21 January 2023

Film Noir Script scene notes continues: Lobby scene/getting mail

 




Camera shot of the apartment lobby 


On left are the lifts/elevator 


Behind camera would where mail boxes are


Directly ahead 12:00 is a desk reception 


To the right and facing lifts is the main entrance 


We are looking down from above  but not high up at ceiling just high enough to see tops of heads 



I spoke to an old friend of mine—Gerald from my bookstore days. He became a scholar but he was always an odd mix of science and metaphysics. He believes in the works of Edgar Casey and things of this nature


He calls me out of the blue today to say,

“I had a dream about you and thought I should tell you about it....”


He goes on to say,

“I saw him in the dream—you say his name is Jörn?”


But he says,

“you have unfinished business you two, that’s why he’s in your life.”



The lift door opens


and as this happens, Electra is facing out into the lobby 


Jörn is seen by her now for the first time


He is on his way towards where the lift is but the penthouse uses a different lift than the rest of the inhabitants of the apartment building’s residences 


He is on his way to one and in the moment as her lift door opens they are for the first time face to face


This should be a dramatic moment


As he would not have expected her in that moment, for one second, we see he is taken off guard


Jörn looks at Electra. His expression would be a bit stunned to see her just then, not quite prepared for it


Electra would miss his initial reaction as he sees her first. He is able to cover his look of surprise before she sees it. 


As soon as he covers the expression is when she looks up


His expression is intentionally put on to seem annoyed or bored by her and her friend’s appearance which she may interpret as a kind of insulting rebuff, so, Jörn might appear as condescending at the moment 


This may not have been his original intention but the quickest he was able to do as he is clearly a bit shaken by her appearance —which is only revealed by the manner in which he grips the handle of his cello case and accidentally bumps into someone


But all Electra catches is his unintended but insulting look which confuses her as she seems also quite shaken by something about him, presumably his physical appearance which we only know once he walks past to reach the other lift


So we see her turn to look at him, as she and Gerald leave their lift


And to emphasize this, Gerald is seen looking first oddly at Electra and then towards whom she stares at


Gerald: Electra!


[now Electra walks right into an obvious marble column]


Electra: ouch! [hurts herself on the column from her encounter and impact]


Jörn happens to see her do this but his expression is still in a kind of dazed stare


The stare is enigmatic and hard to interpret why even as we, the audience have our own suspicion 


But Gerald catches Jörn’s expression noticing something about Jörn’s stare, before he glances curiously back at Electra


Gerald: do you recognize him from somewhere?


Electra: who?


Gerald: the guy with the cello


[they are on their way out and heading out towards the door to the street]


Electra: that stuck up guy? Did you see that condescending look he gave me?


As they leave the building, the expression Gerald has as he looks at Electra, walking out the door, strongly suggests that the look he saw Jörn give her was not how she called it at all which seems to make him wonder about why she is so upset by this as he hides almost a smile to alert the audience Gerald has picked up on her/their ‘energy’



Fade out this image of them leaving the door to the street


Open to same shot from interior as we now see, daylight trickles through the lobby windows as Jörn is seen walking in from outside with his cello


Camera angle now moves to the wall on the left where all the post boxes are


We now see Electra retrieving the mail and looking at the envelopes


Close up of business addressed envelopes, some bills, and things about the museum as envelopes addressed this way: Ethan Rhys-Jones Museum


She goes through the mail over and over looking for something. We see she is on the phone


Electra: no, the bank card isn’t here, and my other doesn’t work here so—it still hasn’t arrived, Gerald


We see Jörn watching her as he walks in the direction of the mailboxes and waits for her to end the call as he watches her with clear interest and clear intention he is about to approach her


his detail are much more clear


Impeccably dressed in the formal attire of a concert musician with black suit and jacket, etc. but other details reveal a much higher caliber of material detail. Shoes, watch (platinum—not designer as later it will be revealed this is his own design and make), his grooming is also perfect. His blonde hair is longish to reach a neat pony tail, tastefully pulled back, professional highlights in his hair, not in a gay manner, this should be more his own vanity and personality; even his nails air neatly manicured. There is a strong sense he could be deadly by his expression and his muscular build that is camouflaged under the black suit and black trench coat he wears over the suit


This should be a scene lit like an old black and white Film Noir; sharp shadows, more or less looking black and white for affect; for mood; the tones shift as the scene would allow it to influence the mood of the intrigue 


she concludes her call with Gerald 


she reaches to get her bag off her shoulder to put both her phone and the mail away, she then is seen from the side as Jörn is about to approach


She stands frozen as she recognizes him from earlier scene


He walks over but now his expression is friendly as he starts to approach her


This throws her off as she seems to go from wanting to head away from him to go to the penthouse lift until she sees his expression, so she stops and nervously waits for him to approach


Jörn: Electra? —American, right? 


Electra: [looks up and waits]


He looks at the mailbox she just closed and touches the number


Jörn: your postal box is right next to mine— I keep getting your mail— I have it upstairs ….


Electra: oh! 


Jörn: [takes out a fancy pen and a small notepad in a case. We watch him write down his name— Jörn Milstrom— he writes his flat number: 812 and tears it off then hands it to her] I can’t get to the penthouse so why don’t you come by when it is convenient to pick up your mail?

















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