Libris Episode 4

Open episode

open scene

sunrise, interior of johnson's apartment, in the kitchen.

johnson is sitting in a chair at a table, rolling cigarettes. The camera lingers on this for a while, and shows the process in intimate detail with multiple shots. After a few moments of this (2-3 cigarettes) johnson picks up a pad of paper next to her and examines it. On it are notes and a relationship chart. She lights a cigarette, and studies this, making a few additional notes to it every so often. After studdying this for a while, she walks over to the window, opens it and leans out into the morning. She basks in the light of the dawn, breathes deeply of the morning air and achieves something near contentment. After a moment of this, her phone rings.

Johnson: hello?

Cayce: It's me. I didn't wake you did I?

Johnson: you're a couple days late for that

Cayce: huh?

Johnson: nothing. I take it that you found something?

Cayce: I talked to some people, and they said that they have seen tristan a few times the past few days.

Johnson: where was this.

Cayce: meet me at 2371 wormwood land and i'll fill you in. I'll be there at noon.

Johnson: That isn't what we had agreed.

Cayce hangs up the phone, Johnson annoyedly puts her phone away, and starts a pot of coffee.

End scene

Open scene

Tristan walk across a well funished room with a pile of boddies in the corner. He has freshly carved symbols on his arms, chest and neck. He is only wearing a cerimonial robe. He sweeps over to a table that the librarian is sitting at. He looms over her shoulders as she tries to translate Mournstien's file.

Tristan: getting anywhere

Librarian: not as far as I would like.

Tristan: is there something you need? Something to help the process, perhaps?

Librarian: I don't know, this should be coming together, but it keeps slipping away. It is like the thoughts and concepts won't stay in my mind.

Tristan walks across the room.

Tristan: this is not ideal. It will take me time to translate it myself.

The librarian walks over to him.

Librarian: am I really that useless?

Tristan: … no, I still have something you can do, if you wish.

Librarian: of course, anything.

Close scene

Open scene

Cayce is standing outside a rundown house. Johnson pulls up in a rundown car, and gets out.

Johnson: what couldn't you tell me over the phone.

Cayce: some people here have seen tristan, but I don't want to go in alone.

Johnson: and where is here?

Cayce: it is where tristan and I had a hookup.

Johnson: What kind of hookup is this? I need to know what I am walking into.

Cayce: MDMA and LSD.

Johnson: ectacy and acid? Okay, we should be fine.

Cayce: That isn't all that goes on in there though.

Johnson: just what the HELL are you getting me into here? I need to know what to expect when we walk through that door. I have to know what to expect, and what a reasonable reaction is going to be.

Cayce: they also cook meth in there, and some cocaine moves through there.

Johnson groans and beats her head against the roof of the car.

Johnson: I want you to know, before we go in there, that we are in over our heads.

Cayce: I know. Trust me, I know, but I have to find tristan, I have to know what is happening, and what he has to do with it.

Cayce steps into johnson's personal space, locks eyes with her.

Cayce: I need this, and if you want the information as baddly as you say you do, then you need this just as much as I do. So, we can either stand here and complain, or we can get on with it, and come whatever may, we will know something.

Johnson: lead the way.

They walk up to the door and knock.

End scene

Open scene.

Cayce is inside a bedroom with a large man standing over him, there is a rapid beating on a door, and johnson is screaming .

Mason: Don't tell me he isn't cooking. He walks in here, buys an ounce, invites some of my regulars to party and they never come back. He is stealing my business, and I have very specific ways of dealing with that. So, why should I tell you where I have tracked him to instead of just burning the place to the ground and pissing in the ashes?

Cayce: the timing doesn't make sense. There would have been signs, and it would have taken him some time to set up a cooking operation. Tristan never showed any interest in meth before this, so why would he start cooking it.

Mason grabs an ashtray from the table, and throws it against the wall

Mason: Don't you dare talk to me like i'm stupid, I'll burn you and your little bitch with your boyfriend.

Cayce: If I take care of the problem for you, then the cops will have no reason to look at you for it.

Mason: go on.

Cayce: I'm going to stop whatever tristan is doing and all you have to do is tell me where to go to do it. After that, you are the big dog in the yard again, and you have expended no effort to do it, which leaves you more time to make money.

Mason: you get one chance, then if you dont deliver, I take care of the problem, and I take care of you.

Mason walks over to the very solid closet door, picks up a handle off the floor and lets johnson out of the closet, and throws her towards the bed.

Mason: It's the big house two streets over, behind where the old jail used to be. You may want to find some backup, but don't take too long, because the clock is ticking on you.

Cayce helps johnson up, an dthey walk out the door.

End scene.

end episode

libris episode 3

Episode open

scene open

the librarian is shutting down the library. She shoes a few people out, shuts down the computer banks, places the shelving cart next to the circulation desk, and chains the front door. When she turns around from the door, and tristan is there. The wound in his palm drips blood and ink down his hand, and onto the carpet. (shoot this like a shoot-out in a western.) he surges forward, places his hand on her forhead and speaks a word. We do not hear this word, when he opens his mouth all audio is replaced by a sound like ears ringing. The librarians face goes slack, and her body loosens. She drops the keys.

The audio starts to fade in, the ringing starts to fade out.

Tristan: so, i wasn't the only one to read the fragment. I thought not. Pick those up, and come with me.

Familliar route to the rare books section.

Tristan: the fragment was only the clue and the key, mournstien left his true work in there, years ago. He made considerable progress translating the al azif. I'm still not sure where he got such an old copy, but it will be useful. Now, please, if you would.

The librarian opens the lock, and tristan enters.

Fade out as he walks in.

Scene close

Scene open

One week later

Johnson is typing at the keyboard, her tension is obvious. Prof. Derlith approaches from behind her. Johnson continues typing throughout the conversation.

Derlith: Are you working on the dissaperances?

Johnson: yeah, i just need another interview to round out the article. Something to illustrate that it isn't all just dropping out. You think you can help me out?

Derlith: Just who are you needing to talk to?

Johnson: I was wanting to talk to the adviser of the guy who stole the book right before he dissapeared.

Derlith: any idea who it is?

Johnson: yeah, his boyfriend told me that it is a DR. Chioldi

Derlith: keep your afternoon open, and i'll see what i can do.

Johnson: thanks, you're a lifesaver.

Derlith walks off, Johnson continues typing for a bit, then packs her papers, gets up, and leaves.

End scene

Open scene

CA: closeup of a door as johnson knocks knocks on it. The door opens and we see inside for a moment before switching to dialogue angles.

Johnson: Dr. Chioldi?

Chioldi: yes, miss?

Johnson: if you have the time to talk, i believe that my editor set up an interview between us.

Chioldi: yes, come in. I was in the middle of grading papers.

They sit down, Chioldi nonchalantly puts a tumbler with about half an inch of whiskey in a desk drawer goes back to reading a paper.

Chioldi: nothing inspires more panic in my students than the first comparative religion paper, and it shows.

Johnson: do you mind if i record this.

Chioldi sets the paper aside.

Chioldi: go ahead. what was it you were wanting to talk to me about?

Johnson: i was wanting to talk to you about the disapperance of one of your students.

Chioldi: Tristan Mathews, i presume?

Johnson: right in one.

Chioldi: what was it you were wanting to know?

Johnson: I was wanting to know if you had noticed anything out of the ordinary with him. As his advisor, i am guessing that you would have been in a better position to notice this than most.

Chioldi: yes, he was worrying over his paper undully. Brilliant mind for religion and philosophy.

Johnson: what paper was this?

Chioldi: a paper on isolated cults that he needed to make up for from last semester.

Johnson: and this is right before he dissapeared?

Chioldi: yes

Johnson: and also before anyone noticed that the book he was reading in the library turned up missing?

Chioldi: as far as i know, yes. however, all i know about that are the roumors i have heard.

Johnson: that is about all anyone has heard.

Chioldi: I imagine it has gotten even more muddled since the librarian for the rare books section dissapeared.

Johnson: I think that is about it. Thank you for your time, sir.

Chioldi:i wish i knew something that was actually helpful.

They shake hands (close up on this)

Johnson: i wouldn't call what you gave us useless. Maybe i can put a warning out about this, and people can start being more careful out there.

Chioldi: i have a favor i would like to ask of you. (he pulls out a business card) i want you to call me if you come across tristan. He is brilliant, but he always did seem to be a bit unstable.

Johnson: alright, (johnson writes her number down on a piece of paper, and tears off the scrap it is on) i will if i can. call me if you come across any rumors, i need to know as much as possible. My readers deserve to know this.

Johnson leaves, closing the door quietly after herself. Chioldi takes the tumbler of whiskey out of his desk, rolls it around in the glass momentarilly, and downs it

end scene

open scene

night time in the city.

cayce is walking down a street, posting missing flyers, and asking people if they have seen him.

After a while of this a man (aaron) approaches with one of the flyers in hand.

Aaron: hey, is there a reward?

Cayce examines the man for a moment.

Cayce: could be, if what you tells me turns out to be legit.

Aaron: get ready to put your money where your mouth is, becuse i am going to lead you to where your little lost puppy is staying.

They walk off into the night.

End scene

open scene

tristan is sitting at his desk, with various pages, and scrolls neatly orginized across the desk. tristan is etching signs from the scrolls onto his arms. Initially in ink, then scariffying with the scalpel.

Run through various camera angles, closeups on the incisions, shots of blood dripping onto the floor, tristan reacting to the accumulated pain, and eventually dropping the scalpel. Quick cuts,

The librarian approaches tristan with a blanket, a bowl of steaming water, and a rag. She places the blanket across his shoulders, and cleans up his wounds.

Sequence of lingering shots as she cleans up the blood on his arm, and rubs more ink into the wounds. Close the scene on a close-up of tristan enjoying his pain.

End scene

end episode

Libris Episode 2

Open episode

a pair of hands are typing on a keyboard at a steady pace. After a time (30-45 seconds) we zoom out.

Other Reporter: what are you still doing here, johnson? You were supposed to be gone hours ago

CA: head on shot of johnsonas she continues typing.

Johnson: just orginizing some leads on the library theft article.

OR: just write a couple paragraphs and turn it in. it is an oddity, we have better things to report.

Johnson: Yeah, like frat rush week, and the perrenially rigged town council election.

OR: The greeks are prestigious orginizations

Johnson: i'm sure. <under her breath> in between the date rapes.

OR: did you ever get ahold of that drop-out's boyfriend?

Johnson: no. he never picked up.

OR: I'm going to head out.

Johnson: I shouldn't be too much longer.

OR: See you.

Johnson: (unintelligable mumbling)

End scene.

Open scene

CA: following johnson as she passes the library. (wide angle shot of the library is in the background while johnson is in the midground)

CA: full body shot of johnson looking at the door from behind and left.

Johnson walks away

Close scene

Open scene

exterior. Night.

CA: following johnson as she passes the library. The shot is layered with the library in the background, johnson in the midground and an empty foreground.

Johnson stops to look at the library for a moment, then approaches it.

Slow zoom as johnson walks up to the door. Switch to a close up of johnson's hand as she tries to pull it open, but it does not budge. Johnson is interrupted by hir cell phone ringing. Johnson steps away from the door, then walks away about half-way through the conversation.

Johnson: didn't expect to hear back from you... Are sure you want to do this, as late as it is?... no, it isn't an issue for me, I probably wasn't going to get any sleep tonight anyways... no, insomnia just works like that... yeah, i'm on my way then.

End scene.

Open scene.

Interior. Diner. Nighttime.

AUDIO LEAD IN OVER A BLACK SCREEN FOR THE FIRST LINE.

NOTE: spend no more than a quarter of this scene looking at the characters' faces, focus on body language..focus on their tension.

Johnson: so, what initially attracted your lover to this book anyways?

CA: close up on cayce's hands as he fidgets while he talks

Cayce: as far as I can tell, it was for material for a research paper. Tristan was really upset when s/he got home that day. I had never seen hir so motivated to finish a homework assignment.

Johnson: and about how long has it been since you've seen him, or heard from him?

Cayce: probably about a week, he left for class before I woke up. He sent me a couple of texts, but we just kept missing connections.

Johnson: right, so did he mention anyone or anything out of the ordinary before the incident?

They sit in silence.

Cayce: is there anything else you need to know?

Johnson: that should be enough.

Johnson stands up and turns to walk away. Cayce stands up and grabs johnson's shoulder.

Cayce: please if you find out anything, if you hear anything, please tell me.

Johnson stands there a moment, and removes cayce's hand from her shoulder.

Johnson: I'll let you know.

Johnson puts a bill on the table and walks away, cayce crumbles into the seat after she leaves.

End scene

open scene

Ca: creeper shot(s) as he walks down the hallway. Switch to different angles as he walks, but all must be creeper shots.

cayce is walking through the hallway of his dorm, trying to dig his keys out of his pocket. Cayce turns a corner sees a shirt tied around a door handle and stops.

CA: close up of the shirt

After a moment of looking at the shirt, cayce walks up to the door, takes the shirt, and unlocks the door.

CA: tracking shot of cayce walking into the room, and across it.

CA: closeup of cayce as he lays on the bed.

Cayce enters the room walks to the bed, lays down and starts crying. The scene ends as the shirt slips out of cayce's hands, and falls to the floor.

End scene

open scene

CA: angled shot of Johnson as she sits at her kitchen table, rolling cigarettes. Various angles as she rolls two cigarettes, closeups as she goes through the process. Snap to a stark, mid shot when the phone rings.

CA: throughout this scene we will be jumping back and forth between johnson and cayce, both for their dialogue and reactions. At various times in the conversation it will change to a split screen a la the opening scene of requiem for a dream.

Johnson will be fiddling with one of the freshly rolled cigarettes, eventually destroying it without realizing, while cayce will still be in bed, looking down at the shirt, approaching it, but also avoiding it.

Johnson inspects the last cigarette that she rolled, and answers the phone.

Johnson: hello?

Cayce: hey, it's me. Did you find anything yet?

Johnson: no, i'm still deciding which angle to approach it from. You said that you had received a couple of texts, but not much else? When, and what did they say?

Cayce: that would be the afternoon of the last day I saw him and the morning after.

Johnson: i'm listening.

Cayce: one was just telling me that he was going to be working on a paper for a while in the library, and that he was going to sleep in his dorm that night, and the other one was just about some nightmare that he had had. Something about a book reading him.

Johnson: huh... not sure what the second one means.

Cayce: and what does the first tell you?

Johnson: that he cares

Cayce: right... thanks...

End Scene

Open Scene

Johnson walks into the nightmare room from the previous episode. The heartbeat from the second layer of this scene starts to bleed over as . After inspecting the room for a while HARD CUT to johnson standing in front of the medicine cabinet, with the elder sign still on the mirror. The heart beat gets louder, the sceams quiet. HARD CUT to the medicine cabinet being open, Johnson recoils in digust and confusion. Cut to a close up of a deformed heart, still beating, on one of the shelves. At each full contraction, there will be a single frame of one of the pages from the collections of mournstien. Close up of Johnson's eyes as she starts to cry. These tears turn to blood, and she wakes up.

All of this is interlaced with her nightmare room sequence

Johnson sits up in bed, pushes the blankets and sheets away. She springs out of bed and goes to the window and stares out.

The camera's focus drifts away from her face and out the open window into the night to focus on the waxing gibbous moon.

End scene.

Open scene

CA: close up of johnson typing on the keyboard, as fast and as hard as she can.

Cut to

CA: medium shot of Johnson hunched over the keyboard in the office from before

Cut to

CA: a hand gently settling on johnson's shoulder

Cut to

johnson shocked out of her thoughts, jumping.

Johnson: what! (a bit calmer)What do you need, professor derlith?

Derlith: how's the story going?

Johnson: you know that one analogy for smooth?

Derlith: yeah?

Johnson: not that.

Derlith: really? What then?

Johnson: it is going from an in depth drop-out story to an actual missing person story.

Derlith: interesting... Keep digging. If it is what you think, it could make your semester, and make a nice addition to your ressume when you graduate.

Johnson: so, you're determined?

Derlith: yes.

Johnson: this is going to take more than the allotted time.

Derlith: just get it done. You have two aditional weeks.

End scene

open scene

Tristan is standing in the nightmare room, holding a thick book, studying it intently. Flash back and forth between the first incarnation of the nightmare room and the second. The flashes become more frequent and prolonged as the sequence

CA: close-up of the top of a desk. There is a knife, a feather and a jar of ink. Tristan is sleeping in a bed in the background.

Tristan gets up, takes off his shirt, and walks over to the desk, and sits down.

He draws the elder sign onto his palm

He inspects the knife, places it against his skin.

CUT TO a shot of his face, a peaceful expression on his face

CUT TO the knife as he starts to carve the elder sign into his palm.

Tristan smears the ink across the wound with the feather

fade out.

End episode.

Nightmare Sequence Explanation

 the room has two incarnations, each is to be unsettling in their own right.

The first incarnation is that it is to look like a crime scene waiting to be found, but no bodies. The room is to be disgustingly filthy. There is to be a bloodied and stained matress, with sawn through ropes near it. Syringes in the corner, discarded clothes, and the walls should be crumblingin a pattern akin to something being bloted to the wall at shoulder height. , . There is flickering lighting, and the only window in the place is to have bars on the inside. There is a sink with a medicine cabinet, the elder sign is scrawled on it. The effect of the place should be that you want to take a bath soon after looking at it. A very long bath. The audio signature of this incarnation of the room is weeping and water dripping at such a low level as to be almost inaudible.

The second incarnation of the room is much more overtly horrifying, while it's reality is questionable. The scene in this room always follows one of two templates. Either the priests lay hands on the character, and bow down to worship at their feet, or they slit their throat. The lighting is constant, and mostly candles. The elder sign is written on the floor in blood. There are to be human sacrifices chained to the wall. Initially the wall sconces for the human sacrifices will be empty, but they will fill up as tristan takes his victims. Whoever is the character in the room is chained in a squatting position in the middle of the circle of the elder sign. As the scene progresses, priests appear, self flagilate and either worship or sacrifice.The audio signature of this incarnation of the room is a heartbeat, and screams at such a low level as to be almost inaudible.

The presentation of this will be a layered effect, with long lingering shots of the first incarnation of the room, juxtaposed with intense fast serieses of cuts from the second incarnation.  

Libris episode 1

SCENE 1

Exterior, mid afternoon, any season

CA: dolly shot as tristan walks actoss campus.

Open scene: a young man Is walking towards a building he is flipping through a packet of papers.

Zooming out, slipping behind him

he walks into the building, walking past a desk and up to a section of the library. He wanders through slowly, picking up books at random, perusing them making a negative gesture or sound and continues on.

SCENE 2

After a while of this, he is approached by a young woman. She is carrying a few books

Librarian: something I can help you with?

Tristan: yeah, I am looking for a book…

Librarian: you are in luck, we have those here

Tristan: it’s for a paper I am writing on isolated cults.

Librarian: who's the professor?

Tristan: Chioldi

Librarian: ah, the old ball-breaker himself

tristan: yep, one week to get the first draft turned in, start to finish.

Librarian: you have anything in mind.

Tristan: not really

Librarian: how do druids sound?

Tristan: doesn’t feel quite right.

Librarian: voodoo?

Tristan: a bit closer, but no.

Librarian: hmmm… follow me.

SCENE 3

CA: series of static and tracking shots as tristan and the librarian walks through the library. Must have a slightly voyeuristic feel to the tracking shots, while the static shots should highlight the emptyness of the library.

They walk away with the librarian quickly leading the way and Tristan keeping up. After a few shelves, she stops, back pedals a few steps and pulls a manuscript from the shelf and reluctantly hands it to Tristan.

Librarian: this just came in a few days ago. It is from an alum, he took a position up at miskatonic.

Tristan: … thanks…

SCENE 4

Side shot

He walks over to a table, sits down and starts flipping through the manuscript

Frequent cuts to a pan up shot from behind Tristan that angles down staring at his shoulder.

he turns another page and starts to lean forward

SCENE 5

zoom shot on page

switch back to side shot

back to zoom shot

side shot

zoom shot

zoom in on his eyes

rumbling sounds, screams, and running footsteps in background

eye zoom

he closes his eyes

Over the shoulder shot

The librarians hand taps him on the shoulder, and he jumps.

Side shot

Librarian: we have to close now

Tristan: yeah… sure…

Librarian: you get everything you need?

Tristan: not sure, can I take this with me?

Librarian: not that one, but it will still be here tomorrow

Tristan inspects the manuscript one final time, then hands it over

SCENE 6

Sequence of shots of Tristan walking back through the library and out the door. It is night time now and we follow him a short distance, then pan up for a shot of the stars.

SCENE 7

Slow motion(3/4’s time)sequence

Tristan washes his face, camera angle switching from close up of water running, to close up of tristan splashing the water on his face, to an over the shoulder shot of Tristan standing upright. Transition to shots of Tristan walking across a room to a bed, and laying down. Close up of his face as Tristan drifts off, juxtapose with flash of elder sign.

SCENE 8

Tristan is in different clothes, and is looking strained.

Tristan is walking into the library with hir papers under hir arm. he walks up to the desk where the librarian from the previous day is sitting.

Tristan: do you still have that manuscript that I was looking at yesterday?

Librarian: <doesn’t look up from what she’s doing> it’s been reshelved. We found out that Dr. Mournstien died, and until we receive the rest of the document it is in the rare books section.

Tristan: and I take it I'm not allowed to read it again

Librarian: I can give you a couple of hours

SCENE 9

Tristan is walking through the shelves and halls quickly, after a travel sequence, he arrives at the shelve and pulls out the book hurriedly, knocking a few of the surrounding books to the floor.

he kneels over, sets the manuscript next to him and gathers the strewn books. he places the books on the shelve haphazardly, and walks away and around the corner

SCENE 10

TRAVEL SEQUENCE FOLLOWING HIM FROM DEEP IN THE LIBRARY TO A TABLE (SHOOT LIKE A SEQUENCE OF WALKING THROUGH DEEP WOODS)

He sits down at the table and starts to thumb through the manuscript.

SCENE 11

Another close up sequence ending with and extreme closeup of his eye, and yet again juxtapose with the elder sign.

Cut to

SCENE 12

layer with nightmare room sequence

A dingy room with Tristan sitting against the wall. he is wearing ragged clothes. Tristan looks worried. Tristan stands up and walks over to the sink. Tristan washes hir hands, and looks into the mirror.

Close up on his face, pan over to look at the mirror, pan back to tristan’s face

Tristan looks relieved.

Cut to

SCENE 13

Tristan is sitting at the previous table, looking intently at the manuscript. The librarian taps him on the shoulder, and he jumps.

Librarian: we’re closing up; you gotta go.

Tristan: okay… are you sure I can’t take this?

Librarian: sorry, it is a one of a kind manuscript, and a fragment at that.

Close up of the librarian taking the manuscript from hir hands. Hir grip lingers too long of comfort, but finally lets the librarian take it.

The librarian walks away, and Tristan gathers his things.

SCENE 14

FAMILIAR ROUTE OUT!

he stops at the exit, closes his eyes and pushes through the door.

Cut to

SCENE 15

Tristan walking into the library in the tattered clothing from scene 12.

Zoom out, pan down, fade out

End episode. 

Intro

Hello, all.

I'm using this blog to post the script for a web-series i am wanting to produce. Any feedback on this would be appreciated. Please read, enjoy and give me some feedback.