RoleModel Enterprises - The Making of Budget Justified

BOOK EXERPT:

Episode 1: Boss's Affair

Lisa is a subcontractor working in a federal office. She works toward solving a problem that Congress deems critical. But with management's lack of priorities, can she get buy-in from the rest of the staff to work toward a solution?

EXT. FEDERAL AGENCY HEADQUARTERS

Opening credits for all episodes: Capitol is in the background. Zoom in on a nearby window of a federal building.

Shooting the Scene

This was shot on September 11, 2008. It was a good day to go downtown. The date was coincidental.

I scoped out Pennsylvania Avenue, Maryland Avenue, and the National Mall, all because they had direct views of the Capitol. Since it was a sunny afternoon, I needed to be on the west side of the Capitol so I wouldn't get a shot of the sun behind silhouettes of buildings. The National Mall didn't have any office-like buildings, so that was out. The office buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue weren't as close to the Capitol as the ones on Maryland.

Coincidentally, the office building with the best view of the Capitol in the background was FAA Headquarters. It was shortly after lunch and there were a lot of federal employees milling around as I stood on the sidewalk with my video camera aimed at the FAA building. I was concerned that a security guard might approach me or, much worse, a former coworker would see me and ask what I was doing. But nobody bothered me.

In Real Life

I did not work at headquarters. I worked a few blocks away. I don't know who works behind the window shown in the opening credits. I don't know if it's a conference room, or if it's a storage room for computers from the 1960's.

... (remainder of Episode 1 and Episodes 2 through 3 are not included here)

Episode 4: Flaming Heterosexual

Is this the kind of societal environment we want to cultivate for our children's future?

INT. OFFICE

Charlie gets up and closes the door. Lisa looks at door like What's he doing. Lisa looks at door, points.

LISA

You should leave that door open.

Charlie opens door. A young Girl's voice in the background. Charlie looks out the door and shouts.

CHARLIE (OS)

Hey, Barry. A new employee?

Barry and GEORGE stop in with GIRL in a frilly pink dress, pink pigtails, holding a stuffed dog. Charlie returns to his desk.

BARRY

The wife's sick.

LISA

I have something for her.

Lisa takes mini hardhat out of drawer, hands it to Girl. Barry and George exchange a look: Lisa's out of her mind.

GIRL

Thank you.

LISA

You're welcome.

Charlie pats the stuffed dog on the head.

CHARLIE

Who's your friend?

GIRL

Charlie Chihuahua.

CHARLIE

Charlie Chihuahua? That's my name too!

Charlie does an imitation of a puppy dog. The Girl laughs and pats him on the head.

GIRL

You're not a Chihuahua.

BARRY

He's good with kids because he has so many illegitimate children.

George does some fawning over the "joke." Lisa's stunned. Charlie clenches his jaw, stops paying attention to the girl. Barry, George, Girl leave.

CHARLIE

Flaming heterosexual.

Lisa looks at him - what's he talking about?

CHARLIE

Gotta show us proof he had sex with his wife.

LISA

Like a used condom?

CHARLIE

No. Gross. His kid. Wanna know what weddings are?

Lisa puts on hand lotion.

LISA

No.

CHARLIE

A flaming announcement you're gonna have sex with

the same person for the rest of your life.

LISA

Must be why grandma loves weddings. For the flaming sex announcements.

Charlie picks up his briefcase, ready to leave.

CHARLIE

Why'd you give Barry's girl a toy hardhat?

LISA

It's a cool toy.

CHARLIE

For a girl?

He walks toward the door.

CHARLIE

Time for lunch.

He holds out his hand to shake with Lisa. She looks at it, then shakes. He puts her hand to his cheek.

CHARLIE

Mm. Your hands are so soft.

Shooting the Scene

No young children were harmed in the making of this scene. Kathleen's (Little Girl) mom was offscreen and made sure she was out of earshot before I said "condom."

Kathleen's parents are friends of mine. I saw her in The Nutcracker and thought she did a great job. Her older dance partner was too sick to perform that day, but Kathleen danced her part anyway, and didn't get scared or upset about performing in front of a huge audience, doing something differently than the way she had rehearsed it. She was just happy to be a part of the production.

Kathleen was very interested in watching what went on while we shot Budget Justified. She was the only kid there and silently watched the adults as the camera rolled.

Ted (Barry) was so awesome with Kathleen. He plays a gruff character, but he was really kind to Kathleen off screen so she would feel comfortable with him on screen. Brian (George) and Ted both asked her friendly questions and made her feel like she belonged there.

I loved the way Brian took on the role of George in the scene, even though he didn't have any dialogue. Out of everyone who auditioned for the role of George, Brian was the one who really "got" what it meant to be George - a yes-man, one who thinks he is special because he follows the manager around.

In Real Life

In the government office that I worked in for this job, I had a cubicle. To avoid being overheard, Mr. Friendly often invited me to a conference room to gossip. He didn't close the door at first…but he gradually got sneakier about closing the door.

After that, I wouldn't go near the conference room because I didn't want to risk Mr. Friendly trying anything. Sometimes he would tell me he had something to say, then beckon me to follow him into the conference room. I wouldn't go. One time I walked past a few times while he was in there and someone came up to him and asked what he was doing in there. I don't know why the guy asked, but I thought it served Mr. Friendly right.

I wasn't present in real life when a manager made a remark about a Hispanic coworker having several illegitimate children. I heard about it second-hand. But I heard it twice, so I believe it actually happened. Since I wasn't there, I don't know what the intentions behind this comment were. Was the manager trying to joke with him about being a Latin lover, or was he trying to impress someone who didn't like Hispanics by making an ethnic slur? Or was it a reference to a culture of excessive sexual harassment in the office, where men try to have sex with the women in conference rooms.