BVA 203 W14 : Treatment



In screenwriting we just wrote treatments, I did one and now feel capable of doing them, so here is mine for A Long Day's Night:

Opening Scene
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Trevor is scanning the house for his girlfriend, she is nowhere to be found, eventually he stands in the hallway, calling Holly's name, there is no answer, he cautiously approaches a door which stands ajar. On the other side a man is sitting at a table, playing piano. He peeks through the gap, considers this, looks around. The living room is a mess, the remnants of a party - everything strewn around, clothes scattered, countless empty bottles. Some flags and a sign that wishes Holly a good bye hang lifeless in the dry air.

Trevor turns his attentions back to the man, he places his hand on the door and presses - it creaks. The stranger stops playing. Trevor pauses as well, unsure. His voice struggles out a phrase saying he didn't know anyone was still here. The man doesn't reply and maintains his stony stature. Trevor asks how far away the man lives, no response. He enters the room and says "excuse me sir". The man replies and points out finally he gets some respect, Trevor apologizes and asks the man how he got there - if he needed help getting home. The man says he is fine, he walked to the house. Trevor, talking into his back, asks him how far away he lives, the man says about fifteen minutes.

Awkwardly Trevor questions whether or not the man isn't tired enough to go home now. The man says he won't depart until his daughter leaves, Trevor asks him where his daughter is. The elderly gentlemen, still faced away from Trevor, points towards the hall. Trevor follows this and sees the bedroom, he asks whether his daughter is in the bedroom. Trevor says that's his bedroom, the old man says that yes, indeed, it unfortunately is. Trevor asks him why she's in his bedroom, the old man replies that he has no idea why she's with Trevor, Trevor isn't good enough for his little girl. Trevor gulps and asks who the man's daughter is. The old man says that Trevor can't even evacuate a stranger from his own house, Trevor is weak and undeserving of Holly. Surprised Trevor asks if Holly is his daughter, the man says yes. Trevor moves quickly for the bedroom door, but it doesn't budge. He knocks and calls for Holly but to no avail, the old man yells from the room that she doesn't want him anymore, that Holly is happier now.

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Trevor stands outside the bedroom door, a shadow moves behind him. He turns around, there are many more people in the living room now, all of them drunk and disorderly. One man has a sombrero on and a large red stain running down his shirt, he drunkenly trips into Trevor. He congratulates Trevor on the party and comments that it must be killing Trevor to see Holly leave. Trevor doesn't know what exactly to say and just affirms the man's claim, asking him if he knows where she is. The man ignores his question and asks him if he wants to shots, Trevor says not now and the man jabs that the alcohol is too much for lightweight Trevor. He doesn't resist and instead moves into the crowd, calling for Holly and asking people if they've seen her.

People ignore him and his pleas fall on deaf ears, he recognizes a friend and taps him on the shoulder, the man doesn't have a shirt on and is chugging a beer. He addresses the man as Dan and asks him if he knows where Holly is. Dan tells him he doesn't know and wonders if maybe she hasn't left already, Trevor confusingly rebuffs that Holly lives there. Dan matter-of-factly states "not for much longer".

Trevor turns away from Dan, now somewhat distressed and starts yelling Holly's name, a woman nearby tells him not to be so loud and he stops. He sees her flitting through the crowd - which seems to have increased in size since he entered the room, he moves in her direction but bumps into the sombrero wearing man. The man exclaims as he drops a hot dog he was holding on his shirt, leaving a red stain, he moans but Trevor continues moving. He sees Holly leading a young man by the hand, they enter the bedroom in a dangerously flirtatious manner.

The door closes and Trevor is tapped on the shoulder. Dan, now with a shirt on, is telling him to come meet someone. Trevor follows him apprehensively. He leads Trevor to an elderly couple and tells Trevor that its Holly's parents. The parents say they have been looking forward to meeting him, he awkwardly fumbles over his words in an attempt to reply. The old man looks him up and down with squinted eyes and Holly shows up. Trevor is happy to see her and she says it's good he's met her parents, he says they only just met and the father interrupts that already they don't like him. Trevor is confused, he is told by the mother not to have his mouth hanging open like that - its improper. He is handed a drink by Holly and takes a sip, but is told that's not the way to do it by Holly. She asks him not to embarrass her in front of her parents, he is unsure what she means by this and she points out that he is holding his pinkie wrong, she demonstrates with her own glass - her pinkie finger points outwards, not at all grasping the glass. The parents look on in dismay. Trevor is flustered and tries changing his grasp but almost drops his glass, in his attempt to save it he spills it all over Dan, who responds by laughing and excitedly ripping of his shirt before blending into the crowd. Trevor apologizes to the parents, but Holly has disappeared.

He looks around for her and the father tells asks him if he knows what his problem is. Trevor doesn't know and the father informs him that he's a weak man, leaching off of Holly's success, he doesn't know how to reply and sees Holly in the back talking to the young man from before. He tries to yell to her as the father drowns him out with a lecture about standing up for oneself and being a man. He yells and yells but his attempts make no sound, the father is talking about how he isn't right for his daughter and how his weakness will see her take someone else as soon as the opportunity provides itself.

Trevor yells but makes no sound and is consumed by the crowd, people surround him and he starts looking around for Holly who he has lost sight of again.

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Ending scene where they go to sleep.

Comments

  1. This would have been perfect to include in your dissertation as part of the appendix.

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