This is an excerpt from the script I am writing for ScriptFrenzy. It is still a draft, like Shadow Charge which I did in November for NaNoWriMo.
Note: Apologies in advance for the formatting. This was copied straight from my script-writing software, which does all the tabbing, capitalising etc for me. It will be fixed.
int - redfern's kitchen - day
SUB: 2012
APRIL
Hurry up, Eileen, or you'll be late for school!
eileen
(off screen)
Okay, I'm coming! (enters) How do I look?
APRIL
Smashing, sweetheart. Take your lunch and get out that door. Mike!
mike
(entering)
April, you haven't checked the emails yet this morning, have you?
APRIL
No, why?
mike
I've just found one from ETHA.
EILEEN
Really? About what?
APRIL
Get to school, young lady.
EILEEN
Fine, I'm going. See you later. (exits)
mike
It's about taking on a new child.
APRIL
Really? Who?
mike
His name's Nevin, he's twelve.
APRIL
A boy, Jack will like that. He's sick of being the only one in a house of girls.
mike
He arrives tonight.
APRIL
(drops frying pan)
What?
mike
They're bringing him over this evening.
APRIL
This evening? You're joking! That's -
mike
Short notice.
APRIL
Try very sort notice! They usually give us six months! They must have known we would be having him before now, surely?
MIKE
I don't know. Maybe he was going to be placed somewhere else and there was a change of plan.
APRIL
Doesn't it say in the email?
MIKE
It just says that Nevin will be arriving tomorrow at six, and they'll be sending his file over shortly. No other information other than what I've already given you.
APRIL
I can't believe it.
mike
We've got the space.
APRIL
That's not the point.
MIKE
I know. But we've got to think what it must be like for him.
APRIL
I assume he's been through the Language Programme and everything already, right?
mike
I should think so. But if not, I'm sure they'll provide a translator.
int. - ETHA/PATEL's office - day
PATEL is at his computer, surfing net. Quickly switches to a spreadsheet when boss passes by. Takes a gulp of coffee, and then gets up to follow him.
boss
(turning)
Yes, Patel?
patel
I have a question about the Deacon case, sir.
BOSS
How did you hear about that?
PATEL
Some of the Research staff were discussing it in the canteen, sir. I couldn't help but overhear.
BOSS
You're not on the case.
PATEL
I know, that's what I'm asking about. He's from planet #5, isn't he?
BOSS
I am not at liberty to discuss -
PATEL
I was just wondering why I wasn't called to work on it.
BOSS
We don't need you.
PATEL
Why not?
BOSS
Patel, you're a translator. The boy speaks perfect English. Well - Liverpool. You're not needed. You will be summoned next time we have a refugee who speaks one of your languages and not English, all right?
PATEL
How come he speaks English already? I thought he'd only just arrived?
BOSS
You can't rely completely on staff gossip to guide you on this job, Patel. Tread carefully.
PATEL
Yes, sir.
BOSS
And no more questions about cases you're not assigned to. You know the confidentiality rules.
PATEL
Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.
Friday, 15 April 2011
Saturday, 26 March 2011
For Amber
Happy birthday to you
Your eyes are so blue
Nine years today, wow
Hasn’t time just flew?
Happy birthday to you
You like glitter and glue
I hope you like this rhyme,
Not my best work it’s true!
Happy birthday to you
Who’s nine today, guess who?
Amber of course! Yes,
The little girl’s all grew!
Happy birthday dear cous
You’re the best one because
You’re the sweetest little lady
Ever will be or ever was!
Happy birthday Miss A
You’re a year older today
Do you feel all grown up yet?
Either way, three cheers and hooray!
Happy birthday Miss Pink
As you get taller, I shrink!
Hope you like this little rhyme,
It’s awesome, I think
Happy birthday, little one
Not-so-little, but fun
Always my baby cousin
The best under the sun
Happy birthday, sunshine
You’re the Queen of design
I love your creations
They put me on cloud nine
Happy birthday with cheers
Nine verses for nine years
Hope you like your present
See you soon, for now three cheers!
Your eyes are so blue
Nine years today, wow
Hasn’t time just flew?
Happy birthday to you
You like glitter and glue
I hope you like this rhyme,
Not my best work it’s true!
Happy birthday to you
Who’s nine today, guess who?
Amber of course! Yes,
The little girl’s all grew!
Happy birthday dear cous
You’re the best one because
You’re the sweetest little lady
Ever will be or ever was!
Happy birthday Miss A
You’re a year older today
Do you feel all grown up yet?
Either way, three cheers and hooray!
Happy birthday Miss Pink
As you get taller, I shrink!
Hope you like this little rhyme,
It’s awesome, I think
Happy birthday, little one
Not-so-little, but fun
Always my baby cousin
The best under the sun
Happy birthday, sunshine
You’re the Queen of design
I love your creations
They put me on cloud nine
Happy birthday with cheers
Nine verses for nine years
Hope you like your present
See you soon, for now three cheers!
Thursday, 3 March 2011
(Poem) Ice Clusters - Chance?
NB: “Ice Clusters” is part of the serial poem “Chance?”.
Innumerable, perpetual,
But each lasts only moments.
Minaiture whites, each unique,
Fragile strands linked in a frozen kaleidoscope;
Doilies sewed by the eternal pattern-creator.
Webs tumbling softly from the sky
Before dissolving into the next stage of the cycle.
Innumerable, perpetual,
But each lasts only moments.
Minaiture whites, each unique,
Fragile strands linked in a frozen kaleidoscope;
Doilies sewed by the eternal pattern-creator.
Webs tumbling softly from the sky
Before dissolving into the next stage of the cycle.
Friday, 11 February 2011
Elementary? Far from it (film review)
When looking at the success of previous adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s well-known detective, it could hardly be said that Warner Brothers took a risk with this masterfully reconstructed world that has been imitated countless times in literature, television, and over two hundred films. Sherlock Holmes remains Britain’s, if not the world’s, most famous detective of all time, with the original works having been reprinted so many times, the number of copies sold is unknown.
This gloriously dark thriller opens with Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and Dr Watson (Jude Law)’s gatecrashing of an occult ritual, setting the scene for the intricate plot which is faithful to Conan Doyle’s interest in the supernatural, most notably in The Hound of the Baskervilles. While conventional detective stories focus on answering the question who, the 2009 Holmes film directly introduces a deliciously villainous antagonist, Lord Blackwood (played to spine-tingling perfection by Mark Strong) and the focus of Holmes’ investigation is on the how, which proves to be equally challenging.
Blackwood is arrested at the beginning of the film, turning the detective structure completely on its head, and subsequently hanged – only to have been apparently resurrected three days later: “What a busy afterlife you’re having”. This not exactly being the police’s area of expertise, the great consulting detective is called back in. The characters are not divided completely into black and white, though – Holmes’ past flame, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams)’s motivations remain enigmatic through to the end.
Holmes’ observations are as perceptive and surprising as ever: “As to where I am, I was, admittedly, lost for a moment between Charing Cross and Holborn, but I was saved by the bread shop on Saffron Hill. The only bakery to use a certain French glaze on their loaves ... The only mystery is why you bothered to blindfold me at all.”
As expected for a contemporary audience, Holmes keeps up a fast pace that nonetheless retains a chilling tension, most suspenseful in the build-up to the murders. The film makes good use of classic, if not clichéd, symbolism, for example the ravens that omen Blackwood’s movements. The timeline is creatively flexible, featuring stylistic flashbacks, slow-motion and fast-motion shots, keeping the audience on their toes. Other special effects include the sound, which in several sequences is partially muted, giving the effect of ringing ears. Hans Zimmer’s score merges an eclectic orchestra and synthesisers with a powerful, dramatic theme and Irish vocals, bringing a new atmosphere to a eminent, well-loved world.
Holmes is not a film to watch only once. A downside of the film’s pace is the impossible task of absorbing everything in one sitting; the dialogue is delivered too quickly sometimes to catch, particularly Downey Jr’s, and while the flashbacks engage the audience with details they missed the first time, it can feel like making a mockery of minds not as perceptive as Holmes’. However, the silver lining is that the lavish set and the beautifully crafted script display something new to every audience member in the second, fifth, tenth viewing.
The portrayal of Sherlock Holmes focuses more on his character flaws, including his disorganised living and lack of exercising social skills that cause a rift between himself and Watson: “When do I ever complain about you practising the violin at three in the morning, or your mess, your general lack of hygiene, or the fact that you steal my clothes?”, and earns himself a drink in his face from Watson’s fiancée Mary (Kelly Reilly).
The convoluted plot unfolds in more twists and turns than a labyrinth, as Holmes and Watson get embroiled in escapade after escapade, from the giant Frenchman wielding a mallet to the tense slaughterhouse scene, sprinkled liberally with humour all the way through the film: “I wonder if they’d let Watson and me dissect your brain. After you hang, of course. I’d wager there would be some deformity that would be scientifically significant”. The grand finale takes place high above Victorian London, on the half-completed Tower Bridge, amid a stormy sky and falling scaffolding.
Like all good films, the ending leaves some loose ends; that of the faceless Professor Moriarty, and leaves the way open for the sequel, Sherlock Homes 2, due for release later this year.
This gloriously dark thriller opens with Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and Dr Watson (Jude Law)’s gatecrashing of an occult ritual, setting the scene for the intricate plot which is faithful to Conan Doyle’s interest in the supernatural, most notably in The Hound of the Baskervilles. While conventional detective stories focus on answering the question who, the 2009 Holmes film directly introduces a deliciously villainous antagonist, Lord Blackwood (played to spine-tingling perfection by Mark Strong) and the focus of Holmes’ investigation is on the how, which proves to be equally challenging.
Blackwood is arrested at the beginning of the film, turning the detective structure completely on its head, and subsequently hanged – only to have been apparently resurrected three days later: “What a busy afterlife you’re having”. This not exactly being the police’s area of expertise, the great consulting detective is called back in. The characters are not divided completely into black and white, though – Holmes’ past flame, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams)’s motivations remain enigmatic through to the end.
Holmes’ observations are as perceptive and surprising as ever: “As to where I am, I was, admittedly, lost for a moment between Charing Cross and Holborn, but I was saved by the bread shop on Saffron Hill. The only bakery to use a certain French glaze on their loaves ... The only mystery is why you bothered to blindfold me at all.”
As expected for a contemporary audience, Holmes keeps up a fast pace that nonetheless retains a chilling tension, most suspenseful in the build-up to the murders. The film makes good use of classic, if not clichéd, symbolism, for example the ravens that omen Blackwood’s movements. The timeline is creatively flexible, featuring stylistic flashbacks, slow-motion and fast-motion shots, keeping the audience on their toes. Other special effects include the sound, which in several sequences is partially muted, giving the effect of ringing ears. Hans Zimmer’s score merges an eclectic orchestra and synthesisers with a powerful, dramatic theme and Irish vocals, bringing a new atmosphere to a eminent, well-loved world.
Holmes is not a film to watch only once. A downside of the film’s pace is the impossible task of absorbing everything in one sitting; the dialogue is delivered too quickly sometimes to catch, particularly Downey Jr’s, and while the flashbacks engage the audience with details they missed the first time, it can feel like making a mockery of minds not as perceptive as Holmes’. However, the silver lining is that the lavish set and the beautifully crafted script display something new to every audience member in the second, fifth, tenth viewing.
The portrayal of Sherlock Holmes focuses more on his character flaws, including his disorganised living and lack of exercising social skills that cause a rift between himself and Watson: “When do I ever complain about you practising the violin at three in the morning, or your mess, your general lack of hygiene, or the fact that you steal my clothes?”, and earns himself a drink in his face from Watson’s fiancée Mary (Kelly Reilly).
The convoluted plot unfolds in more twists and turns than a labyrinth, as Holmes and Watson get embroiled in escapade after escapade, from the giant Frenchman wielding a mallet to the tense slaughterhouse scene, sprinkled liberally with humour all the way through the film: “I wonder if they’d let Watson and me dissect your brain. After you hang, of course. I’d wager there would be some deformity that would be scientifically significant”. The grand finale takes place high above Victorian London, on the half-completed Tower Bridge, amid a stormy sky and falling scaffolding.
Like all good films, the ending leaves some loose ends; that of the faceless Professor Moriarty, and leaves the way open for the sequel, Sherlock Homes 2, due for release later this year.
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
If at First You Don’t Succeed …
1 - Eat chocolate and try again.
2 - Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and try again.
3 - Read a Charles Dickens novel and try again.
4 - Win Monopoly and try again.
5 - Beat the world high score on Runescape and try again.
6 - Order four-course Chinese and try again.
7 - Go to see the Lion King on stage and try again.
8 - Change your mobile phone and spend all your credit on it and try again.
9 - Visit Disneyland Florida
10 - Write a novel and try again.
11 - Win a chess championship and try again.
12 - Spring-clean the whole of London
13 - Ask Santa for the twelve days of Christmas’ gifts, one at a time, for twelve years in a row and try again.
14 - Travel the world and try again.
15 - Mope about it till you’re 99 and 364 days old and try again.
UNLESS what you’re trying to do was to save the world in a 60-second deadline, in which case you’d better skip all the above and get a move on!
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