Reference Material
Shots 1-5
Shots 6-10
Shots 11-15
Shots 16-20
Shots 21-25
Shots 26-31
Shots 32-37
Shot Descriptions
1 - Latest idea is to start on high shot of forest instead of
big tree
trunk. Hold for title to fade up, revealed by a rainbow shadow, and then
fade down before starting camera move. Camera moves down and to the
side, passing foreground branches of big tree, revealing funeral group
with girl and grandmother approaching.
2 - Medium shot across grandfather as girl and grandmother take
their
last few steps up to the group. Loose enough to show grandfather and
another elder already in place molding clay so it's not too much of a
jump from Shot 1 and to help
audience see it's a funeral. Girl looks
around in confusion and sadness.
3 - Shot of other elders. Foreground elder is already leaning
across
finishing placing clay in foreground cubbyhole, then leans back.
Background elder finishes molding clay and places it in background
cubbyhole.
4
- Grandfather's face, chest and amulet very large in extreme
foreground, in focus. Shift focus to girl in background, staring in
dismay at grandfather. Shot is a bit longer to show girl's emotional
connection with grandfather. (head of grandmother next to girl is framed
out of shot). Girl holds up and looks at her amulet, which matches
grandfather's.
Shot 5: Caroline
5. Girl's POV.
She looks at the clay in her left hand, then at her
amulet.
6 - Medium shot of girl between elders, looking at clay, then
amulet,
then clay, getting frustrated, not wanting to be part of the ceremony.
She lets go of the amulet , jumps up and runs away, dropping the clay.
The elders glance at her quietly, not upset.
7 - Girl runs to camera, away from funeral and toward the
forest,
resting against a tree. Her anger changes to sadness. She glances back
at the funeral, then away again, almost ready to cry, absently stroking
her amulet. As she looks away, a rainbow shadow glides across the ground
from behind her and passes her, getting her attention as it exits frame
into the forest. She reacts in surprise, watching it.
8. Wide shot.
The camera pans down and we see the girl slowly
walking from left to right. Leaves
are blowing around her as she walks
towards the center. The girl is cautious but comfortable, and is
looking around at her surroundings as she walks.
Leaves are blowing
around her, and as she reaches the center, a line of leaves forms,
which she catches out of the corner of her eye. The leaves point to
the bottom center of the screen. She turns to look, as the leaves
disperse and blow towards the camera. Making her change her direction.
9. Close up of the
girl. She is looking down, puzzled
and curious.
She moves towards the camera to follow the line of leaves.
10 - Wide shot of forest. The leaf swarm enters from near
camera left,
followed by the girl. The leaves swirl into a spiral, twisting in place
on screen right. The girl stops just left of center and tentatively
reaches over towards the leaves. Just as she touches the spiral, they
suddenly split into 2 groups, whoosh around her and regroup on screen
left behind her. She is startled then confused, looking around to see
what happened. The leaves twist into 'leafman' and then back into a
swarm just as the girl turns completely around. She just misses seeing
'leafman'. The leaves flutter off into the distance towards a fallen
log. The girl follows.
13 - she climbs up over the end of the log and reacts with quiet
happiness at seeing the water. (Maybe she stays crouching in this shot?)
Shot 14/15: Varun/Josh
* 14 & 15 COMBINED - Start with shot 14, showing the bridge
setting and
the water under the log. The girl stands up and starts carefully walking
along the log. The camera follows her, raising up to match the position
of shot 15. When the trees' 'amulet' reflection is revealed, the camera
stops. The girl also stops and glances at the reflection. Some leaves
blow by in the air between the girl and the camera, brushing against her
back as if resuming a game of tag, moving to screen right. The girl
blow by in the air between the girl and the camera, brushing against her
back as if resuming a game of tag, moving to screen right. The girl
turns her face to camera to look at them, then tries to catch up with
them, happily scrambling along the log, hanging onto young trees growing
up from it.
* 16 DELETED (close up of reflection rippled by leaves)
17 - The leaves flutter off the log and out of shot past the
camera,
heading slightly screen left. The
girl excitedly jumps off the log
after them, landing in a crouch, then rising up, looking around for the
leaves. She sees something on the ground off screen right. She freezes
in surprise, then slightly relaxes in sadness. She takes a few steps to
screen right, then starts to kneel down.
18 - Shot from over the girl to the bird. The girl finishes
slowly
kneeling down. This shot needs to be 2 or 3 times longer than the
original animatic because it's the first time the audience sees the
bird original animatic because it's the first time the audience sees the
bird.
*19 - close up of the girl looking sadly at the
bird. Her eyes stay on
the bird. (This shot is now split in two)
20 - close up of the bird (inserted in the middle of two girl
close ups)
Shot 19a: Caroline
*19a - continued close up of the girl. She starts out sad, still
looking
at the bird. Then she looks down or away slightly, thinking. She then
looks up slightly as she gets as idea and makes a decision, getting
determined.
She looks back at the bird.
21
- She kneels with the bird in the foreground. She finds and picks a
flower. She looks at it and places it by the bird. She picks a few more
flowers and starts to stand up. This shot establishes her starting to
place flowers, so should be a bit longer.
Shot 22: Dave
CUT
(instead of dissolve) in REAL time to
22 - High,wide shot of the bird. The girl is now screen left, rising up
from her kneeling position. She walks sideways, laying flowers around
the bird. Dissolve to:
Shot 22a:
22a - same shot later. There are a few more flowers. The girl continues
her path, starts walking backwards around bird, laying more flowers.
Dissolve to:
Shot 22b:
22b - same shot later. Even more flowers and decorations. The girls
continues farther around the bird, getting close to bottom screen right.
Dissolve to:
Shot 22c:
22c - same shot later. The birds' memorial is finished. The girl stands
at bottom screen right, looking at the bird.
Shot 22d:
* NEW SHOT - close up of girl happily, peacefully looking at bird. A
small flash of rainbow shadow moves across her face. She looks up.
26
- feather drifts down from trees. As it gets down to the girl she
reaches up and grabs it.
Shot 27: Anthony
27
- close up. The girl holds the feather up and its rainbow shadow goes
across her eyes.
Shot 28: Chad
28 - birds seen thru the feather taking flight
Shot 29: Andrew
29 - high
shot of the girl looking up, bringing the feather away from
her eyes (match closeness of storyboard/animatics, not reference). The
birds' rainbow shadows sweep over her face and along the ground around
her. She speads her arms and beams a huge, wonderous smile.
DISSOLVE TO:
*NEW SHOT (in funeral setting and lighting) - close up
of girl's hands
covering clay as she finishes shaping it. Her hand moves out of frame to
reveal bird shape, then moves back into shot holding feather, which is
inserted into clay.
Shot 33: Josh
33 - adjust this to be a mid close up of the girl's face as she raises
the bird shape to her face to look at it. (other elders not seen) She
bends forward, placing the bird shape out of shot. bends forward,
placing the bird shape out of shot.
34 - close up of girls' hands placing bird shape in
cubbyhole. Hands
pull out.
35 - start with shot of girl between two
grandmothers, finishing
reaching back from the cubbyhole. They watch as she steps back between
them. She looks at the cubbyhole, then smiles to the grandmothers, who
smile back at her and nod. She looks at her grandfather peacefully and
happily. The camera pulls out showing the whole ceremony, now lit by
torches and sunset and flanked by the forest and the large tree.
The End