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APERTURE

2 INT. PRIVATE SCHOOL CLASSROOM - MANHATTAN - DAY

The screen is BLACK. We hear GREGORY ALLBRIGHT, 32, speaking.

GREG!! ! ! ! Now, there are many different kinds of lenses you can use when you want to take pictures. A long lens. A fisheye lens. An ultraviolet lens. This is a wide lens.

We hear a CLICK.

FADE IN: INT. PRIVATE SCHOOL CLASSROOM - MANHATTAN - DAY

We see children seated in desks THROUGH A CAMERAS LENS. Enter FULL SCREEN. INT. PRIVATE SCHOOL CLASSROOM - MANHATTAN - DAY

Greg is standing in front of a third grade classroom. The students seem, at most, half-interested in what Greg is saying. GREG (CONTD) Taking pictures is important because pictures tell stories. And no two pictures tell the same story. Ever. ! Greg moves to the center of the class.

3 GREG (CONTD) If I go here and take a picture ! ! We hear a SNAP. ! ! ! !

GREG (CONTD) I can see the whole class. ! FREEZE FRAME: Shot of class.

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! ! GREG (CONTD) But if I stand up here

Greg stands up on a chair. We hear a SNAP.

FREEZE FRAME: Shot of class.

! ! GREG (CONTD) I can see the girl in the second row is doodling. (points) Thats not captured in the first shot.

! ! ! !

Greg moves to the back of the room. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! GREG (CONTD) And if I take a picture over here

4 ! We hear a SNAP. ! ! ! ! ! FREEZE FRAME: Shot of class. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! GREG (CONTD) Well I can see the kid sitting behind my handsome nephew over there is sleeping.

Greg walks back to the front of the classroom. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! GREG (CONTD) Anyway, the point is, even though Im taking pictures of the same thing, when you look closely, each picture is different. Each one gives a different account, and the story depends on what I want you, the viewer, to see.

We hear the bell RING signaling the end of class. FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN: EXT. SCHOOL LATER We hear a HONK as cars pass down the street. Greg waits outside the school for HENRY, 10, Gregs nephew. Greg lights a cigarette. Finally Henry exits the school. Greg crosses the street and reaches for Henrys hand.

5 GREG Come on, come on. Henry follows. Greg pulls out the car keys and unlocks the car.

HENRY Uncle Greg?

GREG Were two minutes from your house, Henry, you can hold it until then.

Greg puts out his cigarette on the pavement. HENRY No. Theres a note on the car.

Henry points to the note on the windshield. Greg walks over to the passenger side and grabs the note.

SHOT OF NOTE: Thanks asshole!

We pan down to the BMW car, which has been keyed from bumper to bumper.

GREG!! ! (under his breath) Shit.

HENRY Why is dads car scratched? Greg crumples up the note. He OPENS the passenger car.

GREG Dont worry about it. ! Get in.

Greg SHUTS the door after Henry hops in. CUT TO: INT. CAR - LATER

Greg is driving while Henry plays a game on his phone.

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! ! GREG!! How old are you?! 12?

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HENRY!

GREG And you have a cell phone?

HENRY Its for emergencies.

7 GREG!! Brickbreaker is an emergency? ! ! ! !

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Greg looks at Henrys phone. ! ! ! GREG (CONTD) Its nicer than mine.

HENRY Yeah.

Henry is distracted by the game.

GREG!! ! (beat)! ! ! Hey, how do you think I did? I thought it went well.

! !

HENRY You did good. You didnt look nervous or anything. GREG Was I the best speaker youve had? HENRY Well, Bryans dad is a surgeon. That was pretty cool. He brought in a brain and we got to feel it.

8 GREG Yeah. I guess thats pretty cool. CUT TO:

EXT. /INT. JACKS APARTMENT - LATER Greg RINGS the doorbell to JACK ALLBRIGHT, Gregs brothers, apartment. It is a three-story brownstone in Greenwich Village. When there is no answer, Greg KNOCKS on the door. ROSA, the nanny, ANSWERS.

ROSA Hola Henry.

Henry rushes past her.

GREG Bathroom Greg smiles. fingers. ! ! ! ! He is twirling the car keys around his

! GREG (beat) Im late for work. I was gonna borrow Jacks car.

Rosa doesnt understand what Greg is saying.

9 GREG (CONTD)! ! (gestures)! Im gonna take my brothers car. Rosa still doesnt understand. ! ! ! GREG (CONTD) Nevermind. (yells into Henry) Bye, Henry. Im going. ! ! !

HENRY (O.S.) Bye.

GREG ! (under his breath) Youre welcome. CUT TO:

INT. CAR - LATER Greg is driving Uptown in Jacks BMW. into the CAR NAVIGATOR. He plugs his phone

GREG (to car navigator) CALL SARAH.

CAR NAVIGATOR (V.O.) Im sorry. I do not understand your request.

10 GREG!! ! (louder & slower) CALL SA-RAH... ! ! ! !

CAR NAVIGATOR (V.O.) Im sorry. I do not understand you. Goodbye.

Greg pulls the phone out and dials manually.

GREG Whats the point of this shitty thing if it cant understand you.

Greg holds the phone to his ear.

It is DIALING. CUT TO:

EXT. CITY SIDEWALK - CONTINUOUS SARAH KINKEAD, 30, Gregs co-worker, is walking up a city block. Her phone RINGS. She answers.

SARAH Hey, where are you at? CUT TO: INT. CAR CONTINUOUS GREG Sitting in traffic on! the FDR. ! !

11 EXT. CITY SIDEWALK CONTINUOUS Sarah stops to get a coffee from a street vendor. SARAH What are you doing there? ! ! The vendor hands Sarah her coffee. ! ! ! ! SARAH ! (to vendor) Thank you.

GREG (V.O.) Missy assigned me a last minute story.

SARAH I bet she did. CUT TO: INT. CAR CONTINUOUS The car behind Greg HONKS. GREG (to driver) What do you want me to do? Theres nowhere for me to go.

SARAH (V.O.) Youre driving?

GREG I borrowed Jacks car.

12 SARAH (V.O.) So, no movie tonight?

EXT. CITY SIDEWALK - CONTINUOUS GREG (V.O.) Well go Saturday.

CUT TO: INT./EXT. CAR - BRONX - LATER Greg pulls up to the Convenience Store on the corner of the street. Outside, MEG, 24, a journalist for the GAZETTE NEWSPAPER, is interviewing the OWNER. Greg gets out of the car with his camera and WALKS over.

GREG Hey.

MEG Youre late.

CUT TO: INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - LATER The owner walks behind the counter where a lottery machine stands. The store is small and looks dirty. Greg SNAPS pictures of the machine as the owner speaks.

13 OWNER Its the second oldest Daily Numbers lotto machine in the country. Brought it all the way from New Hampshire. It dates back to 1976.

MEG And its lucky?

OWNER Its had 14 winners. You tell me.

GREG Have there been any winners here?

OWNER Not yet. ! (beat) But were all just a Chance away from winning, right?

Greg SNAPS a picture of the machine. FADE TO BLACK. ! FADE IN: INT. GREGS APARTMENT - NIGHT Greg ENTERS. He turns on the light.

14 The studio apartment is small and messy. Greg THROWS the keys down on the kitchen counter. He presses the PLAY button on his ANSWERING MACHINE. MACHINE You have one new message.

The message is from JACK ALLBRIGHT, 40, Gregs brother.

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! ! JACK Where the hells my car, Greg? I want it back tomorrow.

Greg takes off his shirt, flops down on his unmade bed and falls asleep.

CUT TO: INT. GREGS APARTMENT - LATER The only light coming into the apartment is from the streetlight beaming through the window. Gregs cell phone RINGS. reaches for his phone. He awakes and blindly

GREG Hello? MEG (V.O.) Youre on call, new guy. Greg reaches for the clock on the nightstand. The clock READS: 1:30AM.

15 GREG Its 1:30. MEG! (V.O.) (sarcastically) Is it? I didnt know.

GREG What is it?

MEG (V.O.) A hedge fund exec was killed.

GREG Where? MEG (V.O.) 225 E 82nd.

Greg WRITES down the number. GREG All right. Give me twenty minutes. CUT TO: INT. CAR - NIGHT Greg pulls up outside the address, a beautiful block on the Upper East Side. He takes the last swig of his Red Bull.

16 Police lights are FLASHING down the block as Greg looks around for Meg. He doesnt see her. He notices two police officers talking and a third officer walking into the nearby apartment building. Meg TAPS on Gregs car window. Greg ROLLS down the window.

GREG Hey. Know anything yet? ! Meg leans down to the window. MEG The neighbor said she heard a noise, but when I told her my name was Meghan she thought I said Leann, so Im not sure how credible shell be. ! (beat) It doesnt matter though. Did you get my text? We were called off.

GREG What? MEG I got the message from Hobbs saying were off the story. GREG Why?

17 MEG Dont know.

GREG Thats bull. (beat)! ! ! Im clocking in regardless. MEG ! (laughs) Good luck with that. (beat) All right (taps car) Im headed out. GREG Need a ride?

!!

MEG No. Im good. Thanks.

GREG All right. Goodnight.

MEG Night. Greg watches Meg leave. He turns on the car and looks in the rearview. He sees a well-dressed man, ERIC WATERS, 27, approach the scene. Greg waits. Greg watches Eric yell up to one of the officers, JOHN FLETCHER, 50, who is walking down the apartment stoop.

18 Greg reaches for his camera bag and gets out his camera. He uses it to zoom in on them. He takes a few pictures of them and the officers that are standing by the car. The two other police officers get in their car, turn off their lights and drive off. Waters pulls out an envelope and hands it to Fletcher. They shake hands and Waters begins walking back down the sidewalk toward Greg. Greg slouches down in the car as he watches the young man pass. FADE TO BLACK.

FADE IN: EXT. / INT. JACKS APARTMENT - MORNING It is a beautiful sunny spring morning in Manhattan. Greg RINGS Jacks apartment doorbell. No one answers. He uses the key attached to the car keys and lets himself in. Greg hears LAUGHING coming from Jacks office.

GREG Hello?

Greg looks around and sees THE GAZETTE NEWSPAPER sitting on Jacks front table. He looks at the article on the death the night before. The TITLE reads: Hedge-fund Exec Richard Young Found Dead, Thought To Be Suicide, by Bill Pacings. GREG (to himself) What? Jack ENTERS.

19 JACK Dont you knock? GREG Your bells broken. Greg holds out the car keys. ! ! Here. GREG (CONTD)! ! !

JACK You look like hell.

GREG Thanks. Jack sets the car keys on the table.

JACK You know a car loan wasnt in the agreement.

GREG I was running late for work. I told your nanny.

JACK Is that the story on the neighborhood vote on the dog park?

20 GREG No. It was a murder investigation actually. JACK Whod you kill this time? Jack LAUGHS. The office door OPENS. APRIL, 25, tall and blond, ENTERS.

APRIL (to Jack) Im gonna go.

JACK Ok.

APRIL (to Greg) Hi.

JACK This is my brother Greg. Greg, this is April. Shes the lab technician from the DA on one of my cases.

GREG Hi April from the DA.

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There is an awkward silence.

APRIL Bye, Jack.

JACK Ill call you later.

April EXITS.

GREG I didnt know lab technicians made house calls. (beat) When does Emily get back?

JACK None of your business.

GREG Thats what I thought. CUT TO: INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICES- 12TH FLOOR - MORNING Greg walks down the hall of the GAZETTE and pours himself a cup of coffee. He has the mornings paper tucked under his

22 arm as walks over to BILL PACINGS cubicle. bustling. Greg puts the newspaper on Bills desk. his desk. GREG You were there last night? The floor is

He leans against

Bill briefly looks up from typing.

BILL Yeah. GREG Who ruled it a suicide?

BILL Did you read the article? The officer on duty did. Greg picks up the paper and reads off the officers name.

GREG Mendez? BILL Yeah. ! Greg stands up and turns to leave. GREG I want your notes on the story.

23 BILL I dont work for you, man.

GREG Just get me the notes. ! ! ! ! ! ! INT. GREGS CUBICLE - CONTINUOUS Greg walks to his cubicle.

CUT TO:

He gets on his computer and uploads the pictures he took from the night before. He ZOOMS IN on the officers name-tags. The name-tags READ: FIELDS and JACKSON. Greg DIALS Sarah. CUT TO: INT. NEWSPAPER OFFICES - 6TH FLOOR - CONTINUOUS She answers.

Sarahs phone RINGS.

SARAH Sarah Kinkead.

GREG (V.O.) I need a favor. CUT TO: