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Television Drama:

TAKE HOME MESSAGE

a film about television

by Jim Burge

See final page for list of characters

Part I - ORIGINS

Scene 1

EXT. EVENING LIBERIAN COUNTRYSIDE, AFRICA MALEMBE

Open countryside in Liberia. It is a beautiful evening, the sky is reddening in the west.

MALEMBE, a Liberian in his mid-fifties, stands alone by some clear ground. He is very poorly dressed. He is not in the advanced stages of malnutrition, but he is emaciated. He is carrying, incongruously, a Sportsac.

He is watching a light aircraft approach. He looks intently and impassively, in CU his face is sad and old.. As it comes nearer we stay on MALEMBE’s face and do not see the aircraft but we hear its engine whine, obviously in trouble, and then the sound of it crashing.

MALEMBE remains still for a second then starts off towards the wreckage, which we now see, at a quick but dignified walk.

But it is too late, the wreckage explodes in a fireball and MALEMBE stops.

We push in to his face and hear his thoughts in voice over (English accent, a rough, regional voice)

MALEMBE (V/O)

He said he was going to make me famous, and now the fucker’s dead.

 

Scene 2

INT. NIGHT CUTTING ROOM LONDON HENRY .

Sound: Cutting room noise of various soundtracks in other rooms and a Steenbeck being rewound.

HENRY BRIEN, a staff documentary producer, mid/early thirties, is alone in the cutting room, sorting through some papers and files on the shelf.

It is evening and people are going home. From the corridor we hear goodnights and other pleasantries and see people walking by outside the door.

A computer disk falls out of one of the files HENRY is holding. He picks it up and we see the words "NEEDLE: SCRIPT" scrawled on it. He crosses the room, puts it into a computer, clicks a bit and the text appears on the screen, it reads:

THE NEEDLE

PRELIMINARY SCRIPT

Presenter to camera: This evening I am going to do something which, although it is done for the best of motives, will make many of you hate me.

There is nothing more on the screen

HENRY looks puzzled and reads to himself:

HENRY

"I am going to do something which, although it is done for the best of motives, will make many of you hate me". Eh?

 

Scene 3

EXT. DAY WESTMINSTER ABBEY, WEST DOOR

Establisher of people entering the abbey for DENBEIGH’s memorial service. HERZOG’s address begins in voice over (see next scene).

 

Scene 4

INT. DAY WESTMINSTER ABBEY HERZOG, GUS, HENRY, FLOSSIE,

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR FRANCIS DENBEIGH

The Pulpit. TONY HERZOG, (Managing Director Television) boyish, early forties, full of self-consciously youthful energy but slightly nervy, is giving the address. We see the distressed and serious faces in he congregation.

HERZOG

... The world of television mourns an original and exceptional man in Francis Denbeigh. He cared about film making with a seriousness that was almost frightening. I remember when, a few years ago, he made the decision to stand down from his job in the television hierarchy and go back to programme making, I asked him what was the real reason for this backward step. He smiled, and then he said that it was because he still felt he had one more thing to do with a television programme. Most of us would have said, and say now, that over the nearly four decades of his career, he had already done enough things with television programmes to allow himself a rest. But he wouldn’t have agreed, he knew he had more to do and he carried on making programmes. He died, too early for a man like him, but perhaps fittingly, making his latest documentary in Africa. I know that we who loved him and loved his work must finish that film for him now - we will finish it. We can give him no greater monument. ..... (speech continues)

GUSTAV (GUS) THOMELY, Head of Factual Programmes, late forties, podgy and effete, has been sitting in the congregation, staring down at his hands.

On hearing about the plan to finish the programme GUS looks up sharply and stares at HERZOG. He is horrified, he begins to shake his head almost imperceptibly.

FLOSSIE BENTHAM, veteran PA, is sitting a few rows behind GUS and watches his reaction.

HENRY is seated behind her. He leans forward and whispers to FLOSSIE

HENRY

You had better give this to Gustav.

He hands her the disk with "Script" written on it. She looks at it and turns.

FLOSSIE

(Mouthing voicelessly) Well done.

Pulpit. Herzog is concluding.

HERZOG

... many of us have lost a friend, but more importantly an inspiration. The knowledge that he is gone will diminish us all.

 

Scene 5

INT. DAY GUS’S OFFICE GUS, HERZOG, 2 MINDERS, FLOSSIE

It is after the memorial service. Ties are loosened and a drinks cabinet is visible, open in the background

HERZOG

What do you mean you have no idea what he was doing?

GUS

Well he wasn’t always exactly communicative.

HERZOG

Gussie - he had already spent thousands of your department’s pounds. He went on a lengthy recce to Africa. Most days he had that death trap of a plane on hire. Had he done any shooting?

GUS

A few rolls. The rushes will be arriving tomorrow apparently.

He looks at Flossie who is holding some papers and a large file.

HERZOG

It also turns out that he had some massive outside broadcast booked. Archive film has been ordered from all over the world and a cutting room is on standby. And his head of department doesn’t know what it was about.

GUS looks miserable, looks at Flossie

FLOSSIE

There is this Tony

She hold the disk with "NEEDLE: SCRIPT" on it

FLOSSIE

Henry Brien found it last night in the cutting room

On a nod from GUS, she goes to the computer, puts it in and starts loading it etc. As she does all this they continue talking.

HERZOG

(To FLOSSIE) Weren’t you meant to be working with him?

FLOSSIE

Well actually, I was working on Savonarola, not this thing. Apart from that I hadn’t worked with him for years.

HERZOG

Savonarola? Sounds like a deodorant.

GUS

He had two projects. Savonarola which was going to be a drama about an Italian monk and this other one - the Needle?

HERZOG

Two projects?

MINDER 1

You did approve them both, Tony.

HERZOG

How much has been spent on the deodorant?

FLOSSIE

It was just research. Henry Brien and I had done a week on it.

HERZOG

Well in that case it’s pulled.

MINDER 1 goes to say something but thinks better of it

At this moment the script finally appears on the computer screen.

All gather round to look. Even the MINDERS show interest.

FLOSSIE

(Nervously) That’s all there is.

MINDER 1 is so interested that he, almost involuntarily, reads the last sentence aloud.

MINDER 1

(Reading) "something which, although it is done for the best of motives, will make many of you hate me"

HERZOG was looking puzzled but, as MINDER 1 reads, he flicks a slightly contemptuous glance at him and snaps into dynamic mode.

HERZOG

Gussie, I want this programme completed with the minimum of fuss. You can have half the budget for Savonarola, the rest comes back to me.

HERZOG glances at MINDER 2, who makes a note of it.

HERZOG contd.

We’re going to have a Francis Denbeigh week in ...

MINDER 1

October

HERZOG

.. The "new DENBEIGH documentary" is going to be my big publicity getter. If it works, it will be a big help; it will make us all look good - (boyish smile) even you.

HERZOG and the two MINDERS exit.

GUS looks at the computer, then at FLOSSIE. He is very angry.

 

Scene 6

INT. DAY CUTTING ROOM JOHN TADLEY, ASSISTANT EDITOR,

(later) HENRY, TERESA, FLOSSIE

The cutting room. It is not over large and very cluttered. In the background the ASSISTANT is synching up rushes. JOHN TADLEY, film editor, is seated at the Steenbeck, noisily rewinding and lacing. He is large mid-fifties, has a shaven head, probably gay. He responds to something we have not heard without looking away from the screen :

JOHN T

What?

HENRY enters the room.

HENRY

I said I was completing the Francis Denbeigh film.

JOHN T

Oh, are you really?

HENRY

You worked with him a lot didn’t you?

JOHN continues working at the Steenbeck

JOHN T

Yes

HENRY

Well it’s quite hard to sort out what this film was meant to be about. I was just starting to work on Savonarola - I don’t know anything about this one and no-one seems to be able to help. What are the rushes like?

JOHN T

I’ve no idea what they are like - young Pete is synching them up - then they’ll be rubber numbered - then you can have a look at them. You can even have a cassette if you like.

HENRY can see the film winding at speed on the Steenbeck but decides not to push he matter

HENRY

All I know is that Tony Herzog is insisting that it be finished - he’s making a lot of fuss about it - he must have really admired Denbiegh.

JOHN T

No he didn’t! He thought he was a jumped up little ex film editor with daft ideas, just like all the rest of them did. They only tolerated him because he had managed to get his name known as a film maker, and even that only happened because he went and lived as a down-and-out for two months. That sort of thing made documentary film maker famous in the sixties. It’s probably normal now, haha. Herzog just wants to make a big fuss about the great old days of TV, that’s all. Francis annoyed him - he liked doing that.

JOHN’s reminiscing is interrupted by the violent slamming of a door across the way, then its being opened again, then a woman’s voice yelling down the corridor.

It is the voice of TERESA TREWELL, producer/presenter of Table Talk, early fifties, tall with a piercing look and matching voice. She is over-dressed for a cutting room because she is also a presenter

From inside the cutting room we see TERESA, leaning out of the door across the corridor, yelling after some unseen person.

TERESA

And for Christ’s sake stop whingeing about short notice - I am fed up with hearing that phrase - just get of the fucking phone and fucking speak to him. And if the answer’s no, don’t bother to come back, you little wanker.

She walks across the corridor and enters the cutting room without asking

TERESA contd.

Hello darlings. Bit of a crisis on Table Talk; no guest for tomorrow night’s show. I’ll look a complete fucking idiot sitting there by myself interviewing the waiters, won’t I? Are you using this chair?

TERESA grabs the chair and begins to wheel it out of the room.

HENRY

Which restaurant are you going to?

TERESA

‘Le Chateau Anglais’ in Bucks, know it? Hey, aren’t you the one who’s going to try to finish Francis’s film

She looks at HENRY with amused hostility.

TERESA contd.

There’s somebody you might be interested in. He’s a New Zealand film maker called Ridley McKintyre, he knew Francis and he has filmed in that part of Africa. Might be a help - he’s on Late Night tonight. If you go to the studio they might let you into hospitality afterwards. Good luck.

As she exits she meets FLOSSIE entering the room. FLOSSIE deftly takes the chair from TERESA.

FLOSSIE

Hi Terri, I’m afraid we’re going to need that. There are a lot of people working on this production, you know.

TERESA is on the point of creating a major row, but decides against it. FLOSSIE shuts the door behind her.

FLOSSIE

Dreadful woman. I did three months with her once. Nearly drove me mad.

JOHN T

You can’t argue with success though ... Her show gets the ratings. It’s a great idea - take somebody famous out to dinner, get them pissed and then interview them live on TV over the cheese. It works.

FLOSSIE

It works sometimes, and the idea is not even new. (To Henry) No more information on the OB. Like the old fashioned old producer he was, he just did a lot of booking, most of it provisional. He seemed to be gearing up for some massive nighttime outside broadcast. There were several provisional dates - one of them was even tomorrow. But no information about locations or subject matter: just the bookings. He wasn’t a typical old fashioned producer in one way, though - he did his own telephoning. He actually made the phone calls himself . No help from a PA. Now that’s amazing

JOHN T

I expect dear Gussie was keeping him short of staff. The big new idea is to make editors work without assistants.

HENRY tries to take command

HENRY

Well look, can’t we sort of infer what he was going to do from what he had shot so far?

From now on, to the end of the scene, on the Steenbeck screen we see a roll of rushes running backwards slowly. The rushes show MALEMBE: he is holding a dirty brown bowl of watery maize broth, talking to camera and stirring it occasionally with dirty fingers. The camera pans down to the bowl as he indicates it, then back up to him as he continues speaking. There are many takes of this and we see them backwards, slates and all. No-one pays any attention to the screen.

 

JOHN T is annoyed

We track gently in to him as the diatribe continues.

JOHN T

Infer what he was going to be put in? Well yes we might, in the sort of television programme where economists are always seen with bookcases behind them, where every inner-city street has its own kid playing in the gutter and where as soon as anyone says Paris you see a shot of the Eiffel tower. In that kind of programme you probably only have to see half the shots to know what the other half are.

But nature has been kind to our medium. For every berk of a journalist, the height of whose visual ambitions is to do a piece to camera with the Houses of Parliament over his left shoulder, there is a real film maker somewhere to whom the juxtaposition of sound a picture means something.

Pictures, music, and words, laddie, you can put them together in an infinity of different ways. And when you get it right they speak from your soul. A piece of film can say something that it would take you a lifetime to say in words. A film breathes with a will of its own; it isn’t bound by the convention that says you have to have an establishing shot of the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries followed by medium long shot of the minister getting out of his car.

The problem we have about inferring anything here is that, in a film, in a real film, you can go anywhere and say anything. In a real film, which was Francis was inclined to make, in a real film laddie - you can cut to whatever you fucking want.

 

Scene 7

EXT. DAY LIBERIA DUTCH JOURNALIST, MALEMBE, AFRICAN CROWD

 

We cut to a DUTCH JOURNALIST in Liberia giving a news report in Dutch to camera. She is shot so that she cuts as the reverse of JOHN T in the previous scene (so it looks at first as if it is a conversation).

DUTCH JOURNALIST

(GIVES REPORT IN DUTCH ON UNFOLDING HUMANITARIAN DISASTER)

We find MALEMBE in the crowd and begin to hear his voice-over as the sound of the real world is dipped.

MALEMBE

This one’s going on a bit - Dutch they said. The German yesterday had bigger tits. The one who’s going to replace him will be English - not that woman though, she didn’t know anything about it. He said it had to be a secret. How can becoming famous be a secret? I’ll ask the next English one. The English - you can smell ‘em.

 

Scene 8

INT. NIGHT STUDIO GALLERY FLOSSIE, HENRY, GUSTAV, STUDIO FOLK

We pan over the monitors in the gallery of the studiofor ‘Late Night,’ a daily chat show. The first shows

 

 * * * 

 

 

THIS SCENE NOW COMES MUCH LATER IN THE SCRIPT

Scene 9

INT. DAY CUTTING ROOM FLOSSIE, HENRY, JOHN T

 

FLOSSIE, HENRY, JOHN T are watching the MALEMBE footage spinning fast on the Steenbeck. They seem now to have taken an interest in it.

HENRY

Well he seems to have been very interested in this guy. He is the same bloke as in the other roll isn’t he?

The three look at each other for an instant, unwilling to confront the idea that all starving black people look very similar.

 

 

 

 
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