©2015 | Written by Esmarelda VillaLobos The following is copywritten material. Do not distribute, copy, or attempt to replicate its contents just because you can’t think of something original. God is watching. www.esmareldaknows.com ROUGH CUT Written by Esmarelda VillaLobos esmareldaknows.com (909)921-1761 PO Box 156 | Pomona, CA 91769 www.esmareldaknows.com INT. TRAIN STATION - MORNING Early. Empty. OUR MAN, a young hoofer, straps on his tap shoes and begins to tap out a new melody. taptap taptap tat-a-tat taptap Over and over. It’s easy. Simple. He keeps the rhythm. taptap taptap tat-a-tat taptap A few PASSERSBY smile. He notices. taptap taptap tat-a-tat taptap Our Man is ready to break the rhythm, to try something new. He can hear it. He can feel it. Then: TAP TA-TAP TA-TAP TAP TA-TAP TA-TAP TAP TA-TAP TA-TAP TAP ACROSS THE PLATFORM THE RIVAL, another hoofer in bright red tap shoes, is going strong, breaking Our Man’s concentration. They lock eyes. The Rival gives Our Man a challenging grin. Our Man keeps his rhythm,esmareldaknows.com trying to get back in his groove. taptap taptap tat-a-tat -- TAP TA-TAP TA-TAP TAP TA-TAP The Rival’s flashy moves won’t let him. Our Man responds with a simple, but skilled move. The Rival counters with a flagrant and furious challenge. Our Man digs in deeper, trying to keep up. The Rival’s feet fly, his wicked grin taunting Our Man. Our Man watches him, smelling defeat. He spots the Passersby again, their eyes encouraging him to go on. Our Man stares in to The Rival. Eyes burning. Feet aching. He can’t. He won’t. He must. 2. FROM AFAR A train approaches. Headlights peek through a nearby tunnel. Commuters gather at the platform as the train closes in on the station. AT THE DUELING PLATFORMS The two men continue the assault. Rival lunges. Man matches. Back. Forth. Stronger. Harder. Faster. More. More. MORE. MORE. THEN: Our Man stumbles, tripping over his own footwork as-- --The Rival performs a SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE move. Spectators ooh and ahh, applauding him. Our Man crumples. Exhausted. Defeated. It’s over. But then... The deafening sound of an approaching train fills his ears. Our Man looks up to esmareldaknows.comsee the Train. Moments from arriving. He Can’t. Sees the Passersby. Their faces sting with disappointment. He Won’t. Sees The Rival. A still challenging victor. He Must. Our Man rises to his feet. He takes a running start and FLIPS! across the platform-- Near missing the oncoming train --and LANDS right in front of The Rival. Stunned silence. 3. Our Man stares into the impressed eyes of The Rival. Then: taptap taptap tat-a-tat taptap Our Man taps out his melody. Casually. Effortlessly. Unfaze- BING! Train doors open. Suddenly and without warning the moment ends. Commuters shuffle in and out, engrossed in their own mornings. Somehow Our Man is swept inside the Train Car, trapped amongst the throngs of people. INT. TRAIN CAR The doors close. Our Man scrambles to the window to see-- The Rival. His wicked grin now a conceded smirk - he gives a nod and returns to his dancing. The train pulls away with Our Man inside. It’s over. Our Man exhales. Relieved. Accomplished. Happy. He finds a seat and relaxes, taking in his surroundings. Amongst the graffiti etched into the wall he spots the word: “Touché” Our Man chuckles to esmareldaknows.comhimself, wiping the sweat from his brow. He rests -- for just a moment -- then: taptap taptap tat-a-tat taptap TAP TA-TAP TA-TAP TAP TA-TAP He resumes working out the melody. The train puffs out of the station taking Our Man to wherever his next destination may be. An oversized title card appears screaming: “THE END.” FADE TO BLACK. 4. PART ONE hello? esmareldaknows.com 5. INT. A LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Late. Lit only by the flickering glow of a television. Our Girl snores on the couch. Pictures of the young hoofer and his rival cycle through a Netflix menu plastered on the TV. It was some movie called “Broadway Melody”. She’s in her late 20’s, and judging by the looks of her and her apartment: she’s not doing great. INT. A LIVING ROOM - MORNING MUSIC: NYAN CAT THEME Her iPhone goes off, startling her awake as she fumbles and reaches for the phone, rolling off the couch. OUR GIRL Mmmph! ...hello? The loud song keeps playing. Confused she looks at HER iPHONE SCREEN: There are 8 alarms set to go off at various times of the morning. They are all called “GET THE HELL UP” or “YOU’RE WASTING YOUR LIFE SLEEPING” or “NO WONDER YOU DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND” and “YOU’LL NEVER GET THAT PROMOTION IF YOU KEEP ACTING LIKE THIS”. She taps “snooze” and rolls in to her blanket on the floor. MUSIC: “9 to 5” by Dollyesmareldaknows.com Parton OUR GIRL’S MORNING ROUTINE: She rushes. Doesn’t wash her hair; brushes her teeth in 10 seconds; takes her morning pills; grabs whatever clothes aren’t piled up and dirty... Okay, maybe just that one thing from the dirty pile. INT. HER CAR - DAY She’s stuck in traffic, but it’s okay. She rocks out to Iggy Azalea on the radio, complete with choreographed dance moves and lots of finger pointing. 6. EXT. OFFICE PARK - DAY She pulls up to the Employee Parking lot entrance, music still blaring. The man in front of her is having technical difficulties with his key fob. INT. HER CAR - CONTINUOUS She’s now very aware of her lateness and that dude in front of her still can’t get his shit together. OUR GIRL (in car) Oh My God Just GO! She exits her vehicle and impatiently helps the man open the gate. INT. OFFICE BUILDING Bland. Corporate. O.G. practices her tardiness excuses. IN THE ELEVATOR OUR GIRL My car wouldn’t start. PAST RECEPTION OUR GIRL (CONT’D) Don’t you esmareldaknows.comjust hate it when your alarm doesn’t go off? DOWN THE HALLWAY OUR GIRL (CONT’D) You’ll never believe it, but this vulture flew right into my driver’s side window. She arrives at her cubicle. Her bitchy desk mate, PING, swivels toward her. PING You’re late. OUR GIRL Yeah, sorry. My car wouldn’t-- 7. PING Frank needs you. O.G. scrambles to collect herself. She searches her messy desk and grabs a stack of Post-Its. She rushes off towards an office, then doubles back to her desk, grabbing a pen, before rushing off again. INT. FRANK’S OFFICE. Frank’s office is a shrine to Frank. He is in his mid 40’s and has had a pretty awesome career. You can tell by the pictures of Frank with famous people and news articles that mention Frank where Frank has circled his own name... ...and then framed it. Today, Frank is plucking his eyebrows. O.G. stumbles in. OUR GIRL I’m here. Sorry, my car wouldn- FRANK I need your advice. OUR GIRL Okay, shoot. FRANK I’m writing a thank you email to the Daniels’ re: last night’s dinner and I don’t know how to sign it. esmareldaknows.com OUR GIRL You should probably sign it with your name. FRANK Thank you, Miss Smart Ass. I mean what do I say before that? Kind regards? Best wishes? Sincerely? OUR GIRL Ew, don’t do sincerely. FRANK What’s wrong with sincerely? 8. OUR GIRL Sincerely is what you write if you’re booking a hotel or asking your bank to remove a credit charge. That would be like saying, “thank you for inviting me into your home, now I will act as though the entire encounter never even happened.” I mean, this is the Daniels’ we’re talking about. You just signed that account. You don’t want them worrying about whether or not they’re going to have to work to have you remember them. Also, not forgetting, that they are friends with the Harris’ and the ink still hasn’t dried on that one. She’s almost out of breath after all those words. FRANK So... best wishes? OUR GIRL All my best wishes. Is that all? FRANK You wish. She sinks. FRANK (CONT’D) Here. This is what I’m thinking for the Knights’esmareldaknows.com beauty spa. He hands her a stack of papers. FRANK (CONT’D) Can you do your magic with this? ANGLE ON: The business plan. Its awful. 1997 Microsoft Word ClipArt Butterflies/Comic Sans MS awful. OUR GIRL Oh, um. I don’t know. This, uh, this could take a while and I’m pretty busy with-- FRANK Busy? Your life is bursting with excitement in front of my very eyes. 9. O.G. picks a wedgie. She realizes she is right in front of her boss and then stops immediately FRANK (CONT’D) Come on, you’re always good at figuring this stuff out. I did all the work already, just make it... better. OUR GIRL (hesitant) Sure... groovy. Anything else you got for me before I go? FRANK My headphones aren’t working again. O.G. opens her mouth to say something, but bites her tongue and springs into action. INT. OFFICE BUILDING - LATER O.G. eats at her desk. She is putting a few strips of bacon on a bagel with cream cheese, and folds it to make a kind of sandwich.