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breakinglight11Another scene from Dream Machine episode 4, falling after Day #13 - "Mobile Set Pieces" and before Day #24 - “Typecast”. I’ve mentioned I want this episode to explore Josie a bit more, prompting her people-pleasing tendencies to come in conflict with her desire to do good creative work. The best drama comes from characters having to do the stuff that’s hardest for them, which is a rule that applies even in a comedy like this if you want to tell good stories. It’s also a good way to get to know somebody, understanding what their struggles are and why.
I like the burgeoning little friendship we’ve started between Josie and Derek. Also, poor Naomi. As I told her, and as the small cutaway aside with Leah in this demonstrates, “If you wanted a role with dignity, you shouldn’t have accepted a part inspired by me.”
Day #27 - “Nothing Sandwich”
From Dream Machine:
"1.04 - The Opposite of People"
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~
JOSIE CARRAWAY, the lead actress on Offcomer, early thirties
DEREK KAPLAN, technical director at Pamplemousse Studios, mid thirties
LEAH LUCCHESI, a showrunner at Dream Machine, mid thirties
Los Angeles, 2020
~~~
INT. PAMPLEMOUSSE SOUNDSTAGE – DAY
Close on Josie as she delivers the end of a somewhat overwrought monologue.
JOSIE: “You may think you know me. But you don’t. How could you, when everything I’ve ever shown you to this point is a lie, to hide things beyond what you know? I had to do it, though you couldn’t see that. How could you? When everything you know is just a drop in the wake of everything that I’ve seen? I know you don’t know, that you can’t know. But still… with everything I know… I feel I know you. I know I know you. And perhaps if I knew better, I’d know I could never know. But somethings are beyond knowing, and some things you know in your bones. I know both of things. And there’s a saying where I come from…”
As Josie builds to the big finish, we pull back to a nonplussed Derek, watching her from the top of a ladder in the grid.
JOSIE: “When you know… you know.”
She breathes deep, collecting herself, and looks to him expectantly.
JOSIE: Well? That’s a monologue of Katrina’s straight from the book.
DEREK: …I know.
JOSIE: What do you think?
Derek climbs down, not looking at her.
DEREK: They… got permission to adapt that stuff, right?
JOSIE: Yeah, apparently the author sends Ryan flowers every week now. But what do you think of my interpretation? Did you get a sense of the character?
Derek reaches the ground and meets Josie’s eyes.
DEREK: Yeah… she’s nothing. This character is nothing. I got a sense of all the nothing.
JOSIE: Really?
DEREK: She is a double-decker nothing club between three slices of nothing bread.
JOSIE: I didn’t bring anything to it?
DEREK: You are a drop in the Marianas Trench of nothing where the deep-sea nothings swim around aglow with phosphorescent nothing.
JOSIE: Oh, my God.
DEREK: She’s a riddle of nothing wrapped in an enigma of nothing all tied up with a bow of nothing—
JOSIE: Okay, I get it! I’ve never had such a hard time getting a handle on a role before. Even the time I played a serial killer on police procedural, at least the eyelids she kept in teacups gave her specificity.
DEREK: Well, what’s Leah got to say about the character? She’s supposed to give you direction on this.
JOSIE: She’s… not really come to that part of her process.
CUT TO Josie standing at Leah’s desk, as Leah hunches protectively over a pile of notebooks.
JOSIE: If you could just tell me what you’re looking for—
LEAH: I’m not ready!
JOSIE: Maybe just an idea of what you’re thinking?
Leah hurls herself on top of pile.
LEAH: Not ready!
JOSIE: Even just a look at your notes—
Josie reaches for an open notebook, but Leah tears out the page and crams it into her mouth.
LEAH: (around the paper) NOT READY!
CUT BACK to Derek’s unsurprised face in the studio.
JOSIE: It wasn’t a ton of help.
DEREK: Well, there’s no more time for that. You’re just going to show up and read with people. If Leah doesn’t like it, she’s going to have to tell you what she does want.
JOSIE: Yeah, I guess you’re right. Better than being a big old nothing sandwich.
DEREK: With special nothing sauce.
JOSIE: Yeah.
DEREK: And a kosher spear of nothing on the side—
JOSIE: I get it!
I like the burgeoning little friendship we’ve started between Josie and Derek. Also, poor Naomi. As I told her, and as the small cutaway aside with Leah in this demonstrates, “If you wanted a role with dignity, you shouldn’t have accepted a part inspired by me.”
Day #27 - “Nothing Sandwich”
From Dream Machine:
"1.04 - The Opposite of People"
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~
JOSIE CARRAWAY, the lead actress on Offcomer, early thirties
DEREK KAPLAN, technical director at Pamplemousse Studios, mid thirties
LEAH LUCCHESI, a showrunner at Dream Machine, mid thirties
Los Angeles, 2020
~~~
INT. PAMPLEMOUSSE SOUNDSTAGE – DAY
Close on Josie as she delivers the end of a somewhat overwrought monologue.
JOSIE: “You may think you know me. But you don’t. How could you, when everything I’ve ever shown you to this point is a lie, to hide things beyond what you know? I had to do it, though you couldn’t see that. How could you? When everything you know is just a drop in the wake of everything that I’ve seen? I know you don’t know, that you can’t know. But still… with everything I know… I feel I know you. I know I know you. And perhaps if I knew better, I’d know I could never know. But somethings are beyond knowing, and some things you know in your bones. I know both of things. And there’s a saying where I come from…”
As Josie builds to the big finish, we pull back to a nonplussed Derek, watching her from the top of a ladder in the grid.
JOSIE: “When you know… you know.”
She breathes deep, collecting herself, and looks to him expectantly.
JOSIE: Well? That’s a monologue of Katrina’s straight from the book.
DEREK: …I know.
JOSIE: What do you think?
Derek climbs down, not looking at her.
DEREK: They… got permission to adapt that stuff, right?
JOSIE: Yeah, apparently the author sends Ryan flowers every week now. But what do you think of my interpretation? Did you get a sense of the character?
Derek reaches the ground and meets Josie’s eyes.
DEREK: Yeah… she’s nothing. This character is nothing. I got a sense of all the nothing.
JOSIE: Really?
DEREK: She is a double-decker nothing club between three slices of nothing bread.
JOSIE: I didn’t bring anything to it?
DEREK: You are a drop in the Marianas Trench of nothing where the deep-sea nothings swim around aglow with phosphorescent nothing.
JOSIE: Oh, my God.
DEREK: She’s a riddle of nothing wrapped in an enigma of nothing all tied up with a bow of nothing—
JOSIE: Okay, I get it! I’ve never had such a hard time getting a handle on a role before. Even the time I played a serial killer on police procedural, at least the eyelids she kept in teacups gave her specificity.
DEREK: Well, what’s Leah got to say about the character? She’s supposed to give you direction on this.
JOSIE: She’s… not really come to that part of her process.
CUT TO Josie standing at Leah’s desk, as Leah hunches protectively over a pile of notebooks.
JOSIE: If you could just tell me what you’re looking for—
LEAH: I’m not ready!
JOSIE: Maybe just an idea of what you’re thinking?
Leah hurls herself on top of pile.
LEAH: Not ready!
JOSIE: Even just a look at your notes—
Josie reaches for an open notebook, but Leah tears out the page and crams it into her mouth.
LEAH: (around the paper) NOT READY!
CUT BACK to Derek’s unsurprised face in the studio.
JOSIE: It wasn’t a ton of help.
DEREK: Well, there’s no more time for that. You’re just going to show up and read with people. If Leah doesn’t like it, she’s going to have to tell you what she does want.
JOSIE: Yeah, I guess you’re right. Better than being a big old nothing sandwich.
DEREK: With special nothing sauce.
JOSIE: Yeah.
DEREK: And a kosher spear of nothing on the side—
JOSIE: I get it!
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