Beauty Queen

1. FADE IN.

2. 
   

3. Act 1

4. 
   

5. INT. SITTING ROOM - DAY

6. 
   

7. PETER hears a declaration from the TV: I'm going to be the beauty queen. Watch the beauty pageant tonight to witness my hunch.

8. 
   

9. PETER (V.O.): Wow, she sounds so sure.

10. 
    

11. Peter turns his attention to the TV.

12. 
    

13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): How would she face the reality if she doesn't win tonight?

14. 
    

15. Watching TV.

16. 
    

17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Among the 10 finalists, only one can earn the crown.

18. 
    

19. Seeing TV images.

20. 
    

21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The odds are against her.

22. 
    

23. Recalling.

24. 
    

25. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I was young and was looking for career change eg to get a scholarship, I would try even if there's only one opening.

26. 
    

27. Recalling.

28. 
    

29. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I learned that even good applications had to be rejected.

30. 
    

31. Act 2

32. 
    

33. INT. SITTING ROOM - NIGHT

34. 
    

35. Peter and his WIFE are watching the beauty pageant show on TV.

36. 
    

37. PETER (V.O.): Now comes the hard or exciting part, the elimination process.

38. 
    

39. We see on screen some beauty-queen hopefuls have been sidelined and then disappeared.

40. 
    

41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The questions posed to the contestants are a lot easier than any recruitment interviews.

42. 
    

43. FLASHBACK

44. 
    

45. INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY (1998)

46. 
    

47. Peter (44) is chairing a recruitment interview with other STAFF. A CANDIDATE (20s) is being interviewed.

48. 
    

49. PETER (V.O.): He's pretty good.

50. 
    

51. INT. OFFICE ROOM - DAY (1998)

52. 
    

53. A SECRETARY (30s) comes in and passes to Peter a file.

54. 
    

55. SECRETARY: Here's the overall result of the recruitment exercise for your approval and signature.

56. 
    

57. PETER: Many thanks!

58. 
    

59. Peter begins to study the file.

60. 
    

61. PETER (V.O.): We've around 50 employable candidates but only 7-8 vacancies. Every mark awarded by the recruitment board can impact on whether a candidate would get an offer or not.

62. 
    

63. Checking.

64. 
    

65. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me see how that candidate that gave me a good impression scored when compared with others.

66. 
    

67. Reading.

68. 
    

69. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, he ranks 14. Hope he won't feel too bad when receiving our rejection letter.

70. 
    

71. Sighing.

72. 
    

73. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's the reality in any competitive environment.

74. 
    

75. END FLASHBACK

76. 
    

77. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As job recruitment is generally based on character, potential, quality and experience, he can equip himself better.

79. Pausing.

80. 
    

81. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As the recruitment process is confidential, the stress should be manageable.

82. 
    

83. Pausing.

84. 
    

85. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But beauty pageants are different. Contestants put their self-perceived beauty at stake in public.

86. 
    

87. Pausing.

88. 
    

89. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But why do they take part in the first place?

90. 
    

91. Peter surfs the web.

92. 
    

93. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Here are the observation of a 4th runner-up in one beauty pageant in US - building self-confidence, learning something, providing support, creating opportunities, and changing life.

94. 
    

95. Thinking.

96. 
    

97. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Thinking positive is generally good...Oh, the field is narrowed down to the final 5.

98. 
    

99. On screen, beauty-queen HOPEFUL#1 is named as the 2nd runner-up.

100. 
     

101. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Is it a blessing to get an award upfront?

102. 
     

103. On screen, beauty-queen HOPEFUL#2 is named as the 1st runner-up.

104. 
     

105. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): She looks pretty content with her position.

106. 
     

107. On screen, there're HOPEFULS#3,#4 & #5. We hear: Who's the queen among them?

108. 
     

109. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): This is the most testing moment. They all look beautiful and confident. But those to be eliminated would be worse off than the 1st and 2nd runners-up.

110. 
     

111. After an announcement on screen, HOFEFUL#3 is hurriedly crowned with HOPEFULS#1 and #2 standing by her side and HOPEFULS#4 & #5 have already disappeared.

112. 
     

113. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Would HOPEFULS#4 & #5 suffer from post trauma stress disorder (PTSD)?

114. 
     

115. End credits appear on screen.

116. 
     

117. Act 3

118. 
     

119. INT. SITTING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

120. 
     

121. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Judging from the voice of the beauty queen, she wasn't the one who claimed earlier that she would win.

122. 
     

123. Pausing.

124. 
     

125. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Those getting awards will be seen again next year to crown their successors. The rest will be forgotten.

126. 
     

127. Thinking.

128. 
     

129. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): All beauty fades.

130. 
     

131. Pausing.

132. 
     

133. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): So, the annual show goes on. There will be new contestants. It's a popular culture everywhere.

134. 
     

135. Recalling.

136. 
     

137. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've just taken a photo of Kaji at the pet garden. To my family, she has been our beauty queen.

138. 
     

139. FADE OUT.

140. 
     

141. THE END