SHORT SCRIPTS:
Television Culture

INT. LOUNGE ROOM EVENING
FADE IN

We can hear the sound of rain falling on a tin roof. We can see a FAMILY sitting in a line on a couch. The couch is run down, as is the rest of the room. It is sparsely furnished and looks like government housing. The FAMILY consists of an OLD WOMAN with snow white hair, a MOTHER in a red slip dress, a TEENAGED GIRL in a short black skirt who has dried blood on her legs, a FATHER in a crushed grey suit, and a TEENAGED BOY with a black eye who has track marks exposed on his arms. The room is dimly lit.

We move in front of THE FAMILY.

They are all looking straight ahead.

The TEENAGED BOY is nodding off.

The eyes of the family members flicker in the light. We turn around. The Television is on. It provides the only light in the room. The light it produces is a flickering blue. On the television set we see a middle aged CURRENT AFFAIRS HOST talking. We can't hear what he is saying, we can only hear the sound of rain on the roof, which sounds like static.

We come in closer to the television now and see images of youths throwing rocks at the police.

We see FATHER slam his elbow into the TEENAGED BOY's ribs. The TEENAGED BOY sits up.

We turn back to the TV. We see the CURRENT AFFAIRS HOST and then we see images of pregnant teenaged girls on the streets.

We see MOTHER viciously tugging down TEENAGED GIRL's skirt.

We come in closer and see MOTHER's fingernails scratching TEENAGED GIRL's legs.

We see the TV. The CURRENT AFFAIRS HOST fills the screen. He holds out a closed fist. He smiles.

We see THE FAMILY. They are all holding out closed fists. Their fists spring open.

We come in closer to see a twenty cent piece glittering on each palm.

On the TV we see pictures of teenagers being interrogated. We see the CURRENT AFFAIRS HOST smile and nod.

We see THE FAMILY smile and nod.

We can see fresh blood on TEENAGED GIRL's legs and the new bruise on TEENAGED BOY's arm glistening in the light of the TV turned to static.

We see the TV flash from static to show a picture of a teenager, then a picture of a rat, rapidly alternating. The CURRENT AFFAIRS HOST smiles again.

We turn around. The FAMILY members have big toothy grins on their faces. They all sit blank eyed and still, smiling.

The CURRENT AFFAIRS HOST is still on the TV, sitting still and smiling widely just like THE FAMILY.

We move to the door. The light in the room rapidly changes from flickering blue to a dull flickering grey.

We turn to see THE FAMILY sitting still and facing the TV. The TV is filled with static, which we can hear very loudly. THE FAMILY all sit with their eyes open and both empty arms outstretched towards the TV. Their palms are open and face upward.

We turn and can see the street from a window opposite the room that the THE FAMILY are in. There are no cars on the wet road and no street lights on. We look left and can see the front windows of all the other houses in the street. They also flash with the light of TV's tuned to static. The sound of static pulsates and rises.

FADE OUT

RETURN TO THE ASSORTED WRITINGS HOMEPAGE

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