92 Days Before – Scene 18

Camera follows Mark as he walks upstairs and goes into David’s office . Elizabeth and David are waiting for him. David looks hard at Mark.

David: You look terrible.

Mark points at Elizabeth.

Mark: She keeps me up at night.

Elizabeth smiles.

David: That’s something I don’t need to know. But seriously kid, are you sleeping?

Elizabeth shakes her head.

Mark: Only when I get finished.

David: Maybe I should soften up your schedule.

Mark sits down.

Mark: We don’t have anyone else to do the work.

David: A discussion for another day I guess.

Mark: what’s the discussion for today?

Elizabeth: You are not going to like it.

Mark smiles coyly at her

Mark: If the press are involved then you’re probably right.

Awkward silence follows.

Mark: Someone start.

Elizabeth: We need to talk about the school scene.

Mark: this again?

David: She’s sold me

Elizabeth: We really need to consider altering it.

Mark: We alter it and we lose half our audience.

Elizabeth: I hardly believe that.

David puts his hand up.

David: Can it be done?

Mark: I’ve finished the scene and if I’m honest it’s the only one I’m truly happy with.

Elizabeth rolls her eyes.

Mark: If I’m going to change it, there should be a valid reason why.

Elizabeth: Because when it was in your book and that guy got killed in the store. Not that it was your fault.

Mark: Sounds like you’re saying it is.

David: hear her out.

Elizabeth: We don’t need a PR disaster. Let’s be honest we could be one day away from that with the actor you chose to cast. When details of the pilot leak, which you will want me to start doing soon, any wise news director will find footage from that day and run it all week long.

Mark: I’m sure they are done with that.

Elizabeth: You are a beloved genius. The press will never be done with trying to tear you down.

David: I’m not sure we want this negative press.

Mark: We need to ride it. Any negative press we get will be outweighed by the positive ones. If I stay on this project, then the scene stays.

David and Elizabeth look at eachother.

Elizabeth: If you have a press officer you should listen to them.

Mark: A press officer should be helping the show, not hindering it.

Elizabeth: Trust me that’s what I’m trying to do.

Mark: David listen. This show needs that scene. The people who want to see the show won’t care and those that don’t already hate it without us giving them a reason.

David nods.

David: You know your art.

Mark: Are we done?

He looks sadly at Elizabeth who turns her gaze away from him.

David: For now.

Mark: Great.

Mark stands up and leaves the room.
Elizabeth: That was a mistake.

David: I hope I’m not stepping onto anything personal?

Elizabeth: You’re not.

David: He is your boyfriend.

Elizabeth: Doesn’t mean I can get through to him. David trust me when I say this scene will cause trouble. I was paid to write about things just like this. Mark might pretend he’s shrugged all that stuff off from his first novel, but I think that might be the reason behind his stubbornness.

David: We will keep on him.

Elizabeth: good.David: Go take a break, I can tell you are pissed at him best not to take that home.

Elizabeth: Thank you.

Scene ends.