I see how much effort has gone into fine tuning this story to match how CT supports the community at large and I really like the script. It might be that we together come up with little tweaks as we start pre-production, getting into the casting and storyboarding, but let’s discuss all of that together. For now my focus will be on bringing genuine emotions to life and finding technical solutions to the storytelling that never feel technical.
A young girl is sitting on a large tree branch. Bright sunlight sieve through the leaves, illuminating the scene. Beneath her a younger boy is struggling to climb up. His feet slip and he just can’t find the grip he needs. The girl stretches out her hand towards her friend to help him up.
Finally the young boy manages to climb up and sit down next to her – he exhales. The young girl twirls a maple key in her fingers, they smile and look out over their kingdom. This is their universe. She sends the maple key floating down.
The maple key floats down to a yard where two kids are sitting next to a bike that’s been turned upside down. One of the kids is teaching the other how to fix the chain through sign language.
The chain finally clicks into place, the wheel spins smoothly and the deaf friend signs “good job”.
The key blows into a backyard where a young girl is standing on a homemade stage giving a speech to her friends. Behind her on the fence is a hand painted poster that reads: Ava for Prime Minister.
A slight gust of wind sends the key floating and twirling higher and higher until it passes a rooftop garden. The golden rays of sunlight momentarily blind us before we make out a neighborhood group planting vegetables on the rooftop. They work closely together, talking and joking as they go.
The key floats down to a residential street where an impromptu neighborhood game of street hockey is going on. The sound of the sticks hitting the ground bounces between the houses. Feet move swiftly over tarmac. Suddenly the goalie makes an incredible save. In a celebratory move she whips off her helmet and we see a young middle eastern girl. Her eyes glitter – she won!
We see her parents walking toward a neighboring house. They wave for the girl to join them. She runs toward them just as the neighbor welcomes them into his yard with a smile. The maple key floats with them. The camera goes wide and we reveal a sign that says: Welcome to Canada.
The backyard is buzzing with life – filled with people from the neighborhood waiting to welcome the new family.
The key now floats up and up back to the original tree where the boy and girl watch over the party. The girl wraps her arm around the boy and the camera continues up past the tree and into the sky.