finished script

FADE IN;

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

Early morning. Curtains are closed. Lights are on. John is sitting on the computer, finishing a blog post. His room is plastered with superhero posters, newspaper articles and fan mail.

                        

He walks over to closet, grabs clothes, and dresses. Picks up action figure, plays with it, and places it back down on the table. Picks up the car keys next to it, and exits the room, shutting the door behind him. Lingers on action figure.

INT. COUNCIL HALL – DAY

Neville is the head of the town council. He stands at the head of a council table. He addresses his fellow town council members as they enter the room and take their seats. He waits until everyone has sat down, before taking his own seat.

NEVILLE

Welcome fellow council members

Neville queries local issues with council members, Each member has a meaningless and irrelevant issue and speak simultaneously, the volume in the room increases, and a ruckus occurs.

NEVILLE

So, does anyone have any prominent issues to discuss with the council today?

CM 1 (female)

I’ve got a few significant matters that I’d like to bring to the councils attention. Firstly, Mrs Stevenson on church lane insists on more oatmeal-baked cookies being made for the upcoming bake sale…

CM2 (male)

…I think there are more pressing matters to be discussed than home baked goods

CM3

Yeah, like housing development…there has been a rising number in unauthorised building activity, and this is against the law, and must be addressed. If I had to apply for planning permission for my conservatory, why the hell should people get away with building extensions on to the side of the house with absolutely no approval from the council!

CM4

No no no! The obvious issue is illegal parking. Am I the ONLY person in this town that is taking notice of this preposterous lack of respect for local authority?!

CM5

Housing development?! Illegal parking?! Are you serious? *laughs* Youth deviance!! Something all of us would agree is a problem at the moment, Mr Fletcher had his shop windowed smashed by yobs, houses all along Regent street have been vandalised or burgled. It’s all down to parenting! I can tell you that right now!

Silent Neville reaches under the table into his briefcase, pulls out a recent issue of the local newspaper, and throws it down the centre of the table. The council falls silent. Lingers on newspaper headline.

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

Lingers on the same newspaper issue that features in the council hall. Transition from newspaper to action figure on the opposite side of the room. Action figure twitches…

INT. COUNCIL HALL – DAY – CONTINUED

Council members are discussing prominent issue of superhero vigilante scandal.

CM1 (female)

I’ve heard he’s a government experiment that went wrong… very wrong.

CM4

Yeah.. That’s exactly what it is, he’s a government experiment.. *under his breath* stupid cow..

CM3

My mother used to say that if you poke a cow, and stroke a sheep twice in the same week, strange things be occurring.

Just sayin..

The rest of the council stare at CM3. Perplexed looks on their faces.

Neville as head of authority brings the council to order, to bring reasonable explanations to the council’s attention.

Neville

Enough of this pointless squabbling. We need to consider what we actually know before we make sweeping assumptions and wild theories. He’s obviously a youth who’s been reading a little too many comic books, and the thought of bringing his comics to life has resulted in these outlandish events.

John enters the council with mop or broom in hand. Dressed in an overall. He begins to sweep/mop as the council continues their discussion in the background.

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

Action figure replicates the movement of character 1 in the council hall. Action turns head towards corner of the room..

INT. COUNCIL HALL – DAY

John turns his head to face council in a movement that matches that of the action figure. Council continue to discuss specific details of supernatural events occurring in the town.

Focuses on John from behind, as he imitates a superhero like pose (chest pushed out, fists on hips). He appears as a silhouette against the backlight.

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

Superhero figure is in a flying pose. OR in a single arm gun show pose (arm up, and tensed, hand rotating from front to back).

INT. COUNCIL HALL – DAY

Council talking about the description of the vigilante/superhero. Neville describes a person that sounds very similar to what John looks like and a detailed profile of the vigilante’s height, statue, build, hair and facial features are put forward.

Neville

Police reports estimate him to be around 5ft 9” with Dark hair. From analysis of his crimes, police have also gathered that he is both fast and strong, and suggest he must have a large athletic build. 

Council fall silent yet again, and draw their attention towards John, as he continues to sweep. John becomes aware of the silence, stops sweeping, and looks up at his audience in a confused manner. Focus draws back to each council member as they each in turn convince themselves of the stupidity in their assumption.

CM4

Nah forget that..

CM1

Can’t be.

CM3

He looks like a sheep stroker to me..

CM2

Well I’ve got a 6’o clock doctor’s appointment. I hate to leave at this moment of supreme enlightenment, as we seem so close!

This causes the meeting to adjourn, with each member peeling away for other commitments, leaving John and Neville alone in the room.

John finishes his shift, and undoes his top button on his overall slightly revealing a suspicious looking garment beneath. He says farewell to Neville..

John

I’ll see you next Tuesday

..and heads for the door turning his back to Neville. Neville picks up on the unusual garment as he’s walking away and questions John on it.

Neville

What’s that beneath your overall..?

An awkward silence follows.. *sound effects – dramatic piano note.* John replies confidently.

John

Oh this? It’s my costume for tonight. Got a party straight after work. Going as the vigilante. I’m a huge fan.

Neville

Quite short for a superhero aren’t you? What are you? 5ft 9”?

John

Something like that..

John leaves, attention is brought back to Neville (facing the audience), who is packing his papers back into his briefcase, sat at the end of the table, closes his briefcase, slowly looks up, eyes flash red, and our superhero is revealed…