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Screenplay project

 

FANTOME LOVE

FADE IN:

 

INT. GALLERY – DAY

 

A projection on the wall shows a women screaming.

JACOB and AMY (both mid 20’s, a couple,) watch the film. Amy

takes her headphones off and walks away. Jacob follows her.

 

                         JACOB

               Are you okay? What is it?

                         

                         AMY 

               Nothing.

 

Jacob puts his arm round her and gives her a kiss as they

continue through the gallery looking at the rest of the Art

exhibition. Suddenly Amy stops and turns to Jacob.

                         

                         AMY

               I think we need a break.

 

                         JACOB

                    (confused)

               What? Amy?

 

                         AMY

               Sorry Jacob. I gotta go. Sorry.

 

Distressed, Amy rushes from the gallery. Jacob stands alone

in front of the screaming women.

 

                         JACOB

               What the hell?!

 

Jacob looks around the gallery, bewildered, before going

after her.

 

FLASHFORWARD

 

 

EXT. KENNINGHALL COLLEGE GROUNDS - DAY

 

ZAC (mid 20’s) stands looking gravely at the crime scene

cordoned off with police tape. He is in the grounds of a

London Sixth Form College, a collection of innocuous

municipal buildings. Traffic and people going by unconcerned,

indifferent. Upset, Zac walks away leaving the grounds.

 

 

EXT. JACOB’S BUILDING – DAY

 

Zac approaches Jacob’s apartment. He looks up at the windows.

From his pocket he pulls a set of keys. He looks around as he

lets himself in.

 

 

INT. JACOB’S BUILDING, HALLWAY – DAY - FLASHBACK

 

Two teens, ALEX and FRIEND, head downstairs rough-housing one

another. The door slams shut after them.

 

 

INT. JACOB’S FLAT – DAY

 

Hearing the door slam JACOB gets up from the couch carrying

his laptop. He looks out the window and sees Alex and friend

crossing the road. Alex turns around and looks up smiling.

 

(FLASHBACK ENDS)

 

 

INT. JACOB’S BUILDING, HALL - DAY - PRESENT

 

Zac climbs the stairs of the gloomy hallway to Jacob’s flat

on the top floor.

 

 

INT. JACOB’S BUILDING, HALL – DAY

 

Zac opens the flat door. It is in darkness. Zac enters and

turns the light on.

 

 

INT. JACOB”S FLAT - DAY

 

The place is a mess. Strewn with clothes, glasses, plates,

bottles and sheets of paper. Zac, surprised, walks through

the flat taking in the chaos

 

                         ZAC (V.O.)

               What happened?

 

Sheets of A4 paper with images and text, are pinned to the

walls.

 

                         ZAC (V.O.)

               I want to tell you.

 

Zac looks at images of Victorians pinned to the wall.

 

                         ZAC (V.O.)

               But I feel uneasy. I feel...

 

Zac throws open the curtains.

 

                         ZAC (V.O.)

               ...I may be spreading some kind of

                curse.

 

 

INT.  JACOB’S FLAT - DAY - FLASHBACK (RECENT PAST)

 

In between scribbling furiously and typing on his laptop, a

manic, Jacob talks to the empty room.

 

                         ZAC (V.O.)

               What happened to Jacob? Was it

               the break-up with Amy?

 

A photograph of Jacob and Amy.

 

                         ZAC (V.O.)

               Was he ill?

 

Jacob gets up. He’s not wearing anything. He heads over to

the printer.

 

                         ZAC (V.O.)

               Was it a mental breakdown?

 

An image of a Victorian woman emerges from the printer.

 

                         ZAC (V.O.)

               Was it drugs?

 

Jacob pins the image to the wall.

 

(FLASBACK ENDS)

 

 

INT. JACOB’S FLAT, LIVING ROOM – DAY - PRESENT

 

Zac continues to look around the chaotic flat.

 

                         ZAC (V.O.)

               Or was it really something else,

               something other-worldly...

               Something supernatural?

 

Zac opens the window and looks out.

 

 

INT.  WAREHOUSE - FILM SET – DAY - FLASHBACK

 

Jacob is on the set of a low budget film. A corner of the

warehouse space has been turned into a bedroom. A small film

crew is at work.

Jacob looks at his phone and makes a call. It goes to

voicemail.

 

                         JACOB

               Hi Amy. It’s me. Call me.

 

Jacob watches the film crew as they focus on the two actors

on a bed, BEN and KIM.

 

                         DIRECTOR

               You all ready? Take three...

               Action!

 

The couple look at one another intently for a moment, then

kiss.

                         DIRECTOR

               Cut. That’s perfect. That’s it.

               That’s a wrap.

 

Ben and Kim get up from the bed and congratulate one another.

 

                         DIRECTOR

               Fantastic. Everyone thank you

               for your help.

 

Ben leaves the bed and heads over to the Director.

 

                         BEN

                    (to director)

Can I see?

 

                         DIRECTOR

               It’s great.

 

Ben and the Director look at the footage on a monitor. The

PRODUCER joins them.

 

                         PRODUCER

               Wrap party tomorrow! At this

               West-end place.

 

The Producer hands cast and crew flyers as they begin to

break down the set.

Ben takes one and heads over to where Jacob is seated.

 

                         BEN

               I could do with a drink.

 

                         JACOB

                    (looks up from phone)

               That was great. I saw some wine

               over there.

 

                         BEN

               Let’s go to the Pub.

 

                        JACOB

               Sure.

 

Jacob gets up and grabs his bag. He calls out to the

Director.

 

                         JACOB

               You gonna join us at the Swan?

 

Jacob follows Ben toward the door.

 

                         DIRECTOR

               Cool. I’m gonna go straight

               home. But see you tomorrow.

 

 

INT.  LOCAL PUB, THE SWAN – NIGHT

 

Jacob and Ben sit at a table in the bar with their drinks.

 

                         JACOB

               I think its gonna look great.

               What’s next for you?

 

                         BEN

               Not much. You have to write me

               something. I can help get it

               produced.

 

                        JACOB

               How?

               

                         BEN

               I’m loaded!

 

                        JACOB

               You know, I might have something.

 

Ben looks interested.

 

                         JACOB

               How about a Transvestite...

               vigilante... super-hero!?

 

                         BEN

               Typecast again!

 

                         JACOB

               ...Righting wrongs, meting out

               Justice, holding the line.

               Just finished it. Been working

               on it for ages.

 

Ben puts his hand on Jacob’s leg as he speaks.

 

                         BEN

               Action hero in drag! Sounds

               amazing! You got to let me

               read it?

 

                         JACOB

               Sure. I’ll send it to you.

 

                         BEN

               No. Now! Do you have your laptop?

 

                         JACOB

               Yeah.

 

                        BEN

               Lets go back to mine. Print

               it out and we can read through,

               and have a smoke.

                     

                    

                

      

 

                        JACOB

               Sure.

 

Ben’s hand remained on his thigh.

 

                         BEN

               What?

 

                         JACOB

               You not gonna try it on

               again?

 

                         BEN

                    (smiling)

               You mean you don’t fancy me?

 

Jacob took a swig from his pint. Ben grabs at Jacob’s crotch and Jacob splutters his beer overthe table. Ben removes his hand and falls back laughing as Jacob wipes his face.

 

                         BEN

               I can deal with that. Anyway,

               I was drunk. Shall we go back

               to mine? Or yours. I’m easy.

 

 

INT.  BOOKSHOP - DAY

 

Jacob sits behind a till with stacks of books on a counter in

front of him. A solitary customer browses. Jacob looks at his

phone.

 

                         JACOB

                    (into phone)

               Hi Zac... How’s it going? What

               you doing tonight? We finished

               filming yesterday. The wrap

               party is tonight. Do you wanna

               come? It’s in Soho. Call me.

 

Jacob put his phone away and says hello to the customer. He

picked up a stack of books and heads over to a bookshelf.

 

 

EXT. JACOB’S BUILDING - STREET - DAY

Jacob walks up to front door of the large Victorian house,

and lets himself in.

 

 

INT.  JACOB’S BUILDING - HALL - DAY

The hall is cluttered; a couple of bikes, bits of furniture,

a leafy plant, gardening tools, cardboard boxes and a table

with residents mail waiting to be collected.

Jacob looks through the mail. Nothing. He heads up-stairs.

 

(FLASHFBACK ENDS)

 

 

INT. JACOB’S FLAT – DAY - PRESENT

 

As Zac wanders through Jacob’s trashed flat hears a noise.

Was it coming from the other room? He turns around, retraces

his steps and looks for a possible source.

 

 

INT.  JACOB’S FLAT – EVENING - FLASHBLACK

 

Jacob’s phone pings. He closes his flat door and heads to the

kitchen. He takes his phone from his pocket and reads the

text from Zac.

 

                         TEXT

               Sounds great. Where n when?

 

 

INT.  JACOB’S FLAT - LATER

 

The flat is neat and tidy. Music plays and Jacob drinks beer

and dances as he moves from room to room.

Finally he gets a look together in front of the mirror.

 

 

EXT. VARIOUS - WEST END STREETS - NIGHT

 

London. Glittering lights. Busy street’s. People of different

types, the ordinary, the eccentric. Urban life. Shop-fronts.

Bustle. Traffic. Towers. Energy.

 

 

EXT. WEST END STREET - NIGHT

 

Jacob gets off the bus and makes his way through the busy

hectic streets.

 

 

INT.  BAR - NIGHT

 

Music and lights play as young men and women, groomed and

dressed in fashionable ways perch at tables and pose at the

bar, engaging in talk or dance.

 

Jacob stands at the bar with members of the film crew,

including the Producer, the Director and Ben.

 

                         PRODUCER

               A Transvestite vigilante

               thriller?!

 

                         BEN

               It’s great. You need to read

               it!

 

                         JACOB

               You need to read it. It’s

               not gay!

 

                         PRODUCER

               Ok. Send! Although I’m gonna

               be busy on a money making

               project soon.

 

As they laugh, Jacob’s phone lights up and rings.

 

                         JACOB

                    (into phone)

               I’m at the bar. Upstairs.

 

Zac and Jacob see one another across the room. They greet

each other with a hug.

 

                          ZAC

               Hey. How’s it going?

 

                         JACOB

               Cool. This is Ben. He was in

               the film. And this is the film’s

               Producer, Kat. This is the

               Director...

 

                         ZAC

               Hi. Hi.

                         

                         BEN

                   (to Zac)

               You in a band? You look like

               you’re in a band.

 

                         ZAC

               No. I’m a DJ. 

 

                         BEN

               Cool! DJ Zac.

 

                         ZAC

               No. DJ Zee.

 

 

INT. CLUB, DANCEFLOOR - NIGHT

 

Jacob, Zac and the others throw some shapes on the dance

floor.

Zac and Ben leave Jacob dancing on his own.

The track finishes. Jacob heads off the dance floor to the

bar where Zac and Ben continue flirting.

 

 

INT. CLUB, BAR – NIGHT

 

Over loud music Jacob talks with Kim (the actress). Kat the

producer joins them. Kat and Kim talk. Jacob wonders off.

Jacob takes his phone out and writes a text.

 

                         TEXT

               What u up to? I might head

               home. I’m drunk. C u soon...

 

 

EXT.  CLUB, ENTRANCE - NIGHT

 

Jacob leaves the bar passing Club Kids dressed in strong

styles queuing or hanging out in the smoking area.

 

                         JACOB

               Great Hat.

 

A guy in a vintage top hat stares through him as another guy

barges into him.

 

                         ANGRY MAN

               Fucking Hell. Watch where

               you’re going.

 

The guy in the top hat laughs. Jacob heads off.

 

 

EXT. MAIN STREET – NIGHT

 

Walking along Oxford St. Jacob turns into a side road.

Suddenly it is less busy. He continues along and turns into

another side street.

He feels as if he is being followed. He looks over his

shoulder. He increases his pace. The STALKER follows.

 

 

 

 

to be continued... 

 

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