itsemily-louise-writing-blog

[itsemily-louise-writing-blog]

Hey. Unfinished script I'm working on, around 32 pages of a planned 100 page story. I would really appreciate some feedback as I'm not yet sure about my work. Thank you, Emily.

EMILY MCCAUSLAND “TEENAGE DIRTBAG”

CHARACTERS: The Streets: Charlotte May Jane Louisa Street (born 30 July 1999) Maria May Jane Street (born 24 March 1973) Francesca Louisa Taylor née Street (born 3 August 1969) Cody Jake James (born 2 March 1994) Lily Elizabeth Street (born 21 August 2010) Max James Street (born 18 October 2013) The Deans: Kayla Thomas née Dean (born 30 July 1967) Jerome Dean (born 21 August 1972) The Greys/Spencers: Karl Spencer Daphne Grey née Merrimack, previously Spencer Alexander Edward Grey Logan Christopher Spencer (born 11 January 1971) Danielle Spencer née Dean (born 4 October 1974) Terri Amber Spencer (born 8 October 1993) Maxxi Lola Spencer (born 8 October 1993) Robbie James Spencer (born 21 November 1997) Evan Freddie Spencer (born 2 February 2000) Lillie Alexia Spencer (born 2 August 1972) Mark Summers Taylor Joanne Summers (born 2 December 1993) Haiden Jennifer Summers (born 1 July 1996) Rylee Felicia Summers (born 12 April 2002) Tessa Nicole Grey (born 3 June 1983) Kezia Grey (born 20 November 2000) Axle Max Grey (born 22 September 1988) Polly Anna Maisie Grey née Thomas (born 10 November 1991) Jaydon James Grey (born 10 April 2008) Tristan Mason Grey (born 21 May 2010) The Evertons: Daniel Thomas “Danny” Everton (born 5 May 1971) Rebecca Kelly “Becky” Lloyd (born 11 September 1972) Thomas Daniel “Tom” Everton (born 17 July 1992) Tiffani Rebecca Everton (born 27 March 1994) Ethan James Everton (born 15 June 1998) Elliott Michael Everton (born 15 June 1998) Maya Kelly Everton (born 11 July 2002) The Lyles: Annalise Lily “Annie” Lyle (born 21 December 1991) Elizabeth Annabelle Lyle (born 21 June 1996) Madeleine Jennifer Lyle (born 26 March 1997) The Hutches: Brett Charlie Hutch (born 21 December 1987) Thomas Jacob Hutch (born 15 December 1994) Nathaniel Mason “Nate” Hutch (born 15 November 1996) Others: Matt Cooper Jake Mitchell Ben Macaulay Amy Macaulay Nicole Harry Shields Holly Shields Shaun Brandon Thomson Nathan Thomson Nicola Thomson Lauren Mitchell Jade Kerri Ann Gemma Lottie Young Cheyenne Young Jazia Jennifer Danielle Olivia Porsche Piper Drew Zack Drew Denny Drew Anita Mitchell Maria Mitchell Charlie Thomson SCENE ONE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. V.O. AUGUST 1, 2017. ARCHIVE FOOTAGE OF CHARLOTTE GROWING UP AND CHARACTERS SHOWN AS THEY ARE NAMED. V.O. CHARLOTTE. I’m eighteen-year-old CHARLOTTE STREET, born in Manchester, Lancashire, to SHONNÉ SHIELDS and JEROME DEAN. My mum had previously been married, when she was 20-years-old, but the marriage lasted just 5 years and they divorced at age 25. She had a son, twenty-four-year-old CODY, with her ex-husband, who grew up in Liverpool with his father and I have only ever met him three times. My father was arrested and jailed before I was born, and so my mum cut him off for good and I have no ties to him. I was told I had the cancer gene from my father’s side and was diagnosed in 2012, after I turned 12, and won my battle in 2013 when I was 13. Mum’s parents LEON and LIZZIE were not in the best of health at this point and GRAMPA LEON had to be taken into hospital; NANA LIZZIE was diagnosed as being a dementia patient and taken into a care home almost immediately. They are progressing. I have five cousins: POLLY (born 10 November 1991, to Dad’s sister KAYLA), identical twin sisters TERRI and MAXXI, and ROBBIE and EVAN (born to Mum’s sister DANIELLE). POLLY had two sons, JAYDON and TRISTAN, with husband AXLE GREY. AXLE is now a single father, as POLLY sadly passed away on 10 January 2012. She also had the cancer gene. Axle is the son of DAPHNE GREY, the management at the studio where POLLY and I were a music duo, POLLY providing vocals and keyboard, and myself guitar and backing vocals. I still get money from sales. Our career lasted from September two-thousand-nine (when I was nine and POLLY eighteen) until January two-thousand-twelve (when POLLY was twenty and me twelve). I now work for the studio freelance. I live in a two bed flat with my mother and Aunt Francesca. But spend the majority of my time with my close friends: identical twins ETHAN and ELLIOTT EVERTON, sisters ELIZABETH and MADDIE LYLE, and TOM HUTCH, Elizabeth’s long-term on-again-off-again boyfriend. Elizabeth and Tom have been together for years - they were first made official in December 2011, at school five years ago - but split at least three times and then got back together during that time, but they’ve been firmly back together for eight months now - since September 2016. Ethan and Maddie have been together for four years now - since 30 June 2013 - when Ethan was fifteen and Maddie fourteen. Elizabeth and Maddie have an older sister, ANNIE. Ethan and Elliott have an older brother named THOMAS, and two sisters named MAYA and TIFFANI. Tom has an older brother, BRETT and a young brother NATE. Brett has a daughter named SOFIA with a relative of mine, KAT. Grampa Leon is Kat’s Great-Uncle. AUNT DANIELLE works as the producer of a TV series filmed in front of a live studio audience in Manchester. As soon as I turned 16, I started looking for jobs and got one working in a shop during the summer holidays. They kept me on because they thought I was doing well. But I left in late-August because she was offered another job in advertising. Then in early-September I was a shop assistant for a month before starting my job at as a waitress in a café earlier last month: November. And then I was offered to write and provide guitar for other artists/bands at the studio I had previously worked for. I also play basketball, football, volunteers at the library and attended evening classes in English, Maths and History as I never got to finish school because of my maternal grandparents’ illnesses. And I visit my maternal grandparents often, frequently changing bed sheets at the different locations and bringing them treats and just generally helping out. I started doing some charity work in the summer, gaining permission for use at the community centre; I am using the time slots for young people to sign up and do different activities such as sports, cooking, school tutoring and more, in an attempt to reduce crime; if young people are occupied with something more beneficial to put their time into then they are less likely to commit crime. I also put together fundraisers every six-months-or-so in order to raise money for cancer, with activities including singing, sports, dancing, competitions and more… I have been doing this since I was thirteen and have raised up to £5,000 on these occasions. I inherited my father’s home but rent it out because I’m not ready to live alone (but still pay rent at my mother’s), and I was named on my father’s life insurance, and inherited my father’s car - which I keep in my grandparents’ double garage - as well as inheriting other aspects and property of my father’s belongings. I was recently involved in a drugs raid after being drugged and kidnapped. I was shot in the left shoulder once and stabbed in the very bottom-right of her stomach. I was also sexually assaulted by one of the dealers who wanted money for the drugs my friend had bought. I was later arrested, charged and put behind bars. After one of the dealers’ house was burned to the ground, I was arrested and charged. After serving several months in prison they found the true culprit and released me with compensation. I subsequently fell pregnant as a result of the assault but sadly lost the baby in September at just five months. I then made the decision that I needed some time away from everything, and so moved out of my mother and aunt’s. So, I was homeless for a week or two before I moved back in. I kept my job as my record was cleared after admissions were given and charges were dropped. My bedroom is a square-shape at the back of the home. The bedroom contains: an en-suite on the bottom-right of the room; a wardrobe in the top-right of the room; the bed in the top-left of the room; a bedside and one of two desks next to it, by the window; a stand with a TV on in the bottom-right corner; a round wooden table under the window containing: teddies, baskets with chocolates, sweets and cookies, glitter, candles; a guitar circle containing three guitars on stands in the middle of the room; and a keyboard against the right-side wall. This community centre; work at the café; library; Maths classes; English classes; play football; writing for the studio; basketball training; care home; studying History. I teach guitar. On my basketball team were MATT, JAKE, and siblings BEN and AMY; on my football team were NICOLE, siblings HARRY and HOLLY, and SHAUN. Since the evening classes I have become friends with siblings BRANDON, NATHAN, NICOLA, and LAUREN and JADE, especially as they all help each other during and outside their classes. At the café I often share shifts with three girls around my age named KERRI ANN, GEMMA and LOTTIE. Lottie has a younger sister named CHEYENNE, with whom I have also become quite close. At the studio I have provided guitar for a girl band consisting of members JAZIA, JENNIFER, DANIELLE, OLIVIA and PORSCHE, and solo singers PIPER DREW (through whom I also met her siblings ZACK and DENNY when they came to the studio to see her) and ANITA MITCHELL (through whom I also met her sister MARIA when she came to the studio to see Anita). I also met a guy named CHARLIE THOMSON when I was in London travelling during my music career. We have a lot in common: Charlie’s father also passed away due to cancer, and his mother is a drug user - she’s getting treatment presently. SCENE TWO. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. HOME. DAYTIME It’s Tuesday, May 2, 2017, and six-o'clock-in-the-morning so CHARLOTTE is in the flat getting ready for work and the day ahead of her. She goes to work wearing a long-sleeved black crop top and a long, brown fluffy, warm winter jacket with a fluffy white collar, white scarf, black skinny jeans, and with black trainers. She has her long straight jet-black hair down and a black headband with a cute little black bow on its side, and a small black over-the-shoulder bag. She locks the flat’s white front door and then heads for the café around the corner at 06:35. SCENE THREE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. CAFE. DAYTIME. She arrives at 06:50. In the kitchen, there is a cupboard in the top-left corner, containing lockers; CHARLOTTE opens the locker using her combination, places her bag and coat inside of it, and then gets her coat out of her bag and places it in the back pocket of her jeans, then closing the locker so it’s secure, and putting the required work apron on, which only goes on the waist, not around the neck; she ties it on so that her black crop top reveals her belly button and belly button piercing. Her manager ANA, then comes from around a corner. ANA Oh, hi, Charlotte, how are you today? CHARLOTTE I’m OK thanks, Ana, and yourself? ANA Good ta. So, if you could get some more coffee cups out of storage, refill the coffee machine, and set the buns and bread out, please. That’d be a wonderful start. CHARLOTTE Of course. By 07:45 she has finished all this, and has now taken it upon herself to clean the tables, fridge and counter rather than waiting for ANA to ask her. This is done by 08:15, and customers have started arriving for their morning coffees now, so CHARLOTTE washes her hands and puts a pair of gloves on from storage to make sandwiches. She makes around twenty sandwiches and packages them within an hour. By 09:15 she has been asked to wash up, which takes her around twenty minutes, so by 09:40 she has begun serving customers. By 10:30, after forty minutes of serving, she is due a break and so takes a croissant from the tray on the counter, then making herself a coffee and placing the money in the till; steps out the back and then eats the croissant, getting out a cigarette and lighter along with her phone, holding the coffee and cigarette in one hand and scrolling through her phone with the other. At 10:40 she goes to the staff loo just behind the kitchen, and then heads back in for work by 10:45. Ana then asks her if she’ll restock the fridge while ANA serves. And finally, at 11:15, she’s asked to serve again for the last 45 minutes of her shift. And by 12:00 she’s back at her locker and waving goodbye to ANA. SCENE FOUR. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. FLAT. DAYTIME. She’s home by 12:15 and grabs her laptop and some papers for the group she runs, substituting her small black bag for a bigger black backpack, placing her laptop, phone, purse, notebook and pencil case, small makeup bag including deodorant, perfume, hair and headbands and hair clips, and hairbrush, and a memory stick and earphones. Taking her coat off, she then goes to the fridge to see what there is to eat for lunch. She decides on a pasta salad and sits down at the small round wooden kitchen table to eat it. By 12:30 she’s finished and washed up and so gets her coat from back off the coat stand, grabs her keys from the side, along her backpack, and then locks back up. She then heads to the community centre, taking a 10-minute bus ride and a 20-minute walk, arriving at the community centre for one o'clock, some of the young people having already arrived and waiting outside the hall we use. SCENE FIVE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. COMMUNITY CENTRE. DAYTIME. As they start going in, there is a sign-up sheet that CHARLOTTE puts out, along with an activities sheet, and so they line-up to sign it. She then to set-up the five different activities they’ve got in-store. The tutor then comes in and greets everyone with an apology for being late, and they set up a table for her to sit with the students. CHARLOTTE joins in with some of the activities for an hour-and-fifteen-minutes, and at 14:30 they sit down for a chat about how things are going in general, and then at 14:45 they begin packing up. By 15:00 they have packed up and got their things and are ready to go; they say their goodbyes and then MADDIE heads back home, arriving there for 15:30, getting her laptop out of her backpack and getting some song sheets up so that she can write on them. SCENE SIX. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. FLAT. DAYTIME. She finishes at 17:00 and then begins cooking some tea. She has a small TV in the kitchen on the side, and often watches whilst cooking and eating at the dining table; she switches it on after she’s prepared the vegetables she’s going to cook. She then puts some sausages in the oven and starts grilling them. Once done, she sits down and eats, watching the TV and then washing up, putting a load of washing in the machine and going to her room to get changed into her basketball kit and puts her hair up into a ponytail. SCENE SEVEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. SPORTS HALL. DAYTIME. At 17:45 she sets of for the sports hall, a ten-minute walk, and helps Jake - who’s already there - set up. CHARLOTTE Alright, Jake? JAKE Yeah. Yeah, I’m good ta. CHARLOTTE Need a hand? JAKE I could use one for the other side, thanks, love. CHARLOTTE Sure. By the time they’ve got the ball and bibs out, others have started arriving and the game will therefore begin in a matter of moments. Once they’ve all got their positions determined by their bibs on, the coach gets them to do some warm-ups, and then by 18:30 the coach calls for them to get into position ready for a game. 16-year-old CHARLOTTE plays Power Forward, 22-year-old JAKE plays Shooting Guard, 18-year-old BEN plays Centre, AMY plays Small Forward, and 18-year-old BRANDON plays Point Guard. BEN and AMY are twins. They get into position and start the training, and CHARLOTTE has scored twenty-five baskets in the last half-an-hour. And at 19:00 they get the cones out for dribbling, which they do for fifteen minutes, and then they spend the last ten minutes passing the ball between them, and finally the last five minutes are spent packing up. They then bid one another goodbye and they head out. SCENE EIGHT. MACHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. FLAT. DAYTIME. So, CHARLOTTE sets off for the block of flats she lives in, that her mother rented for years as a teenager and her early-twenties. She gets some pyjamas out from her wardrobe in her room and sets them down on the side in the bathroom (there’s a side from left to right at the back with a round sink in the middle). The bathroom is next to the bedroom I’m the flat, with the kitchen, living room and storage cupboard on the right-hand-side of the hall. Once CHARLOTTE has gotten a towel out of one of the bathroom wall cabinets and hung it on the shower glass, closed the curtains and turned the shower on, she soaks in water for a moment and then begins washing her body. Her hair is up but she’s not washing her hair. She then dries herself on the white bath mat in the middle of the bathroom, and begins putting on her pyjamas: a pair of green shorts, and a blue top with a beach setting on it. She then puts her hair up in a messy bun and slips into her slippers, then placing the towel she just used on the towel rack. And then she goes into the kitchen to make tea and toast. Once that’s done she secures the flat (making sure necessary doors are locked, and curtains and blinds are closed) and so goes into the living room and closes the curtains (the blinds were already shut), and then she gets her phone out from her bag, sits down in the living room, closes the door, begins eating the toast she made earlier, and turns the TV on. She then receives a text message. She then goes into the bathroom to brush her teeth and gets changed into everyday clothing and heads out again. SCENE NINE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. PUB. NIGHTTIME. She heads to her local where she spots some older friends: 20-year-old twin brothers ETHAN and ELLIOTT, Ethan’s 19-year-old girlfriend MADDIE, Maddie’s 20-year-old sister ELIZABETH, and Elizabeth’s 20-year-old boyfriend TOM. They are visiting family on a break from filming. It’s 21:15 and ETHAN has his arm around MADDIE. CHARLOTTE has small brown eyes, is tanned, has a small thin nose, has a round face, cheekbones, wavy jet-black hair and is 5'8". ETHAN and ELLIOTT have small brown eyes, are tanned, and Ethan has a little stubble and is around 5'7" while Elliott’s baby-faced and 5’9” and, finally, they both have oval faces and strong cheekbones, messy thick dark brown hair and a handsome smile. MADDIE has long dirty blonde hair, is 5'7" in height, is fair skinned and has noticeable cheekbones, small green eyes and rosy cheeks. Elliott has a much bulkier build, is paler, has hazel eyes, freckles and lighter, shaven hair and is 5'9" in height. ELIZABETH has light brown hair, green eyes and cheekbones and has olive-tone skin, and is smaller in height than her younger sister at 5'5". TOM is 5'8" in height and has a round face and stubble, is olive-skin-toned, has dark brown parted hair and bright blue eyes. Elizabeth is sitting on her boyfriend’s lap and they are whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears. Elliott and Charlotte are the only singles left in the bunch, but Elliott is a lady’s man and is usually speaking to at least two or three girls at a time. He’s had quite a few girlfriends but never really long-term, whereas his twin has had three or four girlfriends but they’ve all been for a longer period of time. ELLIOTT is sitting opposite his brother with a girl he met a few weeks ago when she guest-started at his workplace: 25-year-old DANIELLE JACKSON. She’s got one leg on Elliott’s lap and the other drooped over the edge of the red leather seat, her head resting against the wall that the booth is up against. CHARLOTTE is sitting next to ELLIOTT, opposite TOM and ELIZABETH. And next to CHARLOTTE, on the left-side-edge of the booth is TOMMY LEWIS, a cousin of Elizabeth and Maddie. DANIELLE How long have you pair been together?“ ETHAN Four years (He takes a sip from his pint) Danielle then turns her focus on Tom and Elizabeth. TOM Well, we first got together four years ago, but we split within three months; got back together two weeks later, stayed together for a year before breaking up again, and then got back together a day later; and it kept going like that on-off for another couple of years, but we’ve been firmly back together for a year now DANIELLE How can you be sure that you’ll stay together this time? And how come you’ve split so many times, anyway? (Danielle speaks her mind) TOM Er, well our personalities tend to clash because I’m the kind of guy who would be getting detentions every other day in school, was never very academically involved and used school as a social and trouble making opportunity, and partied while his parents were out- (He looks sheepish and then turns to his girlfriend) ELIZABETH Whereas I… put my head down and got all the work done, always had my head in a book, was at the library, or the voice of something academically-inclined, and only had a small group of friends. But when I met Tom at school I found his loud, cheeky side very attractive because he was funny and would always try and involve me in everything he could. And that’s when we started seeing each other… TOM But my wild side has always gotten in the way because there were trust issues. However, we’ve had a good chat about it and decided that none of that matters, we love each other and we couldn’t be ourselves without each other; the fitting pieces to one another’s puzzle. So, if it starts getting tough again, rather than splitting, we’ll talk about it and remind each other why we’re together. ELIZABETH So, we’re going to start over, we’re going to make a new start of our relationship, erase everything from the past that hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to, and stay together for as long as we can. (she smiles, cuddling in tighter to her boyfriend) TOM takes a mouthful from his pint and gulps it down, while ELIZABETH elegantly sips her wine. TOM then takes ELIZABETH’s left hand into his right, from over his shoulder. ETHAN and CHARLOTTE have now gone up for a dance and I swear if DANIELLE gets any closer to ELLIOTT she’ll be sitting on his lap. And TOMMY has now found a girl, who’s just asked him to dance. ELLIOTT Charlotte, do you want a game of pool? CHARLOTTE Sure. DANIELLE lazily takes her leg off of ELLIOTT’s lap and he downs the rest of his drink and offers CHARLOTTE a coke as they go past the bar to the pool table, an offer upon which she takes. Once she’s got the coke she thanks ELLIOTT and then he puts a coin in and they set up the game. CHARLOTTE Who’s breaking? ELLIOTT Ladies first. (He gestures the table) ELLIOTT Don’t you have work tomorrow? CHARLOTTE Nope! And even if I did, I like the company. (She breaks) ELLIOTT So, what are you doing tomorrow, then? (He takes his shot) CHARLOTTE Studio work. Care home. Community Centre. Maths evening class. English evening class. (Lazily) “Ooh!” (She pots a ball) ELLIOTT Nice one! Could always stay at ours, Mum and Dad won’t mind, you know what they’re like. Everyone’s coming ’round tonight. (Charlotte smiles) ETHAN Oi, Elliott, when you and Charlotte are done we’re gonna head back. (From the bar) ELLIOTT Alright, bro. ETHAN D'you want one more drink, any of you? ELLIOTT Please, bro. CHARLOTTE Yes, please. ETHAN takes a final swig from his bottle and orders another round, MADDIE linked arm in arm on his left side, head on his shoulder. ETHAN You alright, babe? You look tired. (He ruffles his girlfriend’s hair) MADDIE I am (Maddie sighs) ETHAN We’ll be going soon, no worries. Are you staying over? (Maddie nods) ETHAN Is there something else wrong, Mads, you seem upset? MADDIE Nah, just tired. (She’s still tucked into her boyfriend) ETHAN Well if there is something the matter, you can tell me, you know. MADDIE I know, babe, thank you. ELLIOTT Guys, anyone want a smoke? (He walks around the corner past the bar with Charlotte, aiming his question at his brother, Tom, and Maddie, knowing that they smoke and Danielle, Elizabeth and Maddie don’t) MADDIE goes out, leaving her sister with their cousin and DANIELLE. The others make their way out with their drinks in hand. And ELLIOTT hands a lighter round. CHARLOTTE Wish I were eighteen. (She shivers) ETHAN You can still smoke. (He takes his coat off and placing it on Charlotte’s shoulder) CHARLOTTE Thank you. ETHAN Drinking is good, though. (He puts his arm round his girlfriend and smiling) ETHAN and ELLIOTT’s younger sister, TIFFANI, comes around the corner suddenly with some of her friends from school. She’s 18. ETHAN Alright, Tiff! TIFFANI Yo, bros! (She slurs and giggles) ELLIOTT Are you drunk? Have you got her drunk? (He gestures to Tiff’s boyfriend on the right) BOYFRIEND No! And even she was, she’s eighteen. ETHAN Yeah well, she’s still our little sister. TIFFANI Shut up! (Tiff goes into the pub) See you at home. TOM Right, I’m gonna go see my girlfriend. (He goes back into the pub) ELLIOTT Dude, you saw her ten minutes ago. TOM I love her. Always wanna be with her. ETHAN You wouldn’t understand, mate. (Tom’s gone in) ELLIOTT Why wouldn’t I? ETHAN Because you’ve never been properly in love. You’ve loved before, but I don’t think you’ve ever been in love. ELLIOTT I haven’t. I love but they don’t seem to truly love me back. ETHAN That’s because you fall in love too quickly, mate. ELLIOTT Can’t help who you fall in love with. ETHAN No, but sometimes you can help how fast you fall in love with them. Or what you show. I fell in love with Maddie quickly but I didn’t tell her I loved her until about six months in because I didn’t want to put her off or jinx it. And I had to make sure I felt absolutely certain about my feelings and that I wanted to stay with her. And that I thought she felt the same about me. Bro, can you honestly tell me that you wanted to be with those girls for the long-term? ELLIOTT Just one. (Elliott takes a last swig from his bottle) But she’s well out of my reach. (He makes his way back inside) ETHAN How come? ELLIOTT She’s in love with someone else. (He opens the door and going back in) As everyone else follows, Charlotte makes to take off Ethan’s coat but he puts it back on her shoulder. ETHAN Keep it till we get to mine, I’m warm. CHARLOTTE Thanks again. ETHAN As for you… (He refers to his girlfriend and cuddling her in tighter, kissing her on the head) I love you and you only get your charger back when you give me a kiss!     (Maddie pecks Ethan on the lips) No no, I mean a proper kiss! CHARLOTTE Too much info, mate. When they get back in they get their coats and the twins tell their sister they’ll see her when they get home, and they head off out. ELLIOTT You coming, Danielle? DANIELLE Nah, mate, I’ll catch you up. ELLIOTT Alright. See you back at ours in a bit. DANIELLE Yeah. I’ll see you lot back with Tiff. TOM and ELIZABETH cuddle into one another as they walk. CHARLOTTE texts her mum and her aunt to say where she’s going; two minutes later SHONNÉ texts back and five minutes later AUNT FRANCESCA texts back. They are fine with it. On the way out of the pub they spot CHARLOTTE’s friend CHARLIE, who then joins them, and later his ex, LOTTIE YOUNG, who works with CHARLOTTE, and also joins them. SCENE TEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. EXT. PARK. NIGHTTIME. They walk by a small park on the way to the Everton household. Ethan gets a cigarette out and begins smoking it, and then leads the way into the park, sits against a fence in the pitch dark, and spins Maddie around to sit in his lap; ELLIOTT sits next to them and lights up a cigarette, CHARLOTTE beside ELLIOTT, and TOMMY beside MADDIE, while TOM and ELIZABETH sit side-by-side at the back. TOM has his arm around ELIZABETH as he too lights up a cigarette, while ETHAN leans over to light CHARLOTTE’s up for her. CHARLOTTE Cheers, mate. ETHAN notices MADDIE getting cold and starting to shiver, and so wraps his arm around her and gives her a very friendly kiss on the cheek. TIFFANI, her boyfriend MAX, DANIELLE, and their friends ANTONY, his girlfriend DIONNE, her fraternal twin AMY, FLOYD, and EMMA are on their way to the Evertons’ when they cross through the park and sit with the others. TIFFANI and MAX sit together next to CHARLOTTE; DANIELLE sits beside TOM and ELIZABETH; and ANTONY and FLOYD squeeze themselves between ETHAN and MADDIE and ELLIOTT. At 23:15 they decide to play a game of Heads Up, which lasts until midnight, and with ELLIOTT and MADDIE tying in first place, they then decide to play Truth or Dare until 00:30; ELLIOTT, TIFFANI, MAX and DANIELLE quickly got bored of that game because nobody else was doing a Dare. So, they moved on to Spin the Bottle, however the couples did not take part. They form a circle at the swings; from left to right starting at CHARLOTTE: ELLIOTT; DANIELLE; TOMMY; FLOYD; EMMA; LOTTIE; AMY; CHARLIE. CHARLOTTE, ELLIOTT, DANIELLE and EMMA light up a cigarette each, and everyone except TOMMY and FLOYD has (another) drink. CHARLOTTE was made to kiss ELLIOTT and TOMMY, while DANIELLE and LOTTIE are made to kiss CHARLIE; DANIELLE is made to kiss ELLIOTT, and EMMA and AMY are made to kiss FLOYD. SCENE ELEVEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1 AND 2, 2017. THE EVERTON HOUSE. NIGHTTIME. Then at 23:45, the twins, TIFFANI, MAX, CHARLOTTE, MADDIE, TOM, ELIZABETH, DANIELLE and TOMMY decide to go back to the Evertons’ place, a ten-minute walk away. Once there, TIFFANI, MAX, DANIELLE and TOMMY head into TIFFANI’s bedroom, while the others head into the twins’ room: ETHAN and MADDIE lay on his bed; ELLIOTT and CHARLOTTE on his bed; TOM and ELIZABETH on the yellow beanbag under the window. By midnight ELLIOTT has CHARLOTTE tucked into his chest, and they’re watching a film with earphones on his tablet; ETHAN and MADDIE are well into a game of tonsil tennis; TOM is showing ELIZABETH something on his phone whilst cuddling her from behind as she sits on his lap. MADDIE Do I get my charger back now? (Maddie asks Ethan after they’ve taken a breath) He reaches down the side of his bed and pulls it out from the plug behind his bedside table, rolls the wire up around the plug and puts it in her jean pocket. ETHAN Thank you. Right, I’m going to get some drinks. (He jumps up off his bed and smiling back at his girlfriend) TOM I’ll come. (Tom pecks Elizabeth on the cheek and shifting her legs so that he can get up) They go downstairs and bump into Ethan’s parents, 45-year-old BECKY LLOYD and 47-year-old DANNY, holding hands as they pass their son and Tom on the way up the stairs to bed. BECKY Goodnight. DANNY ’Night, mate. ETHAN Na-night. BECKY Don’t stay up too late. They pass ETHAN’s older brother, 24-year-old THOMAS at the table on his laptop. Upstairs, ELLIOTT wraps his arms around CHARLOTTE’s waist from behind, and plants a soft kiss on her cheek. By 02:45 they have had five more lagers each, three more cigarettes, and are falling asleep under the sheets of his bed. ETHAN and MADDIE don’t fall asleep until around 03:30; ELIZABETH dropped off at 00:30 and TOM was playing ‘Heads Up’ with ETHAN and MADDIE until 02:00, when he went to sleep on the orange beanbag next to his girlfriend. At 06:45 CHARLOTTE wakes up, and showers until 06:55, getting some spare clothes from under ELLIOTT’s bed (she stays often as she and the twins go way back) and she takes ETHAN’s laptop downstairs (as she has done many times; he lets her use it for studio work, where she’ll email herself back after she’s done) and starts working. She opens her emails and finds a song sheet, and then finds an email from her manager DAPHNE, requesting the sort of work she wants done. And begins writing. At 07:30 MAYA EVERTON comes downstairs and offers her friend some breakfast and fresh clothes, which CHARLOTTE kindly accepts. CHARLOTTE stays round the twins more frequently than anyone apart from MADDIE, who keeps clothes in the twins’ room in Ethan’s wardrobe. ETHAN Hey, Charlotte, do you want some company to visit your grandparents? CHARLOTTE Er, if you’re offering, mate. But I’ve gotta leave in ten. ETHAN Okay, no worries. Let me just put some toast in and brush me teeth and then we can head off. I’ll walk Mads to college as well CHARLOTTE Sure, no worries. Thanks, E. ETHAN Right, what would you like for breakfast, love? (He asks Maddie) MADDIE Yoghurt, please, if you’ve got any, babe? ETHAN Coming up. ELLIOTT Right, I’m off to work. See you guys later. (Elliott puts his coat on, half a piece of toast hanging from his mouth) MAYA AND ETHAN See ya, bro. After a series of ‘goodbye’s he makes his way out. SCENE TWELVE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. EXT. STREETS OF MANCHESTER AND OUTSIDE OF LOCAL COLLEGE. DAYTIME. At 08:50 ETHAN, MADDIE and CHARLOTTE bid goodbye and head out. ETHAN and MADDIE are holding hands. It’s another miserable rainy Manchester day and so all three are wearing hoodies/coats and have hoods up. They walk towards the park where they stayed for a few hours last night and turn left at the end of the street, walk down a road for ten minutes until they’re at Maddie’s (and Elizabeth’s) house, where she grabs her backpack and a drink. Another fifteen-minute walk down the street and they’re at the college MADDIE attends; she wraps her arms around her boyfriend’s neck and gives him a cuddle, which he happily receives, and as she meets a couple of friends who also give Ethan a wave, they say “I love you” to one another, and then she’s off giggling with her friends. ETHAN So, do you want dropping off or for some company inside? (He throws an arm around Charlotte’s left shoulder) CHARLOTTE You’re not working till later, are you? ETHAN Nah, twelve till eight. CHARLOTTE Okay, then yes, please, company’d be nice. (She smiles) What’s the time? ETHAN Twen'y past nine. CHARLOTTE You got a burn, by any chance? ETHAN Er… (Ethan hesitates as he feels around in his pockets for a moment) Yes (He gets a lighter out and then a cigarette pack) SCENE THIRTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. INT. CARE HOME. DAYTIME. They talk for another ten minutes into the town centre, and then make their way up the stone steps. They sign in at the desk, and a nurse directs the two to CHARLOTTE’s NANA LIZZIE and GRAMPA LEON. CHARLOTTE Hiya, Nana (Charlotte says barely above a whisper) NANA ANNA Shonné? CHARLOTTE Nana, it’s me. It’s Charlotte, your granddaughter, and this is my friend, Ethan. Remember? NANA ANNA Charlotte? CHARLOTTE Yes, Nana, it’s me. Do you want a cup of tea? (She nods vaguely) ETHAN I’ll make it (Ethan offers as Charlotte makes to get up) NANA ANNA Thanks, sweet. GRAMPA LEON comes out from his room. GRAMPA LEON Hiya, sweetheart. (Grampa Leon gives Charlotte a hug) CHARLOTTE Hiya, Grampa. How are you? GRAMPA LEON Alive. How are you? How’s Mum, Aunt Francesca. CHARLOTTE They’re alright, Grampa, as am I - thank you. ETHAN comes back with three mugs of tea. ETHAN There we go. CHARLOTTE Thanks, E. NANA ANNA Thank you … er … E-E … Eth- … E … something. CHARLOTTE Ethan, Nana. NANA ANNA Right. GRAMPA LEON Thank you, Ethan. (He raises his mug) After an hour of random chats about life and memories have been shared and exchanged, CHARLOTTR and ETHAN bid their goodbyes and make their way out. SCENE FOURTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. EXT. STREETS OF MANCHESTER. DAYTIME. ETHAN Hungry? CHARLOTTE Yeah, I could eat. ETHAN Where’d you fancy? CHARLOTTE Chippy? ETHAN Sure. They buy chips and go for a walk in the park. CHARLOTTE Thanks for coming with me today, E. ETHAN No probs. You coming ’round tonight? CHARLOTTE Yeah, Elliott asked me last night. ETHAN Ah, I’ve got work till one. So, you and me brother can have the room to yourselves! (He nudges her) CHARLOTTE Shut up! ETHAN Well, when are you guys ever gonna get on with this shit? CHARLOTTE Dude! I don’t see him in that way. ETHAN How come? CHARLOTTE I don’t know, it’s just … a lot of girls have a crush on him. ETHAN Yeah but what’s that matter? He’s only got eyes for you. (Charlotte does not respond) SCENE FIFTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1 AND 2, 2017. THE EVERTON HOUSE. DAYTIME. They make their way back to the Evertons’ place at 11:30. After she’s been at the community centre, CHARLOTTE heads to the library. She stacks shelves for a while, and helps out with some admin, and then heads back home to the flat, where her mother and aunt are, for tea. SCENE SIXTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1 AND 2, 2017. THE EVERTON HOUSE. NIGHTTIME. At 22:00 that night, CHARLOTTE and ELLIOTT are in the living room at his place playing a game with MAYA, her boyfriend CODY, DANIELLE JACKSON, her sister JENNIFER, Maya’s friends RYDER and SAMANTHA, and Max’s best friend TRAVIS. They are playing video games. MAYA, CODY, TRAVIS and DANIELLE go up to her room at 00:00, while everyone else minus CHARLOTTE has left by then. ELLIOTT lays on his bed and pulls out a cigarette, offering CHARLOTTE one. ELLIOTT Thanks, mate. (Charlotte takes one from the pack) D'you wa’ a lift back after, or you staying? CHARLOTTE Lift, please, mate. They smoke, drink and chat for a while on ELLIOTT’s bed, and ETHAN comes back in five minutes later. ETHAN Hey, bro, what you up to? ELLIOTT You’re early. ETHAN Yeah, it was quiet. Hiya, Charlotte. CHARLOTTE Hey. ELLIOTT D'you want a smoke? A can? ETHAN Yeah, go on. But then I’m going to sleep. CHARLOTTE, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want. But if you’re gonna be staying up late, quiet please. CHARLOTTE Of course, mate. ETHAN’s phone rings. ETHAN Hey, babe… Elizabeth … Calm down, I can’t understand ya. Eliz- Where’s Maddie? Is Tom there? Mate, what’s going on? I can’t hear. Oh, shit… Okay, I’m coming over. (He hangs up the phone) ELLIOTT What’s going on? ETHAN Not sure. I’ve gotta go. Tell ‘oever’s up that I’ve got my phone if they need me. ELLIOTT Be safe. And let us know when you’re ready. Is there any chance you could give Charlotte a lift home? ETHAN Will do. Let’s go, get ya home. See ya later, mate. ELLIOTT Good luck, bro. You coming ours later, Char? CHARLOTTE Yeah, I will, but not for a while, I’ve got a family meal with my mum and aunt at seven. ELLIOTT Oh okay, give us a buzz, then. CHARLOTTE Will do. See ya later. They get into the twins’ blue ford focus for the five-minute ride. ETHAN looks intense and is biting his fingernail nervously. ETHAN Sorry, Char, I’m worried about Mads and the family - something’s obviously happened. CHARLOTTE As long as they’re okay. Go on, go and see her - I’ll see you later, yeah - good luck.

ETHAN Thanks, Char, I’ll let you know. SCENE SEVENTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. INT. FLAT. NIGHTTIME. Charlotte strolls in to the flat silently, at 01:30. Her mother and aunt seem to be sleeping. The following morning, Charlotte goes downstairs at 07:30, and bumps into Aunt Francesca in the kitchen. AUNT FRANCESCA Good night, was it? (Aunt Francesca says smugly, taking a bite of her toast and making her way for the door) Coming? CHARLOTTE Yeah, sure. SCENE EIGHTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. INT. EVERTON HOUSE. NIGHTTIME. At 10pm, CHARLOTTE gets dropped off at the Evertons’ by her aunt. Elliott answers the door. ELLIOTT Hey, you! Just us, Melissa and Danielle tonight,“ he says softly, closing the door behind him. Ethan’s with Mads, Mum and Dad have gone to stay with Uncle Brad, Maya’s 'round our cousin’s, Tiff’s with Max, and Thomas finally has a date. CHARLOTTE Ah, okay, no worries - what 'ya up to? ELLIOTT Drinking. Want one? (Elliott closes the front door behind her and they make their way into the living room) CHARLOTTE Hey, babe. ELLIOTT Hiya, mate. CHARLOTTETO smiles, taking a seat next to MELISSA on the opposite sofa. They play drinking games from apps on their phone. At 23:00, the door suddenly slams open and they hear Ethan’s voice and a load of kissing sounds and Elizabeth’s giggles; ELLIOTT gets up to say hello to his brother. ETHAN Oh, shit - sorry, bro, didn’t realise you were in. ELLIOTT Clearly. (He smirks) Hey, Mads, everything alright? MADDIE Hey, Elliott, I’m alright, thanks - well, now I am, anyway - wasn’t the other night - shit happened but I’d sooner not talk about it. I’m sure myself or Elizabeth will tell you soon. ELLIOTT No worries, love. Wanna join? We’ve got Melissa, Charlotte and Danielle here. ETHAN Actually, bro, we’re just gonna head upstairs for the night - have fun, though, and say hi. ELLIOTT Alright, will do, night. ETHAN and MADDIE head upstairs and he gently pushes her against his bedroom door and kisses her passionately; he’s wearing a pale blue buttoned shirt and she’s wearing a black vest top; she has her hands on his chest as he undoes his buttons to reveal a muscled and tanned torso; his bright brown eyes gleaming as he looks into her thin emerald green eyes, she takes off his T-shirt and throws it across the room (it lands on the other side of Elliott’s bed). MADDIE absorbs ETHAN’s body for a moment, Ethan leaning on the doorframe. Maddie leans in again and mumbles “I love you” against his lips; “I love you, too,” he says with a smile, biting his lips cutely. MADDIE looks down and then hugs her boyfriend lightly; he cuddles her back wordlessly, knowing why she’s suddenly so upset. She has to tuck her head into his chest, because they’re the same height. ETHAN Wa’ 'o go 'o bed? MADDIE sobs and nods. ETHAN remains shirtless, but she doesn’t bother to strip or change at all, just lays on Ethan’s chest. Downstairs, ELLIOTT’s finally got a guy friend to join him, MATT, who DANIELLE used to have sex with every time they saw each other - because, you know, DANIELLE fucks everything that moves and doesn’t give a shit about anything - and MATT just liked the thrill. MATT has his eye on MELISSA, now, a pretty blonde haired petite girl with big blue eyes, kind of resembles Taylor Swift; MATT’s got more of a Channing Tatum look with a face like Brian McFadden - muscled meaty build and a handsome face and physique every girl wants - a lot like ELLIOTT. CHARLOTTE is sitting between ELLIOTT on her right, and MELISSA on her left, MATT and DANIELLE on the other side. They keep pecking each other playfully even though he has a girlfriend which is why CHARLOTTE feels rather bad for MELISSA; she’s sweet and will fall for his charm; all he’ll have to do is tell her what she wants to hear - he tried that on CHARLOTTE more than once but she never fell for that bullshit, whereas MELISSA would have because she hasn’t had enough experience or been with enough decent guys to know any different. ELLIOTT has a reputation as a player, because he’s scared of feeling, falling for a girl too hard and then getting hurt - so instead he puts on a persona that doesn’t want a girlfriend, a long term, stable relationship, just somebody to shag - in order to cover that up, where really, he’s just like the rest of us, just wants to be loved and settle down. He hasn’t discussed this with anyone but Ethan and CHARLOTTE. CHARLOTTE has known the twins since she was a baby and they were four, with their parents being best friends as DANNY and SHONNÉ grew up together. Upstairs, MADDIE’s fallen asleep on ETHAN’s left arm and chest; he is using his phone in his right hand. His phone vibrates and it’s ELIZABETH. ETHAN Hello? ELIZABETH Hey, E, is Mads with you? She’s not answering her phone. ETHAN Yeah, sorry about that, her phone’s on vibrate and charging in the corner of mine and Elliott’s room, she’s asleep on my shoulder at the moment. ELIZABETH Bugger. D'you think she’ll be alright? She never goes to bed before twelve. ETHAN I hope so, I love her and I hate seeing her so… broken. (He looks down at his sleeping girlfriend) What do we do, Elizabeth? ELIZABETH We wait. Until she’s ready to talk. ETHAN I just wanna hug her, tell her it’s all gonna be okay. ELIZABETH I know, Ethan, so do I. She’ll get there, I promise, we’ll just have to keep an eye on her. ETHAN Yeah, I know… You with Tom? ELIZABETH Not tonight, no, he’s gone to a house party. I’ve had a few girls 'round ours - Lily’s joined but my parents are out. ETHAN Oh okay, and are you okay? ELIZABETH Yeah, just worried about me sister. Tom’s heading here now. ETHAN What, drunk? To a girl’s party? ELIZABETH No! He’s not been drinking and the girls went after the film we watched. ETHAN Oh okay. I’ll let ya get on then, have a good evening. See ya soon. MADDIE Yeah, look after me sister for me, E. ETHAN I will. Night. MADDIE Na-night. He looks down at his girlfriend and strokes her cheek with his index finger. CHARLOTTE knocks on the door softly. ETHAN gets up and gestures Charlotte out the room and into the hallway. ETHAN Hey, what’s up? CHARLOTTE Just came in to get some clothes. No worries, I’ll come back in the morning. ETHAN No, no, you don’t need to do that, love. Go on, go on in. Charlotte nods and smiles; Ethan goes to the loo while Charlotte enters the bedroom and quickly but quietly ruffles through the drawers by Elliott’s bed. CHARLOTTE Ta, love. ETHAN You’re alright. CHARLOTTE Ethan, honey, do you wanna talk? ETHAN I’m good. CHARLOTTE E, you’re going through what Mads is going through. ETHAN It’s fucking killing me. But I still care more about my beautiful, precious girlfriend than I do myself. CHARLOTTE I get that, E, but you still gotta grieve yourself. ETHAN I just need to be there for Mads. CHARLOTTE And we need to be there for you - me and Elliott. ETHAN And you are, Charlotte – you always ’ave been. And Elliott. CHARLOTTE Then talk to us. Let us help. ETHAN I need to get back in to Mads. CHARLOTTE Ethan I’m sorry. ETHAN Not your fault, love. (He tears up and she pulls him in for a cuddle) ETHAN Thank you, Charlotte. CHARLOTTE I didn’t do anything. ETHAN You were there for me, that’s more than enough. Charlotte I’d better get ‘ome. ETHAN D’you wan’ a lift? CHARLOTTE Mhm, please. ETHAN I’ll get Elliott to take you. I’d do it but I wanna be here in case Mads wakes up. CHARLOTTE Okay, love. ETHAN Come on, then, let’s go. (They make their way downstairs) Hey, bro, can you give our beautiful young friend here a lift ’ome? ELLIOTT Yeah, no worries. ETHAN gets a can from the fridge and makes his way back up the stairs, while ELLIOTT and CHARLOTTE head out. SCENE NINETEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. EXT. ELLIOTT’S CAR. ELLIOTT puts the radio on. CHARLOTTE begins to sing. ELLIOTT You’ve a lovely singing voice, Char. CHARLOTTE Ha! Thanks. ELLIOTT You want me to buy you some cigs? CHARLOTTE Yeah, please – that’d be brilliant, mate. ELLIOTT No worries, babe.

[itsemily-louise-writing-blog]

Unfinished script "Teenage Dirtbag." Not yet proof read but I'd much appreciate some feedback as I'm not so sure about my work just yet. Thank you, Emily.

EMILY MCCAUSLAND “TEENAGE DIRTBAG”

CHARACTERS: The Streets: Charlotte May Jane Louisa Street (born 30 July 1999) Maria May Jane Street (born 24 March 1973) Francesca Louisa Taylor née Street (born 3 August 1969) Cody Jake James (born 2 March 1994) Lily Elizabeth Street (born 21 August 2010) Max James Street (born 18 October 2013) The Deans: Kayla Thomas née Dean (born 30 July 1967) Jerome Dean (born 21 August 1972) The Greys/Spencers: Karl Spencer Daphne Grey née Merrimack, previously Spencer Alexander Edward Grey Logan Christopher Spencer (born 11 January 1971) Danielle Spencer née Dean (born 4 October 1974) Terri Amber Spencer (born 8 October 1993) Maxxi Lola Spencer (born 8 October 1993) Robbie James Spencer (born 21 November 1997) Evan Freddie Spencer (born 2 February 2000) Lillie Alexia Spencer (born 2 August 1972) Mark Summers Taylor Joanne Summers (born 2 December 1993) Haiden Jennifer Summers (born 1 July 1996) Rylee Felicia Summers (born 12 April 2002) Tessa Nicole Grey (born 3 June 1983) Kezia Grey (born 20 November 2000) Axle Max Grey (born 22 September 1988) Polly Anna Maisie Grey née Thomas (born 10 November 1991) Jaydon James Grey (born 10 April 2008) Tristan Mason Grey (born 21 May 2010) The Evertons: Daniel Thomas “Danny” Everton (born 5 May 1971) Rebecca Kelly “Becky” Lloyd (born 11 September 1972) Thomas Daniel “Tom” Everton (born 17 July 1992) Tiffani Rebecca Everton (born 27 March 1994) Ethan James Everton (born 15 June 1998) Elliott Michael Everton (born 15 June 1998) Maya Kelly Everton (born 11 July 2002) The Lyles: Annalise Lily “Annie” Lyle (born 21 December 1991) Elizabeth Annabelle Lyle (born 21 June 1996) Madeleine Jennifer Lyle (born 26 March 1997) The Hutches: Brett Charlie Hutch (born 21 December 1987) Thomas Jacob Hutch (born 15 December 1994) Nathaniel Mason “Nate” Hutch (born 15 November 1996) Others: Matt Cooper Jake Mitchell Ben Macaulay Amy Macaulay Nicole Harry Shields Holly Shields Shaun Brandon Thomson Nathan Thomson Nicola Thomson Lauren Mitchell Jade Kerri Ann Gemma Lottie Young Cheyenne Young Jazia Jennifer Danielle Olivia Porsche Piper Drew Zack Drew Denny Drew Anita Mitchell Maria Mitchell Charlie Thomson SCENE ONE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. V.O. AUGUST 1, 2017. ARCHIVE FOOTAGE OF CHARLOTTE GROWING UP AND CHARACTERS SHOWN AS THEY ARE NAMED. V.O. CHARLOTTE. I’m eighteen-year-old CHARLOTTE STREET, born in Manchester, Lancashire, to SHONNÉ SHIELDS and JEROME DEAN. My mum had previously been married, when she was 20-years-old, but the marriage lasted just 5 years and they divorced at age 25. She had a son, twenty-four-year-old CODY, with her ex-husband, who grew up in Liverpool with his father and I have only ever met him three times. My father was arrested and jailed before I was born, and so my mum cut him off for good and I have no ties to him. I was told I had the cancer gene from my father’s side and was diagnosed in 2012, after I turned 12, and won my battle in 2013 when I was 13. Mum’s parents LEON and LIZZIE were not in the best of health at this point and GRAMPA LEON had to be taken into hospital; NANA LIZZIE was diagnosed as being a dementia patient and taken into a care home almost immediately. They are progressing. I have five cousins: POLLY (born 10 November 1991, to Dad’s sister KAYLA), identical twin sisters TERRI and MAXXI, and ROBBIE and EVAN (born to Mum’s sister DANIELLE). POLLY had two sons, JAYDON and TRISTAN, with husband AXLE GREY. AXLE is now a single father, as POLLY sadly passed away on 10 January 2012. She also had the cancer gene. Axle is the son of DAPHNE GREY, the management at the studio where POLLY and I were a music duo, POLLY providing vocals and keyboard, and myself guitar and backing vocals. I still get money from sales. Our career lasted from September two-thousand-nine (when I was nine and POLLY eighteen) until January two-thousand-twelve (when POLLY was twenty and me twelve). I now work for the studio freelance. I live in a two bed flat with my mother and Aunt Francesca. But spend the majority of my time with my close friends: identical twins ETHAN and ELLIOTT EVERTON, sisters ELIZABETH and MADDIE LYLE, and TOM HUTCH, Elizabeth’s long-term on-again-off-again boyfriend. Elizabeth and Tom have been together for years - they were first made official in December 2011, at school five years ago - but split at least three times and then got back together during that time, but they’ve been firmly back together for eight months now - since September 2016. Ethan and Maddie have been together for four years now - since 30 June 2013 - when Ethan was fifteen and Maddie fourteen. Elizabeth and Maddie have an older sister, ANNIE. Ethan and Elliott have an older brother named THOMAS, and two sisters named MAYA and TIFFANI. Tom has an older brother, BRETT and a young brother NATE. Brett has a daughter named SOFIA with a relative of mine, KAT. Grampa Leon is Kat’s Great-Uncle. AUNT DANIELLE works as the producer of a TV series filmed in front of a live studio audience in Manchester. As soon as I turned 16, I started looking for jobs and got one working in a shop during the summer holidays. They kept me on because they thought I was doing well. But I left in late-August because she was offered another job in advertising. Then in early-September I was a shop assistant for a month before starting my job at as a waitress in a café earlier last month: November. And then I was offered to write and provide guitar for other artists/bands at the studio I had previously worked for. I also play basketball, football, volunteers at the library and attended evening classes in English, Maths and History as I never got to finish school because of my maternal grandparents’ illnesses. And I visit my maternal grandparents often, frequently changing bed sheets at the different locations and bringing them treats and just generally helping out. I started doing some charity work in the summer, gaining permission for use at the community centre; I am using the time slots for young people to sign up and do different activities such as sports, cooking, school tutoring and more, in an attempt to reduce crime; if young people are occupied with something more beneficial to put their time into then they are less likely to commit crime. I also put together fundraisers every six-months-or-so in order to raise money for cancer, with activities including singing, sports, dancing, competitions and more… I have been doing this since I was thirteen and have raised up to £5,000 on these occasions. I inherited my father’s home but rent it out because I’m not ready to live alone (but still pay rent at my mother’s), and I was named on my father’s life insurance, and inherited my father’s car - which I keep in my grandparents’ double garage - as well as inheriting other aspects and property of my father’s belongings. I was recently involved in a drugs raid after being drugged and kidnapped. I was shot in the left shoulder once and stabbed in the very bottom-right of her stomach. I was also sexually assaulted by one of the dealers who wanted money for the drugs my friend had bought. I was later arrested, charged and put behind bars. After one of the dealers’ house was burned to the ground, I was arrested and charged. After serving several months in prison they found the true culprit and released me with compensation. I subsequently fell pregnant as a result of the assault but sadly lost the baby in September at just five months. I then made the decision that I needed some time away from everything, and so moved out of my mother and aunt’s. So, I was homeless for a week or two before I moved back in. I kept my job as my record was cleared after admissions were given and charges were dropped. My bedroom is a square-shape at the back of the home. The bedroom contains: an en-suite on the bottom-right of the room; a wardrobe in the top-right of the room; the bed in the top-left of the room; a bedside and one of two desks next to it, by the window; a stand with a TV on in the bottom-right corner; a round wooden table under the window containing: teddies, baskets with chocolates, sweets and cookies, glitter, candles; a guitar circle containing three guitars on stands in the middle of the room; and a keyboard against the right-side wall. This community centre; work at the café; library; Maths classes; English classes; play football; writing for the studio; basketball training; care home; studying History. I teach guitar. On my basketball team were MATT, JAKE, and siblings BEN and AMY; on my football team were NICOLE, siblings HARRY and HOLLY, and SHAUN. Since the evening classes I have become friends with siblings BRANDON, NATHAN, NICOLA, and LAUREN and JADE, especially as they all help each other during and outside their classes. At the café I often share shifts with three girls around my age named KERRI ANN, GEMMA and LOTTIE. Lottie has a younger sister named CHEYENNE, with whom I have also become quite close. At the studio I have provided guitar for a girl band consisting of members JAZIA, JENNIFER, DANIELLE, OLIVIA and PORSCHE, and solo singers PIPER DREW (through whom I also met her siblings ZACK and DENNY when they came to the studio to see her) and ANITA MITCHELL (through whom I also met her sister MARIA when she came to the studio to see Anita). I also met a guy named CHARLIE THOMSON when I was in London travelling during my music career. We have a lot in common: Charlie’s father also passed away due to cancer, and his mother is a drug user - she’s getting treatment presently. SCENE TWO. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. HOME. DAYTIME It’s Tuesday, May 2, 2017, and six-o'clock-in-the-morning so CHARLOTTE is in the flat getting ready for work and the day ahead of her. She goes to work wearing a long-sleeved black crop top and a long, brown fluffy, warm winter jacket with a fluffy white collar, white scarf, black skinny jeans, and with black trainers. She has her long straight jet-black hair down and a black headband with a cute little black bow on its side, and a small black over-the-shoulder bag. She locks the flat’s white front door and then heads for the café around the corner at 06:35. SCENE THREE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. CAFE. DAYTIME. She arrives at 06:50. In the kitchen, there is a cupboard in the top-left corner, containing lockers; CHARLOTTE opens the locker using her combination, places her bag and coat inside of it, and then gets her coat out of her bag and places it in the back pocket of her jeans, then closing the locker so it’s secure, and putting the required work apron on, which only goes on the waist, not around the neck; she ties it on so that her black crop top reveals her belly button and belly button piercing. Her manager ANA, then comes from around a corner. ANA Oh, hi, Charlotte, how are you today? CHARLOTTE I’m OK thanks, Ana, and yourself? ANA Good ta. So, if you could get some more coffee cups out of storage, refill the coffee machine, and set the buns and bread out, please. That’d be a wonderful start. CHARLOTTE Of course. By 07:45 she has finished all this, and has now taken it upon herself to clean the tables, fridge and counter rather than waiting for ANA to ask her. This is done by 08:15, and customers have started arriving for their morning coffees now, so CHARLOTTE washes her hands and puts a pair of gloves on from storage to make sandwiches. She makes around twenty sandwiches and packages them within an hour. By 09:15 she has been asked to wash up, which takes her around twenty minutes, so by 09:40 she has begun serving customers. By 10:30, after forty minutes of serving, she is due a break and so takes a croissant from the tray on the counter, then making herself a coffee and placing the money in the till; steps out the back and then eats the croissant, getting out a cigarette and lighter along with her phone, holding the coffee and cigarette in one hand and scrolling through her phone with the other. At 10:40 she goes to the staff loo just behind the kitchen, and then heads back in for work by 10:45. Ana then asks her if she’ll restock the fridge while ANA serves. And finally, at 11:15, she’s asked to serve again for the last 45 minutes of her shift. And by 12:00 she’s back at her locker and waving goodbye to ANA. SCENE FOUR. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. FLAT. DAYTIME. She’s home by 12:15 and grabs her laptop and some papers for the group she runs, substituting her small black bag for a bigger black backpack, placing her laptop, phone, purse, notebook and pencil case, small makeup bag including deodorant, perfume, hair and headbands and hair clips, and hairbrush, and a memory stick and earphones. Taking her coat off, she then goes to the fridge to see what there is to eat for lunch. She decides on a pasta salad and sits down at the small round wooden kitchen table to eat it. By 12:30 she’s finished and washed up and so gets her coat from back off the coat stand, grabs her keys from the side, along her backpack, and then locks back up. She then heads to the community centre, taking a 10-minute bus ride and a 20-minute walk, arriving at the community centre for one o'clock, some of the young people having already arrived and waiting outside the hall we use. SCENE FIVE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. COMMUNITY CENTRE. DAYTIME. As they start going in, there is a sign-up sheet that CHARLOTTE puts out, along with an activities sheet, and so they line-up to sign it. She then to set-up the five different activities they’ve got in-store. The tutor then comes in and greets everyone with an apology for being late, and they set up a table for her to sit with the students. CHARLOTTE joins in with some of the activities for an hour-and-fifteen-minutes, and at 14:30 they sit down for a chat about how things are going in general, and then at 14:45 they begin packing up. By 15:00 they have packed up and got their things and are ready to go; they say their goodbyes and then MADDIE heads back home, arriving there for 15:30, getting her laptop out of her backpack and getting some song sheets up so that she can write on them. SCENE SIX. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. FLAT. DAYTIME. She finishes at 17:00 and then begins cooking some tea. She has a small TV in the kitchen on the side, and often watches whilst cooking and eating at the dining table; she switches it on after she’s prepared the vegetables she’s going to cook. She then puts some sausages in the oven and starts grilling them. Once done, she sits down and eats, watching the TV and then washing up, putting a load of washing in the machine and going to her room to get changed into her basketball kit and puts her hair up into a ponytail. SCENE SEVEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. SPORTS HALL. DAYTIME. At 17:45 she sets of for the sports hall, a ten-minute walk, and helps Jake - who’s already there - set up. CHARLOTTE Alright, Jake? JAKE Yeah. Yeah, I’m good ta. CHARLOTTE Need a hand? JAKE I could use one for the other side, thanks, love. CHARLOTTE Sure. By the time they’ve got the ball and bibs out, others have started arriving and the game will therefore begin in a matter of moments. Once they’ve all got their positions determined by their bibs on, the coach gets them to do some warm-ups, and then by 18:30 the coach calls for them to get into position ready for a game. 16-year-old CHARLOTTE plays Power Forward, 22-year-old JAKE plays Shooting Guard, 18-year-old BEN plays Centre, AMY plays Small Forward, and 18-year-old BRANDON plays Point Guard. BEN and AMY are twins. They get into position and start the training, and CHARLOTTE has scored twenty-five baskets in the last half-an-hour. And at 19:00 they get the cones out for dribbling, which they do for fifteen minutes, and then they spend the last ten minutes passing the ball between them, and finally the last five minutes are spent packing up. They then bid one another goodbye and they head out. SCENE EIGHT. MACHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. FLAT. DAYTIME. So, CHARLOTTE sets off for the block of flats she lives in, that her mother rented for years as a teenager and her early-twenties. She gets some pyjamas out from her wardrobe in her room and sets them down on the side in the bathroom (there’s a side from left to right at the back with a round sink in the middle). The bathroom is next to the bedroom I’m the flat, with the kitchen, living room and storage cupboard on the right-hand-side of the hall. Once CHARLOTTE has gotten a towel out of one of the bathroom wall cabinets and hung it on the shower glass, closed the curtains and turned the shower on, she soaks in water for a moment and then begins washing her body. Her hair is up but she’s not washing her hair. She then dries herself on the white bath mat in the middle of the bathroom, and begins putting on her pyjamas: a pair of green shorts, and a blue top with a beach setting on it. She then puts her hair up in a messy bun and slips into her slippers, then placing the towel she just used on the towel rack. And then she goes into the kitchen to make tea and toast. Once that’s done she secures the flat (making sure necessary doors are locked, and curtains and blinds are closed) and so goes into the living room and closes the curtains (the blinds were already shut), and then she gets her phone out from her bag, sits down in the living room, closes the door, begins eating the toast she made earlier, and turns the TV on. She then receives a text message. She then goes into the bathroom to brush her teeth and gets changed into everyday clothing and heads out again. SCENE NINE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. PUB. NIGHTTIME. She heads to her local where she spots some older friends: 20-year-old twin brothers ETHAN and ELLIOTT, Ethan’s 19-year-old girlfriend MADDIE, Maddie’s 20-year-old sister ELIZABETH, and Elizabeth’s 20-year-old boyfriend TOM. They are visiting family on a break from filming. It’s 21:15 and ETHAN has his arm around MADDIE. CHARLOTTE has small brown eyes, is tanned, has a small thin nose, has a round face, cheekbones, wavy jet-black hair and is 5'8". ETHAN and ELLIOTT have small brown eyes, are tanned, and Ethan has a little stubble and is around 5'7" while Elliott’s baby-faced and 5’9” and, finally, they both have oval faces and strong cheekbones, messy thick dark brown hair and a handsome smile. MADDIE has long dirty blonde hair, is 5'7" in height, is fair skinned and has noticeable cheekbones, small green eyes and rosy cheeks. Elliott has a much bulkier build, is paler, has hazel eyes, freckles and lighter, shaven hair and is 5'9" in height. ELIZABETH has light brown hair, green eyes and cheekbones and has olive-tone skin, and is smaller in height than her younger sister at 5'5". TOM is 5'8" in height and has a round face and stubble, is olive-skin-toned, has dark brown parted hair and bright blue eyes. Elizabeth is sitting on her boyfriend’s lap and they are whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears. Elliott and Charlotte are the only singles left in the bunch, but Elliott is a lady’s man and is usually speaking to at least two or three girls at a time. He’s had quite a few girlfriends but never really long-term, whereas his twin has had three or four girlfriends but they’ve all been for a longer period of time. ELLIOTT is sitting opposite his brother with a girl he met a few weeks ago when she guest-started at his workplace: 25-year-old DANIELLE JACKSON. She’s got one leg on Elliott’s lap and the other drooped over the edge of the red leather seat, her head resting against the wall that the booth is up against. CHARLOTTE is sitting next to ELLIOTT, opposite TOM and ELIZABETH. And next to CHARLOTTE, on the left-side-edge of the booth is TOMMY LEWIS, a cousin of Elizabeth and Maddie. DANIELLE How long have you pair been together?“ ETHAN Four years (He takes a sip from his pint) Danielle then turns her focus on Tom and Elizabeth. TOM Well, we first got together four years ago, but we split within three months; got back together two weeks later, stayed together for a year before breaking up again, and then got back together a day later; and it kept going like that on-off for another couple of years, but we’ve been firmly back together for a year now DANIELLE How can you be sure that you’ll stay together this time? And how come you’ve split so many times, anyway? (Danielle speaks her mind) TOM Er, well our personalities tend to clash because I’m the kind of guy who would be getting detentions every other day in school, was never very academically involved and used school as a social and trouble making opportunity, and partied while his parents were out- (He looks sheepish and then turns to his girlfriend) ELIZABETH Whereas I… put my head down and got all the work done, always had my head in a book, was at the library, or the voice of something academically-inclined, and only had a small group of friends. But when I met Tom at school I found his loud, cheeky side very attractive because he was funny and would always try and involve me in everything he could. And that’s when we started seeing each other… TOM But my wild side has always gotten in the way because there were trust issues. However, we’ve had a good chat about it and decided that none of that matters, we love each other and we couldn’t be ourselves without each other; the fitting pieces to one another’s puzzle. So, if it starts getting tough again, rather than splitting, we’ll talk about it and remind each other why we’re together. ELIZABETH So, we’re going to start over, we’re going to make a new start of our relationship, erase everything from the past that hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to, and stay together for as long as we can. (she smiles, cuddling in tighter to her boyfriend) TOM takes a mouthful from his pint and gulps it down, while ELIZABETH elegantly sips her wine. TOM then takes ELIZABETH’s left hand into his right, from over his shoulder. ETHAN and CHARLOTTE have now gone up for a dance and I swear if DANIELLE gets any closer to ELLIOTT she’ll be sitting on his lap. And TOMMY has now found a girl, who’s just asked him to dance. ELLIOTT Charlotte, do you want a game of pool? CHARLOTTE Sure. DANIELLE lazily takes her leg off of ELLIOTT’s lap and he downs the rest of his drink and offers CHARLOTTE a coke as they go past the bar to the pool table, an offer upon which she takes. Once she’s got the coke she thanks ELLIOTT and then he puts a coin in and they set up the game. CHARLOTTE Who’s breaking? ELLIOTT Ladies first. (He gestures the table) ELLIOTT Don’t you have work tomorrow? CHARLOTTE Nope! And even if I did, I like the company. (She breaks) ELLIOTT So, what are you doing tomorrow, then? (He takes his shot) CHARLOTTE Studio work. Care home. Community Centre. Maths evening class. English evening class. (Lazily) “Ooh!” (She pots a ball) ELLIOTT Nice one! Could always stay at ours, Mum and Dad won’t mind, you know what they’re like. Everyone’s coming ’round tonight. (Charlotte smiles) ETHAN Oi, Elliott, when you and Charlotte are done we’re gonna head back. (From the bar) ELLIOTT Alright, bro. ETHAN D'you want one more drink, any of you? ELLIOTT Please, bro. CHARLOTTE Yes, please. ETHAN takes a final swig from his bottle and orders another round, MADDIE linked arm in arm on his left side, head on his shoulder. ETHAN You alright, babe? You look tired. (He ruffles his girlfriend’s hair) MADDIE I am (Maddie sighs) ETHAN We’ll be going soon, no worries. Are you staying over? (Maddie nods) ETHAN Is there something else wrong, Mads, you seem upset? MADDIE Nah, just tired. (She’s still tucked into her boyfriend) ETHAN Well if there is something the matter, you can tell me, you know. MADDIE I know, babe, thank you. ELLIOTT Guys, anyone want a smoke? (He walks around the corner past the bar with Charlotte, aiming his question at his brother, Tom, and Maddie, knowing that they smoke and Danielle, Elizabeth and Maddie don’t) MADDIE goes out, leaving her sister with their cousin and DANIELLE. The others make their way out with their drinks in hand. And ELLIOTT hands a lighter round. CHARLOTTE Wish I were eighteen. (She shivers) ETHAN You can still smoke. (He takes his coat off and placing it on Charlotte’s shoulder) CHARLOTTE Thank you. ETHAN Drinking is good, though. (He puts his arm round his girlfriend and smiling) ETHAN and ELLIOTT’s younger sister, TIFFANI, comes around the corner suddenly with some of her friends from school. She’s 18. ETHAN Alright, Tiff! TIFFANI Yo, bros! (She slurs and giggles) ELLIOTT Are you drunk? Have you got her drunk? (He gestures to Tiff’s boyfriend on the right) BOYFRIEND No! And even she was, she’s eighteen. ETHAN Yeah well, she’s still our little sister. TIFFANI Shut up! (Tiff goes into the pub) See you at home. TOM Right, I’m gonna go see my girlfriend. (He goes back into the pub) ELLIOTT Dude, you saw her ten minutes ago. TOM I love her. Always wanna be with her. ETHAN You wouldn’t understand, mate. (Tom’s gone in) ELLIOTT Why wouldn’t I? ETHAN Because you’ve never been properly in love. You’ve loved before, but I don’t think you’ve ever been in love. ELLIOTT I haven’t. I love but they don’t seem to truly love me back. ETHAN That’s because you fall in love too quickly, mate. ELLIOTT Can’t help who you fall in love with. ETHAN No, but sometimes you can help how fast you fall in love with them. Or what you show. I fell in love with Maddie quickly but I didn’t tell her I loved her until about six months in because I didn’t want to put her off or jinx it. And I had to make sure I felt absolutely certain about my feelings and that I wanted to stay with her. And that I thought she felt the same about me. Bro, can you honestly tell me that you wanted to be with those girls for the long-term? ELLIOTT Just one. (Elliott takes a last swig from his bottle) But she’s well out of my reach. (He makes his way back inside) ETHAN How come? ELLIOTT She’s in love with someone else. (He opens the door and going back in) As everyone else follows, Charlotte makes to take off Ethan’s coat but he puts it back on her shoulder. ETHAN Keep it till we get to mine, I’m warm. CHARLOTTE Thanks again. ETHAN As for you… (He refers to his girlfriend and cuddling her in tighter, kissing her on the head) I love you and you only get your charger back when you give me a kiss!     (Maddie pecks Ethan on the lips) No no, I mean a proper kiss! CHARLOTTE Too much info, mate. When they get back in they get their coats and the twins tell their sister they’ll see her when they get home, and they head off out. ELLIOTT You coming, Danielle? DANIELLE Nah, mate, I’ll catch you up. ELLIOTT Alright. See you back at ours in a bit. DANIELLE Yeah. I’ll see you lot back with Tiff. TOM and ELIZABETH cuddle into one another as they walk. CHARLOTTE texts her mum and her aunt to say where she’s going; two minutes later SHONNÉ texts back and five minutes later AUNT FRANCESCA texts back. They are fine with it. On the way out of the pub they spot CHARLOTTE’s friend CHARLIE, who then joins them, and later his ex, LOTTIE YOUNG, who works with CHARLOTTE, and also joins them. SCENE TEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. EXT. PARK. NIGHTTIME. They walk by a small park on the way to the Everton household. Ethan gets a cigarette out and begins smoking it, and then leads the way into the park, sits against a fence in the pitch dark, and spins Maddie around to sit in his lap; ELLIOTT sits next to them and lights up a cigarette, CHARLOTTE beside ELLIOTT, and TOMMY beside MADDIE, while TOM and ELIZABETH sit side-by-side at the back. TOM has his arm around ELIZABETH as he too lights up a cigarette, while ETHAN leans over to light CHARLOTTE’s up for her. CHARLOTTE Cheers, mate. ETHAN notices MADDIE getting cold and starting to shiver, and so wraps his arm around her and gives her a very friendly kiss on the cheek. TIFFANI, her boyfriend MAX, DANIELLE, and their friends ANTONY, his girlfriend DIONNE, her fraternal twin AMY, FLOYD, and EMMA are on their way to the Evertons’ when they cross through the park and sit with the others. TIFFANI and MAX sit together next to CHARLOTTE; DANIELLE sits beside TOM and ELIZABETH; and ANTONY and FLOYD squeeze themselves between ETHAN and MADDIE and ELLIOTT. At 23:15 they decide to play a game of Heads Up, which lasts until midnight, and with ELLIOTT and MADDIE tying in first place, they then decide to play Truth or Dare until 00:30; ELLIOTT, TIFFANI, MAX and DANIELLE quickly got bored of that game because nobody else was doing a Dare. So, they moved on to Spin the Bottle, however the couples did not take part. They form a circle at the swings; from left to right starting at CHARLOTTE: ELLIOTT; DANIELLE; TOMMY; FLOYD; EMMA; LOTTIE; AMY; CHARLIE. CHARLOTTE, ELLIOTT, DANIELLE and EMMA light up a cigarette each, and everyone except TOMMY and FLOYD has (another) drink. CHARLOTTE was made to kiss ELLIOTT and TOMMY, while DANIELLE and LOTTIE are made to kiss CHARLIE; DANIELLE is made to kiss ELLIOTT, and EMMA and AMY are made to kiss FLOYD. SCENE ELEVEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1 AND 2, 2017. THE EVERTON HOUSE. NIGHTTIME. Then at 23:45, the twins, TIFFANI, MAX, CHARLOTTE, MADDIE, TOM, ELIZABETH, DANIELLE and TOMMY decide to go back to the Evertons’ place, a ten-minute walk away. Once there, TIFFANI, MAX, DANIELLE and TOMMY head into TIFFANI’s bedroom, while the others head into the twins’ room: ETHAN and MADDIE lay on his bed; ELLIOTT and CHARLOTTE on his bed; TOM and ELIZABETH on the yellow beanbag under the window. By midnight ELLIOTT has CHARLOTTE tucked into his chest, and they’re watching a film with earphones on his tablet; ETHAN and MADDIE are well into a game of tonsil tennis; TOM is showing ELIZABETH something on his phone whilst cuddling her from behind as she sits on his lap. MADDIE Do I get my charger back now? (Maddie asks Ethan after they’ve taken a breath) He reaches down the side of his bed and pulls it out from the plug behind his bedside table, rolls the wire up around the plug and puts it in her jean pocket. ETHAN Thank you. Right, I’m going to get some drinks. (He jumps up off his bed and smiling back at his girlfriend) TOM I’ll come. (Tom pecks Elizabeth on the cheek and shifting her legs so that he can get up) They go downstairs and bump into Ethan’s parents, 45-year-old BECKY LLOYD and 47-year-old DANNY, holding hands as they pass their son and Tom on the way up the stairs to bed. BECKY Goodnight. DANNY ’Night, mate. ETHAN Na-night. BECKY Don’t stay up too late. They pass ETHAN’s older brother, 24-year-old THOMAS at the table on his laptop. Upstairs, ELLIOTT wraps his arms around CHARLOTTE’s waist from behind, and plants a soft kiss on her cheek. By 02:45 they have had five more lagers each, three more cigarettes, and are falling asleep under the sheets of his bed. ETHAN and MADDIE don’t fall asleep until around 03:30; ELIZABETH dropped off at 00:30 and TOM was playing ‘Heads Up’ with ETHAN and MADDIE until 02:00, when he went to sleep on the orange beanbag next to his girlfriend. At 06:45 CHARLOTTE wakes up, and showers until 06:55, getting some spare clothes from under ELLIOTT’s bed (she stays often as she and the twins go way back) and she takes ETHAN’s laptop downstairs (as she has done many times; he lets her use it for studio work, where she’ll email herself back after she’s done) and starts working. She opens her emails and finds a song sheet, and then finds an email from her manager DAPHNE, requesting the sort of work she wants done. And begins writing. At 07:30 MAYA EVERTON comes downstairs and offers her friend some breakfast and fresh clothes, which CHARLOTTE kindly accepts. CHARLOTTE stays round the twins more frequently than anyone apart from MADDIE, who keeps clothes in the twins’ room in Ethan’s wardrobe. ETHAN Hey, Charlotte, do you want some company to visit your grandparents? CHARLOTTE Er, if you’re offering, mate. But I’ve gotta leave in ten. ETHAN Okay, no worries. Let me just put some toast in and brush me teeth and then we can head off. I’ll walk Mads to college as well CHARLOTTE Sure, no worries. Thanks, E. ETHAN Right, what would you like for breakfast, love? (He asks Maddie) MADDIE Yoghurt, please, if you’ve got any, babe? ETHAN Coming up. ELLIOTT Right, I’m off to work. See you guys later. (Elliott puts his coat on, half a piece of toast hanging from his mouth) MAYA AND ETHAN See ya, bro. After a series of ‘goodbye’s he makes his way out. SCENE TWELVE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. EXT. STREETS OF MANCHESTER AND OUTSIDE OF LOCAL COLLEGE. DAYTIME. At 08:50 ETHAN, MADDIE and CHARLOTTE bid goodbye and head out. ETHAN and MADDIE are holding hands. It’s another miserable rainy Manchester day and so all three are wearing hoodies/coats and have hoods up. They walk towards the park where they stayed for a few hours last night and turn left at the end of the street, walk down a road for ten minutes until they’re at Maddie’s (and Elizabeth’s) house, where she grabs her backpack and a drink. Another fifteen-minute walk down the street and they’re at the college MADDIE attends; she wraps her arms around her boyfriend’s neck and gives him a cuddle, which he happily receives, and as she meets a couple of friends who also give Ethan a wave, they say “I love you” to one another, and then she’s off giggling with her friends. ETHAN So, do you want dropping off or for some company inside? (He throws an arm around Charlotte’s left shoulder) CHARLOTTE You’re not working till later, are you? ETHAN Nah, twelve till eight. CHARLOTTE Okay, then yes, please, company’d be nice. (She smiles) What’s the time? ETHAN Twen'y past nine. CHARLOTTE You got a burn, by any chance? ETHAN Er… (Ethan hesitates as he feels around in his pockets for a moment) Yes (He gets a lighter out and then a cigarette pack) SCENE THIRTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. INT. CARE HOME. DAYTIME. They talk for another ten minutes into the town centre, and then make their way up the stone steps. They sign in at the desk, and a nurse directs the two to CHARLOTTE’s NANA LIZZIE and GRAMPA LEON. CHARLOTTE Hiya, Nana (Charlotte says barely above a whisper) NANA ANNA Shonné? CHARLOTTE Nana, it’s me. It’s Charlotte, your granddaughter, and this is my friend, Ethan. Remember? NANA ANNA Charlotte? CHARLOTTE Yes, Nana, it’s me. Do you want a cup of tea? (She nods vaguely) ETHAN I’ll make it (Ethan offers as Charlotte makes to get up) NANA ANNA Thanks, sweet. GRAMPA LEON comes out from his room. GRAMPA LEON Hiya, sweetheart. (Grampa Leon gives Charlotte a hug) CHARLOTTE Hiya, Grampa. How are you? GRAMPA LEON Alive. How are you? How’s Mum, Aunt Francesca. CHARLOTTE They’re alright, Grampa, as am I - thank you. ETHAN comes back with three mugs of tea. ETHAN There we go. CHARLOTTE Thanks, E. NANA ANNA Thank you … er … E-E … Eth- … E … something. CHARLOTTE Ethan, Nana. NANA ANNA Right. GRAMPA LEON Thank you, Ethan. (He raises his mug) After an hour of random chats about life and memories have been shared and exchanged, CHARLOTTR and ETHAN bid their goodbyes and make their way out. SCENE FOURTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. EXT. STREETS OF MANCHESTER. DAYTIME. ETHAN Hungry? CHARLOTTE Yeah, I could eat. ETHAN Where’d you fancy? CHARLOTTE Chippy? ETHAN Sure. They buy chips and go for a walk in the park. CHARLOTTE Thanks for coming with me today, E. ETHAN No probs. You coming ’round tonight? CHARLOTTE Yeah, Elliott asked me last night. ETHAN Ah, I’ve got work till one. So, you and me brother can have the room to yourselves! (He nudges her) CHARLOTTE Shut up! ETHAN Well, when are you guys ever gonna get on with this shit? CHARLOTTE Dude! I don’t see him in that way. ETHAN How come? CHARLOTTE I don’t know, it’s just … a lot of girls have a crush on him. ETHAN Yeah but what’s that matter? He’s only got eyes for you. (Charlotte does not respond) SCENE FIFTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1 AND 2, 2017. THE EVERTON HOUSE. DAYTIME. They make their way back to the Evertons’ place at 11:30. After she’s been at the community centre, CHARLOTTE heads to the library. She stacks shelves for a while, and helps out with some admin, and then heads back home to the flat, where her mother and aunt are, for tea. SCENE SIXTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1 AND 2, 2017. THE EVERTON HOUSE. NIGHTTIME. At 22:00 that night, CHARLOTTE and ELLIOTT are in the living room at his place playing a game with MAYA, her boyfriend CODY, DANIELLE JACKSON, her sister JENNIFER, Maya’s friends RYDER and SAMANTHA, and Max’s best friend TRAVIS. They are playing video games. MAYA, CODY, TRAVIS and DANIELLE go up to her room at 00:00, while everyone else minus CHARLOTTE has left by then. ELLIOTT lays on his bed and pulls out a cigarette, offering CHARLOTTE one. ELLIOTT Thanks, mate. (Charlotte takes one from the pack) D'you wa’ a lift back after, or you staying? CHARLOTTE Lift, please, mate. They smoke, drink and chat for a while on ELLIOTT’s bed, and ETHAN comes back in five minutes later. ETHAN Hey, bro, what you up to? ELLIOTT You’re early. ETHAN Yeah, it was quiet. Hiya, Charlotte. CHARLOTTE Hey. ELLIOTT D'you want a smoke? A can? ETHAN Yeah, go on. But then I’m going to sleep. CHARLOTTE, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want. But if you’re gonna be staying up late, quiet please. CHARLOTTE Of course, mate. ETHAN’s phone rings. ETHAN Hey, babe… Elizabeth … Calm down, I can’t understand ya. Eliz- Where’s Maddie? Is Tom there? Mate, what’s going on? I can’t hear. Oh, shit… Okay, I’m coming over. (He hangs up the phone) ELLIOTT What’s going on? ETHAN Not sure. I’ve gotta go. Tell ‘oever’s up that I’ve got my phone if they need me. ELLIOTT Be safe. And let us know when you’re ready. Is there any chance you could give Charlotte a lift home? ETHAN Will do. Let’s go, get ya home. See ya later, mate. ELLIOTT Good luck, bro. You coming ours later, Char? CHARLOTTE Yeah, I will, but not for a while, I’ve got a family meal with my mum and aunt at seven. ELLIOTT Oh okay, give us a buzz, then. CHARLOTTE Will do. See ya later. They get into the twins’ blue ford focus for the five-minute ride. ETHAN looks intense and is biting his fingernail nervously. ETHAN Sorry, Char, I’m worried about Mads and the family - something’s obviously happened. CHARLOTTE As long as they’re okay. Go on, go and see her - I’ll see you later, yeah - good luck.

ETHAN Thanks, Char, I’ll let you know. SCENE SEVENTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. INT. FLAT. NIGHTTIME. Charlotte strolls in to the flat silently, at 01:30. Her mother and aunt seem to be sleeping. The following morning, Charlotte goes downstairs at 07:30, and bumps into Aunt Francesca in the kitchen. AUNT FRANCESCA Good night, was it? (Aunt Francesca says smugly, taking a bite of her toast and making her way for the door) Coming? CHARLOTTE Yeah, sure. SCENE EIGHTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. INT. EVERTON HOUSE. NIGHTTIME. At 10pm, CHARLOTTE gets dropped off at the Evertons’ by her aunt. Elliott answers the door. ELLIOTT Hey, you! Just us, Melissa and Danielle tonight,“ he says softly, closing the door behind him. Ethan’s with Mads, Mum and Dad have gone to stay with Uncle Brad, Maya’s 'round our cousin’s, Tiff’s with Max, and Thomas finally has a date. CHARLOTTE Ah, okay, no worries - what 'ya up to? ELLIOTT Drinking. Want one? (Elliott closes the front door behind her and they make their way into the living room) CHARLOTTE Hey, babe. ELLIOTT Hiya, mate. CHARLOTTETO smiles, taking a seat next to MELISSA on the opposite sofa. They play drinking games from apps on their phone. At 23:00, the door suddenly slams open and they hear Ethan’s voice and a load of kissing sounds and Elizabeth’s giggles; ELLIOTT gets up to say hello to his brother. ETHAN Oh, shit - sorry, bro, didn’t realise you were in. ELLIOTT Clearly. (He smirks) Hey, Mads, everything alright? MADDIE Hey, Elliott, I’m alright, thanks - well, now I am, anyway - wasn’t the other night - shit happened but I’d sooner not talk about it. I’m sure myself or Elizabeth will tell you soon. ELLIOTT No worries, love. Wanna join? We’ve got Melissa, Charlotte and Danielle here. ETHAN Actually, bro, we’re just gonna head upstairs for the night - have fun, though, and say hi. ELLIOTT Alright, will do, night. ETHAN and MADDIE head upstairs and he gently pushes her against his bedroom door and kisses her passionately; he’s wearing a pale blue buttoned shirt and she’s wearing a black vest top; she has her hands on his chest as he undoes his buttons to reveal a muscled and tanned torso; his bright brown eyes gleaming as he looks into her thin emerald green eyes, she takes off his T-shirt and throws it across the room (it lands on the other side of Elliott’s bed). MADDIE absorbs ETHAN’s body for a moment, Ethan leaning on the doorframe. Maddie leans in again and mumbles “I love you” against his lips; “I love you, too,” he says with a smile, biting his lips cutely. MADDIE looks down and then hugs her boyfriend lightly; he cuddles her back wordlessly, knowing why she’s suddenly so upset. She has to tuck her head into his chest, because they’re the same height. ETHAN Wa’ 'o go 'o bed? MADDIE sobs and nods. ETHAN remains shirtless, but she doesn’t bother to strip or change at all, just lays on Ethan’s chest. Downstairs, ELLIOTT’s finally got a guy friend to join him, MATT, who DANIELLE used to have sex with every time they saw each other - because, you know, DANIELLE fucks everything that moves and doesn’t give a shit about anything - and MATT just liked the thrill. MATT has his eye on MELISSA, now, a pretty blonde haired petite girl with big blue eyes, kind of resembles Taylor Swift; MATT’s got more of a Channing Tatum look with a face like Brian McFadden - muscled meaty build and a handsome face and physique every girl wants - a lot like ELLIOTT. CHARLOTTE is sitting between ELLIOTT on her right, and MELISSA on her left, MATT and DANIELLE on the other side. They keep pecking each other playfully even though he has a girlfriend which is why CHARLOTTE feels rather bad for MELISSA; she’s sweet and will fall for his charm; all he’ll have to do is tell her what she wants to hear - he tried that on CHARLOTTE more than once but she never fell for that bullshit, whereas MELISSA would have because she hasn’t had enough experience or been with enough decent guys to know any different. ELLIOTT has a reputation as a player, because he’s scared of feeling, falling for a girl too hard and then getting hurt - so instead he puts on a persona that doesn’t want a girlfriend, a long term, stable relationship, just somebody to shag - in order to cover that up, where really, he’s just like the rest of us, just wants to be loved and settle down. He hasn’t discussed this with anyone but Ethan and CHARLOTTE. CHARLOTTE has known the twins since she was a baby and they were four, with their parents being best friends as DANNY and SHONNÉ grew up together. Upstairs, MADDIE’s fallen asleep on ETHAN’s left arm and chest; he is using his phone in his right hand. His phone vibrates and it’s ELIZABETH. ETHAN Hello? ELIZABETH Hey, E, is Mads with you? She’s not answering her phone. ETHAN Yeah, sorry about that, her phone’s on vibrate and charging in the corner of mine and Elliott’s room, she’s asleep on my shoulder at the moment. ELIZABETH Bugger. D'you think she’ll be alright? She never goes to bed before twelve. ETHAN I hope so, I love her and I hate seeing her so… broken. (He looks down at his sleeping girlfriend) What do we do, Elizabeth? ELIZABETH We wait. Until she’s ready to talk. ETHAN I just wanna hug her, tell her it’s all gonna be okay. ELIZABETH I know, Ethan, so do I. She’ll get there, I promise, we’ll just have to keep an eye on her. ETHAN Yeah, I know… You with Tom? ELIZABETH Not tonight, no, he’s gone to a house party. I’ve had a few girls 'round ours - Lily’s joined but my parents are out. ETHAN Oh okay, and are you okay? ELIZABETH Yeah, just worried about me sister. Tom’s heading here now. ETHAN What, drunk? To a girl’s party? ELIZABETH No! He’s not been drinking and the girls went after the film we watched. ETHAN Oh okay. I’ll let ya get on then, have a good evening. See ya soon. MADDIE Yeah, look after me sister for me, E. ETHAN I will. Night. MADDIE Na-night. He looks down at his girlfriend and strokes her cheek with his index finger. CHARLOTTE knocks on the door softly. ETHAN gets up and gestures Charlotte out the room and into the hallway. ETHAN Hey, what’s up? CHARLOTTE Just came in to get some clothes. No worries, I’ll come back in the morning. ETHAN No, no, you don’t need to do that, love. Go on, go on in. Charlotte nods and smiles; Ethan goes to the loo while Charlotte enters the bedroom and quickly but quietly ruffles through the drawers by Elliott’s bed. CHARLOTTE Ta, love. ETHAN You’re alright. CHARLOTTE Ethan, honey, do you wanna talk? ETHAN I’m good. CHARLOTTE E, you’re going through what Mads is going through. ETHAN It’s fucking killing me. But I still care more about my beautiful, precious girlfriend than I do myself. CHARLOTTE I get that, E, but you still gotta grieve yourself. ETHAN I just need to be there for Mads. CHARLOTTE And we need to be there for you - me and Elliott. ETHAN And you are, Charlotte – you always ’ave been. And Elliott. CHARLOTTE Then talk to us. Let us help. ETHAN I need to get back in to Mads. CHARLOTTE Ethan I’m sorry. ETHAN Not your fault, love. (He tears up and she pulls him in for a cuddle) ETHAN Thank you, Charlotte. CHARLOTTE I didn’t do anything. ETHAN You were there for me, that’s more than enough. Charlotte I’d better get ‘ome. ETHAN D’you wan’ a lift? CHARLOTTE Mhm, please. ETHAN I’ll get Elliott to take you. I’d do it but I wanna be here in case Mads wakes up. CHARLOTTE Okay, love. ETHAN Come on, then, let’s go. (They make their way downstairs) Hey, bro, can you give our beautiful young friend here a lift ’ome? ELLIOTT Yeah, no worries. ETHAN gets a can from the fridge and makes his way back up the stairs, while ELLIOTT and CHARLOTTE head out. SCENE NINETEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. EXT. ELLIOTT’S CAR. ELLIOTT puts the radio on. CHARLOTTE begins to sing. ELLIOTT You’ve a lovely singing voice, Char. CHARLOTTE Ha! Thanks. ELLIOTT You want me to buy you some cigs? CHARLOTTE Yeah, please – that’d be brilliant, mate. ELLIOTT No worries, babe.

[itsemily-louise-writing-blog]

EMILY MCCAUSLAND “TEENAGE DIRTBAG”

CHARACTERS: The Streets: Charlotte May Jane Louisa Street (born 30 July 1999) Maria May Jane Street (born 24 March 1973) Francesca Louisa Taylor née Street (born 3 August 1969) Cody Jake James (born 2 March 1994) Lily Elizabeth Street (born 21 August 2010) Max James Street (born 18 October 2013) The Deans: Kayla Thomas née Dean (born 30 July 1967) Jerome Dean (born 21 August 1972) The Greys/Spencers: Karl Spencer Daphne Grey née Merrimack, previously Spencer Alexander Edward Grey Logan Christopher Spencer (born 11 January 1971) Danielle Spencer née Dean (born 4 October 1974) Terri Amber Spencer (born 8 October 1993) Maxxi Lola Spencer (born 8 October 1993) Robbie James Spencer (born 21 November 1997) Evan Freddie Spencer (born 2 February 2000) Lillie Alexia Spencer (born 2 August 1972) Mark Summers Taylor Joanne Summers (born 2 December 1993) Haiden Jennifer Summers (born 1 July 1996) Rylee Felicia Summers (born 12 April 2002) Tessa Nicole Grey (born 3 June 1983) Kezia Grey (born 20 November 2000) Axle Max Grey (born 22 September 1988) Polly Anna Maisie Grey née Thomas (born 10 November 1991) Jaydon James Grey (born 10 April 2008) Tristan Mason Grey (born 21 May 2010) The Evertons: Daniel Thomas “Danny” Everton (born 5 May 1971) Rebecca Kelly “Becky” Lloyd (born 11 September 1972) Thomas Daniel “Tom” Everton (born 17 July 1992) Tiffani Rebecca Everton (born 27 March 1994) Ethan James Everton (born 15 June 1998) Elliott Michael Everton (born 15 June 1998) Maya Kelly Everton (born 11 July 2002) The Lyles: Annalise Lily “Annie” Lyle (born 21 December 1991) Elizabeth Annabelle Lyle (born 21 June 1996) Madeleine Jennifer Lyle (born 26 March 1997) The Hutches: Brett Charlie Hutch (born 21 December 1987) Thomas Jacob Hutch (born 15 December 1994) Nathaniel Mason “Nate” Hutch (born 15 November 1996) Others: Matt Cooper Jake Mitchell Ben Macaulay Amy Macaulay Nicole Harry Shields Holly Shields Shaun Brandon Thomson Nathan Thomson Nicola Thomson Lauren Mitchell Jade Kerri Ann Gemma Lottie Young Cheyenne Young Jazia Jennifer Danielle Olivia Porsche Piper Drew Zack Drew Denny Drew Anita Mitchell Maria Mitchell Charlie Thomson SCENE ONE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. V.O. AUGUST 1, 2017. ARCHIVE FOOTAGE OF CHARLOTTE GROWING UP AND CHARACTERS SHOWN AS THEY ARE NAMED. V.O. CHARLOTTE. I’m eighteen-year-old CHARLOTTE STREET, born in Manchester, Lancashire, to SHONNÉ SHIELDS and JEROME DEAN. My mum had previously been married, when she was 20-years-old, but the marriage lasted just 5 years and they divorced at age 25. She had a son, twenty-four-year-old CODY, with her ex-husband, who grew up in Liverpool with his father and I have only ever met him three times. My father was arrested and jailed before I was born, and so my mum cut him off for good and I have no ties to him. I was told I had the cancer gene from my father’s side and was diagnosed in 2012, after I turned 12, and won my battle in 2013 when I was 13. Mum’s parents LEON and LIZZIE were not in the best of health at this point and GRAMPA LEON had to be taken into hospital; NANA LIZZIE was diagnosed as being a dementia patient and taken into a care home almost immediately. They are progressing. I have five cousins: POLLY (born 10 November 1991, to Dad’s sister KAYLA), identical twin sisters TERRI and MAXXI, and ROBBIE and EVAN (born to Mum’s sister DANIELLE). POLLY had two sons, JAYDON and TRISTAN, with husband AXLE GREY. AXLE is now a single father, as POLLY sadly passed away on 10 January 2012. She also had the cancer gene. Axle is the son of DAPHNE GREY, the management at the studio where POLLY and I were a music duo, POLLY providing vocals and keyboard, and myself guitar and backing vocals. I still get money from sales. Our career lasted from September two-thousand-nine (when I was nine and POLLY eighteen) until January two-thousand-twelve (when POLLY was twenty and me twelve). I now work for the studio freelance. I live in a two bed flat with my mother and Aunt Francesca. But spend the majority of my time with my close friends: identical twins ETHAN and ELLIOTT EVERTON, sisters ELIZABETH and MADDIE LYLE, and TOM HUTCH, Elizabeth’s long-term on-again-off-again boyfriend. Elizabeth and Tom have been together for years - they were first made official in December 2011, at school five years ago - but split at least three times and then got back together during that time, but they’ve been firmly back together for eight months now - since September 2016. Ethan and Maddie have been together for four years now - since 30 June 2013 - when Ethan was fifteen and Maddie fourteen. Elizabeth and Maddie have an older sister, ANNIE. Ethan and Elliott have an older brother named THOMAS, and two sisters named MAYA and TIFFANI. Tom has an older brother, BRETT and a young brother NATE. Brett has a daughter named SOFIA with a relative of mine, KAT. Grampa Leon is Kat’s Great-Uncle. AUNT DANIELLE works as the producer of a TV series filmed in front of a live studio audience in Manchester. As soon as I turned 16, I started looking for jobs and got one working in a shop during the summer holidays. They kept me on because they thought I was doing well. But I left in late-August because she was offered another job in advertising. Then in early-September I was a shop assistant for a month before starting my job at as a waitress in a café earlier last month: November. And then I was offered to write and provide guitar for other artists/bands at the studio I had previously worked for. I also play basketball, football, volunteers at the library and attended evening classes in English, Maths and History as I never got to finish school because of my maternal grandparents’ illnesses. And I visit my maternal grandparents often, frequently changing bed sheets at the different locations and bringing them treats and just generally helping out. I started doing some charity work in the summer, gaining permission for use at the community centre; I am using the time slots for young people to sign up and do different activities such as sports, cooking, school tutoring and more, in an attempt to reduce crime; if young people are occupied with something more beneficial to put their time into then they are less likely to commit crime. I also put together fundraisers every six-months-or-so in order to raise money for cancer, with activities including singing, sports, dancing, competitions and more… I have been doing this since I was thirteen and have raised up to £5,000 on these occasions. I inherited my father’s home but rent it out because I’m not ready to live alone (but still pay rent at my mother’s), and I was named on my father’s life insurance, and inherited my father’s car - which I keep in my grandparents’ double garage - as well as inheriting other aspects and property of my father’s belongings. I was recently involved in a drugs raid after being drugged and kidnapped. I was shot in the left shoulder once and stabbed in the very bottom-right of her stomach. I was also sexually assaulted by one of the dealers who wanted money for the drugs my friend had bought. I was later arrested, charged and put behind bars. After one of the dealers’ house was burned to the ground, I was arrested and charged. After serving several months in prison they found the true culprit and released me with compensation. I subsequently fell pregnant as a result of the assault but sadly lost the baby in September at just five months. I then made the decision that I needed some time away from everything, and so moved out of my mother and aunt’s. So, I was homeless for a week or two before I moved back in. I kept my job as my record was cleared after admissions were given and charges were dropped. My bedroom is a square-shape at the back of the home. The bedroom contains: an en-suite on the bottom-right of the room; a wardrobe in the top-right of the room; the bed in the top-left of the room; a bedside and one of two desks next to it, by the window; a stand with a TV on in the bottom-right corner; a round wooden table under the window containing: teddies, baskets with chocolates, sweets and cookies, glitter, candles; a guitar circle containing three guitars on stands in the middle of the room; and a keyboard against the right-side wall. This community centre; work at the café; library; Maths classes; English classes; play football; writing for the studio; basketball training; care home; studying History. I teach guitar. On my basketball team were MATT, JAKE, and siblings BEN and AMY; on my football team were NICOLE, siblings HARRY and HOLLY, and SHAUN. Since the evening classes I have become friends with siblings BRANDON, NATHAN, NICOLA, and LAUREN and JADE, especially as they all help each other during and outside their classes. At the café I often share shifts with three girls around my age named KERRI ANN, GEMMA and LOTTIE. Lottie has a younger sister named CHEYENNE, with whom I have also become quite close. At the studio I have provided guitar for a girl band consisting of members JAZIA, JENNIFER, DANIELLE, OLIVIA and PORSCHE, and solo singers PIPER DREW (through whom I also met her siblings ZACK and DENNY when they came to the studio to see her) and ANITA MITCHELL (through whom I also met her sister MARIA when she came to the studio to see Anita). I also met a guy named CHARLIE THOMSON when I was in London travelling during my music career. We have a lot in common: Charlie’s father also passed away due to cancer, and his mother is a drug user - she’s getting treatment presently. SCENE TWO. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. HOME. DAYTIME It’s Tuesday, May 2, 2017, and six-o'clock-in-the-morning so CHARLOTTE is in the flat getting ready for work and the day ahead of her. She goes to work wearing a long-sleeved black crop top and a long, brown fluffy, warm winter jacket with a fluffy white collar, white scarf, black skinny jeans, and with black trainers. She has her long straight jet-black hair down and a black headband with a cute little black bow on its side, and a small black over-the-shoulder bag. She locks the flat’s white front door and then heads for the café around the corner at 06:35. SCENE THREE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. CAFE. DAYTIME. She arrives at 06:50. In the kitchen, there is a cupboard in the top-left corner, containing lockers; CHARLOTTE opens the locker using her combination, places her bag and coat inside of it, and then gets her coat out of her bag and places it in the back pocket of her jeans, then closing the locker so it’s secure, and putting the required work apron on, which only goes on the waist, not around the neck; she ties it on so that her black crop top reveals her belly button and belly button piercing. Her manager ANA, then comes from around a corner. ANA Oh, hi, Charlotte, how are you today? CHARLOTTE I’m OK thanks, Ana, and yourself? ANA Good ta. So, if you could get some more coffee cups out of storage, refill the coffee machine, and set the buns and bread out, please. That’d be a wonderful start. CHARLOTTE Of course. By 07:45 she has finished all this, and has now taken it upon herself to clean the tables, fridge and counter rather than waiting for ANA to ask her. This is done by 08:15, and customers have started arriving for their morning coffees now, so CHARLOTTE washes her hands and puts a pair of gloves on from storage to make sandwiches. She makes around twenty sandwiches and packages them within an hour. By 09:15 she has been asked to wash up, which takes her around twenty minutes, so by 09:40 she has begun serving customers. By 10:30, after forty minutes of serving, she is due a break and so takes a croissant from the tray on the counter, then making herself a coffee and placing the money in the till; steps out the back and then eats the croissant, getting out a cigarette and lighter along with her phone, holding the coffee and cigarette in one hand and scrolling through her phone with the other. At 10:40 she goes to the staff loo just behind the kitchen, and then heads back in for work by 10:45. Ana then asks her if she’ll restock the fridge while ANA serves. And finally, at 11:15, she’s asked to serve again for the last 45 minutes of her shift. And by 12:00 she’s back at her locker and waving goodbye to ANA. SCENE FOUR. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. FLAT. DAYTIME. She’s home by 12:15 and grabs her laptop and some papers for the group she runs, substituting her small black bag for a bigger black backpack, placing her laptop, phone, purse, notebook and pencil case, small makeup bag including deodorant, perfume, hair and headbands and hair clips, and hairbrush, and a memory stick and earphones. Taking her coat off, she then goes to the fridge to see what there is to eat for lunch. She decides on a pasta salad and sits down at the small round wooden kitchen table to eat it. By 12:30 she’s finished and washed up and so gets her coat from back off the coat stand, grabs her keys from the side, along her backpack, and then locks back up. She then heads to the community centre, taking a 10-minute bus ride and a 20-minute walk, arriving at the community centre for one o'clock, some of the young people having already arrived and waiting outside the hall we use. SCENE FIVE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. COMMUNITY CENTRE. DAYTIME. As they start going in, there is a sign-up sheet that CHARLOTTE puts out, along with an activities sheet, and so they line-up to sign it. She then to set-up the five different activities they’ve got in-store. The tutor then comes in and greets everyone with an apology for being late, and they set up a table for her to sit with the students. CHARLOTTE joins in with some of the activities for an hour-and-fifteen-minutes, and at 14:30 they sit down for a chat about how things are going in general, and then at 14:45 they begin packing up. By 15:00 they have packed up and got their things and are ready to go; they say their goodbyes and then MADDIE heads back home, arriving there for 15:30, getting her laptop out of her backpack and getting some song sheets up so that she can write on them. SCENE SIX. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. FLAT. DAYTIME. She finishes at 17:00 and then begins cooking some tea. She has a small TV in the kitchen on the side, and often watches whilst cooking and eating at the dining table; she switches it on after she’s prepared the vegetables she’s going to cook. She then puts some sausages in the oven and starts grilling them. Once done, she sits down and eats, watching the TV and then washing up, putting a load of washing in the machine and going to her room to get changed into her basketball kit and puts her hair up into a ponytail. SCENE SEVEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. SPORTS HALL. DAYTIME. At 17:45 she sets of for the sports hall, a ten-minute walk, and helps Jake - who’s already there - set up. CHARLOTTE Alright, Jake? JAKE Yeah. Yeah, I’m good ta. CHARLOTTE Need a hand? JAKE I could use one for the other side, thanks, love. CHARLOTTE Sure. By the time they’ve got the ball and bibs out, others have started arriving and the game will therefore begin in a matter of moments. Once they’ve all got their positions determined by their bibs on, the coach gets them to do some warm-ups, and then by 18:30 the coach calls for them to get into position ready for a game. 16-year-old CHARLOTTE plays Power Forward, 22-year-old JAKE plays Shooting Guard, 18-year-old BEN plays Centre, AMY plays Small Forward, and 18-year-old BRANDON plays Point Guard. BEN and AMY are twins. They get into position and start the training, and CHARLOTTE has scored twenty-five baskets in the last half-an-hour. And at 19:00 they get the cones out for dribbling, which they do for fifteen minutes, and then they spend the last ten minutes passing the ball between them, and finally the last five minutes are spent packing up. They then bid one another goodbye and they head out. SCENE EIGHT. MACHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. FLAT. DAYTIME. So, CHARLOTTE sets off for the block of flats she lives in, that her mother rented for years as a teenager and her early-twenties. She gets some pyjamas out from her wardrobe in her room and sets them down on the side in the bathroom (there’s a side from left to right at the back with a round sink in the middle). The bathroom is next to the bedroom I’m the flat, with the kitchen, living room and storage cupboard on the right-hand-side of the hall. Once CHARLOTTE has gotten a towel out of one of the bathroom wall cabinets and hung it on the shower glass, closed the curtains and turned the shower on, she soaks in water for a moment and then begins washing her body. Her hair is up but she’s not washing her hair. She then dries herself on the white bath mat in the middle of the bathroom, and begins putting on her pyjamas: a pair of green shorts, and a blue top with a beach setting on it. She then puts her hair up in a messy bun and slips into her slippers, then placing the towel she just used on the towel rack. And then she goes into the kitchen to make tea and toast. Once that’s done she secures the flat (making sure necessary doors are locked, and curtains and blinds are closed) and so goes into the living room and closes the curtains (the blinds were already shut), and then she gets her phone out from her bag, sits down in the living room, closes the door, begins eating the toast she made earlier, and turns the TV on. She then receives a text message. She then goes into the bathroom to brush her teeth and gets changed into everyday clothing and heads out again. SCENE NINE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. INT. PUB. NIGHTTIME. She heads to her local where she spots some older friends: 20-year-old twin brothers ETHAN and ELLIOTT, Ethan’s 19-year-old girlfriend MADDIE, Maddie’s 20-year-old sister ELIZABETH, and Elizabeth’s 20-year-old boyfriend TOM. They are visiting family on a break from filming. It’s 21:15 and ETHAN has his arm around MADDIE. CHARLOTTE has small brown eyes, is tanned, has a small thin nose, has a round face, cheekbones, wavy jet-black hair and is 5'8". ETHAN and ELLIOTT have small brown eyes, are tanned, and Ethan has a little stubble and is around 5'7" while Elliott’s baby-faced and 5’9” and, finally, they both have oval faces and strong cheekbones, messy thick dark brown hair and a handsome smile. MADDIE has long dirty blonde hair, is 5'7" in height, is fair skinned and has noticeable cheekbones, small green eyes and rosy cheeks. Elliott has a much bulkier build, is paler, has hazel eyes, freckles and lighter, shaven hair and is 5'9" in height. ELIZABETH has light brown hair, green eyes and cheekbones and has olive-tone skin, and is smaller in height than her younger sister at 5'5". TOM is 5'8" in height and has a round face and stubble, is olive-skin-toned, has dark brown parted hair and bright blue eyes. Elizabeth is sitting on her boyfriend’s lap and they are whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears. Elliott and Charlotte are the only singles left in the bunch, but Elliott is a lady’s man and is usually speaking to at least two or three girls at a time. He’s had quite a few girlfriends but never really long-term, whereas his twin has had three or four girlfriends but they’ve all been for a longer period of time. ELLIOTT is sitting opposite his brother with a girl he met a few weeks ago when she guest-started at his workplace: 25-year-old DANIELLE JACKSON. She’s got one leg on Elliott’s lap and the other drooped over the edge of the red leather seat, her head resting against the wall that the booth is up against. CHARLOTTE is sitting next to ELLIOTT, opposite TOM and ELIZABETH. And next to CHARLOTTE, on the left-side-edge of the booth is TOMMY LEWIS, a cousin of Elizabeth and Maddie. DANIELLE How long have you pair been together?“ ETHAN Four years (He takes a sip from his pint) Danielle then turns her focus on Tom and Elizabeth. TOM Well, we first got together four years ago, but we split within three months; got back together two weeks later, stayed together for a year before breaking up again, and then got back together a day later; and it kept going like that on-off for another couple of years, but we’ve been firmly back together for a year now DANIELLE How can you be sure that you’ll stay together this time? And how come you’ve split so many times, anyway? (Danielle speaks her mind) TOM Er, well our personalities tend to clash because I’m the kind of guy who would be getting detentions every other day in school, was never very academically involved and used school as a social and trouble making opportunity, and partied while his parents were out- (He looks sheepish and then turns to his girlfriend) ELIZABETH Whereas I… put my head down and got all the work done, always had my head in a book, was at the library, or the voice of something academically-inclined, and only had a small group of friends. But when I met Tom at school I found his loud, cheeky side very attractive because he was funny and would always try and involve me in everything he could. And that’s when we started seeing each other… TOM But my wild side has always gotten in the way because there were trust issues. However, we’ve had a good chat about it and decided that none of that matters, we love each other and we couldn’t be ourselves without each other; the fitting pieces to one another’s puzzle. So, if it starts getting tough again, rather than splitting, we’ll talk about it and remind each other why we’re together. ELIZABETH So, we’re going to start over, we’re going to make a new start of our relationship, erase everything from the past that hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to, and stay together for as long as we can. (she smiles, cuddling in tighter to her boyfriend) TOM takes a mouthful from his pint and gulps it down, while ELIZABETH elegantly sips her wine. TOM then takes ELIZABETH’s left hand into his right, from over his shoulder. ETHAN and CHARLOTTE have now gone up for a dance and I swear if DANIELLE gets any closer to ELLIOTT she’ll be sitting on his lap. And TOMMY has now found a girl, who’s just asked him to dance. ELLIOTT Charlotte, do you want a game of pool? CHARLOTTE Sure. DANIELLE lazily takes her leg off of ELLIOTT’s lap and he downs the rest of his drink and offers CHARLOTTE a coke as they go past the bar to the pool table, an offer upon which she takes. Once she’s got the coke she thanks ELLIOTT and then he puts a coin in and they set up the game. CHARLOTTE Who’s breaking? ELLIOTT Ladies first. (He gestures the table) ELLIOTT Don’t you have work tomorrow? CHARLOTTE Nope! And even if I did, I like the company. (She breaks) ELLIOTT So, what are you doing tomorrow, then? (He takes his shot) CHARLOTTE Studio work. Care home. Community Centre. Maths evening class. English evening class. (Lazily) “Ooh!” (She pots a ball) ELLIOTT Nice one! Could always stay at ours, Mum and Dad won’t mind, you know what they’re like. Everyone’s coming ’round tonight. (Charlotte smiles) ETHAN Oi, Elliott, when you and Charlotte are done we’re gonna head back. (From the bar) ELLIOTT Alright, bro. ETHAN D'you want one more drink, any of you? ELLIOTT Please, bro. CHARLOTTE Yes, please. ETHAN takes a final swig from his bottle and orders another round, MADDIE linked arm in arm on his left side, head on his shoulder. ETHAN You alright, babe? You look tired. (He ruffles his girlfriend’s hair) MADDIE I am (Maddie sighs) ETHAN We’ll be going soon, no worries. Are you staying over? (Maddie nods) ETHAN Is there something else wrong, Mads, you seem upset? MADDIE Nah, just tired. (She’s still tucked into her boyfriend) ETHAN Well if there is something the matter, you can tell me, you know. MADDIE I know, babe, thank you. ELLIOTT Guys, anyone want a smoke? (He walks around the corner past the bar with Charlotte, aiming his question at his brother, Tom, and Maddie, knowing that they smoke and Danielle, Elizabeth and Maddie don’t) MADDIE goes out, leaving her sister with their cousin and DANIELLE. The others make their way out with their drinks in hand. And ELLIOTT hands a lighter round. CHARLOTTE Wish I were eighteen. (She shivers) ETHAN You can still smoke. (He takes his coat off and placing it on Charlotte’s shoulder) CHARLOTTE Thank you. ETHAN Drinking is good, though. (He puts his arm round his girlfriend and smiling) ETHAN and ELLIOTT’s younger sister, TIFFANI, comes around the corner suddenly with some of her friends from school. She’s 18. ETHAN Alright, Tiff! TIFFANI Yo, bros! (She slurs and giggles) ELLIOTT Are you drunk? Have you got her drunk? (He gestures to Tiff’s boyfriend on the right) BOYFRIEND No! And even she was, she’s eighteen. ETHAN Yeah well, she’s still our little sister. TIFFANI Shut up! (Tiff goes into the pub) See you at home. TOM Right, I’m gonna go see my girlfriend. (He goes back into the pub) ELLIOTT Dude, you saw her ten minutes ago. TOM I love her. Always wanna be with her. ETHAN You wouldn’t understand, mate. (Tom’s gone in) ELLIOTT Why wouldn’t I? ETHAN Because you’ve never been properly in love. You’ve loved before, but I don’t think you’ve ever been in love. ELLIOTT I haven’t. I love but they don’t seem to truly love me back. ETHAN That’s because you fall in love too quickly, mate. ELLIOTT Can’t help who you fall in love with. ETHAN No, but sometimes you can help how fast you fall in love with them. Or what you show. I fell in love with Maddie quickly but I didn’t tell her I loved her until about six months in because I didn’t want to put her off or jinx it. And I had to make sure I felt absolutely certain about my feelings and that I wanted to stay with her. And that I thought she felt the same about me. Bro, can you honestly tell me that you wanted to be with those girls for the long-term? ELLIOTT Just one. (Elliott takes a last swig from his bottle) But she’s well out of my reach. (He makes his way back inside) ETHAN How come? ELLIOTT She’s in love with someone else. (He opens the door and going back in) As everyone else follows, Charlotte makes to take off Ethan’s coat but he puts it back on her shoulder. ETHAN Keep it till we get to mine, I’m warm. CHARLOTTE Thanks again. ETHAN As for you… (He refers to his girlfriend and cuddling her in tighter, kissing her on the head) I love you and you only get your charger back when you give me a kiss!     (Maddie pecks Ethan on the lips) No no, I mean a proper kiss! CHARLOTTE Too much info, mate. When they get back in they get their coats and the twins tell their sister they’ll see her when they get home, and they head off out. ELLIOTT You coming, Danielle? DANIELLE Nah, mate, I’ll catch you up. ELLIOTT Alright. See you back at ours in a bit. DANIELLE Yeah. I’ll see you lot back with Tiff. TOM and ELIZABETH cuddle into one another as they walk. CHARLOTTE texts her mum and her aunt to say where she’s going; two minutes later SHONNÉ texts back and five minutes later AUNT FRANCESCA texts back. They are fine with it. On the way out of the pub they spot CHARLOTTE’s friend CHARLIE, who then joins them, and later his ex, LOTTIE YOUNG, who works with CHARLOTTE, and also joins them. SCENE TEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1, 2017. EXT. PARK. NIGHTTIME. They walk by a small park on the way to the Everton household. Ethan gets a cigarette out and begins smoking it, and then leads the way into the park, sits against a fence in the pitch dark, and spins Maddie around to sit in his lap; ELLIOTT sits next to them and lights up a cigarette, CHARLOTTE beside ELLIOTT, and TOMMY beside MADDIE, while TOM and ELIZABETH sit side-by-side at the back. TOM has his arm around ELIZABETH as he too lights up a cigarette, while ETHAN leans over to light CHARLOTTE’s up for her. CHARLOTTE Cheers, mate. ETHAN notices MADDIE getting cold and starting to shiver, and so wraps his arm around her and gives her a very friendly kiss on the cheek. TIFFANI, her boyfriend MAX, DANIELLE, and their friends ANTONY, his girlfriend DIONNE, her fraternal twin AMY, FLOYD, and EMMA are on their way to the Evertons’ when they cross through the park and sit with the others. TIFFANI and MAX sit together next to CHARLOTTE; DANIELLE sits beside TOM and ELIZABETH; and ANTONY and FLOYD squeeze themselves between ETHAN and MADDIE and ELLIOTT. At 23:15 they decide to play a game of Heads Up, which lasts until midnight, and with ELLIOTT and MADDIE tying in first place, they then decide to play Truth or Dare until 00:30; ELLIOTT, TIFFANI, MAX and DANIELLE quickly got bored of that game because nobody else was doing a Dare. So, they moved on to Spin the Bottle, however the couples did not take part. They form a circle at the swings; from left to right starting at CHARLOTTE: ELLIOTT; DANIELLE; TOMMY; FLOYD; EMMA; LOTTIE; AMY; CHARLIE. CHARLOTTE, ELLIOTT, DANIELLE and EMMA light up a cigarette each, and everyone except TOMMY and FLOYD has (another) drink. CHARLOTTE was made to kiss ELLIOTT and TOMMY, while DANIELLE and LOTTIE are made to kiss CHARLIE; DANIELLE is made to kiss ELLIOTT, and EMMA and AMY are made to kiss FLOYD. SCENE ELEVEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1 AND 2, 2017. THE EVERTON HOUSE. NIGHTTIME. Then at 23:45, the twins, TIFFANI, MAX, CHARLOTTE, MADDIE, TOM, ELIZABETH, DANIELLE and TOMMY decide to go back to the Evertons’ place, a ten-minute walk away. Once there, TIFFANI, MAX, DANIELLE and TOMMY head into TIFFANI’s bedroom, while the others head into the twins’ room: ETHAN and MADDIE lay on his bed; ELLIOTT and CHARLOTTE on his bed; TOM and ELIZABETH on the yellow beanbag under the window. By midnight ELLIOTT has CHARLOTTE tucked into his chest, and they’re watching a film with earphones on his tablet; ETHAN and MADDIE are well into a game of tonsil tennis; TOM is showing ELIZABETH something on his phone whilst cuddling her from behind as she sits on his lap. MADDIE Do I get my charger back now? (Maddie asks Ethan after they’ve taken a breath) He reaches down the side of his bed and pulls it out from the plug behind his bedside table, rolls the wire up around the plug and puts it in her jean pocket. ETHAN Thank you. Right, I’m going to get some drinks. (He jumps up off his bed and smiling back at his girlfriend) TOM I’ll come. (Tom pecks Elizabeth on the cheek and shifting her legs so that he can get up) They go downstairs and bump into Ethan’s parents, 45-year-old BECKY LLOYD and 47-year-old DANNY, holding hands as they pass their son and Tom on the way up the stairs to bed. BECKY Goodnight. DANNY ’Night, mate. ETHAN Na-night. BECKY Don’t stay up too late. They pass ETHAN’s older brother, 24-year-old THOMAS at the table on his laptop. Upstairs, ELLIOTT wraps his arms around CHARLOTTE’s waist from behind, and plants a soft kiss on her cheek. By 02:45 they have had five more lagers each, three more cigarettes, and are falling asleep under the sheets of his bed. ETHAN and MADDIE don’t fall asleep until around 03:30; ELIZABETH dropped off at 00:30 and TOM was playing ‘Heads Up’ with ETHAN and MADDIE until 02:00, when he went to sleep on the orange beanbag next to his girlfriend. At 06:45 CHARLOTTE wakes up, and showers until 06:55, getting some spare clothes from under ELLIOTT’s bed (she stays often as she and the twins go way back) and she takes ETHAN’s laptop downstairs (as she has done many times; he lets her use it for studio work, where she’ll email herself back after she’s done) and starts working. She opens her emails and finds a song sheet, and then finds an email from her manager DAPHNE, requesting the sort of work she wants done. And begins writing. At 07:30 MAYA EVERTON comes downstairs and offers her friend some breakfast and fresh clothes, which CHARLOTTE kindly accepts. CHARLOTTE stays round the twins more frequently than anyone apart from MADDIE, who keeps clothes in the twins’ room in Ethan’s wardrobe. ETHAN Hey, Charlotte, do you want some company to visit your grandparents? CHARLOTTE Er, if you’re offering, mate. But I’ve gotta leave in ten. ETHAN Okay, no worries. Let me just put some toast in and brush me teeth and then we can head off. I’ll walk Mads to college as well CHARLOTTE Sure, no worries. Thanks, E. ETHAN Right, what would you like for breakfast, love? (He asks Maddie) MADDIE Yoghurt, please, if you’ve got any, babe? ETHAN Coming up. ELLIOTT Right, I’m off to work. See you guys later. (Elliott puts his coat on, half a piece of toast hanging from his mouth) MAYA AND ETHAN See ya, bro. After a series of ‘goodbye’s he makes his way out. SCENE TWELVE. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. EXT. STREETS OF MANCHESTER AND OUTSIDE OF LOCAL COLLEGE. DAYTIME. At 08:50 ETHAN, MADDIE and CHARLOTTE bid goodbye and head out. ETHAN and MADDIE are holding hands. It’s another miserable rainy Manchester day and so all three are wearing hoodies/coats and have hoods up. They walk towards the park where they stayed for a few hours last night and turn left at the end of the street, walk down a road for ten minutes until they’re at Maddie’s (and Elizabeth’s) house, where she grabs her backpack and a drink. Another fifteen-minute walk down the street and they’re at the college MADDIE attends; she wraps her arms around her boyfriend’s neck and gives him a cuddle, which he happily receives, and as she meets a couple of friends who also give Ethan a wave, they say “I love you” to one another, and then she’s off giggling with her friends. ETHAN So, do you want dropping off or for some company inside? (He throws an arm around Charlotte’s left shoulder) CHARLOTTE You’re not working till later, are you? ETHAN Nah, twelve till eight. CHARLOTTE Okay, then yes, please, company’d be nice. (She smiles) What’s the time? ETHAN Twen'y past nine. CHARLOTTE You got a burn, by any chance? ETHAN Er… (Ethan hesitates as he feels around in his pockets for a moment) Yes (He gets a lighter out and then a cigarette pack) SCENE THIRTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. INT. CARE HOME. DAYTIME. They talk for another ten minutes into the town centre, and then make their way up the stone steps. They sign in at the desk, and a nurse directs the two to CHARLOTTE’s NANA LIZZIE and GRAMPA LEON. CHARLOTTE Hiya, Nana (Charlotte says barely above a whisper) NANA ANNA Shonné? CHARLOTTE Nana, it’s me. It’s Charlotte, your granddaughter, and this is my friend, Ethan. Remember? NANA ANNA Charlotte? CHARLOTTE Yes, Nana, it’s me. Do you want a cup of tea? (She nods vaguely) ETHAN I’ll make it (Ethan offers as Charlotte makes to get up) NANA ANNA Thanks, sweet. GRAMPA LEON comes out from his room. GRAMPA LEON Hiya, sweetheart. (Grampa Leon gives Charlotte a hug) CHARLOTTE Hiya, Grampa. How are you? GRAMPA LEON Alive. How are you? How’s Mum, Aunt Francesca. CHARLOTTE They’re alright, Grampa, as am I - thank you. ETHAN comes back with three mugs of tea. ETHAN There we go. CHARLOTTE Thanks, E. NANA ANNA Thank you … er … E-E … Eth- … E … something. CHARLOTTE Ethan, Nana. NANA ANNA Right. GRAMPA LEON Thank you, Ethan. (He raises his mug) After an hour of random chats about life and memories have been shared and exchanged, CHARLOTTR and ETHAN bid their goodbyes and make their way out. SCENE FOURTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. EXT. STREETS OF MANCHESTER. DAYTIME. ETHAN Hungry? CHARLOTTE Yeah, I could eat. ETHAN Where’d you fancy? CHARLOTTE Chippy? ETHAN Sure. They buy chips and go for a walk in the park. CHARLOTTE Thanks for coming with me today, E. ETHAN No probs. You coming ’round tonight? CHARLOTTE Yeah, Elliott asked me last night. ETHAN Ah, I’ve got work till one. So, you and me brother can have the room to yourselves! (He nudges her) CHARLOTTE Shut up! ETHAN Well, when are you guys ever gonna get on with this shit? CHARLOTTE Dude! I don’t see him in that way. ETHAN How come? CHARLOTTE I don’t know, it’s just … a lot of girls have a crush on him. ETHAN Yeah but what’s that matter? He’s only got eyes for you. (Charlotte does not respond) SCENE FIFTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1 AND 2, 2017. THE EVERTON HOUSE. DAYTIME. They make their way back to the Evertons’ place at 11:30. After she’s been at the community centre, CHARLOTTE heads to the library. She stacks shelves for a while, and helps out with some admin, and then heads back home to the flat, where her mother and aunt are, for tea. SCENE SIXTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 1 AND 2, 2017. THE EVERTON HOUSE. NIGHTTIME. At 22:00 that night, CHARLOTTE and ELLIOTT are in the living room at his place playing a game with MAYA, her boyfriend CODY, DANIELLE JACKSON, her sister JENNIFER, Maya’s friends RYDER and SAMANTHA, and Max’s best friend TRAVIS. They are playing video games. MAYA, CODY, TRAVIS and DANIELLE go up to her room at 00:00, while everyone else minus CHARLOTTE has left by then. ELLIOTT lays on his bed and pulls out a cigarette, offering CHARLOTTE one. ELLIOTT Thanks, mate. (Charlotte takes one from the pack) D'you wa’ a lift back after, or you staying? CHARLOTTE Lift, please, mate. They smoke, drink and chat for a while on ELLIOTT’s bed, and ETHAN comes back in five minutes later. ETHAN Hey, bro, what you up to? ELLIOTT You’re early. ETHAN Yeah, it was quiet. Hiya, Charlotte. CHARLOTTE Hey. ELLIOTT D'you want a smoke? A can? ETHAN Yeah, go on. But then I’m going to sleep. CHARLOTTE, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want. But if you’re gonna be staying up late, quiet please. CHARLOTTE Of course, mate. ETHAN’s phone rings. ETHAN Hey, babe… Elizabeth … Calm down, I can’t understand ya. Eliz- Where’s Maddie? Is Tom there? Mate, what’s going on? I can’t hear. Oh, shit… Okay, I’m coming over. (He hangs up the phone) ELLIOTT What’s going on? ETHAN Not sure. I’ve gotta go. Tell 'oever’s up that I’ve got my phone if they need me. ELLIOTT Be safe. And let us know when you’re ready. Is there any chance you could give Charlotte a lift home? ETHAN Will do. Let’s go, get ya home. See ya later, mate. ELLIOTT Good luck, bro. You coming ours later, Char? CHARLOTTE Yeah, I will, but not for a while, I’ve got a family meal with my mum and aunt at seven. ELLIOTT Oh okay, give us a buzz, then. CHARLOTTE Will do. See ya later. They get into the twins’ blue ford focus for the five-minute ride. ETHAN looks intense and is biting his fingernail nervously. ETHAN Sorry, Char, I’m worried about Mads and the family - something’s obviously happened. CHARLOTTE As long as they’re okay. Go on, go and see her - I’ll see you later, yeah - good luck.

ETHAN Thanks, Char, I’ll let you know. SCENE SEVENTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. INT. FLAT. NIGHTTIME. Charlotte strolls in to the flat silently, at 01:30. Her mother and aunt seem to be sleeping. The following morning, Charlotte goes downstairs at 07:30, and bumps into Aunt Francesca in the kitchen. AUNT FRANCESCA Good night, was it? (Aunt Francesca says smugly, taking a bite of her toast and making her way for the door) Coming? CHARLOTTE Yeah, sure. SCENE EIGHTEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. INT. EVERTON HOUSE. NIGHTTIME. At 10pm, CHARLOTTE gets dropped off at the Evertons’ by her aunt. Elliott answers the door. ELLIOTT Hey, you! Just us, Melissa and Danielle tonight,“ he says softly, closing the door behind him. Ethan’s with Mads, Mum and Dad have gone to stay with Uncle Brad, Maya’s 'round our cousin’s, Tiff’s with Max, and Thomas finally has a date. CHARLOTTE Ah, okay, no worries - what 'ya up to? ELLIOTT Drinking. Want one? (Elliott closes the front door behind her and they make their way into the living room) CHARLOTTE Hey, babe. ELLIOTT Hiya, mate. CHARLOTTETO smiles, taking a seat next to MELISSA on the opposite sofa. They play drinking games from apps on their phone. At 23:00, the door suddenly slams open and they hear Ethan’s voice and a load of kissing sounds and Elizabeth’s giggles; ELLIOTT gets up to say hello to his brother. ETHAN Oh, shit - sorry, bro, didn’t realise you were in. ELLIOTT Clearly. (He smirks) Hey, Mads, everything alright? MADDIE Hey, Elliott, I’m alright, thanks - well, now I am, anyway - wasn’t the other night - shit happened but I’d sooner not talk about it. I’m sure myself or Elizabeth will tell you soon. ELLIOTT No worries, love. Wanna join? We’ve got Melissa, Charlotte and Danielle here. ETHAN Actually, bro, we’re just gonna head upstairs for the night - have fun, though, and say hi. ELLIOTT Alright, will do, night. ETHAN and MADDIE head upstairs and he gently pushes her against his bedroom door and kisses her passionately; he’s wearing a pale blue buttoned shirt and she’s wearing a black vest top; she has her hands on his chest as he undoes his buttons to reveal a muscled and tanned torso; his bright brown eyes gleaming as he looks into her thin emerald green eyes, she takes off his T-shirt and throws it across the room (it lands on the other side of Elliott’s bed). MADDIE absorbs ETHAN’s body for a moment, Ethan leaning on the doorframe. Maddie leans in again and mumbles "I love you” against his lips; “I love you, too,” he says with a smile, biting his lips cutely. MADDIE looks down and then hugs her boyfriend lightly; he cuddles her back wordlessly, knowing why she’s suddenly so upset. She has to tuck her head into his chest, because they’re the same height. ETHAN Wa’ 'o go 'o bed? MADDIE sobs and nods. ETHAN remains shirtless, but she doesn’t bother to strip or change at all, just lays on Ethan’s chest. Downstairs, ELLIOTT’s finally got a guy friend to join him, MATT, who DANIELLE used to have sex with every time they saw each other - because, you know, DANIELLE fucks everything that moves and doesn’t give a shit about anything - and MATT just liked the thrill. MATT has his eye on MELISSA, now, a pretty blonde haired petite girl with big blue eyes, kind of resembles Taylor Swift; MATT’s got more of a Channing Tatum look with a face like Brian McFadden - muscled meaty build and a handsome face and physique every girl wants - a lot like ELLIOTT. CHARLOTTE is sitting between ELLIOTT on her right, and MELISSA on her left, MATT and DANIELLE on the other side. They keep pecking each other playfully even though he has a girlfriend which is why CHARLOTTE feels rather bad for MELISSA; she’s sweet and will fall for his charm; all he’ll have to do is tell her what she wants to hear - he tried that on CHARLOTTE more than once but she never fell for that bullshit, whereas MELISSA would have because she hasn’t had enough experience or been with enough decent guys to know any different. ELLIOTT has a reputation as a player, because he’s scared of feeling, falling for a girl too hard and then getting hurt - so instead he puts on a persona that doesn’t want a girlfriend, a long term, stable relationship, just somebody to shag - in order to cover that up, where really, he’s just like the rest of us, just wants to be loved and settle down. He hasn’t discussed this with anyone but Ethan and CHARLOTTE. CHARLOTTE has known the twins since she was a baby and they were four, with their parents being best friends as DANNY and SHONNÉ grew up together. Upstairs, MADDIE’s fallen asleep on ETHAN’s left arm and chest; he is using his phone in his right hand. His phone vibrates and it’s ELIZABETH. ETHAN Hello? ELIZABETH Hey, E, is Mads with you? She’s not answering her phone. ETHAN Yeah, sorry about that, her phone’s on vibrate and charging in the corner of mine and Elliott’s room, she’s asleep on my shoulder at the moment. ELIZABETH Bugger. D'you think she’ll be alright? She never goes to bed before twelve. ETHAN I hope so, I love her and I hate seeing her so… broken. (He looks down at his sleeping girlfriend) What do we do, Elizabeth? ELIZABETH We wait. Until she’s ready to talk. ETHAN I just wanna hug her, tell her it’s all gonna be okay. ELIZABETH I know, Ethan, so do I. She’ll get there, I promise, we’ll just have to keep an eye on her. ETHAN Yeah, I know… You with Tom? ELIZABETH Not tonight, no, he’s gone to a house party. I’ve had a few girls 'round ours - Lily’s joined but my parents are out. ETHAN Oh okay, and are you okay? ELIZABETH Yeah, just worried about me sister. Tom’s heading here now. ETHAN What, drunk? To a girl’s party? ELIZABETH No! He’s not been drinking and the girls went after the film we watched. ETHAN Oh okay. I’ll let ya get on then, have a good evening. See ya soon. MADDIE Yeah, look after me sister for me, E. ETHAN I will. Night. MADDIE Na-night. He looks down at his girlfriend and strokes her cheek with his index finger. CHARLOTTE knocks on the door softly. ETHAN gets up and gestures Charlotte out the room and into the hallway. ETHAN Hey, what’s up? CHARLOTTE Just came in to get some clothes. No worries, I’ll come back in the morning. ETHAN No, no, you don’t need to do that, love. Go on, go on in. Charlotte nods and smiles; Ethan goes to the loo while Charlotte enters the bedroom and quickly but quietly ruffles through the drawers by Elliott’s bed. CHARLOTTE Ta, love. ETHAN You’re alright. CHARLOTTE Ethan, honey, do you wanna talk? ETHAN I’m good. CHARLOTTE E, you’re going through what Mads is going through. ETHAN It’s fucking killing me. But I still care more about my beautiful, precious girlfriend than I do myself. CHARLOTTE I get that, E, but you still gotta grieve yourself. ETHAN I just need to be there for Mads. CHARLOTTE And we need to be there for you - me and Elliott. ETHAN And you are, Charlotte – you always ’ave been. And Elliott. CHARLOTTE Then talk to us. Let us help. ETHAN I need to get back in to Mads. CHARLOTTE Ethan I’m sorry. ETHAN Not your fault, love. (He tears up and she pulls him in for a cuddle) ETHAN Thank you, Charlotte. CHARLOTTE I didn’t do anything. ETHAN You were there for me, that’s more than enough. Charlotte I’d better get ‘ome. ETHAN D’you wan’ a lift? CHARLOTTE Mhm, please. ETHAN I’ll get Elliott to take you. I’d do it but I wanna be here in case Mads wakes up. CHARLOTTE Okay, love. ETHAN Come on, then, let’s go. (They make their way downstairs) Hey, bro, can you give our beautiful young friend here a lift ’ome? ELLIOTT Yeah, no worries. ETHAN gets a can from the fridge and makes his way back up the stairs, while ELLIOTT and CHARLOTTE head out. SCENE NINETEEN. MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE. AUGUST 2, 2017. EXT. ELLIOTT’S CAR. ELLIOTT puts the radio on. CHARLOTTE begins to sing. ELLIOTT You’ve a lovely singing voice, Char. CHARLOTTE Ha! Thanks. ELLIOTT You want me to buy you some cigs? CHARLOTTE Yeah, please – that’d be brilliant, mate. ELLIOTT No worries, babe.

[itsemily-louise-writing-blog]

Short film media project log

Monday, 20 March, 2017 - Sophie, James - Music/Audio Monday, 20 March, 2017 - Billy - Influences Monday, 20 March, 2017 - Me - Meetings Content Wednesday, 22 March, 2017 - Billy, Calum - Location pt 1 Wednesday, 22 March, 2017 - Sophie - Props Wednesday, 22 March 2017 - James - Costume Wednesday, 22 March 2017 - James - Budget Thursday, 23 March, 2017 - Larissa - Contents page Thursday, 23 March, 2017 - Larissa - Character Thursday, 23 March, 2017 - Larissa - Setting Friday, 24 March, 2017 - Billy - Location pt 2 Friday, 24 March, 2017 - James - Set Design Saturday, 25 March, 2017 - Calum – Equipment Monday, 27 March, 2017 - Me - Character/Actor profiles Monday, 27 March, 2017 - Iwan - Budget Thursday, 30 March, 2017 - Me - Equipment Thursday, 30 March, 2017 - Sophie - Crew role and Responsibilities Thursday, 30 March, 2017 - Billy, Iwan - Storyboard Saturday, 1 April, 2017 - Larissa - Permission Form, Risk Assessment Tuesday, 4 April, 2017 – Billy – Mood Board Wednesday, 5 April, 2017 - Group - Schedule Wednesday, 5 April, 2017 - Group - Shot List These are a list of the dates at which we each did the pre-production, so I started my designated tasks on Monday 20 March, beginning with a log of all the meetings we had to make these dates happen; I also covered character/actor profiles and equipment. During the meetings, we gathered as a group during class, and discussed which actions next to take and how next we were going to go about them. I took notes in order to keep the flow going and remember exactly what we had discussed and so that I would know straightaway what it was that I needed to be doing during the next shoot/session. The first meeting was in the middle of March, at the beginning of the filming and production process. The length of time at which these meetings lasted was dependent on how much we had to discuss, how many team members were present, as the more members we had the more that there was to say. The first meeting we held was on Monday, March 20, and these were the notes that I had written down during those meetings: First Meeting: • Sat down as group and went through everything that needed to be planned/discussed for pre-production, everyone was given a role/task to complete. • I was designated team meetings leader, character profiler and equipment manager. • Set date for pre-production to be completed: Friday, 31 March, 2017. Second Meeting: • Update on how everyone was progressing: list of which is above. • We had everything ready which needed to be complete for now, pre-production up-to-date and everyone keeping up with their tasks and what they need to have completed for April half-term. Third Meeting: • More work was completed over Friday and the weekend: list of which is above. • By this time, we were in to April, and beginning to come up with a plan for the actor and how we wanted the actor to narrate in tone, expression and emotion; we already had some that the producer knows directly who was happy to help out. We need a voiceover to narrate throughout the entire film as the audience are only supposed to see him speak a maximum of three times. • There’s no indication of actual times when we can start filming just yet, however we do have two actors who would both be willing to help out and the actor who Billy has set out from Ireland, has in fact sent us an original piece of music over which we can use for the shoot, it’s an original piece and was created entirely by him. The actor profiles can now be set-up by me. Fourth Meeting: • The next few days were mostly filled with getting pre-production completed so that we could get ready to start production: you can’t really start a filming production without first having the planning done. Fifth Meeting: • This was primarily about getting a location sorted and on recce to determine whether it would be suitable to filming in or not; this was one of the first things we did: we began by coming up with locations we could potentially use, and reasons for why this could be a good choice. A few of the team members met up with the confirmed actors in mid-April, and stated that he was “very professional” asking suitable and relevant questions film related. He asked how exactly the directors wanted him to be positioned and exactly where he needed to be facing and the reasoning behind that shot; he also gave some input into the positioning and style himself: what would look better; how this bit would work with another; how certain objects would look in contrast to different backgrounds. We filmed on Thursday 11 May, we shot the bedroom scenes or started to. After having met with the editor, we had permission to use a friend of one of our directors’. The room was spacious enough for the crew we needed; luckily, we only needed a small space on the bed for this scene because it was a calm and collected scene where our character Cole would have been in his room as his voiceover narrates. The scene took an afternoon to film and we got everything filmed that we needed to; the actor was satisfied with the day’s work been done. The shot-list and storyboard were handy onset, as they should be always. We also filmed on Sunday 14 May, we started shooting exterior scenes. We met outside the café we wanted to film by, Pepper’s, at 11 am, while the actor and assistant camera operator got there around 11:15 am so that we had time to go through what we needed to film and how we needed it to look; the assistant camera operator is a former student helping out on our project. Once they had arrived, we got the equipment set up and a crew member went to go and buy some water for everyone, along with a bag, because we needed a bag for the shoot as it’s a part of the story: our character Cole is apparently fascinated by it as it flies past him, the audience can see that it’s bothering him. After spending an appropriate of time trying to get the bag to “fly” around (the wind wasn’t quite strong enough and was going in the opposite direction than what we needed it to) we had the actor lean on a wall outside the entrance to the café so that we could capture the character smoking, and then we moved all of the equipment to an alleyway next door, so that we could film as many scenes as we could (for variety) of the actor/main character walking through the streets as this is a significant part of the story of Cole. I had to leave the shoot an hour or two before filming had officially ended because I didn’t feel well, but my role at the time was very minor. The actor dropped out on us on May 22, 2017, but we found another one by May 25, 2017, and we now have our next filming date set-up. The date was Tuesday, May 30, we filmed at one of our team members’ home, assistant camera operator, as they have a spare room an appropriate size for the amount of crew and just the one actor needed. Only three of the seven crew members were able to attend, however, because there was not enough room for all seven crew members along with all the equipment. These were the remaining bedroom scenes where the main character is in his bedroom at the orphanage with a voice over on top. The final shoot day was on Wednesday, May 31, we had arranged to meet at Pepper’s Café for 9 am, although the actor was not going to be there until 10 am, as arranged by the producer; crew had to get set up in order to be ready and available to shoot as soon as the actor got on set. Plus we had to buy some supplies. When I got there, some of the higher-ranked crew members had already filmed a scene, as they got there early and filmed an important scene. The remaining scenes were the ones where we had to reshoot with the replacement actor, the outside walking scenes. The voice over is being filmed by the co-producer and the actor, who will either use the sound booth to record in college so it looks more professional, or the actor will take the sound recording kit away so that he can record quickly and exclusively, as he has a script. The only direction he’ll need is to know how he’s got to say something, just to be specific. Editing: Our group began editing about a week before the project was due in because we only managed to finish the VO, which had to be done by the director as the actor wasn’t available at the time. The first edit was more of a rough cut to see how it’d look. Two days later we came in with a second edit, more artistic with text as the monologue was spoken to make it more visual. We will hand in our final edit Monday. As a whole, the short film was not as we expected/intended it to be, because we had some complications with the actor and time constraints.

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Music Video Production Log

For this project we were asked to make a music video for a song of either our choice of an independent artist, or that our lecturers had chosen for us. Originally, I chose a song by Bristol-based indie artist Katie Sky of LAB Records, called "Right Words". The song my group got, in the end, is called "Waiting For You" by Lady Nade. We were asked to complete preproduction for this task, and to edit the video as part of the postproduction. We decided to shoot a sequence in accordance with the lyrics and the name of the song. By the title, I immediately imagine the girl waiting for the boy, and think of loneliness and isolation, and then the girl getting the boy. But then we added a twist at the end because we thought it would be more creative and adventurous and leave the audience guessing what happens next. So we decided that at the start of the video, the girl would be heartbroken over the broken relationship between herself and the one she loved - we don't see it onscreen but something happened with her ex and she just wants to move on and be with someone else so she doesn't have to feel the pain anymore. She goes to the park to clear her head but she can't stop crying; a new boy looks at her and asks if she's okay. They start talking and they get one another's numbers after a few hours. They go on what she assumes is a date but he's just trying to cheer her up. They go and watch a movie together on the girl/guy's phone in a kind of quietly romantic and secluded place. He receives a message from his girlfriend and says he's "Gotta go to work" but we see that it's really because he's off to see his girlfriend. He walks away after saying goodbye. And then he makes his way and we see that the female has already changed her status to 'In a Relationship'. Then there's the Closeup 'Oops, what do I do now' face. The first scene we chose to shoot was on Wednesday 16 November, the second of the entire storyline we had planned. The scene was the first of two with the female lead we had. We did not, however, have a male lead to play the boyfriend at the time, unfortunately. So we figured it'd be sensible and most efficient to do the scenes with just the female first. And we had a clear vision of what we wanted to include. Luckily, the female lead was on the scene course and timetable as the crew, so it was easier to gather everyone together. Once we had gathered the one cast member and the crew together. Then we booked the camera equipment out. The camera wasn't booked out prior to going out filming because the other students who use the equipment were not in and so we thought it efficient to go ahead and book out. However, we did not book out a tripod which turned out to be a disregard, as the camera was not stable enough. So we walked over to the park and set up in a quieter space most appropriate for the vision we had in the original storyline. We sat the female lead down on a bench as we felt this was an appropriate location for the vision we had when it came to the shoot, and the environment we planned to gain from this in the original draft and plans. For the shoot, the camera settings were not working as we expected them to be. So the director played around with the settings; with a steady hand, we got everything done. The footage we got was good enough to go into the video. When filming was complete, the footage was uploaded when the female lead and director went for a 15-minute walk up to the college and uploaded the footage before handing the camera back. After everything we filmed, including the test shots we did, I saved them where everybody in the group could access them for editing. I decided the test shots were worth saving and for me they've been put into what's called a 'Bin' in the beginning of the editing process; these could either go in a portfolio folder for future reference. During the shoot, the producer was a little too laid-back, and didn't exactly play a large lead role in the shooting, which is what a producer is supposed to do. Rather, kind of stood in the sidelines and let the director almost takeover slightly. At the beginning of the shoot, the director realised that the settings weren't quite right, and so filmed the first part in the place of the camera operator. Also, the director's hands were more steady than the camera operator's at the time - we didn't have a tripod for the first shoot so this wasn't very handy. Instead, the camera operator oversaw everything. But it turned out that it was efficient this way because it was cold and the director had the visuals and everything else planned for the shoot. During the next shoot, we will be including the male lead. And we will be shooting the scenes where the male and female leads are present in the pub. The pub that we had managed to get permission to film and is called Baker Street in Gloucester near the Quays. The pub includes a bowling alley (skittles) and a pool table. We will get some shots of the male lead and the female lead having a game in the pub during the day. This will be filmed around the space of two hours. We filmed again on Saturday 24 November in Baker Street pub. We were filming there for around an hour, as we needed footage of the girl and boy in the pub playing pool and having a good time on their 'date'. We didn't actually get to film until later that day than we'd planned because some of the production cast and crew were later than they should have been because of issues with getting there. This did not hold the shoot up. Throughout the process, the producer has been very good with the theory side of the work, but relied on the director an awful lot, to tell what needed doing rather than showing initiative and proactively coming to a conclusion according to the set work and what job role title states a producer should be doing. The camera operator, through no fault of their own, had spent quite a significant amount of time out of college and filming hours because of illness and genuine, verified personal situation which ultimately made the director feel a bit like they were made to play a bigger role throughout the production process than necessary. Likewise, the director felt like they were taking on the role of producer and director because the director felt like the producer should have been more efficient and proactive, and rather like their job was also to pull the producer along behind rather than getting on with things involved in their own job role. For example, part of the producer's job is to have the cast member(s) figured out, but this producer did not think on their own feet, rather waited until short notice to get one sorted, so I as the director then had to pull the producer along to go and find one in the Performing Arts department at the college. And as previously mentioned, the producer was laid-back during the first shoot: didn't seem to know what was being shot and in which order, nor did they even show much involvement or participation or even real interest in the group project. And in the theory work the producer relied on the decision of the director a little more than necessary: "Emily, I can't print this out," "Emily, is this alright?" "Emily, where should I put this." So in the end the director just let the producer get on with it and checked the work as we went along. For the forth and final shoot, our actor dropped out, so we had to change most of the storyline. With the help of classmates Sophie, Billy and James, we got the lead female on her bed crying over a former lover for the first scene, as they’ve just broken up – Sophie and James played these parts – while Billy was behind the camera. We met at 09:30 at the camera operator’s house, but we couldn’t start filming until the location we were using opened, so instead we used an hour or so to shoot the scenes with the lead female in at the very beginning. But only the director, camera operator and assistant, and actress, were needed for this. So the producer and male actor went back to college to finish whatever work they thought needed doing paper wise, as this was a more efficient solution. Before we began rolling, we put some photos the lead actress had printed (because they were hers) into a folder. Then Billy helped us to set up the camera, and we got filming. Our original camera operator still took control of the camera, but Billy did most of the directing. I oversaw everything. We got all the shots we needed for 10:40, so two parts of one scene took over am hour. At 10:40 we picked everything we needed and headed to the next location. Once we got there, the producer came to location at 11:00, so we got the actress ready for 10:45 and then began filming scenes with the lead female and two extras (played by the camera operator and director) so Billy did the filming for the five-second link. At 11:00 the producer got to location. However, when asked to make sure that the location was surely booked, the producer went up to the manager and asked if we could film. But the manager said that when students are looking to film, they usually e-mail or ring first just to check that that’s okay before they just turn up. But it turns out that despite the fact that the producer had said he’d secured the location (Café Rene) several times, in fact what he’d done was rang up, got no answer, and then assumed that was fine to go ahead and film anyway. So instead we moved to the cavern and filmed there. There weren’t many there and so they let us go ahead. Once we got there, we needed three female leads, so again, the camera operator and director played a part in the film. Again, the assistant camera operator (Billy) took the camera. The producer bought (non alcoholic) drinks so it was more realistic as we were supposedly having a girly night out. We stayed until around 12:15 before we headed outside to film the final scene. We needed one more male for that, so we used the earlier mentioned classmate James. The assistant camera operator (Billy) headed off because we could record the final piece of footage ourselves. The producer also left because all we needed on-scene were the actors, and the producer is not (like me) very good with the equipment. The final scene took around 15 minutes to film and we were done by 12:40. And that was a wrap. So we went to college and uploaded and saved the footage as we needed. Extra Need-to-Know Information: We changed half of the original idea for the music video concept, very late-on, because the actor dropped out and we had various other issues including absent members and location permissions. We can keep some of the scenes we shot, but most of them will now no longer be on the edit sequence, because they’re either no longer good enough, or no longer relevant. The new scenes we shot were those of the lead female and the ex. And that’s pretty much where the continuity issues come in, but hopefully we can cut the clips together so that they’re either covered-up, or we’ll just have to accept that what’s done is done. Editing: We began editing about a week after the first shoot because we were focused on the production log first, and we needed to get pregnant production done, and planning. So I got a sequence started by putting some clips together in a time line that made sense. During the next shoot, we uploaded the footage on the Monday when we were back in college, as we filmed on the Saturday. It was uploaded to the M Drive so that everyone in the group could access it. I began editing that day and managed to get more of a time line going. A couple of days later, I continued ion the edit and got halfway through a time line. During the final shoot, we uploaded the footage as soon as we got back to college as this was on a Monday, and began the edit. But we didn’t get very far because we didn’t have time. So on Wednesday 14th December, one day before the project was due, all three group members had to go through thoroughly yet rapidly to get the final version of the edit from the footage we got Monday the 12th. Unfortunately, I either lost most of my already created time line, or three out of five were either corrupted or refusing to open. So I redid my time line so that I could start again with the old and new footage because then I could do both at the same time and know what order what order they were going in. Plus, I wasn’t sure if I would even be using the previous footage as it may no longer have been relevant or in good enough condition to go in, especially compared with the quality of the clips. So I imported all of the footage from previous shoots and the footage we got on Monday 12th, and started to build a time line from what we had and what we had envisioned the pattern or sequence to be. I began to develop a story by doing this. Gradually, throughout the day, with time and patience, I put together a logical sequence in class, but some of the clips weren’t quite good enough and some of them needed to be adjusted to be made aesthetically pleasing. I did this after my college hours with the help of two classmates in the edit suite. After several hours of adjustments, effects, positioning and arranging, I managed to get the whole edit very nearly done. There are just a few changes I need to make on the hand in day on Thursday 15th.

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MUSIC VIDEO TECHNIQUES

In music video filming, there is always a reason for everything, from the colours and clothes that the creative team choose, to the camera angles and the location. Colours may often be a connotation for emotions and lyric interpretation, for example blue can be in aid of sorrow or purity; red for love or blood; yellow for brightness, joy and happiness; green for the outdoors, adventure and sickness. If there is a window open, then there will be a reason for that; if there's a door open, there will be a reason for that; if there's clothes on the floor, there's a reason ... OK, you get the point. Now for camera angles, moviemaker crew members usually do CU if they want to show emotion, which is why there are lots of CU in Taylor Swift's videos; they are usually very emotional, as is the same for most of the Demi Lovato. If they're doing a wide shot, it's usually because they want the audience to take in the scenery and maybe get a sense of what the song might be about. Location: if they're in a peaceful environment it's usually because they are feeling relaxed and comfortable, like a bedroom or a field. If they're in the darkness, isolated from the outside world, it's usually because they are feeling lonely and sad, as is the same for if it were raining, in the same way that if it's light and sunny out, it's because the atmosphere is supposed to be and feel comfortable and relaxed and happy. Sometimes artists/bands will leave it up to you to decide what the video is about...

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4. Performance

Taylor Swift - Shake It Off Bruno Mars - Lazy Song The Script - If You Ever Come Back One Direction - Best Song Ever Videos to come! Performance videos contain lots of in-studio work and dance ruitines, usually choreographed, and they are often getting ready for a performance. In 'The Lazy Song' Bruno dances aimlessly to lyrics and a video that were purely made for comedic purposes. They must have been chereographed because they were done to the beat and in-sync. He also often picks up objects that he have been sung about in the song, for example when he says 'Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone" you might see Mars pick up a phone and pretend to use it. Or like when he sings about taking his pants (bottoms) off and not doing anything, you see him taking his pants off. In 'Shake It Off' and 'Best Song Ever' there are dance routines, chereographed, but they don't seem to be there for a particular reason; it's like they just put them in for a bit of fun. One Direction were trying to promote their new movie, 'This is Us' and Swift just wanted to show off her dance moves to the world - which I don't think anyone was complaining about - and Swift was trying to show that you can always cheer up by dancing!

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T-Swift and KP

In Swift's video, you can see that the song is called 'Teardrops on my Guitar' and Swift has her guitar right next to her. And the majority of the time, when Swift sings these lyrics, you'll see the guitar and how upset Swift looks. And when she sings 'Drew talks to me' the camera goes into a shot of this 'Drew' guy and Swift talking - at school, in the library. Additionally, the video is a narrative because it tells a story: it's a love story about how Swift is trying to capture the attention of this guy but he's only interested in her as a friend; why won't he notice me? - and has his eye on another girl. At the beginning of the video, Swift appears to think that Drew might actually like her, and she obviously thought he might ask her out or something, but then she tells the story of how it turns out he just wanted to be with another girl. The white sheets in the video are most likely to represent purity, because she seems really innocent and like all that she wants to do is to get the guy, but she can't because he doesn't see her like that. The green dress could be to represent the sickness she feels, ie how bad she feels about not being able to get the guy. And I think they went in for quite a few closeups in terms of the camera movements when they went into shots of Swift. KP In Perry's video, when the word 'Fireworks' is sang, Fireworks literally go off everywhere. This is a 4th of July American celebration party song, and this is demonstrated by the amount of attendees at the party Perry set off through sending the fireworks into the air. Also, when Perry is asking the emotional rheroical questions, such as 'Do you ever feel like a wasted space? You're original, cannot be replaced' the camera immediately goes into a shot of someone who looks as though they feel that way; this again, is a narrative, because it tells a story.

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Explanations on their way

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Explanations available next

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3. INTERPRETIVE -

This is where everything that we hear in the lyrics is shown on-screen. So if you saw a red blouse on a bed, the artist or band would be singing about a red blouse: it’s very literal. Two examples to follow in my next blog.

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2. ANIMATION - I previously talked about the style of Animation, which is where producers hire creative directors, editors and graphic designers in to make their storyboard drawings and visuals a reality. The Gorillaz are an Animation group because it’s a more creative and imaginative decision this way. Gorillaz are a British band based in Essex, consisting of two male animators, one of whom sings and the other of whom is more of a creative director. Live performances consist of four band members.

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Video for Blur's "Coffee and TV."

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Music Video Analysis Final Part 2

The second part of the analysis is the explanation of the different styles, which are the different versions of music videos. I will explain some of these styles now: 1. NARRATIVE - This is where a music video tells a story, and the audience can usually tell what the story is about. An example of this is Blur’s “Coffee and TV” which is based on the story of a milk carton or boy waiting for someone/something, and he eventually finds it in the band. Wandering on the street, the milk carton feels small and could easily be trampled on. But when he sees the band he feels like he’s finally found somewhere he fits. And so the milk carton floats into the clouds as a connotation for the character going into heaven because he's happy and he's finally found a place where he belongs.

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Music Video Analysis Part 3

This was inspired by Frenchman Phillipe Petit’s documentary “Man on Wire” which sees him walking a wire between the Twin Towers in the US. The song lyrics are therefore made even more personal and therefore inspirational, and lives up to expectations because the video fulfils everything that the audience could want from the band given the name of the song.

There are also different types and formats in music video production, they include split-screen, black and white, panning (following the singer or an actor or actress or model directly), storytelling, dance, couples or developing relationships which is for the most part what we see in music videos anyway. Split-screen is usually used in band’s music videos so that you can see the video and lyric interpretation from every member’s point of view, so you might have one member in the top-left corner looking for his or her love, another in the top-right corner driving around looking worried or upset or anxious, another in the bottom-left wondering what to do next, and another in the bottom-right in a room partying and looking for love, for example. Black and white is often used in videos whose songs are sad and/or slow, because it’s a connotation for sadness/darkness/loneliness. Techniques include lip syncing, which singers do to ‘save’ their voices so that they’re OK to perform live in concerts, or because they’ll be dancing, or simply because they’re on voice rest.

Now I’m going to begin discussing conventions, which are a huge part of the techniques in music video, these include styles and ways of doing something, such as camera angles, pans, views, positioning, props and what goes into this: why do they do it? For example, in 24-year-old American singer-songwriter and actress Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper”

They use long shots for dramatic effect, to show the distance and isolation from the world that Demi has now admitted feeling a few years; she had an eating disorder and was hurting so she decided to produce a song reflecting this; “you can take everything I have, you can break everything I am, like I’m made of glass; like I’m made of paper; go on and try to tear me down, I will be rising from the ground, like Skyscraper, like a Skyscraper” as Demi sings. They also do a lot of close ups to show emotion, thus the tears shown when they zoom in on her, enhancing the feeling of loss and loneliness, and to help us relate to what she was feeling at that time; to put across that distress and so that the audience can connect with her. Moving on slightly, let’s talk about the video for One Directions’s “What Makes You Beautiful”

They pan out and zoom in on each of the members’ faces, particularly as they sing, three of the previous five members. It’s a bit clichéd boy band style, but the cheesy, corny quirkiness of it is what the audience are looking for, and therefore why the band is so popular. Finally, in the interest of artists like Olly Murs, who tends to do the clichéd cheesy thing but without the emotional jargon because his songs are supposed to be fun and quirky as a opposed to emotional and more on the serious side; likewise, we expect Olly to be cheesy and quirky because he’s cheeky and funny and that’s a huge part of what’s made him so popular over the years.

This one was a bit more of a serious one. I went to see him live and he said that it was written about a breakup and was one of those songs to help with closure, but it’s a good example of love song and the sorts of video you might expect from a pop artist.