[julie creighton]

Julie Creighton – Find the Essence

What I’m learning is that, regardless of the different techniques used in each scene, it must serve to drive the film forward.

“All About Eve”

Scene 1 Location: Opening scene

Logline: Margo and others attend the banquet where Eve is awarded the theatre’s highest accolade.

Essence: The reactions of Margo, Karen and Addison, etc. undercut the adulation of the surrounding attendees toward Eve. The scene displays the rewards of pursuing one’s ambition, but the viewer learns that there was a cost for Eve’s success.

Scene 2 Location: Middle of Act I

Logline: Margo, Bill and Eve waiting in line at the airline ticket counter

Essence: Eve offering to take care of the ticketing and baggage is the first time that she overtly insinuates herself into their lives.

Scene 3 Location: Early in Act II

Logline: Margo, runs after Eve to save her from an inadvertent trespass on a union worker’s duties.

Essence: Margo gets her first glimpse of Eve’s ambition and may not realize how deep it runs.

Scene 4 Location: Middle of Act II

Logline: Margo and Bill argue about Eve.

Essence: Margo is starting her journey toward letting go of her ambition but is very frightened by what her future may be.

Scene 5 Location: Middle of Act III

Logline: Eve blackmails Karen to agree to let her star in Lloyd’s new play.

Essence: Eve’s ambitious maneuvers are no longer cloaked in subtlety or feigned innocence. She reveals her cutthroat nature.

My selection of the scene which best captures the essence:

INT. MARGO’S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

As Margo strolls up, very off-hand.

MARGO

Don’t let me kill the point. Or

isn’t it a story for grownups?

BILL

You’ve heard it. About when I

looked through the wrong end of a

camera finder.

MARGO

(to Eve)

Remind me to tell you about when I

looked into the heart of an

artichoke.

EVE

I’d like to hear it.

MARGO

Some snowy night in front of the

fire… in the meantime, while

we’re on the subject, will you

check about the hors d’oeuvres? The

caterer forgot them, the varnish

wasn’t dry or something…

EVE

Of course.

She leaves. A short lull. Margo looks into cigarette boxes.

Bill eyes her curiosity, crosses to the fire.

BILL

Looks like I’m going to have a very

fancy party…

MARGO

I thought you were going to be late-

BILL

When I’m guest of honor?

MARGO

I had no idea you were even here.

BILL

I ran into Eve on my way upstairs;

she told me you were dressing.

MARGO

That never stopped you before.

BILL

Well, we started talking, she

wanted to know all about Hollywood,

she seemed so interested…

MARGO

She’s a girl of so many interests.

BILL

It’s a pretty rare quality these

days.

MARGO

She’s a girl of so many rare

qualities.

BILL

So she seems.

MARGO

(the steel begins to

flash)

So you’ve pointed out, so often. So

many qualities, so often. Her

loyalty, efficiency, devotion,

warmth, affection – and so young.

So young and so fair…

Bill catches the drift. Incredulously.

BILL

I can’t believe you’re making this

up – it sounds like something out

of an old Clyde Fitch play…

MARGO

Clyde Fitch, though you may not

think so, was well before my time!

BILL

(laughs)

I’ve always denied the legend that

you were in ‘Our American Cousin’

the night Lincoln was shot…

MARGO

I don’t think that’s funny!

BILL

Of course it’s funny – this is all

too laughable to be anything else.

You know what I think about this –

this age obsession of yours – and

now this ridiculous attempt to whip

yourself up into a jealous froth

because I spent ten minutes with a

stage-struck kid-

MARGO

Twenty minutes!

BILL

Thirty minutes, forty minutes! What

of it?

MARGO

Stage-struck kid… she’s a young

lady – of qualities. And I’ll have

you know I’m fed up with both the

young lady and her qualities!

Studying me as if – as if I were a

play or a set of blueprints! How I

walk, talk, think, eat, sleep!

BILL

Now how can you take offense at a

kid trying in every way to be as

much like her ideal as possible!

MARGO

Stop calling her a kid! It so

happens there are particular

aspects of my life to which I would

like to maintain sole and exclusive

rights and privileges!

BILL

For instance what?

MARGO

For instance – you!

BILL

This is my cue to take you in my

arms and reassure you – but I’m not

going to. I’m too mad-

MARGO

– guilty.

BILL

Mad! Darling, there are certain

characteristics for which you are

famous – on stage and off. I love

you for some of them – and in spite

of others. I haven’t let those

become too important to me. They’re

part of your equipment for getting

along in what is laughably called

out environment – you’ve got to

keep your teeth sharp. All right.

But you will not sharpen them on me

– or on Eve…

MARGO

What about her teeth? What about

her fangs?

BILL

She hasn’t cut them yet, and you

know it! So when you start judging

an idealistic dreamy-eyed kid by

the barroom, Benzedrine standards

of this megalomaniac society – I

won’t have it! Eve Harrington has

never by word, look, thought or

suggestion indicated anything to me

but her adoration for you and her

happiness at our being in love! And

to intimate anything else doesn’t

spell jealousy to me – it spells a

paranoic insecurity that you should

be ashamed of!

MARGO

Cut! Print it! What happens in the

next reel? Do I get dragged off

screaming to the snake pit?

[julie creighton]

julie creighton

Lovely to meet everyone. Looks like I’m the novice in that I have not completed a script yet.

I worked in the film industry (post-production sound and VFX production) for almost 20 years. Now I am looking forward to experiencing the pre-production phase of film-making.

[julie creighton]

julie creighton

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