Sep 25, 2015 - yourself, âWhat would George think?â (beat). George is the guy at work who sits .... Julie is sitting
NOBODY'S WATCHING by Kara Cutruzzula
09.25.15
INT. KEYNOTE ADDRESS - DAY A vast, empty stage. Pull back to reveal an audience of a few thousand people chatting, playing on their phones. A TED talklike atmosphere. Expectant. The lights dim. A WOMAN (40s) walks onto the stage wearing a black wrap dress -- her equivalent of the Steve Job black turtleneck -- she’s blonde, expressive, wearing glasses. This is JULIE JACOBS, the CEO of VIM. The crowd hushes. JULIE Hello everyone. Thank you for coming here today. There have been a lot of rumors swirling around about what we’ve been up to at VIM, so I’m glad to finally put those to rest. I’m excited to tell you exactly what we’ve been working on. (pause) So you know that old saying, “Dance like nobody’s watching?” A few murmurs from the crowd. JULIE (CONT’D) Cute, right? But how many of us, when faced with an empty dance floor -- or a full one -- actually listen to that advice? Show of hands? A few overeager attendees raise their hands. JULIE (CONT’D) (with a laugh) Congratulations. Your superior ability to cut a rug is admirable. She walks to the edge of the stage and singles out a NERDY MAN who raised his hand. JULIE (CONT’D) (to NERDY MAN) Can I ask you something? An ATTENDANT on the side rushes over to hand him a microphone.
2. NERDY MAN (stands up, nervously) I guess so. JULIE What makes you dance like nobody’s watching? Um.
NERDY MAN
(looks around at the huge audience) I just...like to dance? And I don’t care who knows it. JULIE And it doesn’t matter what you look like? Not saying you’re a bad dancer, just asking. NERDY MAN (pause) Not really. I mean...what I look like really isn’t my problem. I’m not the one watching myself. JULIE (smiling) Thank you. (addressing the audience) Our friend here makes an excellent point. When we do anything -- walk the dog, wash the dishes, ask for a raise, go on a first date -- we are not the ones watching ourselves. Other people are. Or we believe other people are. (pause) Two years ago I started thinking: What if we all started behaving like nobody was watching us? How would we eat, how would we live, how would we love differently, knowing that no one could see us or judge us or tell us that our dance moves haven’t been cool since the ‘80s. (pause) Kind of an interesting idea, no? Say, for example, you’ve always wanted to start your own business. But every time you work up the courage to start, you hear: “Why bother? You’re only going to fail. (MORE)
3. JULIE (CONT'D) Plus, the artisanal pickle bubble is going to burst any day now.” (pause) So you never begin. (pause) Or maybe you’re a computer engineer, but your real passion is ceramics. A few laughs from the crowd. JULIE (CONT’D) (with a laugh) Hey, it could happen! But when you think about sitting down at a pottery wheel, you also ask yourself, “What would George think?” (beat) George is the guy at work who sits three cubicles over and who’s eaten a tuna sandwich every day for a year, yet for some reason his opinion matters to you. You have no idea why, but it does. (pause) We give so much weight to the opinions of others. People we might not even talk to, or respect, or even like. And yet, these are the ones you let stop you from doing what you really want to do. Julie paces to the other side of the stage, and clicks on the giant monitor behind her. A video starts playing of a WOMAN looking uncomfortable while standing in a crowd. She puts in tiny, bright orange earbuds and suddenly appears at ease. JULIE (CONT’D) Meet Invisi. (pronounced IN-VIZ-EE) Invisi blocks out all the critics, the naysayers, the evil little voices in your life that tell you you’re not good enough. Don’t worry folks, it’s not a drug. It’s a lifestyle product. A few murmurs from the crowd.
4. JULIE (CONT’D) My engineers have worked tirelessly for two years to bring this proprietary technology to life. Here’s how it works. You feel anxious and fearful of critical response? Put in Invisi-She pulls out a pair of the same bright orange earbuds. JULIE (CONT’D) And suddenly, all of your actions are invisible to the people around you. (pause) No, it’s not an invisibility shield. We tried that, didn’t work. Invisi simply replaces all of the thoughts you have about other people’s reactions with thoughts about the work itself. I’ll demonstrate. See, right now I’m wondering, How is this talk going? Is the audience having a good time? How many hours of sleep did that guy in the fifth row get because his head keeps nodding off? Am I boring? Do I look fat? Am I fat? Are the lights making my face look like a Halloween mask? Am I walking like Bambi in these heels? Et cetera. (pause) But once I put on Invisi... She inserts the earbuds and closes her eyes. JULIE (CONT’D) Suddenly, I have a new perspective. She opens her eyes. JULIE (CONT’D) I’m no longer consumed by thinking about what you think. (pause) I’m back to focusing on myself. What this product means. The work I’ve put into it. That I know it’s flawless and beneficial and has the ability to change the world. She walks back over to the SLEEPING MAN in the fifth row.
5. JULIE (CONT’D) I don’t even care that he’s so bored he fell asleep. Invisi deflects the gaze of other people. It makes your actions invisible to everyone around you. So you can be daring and silly and bold again. So you can dance and eat and love and live like nobody’s watching. (pause) Any questions? FADE THRU TO: EXT. VIM STORE - NIGHT There’s a line of people camped out with foldable chairs and sleeping bags in front of the gleaming, all-glass store. Giant signs hang in the windows that read: INVISI LAUNCH 9.25.15 GET YOURS NOW We track down the line to see how long it is...it keeps going and going...dozens, hundreds of people, we follow it around the corner and there’s still more. CUT TO: EXT. NEW YORK STREET - DAY - SOME TIME LATER A crowded corner where a DOG WALKER, BUSINESSMAN, and HIPSTER GIRL are all wearing the orange earbuds. CUT TO: EXT. LOS ANGELES FREEWAY - DAY - LATER A row of cars in a traffic jam. We slide through and see one, two, three, EVERY DRIVER is wearing the earbuds. CUT TO:
6. INT. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN - NIGHT - LATER The Rolling Stones are playing to a sold-out crowd. As Mick Jagger struts around with the microphone, we CLOSE-UP on his face and see the orange earbuds. CUT TO: INT. OVAL OFFICE - DAY - LATER Focus on the back of a head of someone who looks like Obama signing papers at his desk. A bit of orange peeks out of his ears. CUT TO: INT. JULIE JACOBS’ HOME - LATER Julie is sitting in her gorgeous, impeccably decorated living room. She’s reading TIME magazine with her face on the cover under the headline PERSON OF THE YEAR. Her giant dog RUFUS bounds over, jumps on the couch, settles in. She puts down the magazine and pets him. JULIE Hiya Rufus. Did you see your mom’s on the cover of a magazine? (pause) I wonder when people will figure out these-(she pops out her pair of orange earbuds) Are nothing but a bit of foam and plastic? Rufus barks. JULIE (CONT’D) You understand. (with a little laugh) Nobody’s watching me, or you, or anyone else. And they never were. CUT TO BLACK.
