Living Shadows - A Short Story



Living, Breathing & Drinking Shadows

A strong belief in Ghosts & their Games

by

John Seethar & Peter Bogdanov

4/12/05

 

 

EXT. FORT -- DAY --

The Fort The Fort

A fort on a rise. A tremendous view. A GUARD, well-dressed MANSERVANTS in crewcuts and thin ties, FEMALE staff such as cleaners and maids in cat-eye sunglasses. Everybody work ...

ALEX sits near a side entrance, by the gate overlooking a nearby Mas, once occupied by the farming family who tended the land and fields of the fort's domain. He is smoking and nodding. He's intense, thin, wearing a straw hat. He notices the muggy weather, without worrying about it yet, and bends to snuff his cigarette in an ashtray.

SPLICE-JUMP TO/STEP PRINT: PHILIP ties balloon animals, part of the decorations for a gathering and Village Fair. ALEX assists, but now distracted by the announcement of muggy wet weather. He looks at the sky, and tugs at his manely river of hair. One of the wenches is standing on a chair fixing garlands in a corner of the veranda by an alcove. That's another thing he notices ... a nice hairstyle on the girl.

FRANKY and his staff, especially GERALDO, are drinking, storytelling and fraternising ... getting to know those members of the attendees and the fairer sex they are not so familiar with. GILES is doing the desk-top publishing for the rag, while Danny is in charge of the music, band and P.A.

Maids and waitresses are elsewhere, doing theatrical poses for the photographers, blowing cigarette smoke, brightly dressed, eyelids blue and green, lipstick perfect...

The waitresses clear the long table on the veranda. ALEX holds a piece of untouched cake. A man talks to him, but ALEX stares off, lost in thought. He's concerned about the weather now, and about the disturbances caused by the young population in Aix-en-Provence. He's also concerned about the sickness of DORA, who has been sent to P�zenas to recover from a serious case of influenza aggravated by a case of consumption. He's forgotten the party hat on his head for a minute...

STEP PRINT: ALEX shakes PHILIP's hand and makes him face the photographer's camcorder. They lean in, posing dutifully.

SPLICE-JUMP TO: OLGA, holds a mobile phone, places it to her left ear. OLGA is in charge of the dancers today and is organising that. She's also liasing with Madame Faye, a Japanese lady with duties relating to the public relations and press activities for the event.

STEP PRINT: GRANT is across the field at the tennis courts, but heading back towards the Mas. He looks back over his shoulder often, walks in a tacking motion and gives a small wave to people present he already knows...

ALEX plays with some PUPPETS designed to amuse the little kids. He moves one with each hand.
STEP PRINT: He walks CLOSE to and peers in the camcorder, steps back, happily talking and animating the PUPPETS...





The Mas The Mas


 

DISSOLVE TO:

 

EXT. ON THE BEACH -- DAY --



On the Beach On the Beach


"BEEP BEEP," a cellular phone rings. Alex and TWO JOURNALISTS are talking.

JOURNALIST 1: ...Sounds good.

Alex continues talking. He and the journalists are in a huddle.

ALEX: (voice low): So, we understand each other?

JOURNALIST 2: We do.

ALEX: Publicise my next show in the paper, and you can count on a fully mutually beneficial business relationship.

JOURNALIST 1: Right-o. We'll talk. Soon.

They shake. The jounalists walk away. Alex returns to the HOTEL GROUNDS, meeting up with Philip and lunching.

A massive WALL OF TOPIARY marks the "H.A.G." , the Hotel Athena Gardens.

Alex finds this convenient and pleasant. He takes out his cellular phone, photographing parts of the H.A.G. at interesting angles, studying it ... looking again to the topiary for inspiration for The Fort's next Puppets and Shadows Show. He would sincerely like the Ghost-Puppets to look dark, Gothic, shadowy and spooky.

He looks at his Cerutti watch.



ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE H.A.G.

 

Exterior to the Hotel

 

Frank and Grant enter a building that is annexe to the H.A.G. A female RECEPTIONIST speaks into a HEADSET/PHONE. EMPLOYEES mill about. UTILITY MEN sort through some plans for a mad , complex but ultimately nice wiring job.

Frank: (to receptionist, shows "D.S.L." card) Is this Distribution Systems Logistics ... ?

The receptionist takes the card. In the b.g., MR. JIM LIKELY signs a DELIVERY GUY for some more Ten Thousand Base fibre-network equipment.

RECEPTIONIST: (into PHONE): The two gentleman for the 10 a.m. tour are here.

(to Frank and Grant): You should not touch any of the consoles in here whilst only accorded the "Visitor" badge. Just a moment.

(back into phone, on another line): We hope we have answered your little question. Be reassured on the question of the upgrade to the rolling-stock on the Canal Route. Thank you for consulting D.S.L.

She studies the public tour invitation card, hangs up and motions to Mr. Jim, a bald, amiable engineer-type who passes by with his packet of cigarettes at the ready.

RECEPTIONIST: Mister Jim... could you assist these two gentleman?

Jim spins on his heels, looking, walking over with his hand out. Frank and Grant shake hands and take a proffered ciggy each.

Mr. Jim Likely: Jim Likely, Acting Chief E.D.A. Group Unit, Engineering and Data Analysis.

FRANK: I'm not quite sure how this works. We've dealt with the Highways Agency and Traffic Cops Observational Control Centre before but my uncle is the trains buff ...

Mr. Jim Likely: Ok, well here we go ... well you've seen the trains that run along the picturesque, touristy, Canal Line. Well , so now we've cleared that up, let's move swiftly on, nay segue on to our Control Centre here that is monitoring that sector at the minute with the possibility of switching to the Stations if necessary.

Mr. Jim Likely takes the card the receptionist offers, examines it and hands two VISITOR BADGES over immediately. He also mentions the D.S.L. PRESS-PACK he may distribute to Frank and Grant

Mr. Jim Likely: Let's get started but after the tour I would suggest you only use one of our Stations in a background way and persue the Film and Entertainment Permit work you have established with the Highways Agency.

Grant picks up his briefcase to follow Frank at a business-like distance for an assistant.

 

 

INT. D.S.L. OFFICES -- DAY

They take a lift up several floors. Mr. Jim Likely leads past partitioned cubicles that seem to go on forever. D.S.L. WORKERS abound. CONTROL ROOM personnel walk past, pagers buzzing on their belts.

Mr. Jim Likely: Sorry about about all the hullabaloo. We're still moving equipment around. Stick with me... I've got an office around here somewhere.

Mr. Likely reaches open BOXES, begins collecting pages and materials from each, loading up on photos to do with the trains and tour photos.

Mr. Jim Likely: I have a photo of the tour we gave to some High School Girls last year. It was interesting and fun to show Trains to Saint Trinians. They were more interested in the destinations and getting from A to B stuff than with observing and learning about the minutiae of the rolling-stock, engines and heavy-wagons.

Frank takes a look at the wall with the framed pictures and photos

FRANK: Quite an interesting if not impressive display. Those ladettes, those flappers seem to have had a good time and quite some fun on the tour.

 

 

INT. MR. JIM LIKELY'S OFFICE,
FOLLOWING WEEK -- DAY

LIKELY is typing at his computer. Frank stands, looking at the monitors, consoles and clipboards neatly at the disposal of the Control Room Personnel and Visitor's Centre Guests.

Mr. Jim Likely: (TYPES in keyboard):

W-E-E-K  T-W-O ... V-I-S-I-T-O-R-S C-E-N-T-R-E tour and press-pack ... (studies screen). A memo regarding photographic material for a film project involving the Canal Railway Line with a music video project. Interesting...Is that ok ?

FRANK: Well the series of shots of cool classic, vintage, sports or prestige cars could be paired off with a series of shots of vintage or goods trains. Let me explain somewhat. The Club of Four is essentially based at The Fort. The photographic documents we collect are many and varied and are put on display or shared and transferred for example to associations interested in local history or to the Tourist Information people or sometimes to the Chamber of Commerce. Recently we've been focussing on shots with a bucolic or agricultural theme. Then we might make a selection, turnaround and brainstorm some ideas and use some of the photographs with the projections we make around the puppet-shows.

 

 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN -- 'LOVELY 'DAY

 

 

 

 

DOWNTOWN, A SUSHI BAR IN CHINATOWN,
FOLLOWING WEEK -- DAY

Philip and Olga are in a SUSHI restaurant and bar, eating using chop-sticks.

The tabloid BOX below sets the decoration and artistic feel and theme desired for this potentially special scene.

 

An artistically decorated Sushi Restaurant


The meal trays are as delicate canvasses:
The dark backdrops of the canvasses show in a pleasant light the bowls, boxes, saucers, chop-sticks, dishes and sauces. Some ginger, some orange vegetables, some brown sauces and so on. And as this cutlery and tableware and these tidbits of food are but elegant morsels, as slim as Nouvelle Cuisine for the most part though great in quantity, you could say that these trays taken as an ensemble, paint a pretty picture.

In their chaotic and stressful lives, meals are a way of taking some pleasure during the day in the Japanese tradition. The cooking is delicious and whole-some but a meal in this restaurant for example, or other similar ones like it, is also a visio-pleasure as much as one for the palate.
In similar manner, table manners and the art of presentation are such that a Sushi or Oriental sea-fruit based series of dishes and courses can first be absorbed as simply a cold starter dish or aperitif for the eyes.
Ceramics, varnish-covered potteries and veneered woods using Japanese lacquer, decorative arrangements and so on , also contribute to the culinary experience of table-arts.

 

A Passionate Discussion and Gesturing


The audio experience of accompanying music is Philip's hobby-horse. Olga on the other hand is interested in the visual impact of dancing .... so why not combine the two in a compromise and make the next puppet-show at the Mas, less a case of Punch and Judy but more a musical affair with elements of blues, jazz or even opera.

This food for the soul to be digested in measured quantities , this decentralisation of the heart through the ritual of music, this is all an ornament and a tonal colour palette for the spectators and general audience.

This is the inspiration, this is the muse , this is what needs to be acquired through rehearsal and perfected through the dramaturgy. This is how a play is put on and an event turned around from a banal repetition of re-heated words to a pleasant dramatic experience. - I give you The Club of Four's Puppet-Show , as Philip likes to introduce the shows over the P. A.

 

 



PUBLIC RELATIONS BUREAU FOR THE MAS -- DAY



The Oriental Connection The Oriental Connection


CUT TO:

ON THE ROAD AGAIN -- 'DAY

Everybody do the Monster Mash or a Ducky Dance






ON THE ROAD AGAIN -- 'DAY

By criss-crossing to various beauty spots and taking several reels worth of photographs with good photographic equipment, Alex's team have put together some useful background material involving the cars and the trains against landscape scenes which nobody would call blots on the landscape even if they were strangers to the area.





Club of Four Scheduling Sample

 

 

 

THERE NOW FOLLOW SUNDRY PHOTOS IN APPROXIMATE ORDER ILLUSTRATING THE LIVING SHADOWS STORY



Picture Car 1 Picture Car 1


Picture Train 1 Picture Train 1









 

Picture Train 2 Picture Train 2

 

Picture Car 2 Picture Car 2

 

Picture Train 3 Picture Train 3

 

 

Picture Car 3 Picture Car 3

 

 

Introducuing The Jazz Vocal Square Introducing The Jazz Vocal Square

 

 

Picture Train 4 Picture Train 4

 

 

The Singer The Singer

 

Picture Car 4 Picture Car 4

 

The Designer The Designer

 

Picture Train 5 Picture Train 5

 

The Planner The Planner

 

 

Picture Train 6 Picture Train 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSEMBLY ROOMS -- DUSK

 

3 pics through the improvised Assembly Rooms









 

A distinguished honourable female member addresses us

A distinguished honourable female member is to address our AGM this year

 

 

A Future Stop for the Club of Four A Future Stop for the Club of Four.

 

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