Montage Sequence – Daniel 13

[For back story go here: Story so far at 12 June 2020 and more recent Daniel episodes]

SOUNDTRACK: Something sentimental, possibly soft rock. The author has some recommendations here but is loath to make them as producer and director will probably veto and/or claim the rights for that track are too expensive. Also this needs to be authentic for the viewer and a stipulated song might distract.

OPEN ON:

Daniel, lying on his bed. The early light of a new day pushing through his windows and curtains. We think he’s asleep but REVEAL his eyes are open and he’s blinking away tears as they roll out of his eyes and down his cheeks. PAN DOWN and find his hands playing absent-mindedly with a sparkly looking PUPPET HEAD.

CUT TO:

Another morning, Daniel is really asleep now, but the light in his room is the same. He is suddenly shaken awake as the same PUPPET (complete unless otherwise stated) comes down repeatedly on his head. He wakes up and is clearly annoyed and dismayed but then hides this as we REVEAL the PUPPET is being ‘danced’ on him by his six year old daughter Daisy. Daniel does well to recover and smile at her. Camera pans across to bedside table to show bedside clock with 05.12 AM in red LED display.

CROSS FADE:

Kitchen, day. There’s a chaotic but joyful aspect to the scene as grown-up and child prepare pancakes together. There’s flour in the air and the PUPPET is helping/hindering the action. With Daisy's help, it jumps up and down on the sugar bag, it jumps up and down on a bowl.

Daisy tries cracking an egg and it goes EVERYWHERE and Daniel is trying to grab bits of the liquid with his hands before it all entirely slops on to the floor. 

The mixture is already in a larger bowl and the PUPPET tries jumping in the bowl. It becomes covered in batter and Daisy cries. Daniel takes the PUPPET and tries to rinse it under a tap in the sink and then sees the PUPPET’s wizard hat still half submerged in the batter.

CUT TO: 

Daisy sitting on the sofa watching something on the TV. Daniel is sat next to her typing away at his laptop. Something exciting happens on the screen and Daisy jumps smashing into Daniel’s side, slopping the drink she is holding over his computer. Daniel jumps up, tries not to be angry because Daisy is already crying.

CUT BACK TO:

The kitchen. Daniel is frying pancakes, trying to flip them. He is unsuccessful. They keep on folding over in the pan.

On another occasion he manages to just stop Daisy from reaching for the pan when his back’s turned.

REVEAL: the PUPPET is watching carefully, from its position in the kitchen, pegged out to dry, dripping wetly onto the flour. Hat pegged next to it.

Pull back from this to show father and daughter successfully eating pancakes together. They are smiling and laughing despite the apparent devastation of the kitchen around them.

CUT TO:

Daniel, late night, cleaning the kitchen, dumping the frying pan (whose handle has somehow come off) into the bin. 

CROSS FADE:

Daisy walking down the pathway at the front of their house, holding the hand of a woman (out of shot), looking back towards….

Daniel’s face – and then we see Daniel at his house door. Waving, tears in his eyes.

SOUNDTRACK builds at this point. Please don’t use anything with a chorus that’s too ‘on the nose’ – that’s all I ask.

The rear door of a car slams and Daisy is now in the car, looking out.

CUT TO: 

Daniel, walking through an empty house (empty of his daughter) in his pyjamas, carrying the PUPPET HEAD. The house is neat and tidy (a few items of furniture might be missing or look a little broken, but neatly broken, at least).

CUT TO:

Daisy and Daniel at the kitchen table. Daniel is explaining something to Daisy. She nods diligently then drop the music down a little to hear her say:

“I think I’d like to go back. If I can go back to school as well…”

Daniel pauses, nods and smiles sadly.

CUT BACK TO:

Suddenly Daisy opens the car door and is running in SLOW MOTION towards Daniel. He turns to her. She hands him the PUPPET. He crouches down to accept it. They hug. Daisy runs back to the car, but in doing so they fumble the PUPPET. Daniel ends up with the HEAD, Daisy with the body. She almost cries, then shrugs her shoulders and scampers off with the bit she has.

The car drives off, it becomes more out of focus as it drives away.

CUT TO:

Daniel speaking with Nadia via Zoom. The PUPPET HEAD is by his side. He drinks a beer, has a laugh, signs off. He seems unable to think of anything to do. Wanders around the house a little, and then finally slumps on the sofa. He flicks on the flat screen TV and ‘Kingdom of Sparkledom’ comes on. Hugging the PUPPET HEAD he settles down to watch.

SLOW FADE OUT.