The publisher asked me to write up a short summary of what the heck we’re doing over here at Fade In: Inc. The following events may seem strange but they are all true. I simply chronicled what happened in the last five minutes:

FADE IN:

EXT. 376 BOYLSTON ST. BOSTON, MA - (ESTABLISHING) - DAY

Clouds gather above an antique concrete Romanesque building on the wrong side of the street between the Tannery and Tweeter. ZOOM to second floor window.

INT. SUITE 202 - CHRISTY’S OFFICE

CHRISTY CASHMAN feverishly pounds the keys of her computer. Her fingers cannot keep up with the stream of consciousness emitting from her brain. All four phone lines RING.
ANGLE - MAJOR NEWSPAPER HEADLINE

“FADE IN TO DO SCRIPT PANEL @ OCTOBER BOOK EVENT”

BARBARA McGOVERN calmly multi-tasks, juggling phone, fax and computer.

BARBARA
Christy, Norman Mailer on line one, Innovative
Artists on two, David Caruso on three and
Michael Ondaatje in Toronto on four. Who do
you want first?

The shrill PAGER of Christy’s cell phone. She checks the caller I.D.

CHRISTY
Hold on. It’s Jay. Hi, honey, call you right back.

BARBARA
Where’s Laura?

Christy rises from her desk, punching numbers into her cell.

INT. LAURA BERNIERI’S OFFICE

Laura is not at her desk. PAN of room reveals posters of her films, photos, out the window into a “grotto” of palms.

EXT. BUILDING ATRIUM

LAURA BERNIERI, surrounded by Southern California foliage, closes the cover on a script she’s just finished reading. She removes her sunglasses to wipe away tears. Her cell RINGS. She answers, blowing her nose.

LAURA
Hello?

CHRISTY
Where are you?

LAURA
In the grotto. How can I read? The phone
won’t stop ringing.

INT. HALLWAY

Christy travels down the corridor on her cell into Laura’s office.

CHRISTY
Those guys you called for the Globe
screenwriting panel are all holding.

EXT. LAURA’S OFFICE - BUILDING ATRIUM

Christy pokes her head out of the window.

LAURA
I just finished Dixie Storms. What you’ve
changed at the end…it’s so moving!

Laura blows her nose again. Christy yells over her shoulder.

CHRISTY
Barbara, we’ll call them all right back.

Christy climbs out of the window and sits in the chair next to Laura. Laura hands the script of Dixie Storms to Christy.

LAURA
Stick a fork in it. This baby’s done.

Christy lets out a Southern CHEER.

CHRISTY
Good to go next spring!

A sudden CLOUD BURST forces them inside.

LAURA
Weird. A cloudburst at the exact moment
we greenlit Dixie Storms. A good omen!

CHRISTY
(James Taylor)
“In my mind I’m goin’ to Carolina.”

EXT. BOYLSTON ST. - MUSIC SEQUENCE - “CAROLINA IN MY MIND”

As rain pelts down, PEDESTRIANS cross the street, weaving around taxis that drive as though they are trying to hit people. The METER MAIDS are out in full force. MIKE CERRONE is curbside. He puts a coin in the meter but surreptitiously inserts a file to pull the quarter back out, pockets it, smirks in the direction of the meter maid and enters 376 Boylston.

INT. SUITE 202 - RECEPTION

Mike bursts in. Like a shaggy Labrador, he shakes off the rain, showering Barbara’s desk.

BARBARA
How’s this for the last line of your bio: “Mike
jokes fluently in English and Swedish.”

MIKE
(in Swedish)
I love it!

As Christy enters, Mike hands her a dog-eared copy of a script.

CHRISTY
It stinks.

MIKE
You haven’t even read it yet.

CHRISTY
It’s Under My Skin.

MIKE
Don’t get under mine.

CHRISTY
It smells.

Christy wafts the script under Mike’s nose.

MIKE
Oooooh, that’s the cheese!

CHRISTY
I don’t even want to know what that stain is!

MIKE
I dropped gorgonzola on it last night.

Laura walks in.

LAURA
Hey, Mike! Let’s go over the job board.

MIKE
Can’t. I gotta go.

LAURA
You just got here!

MIKE
I’m going to Providence to scout the
Armory for Galilee.

INT. WAR ROOM

Laura, Christy and Mike surround the jumbo dry erase board which lists all their film projects and where each is in various stages of development. Laura writes “Armory - Providence” next to Galilee.

LAURA
Fargo meets Outside Providence, right?

MIKE
Wait til you see Galilee, this old fishing town.
It’s perfect for a horror-comedy. Bye.

Laura takes Christy to the VCR.

LAURA
Watch this.

Laura hits the PLAY button. THELMA & LOUISE clasp hands and gun their Thunderbird off a cliff into the Grand Canyon. The phone RINGS.

BARBARA
It’s Carol Patton at Imagine. Take it or
call her back?