For my final year project I wrote an anthology of cultural tales from around the world. It was aimed at both children and adults and was designed to widen cultural knowledge through fairy-tales. Here is one of the tales that I adapted.
Diamonds and Toads There was once in the corner of a village a run-down cottage. In this cottage lived a family, the father a humble wood-cutter had a daughter who was as beautiful as she was kind but her mother had died when she was young and so the humble woodcutter had to remarry as he was seldom at home and no one was there to look after his daughter. So he married a widow in the village who was proud but poor, she too had a daughter who although beautiful was
brash and rude. The step-mother doted on her own daughter; brushing her hair, buying her expensive gifts but the step-mother hated her stepdaughter who she would treat unkindly. The step-mother constantly argued with her husband demanding that he should work more and leave the house as he wasn’t earning enough to sustain their household. She would threaten her step-daughter saying that her father couldn’t afford her would feed her scraps and force her to clean the house whilst her own daughter would gorge on food and treat her step-sister like a maid. One day the step-mother told her stepdaughter to fetch water from the nearby well so that the house could be cleaned as rumours had reached her
of a visit by a king and prince to their lowly village and the mother wanted the house to not be filthy. For the stepmother had plans for her own daughter to marry the prince and for herself to marry the king so that the two of them could live wealthily and not in poverty. The beautiful stepdaughter agreed as her step-mother was her elder and her mother and no matter how horribly she was treated the girl still loved her. So the young beautiful step-daughter went to the well with buckets to clean the house. The young girl on her walk passed some bushes with berries and decided to pick them, thinking they would be a treat for herself and her mother and sister. She put them in one of the buckets thinking that the water would
wash them clean then she would carry them home to be cooked. She walked to the well which was situated not too far from the village and was thought of to be a magic wishing well. The young girl began the laborious task of drawing water from the deep well and so was unaware of an old beggar woman who appeared beside her. “Child, I am so weary, may I have some water please? I am too frail to drag a bucket up for myself may I drink from one of yours?” the old crone asked. The beautiful kindly girl saw the beggar woman and felt pity and said, “Drink your fill, old mother, I do not mind refilling the bucket until your thirst is quenched. If you are hungry I have some berries that I was going to eat and bring back for my mother and
sister but you are more in need of them than me.� The beggar woman was pleased and lifted one of the heavy filled buckets to her lips and quickly gulped the contents down swiftly. The young girl was surprised but gave the other bucket to the woman to quench her thirst, the old woman spryly lifted the bucket as if it was empty and drained it quickly too. The young girl obligingly began to lower the bucket and draw more water from the well. She did this several times sweating with effort and exhaustion until the beggar woman was satisfied.
I created a visual speculative script for animation based around a story I had written; The Boy who was neither Brave nor Wise.
ACT 1: EXT: VILLAGE - DAYTIME In the middle of a lush valley is a small village, it is surrounded by a tall wooden fence. There is a winding path that leads from the village to the nearby forest that looms ominously. EXT: POND - DAYTIME There is a bright azure blue pond with several gleaming fish glinting in the water. There is a YOUNG BOY standing near the pond. He stands on his tiptoes and appears distracted by the glinting fish. He is content. In his pocket is some wriggling bait and in his hand is a
makeshift fishing rod. It is very shoddy looking, but earnest. That’s one word to describe him, earnest. He reaches into his pocket and grabs a handful of wriggling orange worms some fall to the floor. Sticking his tongue out he holds onto one particularly wriggly worm and holds it up to the fishing rod. Confused at how he is going to attach the worm to the fishing rod he enthusiastically ties the worm into a knot around the string. The worm struggles briefly then slumps defeated. The boy triumphant sits at the water’s edge whilst the rest of the captured worms escape. He doesn’t notice. Instead he throws the string with the worm into the water and sits at the edge. His SISTER walks up to the pond following the path. She is dressed very prettily and has a smug smile on her face. She sees her brother and smiles and waves.
He scowls at the water and shakes his stick hoping for a fish. She stands at the opposite end of the pond and holding out a bucket which is decorated in pretty flowers she begins to sing. All of a sudden, dozens of fish leap out of the water and into her bucket. Fish are literally flopping around her feet. She stops singing, places the bucket on the floor and picks up all the fish around her feet and places them tenderly back in the pond. Her brother has been watching this enviously. He is in a foul mood hunched over his makeshift stick. He shakes it aggressively and it breaks in half. His sister giggles and skips off with a bucket full of fish. The YOUNG BOY scowls and throws the stick into the pond.
I also wrote a speculative script for a short film based around a mother and daughters strained relationship when one leaves and the other secretly follows.
INT: BEDROOM – MORNING The room is a typical teenage room filled with film and music posters, dvds overflow from the bookcase which is filled with films and plays. In a mirror EMILY an eighteen year old girl stands lifting up her school shirt sucking in her stomach. Her ribs protrude and she looks skeletal. She exhales. She stands nose to nose with her reflection and begins studying her teeth and face. A photo is stuck to the mirror which EMILY glances at. It’s a photo of a beautiful young woman laughing at the camera. The woman knows she’s young and beautiful and is enjoying every minute of it. CUT TO: INT: KITCHEN- THE MORNING. EMILY is sat at a small table; she looks at a bowl of yoghurt in front of
her. She prods it gingerly with her spoon. EMILY: What is this? EMILY’S MOTHER sits opposite her with her own bowl of yoghurt. She is a middle-aged woman, slightly portly she wears clothes that are slightly too young for her. She is sorting through the post, there is a lot of final notice bills which she tries to hide from EMILY. She was the young woman in the photograph on EMILY’S mirror. EMILY’S MOTHER: Low fat Greek Yoghurt, it’s healthy. EMILY’S MOTHER takes a bite and grimaces. She starts reading the Stage newspaper, she immediately turns to the job section. EMILY: You’re really selling it Mum. EMILY prods the offending article with her spoon. EMILY’S MOTHER: Well, that’s all
there is. It’s this or starve. EMILY’S MOTHER takes another mouthful and grimaces again. EMILY’S MOTHER: It’s really not that bad, it’s an acquired taste. Just try it. EMILY: Couldn’t I make myself some toast instead? EMILY’S MOTHER: No, toast isn’t healthy, this is. EMILY tries to eat the yoghurt, overreacts to its taste. EMILY’S MOTHER: For god’s sake Emily, it’s just food. Eat it. EMILY gets up and spoons the yoghurt in the sink. EMILY:
(rushed) It’s ok I wasn’t hungry anyway. I’m off now, bye. EMILY scampers over to her mother gives her a kiss on the cheek, grabs her bag and runs out of the door before her mother can say anything. EMILY’S MOTHER forcibly eats the rest of her yoghurt as quickly as she can. She pulls a disgusted face. EMILY’S MOTHER: Hang on Emily, what did the letters say? Emily? Emily? The front door slams shut. EMILY’s MOTHER sighs, looks at the letters guiltily. She grabs EMILY’s letters and goes to the kettle. She puts the kettle on and holds the letters over the steam to open them. .