THE LEGEND OF LAURA, THE LAST LION-TAMER

by Dan Katz

16/10 Minnie Street Brunswick 3056 (03) 9381 4859 0405 485 620 dankatz@bigblue.net.au

1. FADE IN: INT. DIMLY LIT ROOM -- NIGHT CLOSE-UP of the face of the RINGMASTER. The room is very dark, but there is a glow around his face. He says to the CAMERA RINGMASTER Laura is the last lion-tamer. Or rather, Laura was the last liontamer. CUT TO: EXT. CITY STREETS -- EVENING LONG SHOT of an almost empty street. The street is dark and gloomy. We see a lone figure, LAURA, slowly pacing her way along the pavement, towards the camera. She looks dejected. RINGMASTER (CONTINUED) (V.O.) All the circuses have been closed and bought out by a fast-food chain. All the lions have been... err... sold. CUT TO: EXT. HUNGRY KING DRIVE-THRU -- AFTERNOON We are shown a shot of a drive-thru Hungry King, with an advert in the window promoting the 'New Lion King Burgers' CUT BACK TO: EXT. CITY STREETS -- EVENING The CAMERA has moved closer. pacing. LAURA is still alone, still

RINGMASTER (CONTINUED) (V.O.) LAURA is alone. LAURA continues her aimless wandering through the uniformly drab, colourless streets of the concrete jungle. A shot of LAURA from her left. She doesn't notice, but eyes are peering out at her from the dark edges of the street she is being watched! We change to a shot of LAURA walking away from the CAMERA, and disappearing around a corner. CUT TO: EXT. MORE CITY STREETS -- EVENING The CAMERA is facing LAURA as she rounds the corner. Then a close up of her face as she stops abruptly and gasps breathlessly.

2. LAURA (breathlessly) Gasp... She has seen something. There, right in front of her, illuminated by the beam of a street lamp, is the object of her hearts desire! (Maybe have a shot of the object from over LAURA's shoulder - perhaps partially obscured by her body) She stands there for a moment, perfectly still, not quite believing what she is seeing. Then, all of a sudden, she leaps forward to the object. But just as she's about to reach it, a giant (human-sized) butterfly net swoops down from out of the dark. BUREAU-THUG 1 (stepping out from the shadows) I got anudda one, Jack. (SAM)

BUREAU-THUG 2 (JACK) (stepping out from the shadows on the other side) Great, Sam. Put it wiv da uvahs. FADE OUT: FADE IN: INT. LEVIATHAN INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION, NORTH TOWER, CORRIDOR, 57TH FLOOR -- LATER The CAMERA is following LAURA, who is being herded, along a corridor with closed (and presumably locked) doors on either side, by SAM and JACK, the BUREAU-THUGS. Horrible noises are emanating from behind several of the doors. The prisoner and her wardens eventually arrive at a dark, vacant room, into which LAURA is promptly and unceremoniously thrown. She collapses on the floor, and falls into unconsciousness. FADE OUT: FADE IN: INT. LEVIATHAN INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION, NORTH TOWER, OFFICE CELL, 57TH FLOOR -- MORNING LAURA groggily comes to, and for the first time is able to take in her surroundings. There is daylight coming in from a tiny, barred opening on one wall. She is in what looks like a tiny office: there is a desk against a wall, upon which sits a stack of papers in an 'In Tray' (which somehow seems to be getting fuller all the time), and an empty 'Out Tray' (which somehow seems to be getting emptier all the time); there is a plastic chair against the desk, which looks singularly uncomfortable.

3. She paces around the room, glances at the papers (which make no sense to her), looks under the desk, paces around the room, glances at the papers (which still make no sense to her), looks under the desk, paces around the room, throws the pile of papers into the air (they somehow seem to make more sense now) and throws the chair at the door in frustration. She works herself into a state where she can take no more she is going stir crazy. (The pile of papers has started growing again...) She lets out an earsplitting roar... (BCU of her face. The camera shakes.) LAURA RRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR! ...And seems to feel a whole lot better. She has a determined look in her eye. She then uses all her liontaming skills to dramatically escape from her cell, and from the building... CUT TO: EXT. CITY STREETS -- DAY ...And back onto the streets. Long shot of her pacing the streets as before. She is free, but still alone; back where she began. She wanders the streets again, but this time warier, more alert. Her head is no longer hung low - it is looking nervously all around (Mid-Close Up of LAURA's face). All of a sudden, LAURA disappears from the CAMERA's view. The CAMERA, which had been following LAURA, stops. A Long Shot reveals the cause of her disappearance - an open manhole. CUT TO: INT. SEWERS/UNDERGROUND TUNNEL -- MOMENTS LATER In the sewer tunnel, light is falling onto LAURA through the manhole above her. She picks herself up and gingerly checks for any damage. Relieved at finding none, she starts to look around her. Faintly, she hears the echo of voices - impossible to tell how many - coming from somewhere in the underground tunnel system. She strains her ears, but can make out no detail in the sound, and cannot tell from which direction it is coming. However, she does notice that in one direction, there is a light, faintly glowing in the distance. LAURA, figuring that the light and sound are probably emanating from the same source - and that whatever else happens to her, things couldn't really get any worse - decides to investigate. The CAMERA follows her as she continues down the passage the light getting brighter; the noise louder (although still a muffled jumble). She reaches a bend in the tunnel, and stops - leans against a wall; takes deep breaths; composes herself.

4. Her curiosity and fear do battle with each other briefly (figuratively). She builds herself up, and decides... LAURA It's now or never... ...And she launches herself round the bend. The scene is revealed to the audience in a POV shot. The site that faces her once again leaves her speechless, confused, excited, wary, elated, ecstatic - and a whole catalogue of other, equally conflicting, emotions - all at once. She has found the legendary subterranean resistance group, THE LOST CIRCUS FOLK. At the front of the group stands the RINGMASTER They are all facing her as she rounds the corner. There is silence. A beat. Then, as one, the crowd cheer and welcome her into their ranks with hugs and handshakes, smiles and laughs. LAURA is happy. RINGMASTER Welcome, Laura. We have been expecting you. We were all very impressed with your escape. I have a feeling your little adventure may well become the stuff of legends... LAURA walks forward and is swallowed by the throng. FADE TO BLACK...