Wednesday, 24 October 2012

Qupdate!

Like what I did there? No? Quick update? ...Ahhh!

So, things haven't ground to a halt in the long time it's been since I last posted.
I've recorded some lines, auditions and all that. They're not ready for you to hear just yet though. Safe to say I have a very promising and talented actress that I need to get in touch with and congratulate.

I'm currently working on the bones of a storyboard. I describe it as bones because at the moment I'm just doing one frame per shot, so it relies heavily on the text I've written. After I've finished that the plan is to go back, make it pretty and add in extra frames to each shot that needs it.

I'm also looking in to artistic collaboration with a brilliant illustrator! More news on that later!

Friday, 12 October 2012

Character Profiles!

Proper stuff!
Rose and Lily do have coloured designs, but I thought it'd be unfair on Ash to upload a design that hasn't been coloured yet and give the other two colours... So, just lines for now! You'll probably have to click on these to read them.




There's no profile or design for The Dark Warrior just yet, but rest assured there will be one soon! 

Today's been a cool day, managed to make a script that I like and I've been working on writing out shots today. 

Auditions for actors and actresses start on Tuesday!!




Thursday, 11 October 2012

More alterations

Today, I've been talking to a brilliant lady by the name of Jean Flynn (if you're a big fan of Danger Mouse or films like The BFG you should have an idea of who she is!), and we've discussed my script. Key thing here: SHE LIKED IT! I can't begin to express how happy it makes me knowing that an industry professional from a returning studio (Cosgrove Hall) likes my film. I'm not expecting Jean to suddenly tell me she wants to make a feature length version of my film, but it's a good step! We've also gone over a few crucial changes that'll help ensure my film fits in the 3 minute limit, and help things seem more understandable. Not to mention, there is much more character confrontation and interaction.


          SCENE #1 EXT. WASTELAND. DAY.

          There is a wasteland that stretches out as far as the eye
          can see. There are a few dead trees scattered. One healthy
          looking tree stands among all the dead trees.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "We live in a dying world."

          THE DARK WARRIOR cuts in to the healthy tree. He holds a
          hand over the "wound". An otherworldly glow emits from his
          hand and a scream can be heard.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "This new threat, The Dark Warrior,
                    travels the land, sapping the power
                    from the trees. But without the
                    trees, we can't survive."

          ASH's spirit materializes, he witnesses the tree's death.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "Now he has eyes on our last hope;
                    The Great Tree.

          ASH's spirit quickly flees.

          SCENE #2 EXT. NEAR THE GREAT TREE. DAY.

          ASH is floating through the land towards The Settlement.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "My tribe rests at the foot of The
                    Great Tree, it provides us with the
                    energy we need to survive."

          ASH arrives at the settlement.

          He is seen arriving at LILY's house. ROSE can be seen
          leaving through the front door as Ash passes through the
          wall.

          SCENE #3 INT. LILY'S ROOM. DAY.

          The floor of LILY's room is covered in thick blankets. A
          single small table stands by the window of the circular
          room. A single red flower in a glass vase is atop the table.
          LILY is lay asleep on the floor. She is quite late in her
          pregnancy.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "I gave up my physical form to
                    strengthen the tree, prolonging its
                    life, for the sake of my wife Lily
                    and my unborn child, Hope. But were
                    my actions enough?"

          Ash floats through the wall. He kneels down beside Lily. He
          looks at her stomach and smiles, placing a hand on her
          stomach.

                              ASH
                    "I'm sorry, Lily, but I need your
                    help."

          Ash places his hand on Lily's forehead. A slight glow emits
          from his hand.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "I've seen your future, and it's a
                    living nightmare."

          SCENE #4 LILY'S VISION, THE GREAT TREE. DREAM.

          Lily sees a vision of The Great Tree in flames.

          She watches in horror. Ash's voice calls out.

                              ASH
                    "Lily, we can stop this! Meet me at
                    The Great Tree!"

          Lily sees THE DARK WARRIOR stood beside the burning tree.

          SCENE #5 INT. LILY'S ROOM. DAY.

          Lily awakens and sits up quickly with a gasp.

                              LILY
                    "Ash?"

          Lily looks around hopefully, but Ash is nowhere to be seen.

          Lily quickly stands, a look of determination on her face.

          She leaves the room.

          SCENE #6 EXT. SETTLEMENT. DAY.

          The settlement is considerably small. Most of the buildings
          are buildings single floors with only a single room. There
          is a central well.

          ROSE is walking away from Lily's house.

          She turns to see LILY running through the settlement.

                              ROSE
                    "Lily? Where are you going?!"

          LILY continues running, not stopping to explain. Rose looks
          confused.

          Rose looks towards the great tree, she spots The Dark
          Warrior making his way towards it. Rose gasps in horror and
          sets off running.

          SCENE #7 EXT. SETTLEMENT EXIT. DAY.

          Lily is running along the plane between the settlement and
          The Great Tree. The plane around the settlement and The
          Great Tree is quite desolate. In the distance are mountains
          and a few small trees.

                              LILY
                    "I knew what's at stake, and what I
                    must do."

          LILY slows down a little, struggling. She looks behind her
          to see ROSE approaching

                              LILY
                    "My life has been spent in fear. My
                    past will not be your future. If I
                    could wish for one last thing it is
                    a future where you can smile."

          ROSE runs behind Lily, she is quite far away.

          SCENE #8 EXT. THE GREAT TREE, FRONT SIDE. DAY.

          The Great Tree stands in the middle of a gigantic plane. The
          tree itself is equally humongous. It stands on top of a
          narrow chasm that prevents access to the back side of the
          tree for those traveling on foot.

          Lily arrives at The Great Tree. On the other side of the
          gigantic tree she can see The Dark Warrior.

                              LILY
                    "Please! You must stop!"

          Defiantly, The Dark Warrior approaches the tree.

                              LILY
                    "No!"

          Lily drops to her knees in exhaustion. She realises that her
          attempt to reason with The Dark Warrior is futile. She
          places a hand on her stomach, a single tear rolls down her
          cheek.

                              LILY
                    "I can stop this. I'm sorry, but I
                    won't be a part of your future."

          Lily turns to see Rose approaching

          Lily's spirit rises out of her physical body, emitting a
          bright light. This causes Rose to trip and fall.

          As Lily's spirit rises her physical body begins to fall
          backwards.

          As Lily's body falls it bursts in to tiny lights that float
          towards The Great Tree, however a ball of light where her
          stomach was remains.

          Lily's spirit places a hand on this ball of light.

                              LILY
                    "This will be my last gift. Goodbye."

          Lily floats away, passing through The Great Tree.

          SCENE #9 EXT. THE GREAT TREE, BACK SIDE. DAY.

          The Dark Warrior approaches the tree. ASH appears in front
          of him, arms outstretched to defend the tree.

                              LILY
                    "Ash!"

          A spirit of Lily floats down from The Great Tree. Flowers
          sprout beneath her as she floats towards Ash.

          Ash turns to see her, he smiles.

          Lily smiles back at him. She nods. Lily quickly floats to
          the opposite side of The Dark Warrior, facing towards Ash.

          Ash and Lily begin to float around The Dark Warrior in a
          circle. They both begin to glow brightly.

          Tree roots begin to grow under The Dark Warriors feet. They
          wrap around his legs, ensuring he cannot move.

          Ash and Lily begin to float higher. This causes more roots
          to burst from the ground and grow higher. The roots begin to
          close in the form of a tree.

          Ash and Lily begin to circle higher and closer until they
          are close enough to embrace.

          A roots encircling The Dark Warrior begin to close up more,
          and are shaping to appear more like a tree.

          A bright light emits from Lily and Ash.

          SCENE #10 EXT. THE GREAT TREE, FRONT SIDE. DAY.

          Rose picks herself up off the floor.

                              ROSE
                    "Lily?"

          She notices the ball of light in front of her.

          Rose can hear the muffled sound of a crying baby. She walks
          towards the ball of light.

          A patch of soft grass grows beneath the ball of light. The
          ball of light falls slowly towards the ground.

          The ball of light disappears as it touches the ground,
          leaving behind a baby.

          Rose picks up the baby. Lily and Ash's spirits appear in
          front of her with smiling faces.

          Ash smiles, he steps forward.

          Lily steps toward Rose. She puts a hand gently on Rose's
          cheek.

          Tears roll down Rose's cheek.

                              LILY (PROJECTED VOICE)
                    "No tears."

          Lily looks down at the baby. She looks back up at Rose.

                              LILY (PROJECTED VOICE)
                    "Her name is Hope. Will you care
                    for her?"

          Rose nods, a tear rolls down her face.

                              ROSE
                    "I will, I'll never forget you!"

          Lily smiles. The spirits of Ash and Lily fade away.

                              ROSE
                    "I'll protect Hope for tomorrow.
                    Thank you."

          THE END.

Here's a few crucial changes, in case you didn't pick up on them:

-Ash is the only narrator now! Jean thought (and I agreed) it might be a little confusing if there was more than one narrator, so Lily's segments aren't narrated any more.
-Several dialogue segments have been cut shorter to be more succinct, more understandable, and basically shorter!
-A few bits have been added to make the scene transitions more obvious, simple things like Ash actually arriving at Lily's house in Scene #2 and Rose being introduced in the same scene.
-Scene #4 is shorter, but still makes sense.
-As I mentioned, Lily's narrated segment is no longer narrated, so it's been re-written to be more appropriate for present tense. It's also been split up slightly to add more urgency to the scene, with Rose approaching fast in Scene #7. It adds to Lily's level of determination.
-Scene #8 has cut out Ash, instead the conflict is now between Lily and The Dark Warrior, as Jean and I felt it was equally important that the characters were introduced to each other. Lily's situation is made to be more desperate in this scene, she is pushed to exhaustion which leads to her drastic action. Again, no narration from Lily!
-The crucial "this will be my last gift" line, the very line that inspired my film's title, has been re-positioned to a more appropriate moment.
-When Lily's spirit leaves her physical body, her physical body no longer collapses to the floor. I actually discussed this bit with my tutor and he thinks that having her body simply crumple was a little to violent (particularly from a standing position). Now, she is already near the floor as she is on her knees, and her body fades before it hits the floor. This seems a little less violent to me, and doesn't imply death quite so harshly as Lily doesn't actually die.
-It's still only implied that the glowing ball is Lily's baby at first. I feel that even if the audience misses this at first (although I've tried to make it as obvious as possible), it's revealed at the end anyway.
-Scene #9 now starts with Ash appearing in front of the tree, guarding it from The Dark Warrior. Apart from that, this scene is pretty much the same.
-Scene #10 went through a fair few changes to limit the dialogue. The way my tutor saw it, the scene in its original state would've been enough to make a 3 minute film in itself. So, a lot of the dialogue was cut and instead things have been left to emotional, wordless actions. There's a bit of dialogue from Lily, but I thought it'd be cool if she had a ghostly projection voice, rather than actually speaking.

And there you have it!

On a side note, I want my film to end with a message. I haven't done a research page on it yet, but incase you didn't pick up on it my film is heavily inspired by the film FernGully. FernGully ends with a simple message, "For our children and for our childern's children." Basically, it's a film about humans harming the environment, and the message is that if we keep doing so eventually the world will die. That simple message makes us think about the possibility of bringing children of the future in to a world that is dying.
My film has a similar message, and I want my film to have a written message at the end too. The idea is to add to the same message from FernGully, pay it some homage.

"We only have one world, "For our children and for our children's children," Let's make hope for tomorrow."

I told you that earlier post would make sense.

Script alteration!

So there's no denying my last script was dialogue heavy, and quite possibly too much for a 3 minute film.
So, I've cut down on some unnecessary dialogue. And corrected any mistakes I spotted.


    SCENE #1 EXT. WASTELAND. DAY.

          There is a wasteland that stretches out as far as the eye
          can see. There are a few dead trees scattered. One healthy
          looking tree stands among all the dead trees.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "We live in a dying world where few
                    trees remain."

          THE DARK WARRIOR cuts in to the healthy tree. He holds a
          hand over the "wound". An otherworldly glow emits from his
          hand and a scream can be heard.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "This new threat to our world has
                    taken the form of The Dark Warrior.
                    He travels the land, sapping the
                    power from the trees. But without
                    the trees, we can't survive."

          ASH's spirit materializes, he witnesses the tree's death.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "Now he has eyes on our last hope;
                    The Great Tree.

          ASH's spirit quickly flees.

          SCENE #2 EXT. NEAR THE GREAT TREE. DAY.

          Ash is floating through the land towards The Settlement.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "My tribe rests at the foot of The
                    Great Tree, it provides us with the
                    energy we need to survive."

          Ash arrives at the settlement.

          SCENE #3 INT. LILY'S ROOM. DAY.

          The floor of Lily's room is covered in thick blankets. A
          single small table stands by the window of the circular
          room. A single red flower in a glass vase is atop the table.
          LILY is lay asleep on the floor. She is quite late in her
          pregnancy.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "I gave up my physical form to
                    strengthen the tree, prolonging its
                    life, for the sake of my wife Lily
                    and my unborn child, Hope. But were
                    my actions enough?"

          Ash floats through the wall. He kneels down beside Lily. He
          looks at her stomach and smiles.

                              ASH
                    "I'm sorry, Lily, but I need your
                    help."

          Ash places a hand on Lily's forehead. A slight glow emits
          from his hand.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "I've seen your future, and it's a
                    living nightmare."

          SCENE #4 LILY'S VISION, THE GREAT TREE. DREAM.

          Lily sees a vision of The Great Tree in flames.

          She watches in horror. Ash's voice calls out.

                              ASH
                    "Lily, we can stop this! Meet me at
                    The Great Tree!"

          Lily sees THE DARK WARRIOR stood beside the burning tree.

          SCENE #5 INT. LILY'S ROOM. DAY.

          Lily awakens and sits up quickly with a gasp.

                              LILY
                    "Ash?"

          Lily looks around hopefully, but Ash is nowhere to be seen.

          Lily quickly stands, a look of determination on her face.

          She leaves the room.

          SCENE #6 EXT. SETTLEMENT. DAY.

          The settlement is considerably small. Most of the buildings
          are buildings single floors with only a single room. There
          is a central well.

          ROSE sees LILY running through the settlement.

                              ROSE
                    "Lily? Where are you going?! That
                    much exercise can't be good for the
                    baby!"

          LILY continues running, not stopping to explain. Rose looks
          confused.

          Rose looks towards the great tree, she spots The Dark
          Warrior making his way towards it. Rose gasps in horror and
          sets off running.

          SCENE #7 EXT. SETTLEMENT EXIT. DAY.

          Rose is running along the plane between the settlement and
          The Great Tree. The plane around the settlement and The
          Great Tree is quite desolate. In the distance are mountains
          and a few small trees.

                              LILY (NARRATION)
                    "I knew what was at stake, and what
                    I must do. My life had been spent
                    in fear. My past will not be your
                    future. If I could wish for one
                    last thing it is a future where you
                    can smile. This will be my last
                    gift."

          Rose runs behind Lily, she is quite far away.

          SCENE #8 EXT. THE GREAT TREE, FRONT SIDE. DAY.

          The Great Tree stands in the middle of a gigantic plane. The
          tree itself is equally humongous. It stands on top of a
          narrow chasm that prevents access to the back side of the
          tree for those traveling on foot.

          Lily arrives at The Great Tree. On the other side of the
          gigantic tree she can see The Dark Warrior. She can also see
          Ash stood inbetween The Dark Warrior and The Great Tree.

                              LILY
                    "Please! You must stop!"

          Lily realises that her attempt to reason with The Dark
          Warrior is futile. She places a hand on her stomach, a
          single tear rolls down her cheek.

                              LILY (NARRATION)
                    "I can stop this tragedy from
                    occurring. I'm sorry, but I won't
                    be a part of your future."

          Lily turns to see Rose approaching.

                              LILY
                    "I'm sorry, Rose. Goodbye."

          Lily's spirit rises out of her physical body, emitting a
          bright light. This causes Rose to trip and fall.

          As Lily's spirit rises her physical body collapses to the
          ground.

          As soon as Lily's body hits the floor it fade away, however
          a ball of light where her stomach was remains.

          Lily's spirit places a hand on this ball of light.

                              LILY
                    "Goodbye."

          Lily floats away, passing through The Great Tree.

          SCENE #9 EXT. THE GREAT TREE, BACK SIDE. DAY.

          Ash stands in front of The Dark Warrior with his arms
          outstretched to defend the tree. Ash has a stern look on his
          face.

                              LILY
                    "Ash!"

          A spirit of Lily floats down from The Great Tree. Flowers
          sprout beneath her as she floats towards Ash.

          Ash turns to see her, he smiles.

          Lily smiles back at him. She nods. Lily quickly floats to
          the opposite side of The Dark Warrior, facing towards Ash.

          Ash and Lily begin to float around The Dark Warrior in a
          circle. They both begin to glow brightly.

          Tree roots begin to grow under The Dark Warriors feet. They
          wrap around his legs, ensuring he cannot move.

          Ash and Lily begin to float higher. This causes more roots
          to burst from the ground and grow higher. The roots begin to
          close in the form of a tree.

          Ash and Lily begin to circle higher and closer until they
          are close enough to embrace.

          A roots encircling The Dark Warrior begin to close up more,
          and are shaping to appear more like a tree.

          A bright light emits from Lily and Ash.

          SCENE #10 EXT. THE GREAT TREE, FRONT SIDE. DAY.

          Rose picks herself up off the floor.

          She notices the ball of light in front of her.

          Rose can hear the muffled sound of a crying baby. She walks
          towards the ball of light.

          A patch of soft grass grows beneath the ball of light. The
          ball of light falls slowly towards the ground.

          The ball of light disappears as it touches the ground,
          leaving behind a baby.

          Rose picks up the baby. Lily and Ash's spirits appear in
          front of her with smiling faces.

          Ash smiles, he steps forward.

          Lily steps toward Rose. She puts a hand gently on Rose's
          cheek.

                              ROSE
                    "What will I do without my sister?"

          Lily looks down at the baby. She looks back up at Rose.

                              LILY (PROJECTED VOICE)
                    "Her name is Hope. Will you care
                    for her?"

          Rose nods, a tear rolls down her face.

                              ROSE
                    "I will, I'll never forget you!"

          Lily smiles. The spirits of Ash and Lily fade away.

                              ROSE
                    "Thank you."

          THE END.


Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Revised synopsis

This synopsis is slightly edited, based on the new version of the film and the changed relationship between Lily and Rose.

La’Ter is a dying world, with forests disappearing overnight and tribes dying out every day. Lily, a mother to be, lives in this world. Lily awakens from a dream of her late husband, Ash, who had given his life to defend his tribe. In the dream, he warned Lily of the approaching Dark Warrior, who intends to sap the energy from the last tree standing between the tribe and destruction. Though his actions are only taken out of a fight for survival, Lily cannot allow The Dark Warrior destroy The Great Tree. She sets out to stop him. On her way, Lily is spotted by Rose, her dear sister. Rose attempts to stop Lily, but she is too late. Lily arrives at The Great Tree, where she witnesses Ash attempting to defend the tree from The Dark Warrior. There, Lily gives up her physical body and becomes a tree spirit. Once in this state Lily is able to create another tree with the help of Ash that encases The Dark Warrior. Rose arrives at the scene. At the base of the new tree Rose finds a baby, Lily’s baby; Hope. Ash and Lily’s spirits appear before Rose, telling her that they will protect The Great Tree and requesting that Rose cares for the child. Rose vows to care for Hope, and to pass down the legend of Ash and Lily. They say their final goodbyes before Ash and Lily fade away.

Only a slight change.

I've done a bit of work on the script too and planned out shots. At the moment the shot total stands at 58, which gives me an average shot length of 3.1 seconds (you can either choose to believe I'm good at maths, or I used a calculator...). Might need to cut that down a bit!


Sunday, 7 October 2012

Environmental film

This will make more sense soon.


New version script

Here's the script for the latest version of the story. Enjoy!



          SCENE #1 EXT. WASTELAND. DAY.

          There is a wasteland that stretches out as far as the eye
          can see. There are a few dead trees scattered. One healthy
          looking tree stands among all the dead trees.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "We live in a dying world where few
                    trees remain."

          THE DARK WARRIOR cuts in to the healthy tree. He holds a
          hand over the "wound". An otherworldly glow emits from his
          hand and a scream can be heard.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "This new threat to our world has
                    taken the form of The Dark Warrior.
                    He travels the land, sapping the
                    power from the trees in order to
                    survive. But without the trees, we
                    cannot survive."

          ASH's spirit materializes, he witnesses the tree's death.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "And now he has eyes on our last
                    hope; The Great Tree.

          ASH's spirit quickly flees.

          SCENE #2 EXT. NEAR THE GREAT TREE. DAY.

          Ash is floating through the land towards The Great Tree, and
          The Settlement.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "My tribe rests at the foot of The
                    Great Tree, a majestic tree that
                    provides us with the energy we need
                    to survive. It is the last Great
                    Tree in the land."

          Ash arrives at the settlement.

          SCENE #3 INT. LILY'S ROOM. DAY.

          The floor of Lily's room is covered in thick blankets. A
          single small table stands by the window of the circular
          room. A single red flower in a glass vase is atop the table.
          The wooden blinds of the window are open, allowing light in.
          LILY is lay asleep on the floor. She is quite late in her
          pregnancy.

                              ASH (NARRATION)
                    "I gave up my physical form to
                    strengthen the tree, prolonging its
                    life, for the sake of my wife Lily
                    and my unborn child. In the spirit
                    world, I can see the past, the
                    present and even the future. But it
                    seems that my actions weren't
                    enough."

          Ash floats through the wall. He kneels down beside Lily. He
          looks at her stomach and smiles.

                              ASH
                    "I'm sorry, Lily. I never wanted
                    you to be involved in this, but I
                    need your help."

          Ash places a hand on Lily's forehead. A slight glow emits
          from his hand.

          SCENE #4 LILY'S VISION, THE GREAT TREE. DREAM.

          Lily sees a vision of The Great Tree in flames.

          She watches in horror. Ash's voice calls out.

                              ASH
                    "Lily, this is a not too distant
                    future. I need your help to prevent
                    this. Meet me at The Great Tree!"

          Lily sees THE DARK WARRIOR stood beside the burning tree.

          SCENE #5 INT. LILY'S ROOM. DAY.

          Lily awakens and sits up quickly with a gasp.

                              LILY
                    "Ash?"

          Lily looks around hopefully, but Ash is nowhere to be seen.

          Lily quickly stands, a look of determination on her face.

          She leaves the room.

          SCENE #6 EXT. SETTLEMENT. DAY.

          The settlement is considerably small. Most of the buildings
          are single floors with only a single room. There
          is a central well.

          ROSE sees LILY running through the settlement in the
          direction of the not too distant Great Tree.

                              ROSE
                    "Lily? Where are you going?! That
                    much exercise can't be good for the
                    baby!"

          LILY continues running, not stopping to explain. Rose seems
          confused.

          Rose looks towards the great tree, she spots The Dark
          Warrior making his way towards it. Rose gasps in horror.

          Sensing a threat, Rose runs after Lily.

          SCENE #7 EXT. SETTLEMENT EXIT. DAY.

          Rose is running along the plan between the settlement and
          The Great Tree. The plane around the settlement and The
          Great Tree is quite desolate. In the distance are mountains
          and a few small trees.

                              LILY (NARRATION)
                    "I knew all too clearly what was at
                    stake, and what I must do. My life
                    had been spent in darkness, like so
                    many before me. My past will not be
                    your future. If I could wish for
                    one last thing it would be this; a
                    future where you can smile. This
                    will be my last gift."

          Rose runs behind Lily, she is quite far away.

          SCENE #8 EXT. THE GREAT TREE, FRONT SIDE. DAY.

          The Great Tree stands in the middle of a gigantic plane. The
          tree itself is equally humongous, towering over the
          settlement and even rivaling the mountains in the distance.
          It stands on top of a narrow chasm that prevents access to
          the back side of the tree for those traveling on foot.

          Lily arrives at The Great Tree. On the other side of the
          gigantic tree she can see The Dark Warrior. She can also see
          Ash stood inbetween The Dark Warrior and The Great Tree.

                              LILY
                    "Please! You must stop! We need
                    this tree to live!"

          Lily realises that her attempt to reason with The Dark
          Warrior is futile. She places a hand on her stomach, a
          single tear rolls down her cheek.

                              LILY (NARRATION)
                    "By giving up my physical body, I
                    can stop this tragedy from
                    occurring. I will stand guard and
                    protect the world for your future.
                    Goodbye my child, your mother loves
                    you."

          Lily turns to see Rose approaching.

                              LILY
                    "I'm sorry, Rose. Goodbye."

          Lily's spirit rises out of her physical body, emitting a
          bright light. This causes Rose to trip and fall.

          As Lily's spirit rises her physical body collapses to the
          ground.

          As soon as Lily's body hits the floor it fade away, however
          a ball of light where her stomach was remains.

          Lily's spirit places a hand on this ball of light.

                              LILY
                    "Goodbye."

          Lily floats away, passing through The Great Tree.

          SCENE #9 EXT. THE GREAT TREE, BACK SIDE. DAY.

          Ash stands in front of The Dark Warrior with his arms
          outstretched to defend the tree. Ash has a stern look on his
          face.

                              LILY
                    "Ash!"

          A spirit of Lily floats down from The Great Tree. Flowers
          sprout beneath her as she floats towards Ash.

          Ash turns to see her, he smiles.

          Lily smiles back at him. She nods. Lily quickly floats to
          the opposite side of The Dark Warrior, facing towards Ash.

          Ash and Lily begin to float around The Dark Warrior in a
          circle. They both begin to glow brightly.

          Tree roots begin to grow under The Dark Warriors feet. They
          wrap around his legs, ensuring he cannot move.

          Ash and Lily begin to float higher. This causes more roots
          to burst from the ground and grow higher. The roots begin to
          close in the form of a tree.

          Ash and Lily begin to circle higher and closer until they
          are close enough to embrace.

          The roots encircling The Dark Warrior begin to close up more,
          and are shaping to appear more like a tree.

          A bright light emits from Lily and Ash.

          SCENE #10 EXT. THE GREAT TREE, FRONT SIDE. DAY.

          Rose picks herself up off the floor.

          She looks around in awe at the new tree, and also the
          increased amount of vegetation.

          She notices the ball of light in front of her.

          Rose can hear the muffled sound of a crying baby. She walks
          towards the ball of light.

          A patch of soft grass grows beneath the ball of light. The
          ball of light falls slowly towards the ground.

          The ball of light disappears as it touches the ground,
          leaving behind a baby.

          Rose picks up the baby. Lily and Ash's spirits appear in
          front of her with smiling faces.

                              ROSE
                    "Lily! Ash!"

          Ash smiles, he steps forward.

                              ASH
                    "We will stand as guardians over
                    this land, we'll make sure no harm
                    ever comes to The Great Tree, or
                    you."

          Lily steps toward Rose. She puts a hand gently on Rose's
          cheek.

                              LILY
                    "My dear sister. I'll be watching
                    over you, and Hope."

          Lily looks down at the baby. She looks back up at Rose.

                              LILY
                    "Will you care for my little Hope?"

          Rose nods, a tear rolls down her face.

                              ROSE
                    "I will, I'll make sure she knows
                    about your heroic actions. I'll
                    never forget you!"

          Lily smiles. The spirits of Ash and Lily fade away.

                              ROSE
                    "Thank you."

          THE END.

There's a non-emphasis on violence! That is key! Even though death and destruction is quite a heavy theme I don't want my film to be violent. I want the film to have an overall feeling of Hope, hence the ending. When all else seems lost, there are still miracles and hope.

Altered Story

I've gone back in to the scripting stage again, and the story has now been altered so that it's potentially a little less complex. I haven't finished writing up the script for this new version just yet, but here's a brief little summary of each scene and what happens in the new version. The most notable difference is the absence of a "spirit world".

The idea of this is to help gain an understanding of the story in its basic form before going on to the script. It helps introduce each character, each environment and just makes the story easy to understand. A pre-script in a way. I thought it'd be cool to give each scene a name, even if it doesn't have any relevance in the film. It basically breaks the film down in to key segments.


SCENE 1: LORE

-The Scene opens with ASH’s narration:
                -This describes the world briefly; that it is dying and few trees remain.
-The opening also introduces THE DARK WARRIOR.
                -THE DARK WARRIOR begins by cutting in to a tree in a desolate land.
                -From the tree’s “wound” THE DARK WARRIOR saps a form of energy (shown as an         otherworldly glow).
                -ASH’s narration provides a brief introduction to THE DARK WARRIOR, who he is and why he does what he does. The intention her is to help the audience understand that THE DARK WARRIOR is not necessarily evil, but just trying to survive.
-ASH’s spirit appears in response to this threat. He sees this and quickly flees towards THE SETTLEMENT.
                -ASH’s narration makes it clear that THE DARK WARRIOR is set on destroying THE GREAT TREE, so ASH must warn LILY.

SCENE 2: ASH’S MISSION

-ASH travels towards THE GREAT TREE and the settlement.
                -The narration also introduces ASH, who he is, why he is a spirit. This helps to understand the back story necessary for the film’s plot.

SCENE 3: LILY

-This scene introduces LILY.
                -ASH tells the audience that LILY is his wife and that she is pregnant with their baby.
-ASH reaches LILY’S room. He apologises for having to get her involved (this is not narration).
                -ASH touches LILY’s forehead, which causes LILY to see a vision.

SCENE 4: VISION

-In a dream, ASH sends LILY a vision of THE GREAT TREE in flames.
                -In the vision THE DARK WARRIOR is stood by the tree.
                -ASH warns LILY that this is a not too distant future and that he needs her help today.

SCENE 5: LILY’S AWAKENING

-LILY quickly awakens from this vision. ASH is no longer in the room.
                -LILY calls out for ASH, as if she sense that he was there.
-Without hesitation LILY heads out for THE GREAT TREE.

SCENE 6: ROSE

-ROSE (LILY’S sister) sees LILY running through THE SETTLEMENT, heading towards THE GREAT TREE.
                -ROSE calls out to her sister, asking why she is in a rush to get to the tree. LILY doesn’t stop to explain.
                -ROSE is puzzled by this. As she ponders the incident, she sees something in the distance. THE DARK WARRIOR is approaching the tree. ROSE recognises him as a threat and runs after her sister.

SCENE 7: LILY’S MISSION

-LILY is running towards THE GREAT TREE. The tree is not too far from THE SETTLEMENT.
                -A narrated segment from LILY’S perspective, however this narration is directed at her unborn child more than the audience. LILY promises that she will leave behind a better world for her daughter.
-ROSE follows behind LILY.

SCENE 8: GOODBYES

-LILY arrives at the front side of THE GREAT TREE.
-She can see THE DARK WARRIOR on the other side of the tree. Stood before him is ASH’s spirit.
-LILY pleads for THE DARK WARRIOR to stop. This doesn’t work however.
-Realising that she must become a tree spirit like ASH, LILY places a hand on her stomach and apologises to her child, saying her goodbyes.
-LILY turns to see ROSE running towards her. LILY apologies and says goodbye, a tear rolls down her cheek. A bright flash emits from her body, causing ROSE to trip and fall.
-LILY’s spirit rises out of her physical body, her hand still on her stomach. LILY’s physical body collapses and fades away when it hits the floor. However, a ball of light remains where her stomach was (implying that the baby is still safe). LILY says a goodbye and floats away, passing through THE GREAT TREE.

SCENE 9: CONFRONTATION

-ASH stands before THE DARK WARRIOR with a stern look on his face. He holds out his arms, defending THE GREAT TREE.
-LILY calls ASH’S name and floats down beside him; flowers sprout underneath her as she floats.
-LILY and ASH begin to float in a circle on opposite sides of THE DARK WARRIOR. Using their powers as tree spirits they are able to create a tree that encases THE DARK WARRIOR, eliminating the threat of destruction.
-LILY and ASH embrace above the tree before completing their spell. As the spell finishes, a bright flash emits from the new tree.

SCENE 10: HOPE

-ROSE picks herself up off the floor on the other side of THE GREAT TREE. She looks up in awe at the new tree. She also notices the glowing ball of light that LILY left behind.
-A patch of soft grass grows beneath the ball. The ball slowly falls to the ground, then fades away, leaving behind a baby.
-ROSE picks up the baby.
-Spirits of ASH and LILY appear before her.
-ASH explains that they will stand as guardians over THE GREAT TREE and the settlement.
-LILY requests that ROSE takes her baby, HOPE and raises her.
-ROSE agrees and promises she will pass down the legend of HOPE’S heroic mother and father. She thanks the pair of them.