SIMPLICITY

Written by Steven Dennant

VERSION 5 23 July 2012

NOTES: Bold Words = Colour

2012, Steven Dennant

FADE IN: EXT. STREET - AFTERNOON An autumn leaf breaks from its home. Red with gold edges, and crispy in structure. The wind captures it, and for a brief moment dances with it gracefully, or without alert sending it skyward, until letting go of its grasp. It gently rocks from left to right as it descends, eventually landing in front of a man sitting at a bus stop. ADAM, 22, is a fairly average Londoner. Dark brown hair, and stubble. Sporting a grey hoodie, beige chinos, and a tattered pair of converses. As he draws on his cigarette his expression tells us something. He is neither tired or sad, lonely nor depressed, but instead, bored. Bored of the mechanics of everyday life. Adams POV: Smoke softly fills the frame, but the sound of a bus grabs his attention to the near distance. Completely disregarding the existence of the leaf on the floor. He stands up and waves the bus down. The bus stops, he flicks his cigarette, and gets on. We stay with the leaf for a moment, as it once again gets carried away by the wind. CUT TO: INT. BUS - AFTERNOON Adam has propped his legs up on the seat beside him, with his back against the window. He looks around for a second, and spots an elderly man sleeping. A CLOSE UP SHOT OF THE ELDERLY MANS FACE HELD BY THE SUDDEN BREAK OF SUNSHINE PEERING THROUGH THE WINDOW. WE SEE THE ETCHED WRINKLES IN HIS FACE, AND THE FINE HAIRS OF HIS MOUSTACHE FURIOUSLY BLOWING IN RELATION TO HIS HEAVY BREATHING. Adam sighs, and adjusts his head so it rests on the top of the seat. CUT TO:

2. EXT. CHELSEA COLLEGE OF ART - LATER Establishing shot of the red bricked building as Adam enters. A butterfly gracefully floats by. CUT TO: INT. CLASSROOM - MINUTES LATER A mixture of students from all walks of life populate this dirty white classroom. Breaks of sunshine intrude and we can almost make out the specks of dust that hover. We also see a woman sitting down on the floor, wearing a bathrobe and reading a book. A red coat is seen thrown over a chair, next to another students easel. Daniel, 53, the lecturer walks into view. He is an eccentric kind of guy with white shoulder-length hair, blue eyes, and a surprisingly toned figure for his age. Adam is sat on a stool, attaching a blank canvas to an easel. Everyone seems to be ready. The woman closes her book, delicately removes her bathrobe, and lies out on the floor. Some would say her pose is seductive, but art isn't about sexual connotations, its about expression. Adam picks a brush and begins. TIGHT ON ADAM as his focused eyes come up to look at her over the top edge of the canvas. CLOSE UP SHOTS OF THE WOMANS EYES, NOSE, AND LIPS. DETAILS OF HER HANDS, AND SUBTLE CURVE OF HER BREASTS. Adam paints with sure strokes, effortlessly capturing every detail. WE STOP ON ADAMS FIXED EYES AND OUR CAMERA SLOWLY ZOOMS INTO THEM. She notices his stare when so many others are also staring. CLOSE UP SHOT OF HER EYES, PROMINENT AND AWARE. We are too, held captive by Adams stare. CUT TO:

3. EXT. CHELSEA COLLEGE OF ART - EVENING Adam leaves the college holding a wrapped up canvas in one hand, reaches down into his pocket with the other, grabs a packet of cigarettes, lights one and inhales. As Adam walks past a bus stop out of frame, we notice a woman in a red coat sitting down. CUT TO: INT. ADAMS FLAT - LATER Adam closes the door behind him. Walks a couple of steps down the dark hallway, and enters his bedroom. His bedroom is typically male. Scattered clothes, endless wires, shelves filled with books, and dvds. And of course an easel in the corner next to the window, surrounded by a complete mess of unfinished artwork, and open bottles of paint and beer. SERIES OF SHOTS: 1) Adam gently lays down the canvas next to others. 2) Drops his bag. 3) Unwraps the canvas to reveal the painting. 4) Heads to the kitchen. 5) Grabs a microwavable curry from the near empty fridge. 6) Pierces the film with a fork. 7) Sticks it into the microwave. 8) Spins the dial to 6 minutes. CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - LATER LOW LEVEL SHOT OF THE FINISHED CURRY BESIDE THE BED. WE PAN UP TO REVEAL ADAM LYING DOWN. He switches off the TV, turns to the side of the window, and buries one hand under his head. A single flower, alone on a tree, is seen in the distance. CUT TO:

4. INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY CLOSE UP SHOT OF ADAMS HAND GRABBING A CUP OF COFFEE. He looks up, and in our frame is a man with striking features. CLOSE UP SHOT OF THE MANS STUBBLE, EYES, AND HAIR, AS HE WHISKS A CLUSTER AWAY FROM HIS EYE. A single blonde hair slowly falls to his shoulder. Adam hands him the correct change and leaves. CUT TO: EXT. SOUTHWARK, BANKSIDE - DAY Adam strolls down Queens Walk. Not really paying attention to the way the sun bounces off the flickering river. Or the duck swimming with its child. He walks by the row of benches facing the river, filled with couples kissing, old men gazing, and one specific woman in a red coat reading. CUT TO: INT. TATE MODERN - LATER Adam walks from room to room, admiring the artwork from the likes of Monet, Edvard Munch, and Juan Downey. CUT TO: EXT. SOUTHBANK BOOK MARKET - LATER Adam browses through the assortment of books, on the benches of this beautiful market tucked under Waterloo bridge. He picks up George Orwells 1984, then Hemingways The Sun Also Rises. Somewhere through the mix is a book, golden in colour. He reaches over to it, but a hand gets there first. CLOSE UP SHOT OF BOTH ADAMS AND WHAT APPEARS TO BE A WOMANS HAND, TOUCHING. DETAILS OF THE TINY BLONDE HAIRS, AND THE MOLE THAT RESIDES NEAR HER PALM. The book is Gabriel Garca Mrquezs Love in the time of cholera.

5. WE SLOWLY PAN UP HER ARM TO REVEAL HER TO BE WEARING A RED COAT. TIGHT ON ADAMS EYES. CLOSE UP SHOTS OF HER MESMERIC GREEN EYES BATTING IN SLOW MOTION, FLAWLESS SKIN, WHISPERY BLONDE HAIR, THIN LUSCIOUS LIPS, AND HER RADIANT NECK. TIGHT ON ADAMS EYES, FADING IN FROM GREY TO BLUE. TIGHT ON HER EYES, ALMOST DRAWING HIM IN. HER BREATHING IS AMPLIFIED. They exchange smiles. EXTREME LONG SHOT OF ADAM AND THE WOMAN, AS A SINGLE AUTUMN LEAF FALLS DOWN IN FRONT OF US. AND AS SOON AS IT HITS THE FLOOR, THE SCENE SLOWLY BECOMES FULL COLOUR. CUT TO: BLACK WHITE LETTERS ON A BLACK SCREEN: Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. - John Maeda CREDITS