Pilot: Scene 2

Pilot – Scene 2

Daniel and David walk into the office. Mark has his head on the desk.

David:
If you ask me if I’ve seen the news, we will wall fall out.

Mark doesn’t lift his head.

Mark:
*Grunt*

David sits opposite Mark and Daniel sits next to him.

David:
What’s wrong with him?

Daniel:
Our illustrious Author was out with who last night? Oh that’s right the press association.

Mark finally lifts his head.

Mark:
I was networking.

David:
So what are we going to do?

Mark seems bemused

Mark:
It’s not going to be an issue.

The door opens. Hugo and Beth walk in and take seats at the table.

Hugo:
There is going to be one hell of a media storm.

Mark looks frustrated.

Daniel:
Any more news?

Beth:
They are trying to get demands to him, but they haven’t explained a motive.

Hugo:
They’ve released a picture and I’m telling you now if we casting for the role of a…

David:
Let’s leave jokes until its resolved. So what’s going to be our issue.

Mark:
There won’t be one.

David:
We aren’t all geniuses Mark so let’s assume there is.

Mark puts his head down.

Hugo:
If they link it to the book or the show, we could be looking at a massive media backlash. They will be expecting Mark to come out against it like he did before but that could make things worse.

David:
Why?

Mark:
Because last time I used it as a campaign against Incel’s. If I came out against this kid now, they would say I was fuelling the fire and using the incident to make the show controversial before release.

David nods.

Beth:
we could be looking at actors pulling out, not wanting to ruin their career.

David:
That would be an issue if we had any high profile actors.

Daniel:
We still need a network, if we don’t handle this well then we may be dead in the water.

David:
How do we handle it?

Hugo:
If we had a media director we could run a co-ordinated campaign, push the other aspects of the show. Without one these media organisation are going to tear through us.

Beth:
Didn’t we have a media director?

Daniel:
We did until Mark split up with her.

Mark:
Technically she split up with me.

David looks around the room, frustration on his face.

David:
People. What do we do?

Mark:
It’s not going to be an issue and if it is then we will deal with it but it’s nothing. The media are done with my witch hunt. Some kid is holding up a school and its terrible but it’s not my fault, it’s not your fault and its certainly not the shows fault and If I have to go on every media outlet and say it then fine but I won’t because it won’t be an issue.

David:
Beth, Hugo. Start talking to any media people you know. Mark, Daniel, I want you to work on an alternative scene.

Mark:
There can’t be an alternative scene. This is the scene; it sets up everything else that happens in the series. If we change that then we will have to change a hundred scenes after.

David:
Look into it.

Mark:
 We are two weeks away from shooting the pilot. With this very scene. The actors have it

David:
Look at it.

Mark:
Okay.

Mark checks his phone and then stands up.

Mark:
I’m going to go see Anni, she has something for me.

David:
Okay. Beth I want you to work with some our focus groups and see what they reckon to casting choices for next week’s auditions.

Mark leaves the room – end scene