Web Series Idea – “UnLuck”
-Six episodes of 10 to 15 minutes. The tone of the series turns from Sitcom to dry by the end episode.
-A story that attempts to comment on the homogenisation of modern western jobs available to the young populace. As well as a comment on the blinkered pathways available to happiness in the competition/goal orientated society.
-------------------------- (EPISODES: 5 + 6 OF 6) ----------------------
Episode Five: Communication breakdown
Jamie is a Street Charity
Technician. We follow him through a half hearted interview where it is a thinly
veiled ‘you can speak English? You’re hired’. The training, where he has
sessions on ‘Communicating to People
With Just Your Eyes’, ‘1 Million Matchsticks: Smoking kills more than Just your
Lungs’ and ‘Guilt gets you
Gelt’ etc. We see him practice the patter at home in a mirror, with his
class of working mothers/optimistic students and his father who just returns to
reading his papers once Jamie is finished.
After the training
days are over Jamie is really confident because he is told over and over again
by the teachers that he is great and will sign up allot of people, “he’s just got that type of face”.
First day on the job
he is sent to a local town and meets up with his team at the train station. Throughout
the day he is ignored by passersby or has abuse shouted at him. At lunch he is
told by the team leader that he needs to get at least one sale or else he would
be fired “Hell kid, EVERYONE gets a sale
within the first day; your full of that ‘go gettum’ attitude bullshit”.
Jamie, newly
determined to not fail, attempts to up his game and after one pedestrian who
actively scurries around Jamie just to get away from him, Jamie spins back round
to catch the next person and slams into a huge bodybuilder walking hand in hand
with a woman. Apologising and then composing himself, Jamie breaks into
his patter (this is where we learn about
what the charity he is promoting for – “Plants Need People:”Dont just Look,
Stop and Have a Chat”) as he continues the man is getting more and more
pissed that Jamie won’t move out of his way. Looking at the woman he is with,
board as hell, the bodybuilder turns back and proceeds to pick Jamie up and
starts laying into him about how he and all charity technicians are scum. The bodybuilders’
woman turns from her bright pink nails to see what’s happening. Jamie, scared
at what’s happening to him, looks around for help from his co workers but they
are nowhere in sight and have scurried away; peeking out from behind various
corners.
Jamie breaths in
deeply trying to make a sound to protest or call out for help, but as breaths
out all the air evacuates his lungs quickly and he faints. Suddenly, we see a
flurry of feet feverishly running down the street. It’s the girl, Bethany (the one from
the art class in EP4), she swiftly kicks the large man holding Jamie between
the legs behind (which is where we get the reveal it is her). He crumbles to
the floor, the girl with him screems but soon after is drowned out by crowds of
people cheering.
<POV> Jamie,
now a crumpled mess on the floor, wakes and looking up confused at the girl
“I....I..know you?!”. She nods and offers her hand for him to take but Jamie
passes out again.
Later, Jamie awakens
on a bench on the side of the street he was working; next to him is the team
leader reading a book. The Team leader notices Jamie is awake and puts the book
down and coldly tells him he is fired and stands to walk off. A couple of steps
away he turns back to Jamie, groggy and confused and trying to sit up, he tells
him that “That Girls a keeper”.
Jamie looks confusingly at him and the team leader just taps his breast pocket
and walks off again. Jamie, hands in head suddenly realises, after a second,
and commences to riffle through his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper with
a Phone
number, the name Bethany and the words "I think you owe me a drink for that
save x" written on it. Jamie punches the air and screams in jubilation.
He grabs his phone and dials the number; it connects almost instantly; The
female voice, Bethany, on the other end says “Hi”.
Episode Six: Not quite the win we were
looking for
In
a driveway in the suburbs, it’s Jamie’s fathers’ home. Jamie and
Bethany (the girl in last EPs) are
walking back and forth from the house carrying boxes to a car that has backed
up the driveway. SAM stands by his car, packing the boxes as best he can.
Whatever isn’t packed into the car is piled by the side for SAM to sort out the spacal logistics of it. Jamie’s’ father
stands beside SAM, not helping but watching the proceedings; he
occasionally mutters to himself comments like “it’s about time” or “If he
moves back in Jamie is doing the washing up forever”. Whilst walking to and
fro from the car Jamie chats with Bethany and nods to SAM every
time he drops off a box, he ignores his father. On one box run, Jamie stops and
confirms to SAM that “it’s still ok for my post to be re directed over to
your place; you know, so the council tax people don’t think two people are
living at Bethany’s”. SAM sighs and assures him it’s still ok for a
little while; Jamie picks up the box he put down and two steps towards the
house spins back and embarrassingly laughs putting it back where he picked it
up again.
Once they
last box is in the car, Jamie looks over the solidly contained vehicle, smiles
to Bethany saying “strange, I always
thought I had more” she hugs him and smiles back saying “you can now”, Jamie looks over SAM
mate who is opening the driver’s door and says “Be grateful it all fits.
The wonders of fugal living and balsawood furniture”.
Jamies’
father, who was standing at the houses front door waddles over to the car by
the passenger’s side where Bethany is sitting uncomfortably on Jamies lap. He
taps the window and Jamie roles it down, they stare at each other for 20
seconds; each expecting the other to talk first. Breaking eye contact first,
J’s father reaches over into the car window handing him an oddly shaped gift,
wrapped in old x-mass paper, without waiting for a response he turns and walks
back to the house. SAM and Bethany look at the wrapped item he is
clutching. Both shrug their shoulders and assure Jamie that “your makin the right decision movin
with someone who loves you” Jamie tears the paper a little with his
limited movement hands and sees the ‘odd shape’ is a standard fishing gnome
with the addition of a little hand carved gnome child by its feet. SAM
starts the car and pulls away into the road.
Inside
flat, the final two boxes are piled up in a corner of Bethany’s small
flat. Exhausted SAM asks if they want to get a well deserved pint,
but both Jamie and Bethany are wrapped up in each other to respond, she is showing
him around and he is listening intensely to her; trying never to break eye contact. Asking again, they wake from
their daze and respond after pausing to look into each other’s eyes again for a
reassuring reaction; they both smile intensely and just exit the house without
responding. Standing in the hallway Jamie turns and tells SAM to “Hurry up, it was your idea wasn’t it?!”
SAM shakes his head and follows out the door.
In
the pub (continued) the three of them are sitting in a side booth Jamie and
Bethany are sitting opposite one another leaning in holding hands staring at
one another, ignoring the world around and SAM. Pissed off, sipping a
pint slowly, SAM stands and walks to the bar (no reaction from the couple) and
starts a conversation with the lone barmaid. He forces small talk out of her
and through their inane chatter tells him, “The pub is looking for full time
bar staff and kitchen staff”. Overhearing this Jamie and Bethany both stand and
in unison ask for application forms, <pause>, then giggle at what they had just
done. SAM and the barmaid just look at each other and roll their eyes at
the overly cute moment.
The
barmaid heads into the back office and brings the manager out, a portly man who
barely fits down the bar, he walks off with Jamie and Bethany to a corner of
the room and starts to chat with them (we don’t hear the conversation). All the
while SAM raises a glass to the direction of the interview and after
taking a sip turns barmaid and asks her out; she politely turns him down and
just shown a tattoo of two female insignia intertwined. Gulping down the last
of his pint he shrugs his shoulders, smiles and introduces himself as the
person who’ll be sitting here allot if his friends get the job; “it’s always nice to meet people you can just
chat shit with”. They both turn to where Jamie and Bethany are when they
hear a SQUEEL of delight come from the corner. The manager walks past the two
of them, now exhausted at the days movements, round to the other side of the
bar. Turning to the barmaid he tells her she is to train Bethany and to tell
Gerald that he has a one more kitchen staff to train on Thursday. The manager
then turns to SAM and sternly tells him “It’s ok to visit im as long as he don’t distract him from the job”.
SAM raises the empty glass to his eye and looks down it like telescope, then looks through it to
the barmaid and manager, rests the glass down again, smiles and says “I think i can
drink too that”.
A series of montage shots where Jamie and Bethany
are at work, , him a plating up
the dishes and her picking them up from the hot plate; each time when they pass
one another they are ‘gooey eyed’.
On three occasions we see Jamies
friend come in and try to grab Jamies attention to inform him off bills and job
applications sent through to his house. Jamie is either busy or too caught up
in chatting with Bethany and snatches them from his friends hand without
acknowledging his presence.
One shot we see Jamie at home
looking over some of the application forms on the bed his friend has brought
him (there are allot piled up) Bethany enters the room fresh from a shower he
turns around and smiles, stands and starts to caresses her; whispering “ I
think you missed a bit”. They fall on the bed destroying the papers on the bed
with Bethanys wet body; destroying some with the water.
Jamies
father Knocks on SAMs front door and informs him that he has found the
perfect apprentice scheme which he can ‘assure his son a place’. SAM asks him why he brought this information round his? Jamies father tells him
that Jamie has not talked to him since he moved out; SAM retorts
that it hasn’t been exactly an open house for him either. He thanks Jamies
father and heads round the lovers flat.
Knocking vigorously on the door, Jamie eventually opens it naked except
a pillow covering his crotch. Jamie is panting and pissed off that he has been
disturbed from sex; telling SAM that he hasn’t a lot of time before his evening
shift begins.SAM explains how Jamie’s’ father came round his place with
the perfect job opportunity; he should thank his dad or at least have a chat
with him. “What? To hell with him and
to hell with you for sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong”;
Bethany calls out to Jamie from the bedroom. Jamie turns and quickly snatches
the envelope from SAM and slams the door.
We see Jamie walk to a mantel and place the envelope behind the Gnome
and son statue; SAM's now shouting (muffled) from behind the door. Jamie
just heads back to the bed through the torrents of insults coming from the
other side of the door. Standing in the bedroom doorway he smiles at Bethany
who then beacons him back to bed with her hand outstretched.
The Hallway (Cont), SAM is still shouting “...has become a true asshole and that he better get his mail
redelivered because he was going to bin it once it comes in. You’re not happy
Jamie and when you realise this I won’t be there and neither will your father;
you have nothing but the prospect of mounting debts and food burns”.
Not hearing a response from SAM stops shouting/ banging on the
door. He walks away with his head held low kicking the floor as he walks into
the lift down the hall. As the lift door closes he sighs to himself, muttering
under his breath “Bastard! But I
really want a girlfriend now”. The lift door close fully.
The
End.
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