Between The Trees

by Frank Harper
Act 1: Lost
A large, dense forest.
WIDE/ESTABLISHING SHOT. FOREST. LARGE TREE IN FOREGROUND
A young boy is walking through the forest, lost. He carries a map,
and is looking at it quizzically. An eerie screech echoes from the
trees startling the boy. The boy heads on his way.
MEDIUM WIDE SHOT. CHARACTER WALKS THROUGH SHOT, RIGHT TO LEFT.
BEHIND TREES IN FOREGROUND
The boy, now on edge, continues walking through the trees. A large
shape moves through the forground at speed, and the boy peers into
the forest, scared.
MEDIUM WIDE SHOT. CAMERA BEHIND BOY.
.The boy is stood peering into the trees, as the dark shape comes
into shot again (stage left). It stops, and then shoots up into
the trees. The boy turns and tries to go back the way he has come
from...
MEDIUM WIDE. CAMERA LOW TO GROUND.
The boy walks toward the camera, timidly, when suddenly a large
creature drops from the canopy, landing in the foreground. The
boy, shocked, comes to a halt and shivers behind his map.
MEDIUM DOWN SHOT. BOY STOOD QUIVERING AS BEAST APPROACHES.
The boy stands quivering as the beast approaches. When the beast
reaches him, it reaches out to him, but the boy simply faints.
FADE OUT.
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ACT 2: A THING OF HORN AND HAIR

A beautiful, grassy clearing in the trees. Dotted with toadstools
and odd plants.
MEDIUM LONG SHOT. BOY
The boy wakes up on a soft bed of grass. He wakes up groggily, and
looks around himself. Double taking as he sees something.
LONG SHOT. BOY IN BACKGROUND, BEAST IN FOREGROUND
The boy looks to face the slumbering beast in the centre of the
clearing. He looks over at his map and his bag, gets to his feet
and prepares to creep away...
MEDIUM WIDE SHOT. BOY IN FOREGROUND. BEAST IN BACKGROUND.
The boy, with his things, creeps away, but then stands on a twig
which makes a large audible crack. the beast wakes in the
background and leaps up into the trees. and the boy turns back to
face the now empty clearing.
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY TURNS TOWARD CAMERA
Hearing the rustling sound, the boy turns to look over his
shoulder. Worrying as the beast is nowhere to be seen. The beast
slowly drops in upside down behind the boy, with a big grin on its
face. The boy starts to realise that there is something behind him
and slowly begins to turn towards the beast. The beast then lunges
at the boy, taking his bag and dissapearing back into the canopy.
The boy attempts to grab back his bag, but as he does, the
creature drops down behind him and takes his map.
MEDIUM WIDE SHOT. BOY IN BACKGROUND.
The worried boy looks up into the canopy, trying to see where the
creature has gone. The creature drops down into the foreground,
landing with a thud as it sits on a log. It then examines the boys
map.
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MEDIUM SHOT. BEAST.

The beast takes a great big bite out of the boys map.
LONG SHOT. BOY RUNS FROM BACKGROUND TOWARD CAMERA
The boy runs towards the creature in a panic. We hear a struggle,
as the beast is devouring the rest of the map.
MASTER SHOT. BOTH CHARACTERS IN FRAME.
The boy looks forelornly at the tattered remains of his map, as
the creatures attention turns to his rucksack. The beast goes to
takes a bite out of the bag, but the boy swiftly grabs it, leaving
the beast to bite into thin air. The boy eyes the beast sternly.
CLOSE UP SHOT. BOYS BAG.
The boy reaches into his rucksack, and pulls out a sketchpad.
MEDIUM UPSHOT. BOY IN FOREGROUND, BEAST LEANING IN AROUND BOY
The boy sits drawing something on a sketchpad, the beast leans in
over the boy, trying to see what he is doing.
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY ON RIGHTHAND 3RD LINE
The boy shows the beast a crude drawing of a house. The crayon
resting on the paper.
UPSHOT.
The beast thinks for a moment, rubbing its chin.
CLOSE UP SKETCHPAD.
The beast reaches in and takes the crayon.
UPSHOT. BEAST.
The beast sniffs it, then tosses it in his mouth, eating it.
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MEDIUM SHOT. BOY ON RIGHTHAND 3RD LINE.

The boy looks at the creature, confused and amazed.
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY AND SKETCHPAD.
The boy picks up another crayon and draws something else.
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY ON RIGHTAND 3RD LINE
The boy shows the drawing to the beast again having now ringed the
house with a red circle.
MEDIUM UPSHOT. BEAST.
The beast again, reaches in and takes the crayon, eating it.
LONG SHOT. BOY AND BEAST
Annoyed, the boy throws his sketchpad away. PAD LANDS IN CAMERA
FOREGROUND
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY ON RIGHTHAND 3RD LINE.
The boy turns to towards the creature, annoyed.
MEDIUM UP SHOT. BEAST.
The beast leans in towards the camera and then grins widely,
revealing a set of large, crayon covered teeth.
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY ON RIGHT HAND 3RD LINE.
The boy looks at the beast with a straight face for a while... but
then starts to laugh. The beast also chuckles.
UPSHOT. BEAST ON LEFTHAND 3RD LINE.
The beast, smiling, waves his hand, magically producing a peculiar
wooden trumpet which he plucks from the air.
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UPSHOT. BOY ON LEFTHAND 3RD LINE, BEAST CIRCLES AROUND TO BE ON

THE RIGHTHAND 3RD LINE
The beast starts to play, moving around the boy.
MEDIUM WIDE SHOT. BOY NOW ON LEFT 3rd LINE.
The boy watches the beast as it starts to dance around the
clearing. The beast jumps and clicks his heels as he strides out
of shot.
The boy gets to his feet and begins to clap along to the tune,
before running after the beast to dance.
CLOSE UP. BEAST.
Close up of beast playing flute.
CLOSE UP. BOY.
Close up of boy clapping his hands.
MASTER SHOT. BOTH FULL BODY CHARACTERS IN SHOT. BEAST ON RIGHT,
BOY ON LEFT
Beast and Boy dance around the clearing together, marching to the
beat.
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY DANCES TO LEFT HAND 3RD LINE
Boy waves his arms around, dancing, but then stands on something.
He stops and looks down.
MEDIUM DOWNSHOT. BOYS FEET.
The boy is standing on the sketchpad he had previously thrown.
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY ON LEFTHAND 3RD LINE.
Looking down at his feet, he reaches down to pick it up.

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O/S SHOT BOY. SHOW SKETCHPAD DRAWING IN HIS HANDS

O/S Shot, Boy looking at his sketchpad.
CLOSEUP. BOY.
Close up of boys face as he remembers that he was trying to find
his way home.
P.O.V SHOT. BOY
Boys P.O.V shot. Beast dancing.
MEDIUM SHOT.
The boy turns and starts to walk away. INTO THE BACKGROUND.
MEDIUM SHOT.
The beast stops playing turns to look for the boy.
LONG SHOT.

BOY WALKING RIGHT TO LEFT.

The boy is making his way out of the clearing, when the beast
drops down from the canopy in front of him, halting the boy,
quizzically looking at the boy as if to say "Where are you
going!?"
MEDIUM DOWNSHOT. BOY ON RIGHTHAND 3RD LINE.
The boy shows the beast the drawing one more time, in a last
effort to make the beast understand.
LONG SHOT. BEAST ON LEFT 3RD LINE. BOY STOOD JUST TO HIS RIGHT.
The beast shrugs and starts to play his flute again. So angrily
the boy tears the drawing out of his sketchpad, stuffs it into the
creatures flute and heads on his way. The creature, saddened, sits
on a rock and looks forlornly at his trumpet. He picks out the
crumpled paper, and unfurls it, finally seeing at it for what it
is. The beast then looks in the boys direction.

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ACT 3: BETWEEN THE TREES

MEDIUM SHOT. BOY WALKING TOWARD CAMERA AT AN ANGLE
The boy carries on his way when beast places a hand on his
shoulder, stopping him. The boy is then lifted roughly from the
ground with a gasp.
MEDIUM SHOT.
The beast places the boy on his back. The beast then points to the
drawing the boy has done, letting the boy know that he understands
and will help.
LONG SHOT.
The beast and the boy then march into the trees, disappearing out
of sight.
WIDE SHOT.
The pair move through the forest, left to right.

PROFILE TWOSHOT.
The boy points to something over the beasts shoulder.
LONG SHOT. BEAST AND BOY WALK INTO BACKGROUND.
We see the boys house in the distance, and the pair move towards
it.
WIDE SHOT. DOWNSHOT TO TREES.
The beast and the boy emerge from the trees. The boys house in the
foreground
MEDIUM SHOT. UPSHOT.
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The beast places the boy gently on the ground.

MEDIUM SHOT. DOWNSHOT. BOY.
The boy smiles up at the creature, and reaches out to shake the
creatures hand.
MEDIUM SHOT. UPSHOT.
The creatures shies away from the boys hand.
MEDIUM SHOT. DOWNSHOT.
The boy looks confused... but then smiling, reaches into his bag
and removes a whole box of crayons.
CLOSE UP. BOYS HANDS W/ CRAYONS.
The beast leans in sniffing them, his tongue sticking out
greedily.
MEDIUM SHOT. UPSHOT.
The beast accepts the gift.
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY. BEAST IN BACKGROUND, KNEELING.
The boy waves and turns for home, the beast watches him leave
sadly.
MEDIUM SHOT. BOY BACK TO CAMERA, STOPS AND TURNS TO FACE CAMERA.
The boy hears a rustling sound, and turns back to see the creature
has gone.
WIDE SHOT. BOY STANDS AT TREE LINE.
The boy stands looking small against the trees.
LONG SHOT TO MEDIUM SHOT. BOY WALKS FROM BACKGROUND TO FOREGROUND
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THEN EXITS SHOT.

The sad boy, then turns towards his home, walking sullenly towards
it... Until he begins to hear the creatures flute being played
again from between he trees. He turns to look at the woods, and
then turns back home, with a smile on his face, exiting the shot
as the music plays and the screen fades to black.
THE END

Copyright 2015