Script

I have written my script out in full, at the moment it seems to be very long, i think i may have been a little bit ambitious! I'm going to leave it as it is for now but take parts out if i need to when creating the animatic.

  PANDA’S TAIL

OPENING CREDITS & TITLE MUSIC

FADE IN:

SLOWLY ZOOMING TOWARDS BEDROOM WINDOW

EXT. HAMISH’S HOUSE – MID MORNING

As morning breaks in the quiet countryside, the sound of birds singing is carried along by a soft breeze, dancing with branches and carrying on across the fields. It is still and quiet, as another peaceful day in Kirkham begins.

ZOOM IN THROUGH BEDROOM WINDOW. MEDIUM CLOSE UP - HAMISH

INT. HAMISH’S BEDROOM

Hamish, a rather lonely Panda is hiding in his bed, using the covers to shield him, the rest of the world just sees him as a lump of untidy fabric.

Suddenly his alarm clicks on; once again he has awoken before he was meant to. “Alone Again Naturally” by Gilbert O’Sullivan begins to play on the radio as he slowly positions his paw above the off button. It clicks as he pushes down to reveal the silence he is so familiar with.

HAMISH

(Rolling over)

Sigh...

The covers rise and fall with his first deep breath of the day. He has faced himself with the other side of the bed, empty, lonely and cold as though the night’s frost had crept in beside him. One long blink of the eyes and he sits up, looks around his room for any sign of another soul, he lets out a yawn and once again braves the opening of the eyes.

CUT TO: FULL SHOT OF THE BEDROOM

He gingerly makes a move to get out of bed; the ceiling feels heavy as it lowers into the room, the tops of the walls caving in with it as his world seems to get ever smaller.

CAMERA PANS ACROSS AS HAMISH WALKS BY

Heading for the kitchen, he can’t even begin to plan his day without the energy only received from a cup of coffee.

CUT TO: CLOSE UP ON THE KETTLE

A tray hugging a small kettle, two cups and a dish of sugar seems strangely empty, the kettle always holding enough water for two.

Hamish flicks the switch and watches it boil, the water thrashes as though infested with great whites, and the sound of rumbling is like a small earthquake as the kettle vibrates on the worktop.

CAMERA ZOOMS OUT TO A MEDIUM SHOT

He makes his coffee, glances at the empty cup and fills the kettle once more...just in case.

Carrying his beverage over to his table where last night’s meal still remains. Feeling too lethargic to create anything new he grabs a stick of bamboo and tries to eat. Even the sight of his favourite meal can’t tempt him today; he chases it around his plate until he’s gulped the last drop of coffee, gives up and tries a shower. (Hamish walks off screen).

CUT TO: BATHROOM

EXT. SHOWER CUBICLE

One turn of the handle and the water comes rushing out, sounding like a child splashing in puddles as it hits the floor. No sooner has it begun, it ends, he switches it off clearly not in the right frame of mind to wash off all the many thoughts he has swimming around him.

CUT TO: MEDIUM SHOT OF THE LETTERBOX

The rustle and crunch of a daily newspaper can be heard as the local delivery boy spreads the news of the world. The bathroom door creaks open as Hamish emerges from his steamy cave; he stomps towards the door carrying a thump thump thump as he goes.

PAN AND FOLLOW HAMISH

He grabs the newspaper from its landing place on the table and drops it in the lounge on the way to his bedroom.

CUT TO: BEDROOM

FULL SHOT OF THE WARDROBE

He thrusts the wardrobe door open to reveal yet more emptiness and reaches for the neatly placed slippers on his shelf (the only shelf being used). Dropping them to the ground like a bomb, they thud twice as they hit the ground. Hamish pushes each foot into its designated slipper and stomps once again towards his favourite chair.

CUT TO: FULL SHOT OF LIVING ROOM

POV OF WINDOW

Angling himself perfectly in front of his chair he drops onto it as though it was softer than it really is. He shuffles slightly, finds a comfortable position, grabs the newspaper off the table and whips it open to the first page. Almost straight away the horn of a distant train can be heard, slightly dulled by the walls of his house.

CUT TO: FULL SHOT OF HAMISH & WINDOW
POV FROM DINING ROOM

Hamish winces, and drops his paper back on the table; he leans forward and watches the inevitable train come roaring past him. The vibrations of the train are like a larger earthquake shaking his house down, his pictures fall, furniture bangs together and he just keeps looking forwards, moving from side to side and awaiting the end of the ordeal.

HAMISH

(Looking down)

Sigh...

He notices a puzzle book underneath yesterday’s paper; he reaches for his glasses (carelessly left on the chair arm the day before), removes the pen from the book and turns to a random page. A crossword, I can do that, he reads several clues and strains his brain getting more and more agitated that he can’t answer any. It doesn’t take long before he gives up, shuts it, puts it back down and begins to sulk.

FULL SHOT OF WINDOW FROM HAMISH’S SHOULDER POV
Gazing outside at the wonders of the world, should he leave his cave and experience the environment outside? One slight consideration and he slowly gets to his feet.

FULL SHOT OF HAMISH AND THE CHAIR

CAMERA PANS TO THE LEFT AS HAMISH WALKS AWAY

He shuffles along the floor towards his door and eases it open. The creaking seems to echo across the garden like a soul being set free.

CUT TO: POV OF THE GATE

EXT. THE GARDEN

Gazing out towards the world he lifts a paw to block some of the light. He never goes out and his petite, cramped house restricts the golden daylight trying to peep through. Could it be? Is there someone out there just like him? Are they also longing for a companion to share with?

CLOSE UP OF HAMISH

A flash of lightening slaps the atmosphere as a rumble of thunder seems the only thing trying to get close to him. Looking down with disappointment he slopes back inside as the rain begins.

CLOSE UP OF DINING TABLE

INT. DINING ROOM

He throws himself into the dining room chair where a previous game of chess remains. Using his left hand to move the black pieces and his right hand to move the white, the only way to keep up is to continuously move the board every turn.

With his head propped up on his right paw, he turns to face his phone.

CLOSE UP OF PHONE

“NO MESSAGES” and wonders how much longer this will continue.

MEDIUM CLOSE UP OF HAMISH

Suddenly his stomach lets out a loud rumble like a volcano has erupted inside of him. Grabbing the phone he dials the local takeaway and asks for...

HAMISH

(Sighing)

The usual please

Before sitting back down Hamish reaches for the light switch, the threatening, angry clouds have scared the daylight away. BANG, the bulb goes plunging him straight back into darkness.

SLOW PANNING FOLLOWING HAMISH

The sound of rustling can be heard in the depths of the darkness, like a rat scurrying around, he finds the lamp and switches it on, grabs a buffet and begins his climb to the ceiling. He changes the bulb without a problem, leaves the old one on the table, switches the light back on and puts the buffet back.

CUT TO: FRONT DOOR

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, the sound carries down the hall and into the living room. Someone’s at the door, a companion, a friend, company!

CUT BACK TO: HAMISH

He looks straight towards the door and almost skips towards it with excitement. He wrenches the door open to be faced with empty space.

CUT TO: FRONT OF HAMISH

His face drops as though every piece of happiness he had remaining had just fallen to the ground and he looks down at the bamboo box waiting on his doorstep.

HAMISH

(Shrugging his shoulders)

Sigh...

He bends down and picks up his meal, keeping his head down and very slightly hunched he heads back inside.

CUT TO: LOUNGE
FULL SHOT
He sits on the floor in front of the television, he switches it on and begins munching on his fresh sticks of bamboo. “Just the Two of Us” is playing. One was quite enough, the need to ‘comfort eat’ had left him long ago, one glance at the clock “7:30”...

HAMISH

(Sad sort of smile)

That’s enough for one day

He gets up, walks over to the dining room table and empties the contents of his tea onto the plate ready for breakfast for next morning. He places his empty box in the bin and goes to bed.

CAMERA FADES OUT

PAUSE

FADE IN:

FULL SHOT OF HAMISH’S BED

INT. HAMISH’S BEDROOM – MID MORNING

Hamish is once again awake before his alarm, he is lying in bed staring at it and waiting for it to go off. Click, music starts playing and straight away he turns it off. He yawns, sits up and goes to make a cup of coffee.

CUT TO: KITCHEN

Once again the kettle is surrounded by too many cups, he watches the water trash around, settle and he pours the boiling water into his mug, fills up the kettle and drinks his brew. He manages to force down another bamboo breakfast and he heads for the shower.

CLOSE UP ON FRONT DOOR

The daily newspaper hits the table just like every day and Hamish stomps towards it, grabs it and puts it on the lounge table.

CUT TO: CLOSE UP ON WARDROBE

He grabs his slippers, drops them on the floor and slides his feet in one by one, this whole operation has been performed many times before.

MEDIUM SHOT OF CHAIR

He sits in his usual place, grabs the newspaper and thrusts it open. He starts flicking through when suddenly...

CLOSE UP OF PAPER

...an advertisement for an online dating company catches his eye. It’s calling out for single Panda’s to go online and apparently find their soul mate!

CUT BACK TO: HAMISH

He gets up onto his feet, drops the paper, walks over to his computer and begins typing the address for the company.

CLOSE UP OF COMPUTER SCREEN

He searches for pandas in his area and a specific one catches his eye. Charlie, this one lives nearby and is looking for a companion. The profile reads...

“My name is Charlie and I’m a Sagittarius, I am looking for someone aged between 18 and 22 (Hamish makes a noise in agreement), medium build...

CUT TO: HAMISH ON THE SCALES
(Hamish weighs himself and moans with sadness)

CUT BACK TO: SCREEN

...I love eating in so he needs to be good in the kitchen, I like gardening, I dislike mess, non smoker, and preferably good at DIY, maybe have a pet and have some hobbies. Send me your videos below”.

FULL SHOT OF HAMISH – PAN TO FOLLOW

With that he jumps to his feet, sticks the radio on to get himself motivated (playing “The Things We Do For Love by 10CC), he goes to his wardrobe, grabs a brush and makes a start grooming his fur. Satisfied with that he reaches for a clip on bowtie and places it neatly underneath his chin, not noticing that it isn’t on straight he goes back to the computer, turns on his webcam and gets ready to record.

POV OF WEBCAM

Hamish starts adjusting the webcam, brightness, contrast and position until he is happy with it, clicks record and suddenly gets overcome with nerves. He runs to the toilet and returns after the flush.

Clearing his throat he starts again, clicks record and states...

HAMISH

(Chewing bamboo)

My name is Hamish, I’m 21, well built, none smoker, my star sign is Gemini I think, I am a vegetarian, I like to cook and eat in as well as out. I enjoy chess, gardening and DIY. I like art and I have a pet fish. Err...I don’t like trains and... I hope to hear from you soon

SCREEN GOES DARK THEN MEDIUM CLOSEUP OF HAMISH

He turns the camera off, sends it in and gets to work correcting his lies. First of all he gets his “How To” books down from the shelf and lines them up in order. Just at that point the shelf breaks so he has to use one of them to prop it back up.

CLOSE UP OF FIRST BOOK THEN MEDIUM CLOSE UP OF HAMISH

He flicks through the first book “Sewing for Pandas”, grabs a cardigan from his wardrobe and begins to sew up the broken pocket. Following the guidelines of a simple stitch pattern, he quickly starts stitching. It is very messy but in his eyes it is fixed.

CLOSE UP OF SECOND BOOK

“Cooking for Pandas”

CUT BACK TO: HAMISH – FULL SHOT

He walks towards the door and shuts it behind him leaving the audience in his house.

CUT TO: CLOCK
The big hand moves forward an hour.

CUT BACK TO: HAMISH – FULL SHOT

He returns very quickly clutching a paper bag full of ingredients (including a chef’s hat). None of them are the right ones.

MEDIUM CLOSE UP OF HAMISH

He begins to follow the recipe but he isn’t very successful. He tries to cut up bamboo but he can’t hold the knife, this also means he can’t get any butter out of the tub. He grabs all of the ingredients, puts them in the bin and takes his hat off.

CLOSE UP OF NEXT BOOK

“Gardening for Pandas”. It shows a diagram of how to plant properly and how you must water them afterwards.

FULL PANNING SHOT OF HAMISH

He fills a cup with water and wanders outside, looks up and all around, decides the weather will hold out and picks up two pots of plants. He finds a space near the front of his house puts one down and begins to water it using the cup. He takes the remaining one back inside.

CUT TO: KITCHEN

Hamish tramps in, sets the other one down on the windowsill and turns his back. He hears a slight rustling sound, turns back around straight away to see a bug on his windowsill. He grabs a glass, traps it inside, slides paper underneath and takes it outside.

CUT TO: FULL SHOT OF HAMISH

EXT. GARDEN

Taking a rake from the side of the house, Hamish walks to the front of his garden and begins to rake up some leaves, his arms are too short so he is stooped over like a old man with a sore back. Straight away the familiar sound of the train is on the horizon; Hamish straightens up, looks round just as the train whizzes past and scatters all the leaves.

Once again he heads inside and comes out again armed with tape. When the train had past he noticed that part of his fence was broken. He pulls off a piece of tape and sticks it onto the fence like a band aid on an injury.

CAMERA FOLLOWS HAMISH INSIDE

Hamish reaches inside his shopping bag again and pulls out a goldfish in a coke bottle, he sets it down on its side and smiles at his new pet.

He glances down at the next book...

HAMISH

(Confusion)

Art?

MEDIUM CLOSE UP

He lifts a book out of the shopping bag, he also reveals some cut outs and some glue. He tries to stick the pictures to a page in the book but they keep sticking to him instead.

He sets everything down, stops and looks around. He notices the plant on the windowsill and the empty vase on his table. He gets off his chair, picks a flower off his plant and puts it in the vase, he also jabs a stick of bamboo in there to keep it company.

HAMISH

(Exhausted)

Err sigh...

FULL SHOT

He walks towards his computer and checks for a reply. Noticing he hasn’t had any, he turns on his heels and goes to bed disheartened.

CAMERA FADES OUT

PAUSE

FADE IN:

FULL SHOT OF HAMISH’S BED

INT. HAMISH’S BEDROOM – MID MORNING

Today was different than all of the other days, Hamish was up before his alarm, he had switched it off and was already out of bed. He skipped his morning ritual and headed straight for the computer.

CLOSE UP OF COMPUTER

A flashing envelope icon was blinking in the corner.

“Hi Hamish, I would like to meet you today, by the tracks at 11. I will wear a red carnation”.

CLOSE UP OF HAMISH

Looking at the time “10:52”, he rushed over to his wardrobe to get his bowtie, clipped it on and headed for the door.

FULL SHOT FROM THE GATE

EXT. GARDEN

He walked down his path, towards the tracks and hid behind the main operating building.

POV HAMISH

He looked down the tracks and jumped very slightly with excited as he could just make out a panda in the distance. As the panda got closer it became apparent that the female panda he so longed for was in fact male. This can’t be happening, he stomped back inside before he was seen and slammed his door shut. The number 2 swung back and forth squeaking like a terrified mouse before falling to the ground with a clatter.

CLOSING CREDITS & MUSIC

(“Alone Again Naturally”)

Hamish gets into bed and pulls his covers over his head.