SCENE: Late afternoon, somewhere in the desert hellhole commonly called Eastern Washington. A lone band of highway snakes through the tumbleweed and dirt; a black gash in the Earth's skin. The sun is low and hot. Heat waves shimmer from the desert floor and a fly mindlessly flits past the camera. [Camera pull back to wide-angle view.] In the distance, a faint shape is seen, negotiating the twisting road at high speed.
FOLEY ARTIST: faint sound of fine-tuned, high- performance racing engine roar.
[Camera cut.] Late afternoon, somewhere in the desert hellhole commonly called Eastern Washington. The camera is perched in the middle of the snaking highway. [pan left.] A telephone booth is on the shoulder of the road. It is a nondescript booth, like many noticed but never seen next to gas stations and bus depots across America. Everything is silent.
[Camera cut.] Close-up, low-angle shot of highway curve. Lizard pokes its head out from behind rock next to road. From no where, a pickup truck roars by.
FOLEY ARTIST: fine-tuned, high-performance racing engine roar, Doppler mix with screeching tires.
Truck passes, leaving a cloud of fine dust that twinkles in the late afternoon sun.
[Camera cut] Telephone booth.
FOLEY ARTIST: phone ring.
[Camera cut.] Close-up, low-angle shot of highway straightaway. The shadows are long. In the distance, a speck appears, grows. It is the truck. [camera whip right as pickup roars by.]
FOLEY ARTIST: fine-tuned, high-performance racing engine roar, Doppler shift as truck passes.
[Camera focus on wind-driven tumbleweeds and dust in truck's wake.] Truck disappears into horizon.
[Camera cut] Shot of German Shepherd sitting at top of stairs; drooling.
[Quick camera cut] Telephone booth.
FOLEY ARTIST: phone ring.
[Camera cut.] Aerial shot through driver-side window of pickup speeding across desert. [Camera zoom in on driver and steering wheel.] Driver aggressively shifts gears. [Camera pull back.] Truck pulls away from aerial camera.
FOLEY ARTIST: fine-tuned, high-performance racing engine roar.
[Quick camera cut] Side shot of telephone booth, highway on right side of screen.
FOLEY ARTIST: phone ring.
In the distance a speck appears on the highway. Clouds of dust sparkle behind it.
FOLEY ARTIST: phone ring with faint hint of fine-tuned, high-performance racing engine roar in background.
Speck grows to reveal pickup rapidly closing in on telephone booth. Truck reaches booth. Truck screeches to a complete stop in front of the telephone booth and a young man jumps out.
FOLEY ARTIST: phone ring, truck door close, footsteps.
The young man walks over to the telephone and picks it up.
YOUNG MAN: Hello?. . .
[Wide-shot of steaming truck, phone booth and young man's back.] Young man turns around, still listening to telephone.
YOUNG MAN: Yes, the Update will be a little late, I am out of town for the rest of the week. . . .
[Close-up of young man's face.] He is confused, intently trying to understand what he is hearing.
YOUNG MAN: No, no, it is not your fault, there is no need to be sorry. I will send the Update out when I return. . . . Yes, the traffic's light...
[Camera cut to black screen with Melrose Place Update logo.]
Ex cathedra,
Ian