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  • Stephen Bohannon

    Member
    November 30, 2022 at 2:27 pm in reply to: Lesson 1

    Script I choose: Wag The Dog

    Scene 1 Location: Beginning
    Logline: A damaging story for the President of the United States means calling on an expert PR guy

    Essence: With a storm brewing on the horizon, focus must be shifted another direction, at all costs

    Scene 2 Location: Turning point
    Logline: Days before a re-election bid, an impending war is more sexy than the president abusing a girl scout
    Essence: The public will devour anything, give the something to eat

    Scene 3 Location: End of Act One
    Logline: Bringing in a skilled but egotistical Hollywood type to produce a war, presents a problem with discretion.
    Essence: In addition to the challenge of pulling off a covert mission, there’s issues to resist monetizing the initiative.

    Scene 4 Location: Mid-point
    Logline: Bringing to “war” to life means more than images, gotta sell it!
    Essence: Needing more time, the “war” requires promotion, theme, song etc.

    Scene 5 Location: Conclusion
    Logline: Success means record approval ratings for the President and re-election, and a dead fictitious hero, but zero recognition for the effort
    Essence: The motivation for taking on the job, has nothing to do with anything except resuscitating career after trending poor critical reviews

    My selection for most profound essence:

    This scene clearly lays out the need (address a disastrous news story of the president and a girl scout), and the objective (create something more sexy). The entire story evolving around this premise…

    ANGLE INS. THE SHEET.

    IT READS:

    AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES I REGRET THAT

    PERSONAL INCAPACITY HAS RENDERED ME MOMENTARILY UNABLE

    TO CONFRONT AND CORRECT….

    ANGLE

    BREAN LOOKING ON, AS AMES READS, AND SHAKES HIS HEAD SADLY. BREAN TAKES THE SHEETS.

    ANGLE INS.

    READING OVER BREAN’S SHOULDERS:

    1.) Statutory Rape.

    2.) The President’s long-documented mental problems

    3.) Brought about by reaction to Drugs to control

    flu…?

    ANGLE AMES READING OVER BREAN’S SHOULDER.

    AMES

    …did he have the flu…?

    CAIN

    It can be documented that he displayed the…

    BREAN LAYS DOWN THE SHEET SOMBERLY, EVERYONE LOOKS AT HIM.

    BREAN

    This ain’t the illegal immigrant Nanny.

    CAIN

    There was a group of Girlscouts here from Indiana last

    month. One of them expressed an interest in a

    Frederick Remington bust. The president took her into

    the oval Office, for a period…

    AMES

    Three minutes. It couldn’t have been over three

    minutes, the Secret Service…

    BREAN GESTURES HIM TO BE QUIET.

    BREAN

    Okay. And she’s alleging…?

    CAIN GESTURES BREAN TO KEEP READING THE SHEETS IN FRONT OF HIM. HE DOES SO. PAUSE. TO HIMSELF.

    BREAN

    (CON’T)

    Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

    AMES

    We are virtually certain it isn’t…

    BREAN

    Who’s got the story?

    (PAUSE)

    AMES

    Don’t you want to know if it’s true?

    BREAN

    What difference does it make if it’s true?

    (PAUSE)

    It’s a story, and, it breaks they’re gonna have to run

    with it — How long’ve we got til it breaks?

    (PAUSE)

    AMES

    Front page. Washington Post. Tomorrow.

    BREAN

    Well, yeah. Now. That’s not good. Okay:

    (PAUSE)

    Okay. We’ll set up the War Room Here…

    AN AIDE BRINGS HIM A CUP OF COFFEE.

    BREAN

    Thank you. Now: where is he?

    LEVY

    China.

    BREAN

    When’s he coming back…?

    LEVY

    Touchdown, Andrews, fourteen hundred, today.

    BREAN TAKES A NOTEBOOK OUT OF HIS POCKET, AND LOOKS AT IT.

    BREAN

    (AS HE READS FROM HIS NOTEBOOK)

    Alright, now, here: he stays on the ground in China til Tomorrow.

    CAIN

    …why?

    BREAN

    …you the Press Office?

    CAIN

    …Yes.

    BREAN

    (SHRUGS)

    Earn your money. …He’s ill, the Plane is sick…

    CAIN

    (MAKING NOTES)

    …Good…

    AMES

    When do we bring’em back?

    BREAN

    You gotta give me a day. I need a day.

    (PAUSE)

    He’s sick, get it out now. Get him on the phone ‘n tell

    him how sick he is. We got to get it out before the

    story breaks, so we aren’t quote, responding to it.

    Issue is as a bulletin. He’s got some rare strain

    of…

    AMES

    It won’t hold.

    BREAN

    All I need is the one day.

    AMES

    It won’t even hold the one day, Ronnie —

    BREAN

    Yes — It will… Now: why is the President in China?

    LEVY

    Trade Re1ations.

    BREAN

    You’re goddamn right. And it’s got nothing to do with

    the B-2 Bomber.

    (PAUSE)

    LEVY

    There is no B-2 Bomber,

    BREAN

    That’s what I’m telling you.

    (PAUSE. HE GLANCES AT HIS WATCH.)

    The two things: the two things: Rare strain of flu,

    No Cause to Be Alarmed. And the B-2 Bomber…

    (TO AIDES)

    Clear me a space. Get me a copy, go rob one, get it

    off the computer, Wash Post, N.Y. TIMES,

    AIDE

    You want some research, flu? Side-effects of medi….

    BREAN

    Naw, we can’t play this one catch-up. That’s how long

    since you stopped beating the wife. We have to…

    AMES

    We’re going to have to explain away the…

    BREAN

    They caught him in the closet with a Girlscout. Side-effects

    of a pill ain’t gone trump that. You have to keep ’em guessing for

    (HE GLANCES AT THE CALENDAR)

    Two weeks. You don’t have to Cure Cancer, Pal, you

    just have to give them something more interesting than…

    CAIN

    What’s more interesting than boffing the girlscout?

    BREAN

    Well, that’s what we’re doing here…

    BREAN IS SUNK IN THOUGHT. AN AIDE STARTS TO SPEAK. AMES SILENCES HIM, BREAN BECKONS AMES OVER.

    BREAN

    (SOTTO)

    Gemme twenty thousand dollars….

    AMES NODS, AND WAVES AN AIDE OVER AND WHISPERS TO HER.

    BREAN

    (CONT.)

    And gemme a car.

    AMES

    Car and a driver, Mr. Brean, the Westgate, Now, please…

    BREAN

    Okay, look, who’s takin’ the press conference today?

    CAIN

    Is there a press conference today?

    BREAN

    What do you think? What I need from you: I need a

    base of operations. Some place in the District. I

    need some clean money …

    LEVY

    How much…?

    AMES GESTURES HIM TO BE QUIET.

    BREAN

    And, to hold it together, I need two days. There is no

    B-2 Bomber: here’s what you do ahout that: whoever is

    leaking stuff to that geek at the Post, lets it slip,

    “Geez, I hope this doesn’t screw up the B-2 Program…”

    “What B-2 Program, and why should it screw it up?” “If

    the president moves to deploy the B-2 before it is

    fully tested.” “Deploy the B-2, Why?” “In the

    Crisis.”

    AMES

    What crisis?

    BREAN

    I’m working on it. Same time, you call Billy Scott at

    Joint Chiefs, and pour him onna plane right now to

    Seattle, y’got that…? All flustered and worried. To

    talk to the Boeing people.

    AMES

    (TO LEVY)

    Do it…

    LEVY MOVES TO A TELEPHONE.

    BREAN

    (TO CAIN)

    And you?

    CAIN

    But there isn’t a B-2 bomber.

    BREAN

    Where’d you go to school, Kid. Wellesly?

    CAIN

    Dartmouth

    BREAN

    Then show a little spunk. There Is no B-2 Bomber,

    General Scott, the best of your knowledge, is not in

    Seattle to talk with Boeing…

    AMES

    It won’t hold.

    BREAN

    One day, Two days? Course it’s gonna hhhh….

    CAMERA TAKES THEM DOWN THE HALL, WHERE WE SEE THE CLEANING PEOPLE, WITH FLOOR POLISHERS, LOOKING UP AT THE PICTURE OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE GIRLSCOUTS, AND SNICKERING.

    ANGLE ON BREAN AND AMES LOOKING ON.

    THE CLEANING PEOPLE NOTICE THEY ARE BEING WATCHED AND DISPERSE.

    AMES

    It won’t hold, Ronnie, it won’t prove out.

    BREAN

    We don’t need it to prove out. We need it to distract

    them for two weeks til the election.

    AMES

    What would do that…?

    HOLD, ON BREAN THINKING.

    AMES

    (CONT.)

    What in the world would do that?

    BREAN

    I’m working on it.

    HE TURNS AROUND AND STARES AT THE WALL.

  • Stephen Bohannon

    Member
    November 28, 2022 at 6:47 pm in reply to: Introduce Yourself To the Group

    Stephen Bohannon

    – Written about a half dozen screenplays

    – Get back into the spirit of writing — and of course amp up my skill set.

  • Stephen Bohannon

    Member
    November 28, 2022 at 6:34 pm in reply to: Confidentiality Agreement

    I agree to the terms of this release form.

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