Script Coverage Sample “The Carrie Diaries” Coverage By: Kimaya M. Floyd TITLE: The Carrie Diaries FORM: Teleplay AUTHOR: Amy B. Harris, Novel by Candace GENRE: Drama Bushnell DRAFT DATE: 12/9/2011 PERIOD: 1984, past COVERAGE DATE: 9/9/2013 LOCATIONS: Connecticut, Manhattan PREPARED BY: Kimaya M. Floyd LOGLINE: Sex and the City before the sex and an introduction into the city. SUMMARY: Imagine Sex and the City before Carrie Bradshaw discovered sex or Manhattan. In this adaptation of the Candace Bushnell prequel to Sex and the City, we meet a very different Carrie Bradshaw. She’s a sixteen year old girl from Connecticut, living at home with her anti-conformist sister, Dorrit, and her father Tom. The family struggles to find a balance after the loss of Bradshaw’s mother. If that’s not enough pressure on a young girl, add to the mix High School and you’re in for some real drama. It’s the first day of Carrie’s junior year, and when most kids would be ecstatic, Carrie is anxious because she knows that all eyes will be on her, the motherless child. She’s surrounded by her click of friends, Walt, Maggie, and Mouse, but she imagines a life outside of her small town. When the new kid shows up, a cutie named Sebastian (her fist Mr.Big) things start to look up, but not if her adversary, mean girl Donna LaDonna gets to him first. However, things take a turn for the interesting when Carrie’s father gets her an internship at a law firm in Manhattan! The small town girl creates some big city dreams when she discovers the eccentric fashion world on Manhattan. She begins to question life, love, and lies as she begins her love affair with New York. SYNOPSIS: ACT ONE. It’s the year 1984 and the first day of school for 16 years old, Carrie Bradshaw. Her room is covered with clothes and old issues if INTERVIEW magazine (think 1980’s Vogue) as she rummages through the chaos for her mother’s purse. It’s nowhere to be found, which means there’s only one other place it could be- Dorrit’s room. Carrie rushes out of her room into the hallway of this two story family home where she bumps into her gawky, goth-style, little sister, 14 year old DORRIT. She confronts the anti-conformist Dorrit about the purse, who knowingly pretends not to have a clue what Carrie, is talking about. As Carrie tears Dorrit’s tween styled bedroom apart on a search for her beloved purse, she stumbles upon a bag of pot. She threatens to tell their father which starts an outright war of sisterly hair pulling, hitting, and biting. As the sisters go at it, Carrie’s voiceover reveals the year and paints a picture of what’s happening in 1984. She also reveals that the family is in a crucial point in their life, because her mother just died three months ago. After Carrie screams from being bit in the arm by Dorrit, her father TOM BRADSHAW, traditionally handsome with a whiff of sadness rushes in to stop the fight; The girls separate and soon after, Tom lectures Carrie on being the “mature” one. Carrie contemplates telling her father about the pot she found, but instead she opts to tell him that Dorrit stole their mother’s purse. Her father starts to brush off what seems like an everyday sister dispute when he realizes that it’s not about the purse itself, but that it’s a piece of their mother they both want to keep. He gets it. Tom surprises Carrie with a trip to her mother’s untouched closet and offer’s Carrie a piece of her mother to take to school with her. Still sensitive about his wife’s passing, Tom struggles to give her items away but in efforts to console his grieving daughter, he hands Carrie a pair of her mother’s Jackie O Shades. Touched and gracious Carrie puts on the shades. They feel like armor, but in a good way. Armed with her mother’s sunglasses, Carrie arrives to the steps of her old School, Castleberry High. She takes a breath and heads inside, ready for the stares that await her. Carrie walks down the hallway passing the Goths, the Jocks, The Dorks, etc. everyone whispering about the motherless child. It’s here that we meet DONNA LADONNA, the popular girl, oversexed, and conceited and THE JENS, faint copies of Donna. Donna disingenuous asks Carrie if she’s okay. Carrie finally arrives at her group of friends: MOUSE, extremely bright and loyal, MAGGIE, sexy, and WALT, Maggie’s preppy and fashionable knowledgeable boyfriend. They inform her that there’s a new kid in school, SEBASTIAN KYDD, hot, cocky, and into Carrie. They have history. Everyone watches as Sebastian walks up directly to Carrie to “catch up”. Carrie’s friends and a jealous Donna Ladonna, look on confused as to how Sebastian knows Carrie. Mouse demands that Carrie explains later. The Barn, the high school hangout and Carrie’s click’s proverbial “Coffee Shop”. The girls (Carrie, Maggie, and Mouse) catch up. Carrie explains that Sebastian was her first kiss two summers ago Carrie learns she’s the only virgin left in the crew. While she was busy the past summer losing her mother, her two closest friends were losing their virginity. Back at school, Carrie sums up the courage to ask Sebastian out. Just when she’s ready to go for it, her father suddenly shows up in the school hallway which causes Carrie to remember the last time he did that, her mother was dying. She passes out in Sebastian’s arms. ACT TWO. Carrie’s school guidance counselor suggests to Tom that maybe Carrie should take on a part time job. She suggests that based on her previous sessions with Carrie that Manhattan may be the perfect escape. Tom is shocked but he takes the advice. Later, Mouse and Carrie have lunch to be surprised by Sebastian, who’s been looking for Carrie ever since she passed out. They share a moment and reveal that two years ago, during a swim Sebastian was Carrie’s first kiss. He puts his hand on hers and just as Carrie is about to ask Sebastian to the dance, the bell rings and the opportunity is missed. It’s dinner back at home. As Tome grills burgers he tells Carrie that he got her an internship at his old law firm…in Manhattan! Carrie screeches with excitement! She quickly heads to her closet to see what she’s going to wear her first time in the city. Carrie shares the news with Mouse over the phone when she hears someone on the line. It’s Dorrit. She immediately heads to Dorrit’s room to make her stop spying and again confronts Dorrit on the whereabouts of their mother’s purse. Carrie finds the purse inside of a large stuffed bear and it’s ruined by nail polish! Dorrit feels terrible. She didn’t mean to ruin it; she just wanted a piece of their mother too. Carrie realizes that she was lucky, because she had more time with their mother than Dorrit ever could. She tries to console Dorrit to no avail. Dorrit shoves Carrie away exclaiming that Carrie is trying to act like her mom. ACT THREE. Tom drives Carrie into the city. She looks around bright eyed, amazed by what she sees. Disgusted and maybe frightened by what he sees, Tom goes over the rules and train schedule again with Carrie. The plan is for Carrie to call home before she gets on the six o’clock train then head straight to the school dance. Tom finally let’s Carrie art of the Car, he admires his suddenly, mature and grown up daughter with her mother’s ruined pursed completely revamped with “CARRIE” written on it in the same pink nail polish that ruined it. He drives off. Carrie takes in the view of 1980s Wall Street when she’s bumped by a rude passerby and falls. Her stockings ripped. Now settled at her new desk, Carrie receives filing instructions from BITCHY BARBARA, a bitter secretary who strongly recommends that Carrie heads across the street to CENTURY 21 to purchase new hosiery. During her lunch break Carrie discovers what will soon become her fashion Mecca, Century 21 the ultimate, glamorous discount designer store. Her reverie is disrupted by the loud shriek of a husky woman exclaiming “Your bag”! Warned by her father of potential muggers, Carrie clutches her bag tightly and pushes the overly excited LARISSA away. Larissa introduces herself as the style editor at Interview magazine and requests to “shoot” Carrie’s fabulous bag. The two make instant friends; Larissa doesn’t realize Carrie’s just a teen from a small town. On their way out of the store, the alarm goes off. Once safely outside, Larissa reveals that she stole a jumpsuit. Carrie’s intrigued by her and Larissa feels the same. Carrie decides not to share that she’s just a kid. Larissa invites Carrie to Odeon that night. Back at the office, Carrie sneaks to call Mouse and share her interesting meeting with Larissa. Mouse shares that Sebastian called her house looking for Carrie’s number and tells Carrie that she must make it to the dance tonight to see Sebastian. Just then, a package arrives for Carrie. It’s a neon colored evening dress, from Larissa. Meanwhile, Sebastian shows up to Carrie’s house.