scripted

currently listening to: Damien Rice - Cannonball

Ang sumusunod ay pawang kathang-isip lamang. Ang patnubay ng magulang ay kailangan. =)

INT. CLASSROOM, DAY

A classroom discussion. Students sitting in attention, perfect posture. A teacher paces back and forth in front, a teaching stick in hand. She speaks with machine gun ra-ta-tat quickness.

Teacher
The Hawthorne effect refers to improvements in productivity or quality which result not so much because of intended changes to working conditions, but mainly because the workers are aware of extra attention being paid to them.

She pauses, as if mechanically, walk and talk coming to a sudden halt. She checks, in the corner of her eye, nothing. Everything is A-ok. She resumes.

Teacher
An experimental effect in the direction expected but not for the reason expected; i.e. a significant positive effect that turns out to have no causal basis in the theoretical motivation for the intervention, but is apparently due to the effect on the participants of knowing themselves to be studied in connection with the outcomes meyshurd.

She stops. The class is silenced. What did she say? Did she just say “meyshurd”? OMG, she has mispronounced a word!

Teacher
I meant “in connection with the outcomes MEASURED."

We ANGLE on a student. She’s wary of something. But she’s more than wary, she’s terrified! ANGLE ON another student, a guy, perspiration beading on his forehead. ANOTHER STUDENT, petrified. ANOTHER, horrified. ANOTHER, horror-struck. The whole class is expecting a lightning from heaven to strike their poor Ms. Manners dead for her sin.

The teacher too is fearful for her safety, although she is better than her students in hiding her terror.

No sound. The clock ticks. Still no sound. Another tick. Still nothing. The pressure builds with every second that passes. You could drop a needle and it would sound as loud as thunder. But nothing.

A sigh of relief. No one is struck by lightning. The class resumes.

FROM THE AISLE, we see the class continue. As we PULL OUT, the students who are listening attentively turns to the camera following it with strange eyes. The teacher drones resuming, not minding whatever it is that caught her students’ attention.

Teacher
Clearly the variables the experimenters manipulated were...

INT. HALLWAY, DAY

At a deserted hallway, two guys are arguing about something. The emotions are intense... telenovela intense.

Guy 1
Tang-ina (bleep) mo pare! Di ba sinabi ko na layuan mo na si Vanessa?!

Guy 2
E kung di ka ba naman tarantado (bleep), bakit ko lalayuan si Vanessa? Break na kayo! Ayaw na nga niya sa’yo! Mahirap bang intindihin ‘yon?!

Tension building as they argue. But the weird thing is, when they say the unprintable, their mouths move to say it but the sound that comes out is that familiar *bleep* sound we hear on TV.

Guy 1
Ah basta! Layuan mo si Vanessa! Akin si Vanessa! AKIN!!!

Guy 2
At sino ka para pagbawalan akong manligaw?! Ha, sino ka?! Tarantado (the sound that comes out is a bleep) ka kasi kaya ka niya brineyk! Ang tanga (bleep) mo!

Guy 1 couldn’t take it anymore. He grabs Guy 2 by the collar, his other arm snaps up and WHACK!, the nose of Guy 2 explodes, blood erupting. Guy 2 falls to the floor with a thud. Guy 2 recovers but doesn’t stand up.

He looks at Guy 1 standing over him with rage. All the fury in the world building up inside him. ARGH!!! I WILL GET YOU!!!, he thinks. But then, he notices the camera. He grins, the blood dripping and all.

INT. STAIRS, SPS BUILDING, DAY

A couple hiding in the intimate silence. He kisses her, pressing into her, his arms circling her waist.

GUY 3
I love you.

GIRL 1
I love you.

Their lips are to meet again, sweetly, tenderly... But then again...

Man (O.S.)
Pssthoy!

Mang Jack emerges from the corner. He sees what is happening. He’s furious.

Mang Jack
Anung ginagawa ninyo ha?! Bawal yan!

Before apprehending the lovebirds, he notices us. He smiles into the camera.

VARIOUS SHOTS

A security guard, seated on a bench, is sleeping on duty. The bevy of students and teachers mill(s?) about around him. He snores.

A freshly printed paper leafs out of the photocopying machine. Another paper. And another. The Filtrex girl stares retardedly at the paper being spewed by the photocopying machine.

A spoon scoops some vile concoction from a bowl. The guy looks at his food revolted, letting it drip back to his plate.

A janitor daydreams in a corner. He holds his mop as if it is the girl of his dreams.

A girl plays Text Twist on the computer, bored. A guy comes in, handing her his id. She perfunctorily receives it and hands the guy a number. She goes back to her game.

A FINGER presses a button. We do not know to whom the fingers are attached.

A MUSICAL DING blares out from the P.A. speakers. It is the proverbial musical tone of the DLSU bell. Yes, it is meant to tell that it’s time. But time for what?

The security guard is interrupted in mid-sleep. He shakes the cobwebs in his head. Then a couple of students pass him by. The security guard and the students smile in agreement: It’s time!

The Filtrex girl snaps out of her trance. She looks into the distance. Great! It’s time!

The guy at the canteen is overjoyed, relieved that he doesn’t need to eat anymore of this garbage. He looks to the direction of the music. Great! It’s time!

The janitor kisses his mop. Stands up, does a pirouette and runs to the direction of the sound. Great! It’s time!

The girl at the computer lab eyes the last guy he handed a number to. He looks at her with a smile – he too knows it’s time. They run out holding each other’s hands. The other students storm out of the room following them.

The MUSICAL DING reverberates around the campus. It’s the time!

But then, the music SQUEAKS INTO A HALT, as if an old record player has just died on us. The speakers become SILENT. Then...

We hear the first few beats of a familiar track.

EXT. YUCHENGCO GROUNFLOOR, DAY

A throng of people has assembled in the open area under the bright sun, their hands in the air, dancing...

MUSIC
Lahat tayo mayroon pagkakaiba sa tingin pa lang ay makikita na
Iba’t ibang kagustuhan ngunit iisang patutunguhan
Gabay at pagmamahal ang hanap mo
Magbibigay ng halaga sa iyo
Nais mong ipakilala kung sino ka man talaga

The whole cast dances in PRODUCTION NUMBER STYLE, FOLLOWING TV CHOREOGRAPHY... All of them are there: the teacher discussing Hawthorne Effect, with her are all of her students, the couple in the stairs (still managing to kiss while dancing), beside them is the new couple from the computer lab, Mang Jack has his eyes on the student couples, the security guard and the Filtrex girl are also getting into the lovey-dubby mood, the janitor is dancing with his mop, the fighting couple (Guy 1 has a cotton ball stuck to his nostrils) has become a threesome with the addition of the guy from the canteen. The only two that don’t have partners yet are Mang Jack and the Hawthorne teacher. Students from the Hawthorne class push their teacher to Mang Jack who on the other hand is also being pushed by the students from the computer lab.

MUSIC AND CAST (cont’d)
Pinoy ikaw ay pinoy
Ipakita sa mundo
Kung ano ang kaya mo
Ibang-iba ang pinoy
Wag kang matatakot
Ipagmalaki mo pinoy ako
Pinoy tayo

THE WHOLE CAST DANCE IN UNISON. Their hands, feet, head, shoulders, body movement. SMILING FACES all over the place. A good time.

INT. ROOM – SAME TIME

ANGLE: Now there are two sets of mysterious fingers. They tap in beat to the music. We see the cast from a TV screen. The mystery couple watch(es?) every move intently.

MUSIC AND CAST (cont’d)
Talagang ganyan ang buhay
Dapat ka nang masanay
Wala rin mangyayari
Kung laging nakikibagay
Ipakilala ang iyong sarili
Ano man sa iyo ay mangyayari
Ang lagi mong iisipin
Kayang kayang gawin

EXT. YUCHENGCO GORUNDFLOOR, DAY

ROLL END CREDITS OVER Visuals.

“La Salle Closed Circuit TV. Ang teleserye ng buhay Lasallista.”

MUSIC AND CAST (cont’d)
Pinoy ikaw ay pinoy
Ipakita sa mundo
Kung ano ang kaya mo
Ibang-iba ang pinoy
Wag kang matatakot
Ipagmalaki mo pinoy ako
Pinoy tayo

A final pose from the cast, forming the all known sunburst.

FADE TO BLACK.

CUT TO:

INT. VIDEO ROOM, DAY – SAME TIME

A woman and a man, their backs turned to us, have just finished watching the production number. It’s a small room, wired with TV screens. We see the cast from different perspectives from the monitors. The music coming from the speakers fade out.

CLOSE ON the man’s mouth.

BIG BROTHER (on the microphone)
Thank you “housemates”. You can now go back to your regular tasks.

ON THE MONITORS, we see the group breakout as if nothing has happened, as if they didn’t know each other again – 15 seconds of fame turned to 15 seconds of reinforced behavior. Hands are unclasped, people head towards different directions, smiles turn to either bored faces or worried ones. The show is over.

The woman and the man turn around to face the camera. Dr. Q and Big Brother Armin smile at us.

---

Ilang mga paalala sa mga di madalas makabasa ng script. Ang INT ay Interior, ang EXT ay EXTERIOR, ang mga salitang naka-uppercase ay mga screen directions or camera movements (mga emphasis cues). Para sa mga katanungan, suhestiyon at mga komento, ipagbigay-alam lang ang mga ito sa may akda. =)