adjacent beds/herzog

Adjacent Beds
written by
Robert M. Herzog

690 Washington Street

New York, New York 10014
212 929-0826; 917 743-4347
zog@thezog.com

2016 Robert M. Herzog

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INT. ESTABLISHING SHOT, OFFICES, NEW IMAGE SOFTWARE, INC.

DAY (MOVING)
Through a large open office, past computer geeks engulfed
by elaborate electronic equipment, screens display game
style graphic and programming work. Posters contain intense
graphics Image Maker I: It Doesnt get Realer than
This! And: Image Maker II -- As Real as It Can Get!
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM, NEW IMAGE SOFTWARE - DAY
PAST a man seated at the head of a CONFERENCE TABLE, past
other sitting people, onto a SCREEN at the end of the room.
OPENING CREDITS
A CURSOR moves as each title is manipulated, into 3-D,
animated, letters change shape and color, morph into each
other, morph into graphics. Each change is accompanied by
the CLICK of hitting a computer keyboard. SOUNDS from
people watching, grunts of approval and interest.
END CREDITS
SCREEN IMAGE
Image Maker III
The New Standard in Realism
PJ (O.S.)
There's our ball game. Complete
developers' kit for interactive
graphics on the Internet. It cuts
production time from days to hours,
will be a huge money saver.
The graphic DISSOLVES into:
IM III Sales Projections.
A bar chart shows sharp projected quarterly increases in
sales.
PAUL JAMESON PJ STROUD, CEO, in his 60s, full bodied,
wears a bow tie, beams confidence. PJ talks in clipped,
rapid phrases, as if he doesn't have time for the small
words. The slide REFLECTS on his face. At the end of the
table to his left, empty chairs between them, PHILIP BERMAN
hits a keyboard. Philip is a youngish mid-forties,
slightly soft around the chin, good humor in his eyes,
likable on sight.
PJ (CONT'D)
Plan to release it next month.
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To PJ's right sits SCHUYLER MORAN, elegant, patrician, eyes

of steel. BUZZ FILDEN is to his right, in an Armani suit,
dark t-shirt, hair clipped short, keen, edgy. Schuyler
frequently pulls his shirt cuff down so the cuff-links
show, straightens his Hermes tie, brushes off a minuscule
piece of lint. Buzz constantly flips a pen in his hand.
SCHUYLER
You're on calendar, PJ?
BUZZ
As Schuyler says, first mover eats the
most cherries.
PJ
Then we'll gorge.

Phil tracks details.

PHILIP
Among other things. We're debugging
now. Next month's tight, but doable.
PJ
Phil's my go-to guy, best Chief Ops
Officer in the biz.
SCHUYLER
With these projections, we could do an
IPO, initial public offering, raise money
in the stock market. You'd be worth
millions... We'd also need to show a
pipeline to future growth.
The DOOR OPENS. MARTY IVERSON ENTERS, nearly as big around
as he is tall, unkempt beard and hair, thick glasses,
rumpled plaid shirt with an overflowing pocket pen holder.
He speaks with good cheer about everything. When he
breathes deeply, the pens rise up, occasionally pop out.
MARTY
Greetings assembled chiefs.
need --

Phil, we

PJ
You know Marty Iverson, our head of
Technology. Best in the biz.
MARTY
That software driver hasn't arrived, now
they're saying -PHIL
The contract's on my desk. I made sure
they included a delivery date.
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Marty gives a slight bow, hands clasped, starts to leave.

SCHUYLER
Say, Marty. Working on anything else
interesting?
MARTY
(reluctant)
We're playing with some things....
PHILIP
We don't want to lose focus -PJ
Let's not be shy.
Sabertooth?
Code name.

Crank up Sabertooth.

BUZZ
PJ
Great stuff.

Marty.

Marty looks at Philip, who SHRUGS a concession.

PHILIP
It's very early, you understand, not -Phil.

PJ
Skip knows development stages.

SCHUYLER
Just curious.
MARTY
We created this...
The screen shows an ANIMATION of a SABERTOOTH TIGER.
MARTY (CONT'D)
Then scanned this in...
There's a NEW YORK CITY STREET SCENE, as might be seen from
the window of the conference room.
SCHUYLER
Looks nice, but what's the -PHILIP
Then we superimposed, and...
Marty hits some keys. Suddenly, the Sabertooth JUMPS into
the street scene, PROWLING amongst the people and cars.
Schuyler and Buzz flinch at its sudden appearance.
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PHILIP (O.S.)
This is pre-programmed. Imagine if we
could take any environment -- home,
office, school, streets -- and be able
to interact with it in real time. For
education, travel, acclimatization...
PJ (CONT'D)
Why bother? Huge bucks in games.
PHILIP
We could scan in people as players.
Marty pulls a small computer camera from behind the screen,
points it into the room. He hits a key, and the Sabertooth
morphs into Schuyler. The images FREEZE.
Whoops.

MARTY
Hold on.

Marty hits a key, the Sabertooth reappears, motionless,

then jumping out from the screen.
PJ (O.S.)
It'll be the most compelling game ever
created. Endless variations. Kids'll
never want to leave.
PHILIP (O.S.)
(excited in spite of
We'd charge to create new
drop in faces, run it off
It'll constantly generate
Billions.

himself)
environments,
our Website.
new revenues.

PJ

To find out how Philips life unravels, to the point he

ends up in the hospital, in the Adjacent Bed to his mother!
Contact me at zog@thezog.com.