Metal World Script
Victorian College of the Arts.
Post-Graduate Diploma in Animation, Major Production 2001
By
Neil Hughes
Draft No.4 Running Time: 6 min
September 2001
Author: Neil Hughes
Copyright. 2001
24 Margaret St
Berwick, Victoria, 3806
pH: 03 9796 1162
mobile: 0412 743 391
Email: neilh@ains.net.au
FADE IN:
1. EXT. COUNTRYSIDE, SMALL HILL – DAY
A small Flock of sheep crests a small hill; a playful sheepdog harasses them as they move. They stop and resume their grass eating. A Shepherd comes into view and pauses on the ridge.
The Shepherd pats his thigh indicating to his dog. The dog looks up and walks over to him. The dog nuzzles his satchel and looks up at the Shepherd. He smiles and produces a biscuit from his satchel and gives it to the dog and pats him on the head.
CLOSE ON Shepherd. A light breeze blows gently over the hills as the Shepherd quietly chews on a piece of grass.
A contented look on his face as his hair ruffles in the wind.
The sound of a steam whistle carries on the wind, breaking the idyllic scene. The Shepherd slowly turns his head in the direction of the sound.
The dog’s ears prick up and the sheepdog raises his head to look. They start to hear mechanical noises. Steam engine noises.
The Shepherd notices something on the horizon and squints to see more clearly. A black smudge on the horizon begins to grow steadily. The Shepherd looks curious. The sheep pause in their eating of grass and look up.
The smudge grows and takes on the form of a huge sprawling machine. The noise increases as well. The mechanical noises almost sound like talking.
The sheepdog begins to growl and bark at the noise. The Shepherd has a worried look on his face. The sheep start to edge backwards. Unconsciously the Shepherd edges backwards as well.
The machine grows larger, spider like, huffing and puffing. A black filthy cloud billows from the machine, spreading out over the sky.
Web like lines shoot out from the machine in different directions traversing the countryside. A line shoots past the Shepherd. It is a railway track. The now terrified sheep flee. The Shepherd vainly tries to halt their flight.
He turns back to face the machine, which has grown increasingly menacing with giant black chimneys spewing forth, black smoke. Pistons and giant cogs tear up the ground as it approaches. The noise is deafening.
The Shepherd turns and runs from the machine, his dog beside him. As he runs more railway tracks pass him and giant pistons slam down beside him, churning the ground.
The Shepherd weaves to and fro dodging the machine, which is now right on his heels. The machine races past him on both sides enveloping him.
Terrified he runs for the closing gap ahead, his breath dry and harsh, his heart pounding in his chest.
The gap closes with a thundering bang, then silence.
The machine stops and the sheepdog stands outside the machine barking and whining.
2. INT. MACHINE CHAMBER - DARK
The Shepherd stops in the dim twilight and glances to the left and right, terrified. His steps echo in the cavernous chamber.
A mechanical machine voice breaks the silence and then
the Shepherd hears a slithering sound. Something brushes his leg, startling him. A shaft of light shines down on him from above. Something moves on the edge of the light. The Shepherd freezes with fear staring at the spot.
The Shepherd hears electric arc noises and the sound of electric circuitry. Out of the gloom slithers a mass of wiring like a snake. It snaps forward grabbing his leg. He madly tries to break free as the wire climbs up his body covering him. It covers his torso and wraps over his face.
The Shepherd vainly tries to fight; he glances at his hand. The wire wraps around his hand then suddenly; the wire plunges into his skin.
The Shepherd screams and wire shoots into his mouth. His screams are drowned out by the machinery, which starts up again.
FADE TO BLACK.
3. INT. MACHINE CHAMBER – DAYLIGHT
FADE IN:
The light fades up on machines and flickering lights. A massive industrial production line. Pipes, cogs and scaffolding stretch out endlessly.
CLOSE ON a solitary robotic man. He watches an assembly line producing mechanical sheep. His shoulders slumped, lacking spirit; he mechanically pulls levers and hits buttons. He gazes up at the huge chimneys and array of pipes and chains that tower overhead. We catch glimpses of other robots working ceaselessly at their tasks.
A megaphone mounted on the wall shouts out mechanical voice commands to which he obeys, moving from one workstation to the next as required.
The production line halts and alarm bells ring. The robot stops what he is doing and picks up a large spanner next to him. He walks over to a giant cog. Dejectedly he tightens the nut holding the cog to a giant spindle.
Softly almost like a dream, a dog barks. The robot raises his head and looks around. He bangs his head a couple of times and then shakes his head. He slowly walks back to his position forgetting the spanner, which is still on the cog nut.
He reaches for the lever but pauses momentarily. He holds up his hand to look at it. His eyes narrow on his hand as he turns it. He makes the equivalent gesture of a sigh and his shoulders slump again. His head drops. He resignedly pulls the lever.
The machinery starts up again. Pistons move up and down and the assembly line begins to move. The noise increases, the giant cog starts to turn. It turns until the spanner touches the floor. The cog stops. The spanner flexes. Alarm bells start to ring. The robot looks up quickly and frantically starts to push buttons and pull levers.
Pressure valves burst open and cogs come loose. There is a calamitous noise as the assembly line smashes on itself. Cogs, wheels, bolts and steel plates fly everywhere, smoke billows everywhere. Silence.
As the smoke clears, a pile of rubble starts to move and the robot wearily pulls itself from the rubble. Everywhere is chaos. The robot shoulders slump miserably and he idly kicks at a loose plate of steel. Something catches his eye and he bends down to move the plate of steel. Startled he sees some grass poking up between the plates.
He throws the plate away and wrenches up another plate of steel revealing more grass. He hears a dog bark. The robot stops and raises his hand. A squashed megaphone issues a strangled order in desperation but dies out.
The robot looks at his hand. He sees the metal plates and wiring covering his hand He gingerly picks a plate from his hand. Startled he sees pale skin beneath. He pulls another plate off revealing more skin.
He pauses and looks at the grass and then back to his hand. The dog barks again and we now hear the bleating of sheep. The robot smiles and starts to remove more parts of his shell.
4. EXT. COUNTRYSIDE, MACHINE – DAY
Outside the machine the Shepherd’s trusty dog and a few sheep wait for him. The sky is overcast and gray. The machinery is rusted and overgrown with grass and ivy.
There is a clanging noise; the sound of metal hammering on metal; and one of the exterior metal plates falls off.
The Shepherd pokes his head through the opening, glances around squinting at the light and then steps out.
His dog joyously barks and bounds up to him to lick his face. The Shepherd smiles and pats the dog.
He stands and turns to walk away from the machine, his dog walking beside him. He pauses briefly, and looks back
at the machine. He smiles and turns away, his dog walks beside him.
The farmer smiles as he comes over the rise of the hill.
His face changes to one of shock and anguish. We see the shepherd’s POV. The once green rolling hills are now
Brown and barren and polluted with only a few patches
Of green. Ruins of factories cover the landscape.
The sky is dull and dark, black clouds cover the sky.
The farmer look of despair turns to anger and he determinedly walks forward to start the rebuilding.
CLOSE ON the Shepherd’s arm as he reaches down to pat the dog again. There is a brief glimpse of steel and electrical wiring sticking out from under his shirtsleeve and softly we hear the sound of computers.
BACK TO SCENE
The Shepherd and his dog make the way home.
FADE OUT.
THE END