Anything Goes

Martin Scorsese says and I quote : “Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out.”

Psychological thrillers understand this principle exceptionally well.

Long before dialogue reveals meaning or plot twists alter the narrative, cinematic atmosphere begins shaping the audience’s emotional experience.

Lighting, space, colour, environmental texture… all begin communicating psychological tension before characters fully understand it themselves.

This is one of the defining distinctions between psychological thrillers and more traditional suspense genres.

Conventional thrillers frequently rely on external escalation: violence, pursuit, danger, action.

Psychological thrillers create tension through emotional immersion.

The central question shifts from:

“What happens next?”

to:

“What should the audience feel right now?”

That feeling is often created through cinematic atmosphere.

While writing Yohana’s World, I learnt how environments could operate psychologically rather than merely physically.

I wanted scene locations to feel emotionally active.

Not simply places where they occur, but emotional extensions of Yohana’s internal condition.

Rooms rarely feel neutral within the screenplay. Certain spaces appear unnaturally empty. Shadows stretch across surfaces with subtle distortion. Crime scenes feel suspended in emotional stillness.

The world itself begins reflecting psychological instability.

And I think this is where cinematic atmosphere becomes such a powerful storytelling instrument: the environment transforms into emotional architecture.

Spatial design plays a major role in this process.

Large empty environments often create vulnerability.

A single character standing alone inside an oversized room can feel emotionally exposed even when no immediate threat exists.

Conversely, confined environments create psychological compression: tight corridors, low ceilings, narrow interiors and blocked exits.

These spaces generate emotional pressure through physical arrangement alone.

In Yohana’s World, spatial distortion frequently mirrors Yohana’s perception.

- Hallways seem longer than expected.

- Rooms feel emotionally hollow.

- Certain environments appear subtly disconnected from objective realism.

The audience may not consciously analyse these spatial choices, but emotionally they experience the imbalance.

Read the full article complementing this post: https://blog.yohanasworld.com/cinematic-atmosphere-storytelling/

Learn more about Yohana’s World and register your interest on: https://yohanasworld.com/

Read the first 21 pages of the screenplay here : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l1P1dKHB_XoqHUJ55vh-m-2F4PE9oHcL/view

Hi everyone! I'm the President of Goby TV, an independent streaming platform, and we just launched The Wide Net, a global idea festival open to anyone with a great concept for a short film, short series, or audio drama.

No script needed. Just a two sentence pitch and a short paragraph. Each category winner gets a $15,000 professionally produced proof of concept and a 20 minute session with a top industry professional. The year-end grand prize is a $75,000 full production distributed on Goby TV.

$15 to enter. Submissions close July 6.

ideas-still-matter.com/submit

Happy to answer any questions here.

Hi! Been trying to get connected with the success team by email for over a month now. Please respond.

I see you flowing in the wind through my periphery

You are the shape of no man and every man

You are set against a white circle

Your eyelashes are very long and your jaw is strong

Your eyes are facing down

In the distance is a fragile fence with a man at a watchtower

He is holding something that looks like a gun or so it seems

That’s all what my mind is telling me

It appears that you are always at half mast

But should not be

For there is hope that soon you will be here again at home with me

Written and Recited by Debra Perl

My kids know I write occasionally for fun. Not looking to make a profession here, just having fun and if something happens it happens. But they love to play with video editing. I made a short 4 second video of my 10 year old dropping a stuffed animal, looking super crazy and possessed, then waving his arm. We edited and reversed the video so it looks like he waves his arm and the stuffed animal moves off the ground and into his hand like telekinetic powers.

This got me thinking, what if I do multiple clips, videos, outline a story, and make a small trailer video with them? I don’t typically write horror, but I might let them take the lead. Let them kind of write the story, do the acting, etc. It could be fun for them, me, and create some bonding that’ll maybe encourage them to pursue writing or even acting?

If I wanted to post Pitches I have for my ideas to show how serious I am can I do that? Trust me they are good what I have in mind.

I have put my screenplay into production as much as I can. Which means I have did the preproduction script clean up. Which means I kind of put it into scheduling software. I had to put scene headings, broke the screen play down from the location, character, props, costume, sound effects, and visual effect and I created a shooting schedule.

Therefore, whoever wants to produce my screenplay, I have helped you out a little bit by doing some of the preproduction. So you won’t have to do everything all on your own. I am here to help if you need me. Next up, are you ready to do this? Contact me if you need me to do anything else. Now there’s waiting for the production.

Since scammers use AI, I have become suspicious. Do some scammers use bots to fool as many members as possible?

I accepted network request. The member then told me that she was a translator. I answered that I have myself been a freelance translator. I deleted her from my network because a scammer can easily pretend to be a translator but let AI do the job. And I am myself used to using AI to translate from languages I don't know, so I have no need for such service.

I accepted another network request. The member then told me that she created promotional videos. I asked for an example. She sent a link and it looked like AI. She denied the video was created by AI, but there was no text telling the names of the humans who had helped her create it. I deleted her too from my network. Odd, if she had checked my profile she would had noticed the big camcorder on my shoulder respectively my prize for best directing.

Have the rest of you suffered from bots which behaved in similar ways?

Since scammers would love to use AI to contact as many members as possible, I have started to think about one possibility. That admin limits the number of other members one can send network requests to. Because scammers immediately send network requests to many members. Any better suggestion?

It’s not only film that is going through this risk aversion myopia.

Here’s a word from Thom.

So what do we do about it?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYpHhR8oYXx/?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/27Nidr9nabKQOC7QAw4tkn?si=5b82778165414c32

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5tJkvgvafmILekkop2jTsZ?si=884dc8ce7d9e443f

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5tJkvgvafmILekkop2jTsZ?si=884dc8ce7d9e443f

Here are three links to the latest from Chrysalis - The Family Adventure(s), Our latest episode is Episode 85 - CHRYSALIS - THE FAMILY ADVENTURE(S) Ms. Bradock's Testimony and Amanda's Suspicious Message Into Jail. Featured is our Live with Suzanne Bronson recording and the two subsequent links are to the artificial MS voice and Google Voice respectively.

A lot happens in this episode and, as those of you who have been following steadily know, a lot of fire that upsets the foundations breaks through this episode, one in which, after a powerful court confrontation by a woman who just wants to love and protect her husband, a note finds its way through to one of our family protagonists, Josh, who is in jail and being monitored, a note from the woman who just wants to love Josh.

Please enjoy and please give me a comment about what you think of the episode, an honest and truthful comment. Thank you.

INT. JOSH’S NEW JAIL VISITING AREA – NIGHT

Giselle and Josh across the table.

JOSH

So now it begins.

GISELLE

I see you’re alone again. That should

help.

JOSH

I don’t think it’s really gonna make

a difference.

GISELLE

You don’t have to deal with all those

crazy men.

JOSH

I was protected. But I guess you’re

right. It’s more what I’m used to.

It’s like I never left home.

GISELLE

Mm. That’s a... I can’t think of the

word...thought.

JOSH

You mean a sick thought?

GISELLE

How bout an ugly thought?

JOSH

Well, either way, it doesn’t change

anything.

They pause and just sit.

GISELLE

What about...

(pauses slightly)

...Amanda?

JOSH

I told her we might get lucky if

it's only two years but...

GISELLE

Two years is good if you can get it.

JOSH

But even two years can feel like an

eternity.

GISELLE

You’d be surprised how fast time can

pass when you’re busy doing your

studying.

JOSH

And it doesn’t even matter because

she pledged herself to me for eternity.

So we got eternity covered between

us.

GISELLE

She’s like the headache that refuses

to go away.

JOSH

Well, maybe to you, but for me she’s

my one candy a day that is so delicious.

In discomfort over the difference of view, they sit.

JOSH

Tell me about the rest of the gang

at home.

GISELLE

Well, Samantha’s got her case so

she's hardly home. And Joey... He’s

Joey. Only now it’s high gas prices

keeping customers home and some

needing a tow when they get stuck

on the highway but don’t fill up.

He’s got his excitement. It sounds

almost comic but I know he gets it

and when he says our spending has

to be less, I understand. But I

still have to drive Samantha to

court tomorrow, which he’s not

gonna like.

INT. SANTA ANA HIGH SCHOOL, CORRIDOR – DAY

Cathy and Angela are there in the usual crowd of students. They stare a little blankly, at each other, the pall of something (or someone) missing in their expressions.

ANGELA

So this is how it’s gonna be for a

few days. Booring.

CATHY

Oh, so I’m boring to you.

ANGELA

No, you’re not boring. You know what

I mean.

CATHY

Yeah, I do. It’s just we gotta have

something else to talk about besides

Samantha, Kamala and Amanda.

ANGELA

You do that assignment on the book?

CATHY

Yeah, you need notes?

ANGELA

No, just making conversation.

CATHY

I heard Amanda got called in to work

an overnight.

ANGELA

So she’s blowing off school, huh.

CATHY

She just found out last minute. She

had been trying to get work as a way

to avoid the ICE raids. Like she’s

not going home. She’s staying with

her coworker, Bonnie, who works a

day shift at the same hotel. Amanda

doesn’t really need to hide from ICE

anymore, but she’s not taking any

chances. That’s how they found out

she was looking for work. But she’s

not really looking for it anymore.

She just found it cause they have

her down to call in case they have

anything. So of course she’s not

gonna turn it down.

ANGELA

So how long is she gonna be out

working?

CATHY

Hard to tell. She had to replace

someone who called out. I think she’ll

be back. She just got the call late

so she hasn’t gotten any sleep. But

now she’ll be prepared. She’s trying

very hard to keep up in school.

ANGELA

Yeah, I know, she really is trying

so hard to keep up with her studies

and get ahead.

CATHY

I should know from all the notes she

asked me to help her with.

ANGELA

Hmm. Alright, let’s go to class.

They LAUGH.

CATHY

So you’re being her today.

ANGELA

Somebody’s got to be.

EXT. THE HIGHWAY – DAY

Cars are backed up in slow traffic. Giselle’s SUV is among the vehicles.

INT./EXT. GISELLE’S SUV MOSTLY STILL IN TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY.

Giselle looks a bit frustrated with the slow pace of the traffic, hands hanging slightly over the wheel.

GISELLE

Another normal day on a highway I’m

so glad I don’t have to take every

day.

They sit in traffic some more, maybe lucky if they move a few feet at all.

GISELLE

I don’t see why Joey couldn’t just

come.

KAMALA

He will if they subpoena him.

SAMANTHA

He probably wouldn’t do me much

good. And I can see him being an

annoying pain with us sitting in

traffic.

GISELLE

He’d actually be your best witness.

SAMANTHA

How you figure? I know he said that,

but I’d expect that from him.

GISELLE

I’ll tell you how. He’d give you a

scathing report and then say he could

never see you doing anything like

that, making up a charge. They’d

believe him because he’d’ve just

spent five minutes tearing you down.

SAMANTHA

I don’t know. But him coming in at

all, that’ll be a miracle. He hasn’t...

KAMALA

I told you, if they subpoena him,

he has to come in. It’s up to whether

Mr. Watkins thinks calling him in

could help our case.

SAMANTHA

Yeah...

He hasn’t visited Josh at all, huh?

GISELLE

Nope. Oh, it’s starting to move now.

Yay! Finally.

(as they start moving,

but still slowly,

spirt by spirt)

Josh got his sentence so now he’s

got a private suite instead of being

thrown in with all those men together.

I like that better.

SAMANTHA

Private suite? You’re making it sound

like a hotel.

GISELLE

In comparison to before, it is. It’s

basically what he had at home. Solitude

and monitored study. The only thing

he won’t have is grandpa.

SAMANTHA

But he wouldn’t have had grandpa

anyway. And he won’t have me. Maybe

I should go there.

GISELLE

We can go together after we drop off

Kamala tonight. Or this afternoon.

SAMANTHA

Oh, you can count on it always going

till night. They never let you down.

You’d think it was a murder trial.

INT. BONNIE’S HOUSE, MAIN ROOM – DAY

Amanda, worn out, comes in. Bonnie’s at the table with Fergo, who’s on his cellphone, eating breakfast.

BONNIE

Looks like you had a major night.

AMANDA

I don’t think I’ve ever made up so

many rooms in one night. Doesn’t

anybody actually stay at the hotel?

BONNIE

That’s the name of the game now. The

keys are electronic so they know

who’s in and who’s out. It’s like a

police department’s Christmas present.

If a room is unoccupied, the middle

of the night’s the best time to clean

and make up the rooms like brand new,

do laundry. So you hit the high

velocity shift thinking it was gonna

be the graveyard shift.

AMANDA

(starts to go to

her room)

Well let me go to my graveyard.

Nobody bother me.

BONNIE

You don’t want any breakfast?

AMANDA

Later. I’ll just grab myself a bowl

of cereal. I gotta be up at eight

again tonight for more of the same.

FERGO

You only got eleven hours. I mean...

Yeah, eleven hours. You better get

your sleep.

AMANDA

I hate to say it but he’s right.

And the best part is I don’t have

to make up my own bed. Finally a

bed I can just crash in.

BONNIE

Oh my God, looks like they really

gave you a killer job there. Did

they tell you if they’ll need you

back?

AMANDA

Yeah, they said Shirley took a week

off.

BONNIE

Just like that?

AMANDA

I don’t know. That’s what they told

me.

BONNIE

It’s gotta be a serious condition

that just broke out. I remember when

my cousin suddenly had a heart attack.

He was out for a week. Just all of

a sudden like that.

Amanda is off toward her room, her bag looking like a weight of burden.

FERGO

Oh my God, mom. You mean you could

have a heart attack just like that

and they do an operation?

BONNIE

You could also die. But don’t let

Amanda know that. She’s freaking out.

FERGO

You mean you could die from having

a heart attack just like that?

BONNIE

Usually it doesn’t happen but you

just never know.

FERGO

What will it feel like if I get it?

BONNIE

I wouldn’t worry about you, Ferg, you

got a strong heart.

FERGO

How do you know?

BONNIE

Because, one, all children, or most

children don’t get heart attacks. You

have to be beaten down in life a few

times. And I don’t mean literally beaten

down. It’s more like if you go to a

stressful job...

FERGO

What if I go to a stressful school?

BONNIE

School isn’t stressful. It’s the homework

that's stressful. And most of the time,

you just put in some effort, you’re

home clear. The reason jobs can be

stressful—like the one Amanda’s doing

with endless beds and rooms to make up—

is because adults do them and there’s

tons of work they gotta do on a time

schedule. But I wouldn’t worry about

Amanda. She’s too young to have those

kinds of problems. She’s actually

technically a child. She’s about to

turn eighteen.

And she’s taking good care of herself.

She knows to crash. She doesn’t have a

husband or child to come home to and

wait on. She’ll be alright. She just

needs sleep desperately. That’s why I

always get on your keyster to get to

bed on time. Because I don’t want you

dragging to school and being super tired.

Come on, let’s get to school.

INT. L.A. COURTHOUSE, COURTROOM 802 - DAY

BAILIFF

Court Eight O’ Two is now in session,

The People versus L.A. Police Officer

Justin Bradock, Day Four. All rise.

Judge Carmichael enters and sits at her bench.

CARMICHAEL

Please be seated.

As the preceding day, Giselle, like Verna was, is in between the two girls. Everybody there sits down.

CARMICHAEL

Who do we have testifying today,

Jerome?

BAILIFF JEROME

Ms. Nancy Bradock, Mrs. Violet Bradock,...

SAMANTHA

(whispering to Giselle)

Must be his wife and sister...

BAILIFF JEROME

...Ms. Giselle Stivic, Mr. Joseph

Stivic...

GISELLE

I didn’t realize he was already on

the dock... He’s not here.

CARMICHAEL

I see. Counsellor?

WATKINS

It was an informal entry pending the

accusants' confirmation.

SAMANTHA

That won’t be necessary. But I do

have another request.

CARMICHAEL

And...Ms. Stivic, what is that?

SAMANTHA

Well, since we’re entitled to a jury

of our peers, I’d like to move for

more teenagers on the jury.

CARMICHAEL

Ms. Stivic, while I understand the

thinking, you’re not on trial. Mr...

Officer Bradock is. And you are not

the official plaintiff. The people

of L.A. County, which includes you,

are. This jury was selected with

the consultation on the part of both

teams, the defense and the prosecution.

Please trust that they will be

impartial and follow the law in

rendering their judgment. Let us

proceed please.

BAILIFF JEROME

Would you like me to read the other

names, your honor?

CARMICHAEL

No, that’s alright, let’s call the

first witness.

BAILIFF JEROME

Ms. Nancy Bradock, please rise and

approach the stand.

A MIDDLE AGED ATTRACTIVE WOMAN does so.

BAILIFF JEROME

Ms. Bradock, raise your right hand.

SHE does.

BAILIFF JEROME

Do you swear to tell the truth, the

whole truth and nothing but the truth

to the best of your ability?

NANCY BRADOCK

I do.

BAILIFF JEROME

Ms. Bradock, please have a seat.

Watkins approaches.

WATKINS

Ms. Bradock, where were you on the

night of the alleged incident?

NANCY BRADOCK

At home.

WATKINS

What were you doing?

NANCY BRADOCK

Either watching TV, doing some

knitting—I like to knit and sew—or

playing a game.

WATKINS

Were you alone?

NANCY BRADOCK

Yes. I either play solitary games

or sometimes will play an online

opponent.

WATKINS

Did you watch the news or follow it

online for news of your husband?

NANCY BRADOCK

Oh no, I try to leave his business

to him and keep it out of the house.

WATKINS

When did you first learn of your

husband's interactions with the

two girls who have accused him of

violent sexual assault?

NANCY BRADOCK

He did look very stressed when he

came home. It was clear it was not

an ordinary day for him. My gut

feeling was that he had been at a

large protest and it was only natural

that there would be a lot of angry

people and people who were acting

up so my main concern upon his arrival

was to make sure he could be at ease

and not have to talk about his work

unless he needed to.

WATKINS

Did he tell you about his work that

night?

NANCY BRADOCK

He usually doesn’t but sometimes it

helps after a stressful day to let

it out by sharing with me.

WATKINS

Did he share anything in particular

with you that night?

NANCY BRADOCK

He just shared that because he was

assigned to the most volatile spot,

he naturally found himself forced

into encounters with people he’d

rather not have had been forced into.

WATKINS

Did he go into detail about any of

these interactions?

NANCY BRADOCK

No, he didn’t mention any names nor

did he get into specifics. Simply

that he wished people wouldn’t

challenge him about how to do his

job and that he wished they would

just follow orders for their own

safety.

WATKINS

Ms. Jackson testified that she

challenged your husband on the

requirements for performing a body

search. Did he bring this up with

you?

NANCY BRADOCK

Naah, he didn’t get into specifics.

Only that he wished people would

cooperate when he asked them to do

something.

WATKINS

Do you believe asking—excuse me—

ordering two female detainees to

undress constitutes an order they

need to cooperate with even though

it is an illegal order?

STERN

Objection. This is probing and

extraneous to the facts of the case.

WATKINS

Your honor, I need to probe anything

that can shed light on the defendant’s

manner of thinking regarding body

searches.

CARMICHAEL

I’ll uphold the objection. The spouse

of a defendant does not need to be

questioned as to her husband’s motives

especially where any opinion offered

is only speculative, based on unproven

facts and can mislead a jury as to

the reliability of the facts presented. Sustained.

WATKINS

(after regrouping

a moment)

Have you ever witnessed your husband

engaged in any violent acts?

NANCY BRADOCK

Absolutely not. But I know that in

the performance of his job, where

public safety is concerned, actions

that are not civil may be the only

option.

WATKINS

Pardon me for asking this, Ms. Bradock,

but, due to the nature of the

accusation, have you ever witnessed

or suspected your husband of engaging

in sexual activities outside of the

marriage?

NANCY BRADOCK

No, I cannot pardon you for even

suggesting such activity based solely

on an accusation. And I find your

question extremely offensive.

WATKINS

I apologize, Ms. Bradock. No further

questions.

CARMICHAEL

On behalf of the court, I apologize

for the discomfort this caused but

there are cases where spouses’

testimony can shed light on the guilt

or innocence of a defendant. Please

accept our apology for crossing this

very sensitive line. Now if only we

had witnesses getting as offended

at the suggestion of violence on the

part of defendants, we’d be living

in a much healthier and safer world.

NANCY BRADOCK

I beg to differ. As I spoke, there

are times when violence is necessary

as a last resort in the performance

of my husband’s job. That does not

apply even in the slightest to any

type of sexual activity.

CARMICHAEL

Difference of interpretation but

your husband did state that he needed

to do a search on the two girls that,

while they may not have been for

sexual intent, would be experienced,

if true, as sexual abuse. This is

why we have these strict laws regarding

searches.

NANCY BRADOCK

(angry)

Did my husband not say he desisted

from performing such a search and

tried to wait for a female officer?

Why are you putting him through such

brutal questioning?

CARMICHAEL

Excuse me, Mrs. Bradock,...

NANCY BRADOCK

That’s Ms. Bradock. Mrs. Bradock is

my mother-in-law.

CARMICHAEL

The reason we’re putting Officer

Bradock through this scrutiny, which

is in accordance with the law and

with courtroom protocol is because

he has been accused of a crime which

is plausible though not proven.

Because of a failure of your husband’s

body cam at the moment of entry into

isolation with the plaintiffs—something

which creates great plausibility that

he did what he’s accused of—we need

to probe as far as we are able to

find whatever information can shed

light one way or other on the truth

or falsehood of such charges.

NANCY BRADOCK

Well, here’s some light. My husband

would never—I repeat—never do anything

sexual to anyone he’s got in custody.

I know him better than anyone else

here except Mrs. Bradock, and she’ll

agree with me. It’s unfortunate that

the body cam just stopped at a

suspicious moment but we know Justin

for the man of integrity he is. These

charges are just so off the wall and

so in...out of character for the man

putting himself in harm’s way and

taking on the toughest of assignments,

that my husband is.

CARMICHAEL

Thank you, Ms. Bradock. Ms. Stern,

your husband’s attorney will now

question you.

Stern approaches.

STERN

I apologize that you have to be put

through this. I’m sure you’re aware

that in an atmosphere of mistrust

of the badge as well as of other

forms of authority and protection,

you probably feel like you’re getting

the short end of the stick. This is

precisely why your testimony here

today is extremely valuable. In

addition, you live with this man who

is accused. Naturally, you must feel

robbed of what already is an earned

relationship of happiness and trust...

CARMICHAEL

Forgive me for interrupting, counsellor,

but you’re here to question Ms.

Bradock, not to make your closing

argument. Please use this time to

question her.

STERN

Ms. Bradock, tell me briefly about

your life with Officer Bradock.

NANCY BRADOCK

We have three children. Two are grown

and have moved out on their own

pursuing careers. Our last child is

sixteen and is in the honors program

at the high school.

STERN

Having had three children of your

own, what does hearing that two

children the same age as your own

brought these charges against your

husband make you feel?

NANCY BRADOCK

Well, what do you expect? Of course

it sickened me to no end. But this

is the world we are all living in

and that makes me even prouder for

having met and been proposed to by

this man, now married thirty-two

years.

STERN

You made it clear earlier, Ms. Bradock,

that synchronous disappearance of

any body cam recording is unfortunate

but that is not enough to prove what

your husband has been accused of.

Do you also feel that any suggestion

that he is responsible for having

disabled it equally as disturbing?

NANCY BRADOCK

Of course. This is just not who he

is. To suggest any violation of the

law on the part of my husband is

outrageous and it is my duty as his

wife to combat this with the truth.

STERN

So you are certain that even the

fact that the circumstances on that

day were so extreme that could make

another man break and bend the law,

your husband still resisted this?

NANCY BRADOCK

Of course. That is who Justin is.

His job assignment is not pretty but

at the end of the day, we sleep better

knowing that he has made and kept

the people of our community safer.

And that’s what I think counts more

than anything, especially ridiculous

false accusations.

STERN

That’ll be all, Ms. Bradock. Thank

you for your testimony.

INT. BONNIE’S HOUSE – DAY

Amanda, groggy, gets out of her bed. She rummages through her bag, pulling out fresh underwear. She then goes to the bathroom.

INT. BONNIE’S HOUSE – DAY, A LITTLE LATER

Amanda exits the bathroom in her clean underwear, a clean T on top, throws what she was wearing onto the bed in the side alcove and heads toward the kitchen off the side of the main area. She grabs a box of cereal and a bowl and pours the cereal into the bowl. She then pours some milk into the bowl, puts the box back where she got it from and the milk into the refrigerator, then goes into the main room where the table is that she had sat with Bonnie and Fergo. She eats the cereal with relish and holds her phone with her left hand, seeming to surf it.

AMANDA

Now, with all this money I’ll be

making...Naah, one week’s pay won’t

be enough. Too bad.

IMAGE – TEXT being typed (Amanda): Hey

You there

IMAGE – TEXT being typed (Amanda): Hey

You there

AMANDA

Oh that’s right, she went to court

too. Let me try the others.

IMAGE – TEXT being typed (Amanda): Hey, you there

IMAGE – TEXT being typed (Amanda): Hey you there?

AMANDA

They should call this the graveyard

hour. Well, I guess back to the

graveyard.

She finishes the bowl, takes it and puts it in the sink, where she washes it lightly and then puts it in the dishwasher.

She heads back to the bed in the alcove, gets into it, puts on some music and lies back in the bed.

INT. JOSH’S PRIVATE JAIL CELL – DAY

Josh is sitting at a computer, a MONITOR sitting by his side, watching him. He is engaged in what looks like some form of study. He seems a little uncertain.

JOSH

I’m sorry, this is making me a little

nervous, you just sitting there

watching. My grandfather actually

taught me stuff.

MONITOR

I’m sorry, I’d love to, but my job

is to make certain you don’t cheat

and start hacking again.

All of a sudden, a dropdown message appears: “From Amanda the Goat – Hey thinking of you.” Both Josh and the monitor appear shocked.

JOSH

Would it be considered breach of

protocol to just say I’m fine,

thinking of you too?

MONITOR

That’s not supposed to happen.

JOSH

She’s my girlfriend who I love and

would really like to respond to. I

don’t know how she got in.

MONITOR

Did you share any confidential

information like a password with

her?

JOSH

No.

MONITOR

You sure? Nothing passed to her when

you really desired her and she said

you had to?

JOSH

Oh no, she wouldn’t do that.

MONITOR

Did you ever do any hacking yourself

on her phone?

JOSH

(seeming to remember

something)

Uhno, wouldn’t’a ever done that to

her.

MONITOR

You sure?

JOSH

No. Like I said I stopped hacking

after I met her. I mean after she

started coming over. When we were

really together.

MONITOR

Is it possible she got on your phone

maybe when you were sleeping and got

hold of the codes you kept on there?

JOSH

Oh no, she was there only after my

phone was taken away.

MONITOR

What about that computer hack you

did to look for her?

JOSH

You mean the one where the computer

Froze and I got nowhere?

MONITOR

This is strange. And you’re sure you

didn't do any hacking on your phone...

JOSH

Well, this was a harmless message.

MONITOR

Did you tell her verbally how to

hack into a system?

JOSH

No. Our purpose was only for love.

MONITOR

It was that love you’re in here for.

JOSH

But the love part is the good part.

MONITOR

People do all kinds of really sinister

things for love. I don’t agree. You

sure she didn’t let you borrow her

phone?

JOSH

I guess I won’t get to tell her I

love her. Well, that’s alright, I’ll

see her when she comes by to visit.

MONITOR

Okay, thank you for that.

JOSH

Don’t mention it.

INT. L.A. COURTHOUSE, COURTROOM 802 - DAY

BAILIFF JEROME

Ms. Giselle Stivic, please rise and

come to the witness stand.

FADE OUT