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Writer's picturejodi

Stop Watch Scene

I had to write a scene once in an Acting for Writers class.

A Stop Watch was started and I had to write a scene involving two people.

In this short amount of time we had to develop a scene that displayed opposing opinion, desire or need between these characters. But with minimal physical or emotional actions directed to the actor. Minimal descriptions of the place and time. This scene was to be about dialogue. Telling a story only through dialogue but without filling the dialogue with exposition.

Upon completion it was read by two actors.

A solo scene that told a story independently without needing to know what happened before or what happens after.

A scene that in and of itself tells a story.

A scene for the actors, an attempt to give them both something to be fighting for in the scene.


This is what I came up with.


________________________________________


FADE IN:


INT. JOLENE’S BEDROOM - DAY


TEEN BEAT posters are plastered on the pastel walls. Sally sits on the edge of the WATERBED, JOURNAL BOOKS strewn across it.


SALLY

Ugh, no, “Why can’t I just stay with my dad? She’s so selfish. AARGH... Sometimes I can’t stand her! She’s such a” -


JOLENE

Mom?


SALLY

Oh... shit... (beat) How dare You Jojo.


JOLENE

What? How dare you?


SALLY

What did you just say?


JOLENE

Nothing.


SALLY

After all I do for you?


Sally flips through the pages of the notebook.


JOLENE

Those are mine.


SALLY

Did you pay for them?


Sally stops on an open page.


SALLY

Huh, you go way back here, don’t you sugar plum? “I’m driving home in the back of my dad’s new Monte Carlo.” Zippity frickin do dah, he got a new car. “I feel so alone back here.” No guff kiddo, I wonder which one he was dating that year?


JOLENE

Mary.


SALLY

“I run my fingers over the comfy seat. It’s a pretty pale turquoise blue. Snow hits the windshield. I look out the frosty back window, searching for” -


JOLENE

Mom!


SALLY

“Santa”?


Sally tosses the notebook onto the bed, then picks up another.


SALLY (cont.)

Let’s see... Oh, what’s THIS? Look at all of these pretty little hearts. “August 26, 1989”. Huh, this is really recent. “So today” -


JOLENE

Mom please!


SALLY

“is a day that I will never ever, Ever forget” -


JOLENE

Stop!


SALLY

Why? You wouldn’t keep secrets from mummy, would you?


JOLENE

No?


SALLY

“George and I”. Who’s George?


JOLENE

No one.


SALLY

“George and I spent the last day of the summer together at the pond”-


JOLENE

Mommy, please.


SALLY

Is this a diary?


JOLENE

No. Nope. It’s not.


SALLY

It’s dated like a diary?


JOLENE

So.


SALLY

It’s written like a diary?


JOLENE

Not even. It doesn’t even say ‘Dear Diary’ at all.


Sally considers this.

SALLY

I hope not Jojo, because some of these things you wrote -


JOLENE

Mom, they’re just stories.


SALLY

Pinky swear? Even the part about -


JOLENE

Yes, pinky swear.


SALLY

Cross your heart?


JOLENE

Cross my heart, hope to fly, can’t wait to eat my mom’s chicken pot pie.


A telephone loudly rings. (O.S.)

SALLY

Ok. I’m gonna motor and get that. It’s probably Bill.


Sally tosses the book onto the bed with the others.


SALLY

Unless you think it might be George?


JOLENE

Um no, duh. It's just a story.


SALLY

Jojo, if you want to make this “no one” named George a someone, then watch and learn how a lady walks out of a room. It’s something your daddy can never teach you. At least I have that over him.


Jolene flops onto the bed. She puts her face into her pillow and screams.


FADE OUT:


___________________________

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