Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Pilot Teaser

Here's the teaser of the TV show pilot I've been working on for a while. A couple of the characters don't have names yet because I take for ever to pick them. Enjoy!



TEASER


            FADE IN:
INT. A HALLWAY – DAY
We follow as ROGER walks quickly down the hallway. It is darkly lit, but his fear is still very obvious. The hall is filled with glass window through which we can see magical things happening. People levitating, mythical beasts, that kind of thing. The ROGER walks by these things as if he’s seen them all before a hundred times. They are not his concern. Finally, he turns into a door. (BOSS) sits inside at a desk. She is a middle aged woman who has a lot of crap in her time. She looks up to see ROGER standing in the doorway, and looks like she immediately regrets it.

                                                            (BOSS)
                                    Please tell me you’re here because you enjoy my company.

                                                            ROGER
                                    There’s been another incident.

                                                            (BOSS)
                                    Jesus, I can’t turn around without another person almost giving us
away. What happened?
                                                           
                                                            ROGER
                                     A man showed one of them magic. We don’t know his identity
yet, but he’s caused quite a mess.

                                                            (BOSS)
                                    Obviously. Why don’t you know his name?

                                                            ROGER
                                    Because he disappeared right after it happened.

                                                            (BOSS)
                                    Of course he did. Why can’t people just keep it a secret.

                                                            ROGER
                                    I suppose people like showing off. Doesn’t matter whether they’re
magic or normal.

                                                            (BOSS)
                                    And I’m the one who has to clean up the mess afterwards.

                                                            ROGER
                                    I’ll take care of it.

                                                            (BOSS)
                                    Do that. Our secrecy is dangling by a thread as it is. At, this point
all it would take is the wrong combination of people to blow the whole operation out of the water.

Cut to:

INT. A LARGE FANCY BEDROOM. CONTINUOUS

GINA, a woman who looks to be in her late twenties. She is wearing completely normal, not sexy spy clothes. No heels because that would be unrealistic. She’s standing in front of (RICH DUDE) who is tied up and she’s interrogating him. She’s holding an envelope.

                                                            ALEX
                                    Where did you get this?

                                                            (RICH DUDE)
                                    Do you really think I would tell you.

                                                            ALEX
                                    Not really, but I’d thought I’d ask anyway.

She casually turns around and looks through the content of the envelope. Behind her, (RICH DUDE) starts trying to reach the phone, which is on the floor a few feet away from him. He doesn’t make any noise, but she magically knows what he’s trying to do anyway.

                                                            ALEX
                                    I wouldn’t do that if I were you.
                         
                                                            (RICH DUDE)
                                    How’d you know what I was doing?

ALEX
I have a sense about these things.

(RICH DUDE)
You’re one the special people aren’t you? Super powers, magic,
whatever it is.

ALEX
Alright, you’re testing my patience. Tell me where you got this or-

Her phone starts ringing, interrupting her midsentence.
                                                           
ALEX
                                    Wait, one minute. (she answers the phone). Hey, I’m kind of in the
middle of something here.

                                                            Cut to:

EXT. A SKETCHY LOOKING PARKING LOT. CONTINUOUS

ROWAN paces, looking worried, with the phone to her ear. She’s about GINA’s age. She keeps looking around her like she’s waiting for someone.

                                                            ROWAN
                                    Yeah, sorry about that. I-

Cut to:

INT. A LARGE FANCY BEDROOM. CONTINUOUS

                                                            ALEX
                                    I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. I just have to finish up with a
client.

                                                Cut to:

EXT. A SKETCHY LOOKING PARKING LOT. CONTINUOUS

                                                            ROWAN
                                    Gina, on second thought I think you shouldn’t come.

Cut to:

INT. A LARGE FANCY BEDROOM. CONTINUOUS

                                                            ALEX
                                    Wait, why? What’s wrong.

Cut to:


EXT. A SKETCHY LOOKING PARKING LOT. CONTINUOUS

                                                            ROWAN
                                    Nothing. Just don’t come. (she hangs up)

Cut to:

INT. A LARGE FANCY BEDROOM. CONTINUOUS


                                                            ALEX
                                    Rowan? She hung up.

She stares at the phone for a moment. We can tell by her face that she senses something is very wrong.

                                                            ALEX
She’s always nagging me for being late. She’d never cancel last minute like that.

                                                            (RICH DUDE)
                                    Why are you telling me this?

                                                            ALEX
                                    Because you’re here. A captive audience so to speak. (she looks at
her phone again, thinking hard. Then she makes her decisions) Alright, I’m going anyway. Here, you can have this back.

She tossed the envelope onto his lap.

                                                            (RICH DUDE)
                                    Seriously, after all that, you’re just gonna give it back?

                                                            ALEX
                                    What can I say? Friends come before work.

She leaves the room through the window.

Cut to:

EXT. THE NEIGHBORHOOD – NIGHT

ALEX gets into her car a drives down the street. We follow her until she passes an open garage. Then we zoom in on the people inside.

Cut to:


INT. OPEN GARAGE – NIGHT

Two older men are sitting on an old couch watching a police show on an ancient TV. JAY is leaning up against a wall behind them. He is good looking and at first glance seems pretty carefree, but also has a guarded sense. He is quietly watching the show and has probably been there for a while, but neither of the men have noticed their visitor.

                                                            MAN 1
                                    I bet it’s the uncle who’s the killer.

JAY rolls his eyes, apparently knowing better. 

                                                            MAN 2
Hey. Shut up. Can’t I watch my show on my own TV in peace without comment from the gallery?

                        MAN 1
Alright, alright. Sorry.

The show reveals that it is, in fact the uncle who committed the crime.

                        JAY
What? That’s your mystery! He was the obvious choice! I thought you were supposed to surprise people! Even that idiot could figure that ending out!

Oddly, neither of the men are offended, or even seem to have heard his outburst. They watch as the show ends, before GUY 2 stands. 

                        MAN 2
Alright. Show’s over. Get out. And don’t bother coming back next week if you’re gonna talk.

Then MAN 2 abruptly turns and walks straight through JAY without even noticing. JAY takes this casually. He’s very used to it. As the two men say their goodbyes he turns to leave.

                                                            JAY
(Over his shoulder) Don’t expect me back. Not with plots that predictable. How hard is it to write a decent mystery?

Cut to:

INT. NATHAN’S OFFICE – NIGHT

NATHAN sits at his desk while his assistants, IRENE and JESS stand behind him. They’re done working and have been having an argument already for a few minutes. Throughout the entire scene is the sense that even while they’re arguing they actually care about each other, and no one is being hurt by the discussion.

                                                            IRENE
                                    I’m just saying, you could use a mystery.

                                                            NATHAN
                                    No.

                                                            JESS
                                    Why?

                                                            NATHAN
                                    Because.

                                                            IRENE
                                    Why?

                                                            NATHAN
                                    Because I’m not interested. Do I need more of a reason than that?

                                                            IRENE
                                    All I’m saying is I think you miss it.

                                                            NATHAN
You are a crazy lunatic who wants way too much control over my life. (To JESS) and you shouldn’t encourage her.

He gets up and starts to leave.

                                                            NATHAN
                                    Where’s my brief case?

He turns around to see IRENE holding it. He reaches for it, but she backs away.

                                                            IRENE
                                    I’m a crazy lunatic who wants too much control over your life?

                                                            NATHAN
                                    Yes, but an extremely talented and beautiful one.

She sighs and hands it to him.

                                                            IRENE
                                    You’d better believe it.

                                                            NATHAN
                                    How could I not with you constantly reminding me?

JESS
                                    You heading home?

                                                            NATHAN
                                    Yeah. And you should too.

                                                            JESS
                                    Crap where’s my wallet?

                                                            NATHAN
                                    Where’s the last place you left it?

Instead of getting insulted by this question, she thinks it over carefully.

                                                            JESS
                                    In the cafeteria, I think.

NATHAN puts his hands to the side of his head (or some other gesture of thinking) and we

Cut to:

INT. THE CAFETERIA – DAY

This is all happening in NATHAN’S mind. He has a photographic memory and is able to project his memories so other people can see them. NATHAN stands in the middle of the cafeteria in the same pose we last saw him in. All the people in the cafeteria are frozen except for NATHAN, IRENE, and JESS. Then he and (JESS) look around. The wallet is on the ground near the trashcan. After a moment, he sees it.

                                                            NATHAN
                                    Found it.

He blinks and then we

Cut to:

INT. NATHAN’S OFFICE – NIGHT

Everything is just how it was before. Only a couple of seconds have passed. NATHAN opens his eyes.

                                                            NATHAN
                                    On the floor by the trashcan. Though the cleaning crew has
probably found it buy now. I’d ask one of them.

                                                            JESS
                                    Thanks.

                                                            IRENE
                                    I still think you could use a real mystery.

                                                            NATHAN
                                    I still think I don’t care.
                                               
Cut to:

INT. DARKENED PARKING LOT - NIGHT

JAY walks through it muttering to himself.

                                                            JAY
                                    Even I could write a better mystery than that.

Then he sees GINA. He obviously knows her very well, and is shocked to see her.

                                                            JAY
                                    Gina?

She doesn’t notice him, but he follows her. She looks around, clearly waiting for someone. She starts getting worried when she can’t find ROWAN. JAY follows her looking just as confused.

                                                            ALEX
                                    Where the hell is she?

While she says it, JAY goes around a corner and sees ROWAN lying dead.

                                                            JAY
                                    That’s not a good sign.

ALEX finds ROWAN and looks terrified as she looks around as if expected ROWAN’S murderer to still be there.

                                                            ALEX
                                    Oh my god. Rowan? Can you hear me? Rowan! (gets out phone)
911. There’s been a murder.

                                                            JAY
                                    (sighs) they are definitely going to make us go to base for this.



END OF TEASER

No comments:

Post a Comment