We open on SALLY staring into a dressing room mirror. She is

wearing a dress of blood red sequins. Creamy pearls droop from

her neck and an indigo sequin band sits tight around her

forehead. Her dark midnight hair is shoulder-length and sits in

large beautiful curls. Our eyes are drawn to hers, large and

green. Her thick mascara explodes outward, dramatically framing

those unique, sea-green eyes. Her rouge is light and tempting on

her cheekbones, making her face look sweetly flushed. Her lips

are a satanic red, perfectly painted and appealing.

BEN comes to the scene when there is a knock on the door. He is

wearing a black, sharp tuxedo. He is a definitively handsome man

with dark wavy black hair, a regal protruding jaw-line, and

sharp gray eyes. He is tall and strong. Whenever he looks at

Sally, he looks like he’s trying to slowly rip her soul apart

with his eyes. He is always trying to touch her lightly with

supposed compassion.

Through her unmoving expression, we continue to sense a tension

in Sally, a feeling of disappointment or sadness, but it is

always coupled with a hint of some sort of strength.

In the second scene, Ben & Sally are chatting about the

Prohibition and their artist friend, ALBERT. Ben stands casually

in the corner by his mirror, bowtie hanging freely around his

collar. Sally is sprawled on the white satin fainting couch by

the opposite wall, ankles crossed and arms above her head like

she is posing for a portrait. Her silver shoes are perched on

the floor by her vanity and her pearls are huddled on her vanity

chair innocently.

As they discuss the Prohibition, Ben seems nonchalant but fired

up at the same time. He holds a pretentious posture as he pulls

off his bow tie and unbuttons his white dress shirt. Sally is

draped on the fainting couch with her eyes closed. It is obvious

that she either doesn’t care about Ben’s opinions on the

Prohibition or she has heard it all before. She gives a few bare

responses, but it is all for naught as Ben continues to shrug

his shoulders and move his arms physically showing that he finds

his opinions superior to hers. As the Prohibition talk comes to

a close, Ben tosses his shirt over the edge of his vanity chair

and idles toward Sally. When Ben makes a sexual joke about the

art community, we see Sally laugh, showing that she does not

explicitly hate Ben.

Sally proceeds to pick up a small silver case from the wooden

stand next to the couch. She flips it open and pulls out a

cigarette. Before she can grab her lighter, Ben holds his own

out in front of her. She sets the cigarette between her lips and

allows him to light it.

Sally closes her eyes and pumps four swift clouds of smoke into

the air above her head. Ben lights his own cigarette and sits

down backwards in his chair. Sally drapes her arm over the back

of the couch, and looks at Ben. She looks exhausted, but she

looks more relaxed as she smokes.

The third scene is completely dialogue-free, but we learn more

about Sally through her living space. We see Sally opening the

door to her apartment from the inside, clicking on the lights.

We see that her apartment is small in size and doesn’t have much

furniture. There is a small loveseat and a table with a burgundy

phone on top of it. A modest lamp sits in the corner of the

room. She drops her keys in her black purse and drops her purse

on the floor by the door. She closes the door behind her, her

expression of exhaustion more pronounced than before.

We see Sally’s hands turn on the bath water; her wrists are bare

There are no bangles or rings. Sally’s periwinkle robe drops

around her ankles, and she lifts her feet from the pool of

fabric. We see her feet dip into the bubbly water before her

whole body sinks into the porcelain tub.

The camera pans from her feet, sticking out at one end of the

tub, to her head at the other end of the tub. Her eyes are

closed.

In the fourth scene, we open on Sally, barefoot in her

periwinkle robe, fill a navy blue kettle with water and place it

on the stove. Her black hair is still curly and beautiful, but

all of her makeup is gone. She grabs a folded newspaper and a

piece of toasted bread with margarine from the table and starts

reading an article. The phone rings, and we find out that it is

Ben. She looks tired as she agrees to meet Ben. When she hangs

up the phone, she sighs and walks out of the room with her toast

in hand.

The Magician’s Assistant

By

Jessica J. Carr

1 INT. DRESSING ROOM- NIGHT 1

The scene opens with SALLY staring at her reflection in the

mirror. She sits and stares for several seconds, her back

straight in her dressing room chair. She is dressed in

glamorous red sequins with pearls and bright, exotic

make-up. We hear a knock.

SALLY

Come in, Ben.

We hear the door creak open. When Sally looks over, we

see BEN standing there dominantly in the doorway, gazing at

her.

BEN

You look marvelous, as usual.

Sally turns her head back towards the mirror deliberately.

SALLY

How is the house?

BEN

Three hundred seventy.

Sally nods her head. Ben steps closer to Sally and stands

over her. Sally looks at him. He reaches out his hand to cup

her bare shoulder. He moves his hand over her skin and picks

up a curl from her shoulder, bouncing it in his fingers.

Sally does not respond. Ben takes a step backwards, dropping

the curl.

BEN

Backstage in 10.

Ben turns and walks to the door. When he reaches the

doorway, he turns to Sally.

BEN

I’m almost done with my new

trick...I think it’ll change

everything.

Sally doesn’t respond. After a beat, Ben closes the door

behind him quietly. Sally looks at her reflection for one

last second and stands up.

2.

2 INT. DRESSING ROOM- NIGHT 2

Ben is standing casually by his mirror, bow tie hanging

freely around his collar. Sally is sprawled on a white satin

fainting couch by the opposite wall, ankles crossed and arms

above her head.

BEN

It’s just so illogical. I

understand that, when used badly,

it can be dangerous, but if you

look at it the right way, belts and

forks are dangerous, too. And you

don’t see those being outlawed.

SALLY

Mm.

BEN

And businesses, not just bars

either, are losing a lot of

potential to make some heavy sugar.

(beat) I mean, I know drums are

makin’ some hot dough, but the

owners are risking their businesses

and lives every night. They have

to. And the government doesn’t even

care.

SALLY

I’m sure they don’t mean any harm.

In fact, they mean to help. Alcohol

kills people. It might be a misuse

of alcohol that kills people, but

it’s still too dangerous. I don’t

know.

Sally leans her head back again and closes her eyes.

BEN

Well that’s not the government’s

responsibility. They need to make

sure they’re not screwing over

people’s lives with their balled up

moves. And outlawing booze

certainly futzed up a fair number

of lives.

SALLY

Okay, Ben.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 3.

BEN

I mean are they going to outlaw

guns, too? No. Guns are useful.

It’s how dumbbells like Big Tim’s

killer use guns that’s bad. That

doesn’t mean that guns are all bad.

Same with booze. Look. All I’m

saying is that I think it should be

legal again. Then businesses will

boom and joint-owners and brewers

can have their lives back.

SALLY

Alright, Ben. I’m sure you’re

right.

Sally’s eyes are closed again and leans her head back on the

arm of the couch. Ben takes off his bow tie and begins to

unbutton his white dress shirt nonchalantly as he looks at

Sally’s tired form.

BEN

You heard Albert’s having another

gallery showing next Saturday?

SALLY

I didn’t know...I may go purchase

another one of his smaller pieces

if I can afford it.

BEN

Good luck with that. Ever since he

became a big shot in the art

community, it seems he could sell

his used tissues for a fair load of

jack. He’s quite the high hat

nowadays.

SALLY

Well, he surely wouldn’t charge me

so much. After all, I’ve known him

for 14 years. I knew him before he

even knew what a paintbrush was.

BEN

I hope you’re right. (beat) Either

way, I think I’ll go to this

showing. Some ritzy saps are likely

to be there that I could woo into

attending our show.

He slides his shirt off of his arms and tosses it over the

edge of his chair. Sally smirks, amused.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 4.

SALLY

Woo them? Are you going to strip

for them?

Ben chuckles.

BEN

It is the art community, Sally.

Never underestimate the capacity

for weird sexual interest in the

art community. It’ll surprise you

every time.

Sally laughs.

SALLY

True.

Ben grins and continues to look intently at Sally. Sally

picks up a small silver case off of a wooden stand next to

the couch and pulls out a cigarette. As she goes to reach

for her own lighter, Ben holds out his own in front of her.

She sets the cigarette between her lips and lets Ben light

it. Ben lights a cigarette of his own and sits down.

BEN

What’re your plans for the night?

SALLY

Just a bath and a book, I

imagine.(beat) What about you?

BEN

I’ll probly hit up a juice joint or

two. You’re welcome to tag along.

SALLY

As tempting as that sounds, I think

I’ll pass.

BEN

Are you sure? You already have a

striking get-up. And I bet you’d be

quite the floorflusher.

Ben flashes his blindingly white teeth at her.

SALLY

How sweet of you. But I don’t drink

or go to speakeasies, Ben. You know

that.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 5.

BEN

Such a shame.

SALLY

Of course.

Sally closes her eyes and blows smoke into the air above her

head. Ben does not move his eyes from Sally. She lowers her

head and peers at him out of the corner of her eye. A silent

moment passes. Sally puts out her cigarette in the ashtray

on the wooden stand and sighs, swinging her legs over the

edge of the couch. She stands up.

SALLY

Well. I’m going home.

She stands up and walks past Ben, and we see her bend over

to pick up her shoes from the floor behind him.

3 INT. SALLY’S APARTMENT- NIGHT 3

We see Sally opening the door to her apartment from the

inside, clicking on the lights. We see that her apartment is

small in size and doesn’t have much furniture. She drops her

keys in her purse and drops her purse on the floor by the

door. (beat) We see Sally’s hands turn on the bath water;

her wrists are bare (no bangles or rings). Sally’s

periwinkle robe drops around her ankles, and she lifts her

feet from the pool of fabric. We see her feet dip into the

water before her whole body sinks into the porcelain tub.

(beat) The camera pans from her feet, sticking out at one

end of the tub, to her head at the other end of the tub. Her

eyes are closed.

4 INT. SALLY’S APARTMENT- MORNING 4

Sally, in her periwinkle robe, fills a navy blue kettle with

water and places it on the stove. She grabs a folded

newspaper and a piece of toasted bread from the table and

starts reading an article. Only moments later, the phone

rings. She finishes her bite of toast, putting down the

newspaper, and glides over to the phone.

SALLY

This is Sally. (beat) What do you

need, Ben? (beat) Okay, give me an

hour or so.

Sally hangs up the phone and picks up her toast; she takes

another bite as she walks back in the direction of her

bedroom.

I absolutely loved this project! I’m going to continue with

it even after the semester is over. It took me a long time to

do, but I loved every second. Every time I was procrastinating

my other homework, I would open Celtx and keep working. I had

recently started writing a book and decided that it would be the

best thing for me to use for a screenplay. I am also a very

visual writer, so that helped a lot with the treatment and stage

direction. The main trouble that I had was length (simply

because I didn’t want to have too many scene changes in 5 pages)

and believable voices of the characters. I wanted to make the

character voices consistent because I know that bad dialogue

equals bad writing. So, when I realized that the voices were a

little askew, I did extensive research on slang from the jazz

era. After doing the research, I made sure to only put that in

the slang in Ben’s dialogue because he’s the hip speakeasy-

hopper, whereas Sally is more direct and apathetic and straight-

forward. This helped make their voices distinct and consistent.

Though I had a little trouble with consistent voices, I did not

really have any trouble with creating natural, flowing dialogue

that doesn’t seem like a made-up script. Some parts of the

conversation were modeled after conversations I have had with my

friends recently. For example, I have friends who will go on and

on about how marijuana should be legalized, and quite frankly, I

don’t really care. So, I took that type of dialogue and tone and

applied it to Ben’s opinion on (and Sally’s apathy toward) the

Prohibition, which was going on in the 1920’s. Overall, I didn’t

have too much difficulty with this project, and any difficulties

met were simply challenges that I looked forward to. I hope the

reader gets as much pleasure from reading this script as I did

from writing it.