s camera.

She knows what she has to do.

INT. JESSE’S LOFT DARKROOM – DAY

Brinda gets to the loft. And inside the darkroom.

She proceeds to develop the film.

The pictures are of blonde woman, but she hides her face underneath the satin sheets in every frame. There’s a little of a eyelined eye. She looks as though she’s imitating Marilyn Monroe.

THERE’S A SOUND OF SOMEONE COMING INTO THE LOFT.

Brinda listens from the door. She’s scared about who might be there.

She looks around for an instrument to use but there is nothing.

She turns off the red light in the room.

She peeks out of the room.

It’s Cal looking around and for something.

PLACEHOLDER: Maybe make this from Cal’s perspective.

He gets scared because he knows someone is in there. He takes out his gun and almost pulls the trigger. Out comes Brinda.

CAL

Jesus.

BRINDA

I’m sorry. I…

CAL

You almost bought it kid, like your boyfriend.

BRINDA

I’m sorry.

CAL

What are you doin here?

BRINDA

I remembered this morning that when I came to the loft yesterday, I noticed some shot film in his camera so I wanted to develop it and bring to you.

CAL

Really.

BRINDA

It wasn’t like I was hiding it.

CAL

You shouldn’t be here.

BRINDA

This is Jesse and my space too.

CAL

It’s a crime scene.

BRINDA

Doesn’t a crime scene have blood in it?

Cal is just incensed by this. He can’t answer.

BRINDA

I’m developing the film.

CAL

And?

BRINDA

Have a look.

They walk into

INT. – JESSE’S DARKROOM – DAY

The pictures are developing in the trays. Some are hanging up.

CAL

Do you know this person?

BRINDA

Never saw her in my life, but she could be familiar.

INT. POLICE OFFICE – CAL’S DESK – DAY

CAl’s boss is looking at the prints.

BOSS

How could we possibly have any idea who this is.

CAL

I’m sayin it’s a start.

BOSS

The report came back. The body was full of oleander.

CAL

So he was dead before she cut it out of him.

BOSS

You sure it’s a girl? With all the crazies these two were hangin with/

CAL

You think it’s a queen?

BOSS

Would a broad do this. I don’t know.

PLACEHOLDER: They find out that Jesse was poisoned first before the victim had his eye cut out.

They find out that he car was registered to a Dr. Jacobson on the upper east side.

CAL

Swanky guy.

BOSS

Go up and see what he’s about.

Cal is looking at Brinda. What do we do about her and her friend?

BOSS

Let’s talk to the queers too.

The jailers take Maybelle out of the cell and he is led into the office where Brinda is. She is beaten up a little.

BRINDA

Did you have to do this?

BOSS

You need to shut up missy, you’re not off the hook.

Maybelle sits down. They show her the pics.

BOSS

You recognize this person, sweetie?

MAYBELLE

I have no idea. Looks like a nice wig.

BOSS

One of you girls know where to get nice wigs?

MAYBELLE

A few places. That looks like a Bergdolf.

PLACEHOLDER: This is where they try to rough her up a bit but Brinda protects her friend. The Boss goes a little psycho.

What they do next is go to Dr. Jacobson’s place.

INT. DR. JACOBSON’S TOWNHOUSE – DAY.

PLACEHOLDER: Dr. Jacobson is the notrious dr. Feelgood who had a party that Jesse attended.

Cal asks Doc and Mrs. Jacobson if Jesse was there at the party. Who was he with and when did he leave.

Why does he have your car?

Doc Jacobson said he did not know he had the car. I reported it stolen that next morning.

Cal is frustrated.

INT. BRINDA’S APARTMENT – DAY.

Brinda is mending the eye of Maybelle.

Placeholder: This should be as they establish their friendship and think about what Jesse might have done.

MAYBELLE

Ouch.

BRINDA

I know it hurts but it won’t leave a scar this way.

MAYBELLE

So much for trick trade tonight.

BRINDA

You’ll be alright.

PALCEHOLDER: They are really good friends. Maybelle is really protective of Brinda as well as Jesse was.

Maybelle says he’ll stay with her until they get this figured out.

Brinda is happy about that.

EXT. MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE – NIGHT

Mimi and another man are driving on a empty but swirly highway.

PLACEHOLDER: Maybe this could be in a movie theatre.

In silouette Mimi drugs the guy and he falls asleep. It’s a midnight movie. The movie is a Marilyn Monroe Movie – Some like it hot.

EXT. OFF THE CLIFF – NIGHT

The next scene we see the mustang go off the cliff. With Mimi staring from the cliff, smoking a cigarette.

TURNING POINT:

They try a setup at a gentlmen’s club with drag queens who dress up as Marilyn Monroe. Only they have the wrong person. It goes badly. For Brinda and Maybelle.

PLACEHOLDER:

SCENE with Brinda and Dr. Sonya in her office telling her to take it easy on the thesis.

Brinda says if she doesn’t work on the thesis she will not know what to do.

Dr. Sonya insists. Brinda is sad. Can’t she still interview patients?

PLACEHOLDER:

Dr. Sonya is interviewed by Cal. She knows Brinda’s history better than anyone.

CAl needs to look into her patients files. Dr. Sonya does not believe it is one of her study.

Cal is pretty intimidated by her.

Even though Cal thinks psychology is for crazies.

Dr. Sonya lets him know that he might need it more than anyone.

Turning Point:

Another person is killed. Brinda can’t participate in the thesis work with Dr. Sonya. She asks if she can help solve the problem.

Maybe the ATTORNEY or someone who is close to Brinda. The police decide to train her in how to shoot a gun and how to be girly so that she can portray a cigeratte girl in another club.

They have to plant Brinda as the bait that will bring the killer forward.

She finally agrees after another person who is close to her is killed.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson –

Lesson 10 – Inciting Incident and Key Scenes – The thing I learned was just to keep pressing forward. Creativity happens fast. I can fix it later. Pressing on.

FADE IN

INT – NYU POLICE MORGUE – DAY

Brinda walks into the morgue and the MORGUE ATTENDANT pulls out the coffin case.

Brinda looks at Jesse’s dead body and his missing eye.

CAL

Is this your fiancee, Miss Cage?

Brinda nods yes and almost faints.

Cal goes to hold her and take her out of there.

INT – POLICE DETECTIVE DESK – DAY

CAL PRATNER (38), is sitting typing up info on Brinda, as the other police officers stare at her.

The BUREAU SECRETARY – LUCY brings Brinda some coffee.

LUCY

Here you are sweetie.

BRINDA

Thanks Lucy.

Lucy goes back to her desk. She sees the OTHER OFFICER by her.

LUCY

Recognize the girl?

OFFICER

No. Who is it?

LUCY

That’s Jack Cage’s daughter.

OFFICER

The one he put away.

LUCY

Yup. Never thought I’d see her again. Like a phoenix.

Cal starts talking to Brinda.

CAL

Miss Cage. Can you tell me when you last spoke with Jesse?

BRINDA

Two nights ago I think?

CAL

And where were you?

BRINDA

I spoke with him on the phone. He does photography for cover art and I help him put together the models for the shoot this evening.

CAL

And that was the last time you heard from him?

BRINDA

Yes.

CAL

He’s your fiancee and you don’t see him or talk to him for a few days?

BRINDA

I have my own apartment. I am a PHD student in Psychology at NYU and I’ve been bust these past couple of days.

CAL

Writing your thesis?

BRINDA

Yes.

CAL

Did you notice anything strange about where he was going or who was seeing or anything?

BRINDA

No, just that I prepared the clothes for the shoot at the studio yesterday in between my classes and that he wasn’t there. I called and left a message at his answering service that everything was ready.

CAL

Did he respond.

BRINDA

No.

CAL

Did you find it strange?

BRINDA

No.

CAL

Why not?

BRINDA

I don’t…Don’t talk to him everyday. Where was he? Where did they find him?

CAL

At a drive-in in Queens.

BRINDA

Doesn’t make sense.

CAL

What doesn’t?

BRINDA

He doesn’t even own a car.

DR. SONYA VIETEG, Brinda’s mentor and professor comes in with her ATTORNEY and stops CAL from talking any more to Brinda.

DR. SONYA

Brinda, Are you alright?

Brinda is surprised. She starts crying on Dr. Sonya’s shoulder.

CAL

I’m Sorry Maam. I’m trying to talk to her.

DR. SONYA

My name is Dr. Sonya Vieteg. I’m Brinda’s doctor. How do you do?

CAL

I’m a little…

DR. SONYA

There will be no more questions. CAn’t you see, she’s traumatized?

Cal is a bit pissed by this.

CAL

Dr. I was only asking her when she last spoke with the deceased.

ATTORNEY

Please, there will be no more questions without me being here, is that clear?

Brinda comes to and says

BRINDA

No, no, I want to answer the questions.

ATTORNEY

Are you sure.

BRINDA

Yes, of course.

Brinda assures Dr. Sonya that she’s fine.

CAL

You say he didn’t own a car.

BRINDA

Not to my knowledge, no.

PLACEHOLDER – Jesse’s father and mother The HAMPTONS Mr. And Ms. Hampton come in.

Jesse’s mother slaps Brinda.

MRS. HAMPTON

You did this. How could you have done this to my boy.

Everyone is shocked.

BRINDA

I didn’t. I swear I didn’t.

DR. SONYA

That’s enough.

Mrs. Hampton speaks to Dr. Sonya.

MRS. HAMPTON

I wanted you to save my boy. You corrupted him. With her and that filthy crowd.

Cal steps in.

CAL

Ok everybody calm down.

Mr. HAMPTON steps in

MR. HAMPTON

I want to talk to your boss.

ATTORNEY

This is over. Let us know when we can come into a more agreeable environment.

Dr. Sonya, Brinda and Attorney leave.

CAL

This way Sir.

Mr. Hampton gestures to his wife.

MR. HAMPTON

Calm yourself dear. I’ll be back.

PLACE HOLDER – needs to be a meeting with Cal’s boss.

Here Mr. Hampton tells and important info – about how Brinda and Jesse met. About how they met in mental institution. That Jesse was almost lobotomized to solve his problem.

When he met Brinda that they both thought that Jesse was calming down his deviant urges and marrying a fine woman. As it turns out she does not come from the best of circumstances. Which pisses off the Boss.

Mr. Hampton then says that Brinda has got a hand in it. She’s not as innocent as she appears.

That she and that Doctor are up to something. Had I handled it the way I wanted, this would not have happened. But my wife insisted.

He commands that there be justice or he will take it to a higher authority than you, pal.

PLACE HOLDER: BOSS WITH CAL

Cal and Boss have a chew down session. Hampton is pretty big wig in big circles in this town.

It’s not gonna be pretty.

I want you to check her out. Make sure she’s clean.

These shrinks are sometimes crazier than the patient.

Cal says , you got me there boss.

INT. DR. SONYA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Brinda is asleep in the guest bedroom of Dr. Sonya. Dr. Sonya dn Attorney are talking.

ATTORNEY

She must eventually give a statement.

DR. SONYA

She’s been through enough for one night.

ATTORNEY

I’m working on it. I will call in the morning and see what the next step will be.

DR. SONYA

Thank you for your help.

Attorney leaves. Dr. Sonya goes and pours herself a cocktail from her wet bar.

THE PHONE RINGS. Dr. Sonya answers

DR. SONYA

Hello?

AN ODD AND SCARY VOICE (O.C.)

Don’t you touch her.

DR. SONYA

Who is this?

AN ODD AND SCARY VOICE

You touch her I’ll kill you too.

Dr. Sonya hangs up in terror. She goes and locks the door.

FADE TO:

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  Byrne Wilson.

[Byrne]

LESSON 9 – BERNADETTE WILSON – ACT 1 OPENING AND CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

THE THING I LEARNED IN THIS LESSON IS THAT I’M SO GLAD I

WROTE A BEAT SHEET FIRST. AFTER 8 DAYS, I ACTUALLY HAVE

AN OPENING. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. I JUST SORT OF WENT FOR

IT.

FADE IN:

INT. 1964 – NYU THERAPY OFFICE – DAY

A MAN, dressed in full wig and makeup is lying on the couch

talking in therapy. His therapist, BRINDA CAGE (26) is taking

notes and listening to him.

THE SOUND OF A TAPE RECORDER begins taping.

BRINDA

Let us begin. August 5, 1964 at

2:00 pm at the NYU lab of Dr. Sonya

Vieteg, interviewing patient number

220. Can you tell me how long you

have had your feelings?

MAN

It’s funny. I think I’ve always

known that I would love to be a

woman. Loving the male attention

and glamorous clothes.

INTERCUT – INT. PHOTOGRAPHER’S STUDIO – DAY

A WOMAN – MIMI – WHO RESEMBLES MARILYN MONROE is rolling

through satin sheets on a bed but hiding her face except for

one eye at a time while JESSE, a photographer is shooting her

with his Hasselblad Camera.

MAN (V.O.)

Like a movie star. Like Rita

Hayworth or lovely Marilyn.

CAMERA CLICKS

INT. 1964 – NYU THERAPY OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

MAN

I’m hoping that my trip to Denmark

will be worth it. I’ve waited so

long.

2.

BRINDA

And what outcome are you hoping

for?

MAN

Freedom. So that I can walk down

the street in my lovely dresses and

have my hair and nails done when I

want, like all those ladies on the

Upper East Side.

INTERCUT – INT. – JESSE’S LOFT – CONTINUOUS

CAMERA CLICK

The back of Mimi rises from the bed and goes up to Jesse,

almost to kiss him. Jesse kisses her back.

INT – NYU THERAPY OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

BRINDA

We are now ending Session 1 of

Patient 220 of Dr. Sonya’s Vieteg’s

experiment.

SHE SHUTS OFF THE TAPE RECORDER.

The man gets up from the couch.

MAN

Thank you.

BRINDA

Of course. See you next week.

The man leaves the office

INT – NYU MENS ROOM – DAY

The man, still in wig and makeup, goes into ladies room and

hides in a stall. In the stall she takes out some mabeline

cream and takes off all of his makeup. He then removes his

wig. He flushes the toilet, comes out of the stall, and goes

to the mirror, washing his hands, and then exits the mens

room.

INT/EXT – NYU PSYCHOLOGY BUILDING – DAY

The man walks out of the building puts. His sunglasses on and

assumes his role as a man in broad daylight, carrying his

shopping bag of wig and makeup.

3.

FADE OUT.

FADE IN

INT – BRINDA’S APARTMENT – DAY

SOUND OF A SMITH CORONA TYPEWRITER

Brinda is typing part of her thesis, while the rest of her

apartment is full of books and scattered papers. She

finishes typing and takes the paper out of the typewriter.

She roams into the

INT – BRINDA’S BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS

She looks into the rusty mirror and begins her speech.

BRINDA

The topic of my thesis is based on

the extended work of Dr. Evelyn

Hooker. On the normalcy of

homosexuality in life in…

She forgets the speech.

BRINDA (CONT’D)

Oh Damn it!

THE PHONE RINGS

Brinda walks to the phone and picks up

BRINDA (CONT’D)

Hello?

MAYBELLE, a DRAG QUEEN and model answers.

MAYBELLE (O.C.)

Hey Honey – what’s goin on? Where’s

the man?

BRINDA

He’s not there?

MAYBELLE

No,he’s not here and we been waitin

over 30 minutes in the heat. And

these girls are gettin nasty.

4.

BRINDA

Ok, ok – I’ll come down and open up

ok. Tell them not to leave.

MAYBELLE

I’m waitin…

END OF PHONE CALL

Brinda hangs up. Grabs her purse and leaves.

THE RADIO IS STILL ON and is saying something about the death

of Marilyn Monroe as definitely a suicide.

EXT./INT. OUTSIDE JESSE’S LOFT – DAY

Brinda shows up.

The girls are really pissed. And they are arguing about who

they are going to be and Maybelle calms them down.

MAYBELLE

Honey, I don’t know how long I can

stay. I got a party uptown. What is

he? Snoozin up there.

BRINDA

I left a message for him last

night. I don’t know.

Brinda opens the door to loft. They all pile in old loft

elevator and go up to 3rd floor. They pile out of elevator.

INT – JESSE’S LOFT – DAY

Brinda and the DRAG QUEENS pile in. Maybelle and the 2 other

girls get into modeling clothes for cover shoot. Maybelle

notices the clothes hanging.

MAYBELLE

OOH, I’m a pirate’s girl today.

Brinda walks over and notices the bed is unmade but cold. She

notices that there is undeveloped shot film in the camera.

She takes the camera off the tripod.

BRINDA

I have to change the film.

She walks into the darkroom. Takes the film out of the

camera. She reaches for the phone. She rollo dials a number.

OPERATOR (O.C.)

Bells Are Ringing?

5.

BRINDA

Yes, hi, ah this is Brinda Cage and

I was wondering if Jesse picked up

my calls?

OPERATOR

No, I’m sorry Ms. Cage he has not

picked up any of his messages.

BRINDA

Thank you.

THERE”S A LOUD KNOCK AT THE DOOR.

Brinda hangs up the phone and puts the film in her pocket.

MAYBELLE

Oh No! It’s Lillian!

Brinda opens the door.

There are TWO COPS standing in the doorway.

COP 1

Is this James Webber’s apartment?

BRINDA

Yes. I’m his fiancee. What’s

happened?

COP 1

We need you to come with us Miss?

BRINDA

Cage. Brinda Cage.

FADE OUT.

[Byrne]

Lesson 8 – Bernadette Wilson – Add Theme and Antagonist

What I learned from this lesson is there are many characters arriving in my brain to serve the plot. Increasing their presence will support the movie.

ACT 1:

SCENE 1 – INT – NYU Therapy Room – DAY

Brinda is treating a drag queen patient in therapy.

INTERCUT – INT: Jesse’s Loft – NIGHT

Jesse is photographing and flirting with Mimi through photo lens.

INT – NYU THERAPY TO BATHROOM – DAY

The Drag Queen finishes therapy, goes to bathroom and takes off makeup and goes out with a bag in daylight dressed back as a man.

INTERCUT

INT: – JESSE”S LOFT – NIGHT

MIMI gets up from the bed and goes to Jesse.

SCENE 2 – INT: BRINDA”S APARTMENT – DAY

Brinda is typing and fixing her thesis. She takes paper out of typewriter and goes to her bathroom.

INT: BRINDA”S BATHROOM – DAY Continuous

She practices her speech in mirror and fails.

She gets a phone call from one of the gay models that Jesse is not at the loft. They’re all waiting outside. Brinda puts everything down and goes to the loft.

EXT/INT: JESSE’S LOFT – DAY

The queens are pissed. Brinda lets them into loft. Brinda calls Jesse’s answering service. He has not picked up his messages. The bed is unmade. Undeveloped shot film in camera. Brinda takes out the film and puts it in her pocket. Police knock at the door. Brinda opens up door. They take her and the queens downtown. The police tell Brinda that Jesse has been killed.

TE: Jesse is killed

SCENE 3: POLICE STATION – DAY

They show Brinda the pictures of Jesse dead. CAL PRATNER -DETECTIVE start interrogating her. She pleads she had not seen him. That she has nothing to do with the murder. One of the SECRETARIES recognizes Brinda as Jack Cage’s kid.

SCENE 4: POLICE STATION – DAY

Jesse’s parents come in and scream at Brinda

SCENE 5 – POLICE STATION – Day

Jesse’s father, who knows the Head Detective says to look into the deviants who might have done this. His boy was a good boy. He accuses Brinda of something. She led Jesse down wrong path.

Scene 6 – POLICE STATION – DAY

They start interrogating one of the Queens – MARBELL – and she tells story of Brinda. MARBELL flirts with cop. Cop punches her.

Scene 7 – INT POLICE STATION – DAY

DR. SONYA, Brinda’s mentor and professor comes in and gets her.

SCENE 8: INT POLICE STATION – DAY

CAL talk to HIS BOSS (HEAD OF DETECTIVE UNIT) about the likes of Brinda. Cal does not think she did it.

SCENE 8 – INT – DR. SONYA”S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Dr. Sonya calms Brinda down and has her go to sleep.

Cal calls and sees how she is doing. Dr. Sonya says she’s in shock but I have helped her. When she gets off phone there’s another phone call. It’s Mimi and she warns Dr. Sonya to leave Brinda alone – Don’t touch her.

SCENE 9 – INT – DR. SONYA”S APARTMENT

Brinda wakes up and goes back to her apartment.

Scene 10 – EXT/INT BRINDA”S APARTMENT

In the taxi Brinda reaches into pocket and out comes the film. Brinda gets out of taxi and goes into her apartment.

Her apartment looks different. She turns on little tv/radio and listens to news. One of her friends from upstairs comes down and talks to her. If they can do anything.

SCENE 11: INT PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO DARKROOM – DAY

Brinda goes into darkroom where it reveals the pictures Jesse took before he died. The woman is hiding amongst the sheets. She has blonde hair. Black and White photos.

SCENE 12: INT – POLICE STATION – DAY

Cal is having fight with wife. Brinda comes in with the photos to CAL. He’s on his way to go see a Dr. Feelgood. Brinda wants to come. Cal says no – Brinda insists.

SCENE 13: INT – DR. FEELGOOD’S OFFICE – DAY

Weird office. Ask him about the party he had. Jesse was there with a lady. He borrowed my car.

SCENE 14: INT – CAFÉ WHA – NIGHT

Brinda working in café. Cal walks in. They become friends again.

SCENE 15: EXT – CAR ON HIGHWAY – NIGHT

Mimi takes another victim. After she does her business she rolls the car off highway with murder victim in it.

SCENE 16 – EXT – HIGHWAY – DAY

THE HEAD OF POLICE DETECTIVES and Cal take a look at the scene. Pretty brutal yet the same type of killing. The eye is gouged out. This person, whoever it is is crazy.

SCENE 17 – INT – NYU THERAPY SESSION – NIGHT

This is Dr. Sonya’s office

Another patient of Brinda’s on the couch. They leave Brinda is taking notes after the session. Phone call of Mimi crying to her. She calls Cal.

SCENE 18 – INT – BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Cal comes over. Tells about the phone call.

SCENE 19 – INT – POLICE STATION – DAY

Cal tells police chief that strange call.

POLICE CHIEF say leave it.

TE: They have to go to the docks and seedy places and ask around. It GOES INCREDIBLY WRONG

SCENE 20 – EXT – NY VILLAGE STREET – NIGHT

Brinda walking home thinks she’s being followed.

SCENE 21- INT – BRINDA”S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Her apartment looks disheveled. Looks like someone was looking for something. Asks her neighbor.

SCENE – 22 – MAILBOX – BOTTOM OF APARTMENT – NIGHT

Brinda gets a letter. Don’t go out at night alone.

I think the person was protecting someone. Looking for the film role.

SCENE – 23 – POLICE STATION – DAY

Brinda accuses someone of spying on her. It’s Jesse’s parents hired a detective undercover.

SCENE 24 – DETECTIVE”S OFFICE – DAY

Heat upstairs. We need undercover. Cal hates playing pansy. Won’t do it. How about Brinda?

SCENE 25 – EXT – OUTSIDE POLICE HEADQUARTERS – DAY

Cal tries to talk Brinda into it. She says no at first but then says Yes. We’ll train you.

ACT 2

SCENE 26 – INT – POLICE TRAINING CENTER – DAY

Cal teaches Brinda how to shoot. Perfect shot.

SCENE 27 – INT – DRESSING ROOM OF TRAINING CENTER – DAY

They put Brinda in Cigarette girl outfit.

SCENE 28 – INT – FANCY CLUB – NIGHT

Everyone there and undercover as show goes on. WRONG PERSON gets caught. Someone recognizes Brinda. One of her clients. Another man found in the bathroom killed. He was getting fresh with Brinda.

SCENE 29 – INT – BRINDA”S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Brinda gets home and can’t wait to get out of these stupid clothes – bras, undies, etc. She gets phone call again. The same woman crying. Oddly it’s familiar.

SCENE 30 – INT – MAYBEL’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Brinda comes over and gets hugged and nurtured by Maybel. Maybel asks to stay with Brinda. Brinda says yes.

SCENE 31 – MIMI STRIKES AGAIN – NIGHT

PLACEHOLDER: Something by MIMI should happen here. They figure out that Anyone close to Brinda is getting hurt or killed.

SCENE 31 – NYU THERAPY OFFICE – DAY

Cal shows up with search warrant for Dr. Sonya’s and Brinda’s patients. Both dr. and Brinda get pissed. Cal believes its one of their clients. It’s a confidential study.

SCENE 32 – MIMI goes to THERAPY – DAY

PLACEHOLDER: Does Mimi go into have therapy with Dr. Sonya. Mimi does not know that it was her. She has changed so much. Does she come in dressed as a man who is actually a woman.

SCENE 33 – INT – BRINDA’s APARTMENT – DAY

Cal is talking to Brinda. Brinda insists that it can’t be one of her people. They confide in me and trust me. None of them are violent. Violence has been inflicted upon them, but they aren’t themselves violent. Maybel comes in. Tells where there are offbeat places that the police are not looking.

ACT 3

SCENE 34 – GAY BALLS – HARLEM – NIGHT

PLACEHOLDER: A place where they decide to have a Marilyn Ball. To see if they can find the killer there. NO GO and Mimi is not there.

SCENE 35 –INT – 21 CLUB – NIGHT

Mimi is taking some other guy for a ride.

SCENE 36 – INT – POLICE STATION – DAY

POLICE HEAD DETECTIVE is yelling at Cal. Telling him he’s messing up this case. He’s getting heat from above. Fix it.

SCENE 37 – INT – NYU THERAPY ROOM DR SONYA”S OFFICE – NIGHT

Brinda finishing up her therapy sessions. She’s typing up reports. She hears something. She goes out into the hall and does not see anything. Comes back in to another phone call. It’s Mimi – she says look deep in the files. Brinda asks can she meet her somewhere. Mimi cries and hangs up.

SCENE 38 – INT – NY BAR – NIGHT

Cal feeling pretty shooken up. His wife left him and his boss just chewed him out. Girls try flirting with him. He responds.

SCENE 39 – INT – DR. SONYA’S OFFICE – NIGHT

Brinda starts looking through Dr. Sonya’s files. For something – anything that will lead her to Mimi. She’s frustrated that she can’t find anything. Brinda finds her file, the one from her mental institution days. She finds some weird shit in there. She takes the file.

Scene 40 – INT – DR. SONYA”S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Brinda confronts Dr. Sonya about her file. That she knew her mother. Tell me about my mother. Dr. Sonya is reluctant. Was my father really my father? Brinda gets hysterical. Why did he put me here really? Who Am I scene.

SCENE 41 – DR. SONYA”S BEDROOM – DAY

Brinda wakes up again. She doesn’t know where she is. There is a phone ringing. She listens from inside the bedroom as Dr. Sonya picks up the phone and starts an argument with someone on the phone.

INTERCUT – INT – PHONE BOOTH – DAY

Mimi is telling Dr. Sonya to not lay a finger on the girl. Dr. Sonya is remaining calm and asks who it is. Mimi says – you created me. You know exactly who I am.

SCENE 42 – INT – DR. SONYA”S BEDROOM – DAY

Brinda gets back into bed and waits for Dr. Sonya to get off the phone. She pretends she’s asleep. Dr. Sonya comes in and checks in on her. She leaves. Brinda then gets up.

SCENE 43 – Dr. SONYA’S STUDY – DAY

Brinda starts snooping and she almost finds another file on a M. CAGE. She hears someone come in and she closes the file cabinet. It’s Dr. Sonya’s maid. Brinda apologizes and leaves but gets the file first.

SCENE 44 – BRINDA’s APARTMENT – DAY

Brinda starts searching through the file. For the first time she is learning about her mother. That she was put through all of these tests. That she actually thought that she was normal. That her husband abused her, she almost killed him one night. That’s when she was put away. They put her on all these drugs. That a lobotomy was ordered for her to calm her down. Because she liked women too! Dr. Sonya stopped the lobotomy. Somehow no more, notes. – Just that she deceased in 1955. Well – if she’s dead, then who is it calling me? Brinda takes Jesse’s camera and photographs all the notes. A friend at café calls. BRINDA SAYS SHE WILL EWORK A SHIFT FOR HER TONIGHT.

SCENE 45 – CAFÉ WHA – NIGHT

PLACEHOLDER: Maybel comes in to talk. Tell Brinda that someone trashed the apartment.

SCENE 46 – BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Binda comes in and notices the place trashed and the file gone. Some old albums that were her parents. An old Marilyn Monroe album. But they did not take the camera because Brinda had the film with her.

SCENE 47 – INT – POLICE STATION – NIGHT

Brinda comes in and tells Cal about the file and that it was stolen.

SCENE 48 – INT – Dr. Sonya’s apartment – Night

When they arrive at Dr. Sonya’s apartment, she is suffering a stab wound. They call an ambulance.

SCENE 49 – INT – ST. Vincent’s Hospital outside of the hospital room. – Night

Brinda and Cal talk about the file. Maybe the killer is trying to tell me about my mother. That they’re protecting me somehow. Maybe they were there at the same time and she’s or he is protecting me. Cal says – don’t know – but we have to find out. He takes the developed files from Brinda and leaves.

SCENE 50 – INT – HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT

Dr. Sonya is coming back to life. Brinda is there for her.

Dr. Sonya is trying to speak to Brinda. Trying to tell her something. “THE file is not real.” What? Brinda is trying to understand her. There is a power shortage. Lights go out. When they come back on. Dr. Sonya is dead. Brinda is frozen. Someone did her in in the dark.

SCENE 51 – EXT – NY STREET – DAY

Brinda is just walking and thinking. Does not know what to make of the situation.

SCENE 52 – POLICE STATION – DAY

Cal gets the records seen from the mental institution. He cannot put together the two things. Brinda comes in and they find out that it was Dr. Sonya who was giving the drugs. She had protected many people in getting out of the institution, but some of the ones she helped, she did not help. She did not see them for who they were after a while but that she tried to save anyone from lobotomy. Not Dr. Feelgood. Cal gets a call from a anonymous caller that there is trouble at The Met. Need to get here in time. Cal leaves Brinda at the chair.

SCENE 53 – INT – THE MET – NIGHT

Cal arrives at Met. Does not know what’s coming.

SCENE 54 – EXT – NY CITY STREET – NIGHT

Brinda is walking and thinking and then, she stops and thinks about something Mimi had said to her on the phone. “That’it’s mythical in the file. Brinda runs to get a cab.

SCENE 55 – THE MET – NIGHT – By Roman Statues

Brinda gets to the MET and sees Mimi trying to kill Cal. She stops her from doing it and reveal to Brinda that it was Cal who killed her father Jack. Brinda says was he my father? Mimi gets pissed. She runs and Brinda shoots at her, not to kill her but to stop her from killing Brinda. Mimi can’t believe what they’ve done to Brinda her daughter – my baby. Mimi runs away – Brinda goes to Cal.

SCENE 56 – THERAPY OFFICE – DAY

Brinda is now on the couch, talking about her life and trying to get a handle on the fact that she’s not alone and her mother is alive, out there somewhere.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 7 – Beat Sheet

What I learned doing this lesson is that I have so much in me and it helped in defining the scenes. Moving fast brought it out. More work to do But I want to get this in now and barrel through more. It sort of poured out of me The ACT 1 and Part of ACT 2

ACT 1:

SCENE 1 – INT – NYU Therapy Room – DAY

Brinda is treating a drag queen patient in therapy.

INTERCUT – INT: Jesse’s Loft – NIGHT

Jesse is photographing and flirting with Mimi through photo lens.

INT – NYU THERAPY TO BATHROOM – DAY

The Drag Queen finishes therapy, goes to bathroom and takes off makeup and goes out with a bag in daylight dressed back as a man.

INTERCUT

INT: – JESSE”S LOFT – NIGHT

MIMI gets up from the bed and goes to Jesse.

SCENE 2 – INT: BRINDA”S APARTMENT – DAY

Brinda is typing and fixing her thesis. She takes paper out of typewriter and goes to her bathroom.

INT: BRINDA”S BATHROOM – DAY Continuous

She practices her speech in mirror and fails.

She gets a phone call from one of the gay models that Jesse is not at the loft. They’re all waiting outside. Brinda puts everything down and goes to the loft.

EXT/INT: JESSE’S LOFT – DAY

The queens are pissed. Brinda lets them into loft. Brinda calls Jesse’s answering service. He has not picked up his messages. The bed is unmade. Undeveloped shot film in camera. Brinda takes out the film and puts it in her pocket. Police knock at the door. Brinda opens up door. They take her and the queens downtown. The police tell Brinda that Jesse has been killed.

TE: Jesse is killed

SCENE 3: POLICE STATION – DAY

They show Brinda the pictures of Jesse dead. CAL PRATNER -DETECTIVE start interrogating her. She pleads she had not seen him. That she has nothing to do with the murder. One of the SECRETARIES recognizes Brinda as Jack Cage’s kid.

SCENE 4: POLICE STATION – DAY

Jesse’s parents come in and scream at Brinda

SCENE 5 – POLICE STATION – Day

Jesse’s father, who knows the Head Detective says to look into the deviants who might have done this. His boy was a good boy. He accuses Brinda of something. She led Jesse down wrong path.

Scene 6 – POLICE STATION – DAY

They start interrogating one of the Queens – MARBELL – and she tells story of Brinda. MARBELL flirts with cop. Cop punches her.

Scene 7 – INT POLICE STATION – DAY

DR. SONYA, Brinda’s mentor and professor comes in and gets her.

SCENE 8: INT POLICE STATION – DAY

CAL talk to HIS BOSS (HEAD OF DETECTIVE UNIT) about the likes of Brinda. Cal does not think she did it.

SCENE 8 – INT – DR. SONYA”S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Dr. Sonya calms Brinda down and has her go to sleep.

Cal calls and sees how she is doing. Dr. Sonya says she’s in shock but I have helped her. When she gets off phone there’s another phone call. It’s Mimi and she warns Dr. Sonya to leave Brinda alone – Don’t touch her.

SCENE 9 – INT – DR. SONYA”S APARTMENT

Brinda wakes up and goes back to her apartment.

Scene 10 – EXT/INT BRINDA”S APARTMENT

In the taxi Brinda reaches into pocket and out comes the film. Brinda gets out of taxi and goes into her apartment.

Her apartment looks different. She turns on little tv/radio and listens to news. One of her friends from upstairs comes down and talks to her. If they can do anything.

SCENE 11: INT PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO DARKROOM – DAY

Brinda goes into darkroom where it reveals the pictures Jesse took before he died. The woman is hiding amongst the sheets. She has blonde hair. Black and White photos.

SCENE 12: INT – POLICE STATION – DAY

Cal is having fight with wife. Brinda comes in with the photos to CAL. He’s on his way to go see a Dr. Feelgood. Brinda wants to come. Cal says no – Brinda insists.

SCENE 13: INT – DR. FEELGOOD’S OFFICE – DAY

Weird office. Ask him about the party he had. Jesse was there with a lady. He borrowed my car.

SCENE 14: INT – CAFÉ WHA – NIGHT

Brinda working in café. Cal walks in. They become friends again.

SCENE 15: EXT – CAR ON HIGHWAY – NIGHT

Mimi takes another victim. After she does her business she rolls the car off highway with murder victim in it.

SCENE 16 – EXT – HIGHWAY – DAY

THE HEAD OF POLICE DETECTIVES and Cal take a look at the scene. Pretty brutal yet the same type of killing. The eye is gouged out. This person, whoever it is is crazy.

SCENE 17 – INT – NYU THERAPY SESSION – NIGHT

Another patient of Brinda’s on the couch. They leave Brinda is taking notes after the session. Phone call of Mimi crying to her. She calls Cal.

SCENE 18 – INT – BRINDA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Cal comes over. Tells about the phone call.

SCENE 19 – INT – POLICE STATION – DAY

Cal tells police chief that strange call.

POLICE CHIEF say leave it.

TE: They have to go to the docks and seedy places and ask around. It GOES INCREDIBLY WRONG

SCENE 20 – EXT – NY VILLAGE STREET – NIGHT

Brinda walking home thinks she’s being followed.

SCENE 21- INT – BRINDA”S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Her apartment looks disheveled. Looks like someone was looking for something. Asks her neighbor.

SCENE – 22 – MAILBOX – BOTTOM OF APARTMENT – NIGHT

Brinda gets a letter. Don’t go out at night alone.

I think the person was protecting someone. Looking for the film role.

SCENE – 23 – POLICE STATION – DAY

Brinda accuses someone of spying on her. It’s Jesse’s parents hired a detective undercover.

SCENE 24 – DETECTIVE”S OFFICE – DAY

Heat upstairs. We need undercover. Cal hates playing pansy. Won’t do it. How about Brinda?

SCENE 25 – EXT – OUTSIDE POLICE HEADQUARTERS – DAY

Cal tries to talk Brinda into it. She says no at first but then says Yes. We’ll train you.

SCENE 26 – INT – POLICE TRAINING CENTER – DAY

Cal teaches Brinda how to shoot. Perfect shot.

SCENE 27 – INT – DRESSING ROOM OF TRAINING CENTER – DAY

They put Brinda in Cigarette girl outfit.

SCENE 28 – INT – FANCY CLUB – NIGHT

Everyone there and undercover as show goes on. WRONG PERSON gets caught. Someone recognizes Brinda. One of her clients. Another man found in the bathroom killed. He was getting fresh with Brinda.

SCENE 29 – INT – BRINDA”S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Brinda gets home and can’t wait to get out of these stupid clothes – bras, undies, etc. She gets phone call again.

SCENE 30 – INT –

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson Lesson 6 – Deeper transformation

What I learned from this exercise is that there are new ways of telling this. The bare bones of the plot are coming out. It got me carried away a little so I just decided to go with it and write down what was there today.

Start with the Character Arc and the list of Old Ways and New Ways.

Brinda’s Character arc – With her expertise, she convinces the NY Police Detectives that the killer is not a Drag Queen but an actual woman.

Old Ways:

1. Strictly By the book, but bohemian.

2. Conformed to academia as it is for survival reasons.

3. Comfortable within the confines of the contained, controlled psychology world.

4. She does not trust too many people, especially men.

5. Does not like leaving Greenwich Village too often.

6. Doesn’t open herself to love, except for her misfit patients.

7. She thinks she knows what happened to her parents.

8. She was a troubled youth because her mother abandoned her.

9. Her father put her away, but she escaped a lobotomy by playing by the rules of Dr. Sonya.

10. Hanging with societal misfits is safe for her.

11. Doesn’t date. Hangs out with gay people. Afraid of authority and straight white men who are like her father.

New Ways:

1. She gains the respect of the Male Dominated NY Police Department and Detective Division for her keen eye for human psychology.

2. She begins to trust certain men within the Police department.

3. She begins to distrust her psychology professor (Dr. Sonya), who might be part of a Neo-Nazi plot. and psychology community.

4. She begins to question and distrust her role in society.

5. She finds out she’s not alone in the world.

6. She finds out about what really happened to both her parents.

7. She helps find the killer of her gay fiancée.

8. She maintains her bohemian roots but grows up at the end.

9. She reconciles her lost life of her youth.

3. Make a list of 6 – 8 changes or steps that need to happen for that character to go from who they are in the beginning (Old Ways) to who they are in the ending (New Ways).

Changes of Old Ways and New Ways:

1. She has her therapy sessions with mostly gay men, and some women.

2. Although she’s brilliant she is having trouble finishing her thesis. There’s a missing link that she does not understand about human nature.

3. She’s terrified of public speaking but she has to get up and rehearse it incessantly in the mirror at home. She attempts to do it in front of her gay pals, but they bust her choice of clothes instead.

4. On some days she helps her fiancée with photoshoots for cover art. Jesse has a space on Bond street in NYC. Brinda and Jesse share their apartment on MacDougall but Jesse has his loft to go to. Brinda is not sure where Jesse goes at night sometimes. Sometimes he never came home.

5. She works at a bookstore and café to make ends meet, but soon she will be able to accomplish her dream of becoming a doctor of psychology.

6. One of the gay models calls Brinda and tells her that Jesse has not shown up for his photo shoot. That he’s running over time and the rest of the girls need to go uptown for a party.

7. Whe Brinda gets to open the studio the bed looks unkept and there’s shot film in camera, but it’s not developed.

8. She’s got to go outside of the academic experience to have a better sense of life. She never has any fun. Her sense of fun is staying home and reading more psychological case studies.

9. After Jesse is killed, she’s no longer protected by having a fiancé and she is seen as a woman alone in NY and therefore more vulnerable. So she’s very guarded.

10. Some of the people at the police station recognize Brinda because she used to be a troubled kid. They knew that her father put her away, just like he did with her mother.

11. Jesse’s parents are furious with Brinda that she told the police that Jesse was gay. They refuse to believe it.

12. There’s one good man on the force that is willing to help her – Cal Pratner – who was her father’s partner and was there when her father was shot.

13. The police detectives like taking their shots at her – asking her if she is gay, which she is not. I happen to have empathy, which is something you could use.

14. She has to learn trust from a system that took her father emotionally and physically. She has to let go of the abuse she endured by her father.

15. She can earn the trust of the police dept through her ability to read people well

16. She has to come out of her shell by standing up to the police. Telling them they’re wrong about the killer.

17. She realizes that the Police have to change because their strategy is not working.

18. She uses her own techniques of psychology to calm her anxiety down.

19. She uses her psychology on a reluctant police detective to convince him about the killer.

20. She’s willing to go undercover and help the police find the killer, after another murder happens.

21. She’s able to change the mind of the police in terms of psychology and pathology of the killer.

22. She realizes that she has the best shot in the regiment at the police detective agency.

23. Although uncomfortable, she wears a skimpy dress as a cigarette girl to lay a trap for maybe where the killer might be. This is the plan of the police but it fails miserably.

24. Someone keeps calling and hanging up on her answering service. It’s someone crying on the phone.

25. Something is off in her apartment. It seems as if someone has been there.

26. There is another man killed with his eye torn out in the same way as Jesse. Now the police know that it is a serial killer but they don’t know it yet.

27. The police start busting up gay meeting places, Gay Balls, the pier.

28. Brinda stands up to the police telling them that what they’re doing is wrong. That Gay is not deviant.

29. The next thing to do is put some of the police officers in drag to see if they can find the killer. That goes horribly wrong. Brinda keeps telling them they’re in the wrong place.

30. There’s a show of all Marilyn Monroe Drag Queens one night where the police thinks this is where we can find the killer.

31. The next person who Brinda is closed to is almost killed. Dr. Sonya. In the hospital room Dr. Sonya tries to tell Brinda and warn her about the killer who she thinks she knows.

32. If the victims are being drugged where is the killer getting the drugs?

33. Is the killer a patient of Dr. Sonya’s?

34. The police did interview a Dr. Feelgood of the East Side. Was the killer getting them from him? And isn’t he a friend of Dr. Sonya’s?

35. They have to get to Dr. Feelgood but it’s too late. He’s dead in his office and the drugs that are there are stolen.

36. They have to get out to the public that there is a murderer on the loose. What with the Genovese murder and the Harlem riots. But the police are reluctant to do that.

37. Brinda realizes the police are pretty corrupt and crazy. That they were spying on Jesse and she the whole time paid for by Jesse’s parents.

38. Brinda gets a phone call again from the mystery person. Brinda tries to talk to the person. The person is crying. Is it a woman or a man. Is it a man who wants to be a woman or vice versa. Brinda tries to get to her, tell her to reveal who she is, she’ll meet her somewhere. The person hangs up. The police cannot trace the call. It’s from a phonebooth.

39. She gets a message from her answering service that she was to meet at the Met Museum. Brinda asks where at the Met? The answering service did not say.

40. Brinda shows up at the museum without telling the cops.

41. The cops find out and are running for a way there.

42. At some exhibit maybe the roman exhibition or part of the permanent exhibition at the Met, probably of the roman sculptures where Persephone and her daughter are. Significant to the myth of the mother/daughter relationship.

43. In the museum, Brinda finds a woman trying to kill Cal. He’s already out of it by being drugged. Brinda catches her and stops her from taking his eye out.

44. She stops her from doing it. Mimi the killer tries to persuade Brinda to let her kill Cal.

45. Mimi starts singing a song to Brinda like when she was little and Brinda starts freaking out. Shut the fuck up. “Get away from him.” Mimi keeps singing. Brinda holds the gun on her and says stop it. Stop it.

46. Mimi stops and then talks to calm Brinda saying she’s her mommie. Brinda really starts losing her shit. Her gun shakes in her hand. “I’m protecting you sweetie. He’s the one who killed your daddy. I’m just doing the right thing as your mother.

47. “You’re not my mother!”

48. I am sweetie I am. I’m not dead. They all tried to take you away from me, but they didn’t. They’re the evil ones honey. Not me. I was protecting you. Those men were bad for you. And some got a little too fresh so I had to sweetie.

49. Brinda can’t believe her mother is there and alive. She pleads with Mimi to put the knife down. Mimi comes closer, Brinda gets scared and shoots. It does not hit Mimi. Mimi shoots back and wounds her leg. Mimi escapes.

50. Brinda crawls over to Cal. He’s not dead just out cold from whatever drug he’s on.

51. The last scene is Brinda in a hospital bed waking up to the police detective. Brinda is out of it. She is stone cold. She can no longer trust anyone any longer. There’s a change. Her gay friends come in to see her. He helps her a little. She’s not the same.

52. Last scene is Brinda in therapy, trying to figure out what just happened to her.

5. Brainstorm dramatic events or tests that could cause those changes for the character.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 5 – Transformational Structure

What I learned doing this assignment is that there are so many more ideas floating around my mind. And there’s new characters appearing to drive the story.

Create a first draft of your 4 Act Transformational Structure.

1. Give us the following:

Concept: After Brinda’s gay fiancée is
murdered, Brinda helps the NY police department in finding the serial
killer.

Main Conflict:
Psychology PHD student Brinda’s gay fiancée Jesse is found murdered in a
drive-in movie theatre in a car that he never owned. She needs the help of
the police by going undercover and finding the killer.

Old Ways
1. She’s nerdish, naïve but bohemian village person.
2. She’s afraid of authority, especially the police.
3. She’s already escaped a horrendous childhood. She wants
to help other misfit people.
4. She ‘s comfortable in a contained, controlled
environment, like the NYU Psychology Dept where she excels.
5. Afraid of her sexuality
6. Thinks she’s an orphan

New Ways
1. She explores a new way to treat herself.
2. She gains confidence and respect from the
male-dominated, corrupt NY Police Department.
3. She finds the real killer, whereas the police thinks
it’s a drag queen
4. She loses trust for the Psychology professor and psychology
itself.
5. She realizes she’s not an orphan. She finds out her
mother is not dead.
6. She finds out how her father died.
7. She reconciles the lost life of her youth.

2. Fill in each of these with the answers you have right now.

Act 1:

Opening: PHD Candidate Brinda Cage is in one of her
sessions with a drag queen at NYU 1964. After coming home and working on
her Thesis presentation in the mirror and failing at it, she gets a phone
call that Jesse, her fiancée has not shown up at the loft for a photo
shoot. She gets to the shoot and helps the gay men into their costumes for
the shoot.

Inciting Incident – Brinda’s fiancée Jesse is found
murdered at a drive-in movie theatre. The police find out that Brinda is
Jack Cage’s daughter. She almost freaks out but Dr. Sonya brings her back
to life. The police find out that Jesse was at a party with a dressed up
woman who looked like Marilyn Monroe, but they thought maybe she was a
drag queen. Jesse’s parents blame Brinda for this. They never liked her.
They try to get to all of Brinda’s patients but she refuses. The dudes who
found the car thought they saw a man in drag.

Turning Point – Something weird happens in Brinda’s apartment.
Is it a patient of Brinda’s who is pissed at her and kills Jesse in spite.
The police think that the killer is after Brinda, as well as her fiancé.
So if they use Brinda as a decoy or undercover that they can get to the
killer. But I have patients.

Act 2:

New plan
1. They train Brinda to be undercover. While doing that
she teaches them a few tricks of the trade of psychology. The men try to persuade her to be more
feminine. Ha ha
2. They dress
Brinda up as cigarette girl at gentlemen’s club with drag queens (One
dressed as Marilyn), which mistakenly turns into a bad shootout with the
wrong person. It fails miserably.
Midpoint Turning Point
–
another man
found, killed the same way.
1.Dr. Sonya comes in and says this is really dangerous
for Brinda’s mental health. They need to do something else. Someone is
calling Dr. Sonya and hasseling her. She’s got a few secrets no one knows.
Dr. Sonya is almost killed by someone. And she is saved by Brinda. Brinda
tries to run after the killer but the killer escapes. Brinda gets the
medics over to take her to the hospital. Dr. Sonya is really in bad shape
after attack with knife. Oddly she is not knifed the way the other victims
are. But the same hypnodrug is used. A drug from Dr. Sonya’s medicine
cabinet.

Act 3:

Rethink everything
1. Brinda is beginning to suggest that the killer does
not want the victim to look at them. She starts analyzing the killer. What
does the killer not want to see?
New plan
1. Brinda thinks the police are doing a bad job finding
the killer. She goes out on her own with her gay friends in tow to figure
it out. Her drag queen friends take her to dangerous places to see if they
know any funny stuff going on at the pier or any weird behavior amongst
the community. Only some of the police are following her and blowing her
integrity and cover.
Turning Point: Huge failure /
Major shift
1. Bad move – it goes horribly wrong. Dr. Sonya wakes
up and finally reveals to Brinda that the killer was one of her patients
who escaped the insane asylum, a few years before Brinda arrived there.
That it’s actually a woman, not a drag queen. You must go to the world’s
fair and Before Dr. Sonya can tell Brinda who the woman is, the lights go
off in the hospital and when they come back on, Dr. Sonya is dead by drug
overdose.

Brinda now knows that it is a woman, not a drag queen who is doing all the killing and trying to get to Brinda. But why hasn’t Brinda been killed?

Act 4:

Climax/Ultimate expression of
the conflict
1. Brinda gets to Dr. Sonya’s papers of her patients
and looks at the women from circa 1945-1955. She realizes that it’s her mother, who
she thought was dead. Brinda finds case file. But her mother is dead.
Maybe she’s not.
Resolution
She gets to where Mimi is hanging out. At the wall of
mirrors at the world’s fair. There one of the police detectives is there
with his family. Mimi tries to kill him, but Brinda stops her. The two –
Brinda and Mimi face each other. Mimi wants to save Brinda, hold her, she
sings her a song from when she was little. She’s crazy. Mimi says, they
wanted to deceive us darling, but they haven’t. I’m protecting you. Don’t
you know that it was this policeman that killed your father. Mimi goes to
kill man but Brinda stops her with a bullet to her arm. Mimi runs away and
saves the policeman who Mimi has wounded.

3. Once you have created the 4-Act Structure for your Protagonist, go back over it to see if there is any big picture points you need to add to represent your Antagonist.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson Lesson 4 Character Interviews
What did I learn:
I’m learning the beginning of dialogue coming out of the characters. They’re becoming clearer and more out of the box.
Protagonist
Brinda Cage
1. Tell me about yourself.
“Well I don’t know you terribly well so I’m a little reluctant to open up to you. I guess that means I’m a little shy. But I’m a PHD psychology candidate at NYU. My thesis is in extending the work of Dr. Evelyn Hooker about the normalcy of the homosexual male. Both my parents are dead. My Dad was a cop who was killed in the line of duty a few years ago. My Mom, abandoned us when I was 6 or 7, I don’t really remember. I got into a lot of trouble when I was a teenager. Probably acting out from my Mom leaving me. I don’t know why she left and I don’t think I will ever know. My Dad did not know what to do with me, so, he put me in a place for mental patients. People that he worked with suggested that I get lobotomized to get me to behave a certain way. When I met Dr. Sonya, she understood me. She saved me from the lobotomy and my fiancée Jesse too. She recognized that I was smart and that I could help people which is why I followed her to NYU and matriculated this far. She’s like a mother to me.
2. Why do you think you were called to this journey? Why you?
I want to find out who killed Jesse. He did not have an enemy in the world. But I did not know where he would go on certain nights. I worked with him in his studio sometimes. We were engaged because Jesse was gay and did not want everyone to know. It was easier. His parents left him alone. I met him at the mental institution. We got along really well. He had the money from his parents to have a photography studio on Bond Street and do cover art. And I could stay at my place and do my work. But I was shocked when I went to the police station and answered questions and saw the pictures of his death. He was doing fine. We were doing fine together. We protected each other.
3. You are up against. What is it about them that makes this journey even more difficult for you?
That I don’t have Jesse looking out for me any longer. How could I have made this happen. I protected him and now he’s brutally murdered. And the cops are just going to toss the case in the wind because he was gay. I don’t believe Jesse went to the pier every night for a trick. He moved in high circles on the upper east side where his parents live. He had a legitimate job. He was stable. He was not a freak or a crazy person. He loved both women and men. He was an artist and did beautiful cover art for novels and other things for publishing houses/pulp magazines. I just don’t know where he was sometimes because that was a thing between us. He wanted his freedom and I gave him that. We were not intimate. I have to find a way other than the police of finding the killer.
4. In order to survive or accomplish this, you are going to have to step way outside of your box. What changes do you expect to make and which of them will be the most difficult?
Convincing the police that I did not kill him. That I loved him. That I have to come out of my shell and work with the police although I really dread it. Not crazy about any kind of authority. I’m going to have to go undercover. They’re going to have to train me how to use a gun (even though I already know how to) My dad taught me. Dress up – shit – I hate getting coifed up. Pain in the ass. Convincing them that it was not a jealous drag queen but a real woman that killed him.
5. What habits or ways of thinking do you think will be the most difficult to let go of?
I’ll have to find someone on the police force who I can trust.
6. What fears, insecurities and wounds have held you back?
Afraid that I’ll never understand the killer, I will feel really unsafe living without Jesse, as an orphan, that I will never find the killer and that all my theories about it have been wrong.
7. What skills, background or expertise makes you well-suited to face this conflict or antagonist? The police are going to train me and my drag queen friends are going to teach me about make-up, dressing, underwear, etc. I learn how to truly shoot a gun.

8. What are you hiding from the other characters? What don’t you want them to know?
That I’m terrified of men in general. Any kind of authority and arrogance scares the shit out of me.
9. What do you think of Detective Cal Pratner?
Well he was the one assigned to the case. I don’t really know him but he knew my father.
10. Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
Is there a way to get to know the killer in a different way? I don’t know who to trust and then by the end of the story, I still don’t know who to trust. The people I thought I trusted turned out to be untrustworthy.
11. What does it do for your life is you succeed here?
Keeps me safe. Afraid of the challenge and my privacy
12. Ask any other questions about their character profile that will help you.
What do you remember about your mother?
I remember that she was beautiful and sad. She was very alone during the war. But it was just her and me. I loved her. She brushed my hair and I brushed hers. She became someone else when my father came home from the war. I did not even know him.
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR ANTAGONIST
Mimi
1. Tell me about yourself.
I was a foster child like Marilyn. My mother was ill, so I went to live with many families growing up. When I met Jack I was 16. And learned about the ways of men before that. I married him to get out of the house. And I got pregnant.
2. Having to do with this journey, what are your strengths and weaknesses?
I love my baby daughter and I don’t want anyone touching her.
3. Why are you committed to making the Protagonist fail? Or for a relationship movie, why are you committed to making them change? I want her to know that I’m here, that I’m not dead and that I love her. I did not abandon her. I was stolen away from her.
4. What do you get out of winning this fight / succeeding in your plan / taking down your competition?
To tell Brinda who she’s dealing with and to get away from those bad people who messed with me.
5. What drives you toward your mission / agenda, even in the face of danger, ruin, or death? My daughter
6. What secrets must you keep to succeed? What other secrets do you keep out of fear / insecurity?
That I’m not dead. Everyone thinks I am.
7. Compared to other people like you, what makes you special?
I know how to play in a man’s world and I know how to not play in it.
8. What do you think of Dr. Sonya?
Monster. She saved me from the lobotomy but not from the asylum. And now she’s taking over my role as a mother. She’s next.
9. Tell me your side of this whole conflict / story.
I escaped the asylum. Could not go back to jack because he was the one who put me in there. He should have been put in there. He was violent and crazy when he came home from the war. He was a changed man. God only knows what he did to Brinda. My flower. My love. I’ve been trying to get back to her to explain myself, so that she is saved. Want her to come help me so that I can be a mother to her again. After Jack was killed, I came back. Who was protecting my child?

[Byrne]

[Byrne]

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson: I agree to the terms of agreement

Hi everyone,

Before you begin writing your script, we need everyone here to acknowledge their agreement to the Group Confidentiality form. The purpose here is to protect yourself, each other and to make this a safe environment where you’ll be able to work on the most marketable concept you have without worry.

The release form does all of those things and it also makes whatever we work on in this class confidential. Once everyone has acknowledged their agreement on the forums, we’ll have a safe environment where we can all focus on our writing, instead of worrying about protection.

This Group Confidentiality Agreement covers the entire class.

I highly recommend that you agree to this confidentiality agreement so you can participate in all the group feedback during the course.

Remember, the more you interact with this group, the stronger your relationships will be after the class is concluded. Those relationships can translate into career success, so they are valuable to cultivate.

See you then,

Hal

Below is the release form. You have one of two choices here:

AGREE, in which case, you hit “Reply” and include three things at the top of the page:

1. Your name.
2. The words “I agree to the terms of this release form.”
3. Please leave the entire text below to confirm what you agree to.

OR

NOT AGREE, in which case, you hit “Reply to this topic” and type in the
words “I’ll do the 30 Day Screenplay privately.”

If you agree to the terms of the release form, then you can send your assignments into the group and you’ll get feedback on them.

Also, if you don’t agree to this group confidentiality agreement, you’ll still need to sign an agreement that says you will keep the 30 Day Screenplay model confidential.

GROUP RELEASE FORM FOR “THE 30 DAY SCREENPLAY”

As a member of this group, I agree to the following:

1. That I will keep the processes, strategies, communications, lessons, and models of the 30 Day Screenplay confidential, and that I will NOT share any of this program either privately, with a group, posting online, writing articles, through video or computer programming, or in any other way that would make those processes, communications, lessons, and models of the 30 Day Screenplay available to anyone who is not a member of this class.

2. That each writer’s work here is copyrighted and that writer is the sole owner of that work. That includes this program which is copyrighted by Hal Croasmun. I acknowledge that submission of an idea to this group constitutes a claim of and the recognition of ownership of that idea.

I will keep the other writer’s ideas and writing confidential and will not share this information with anyone without the express written permission of the writer/owner. I will not market or even discuss this information with anyone outside this group.

3. I also understand that many stories and ideas are similar and/or have common themes and from time to time, two or more people can independently and simultaneously generate the same concept or movie idea.

4. If I have an idea that is the same as or very similar to another group member’s idea, I’ll immediately contact Hal and present proof that I had this idea prior to the beginning of the class. If Hal deems them to be the same idea or close enough to cause harm to either party, he’ll request both parties to present another concept for the class.

5. If you don’t present proof to Hal that you have the same idea as another person, you agree that all ideas presented to this group are the sole ownership of the person who presented them and you will not write or market another group member’s ideas.

6. Finally, I agree not to bring suit against anyone in this group for any reason, unless they use a substantial portion of my copyrighted work in a manner that is public and/or that prevents me from marketing my script by shopping it to production companies, agents, managers, actors, networks, studios or any other entertainment industry organizations or people.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 3 Character Profile Part2

What I learned?

With doing these character profiles I’m noticing actions and scenes coming into my mind of how these characters intermingle.

BRINDA Cage – Protagonist

1. What draws you to this character?

She has survived the system in place as it is in that period of time. She almost did not if not for her Doctor/Professor – Dr. Sonya. She’s unconventional for 1964 standards of women. She’s not a barbie doll, although if dressed up she could be, but she hates it. She likes being comfortable – cosmetically – She hates the girdles, bras and silly underwear. She likes to detract attention from herself. Her drag queen friends don’t understand it. She leaves pretty bras and underwear in her drawer but she never wears it. She’s a little ahead of her time. She’s almost afraid of how beautiful she is.

2. Traits

She loves reading and writing poetry. She is well-studied. Highly intelligent. Her intelligence threatens the men around her except for the people who really know her. Her problems that lead her mother and her to the insane asylum were the same but she was acting out because of her mother being taken away from her. She’s shy around people. She’s not the life of the party. She’s the keen observer and studious student. She has great empathy for the underdog of society. She hates hairspray. The dippity do. Her girlfriends have all gotten married and live in the suburbs. She recently stopped smoking. She has a tendency to hang around older people, not her age group except for her gay friends. She works in a book café and an automat to put herself through school. She assists her boyfriend (Jesse) with photography shoots for cover art. She is a behind the scenes person. She’s terrified of public speaking.

3. Subtext

Missing a sense of family. Searching for her truth and acceptance in the world which does not want her to be the way she is. Helps her friend Jesse (her fiancée) hide his gayness.

4. Flaw

She can help point out other people’s issues. She’s a great Psychologist or has the great makings of one. Yet she is blind to her own healing. Or naïve in a way

5. Values

She believes liberally that everyone should be treated equally. She has the Greenwich Village attitude, Don’t go above 14^th street.” “Don’t trust anyone over 30,” but oddly she does. She loves her home in Greenwich Village with the unconventional people. Yet she’s quite conservative with her sexuality.

6. Irony

It’s the older people that have always and will let her down in the story. She keeps wanting to believe in the elders.

7. What makes this the right character for the role?

She’s a paradoxical character. It’s right because she has a lot of inner chaos. Inner turmoil which she is somewhat blind to. She thinks she has it figured out for herself at the beginning but by the end, she unravels all the tools she has used to understand herself.

Character Profile 2 – Antagonist

MIMI

1. What draws us to this character?

She draws everyone in with her Marilyn Monroe seductive energy. The face that she can turn on a dime into a nasty creature. Killer/ murderer/ yet she cries uncontrollably when she does it. She goes over the deep end when Marilyn Monroe dies. She does not wish to die the way Marilyn did. She’s ok with Brinda studying with Dr. Sonya until the movie begins and Mimi is trying to get at Sonya. Blanche Dubois type who is not a victim, but a game changer – in a warped way – but still a game changer.

2. Traits

Obsessed with her appearance. Shut down her core a long time ago. Resembles the classic bombshell. Every man’s fantasy woman.

3. Subtext

An instability. Cannot tell right from wrong any longer until after she kills.

4. Flaw

Her vengeance

5. Values

She sticks up for women everywhere. Hates the violence and pressure on women in society. Wants to protect her daughter. She can only protect Brinda from afar. She’s afraid people might think she’s alive where as she’s happy everyone thinks she’s dead. What’s the use of joining society when it has wronged her.

6. Irony

Warped sense of reality

7. What makes this the right character for this role?

I think it’s right because in contrast to her daughter, Mimi is the chaotic side to Brinda. The two are very alike and treated the same way. Both of them together are the yin/yang of the story. Mimi kills the people who might be hurting their daughter. And it’s only recently within the past 2 years that she is doing actual killing, ever since Marilyn Monroe’s death in 62. And the murder of Brinda’s fiancée is on the same day that Marilyn was murdered. Most importantly, here is the woman who played the game and felt she got screwed and needed to take her power into her own hands, whereas Brinda was a troubled youth, but has taken her power in her own hands as a psychologist in Greenwich Village – a healthier place to be. Mimi does not believe she’s wrong in her justification.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Lesson 2 Character Profiles Part 1

What I learned in this assignment is there’s a lot of muck in the story. Some Good muck, some bad muck, good backstory. I’m trying not to judge it because a lot of what’s coming out is not making sense to the story that I intended. Maybe I’m writing something else. I don’t know.

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Protagonist: Brinda Cage

Role In The Story:

Protagonist – Explorer/Victim/fighter – Straight as a board to survive but wants to help her gay and drag queen patients in an awful time – 1964. She became a psychologist because she was once a victim of the system. She got into trouble as a teenager, and her father put her in a mental institution. But by the end of the movie, she bucks that system too. Psychologist in training at NYU. PHD Candidate.

Age Range and Description

28-30 years old. A bit nerdish looking. Has the Greenwich Village bohemian look of 1964. She’s shy but no dummy. A great observer. Protector of her friends who are unconventional. Not comfortable around Frat boys. Likes the characters of Greenwich Village. Not the settling down type with a husband and a picket fence.

Internal Journey

Socially awkward, a little lost girl in search of soul connection. Used to be reckless, very vulnerable. Searching for unconventional and unconditional love.

External Journey

Becoming a psychologist and proving her worth in the world by helping other souls who feel worthless.

Motivation:

To Find the person who killed her best friend/ fiancée Jesse and prove her innocence.

WOUND:

Her father did not know how to handle her after her mother abandoned the family, when she was 7 years old. She got into trouble in her teens and her father had her put away. She thinks it’s her fault that her mother left.

Mission/Agenda:

She attempts to find the murderer on her own. They still don’t know who killed her father in the line of duty.

She wants to understand what happened and stop them Almost help them.

Secret:

She was almost lobotomized before her father was killed. Her professor, doctor stopped it.

What makes her special?

She is able to talk to anyone, although she’s shy in public. Weird unconventional people seem to want to open up to her, unlike the police detectives, although she can talk to them too.

Question 3 – ANTAGONIST

Character name: Mimi – real name Miriam Pearl Cage

She’s the predator/change agent/earlier victim who went array

ROLE in The Story:

Antagonist, actual serial murderer because she is protecting her daughter – Brinda. She actually did not abandon Brinda. She was put away by her husband in an insane asylum, of which it is thought that she died in, but she actually escaped from. She wants vengeance.

Age Range and Description:

Mimi is born June 1, 1922, so by 1964 she is 42. Raised by a single mother who is mentally ill. She was tossed from foster home to foster home until she meets Jack Cage and marries him at 16, which Brinda is born in November 1938. In 1940, Mimi is thrown into single parenthood because Jack joins the marines in 1939 and stays until 1945. By that point Mimi has grown. She is blonde and resembles Marilyn Monroe. He comes home from war and finds that his wife has changed so much. He can’t control her, so he sends her away.

Internal Journey:

To be loved and survive with her daughter. To right the wrongs prevailed upon her. To kill the people that abused her.

External Journey:

To try to get through to Brinda why she was taken away from her. That she’s alive and going to protect her the way a mother should.

Motivation:

She has a warped sense of obligation. A duty to protect her child.

WOUND:

Society thinks she was nuts, so they put her away, drugged, tied her up, did not listen or hear her unless she was well-behaved, the way a girl is supposed to be. She is abused by the system. She does not want her daughter to go through the same thing.

MISSION/AGENDA:

In order to get her point across, she chooses Marilyn Monroe to emulate. She turns her into the guru. When Marilyn dies is when Mimi starts killing men and tearing their eyes out. They are the ones who killed Marilyn. Vengeance is hers.

SECRET:

Everyone thinks she’s dead, but she’s not. Not Brinda nor Brinda’s father or what everyone told them. She knows who really killed Jack, her husband.

WHAT MAKES HER SPECIAL?

She’s an amazing seducer/trickster/ protector in her mind. She feels that she’s being a good mother from afar.

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  Byrne Wilson.

[Byrne]

Hi there. I’ve written & directed short films for a long time, one of which was featured in the Cannes 2014. I’ve written 10 full length scripts and am in the middle of writing a novel. This is new and a genre I have never written that I want to try. Actor/writer/director, and world traveler, although not in the past few years with the covid dilemma. Happy to be here and happy to be kicking my imagination into finishing this script which I have sat on for years. I’m one of 9 children and have a huge extended family. I live in California by the beach with my husband. Looking forward to working with you all.

[Byrne]

Bernadette Wilson – Transformational Journey

What I learned in this assignment is that I know the character more than I thought I did. She’s flourishing within me as I answer these questions. I think this is a very character driven story.

Psychological Thriller – In New York City 1964, a PHD Psychology student helps the Male Dominated Police Detective Unit in finding out who killed her gay fiancee.

2. Who is your Hero and what is their Character Arc that represents a transformation?

Character – Brinda Cage

<div>
Internal Journey: She goes from an
afraid-of-the-world psychology student to a highly respected, charismatic,
uncanny individual.
</div><div>

External Journey: She meets the
roughest people in all of NY society and gets them to talk and reveal secrets
of crime, murder and corruption, including her own teachers.

</div>

3. What are the Old Ways and New Ways?

OLD WAYS:

1. Strictly By the book, but bohemian.

2. Conformed to academia as it is for survival reasons.

3. Comfortable within the confines of the contained, controlled psychology world.

4. She does not trust too many people, especially men.

5. Does not like leaving Greenwich Village too often.

6. Doesn’t open herself to love, except for her misfit patients.

7. She thinks she knows what happened to her parents.

8. She was a troubled youth because her mother abandoned her.

9. Her father put her away, but she escaped.

10. Hanging with societal misfits is safe for her.

11. Doesn’t date. Hangs out with gay people. Afraid of authority and straight white men who are like her father.

NEW WAYS:

1. She gains the respect of the Male Dominated NY Police Department and Detective Division for her keen eye for human psychology.

2. She begins to trust certain men within the Police department.

3. She begins to distrust her psychology professor and psychology community.

4. She begins to question and distrust her role in society.

5. She finds out she’s not alone in the world.

6. She finds out about what really happened to both her parents.

7. She helps find the killer of her gay fiancée.

8. She maintains her bohemian roots but grows up at the end.

9. She reconciles her lost life of her youth.

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  Byrne Wilson.
• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  Byrne Wilson.

[Byrne]

Hi nancy – you put the reply within my email. You need to put it in the red reply button at the right top of page in order for Cheryl to see it.