First Story Construction.

            My story as reached another level of completion in my head, so I will expose here the main and still rough structure of the story.

            The Rough Story.

- The main cast will consist of five different characters, organized in two groups of two and a single other. The first group to be seen is made up of two children just coming out of school. The time is around 3 o’clock, on the 15^th of June 1953. This will represented by a nice and still strong light, as this takes place at the end of the school year, therefore close to summer. The children are all running out of the school yet these two are faster as they have a plan to fulfil. The design for the two kids will be researched soon, as I am now working on the other set of characters, the 2:1. The next two consist of a pair of wall painters, seated on a suspended platform. This platform is very important to the story, and I will expand on it later on. The last character is the joke shop owner.

The sequence will start out with a map view of Paris. The camera will zoom in until it reaches the front of the school. As its zooms in, it shows the street that separates the school from the shop. We see a van coming in. As we reach the main gate we see children running around, with two at the forefront, our two protagonists. We pan outwards as we follow their run with an arc from the camera. During that time a police man is blowing his whistle towards them as the truck seen earlier brakes suddenly. We see the word mail on the side. We see the back of the children as the joke shop appears into view. It is a typical Parisian shop, and we see for the first time in a setting shot, the two painters in the back ground. The kids run past it towards the end of the street, when one of them catches the collar of the other, stopping him and bringing him close to whisper in his ear while pointing at the two painters. We see the two kids running into the joke shop as the camera rises to look give a close up of the faces of the two painters. A secondary character is present at a window and is talking with them. One wall paper pulls out a cigarette. We go back to the shop, where the two kids are at the counter, pointing at a pile of bags, pointing and raising the other hand showing the number two with their fingers. We then look at the shop keeper who reaches to give it to them. We quickly zoom back to the kids on of them tapping the shoulder of the other and pointing at a slightly open door at the back that says, “No entry – Staff Only”. We zoom back to the shop keeper who looks suspiciously as he gives them the bags. Suddenly, as they grab the bags, whose content stays unknown, sprint towards the door.

This sequence is essential to the story. It is a quick change of shots between the two groups. We see the kids running up stairs with intense and swift music, and then we go back to the two painters and their windowed friend, as the music suddenly changes to a slower tune, and one of them starts lighting his cigarette. We alternate quickly between the two, implying a parallel time frame. They run up and the guy is about to light his match. They reach the top and slam through the door, which bursts open. They run towards the edge and we get a first look at the weird structure that holds the painters. They reach the edge as the match cracks a match. They through their bags and we follow their trajectory as they smash onto the platform. We suddenly see the two painters scratching themselves as the match falls on his cloth setting him on fire. In the movement the platform cracks and both men grab the bars holding the platform.  The man on the window in all the confusion gets a fire extinguisher. He sprays the man on fire which results him being pushed back dramatically backwards, in the manner of a trapeze artist. We follow him as the platform shifts its position, the momentum throwing the other on into a spin. This goes on for a few seconds when both let go and fall on the shade cover of the shop, which sends them hurtling through the air. We give a last shot to the two kids who have a great smile on their face.

The two painters are hurled through the air. We go the other side of the street back to the school, where we see the back of the truck pulling away, a pile of bags pilled up on the side of the street. We get a last look at the face of the two flying painters who are now holding each other. They are in complete shock. The last shot takes a look at the bags, where itching powder is written all over the bags. –

            The ending sequence still needs some polishing. I am not completely satisfied with the last view of the kids. Yet I want them to be seen, so that the viewer can understand this is meant.

My main scene will be the trapeze scene, with the two unwilling artists propelled through the air as they reluctantly are forced through complex figures. This is going to be a challenge to draw, but I am looking forward to doing it. The platform design is essential here, as it will need to pivot at some point to explain the different spins the painters are going to take. I will to a complete design of it later today or tonight.

Jono just gave me and interesting input, in that the kids should first have a look at the two painters before going into the shop. So I think that instead of making them run towards the shop, they’ll run towards the shop and then turn to go down the street when one pulls the other and points to the two painters, whispering into his ear. Then they run into the shop and we rise to see the two painters. Will add that into the story.