31 Plays in 31 Days, #7 - "Let the Grown Ups Handle It"
Spent most of the day editing the Hood pilot, not only to cut it down but also to add in all the stuff that was recommended for inclusion in the reading. It seemed easier to reduce to a conventional hour-long page count than to pad it out to two hours, at least in the limited amount of time I have left. Unfortunately it's still pretty long at 65 pages. It's an action script with a lot of things happening simultaneously, which artificially inflates the page count, but still. And I have things to fit in. The most challenging edit is to make the journeys of the supporting cast clear. It needs to be done in relatively minor edits so as to not bloat it out, but a lot of substance has to get packed in to make the character feel complete.
This scene is where the executives convene to decide how they're going to deal with the industrial accident and its fallout. Robin gets upset that they tried to cut him out, because they seem him as an irresponsible mess.
"Let the Grown Ups Handle It"
From the Hood pilot
By Phoebe Roberts
INT. MONARCH BOARD ROOM - DAY
The top brass of Monarch and its subsidiaries are gathered around a conference table. John, Marian, Guy, and the rest attend to Scarlet as she gives a presentation on a high-tech projection system.
GUY
What the hell happened in there? Sabotage?
JOHN
Let’s not jump to conclusions. What do we know?
SCARLET
At around nine last night, the Barnsdale fabrications plant experienced a catastrophic breach of the production line, setting off a chain reaction across the facility. A combination of corrosive industrial hydrocarbons and pure O2. The resulting chemical fire consumed most of the building and spread to the surrounding area.
She displays a digital map of the path of the catastrophe.
JOHN
How wide a radius?
SCARLET
According to drone surveillance, there may be contamination as far as ten miles out from the site.
A look of horror comes over Marian’s face.
MARIAN
What set it off?
SCARLET
We don’t know yet.
MARIAN
Hasn’t anyone gone in to investigate?
SCARLET
It isn’t safe. We’ll send a hazmat crew in once things settle a bit.
JOHN
I’ve got a team on standby. The facility is cordoned off in the meantime.
MARIAN
That’s not enough. What about the town? All the residents have to be evacuated, relocated!
GUY
That’d cost a fortune.
MARIAN
They’re people, Guy! Children! Who knows what that exposure’s going to do to them?
GUY
Hey, easy!
MARIAN
This isn’t some stupid mistake to keep from the public! I want to know who’s responsible!
ROBIN (O.S.)
You and me both.
Robin storms into the room.
ROBIN
Well, the gang’s all here. Guess you thought that with the think tank assembled, you didn’t need to get a hold of me.
MARIAN
We tried. Half of the room tried. All day.
GUY
You were too busy dumping Gatorade all over yourself to give a damn.
ROBIN
So you were just going to decide how this was going to go without me? I know you need to prove you’re a big man in Richard’s chair, John, but Christ!
JOHN
You didn’t really give us a choice.
ROBIN
It was my facility, damn it! It’s my company!
JOHN
Exactly. This happened on your watch.
ROBIN
I had nothing to do with it!
GUY
Because you do nothing!
ROBIN
That is some big talk for a yes-man sewn up inside the skin of a dead horse.
GUY
Listen, you spoiled son of a bitch, you think you can check in and out whenever you want to just because your daddy’s name is on the door? We should be getting this report from you, not your girl Friday!
SCARLET
Excuse me, I'm his head of R and D!
JOHN
Enough! We don’t have time for this. Robin, why don’t you go cool down and let us take care of this?
ROBIN
Are you kidding? I’m running this show, not you.
MARIAN
Do you really think you’re the man for the job?
ROBIN
I think that’s my call to make.
MARIAN
We all know if you’d been paying any attention at all, we might not be completely in the dark about why a damn factory blew up!
ROBIN
I know what’s going on in my own company, Marian!
MARIAN
Yeah? What does that facility even do? Do you know?
ROBIN
I- you don’t get to tell me-
JOHN
But I do. And we’ll take it from here, Robin.
GUY
Now step aside and let the grownups handle this.
Robin looks from face to face, watching them turn away. Vibrating with fury, he knocks over a chair and storms out.
This scene is where the executives convene to decide how they're going to deal with the industrial accident and its fallout. Robin gets upset that they tried to cut him out, because they seem him as an irresponsible mess.
"Let the Grown Ups Handle It"
From the Hood pilot
By Phoebe Roberts
INT. MONARCH BOARD ROOM - DAY
The top brass of Monarch and its subsidiaries are gathered around a conference table. John, Marian, Guy, and the rest attend to Scarlet as she gives a presentation on a high-tech projection system.
GUY
What the hell happened in there? Sabotage?
JOHN
Let’s not jump to conclusions. What do we know?
SCARLET
At around nine last night, the Barnsdale fabrications plant experienced a catastrophic breach of the production line, setting off a chain reaction across the facility. A combination of corrosive industrial hydrocarbons and pure O2. The resulting chemical fire consumed most of the building and spread to the surrounding area.
She displays a digital map of the path of the catastrophe.
JOHN
How wide a radius?
SCARLET
According to drone surveillance, there may be contamination as far as ten miles out from the site.
A look of horror comes over Marian’s face.
MARIAN
What set it off?
SCARLET
We don’t know yet.
MARIAN
Hasn’t anyone gone in to investigate?
SCARLET
It isn’t safe. We’ll send a hazmat crew in once things settle a bit.
JOHN
I’ve got a team on standby. The facility is cordoned off in the meantime.
MARIAN
That’s not enough. What about the town? All the residents have to be evacuated, relocated!
GUY
That’d cost a fortune.
MARIAN
They’re people, Guy! Children! Who knows what that exposure’s going to do to them?
GUY
Hey, easy!
MARIAN
This isn’t some stupid mistake to keep from the public! I want to know who’s responsible!
ROBIN (O.S.)
You and me both.
Robin storms into the room.
ROBIN
Well, the gang’s all here. Guess you thought that with the think tank assembled, you didn’t need to get a hold of me.
MARIAN
We tried. Half of the room tried. All day.
GUY
You were too busy dumping Gatorade all over yourself to give a damn.
ROBIN
So you were just going to decide how this was going to go without me? I know you need to prove you’re a big man in Richard’s chair, John, but Christ!
JOHN
You didn’t really give us a choice.
ROBIN
It was my facility, damn it! It’s my company!
JOHN
Exactly. This happened on your watch.
ROBIN
I had nothing to do with it!
GUY
Because you do nothing!
ROBIN
That is some big talk for a yes-man sewn up inside the skin of a dead horse.
GUY
Listen, you spoiled son of a bitch, you think you can check in and out whenever you want to just because your daddy’s name is on the door? We should be getting this report from you, not your girl Friday!
SCARLET
Excuse me, I'm his head of R and D!
JOHN
Enough! We don’t have time for this. Robin, why don’t you go cool down and let us take care of this?
ROBIN
Are you kidding? I’m running this show, not you.
MARIAN
Do you really think you’re the man for the job?
ROBIN
I think that’s my call to make.
MARIAN
We all know if you’d been paying any attention at all, we might not be completely in the dark about why a damn factory blew up!
ROBIN
I know what’s going on in my own company, Marian!
MARIAN
Yeah? What does that facility even do? Do you know?
ROBIN
I- you don’t get to tell me-
JOHN
But I do. And we’ll take it from here, Robin.
GUY
Now step aside and let the grownups handle this.
Robin looks from face to face, watching them turn away. Vibrating with fury, he knocks over a chair and storms out.