Holding Pattern
Scene 1. Ext. Grass verge. Day.
A man, Bogdan stands by the roadside on a grass verge. He holds a suitcase. As cars whiz past he takes a seat.
*Notes – Camera focusing on a group of ‘typical’ people, students in the midst of a conversation (we cannot hear the dialogue), messing around like a group of friends but the camera doesn’t stop on them, it continues zooming in and moves to a figure in the distance stood by the roadside, Bogden. A long shot from the other side of the road as Bogden is stood unsure of himself and agitated cars are whizzing past the camera on this road as blurs, the sound is accentuated. Give the impression life is ‘whizzing by’. He runs his hand through his hair in a stressed manner, cut to a close up of his face with a particularly sad expression. The frequent sound of cars flying past builds to a crescendo and then halts with an echo upon the title card.
Title appears: Holding Pattern
Cut to:
Scene 2. Int. Government Office. Day.
The Government office is as most government offices are in that there has been an attempt to make it look fairly inviting. Posters, with ‘apply for this’, ‘you are entitled to that’ messages adorn the wall.
Bogdan sits and waits to be seen by the Customer Service Provider Manager. He removes a sandwich from his suitcase and takes a quick bite before returning it. He takes a sip of water from the water cooler provided.
The Customer Service Provider Manager glances at Bogdan before resuming his paperwork.
Notes – We begin this shot with a close up of Bogden’s face, on the wall behind him are a load of entitlement leaflets and posters. A mosaic with him as the center. He wears a visitors tag which proclaims ‘My name is Bogden’ in a scrawl. Cut to a shot from a corner of the room, the camera pans from left to right slowly as if a CCTV camera is watching the scene, we start on the left with Bogden as he hastily grabs one of the leaflets and stuffs it in his jacket. We pan across to see the receptionist eyeing Bogden over her half moon glasses we pan back to see Bogden by the water cooler filling a glass, as he nervously heads back he turns to give a cheery smile to the receptionist only to trip and spill a small amount of water, he gives the receptionist a jokey apologetic look. The camera pans back to the receptionist who has removed her glasses and holds a look of utter disdain hold the camera on the receptionist as we Fade out.
Cut to:
Scene 3. Int. Living Room. Day.
Bogdan reads a tabloid newspaper. He has next to him a dictionary. It is a Romanian to English dictionary. He periodically consults the dictionary, writing select words in English and Romanian in his notepad. He is eating a pastry and sipping water as he reads.
Cut to:
Scene 4. Int. Living Room. Day.
Bogdan is dancing. The music is some Romanian tune.
Bogden enters his home and places his briefcase upon the floor. he is holding a small bag indicating he has bought something. He sits down on a chair and looks tentatively into the bag before removing from it a cassette. He places it in the player and waits for it to start, it is classical Romanian music. As the music begins he bounces uncomfortably, he looks like he is trying very hard to get into the music, as the music builds he begins to move around more, he dances quite vigorously for part of it before stopping suddenly, walking over to the player and stopping the tape. He sits back down looking sullied and disappointed. Fade out.
Cut to:
Scene 5.
Bogdan is sitting on a bench. His suitcase is next to him. He counts his money out on a bench. There is approximately two pounds in loose change.
Behind him an amateur football games is being played.
Notes – As Bogden counts his money a solitary falls from his collection, he watches helplessly as it falls down a nearby grate.
Cut to:
Scene 6. Int. Library. Day.
Bogdan is writing an email.
Notes - We pan up from his typing fingers on a steadycam, we see his cheap watch ticking loudly and move to an angled view of Bogdens face squinting at a computer screen. Behind him are family tree posters, the camera pauses on these as we Cut.
Cut to:
Scene 7. Int. Living Room. Day.
Bogdan is reading an official looking letter. He uses his Romanian to English dictionary to translate the occasional word.
Cut to:
Scene 8. Int. Government Office. Day.
Bogdan stands in a queue. He holds the letter tightly in one hand and his suitcase in the other.
Notes – He forcibly smiles at everyone who walks past. He is ignored.
Cut to:
Scene 9. Swimming Pool. Day.
Bogdan is swimming underneath the water.
Notes – Alternative, Close shot of Bogden’s face underwater in the bath. We have echoes of the Romanian music as a bubble escapes Bogden’s mouth. The music stops as Bogden breaks the surface of the water and shakes the water from his face.
Cut to:
Scene 10. Ext. Grass verge. Day.
Bogdan stands by the roadside on a grass verge. He holds a suitcase. As cars whiz past he takes a seat.
Eventually he takes the letter out of his pocket, rips it into small pieces. Standing he attempts to hitchhike.
Notes – Bogden examines the letter very carefully, he rips it up and stands with a look of newfound confidence, the camera cuts from the previous long shot to a fairly close steadycam level with bogdens face as he puts his hand up to hitchhike looking triumphant.
Cut to:
The End
by Tom Robinson
