AS Media Studies - first draft of Echoes
- 1. INT. SWORD HOUSEHOLD, CATHY’S BEDROOM - DAY Oliver Sword stands in a baby’s bedroom, complete with a cot, looking at a photo in a frame that cannot be seen by the audience. The room has clearly not been used in years, evident from the layer of dust on the furniture and the large cobweb in the corner of the ceiling. He has vacant look in his eyes, as if the photo has transported him into a memory. He smiles. INT. SWORD HOUSEHOLD, KITCHEN - EVENING Oliver frantically rushes around the kitchen, taking a tray of food out of the oven. The phone rings as he does so. OLIVER Chris! CHRISTINA (offstage, and simultaneously with Oliver) Ollie! When the phone continues to ring, he moves back and forth with the tray in his hand before dumping it on the counter and rushes out of the room. INT. SWORD HOUSEHOLD, DOWNSTAIRS HALLWAY - EVENING Oliver picks up and answers the house phone, clearly distracted and his mind elsewhere. OLIVER Hi Mum...oh...well, we just had the table set and all...I don’t know about next...bye then. He puts down the phone and sighs, walking towards the staircase. OLIVER (calling up the stairs) They’re not coming, Chris! Hearing no reply, Oliver sighs and walks back toward the kitchen. INT. SWORD HOUSEHOLD, KITCHEN - EVENING Oliver leans on the counter, bored. He takes a sausage roll from the tray and bites into it, spitting it out on the floor, finding it burning hot. (CONTINUED)
- 2. CONTINUED: 2. OLIVER Fuck. He moves his tongue about in his mouth, feeling uncomfortable. He picks up the sausage he spat out and wraps it in a tissue, looking disgusted. OLIVER (calling out) Chris! He walks out the room, forgetting to throw the tissue in the bin. INT. SWORD HOUSEHOLD, DOWNSTAIRS HALLWAY - EVENING Oliver starts to walk up the stairs. OLIVER Chris, you don’t need to get all dolled up: they’re not coming anymore. (upon hearing no response) Chris? INT. SWORD HOUSEHOLD, UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - EVENING Oliver pokes his head into their bedroom but Christina is not there. For the nanosecond he passes Cathy’s room, he is tense. He then notices the bathroom door is locked. He knocks on the bathroom door. OLIVER Chris, you OK? CHRISTINA (through the door) Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just cramps. Christina opens the door, looking down a bit as if shielding her face. OLIVER What’s wrong? CHRISTINA I’m fine. What do you mean they’re not coming? We’ve got all that chicken marinating in the fridge and--- (CONTINUED)
- 3. CONTINUED: 3. OLIVER Chris, look at me. She looks up to reveal her eyes slightly red, evidence that she had been crying. CHRISTINA Happy? OLIVER (with a hint of anger) What’s going on? CHRISTINA Cathy. What’s that in your hand? He remembers the tissue in his hand. OLIVER (distracted) Oh; sausage roll I ate was a bit too hot. He walks into the bathroom to throw it in the bin, but Christina grabs his wrist. CHRISTINA (jokingly) Hey, those were for the guests! OLIVER Yes, and I learnt my lesson. He sticks out his tongue, making a grumpy face, jokingly, as he breaks free of her grasp and opens with bin with his foot, but as he drops the tissue in it, he freezes as he looks at the contents. He sees a pregnancy test. He looks up, seeing Christina looking at him in panic, in the mirror’s reflection.