local-man-does-a-thing

[local-man-does-a-thing]

Sorry about the watermark :(

[local-man-does-a-thing]

Script Assignment

This scene starts in a boring room. The walls are a tan cement block, with some deep chestnut furniture around. There is a long brown table occupying the center of the room, with a chair on either side. The larger chair is more plush, with armrests and black leather. The smaller chair has no armrests but a soft cushion. X is seated in the larger chair with a glass of water. He is well dressed. Y is sitting in the smaller chair, slightly hunched over and wearing a crumpled looking shirt. 

X: So, where do you see yourself in five years?

Y: What? I don’t understand the question.

X: We just want to get a full picture of who you are and why you’re applying for this role.

Y: Huh. (Pause for a second) I guess I’d still be in the city. Maybe the suburbs?

X: I don’t think you understood the question. I meant more like “What are your aspirations? What do you want to do with yourself?”

Y: Oh, I guess I want to be comfortable. I want to find a nicer apartment in the city, maybe one with a window that looks out onto the market. I like skiing, maybe take a trip up to Vermont? 

X: Yeah, I love skiing too. Have you ever been to Elk Mountain? One of my favorites. Huge mountain, less people than Camelback, usually pretty good snow.

Y: No, I’ve never been.

X: Would recommend, yeah. (A short time of silence passes) So, um, do you have any questions for me? 

Y: Yeah. (Checks notepad on the desk in front of him) How would you describe this company’s culture?

X: (laughs softly) Well, I’d say that we are all like one big family here. The employees all talk with each other and have pretty good relationships, and the company picks out people to reward for good work frequently. What we’re looking for is a hard worker who’s willing to match our dedication to the craft. Someone who’s not afraid to stay late, even if it means making some sacrifices along the way. Does that make sense?

Y: I guess so, do you pay overtime for these sacrifices?

X: Oh we usually don’t do that kind of thing, we like to give our employees some more freedom with stuff like keeping track of time. If you need to leave early or something, you can just duck out a couple minutes early. You know, that kind of thing.

Y: And uh, you said your company rewards people for good work? What does that mean exactly?

X: Well, we are always on the lookout for employees who really give 110% to their work, so if we notice someone performing above expectations, we usually give them a picture up on the wall and a nice pat on the back.

Y: How nice.

X: Any other questions? 

Y: No, I think I’m good.

X: Well, thanks for joining us here today. I’ll talk with my people in HR, and I’ll send you an email in a couple of days. I don’t think it will be too much of a challenge given our interview, so in advance: Welcome to the family!

Y: Thanks

The scene changes to a parking lot, where X is on a phone in his car.

X: Yeah he just asked me a couple of questions about myself, and I answered as best I could. (Pause) No, I don’t think it's the right fit for me. (Pause) I’ll keep looking, it’ll be ok. (Pause) Love you too. (Hangs up the phone)

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Script Writing

Overall, I noticed that a lot of conversation is done nonverbally. In some conversations, people couldn’t think of words, were trying to suggest something, or just wanted the other person to interpret their silence. A lot of conversations I had had jokes in them or were funny to begin with, and most had laughter in them. Below I included two examples of conversations had.

Anon: Ugh, the campus tours

Me: Oh the campus tours. What harm do the campus tours do?

Anon: They are distracting and annoying

Me: But how else will they tour the campus and end up–

Anon: I never toured the campus

Me: At this wonderful school

Anon: I can hear the sarcasm dripping

Me: first things first, whats a trombone?

Anon: It’s a brass instrument thats cylindrical and loud. Now, we’re gonna open up the case. As long as youre opening it up like this its ok. If you open up the other way the instrument will fall out. Aslo yeah its slippery. And the trombone case is the worst case.

Me: the worst case?

Anon: it is just the worst case. So, it depends on where the slide goes. You'll figure it out.

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Costume Design for On The Exhale

I was attempting to convey several things in the costume. The main idea I want to present is that the character is a professor first. This is shown through the grey jacket and pants, which are similar to many general professor stereotypes. The shirt under the jacket is black to show an internal turmoil, as under the steady grey jacket is black. There are also red accents to the shirt, which are hard to see in the picture. The costume should show the character is put together, but struggling internally.

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I decided that the best set for M. Butterfly would be an alley stage. My plan for the prison scene is to have a large set piece act as the far wall, with a single cell for Gallimard to stand in and give his narration and a faux walkway for Song to appear on later in the performance. It allows for the audience to get a sense of the loneliness of Gallimard and his separation from the world he knew. Unlike a normal prison, there will not be any other cells, even though there will be room for them, and a spotlight will be focused on the single, lone cell. The alley stage allows more of the audience to be closer to the actors, and M. Butterfly doesn't have too many sets that the confined area would be an issue. Additionally, if we made the prison wall moveable, we could add an additional set piece to the back, such as the Chinese opera house, Song's home, or the courtroom. The walls of the prison are grey and the walkway bars are black to focus attention on Gallimard in the center of the set. A spotlight centered on his location enhances the prison set and isolates him. Inspiration for this set design is from a French prison in the 1970s that I will post alongside my sketch.

[local-man-does-a-thing]