CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Idiot Children A
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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Idiot Children A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting By Dianne Marie Durazo May 2017 The thesis of Dianne Marie Durazo is approved: _________________________________________ ______________ Professor Jon Stahl Date _________________________________________ ______________ Professor Dianah Wynter Date _________________________________________ ______________ Professor Scott Sturgeon, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ii Abstract iv Idiot Children 1 iii ABSTRACT Idiot Children By Dianne Marie Durazo Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting Idiot Children is an hour long dark comedy about Alice (14) who realizes she's been indoctrinated by The Truth Speakers, a fictitious religious cult (inspired by real life cults and experiences) and must now find a way out. iv IDIOT CHILDREN COLD OPEN EXT. SCHOOL CAMPUS - NIGHT SUPER: Los Angeles. 1997. Black clouds loom on the horizon, the moon’s soft glow illuminates the street below. THREE MASKED TEENAGERS dressed in all black emerge from the bushes. They dart across the street, climb over the chain link fence and trespass onto a small high school campus. We see a sign that says: TJ TAYLOR’S ACADEMY FOR LEARNING. TEENAGER #1 shakes a red spray paint canister, tags the cement building. TJ TAYLOR (V.O.) (tape recording) Man is a curious monster. You see, man is the most self-destructive thing there is in the whole universe. TEENAGER #2 unlocks the school door with a set of KEYS and tosses them to TEENAGER #3, who catches them and runs down the hall to the administration building. INT. CLASSROOM - CONTINUOUS Teenager #2 turns the light switch, fluorescent bulbs flicker on. The long classroom has a few tables and chairs scattered around. She maneuvers through the space, moving towards a photograph in the back of the room. On the wall we see 90s INSPIRATIONAL POSTERS, cliche stock photos of people working with words BRILLIANCE, MATERIALIZE and GROW.. TJ TAYLOR (V.O.) (tape recording) Man’s curiosity leads to mastery then to control. Not only to control ourselves, but to control... everyone else. 1 Teenager #2 inspects the large framed picture of TJ TAYLOR, a handsome man in his 40s with perfectly combed hair. He looks like a celebrity on the cover of a magazine. She dusts off the bronze nameplate with her thumb: TJ TAYLOR, The Pioneer Of Truth Speakers. She shakes the can and sprays the picture, painting a Hitler mustache, devil horns and a tiny dick. INT. PRIVATE OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Teenager #3 rummages through old filing cabinets. His fingers flip through the alphabetized folders, stops at the “H’s.” TEENAGER #3 E...F...G...H... Harris, Alice. He pulls the folder out and opens it. We see a cute FAMILY PHOTO of a young father KIT HARRIS and his daughter ALICE. He closes the folder and shoves it underneath his sweater, securing it firmly in the waistband. CLOSE on a locked drawer with a sign that reads: LEGAL & ADMIN. He jams each key in the lock, it won’t turn. His hand SLAMS against the old metal. CLINK. He stares. What was that? His hand reaches behind the cabinet and unhooks a set of KEYS. TJ TAYLOR (V.O.) (tape recording) You see, man enjoys suffering. We like getting ourselves in trouble then finding a way out. Why else do thieves leave clues? They want to get caught so they can find a way out of their new mess. We all leave breadcrumbs of our crimes, and it’s a tragic mistake. The keys open the locked drawer, he flips through the files and pulls out a folder that reads: OPERATION TITAN. He shoves the folder under his sweater. Puts the keys back, closes the cabinets and wipes down the handles with his sweater. EXT. CAMPUS - CONTINUOUS An unarmed RENT-A-COP on a bicycle patrols the campus, spits sunflower seeds out. He notices the red spray paint, shines the flashlight on the wall. SCRAWLED ON THE SCHOOL BUILDING: “FUCK TJ TAYLOR” and “CULT.” 2 INT. CLASSROOM - SAME TIME Masked Teenager #1 and Teenager #2 have completely ruined the walls with spray paint, knocking over bookshelves and destroying books written by TJ TAYLOR. Teenager #2 slowly spins in a chair, utterly bored. Teenager #1 takes petty cash from a box. They’ve created the perfect cover up. TEENAGER #2 Dude, she said no stealing. Teenager #1 takes his mask off, 15, still a child. TEENAGER #1 I can’t breathe with this stupid thing on. You’re gonna turn me in for taking a few hundred? Give me a break, Keeks. Checks his watch. TEENAGER #1 (CONT’D) He was supposed to return in ten minutes. We need to go. TEENAGER #2 No, follow orders. On the other side of the classroom the door handle turns and opens, the teens perk up. Enters Teenager #3 in a hurry. TEENAGER #3 Put your damn mask back on. C’mon, let’s go. They get up when suddenly the classroom door closest to them opens and it’s the Rent-A- Cop, shinning his light at their masked faces. RENT-A-COP Freeze! They bolt out of the room, A CHASE ENSUES. 3 EXT. SCHOOL CAMPUS - NIGHT The three masked teenagers outrun the Rent-A-Cop. Two of them jump the chain link fence. Teenager #2 attempts to climb up, but the guard wrestles her down on her stomach and zip ties her hands together. He turns her over and yanks the mask off, shines the light on her face. Her face frozen with shock and fear, she wasn’t supposed to get caught. RENT-A-COP KIKI? CUT TO: OPENING CREDIT SEQUENCE 4 ACT ONE FADE IN: EXT. APARTMENT - NIGHT The only apartment complex in the town. Junk cars and trash cans compete for space outside the claustrophobic building. ALICE (O.S.) (singing) Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want -- INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT ALICE HARRIS, 14, our naive heroine, wipes the foggy mirror with her hand. We see an innocent bare-faced girl with wet curls begin the sacred ritual of a teenager -- applying makeup, badly. The cassette boom box on the toilet plays the Spice Girls’ 1996 hit Wannabe. She atrociously sings along. ALICE (singing) If you want my future, forget my past. If you wanna get with me, better make it fast. Now don't go wasting my precious time -- A finger applies a frost-blue shadow to her eyelids. She takes a step back and admires her artistry, good enough. INT. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Spice Girls still plays in the background. She hums along. Alice emerges from her closet and stands in front of a broken mirror, dressed in 90s acid- washed jeans and a flannel top. She towel-dries her hair. Stares at the clock. 7:05. ALICE Shit, shit, shit. 5 Inside her closet sits a portable television connected to a VCR playing the end scene and credits to an episode of “BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.” CLICK, she pushes the rewind button and we hear the WHIRL of VHS tape winding back. INT. APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS KIT HARRIS, 40, a stocky overworked and underpaid grocery night clerk adjusts his Walkman headphones, listening quietly on a faded red paisley couch. It’s something you’d find at a garage sale or worse, for free on the street. On the table in front of him are a set of tuning forks. He picks one up and STRIKES it against table edge. He places the end of the tuning fork against his temple, continuing to listen to his audiobook. This is his ritual. TJ TAYLOR (V.O.) The ego is a nasty little thing. Good thing for you, you can find it and destroy it. WOMAN (V.O.) That concludes “The Curious Monster and Man” tape five. CLICK. This was the same tape that was playing moments earlier during the vandalism. Framed photos of Kit and his daughter Alice scattered around the living room. On the wall the only nicely framed photograph of Kit shaking TJ Taylor’s hand. INT. KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER Kit opens a can of refried beans onto the skillet. KIT Alice, want some dinner? I’ll cook your favorite, Mexican burritos and salsa. I can make it quick before I go to work. He cracks open a jar of salsa. No response. Peeks his head out of the kitchen, then marches down the hallway. KIT (CONT’D) Alice, did you hear me? 6 She opens her bedroom door a few inches, wrapped in a robe to hide her outfit. ALICE No. I... I’m not feeling well. KIT Again? Is it a fever? He places a hand on her forehead. KIT (CONT’D) It doesn’t feel warm. ALICE No. I’m... on my period. He quickly draws the hand back. KIT Oh. Well. I’m sorry. I mean, thank you for telling me. When did this start? Wait, I don’t need to know. I knew it was bound to happen. ALICE Dad. KIT In some cultures you’d be considered a woman and I’d have to marry you off to the highest bidder. ALICE DAD. KIT Well, I can make you a hot tea. Or a hot water bag. I just have to find it. It might be in the garage. ALICE I’m fine. I’m fine. Just need to sleep it off. KIT Use my tuning forks, they’ll put you back in the right frequency. 7 ALICE Sure. I was gonna do that anyway. KIT Is that...makeup? ALICE Huh? KIT On your eyes.