'Black and Blue' Script

Now that we had decided on the plot and the title of the film, it was time to write the official script, and so Elliot took up the job.

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1    INT. REHEARSAL STUDIO - DAY                                 1

Open in on THE DANCER, a plain looking girl whom is uncharacteristically dressed in flashy and elegant dancing attire. Her hair is tied back with a few hairs seemingly out of place, as if it was prepared in a hurry. She is heavily panting in front of the mirror, and always slightly out of shot. The dancer has been attempting the same move for a while now and with each attempt, her frustration grows. The music from her headphones echoes through the room. A series of intimate close ups permeate the scene as she presents her craft, until finally unveiling the dancer in full costume/makeup. Some time has passed, the dancer is sat on the floor, exhausted, she picks up a drink to refresh herself. She then looks to the clock on the wall which reads: 16:49. The dancer then picks herself backup, gazes into the mirror, staring herself down, searching for the motivation to carry on. After calming herself, she puts her headphones back on and the music fades in, playing throughout the remainder of the film.

                                                     

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2    EXT. STREET - EVENING                                2

The dancer is making her way home, she is now in a much rougher looking outfit, ill-fitted and out of style. The street she walks down looks neglected and down beaten, rubbish lines the roads and graffiti decorates the houses. The dancer has her headphones in, ignoring the world around her as she practices the moves in her head with some leaking out into the real world whilst she walks.

There is a drug deal taking place between THUG 1 and THUG 2 across the street from the dancer, the scene doesn't linger on them.

The dancer continues down the street.

A TEENAGE MUM with a pushchair barges by the dancer, whilst chewing gum and on the phone. 

The dancer continues down the street.

The dancer then passes a HOMELESS MAN sat by the road, asleep and sheltered only by a long piece of card.

The dancer continues down the street.

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3    INT. REHEARSAL STUDIO - DAY                                 3

Continuing from where we left off in scene 1, the dancer is back into her dance. Although she is struggling to maintain her breath, the dance itself increases in scale as she starts to bring it into more areas of the studio .

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4    EXT. DANCER'S HOUSE - EVENING                        4

The dancer enters her house.

5    INT. DANCER'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - EVENING                5

The dancer's house is a complete mess, tracking her through the house as she walks in, it's a hovel. There are lots of empty beer cans, dirty clothes and rubbish scattered across the floor. The dancer makes her way through the living room, where it appears that the FATHER is sat slumped in an armchair pointed directly at the TV, he doesn't seem to be awake as he does not react to the dancer's entrance. The TV is on in background, out of focus as the dancer walks upstairs.

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6    INT. REHEARSAL STUDIO - DAY                            6

The dancer is continuing the piece, yet seems distracted. There is one move in particular she keeps trying over and over but every time she appears dissatisfied.

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7    INT. DANCER'S HOUSE - DANCER'S ROOM - EVENING            7

The dancer is sat on her bed with her knees tucked in and in tears, gazing out her window as rain drops run down it. We hear inaudible yelling from FATHER (O.S.). She then turns and faces her bedroom door. The yelling stops before immediately picking up again. The dancer suddenly throws the lamp on her bedside unit across the room, screams, picks up her coat and goes to leave the room.

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8    EXT. DANCER'S HOUSE - EVENING                        8

                                     

The dancer exits the house, slamming the door behind her.

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9    INT. REHEARSAL STUDIO - DAY                            9

The dancer is in mid-rehearsal, staring down at the floor as tears drizzle down her cheeks. She wipes them away in an attempt to compose herself but cannot. She finally stands up straight, her eyes suddenly intensify and the most impressive section of the dance commences although it is clear the grief is still staying with her.

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10    INT. STORE CUPBOARD - NIGHT                            10

In the poorly lit and cluttered store cupboard we see the dancers possessions and some empty food packets lining the shelves, implying that she has been there for some time. We then reveal the dancer angrily dancing, as if trying to hold back her rage. She grows frustrated with herself as she struggles with a move, until she finally lashes out throwing a nearby mop to the ground and screaming into the wall. We stay on her for some time as her anger, turns to sadness. She then looks up and takes a deep inhale.

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11    INT. REHEARSAL STUDIO - DAY                            11

And exhale, the dancer is back in the studio again and is now determined to not let her past get the best of her and continues the dance, now with nothing but determination written across her face. The dance is a spectacle to behold, and ends triumphantly, with the music stopping with it. The dancer is breathing heavily and pats the sweat off her face, when the COMPETITION COORDINATOR enters the room.

COMPETITION COORDINATOR

You're on in five.

The dancer shows no reaction.

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12    INT. BACKSTAGE - EVENING                            12

The dancer walks behind backstage to behind the curtains.

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13    INT. STAGE - EVENING                                13

The curtains draw in front of the dancer as the lights spill out onto her face, her eyes are closed and her face expressionless. She takes a deep breath.

CUT TO BLACK.

We have all read the script and think Elliot's done a fantastic job, it's exactly the kind of thing we were going for, and I can't wait to get started.