Don't see anything here? “A Baby Tramp" Adapted from the Short Story by Ambrose Bierce Note: It should probably be noted that I tend to use film/camera angle terms loosely, it’s just what I tend to do when I’m writing a script (blame film/animation classes I previously took?). It helps frame in my head the general size of panels/what I’m drawing if I really need it. For reference, just in case: MS= midshot (Head+shoulders shot, or head to torso, generally…) CU= close up shot (Something well, close up….like perhaps only a shot of a person’s head.) Wide/Establishing shot= a general shot meant to describe a scene (in particular establishing shot means just that…setting up a scene or a place…) Page 1 Panel 1 A shot of rain falling in a dark sky. Panel 2 This rain is black, and apparently, falling on a young boy’s head, who is forelornly looking up at it. Panel 3 A wide shot of a boy, standing in a foggy area on a street corner, nothing in particular interesting abou the shot except for this boy standing there. This boy, barely dressed in clothes (one would wonder how those rags stay on him), barefoot, looking in general to be some sort of roughed up orphan, standing on a street corner in the middle of the night. Panel 4 Back to the rain. Page 2 Panel 1 Another day, it is lighter this time, not nighttime, but it is raining…..frogs? Panel 2 A street scene of “Blackburg” (although obviously its name has not been said yet in comic). People walking the street. Some men are scattered about this scene, confusingly staring at the sky of raining frogs, some taking off their hats. Yet there are other people, just calmly walking the streets as if this were nothing, with an umbrella. Panel 3 Somebody is calmly reading a newspaper, not paying attention to the frogs. Panel 4 CU on the newspaper- an illustration is on the front of the paper of falling frogs (photography not being wide spread in the late 19th century still), with the headline: “Good Growing-Weather for Frenchmen”. Page 3 Panel 1 A shot of a window of some sort of tavern/bar (from the inside) Outside, it is snowing. But not just any snow- crimson colored snow. Man 1 (Off Panel): By gods, frogs falling a few years back, now crimson snow? What could there be next? Panel 2 An establishing shot of a busy bar. Any dialogue in this scene is just floating there with no arrows to point to who exactly was saying it- indicating it was probably just well, random floating conversations going between the men of the bar at the moment? Dialogue 1: Snow as deep and as dark of a red as the hell it came from. Dialogue 2: Perhaps it is a sign from God, even though it is not wine that turns into blood here… Dialogue 3: Whatever it is, the supposed “scientists” who have come to temporarily observe this phenomenon know nothing of what to say. Nothing about it. Panel 3 One of these supposed men in the bar…obviously dressed in the period clothing of the late 19th century (fitting the rest of the story, duh), hair style, etc,etc. He looks unimpressed with this…and shaking his head. There is another window in the shot, and the snow is still falling outside. Man: Something will come of this. For better. Or worse. Panel 4 Back to a shot of the sky with snow falling. Dialogue 1: Only Lord knows what that will be. Panel 5 Another shot of the sky. It is a hazy summer in this town (a Virginia colonial/plantation town). Dialogue 1: Only the Lord knows what’s killed all these people here in our town of Blackburg. Panel 6 A wide shot of a serene, bright cemetery (Oak Hill Cemetary) Dialogue 1: Half of our town gone to gastly plague that even the doctors couldn’t figure a reason for. Page 4 Panel 1 Another, but closer shot of the cemetery. Dialogue: 1: Those who didn’t die left, but luckily were quick to come back, and life in Blackburg continues as ever. Panel 2 CU on Hetty Parlow’s gravestone. Dialogue 2: Except for those Brownons. The once proud leaders of our town, all either dead or deserted. Dialogue 1: Poor, poor Hetty Parlow…..you heard about the other night, right? Panel 3 A shot of a wagon going on the road running next to the cemetery, coming towards the camera. It’s dark and hazy once again. Narrative Box: About the dozen coming back from Greenton? The May Day festival? Panel 4 A shot of a group of joyful people in the wagon- men and women- laughing and looking like they’re having a good time. Narrative Box: I wouldn’t have believed it, but they all knew her….. Panel 5 A shot of a driver looking a bit surprised as he pulls the reigns in. Narrative Box: And as they passed the cemetery well….it would make sense that one might see something strange….. Panel 6 Spooked horses are grinding to a halt. Page 5 Panel 1 The previously said party of friends silently look forward (at us, but in reality straight ahead of them)…. Panel 2 A close shot of well, a woman ghost (the ghost of Hetty Parlow), with all the customary signs, the shroud, long undone hair, a far away expression, and in general rather gastly looking, is screaming out, her hands stretched out towards the west (Left side of the panel obviously…). SFX (No dialogue balloon, but use a font which assumes that this is coming from the incredibly creepy woman ghost): JOEEEEY!!!!! Panel 3 A completely different scene. A wide shot of a desert, a tumbleweed blowing past, the sun shining down on the pale desert earth of Nevada. SFX: JOEY!!! Panel 4 A young boy, hot, tired looking, is wandering through this desert. Note to Artist: This is the same boy from the first page, although he is younger, perhaps only a toddler, in this shot. However, he should physically look similar to whatever look is established for “Jo” (Joey/Joseph?) in the first page. Panel 5 The young Jo stops, falling on the desert ground. A large shadow is above him. Panel 6 A top down shot of the boy. Jo looks up. Page 6 Panel 1 A worm’s eye view as if from the boy’s persepective. We are looking up a horse’s head…and a stern looking Native American man looking back at the young boy. Panel 2 Pulling back, a wider and different angle shot of the group of Indians, including previously shown man on horseback, who had stumbled upon the young boy. Boy on left. Indians on right. Panel 3 Same shot. Man on horseback: [Unintelligible symbols/language- another “language”]. Panel 4 The group turns to leave to the right. Keep same angle/ shot perspective. Panel 5 Same angle/shot. The boy is left alone for a moment. Panel 6 Same angle/shot. But, he follows them off panel. Page 7 Panel 1 A wide shot of a train station. Panel 2 Same shot angle/perspective. The Indians and the young boy enter the panel. Panel 3 A CU shot of money being exchanged between hands. One set of hands are rough and manly (the Indian), the other are delicate and certainly feminine looking….. Panel 4 A shot of the young Jo, sitting on a train, next to a woman. The focus of this panel should really be on Jo, not the woman. Panel 5 A shot of a window, going past what looks to be a busy city. Panel 6 A city street, with residential houses. Specifically, although not necessary for more than the artist’s purposes, this town is Cleveland Ohio. Showing signs of what city this exactly is not necessary, merely the fact that it is some sort of residential area. Page 8 Panel 1 A similarly laid out panel to the last one, except this time Jo is in the shot. He doesn’t really seem to be doing anything in particular….whatever seems appropriate/interesting to the artist. Panel 2 Jo looks someplace, as if he is checking to see if maybe, perhaps, if he is being “watched”. Panel 3 Jo begins to wander off. Panel 4 A wider shot of him wandering down the street, but on one side of the shot should also be…a railcar going past. Panel 5 Railcar going past another random town…..specifically, Whiteville. (Note: Apparently Whiteville, historically/realistically- is in North Carolina. Change the atmosphere of this “town” to reflect that change in the location? North Carolina is NOT Ohio?) Dialogue 1 (No “speaker” in panel): What are you doin’ here, son?? Dialogue 2 (also no “speaker” in panel) Imma a doin’ home. Page 9 Panel 1 A wide shot of a policeman leading Jo, their backs to us, to a large building. In the shot should be a sign someplace- “Infants’ Sheltering Home- Whiteville”. To further reenforce the idea that this was the police taking Jo away to this place….perhaps put a police car in the panel? No specifics as to what time of day or night it was, just experiment with what feels right…. Also note that Jo seems to be well, as the author put it “sinfully dirty”….. Panel 2 Another wide shot, of the back of said building. Children are playing, it is a sunny day, all except for near one edge of the panel where there are dark woods there. Panel 3 A closer shot of the entrance to said dark woods. Jo is there, once again making sure nobody is “watching” him. Panel 4 Jo runs off into the woods. Page 10 Panel 1 A full body shot of Jo as we had seen him in the first page of the story- horribly dirty, rags of clothing that were barely hanging on him, no shoes on his red, dirty, and swollen feet. Panel 2 MS. Jo looks off into the distance, his gaze blank, (to quote the text) “From the way he stared about him one could have seen that he had not the faintest notion of where (nor why) he was.” Panel 3 Jo walks towards the edge of this panel, going someplace yet again. Panel 4 Jo walks into town. It is dark, and nobody is outside. Just him, and the rain. Panel 5 He stops outside of…a house. Much larger than himself, it also seems to be lit inside, a warm red/yellow glow of candlelight emitting from the windows in contrast to the cool and dark night of rain. The house should not look “frightening” even though it is larger than Jo, but rather, “warm and inviting.” . Panel 6 CU. Jo looks pleased with what he sees here. Panel 7 Similar angle perhaps to Panel 5? Jo begins to walk towards the house. Page 11 Panel 1 A CU of a rather mean, ‘burly’ looking dog, snarling and barking out. Panel 2 Pulling back, we see this dog is barking right at Jo, in his way between himself and this house. Panel 3 CU. Jo looks frightened (obviously) at the dog. Panel 4 Jo runs away from the house back into the misty rain….. Panel 5 Jo running past fields, although they are as wet and grey as the misty rain and the rest of the dark night…nothing too noticible…. Panel 6 In the background there should be a figure (Jo) running into some field, but it should be somewhat blurred out as backgrounds can be. In the sharper foreground, although it does share similar tones with the rest of the grey-ish scenery so as not to be be TOO blindingly evident- is a sign- ‘Oak Hill Cemetary’. Page 12 Panel 1 It is morning, another wide shot on “Oak Hill Cemetary”. This particular shot should reflect the general idea that it has just rained (wet grass, still a bit misty, etc,etc.). Panel 2 A shot of Jo’s feet- bare, dirty, cold and wet looking. Panel 3 A shot of his torso. One of his dirty hands has been tucked under him, suggesting he had tucked it under there to try and keep himself warm. Panel 4 A shot of his head + other arm. His hand is resting right by a grave stone- “Hetty Parlow”. He is cold, dirty, wet, and he looks like he is well, either sleeping or dead (it is up to one to figure that out…..). The only thing not dirty on him is his cheek- it is clean and white….again to quote the text: “As for a kiss from one of God’s great angels”.
For convenience I have hidden this post until the "Read On...." link is clicked. This should open the full text post in a new window. Enjoy the short story adaptation of "A Baby Tramp" by Ambrose Bierce!
Thirteenth Assignment
10 years ago
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