Aperture (Excerpt)

7/31/2019 Aperture (Excerpt)

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! ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! APERTURE


2/23

INT. PRIVATE SCHOOL CLASSROOM - MANHATTAN - DAY

The screen is BLACK.

We hear GREGORY ALLBRIGHT, 32, speaking.

GREG!! ! ! ! !Now, there are many

different kinds of lenses

you can use when you want

to take pictures. A long lens.

A fisheye lens. An ultraviolet

lens. This is a wide lens.

We hear a CLICK.

FADE IN:


We see children seated in desks THROUGH A CAMERAS LENS.

Enter FULL SCREEN.


Greg is standing in front of a third grade classroom. The

students seem, at most, half-interested in what Greg is

saying.

GREG (CONTD)

Taking pictures is

important because picturestell stories. And no two

pictures tell the same

story. Ever.

! Greg moves to the center of the class.

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3/23

GREG (CONTD)

If I go here and take a

picture

! We hear a SNAP.! ! ! ! ! ! !GREG (CONTD)

I can see the whole

class.

! FREEZE FRAME: Shot of class.

! ! ! ! ! GREG (CONTD)! ! ! But if I stand up here!! Greg stands up on a chair.

We hear a SNAP.

! FREEZE FRAME: Shot of class.

! ! ! ! ! GREG (CONTD)I can see the girl in

the second row is

doodling.

(points)

Thats not captured

in the first shot.

! Greg moves to the back of the room.

! ! ! ! ! GREG (CONTD)! ! ! And if I take a! ! ! picture over here

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4/23

!We hear a SNAP.

!! FREEZE FRAME: Shot of class.! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! GREG (CONTD)! ! ! Well I can see the kid

sitting behind my handsome

nephew over there is

sleeping.

Greg walks back to the front of the classroom.

! ! ! ! GREG (CONTD)! ! Anyway, the point is, even! ! though Im taking picturesof the same thing, when you

look closely, each picture

is different. Each one gives

a different account, and the

story depends on what

I want you, the viewer,

to see.

! We hear the bell RING signaling the end of class.FADE TO BLACK.

! FADE IN:EXT. SCHOOL LATER

We hear a HONK as cars pass down the street. Greg waits

outside the school for HENRY, 10, Gregs nephew. Greg

lights a cigarette. Finally Henry exits the school.

Greg crosses the street and reaches for Henrys hand.

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5/23

GREG

Come on, come on.

Henry follows.

Greg pulls out the car keys and unlocks the car.

HENRY

Uncle Greg?

GREG

Were two minutes from your

house, Henry, you can hold

it until then.

! Greg puts out his cigarette on the pavement.HENRY

No. Theres a note on

the car.

Henry points to the note on the windshield. Greg walks

over to the passenger side and grabs the note.

SHOT OF NOTE: Thanks asshole!

We pan down to the BMW car, which has been keyed from

bumper to bumper.

GREG!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (under his breath)

Shit.

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6/23

HENRY

Why is dads car

scratched?

Greg crumples up the note. He OPENS the passenger car.

GREG

Dont worry about it. ! ! Get in.

Greg SHUTS the door after Henry hops in.

CUT TO:

INT. CAR - LATER

Greg is driving while Henry plays a game on his phone.

! ! ! ! GREG!! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! How old are you?! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! 12?

! ! ! ! HENRY! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! 10.

GREG

And you have a

cell phone?

HENRY

Its for emergencies.

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7/23

GREG!! ! ! ! !Brickbreaker is an

emergency?

! Greg looks at Henrys phone.! !

! ! GREG (CONTD)Its nicer than mine.

HENRY

Yeah.

Henry is distracted by the game.

GREG!! ! ! ! !(beat)! ! ! !

Hey, how do you think I

did? I thought it went

well.

HENRY

You did good. You didnt

look nervous or anything.

GREG

Was I the best speaker

youve had?

HENRY

Well, Bryans dad is a

surgeon. That was pretty

cool. He brought in a

brain and we got to feel

it.

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8/23

GREG

Yeah. I guess thats

pretty cool.

CUT TO:

EXT. /INT. JACKS APARTMENT - LATER

Greg RINGS the doorbell to JACK ALLBRIGHT, Gregs

brothers, apartment.

It is a three-story brownstone in Greenwich Village. When

there is no answer, Greg KNOCKS on the door.

ROSA, the nanny, ANSWERS.

ROSA

Hola Henry.

Henry rushes past her.

GREG

Bathroom

Greg smiles. He is twirling the car keys around his

fingers.

! ! ! ! ! GREG(beat)

Im late for work.

I was gonna borrowJacks car.

Rosa doesnt understand what Greg is saying.

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9/23

GREG (CONTD)! ! ! ! ! (gestures)!

Im gonna take my

brothers car.

Rosa still doesnt understand.

! ! ! GREG (CONTD)Nevermind.

(yells into Henry)

Bye, Henry. Im going.

HENRY (O.S.)Bye.

GREG! ! ! ! (under his breath)Youre welcome.

CUT TO:

INT. CAR - LATER

Greg is driving Uptown in Jacks BMW. He plugs his phone

into the CAR NAVIGATOR.

GREG

(to car navigator)CALL SARAH.

CAR NAVIGATOR (V.O.)

Im sorry. I do not

understand your request.

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10/23

GREG!! ! ! ! ! !(louder & slower)

CALL SA-RAH...

CAR NAVIGATOR (V.O.)

Im sorry. I do not

understand you. Goodbye.

Greg pulls the phone out and dials manually.

GREG

Whats the point of this

shitty thing if it cant

understand you.

Greg holds the phone to his ear. It is DIALING.

CUT TO:

EXT. CITY SIDEWALK - CONTINUOUS

SARAH KINKEAD, 30, Gregs co-worker, is walking up a city

block. Her phone RINGS. She answers.

SARAH

Hey, where are you

at?

CUT TO:

INT. CAR CONTINUOUS

GREG

Sitting in traffic on! ! !the FDR.

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11/23

EXT. CITY SIDEWALK CONTINUOUS

Sarah stops to get a coffee from a street vendor.

SARAH

What are you doing there?

! The vendor hands Sarah her coffee.! ! ! ! ! SARAH! (to vendor)

Thank you.

GREG (V.O.)

Missy assigned me alast minute story.

SARAH

I bet she did.

CUT TO:

INT. CAR CONTINUOUS

The car behind Greg HONKS.

GREG

(to driver)

What do you want me to

do? Theres nowhere for

me to go.

SARAH (V.O.)

Youre driving?

GREG

I borrowed Jacks car.

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12/23

SARAH (V.O.)

So, no movie tonight?

EXT. CITY SIDEWALK - CONTINUOUS

GREG (V.O.)

Well go Saturday.

CUT TO:

INT./EXT. CAR - BRONX - LATER

Greg pulls up to the Convenience Store on the corner of thestreet. Outside, MEG, 24, a journalist for the GAZETTE

NEWSPAPER, is interviewing the OWNER.

Greg gets out of the car with his camera and WALKS over.

GREG

Hey.

MEG

Youre late.

CUT TO:

INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - LATER

The owner walks behind the counter where a lottery machinestands. The store is small and looks dirty.

Greg SNAPS pictures of the machine as the owner speaks.

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13/23

OWNER

Its the second oldest Daily

Numbers lotto machine in the

country. Brought it all

the way from New Hampshire.

It dates back to 1976.

MEG

And its lucky?

OWNER

Its had 14 winners.

You tell me.

GREG

Have there been any

winners here?

OWNER

Not yet.! (beat)But were all just a

Chance away from

winning, right?

Greg SNAPS a picture of the machine.

FADE TO BLACK.

! FADE IN:INT. GREGS APARTMENT - NIGHT

Greg ENTERS. He turns on the light.

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14/23

The studio apartment is small and messy. Greg THROWS the

keys down on the kitchen counter. He presses the PLAY but-

ton on his ANSWERING MACHINE.

MACHINE

You have one new message.

The message is from JACK ALLBRIGHT, 40, Gregs brother.

! ! ! ! ! JACK! ! ! Where the hells mycar, Greg? I want

it back tomorrow.! ! !Greg takes off his shirt, flops down on his unmade bed and

falls asleep.

CUT TO:

INT. GREGS APARTMENT - LATER

The only light coming into the apartment is from the

streetlight beaming through the window.

Gregs cell phone RINGS. He awakes and blindly

reaches for his phone.

GREG

Hello?

MEG (V.O.)

Youre on call, new guy.

Greg reaches for the clock on the nightstand.

The clock READS: 1:30AM.

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15/23

GREG

Its 1:30.

MEG! (V.O.)(sarcastically)Is it? I didnt know.

GREG

What is it?

MEG (V.O.)

A hedge fund exec was

killed.

GREG

Where?

MEG (V.O.)

225 E 82nd.

! Greg WRITES down the number.GREG

All right. Give me twenty

minutes.

CUT TO:

INT. CAR - NIGHT

Greg pulls up outside the address, a beautiful block

on the Upper East Side. He takes the last swig of his

Red Bull.

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16/23

Police lights are FLASHING down the block as Greg looks

around for Meg. He doesnt see her.

He notices two police officers talking and a third officer

walking into the nearby apartment building.

Meg TAPS on Gregs car window.

Greg ROLLS down the window.

GREG

Hey. Know anything yet?

! Meg leans down to the window.MEG

The neighbor said she heard

a noise, but when I told

her my name was Meghan she

thought I said Leann, so

Im not sure how credible

shell be.! (beat)It doesnt matter though.

Did you get my text? Wewere called off.

GREG

What?

MEG

I got the message from

Hobbs saying wereoff the story.

GREG

Why?

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17/23

MEG

Dont know.

GREGThats bull.

(beat)! ! ! !!! Im clocking inregardless.

MEG! (laughs)Good luck with that.

(beat)

All right

(taps car)

Im headed out.

GREG

Need a ride?

MEG

No. Im good. Thanks.

GREG

All right. Goodnight.

MEG

Night.

Greg watches Meg leave. He turns on the car and looks in

the rearview. He sees a well-dressed man, ERIC WATERS, 27,

approach the scene. Greg waits.

Greg watches Eric yell up to one of the officers, JOHN

FLETCHER, 50, who is walking down the apartment stoop.

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18/23

Greg reaches for his camera bag and gets out his camera.

He uses it to zoom in on them. He takes a few pictures of

them and the officers that are standing by the car.

The two other police officers get in their car, turn off

their lights and drive off.

Waters pulls out an envelope and hands it to Fletcher. They

shake hands and Waters begins walking back down the side-

walk toward Greg.

Greg slouches down in the car as he watches the young man

pass.

FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN:

EXT. / INT. JACKS APARTMENT - MORNING

It is a beautiful sunny spring morning in Manhattan.

Greg RINGS Jacks apartment doorbell. No one answers. He

uses the key attached to the car keys and lets himself in.

Greg hears LAUGHING coming from Jacks office.

GREG

Hello?

Greg looks around and sees THE GAZETTE NEWSPAPER sitting on

Jacks front table. He looks at the article on the death

the night before. The TITLE reads: Hedge-fund Exec Rich-

ard Young Found Dead, Thought To Be Suicide, by Bill Pac-ings.

GREG

(to himself)

What?

Jack ENTERS.

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19/23

JACK

Dont you knock?

GREG

Your bells broken.

Greg holds out the car keys.

! ! GREG (CONTD)! ! !Here.

JACK

You look like hell.

GREG

Thanks.

Jack sets the car keys on the table.

JACK

You know a car loan

wasnt in the agreement.

GREG

I was running late for

work. I told your nanny.

JACK

Is that the story on

the neighborhood vote

on the dog park?

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20/23

GREG

No. It was a murder

investigation actually.

JACKWhod you kill this

time?

Jack LAUGHS.

The office door OPENS. APRIL, 25, tall and blond, ENTERS.

APRIL

(to Jack)Im gonna go.

JACK

Ok.

APRIL

(to Greg)Hi.

JACK

This is my brother

Greg. Greg, this

is April. Shes the

lab technician from

the DA on one of

my cases.

GREG

Hi April from the

DA.

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21/23

There is an awkward silence.

APRIL

Bye, Jack.

JACK

Ill call you later.

April EXITS.

GREG

I didnt know lab

technicians made

house calls.

(beat)

When does Emily get

back?

JACK

None of your business.

GREG

Thats what I thought.

CUT TO:

INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICES- 12TH FLOOR - MORNING

Greg walks down the hall of the GAZETTE and pours himself a

cup of coffee. He has the mornings paper tucked under his

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22/23

arm as walks over to BILL PACINGS cubicle. The floor is

bustling.

Greg puts the newspaper on Bills desk. He leans against

his desk.

GREG

You were there last night?

! Bill briefly looks up from typing.

BILL

Yeah.

GREG

Who ruled it a suicide?

BILL

Did you read the article?

The officer on duty did.

Greg picks up the paper and reads off the officers name.

GREG

Mendez?

BILL

Yeah.

! Greg stands up and turns to leave.GREG

I want your notes on

the story.

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23/23

BILL

I dont work for you,

man.

GREG

Just get me the notes.! ! ! ! ! ! ! CUT TO:

! INT. GREGS CUBICLE - CONTINUOUSGreg walks to his cubicle.

He gets on his computer and uploads the pictures he took

from the night before.

He ZOOMS IN on the officers name-tags.

The name-tags READ: FIELDS and JACKSON.

Greg DIALS Sarah.

CUT TO:

INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICES - 6TH FLOOR - CONTINUOUS

Sarahs phone RINGS. She answers.

SARAH

Sarah Kinkead.

GREG (V.O.)

I need a favor.

CUT TO:

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Aperture (Excerpt)

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