Tag: novel to film

HEART OF CLOUDS – SCREENPLAY – 13

Posted on by Adrienne in Adaptation, Novel, Art Direction, Heart of Clouds, novelist, Screenwriter

Heart of Clouds

by Adrienne Wilson

(for Walter Halsey Davis, of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference)

*chapter FIRST KISS p. 89 in my novel

EXT. DEVLIN’S CASTLES. LOON POINT. SUNNY

Devlin watches Teenie walking by the sea, she is the first girl he has ever thought of as pretty.

*establishing first feelings for a girl

Shakes his head, to and fro. He runs down the beach like a race horse to get back to the driftwood hut, finds her note hidden in the abalone shell.

FLASHBACK

Teenie kissing her note to him with an invisible kiss. Then pocketing his note to her.

*establishing first feelings for a boy

Devlin has paper and pen in his uke case. Scribbles a next note, in all CAPS.

MEET ME HERE TOMORROW AT TEN O’CLOCK

Love, Devlin

Photo by Yelena Odintsova on Pexels.com
Digital Camera

EXT. HONEYGARTEN HOUSE. GARDEN GATE. MELLOWMAN

Teenie rides her bike to Mr. Honeygartens, and Melloman has been waiting for her at the gate. Her feelings for Devlin make her want to ask Mr. Honeygarten about Claire. She stops to inhale one of his exquisite old red rambler roses along the picket fence.

old house in Carp, with look for Honeygarten house
image for look of Honeygarten fence, this is next door to the yellow house above in Carp.

TEENIE

(calls up to his upper windows)

Mr. Honeygarten are you home?

HONEYGARTEN

(his face appears smiling down at her, from the high window)

Hello, my dear

Would you like some tea?

TEENIE

Yes I would Mr. Honeygarten

HONEYGARTEN

Why don’t you go and get the shears and bring some of those roses in, my dear. Take Mellowman along with you.

(Mellowman leaping and clowning around, tail wagging, garden scenes, tangled English garden look)

(Teenie moving along the fence picking the lush red roses)

INT. HONEYGARTEN HOUSE. PARLOR

Mr. Honeygarten has made tea and is arranging his delicate cups and saucers for the two of them, as well as petits fours.

HONEYGARTEN

Aren’t they the loveliest?

TEENIE

(arranging roses in a vase)

They are, Mr. Honeygarten

HONEYGARTEN

Sit down my dear. Tell me how you have been?

TEENIE

Fine

HONEYGARTEN

Any wild adventures?

TEENIE

(looks away shyly thinking of Devlin)

Well….

Mr. Honeygarten?

HONEYGARTEN

Yes my dear

TEENIE

Who was Claire?

HONEYGARTEN

Ah, Claire. Why Claire was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen

TEENIE

She was?

HONEYGARTEN

Yes my dear. She was.

TEENIE

When did you know her?

HONEYGARTEN

When I was fifteen

TEENIE

Really?

HONEYGARTEN

Yes my dear, and I have never, ever forgotten her. Not once in all these years.

*image of Mary Pickford in Stella Maris — Mr. Honeygarten’s “Claire”

HONEYGARTEN

(eyes, dreamily remembering Claire, he takes a sip of tea and reaches for a petits four)

TEENIE

She must have been very special Mr. Honeygarten

HONEYGARTEN

She was my dear. In fact she stole my heart.

TEENIE

(puzzling over what Mr. Honeygarten has just said)

HONEYGARTEN

(sighs deeply)

Claire was the love of my life, my dear

TEENIE

She was?

HONEYGARTEN

Yes, Teenie she was

TEENIE

Well how did she. I mean

HONEYGARTEN

How did I fall in love with her?

TEENIE

(smiling at Mr. Honeygarten, while secretly thinking of Devlin)

HONEYGARTEN

Oh my dear, where shall I begin?

(pauses, close in on kind eyes smiling at Teenie)

I suppose my dear, she was a bit like you

TEENIE

She was?

HONEYGARTEN

Yes, she was. I suppose I shall just have to tell you that story, won’t I?

I don’t suppose you might bake another apple pie for me once I finish?

TEENIE

Mr. Honeygarten if you tell me about Claire, I’ll make you an entire pie. Just for you.

(Fire crackling in the hearth, Mr. Honeygarten and Teenie savor the petits fours and cakes, while sipping tea, as Teenie pours, watching the little elf on the teaspoon, it seems to smile at her)

Where did you get these little teaspoons, Mr. Honeygarten

HONEYGARTEN

Claire gave them to me, my dear. I’ve had them all these years.

TEENIE

She did?

HONEYGARTEN

Yes, in fact we had tea together almost every day as children

TEENIE

You did?

HONEYGARTEN

(nods, solemnly)

All these little spoons were given to me by her. I have four. For the four birthdays we shared together.

TEENIE

You saved them all these years?

HONEYGARTEN

Nothing in the world would ever make me part from these spoons

TEENIE

You must have loved her very much Mr. Honeygarten

HONEYGARTEN

I did my dear. More than anything in the whole world.

*to page 94 in my novel, Heart of Clouds

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HEART OF CLOUDS – Adaptation SCREENPLAY – 5

Posted on by Adrienne in Adaptation, Novel, Art Direction, Heart of Clouds, Screenplay, Screenwriter

Heart of Clouds

(for Walter Halsey Davis, of SB Writers Conference, my teacher)

by Adrienne D. Wilson – adapting her novel Heart of Clouds for film.

INT. TEENIE APT BATHROOM. SILVERY LIGHT

Teenie while pie is baking and filling the apt. with scent, goes to the bathroom mirror, thinking of the boy who left her the abalone shell. She recalls the other teen girls at school, talking about pretty, and putting on make-up.

TEENIE

(asking mirror)

What is pretty? Is it like that abalone shell and all the colors that he left for me?

Devlin is the first boy she has ever thought about, on this cusp of her 14th year.

She goes to her bedroom, after trying on a bit of lipgloss, and wondering. Sitting crosslegged on her bed, she takes out her notebook again and draws a picture of the pie, while waiting.

She writes a note to leave at the driftwood hut, as if Devlin is an imaginary friend.

Close in on her hand and handwriting:

boy of the dunes

boy who was running like a wild horse

boy who wears plaid shirts and flannel

boy who I wish was my friend

what can I do to make you see me like I’m pretty?

CHRISTINA

Teenie what are you doing in there

TEENIE

Just writing Mom, I’m waiting for the pie to cool

CHRISTINA

It looks nice honey

TEENIE

Mom, I told Mr. Honeygarten I would take him some

CHRISTINA

That’s nice of you Teenie

TEENIE

He’s a really nice man

CHRISTINA

I know he is honey

TEENIE

Can you help me cut him a piece

CHRISTINA

Come on, let’s cut a piece of that beautiful pie and taste it

Teenie runs to her mother’s side and hugs her tightly

TEENIE

I love you Mom, I really do

CHRISTINA

(tenderly smoothing back her daughter’s hair)

I know you do

TEENIE

I just want you to feel better Mommy

Teenie and her mother taste the pie, then wrap a piece in waxed paper for Mr. Honeygarten.

EXT. HONEYGARTEN HOUSE. GOLDEN SATURATED LIGHT. DAY.

Teenie rides her bike through the village to his house. Melloman greets her at the fence, tail wagging and barking around, sniffing her hands carrying the pie.

TEENIE

(laughing)

Mello, it’s not for you but maybe you can taste some

Mr. Honeygarten waves at her from a second floor window with old fashioned lace

curtains.

HONEYGARTEN

(calling down to her)

Teenie dear whatever do you have in that basket

TEENIE

(smiling up at him)

The pie! You knew I’d be bringing it

HONEYGARTEN

Well, I was hoping so my dear. It isn’t often that I get to have such a wonderful piece of pie, now is it? come in and let’s have a seat in the parlor.

Mr. Honeygarten goes to his special china cabinet and takes out a beautiful tea set with old fashioned flowers and gilded rims. The silver had different fairies carved on the handles, a gift from his grandmother when he had been a boy.

HONEYGARTEN

Oh what a lovely piece of pie that is my dear. I’ll just put the kettle on for tea, dear and you serve the pie why don’t you?

Teenie carefully arranges the tea set, and slices the pie.

*this pin from my “pleinairella” storyboard space on Pinterest for Mr. Honeygarten style. Formal, Victorian, a gentleman, the tea set. I have props for the teaspoons.

Teenie and Mr. Honeygarten settle in comfort to have pie and tea.

TEENIE

Mr. Honeygarten?

HONEYGARTEN

Yes, my dear

TEENIE

Am I pretty?

HONEYGARTEN

Why Teenie whatever makes you ask that?

TEENIE

Am I?

HONEYGARTEN

Why of course you are my dear

TEENIE

Are you sure?

HONEYGARTEN

Why, Teenie I do believe what I can see with my own two eyes, dear

TEENIE

(sigh of relief)

Oh good

HONEYGARTEN

(kind eyes, smiling, close in)

Why on earth would you ask such a question?

TEENIE

Well, I just wasn’t sure whether I was or not

HONEYGARTEN

Well you are dear, and prettiness is something women grow into. It takes a very long time, by the way. I suppose you are just at the beginning of that rather long journey, yourself.

Mr. Honeygarten and Teenie sit sipping the tea. Silence, as they taste the pie.

HONEYGARTEN

Is there a boy, my dear? Is there a boy involved in all of this asking about prettiness?

TEENIE

(utterly blushing)

There is

HONEYGARTEN

You know my dear, when I was a boy, there was a certain girl I thought was the most beautiful girl in the world. Her name was Claire.

*the character Claire is based on the looks in the image above. It is from very old Hollywood, Mary Pickford.

*to page 39 in my novel, the chapter is Secret Smile

Heart of Clouds – my book to screenplay adaptation

Posted on by Adrienne in Art, My books, Screenwriter, Writer

Hi, I think I got a phone call yesterday, but the message was garbled saying they sent me an email. I get so many emails I would not know where to look? Omg. It is fine for you to leave a contact by leaving a comment on my blog if you want. That way I can find you. So I have been following the press on this: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3101740/disneys-mulan-tells-women-if-they-know-their-place-they-can-have

My character TEENIE in Heart of Clouds – this is a twinned hero journey, of Boy and Girl – you will see how she emerges as strong, and so does he. One of the things I wrote about was climate change, in terms of the ice melting. That is what THE WAVE is. So, the children such as Greta all over the world need to see HOPE. They absorb from the adults around them. The feelings and so forth. So on we go. I may put that page thing to take a donation, just not sure how. I am posting the images that are the actual pages in my book as I do the rewrite. So, I show the mother as antagonist. She was my hardest character to write, but, we will soon see her. Like all people, we face things in life, not just in childhood, but all our lives, as we look back across our lives we can see how we coped, this gives us empathy for others.

Your feedback as comments right here in my blog means everything to me. That you also would understand these characters, and the themes.

The first two scenes are here: https://adriennedwilson.com/2020/09/14/adaptation-novel-to-screenplay-my-heart-of-clouds/

CHAPTER ONE – DRIFTWOOD (establishing)

HEART OF CLOUDS

Copyright WordPress September 2020 by Adrienne Wilson, all rights reserved.

SCENE THREE – INT. MORNING. LIVING ROOM – TEENIE’S HOUSE

In gray light, grey and drab, the living room is quiet. Teenie’s mother CHRISTINA is sitting wrapped in grey light, drab old comforters watching TV. The news drones on about the melting Icecaps at the North and South poles, we close in on the footage. Close up to her mothers face, expressionless, somber. Her father is gone. They do not speak. Teenie silently lets herself out. On the side table by the couch are pill bottles, for depression. A sense of complete hopelessness.

SCENE FOUR – EXT. MORNING. DRIFTWOOD HUT – BEACH

Teenie approaches the Driftwood structure as if it is a marvel. No one is on the beach. She throws herself inside it, finding it has been grace. Close-up on her face, as she watches the sea, then tears.

TEENIE

(sadly watching the sea, whispers)

Maybe I could just live here forever. Maybe whoever built it wouldn’t mind.

Teenie watches the sea and a line of brown pelicans appear. She reaches for the book and pen her father gave her, and begins to draw. Suddenly a heart appears in the sky as a cloud.

TEENIE

(drawing a cloud, shaped like a heart in her book, tears the page out and folds it into an Origami bird, tucks it in the rafters of the driftwood hut)

I love you, Dad

EXT. MORNING BEACH. CLIFFS. DRIFTWOOD HUT

High on a cliff stands a boy 14. DEVLIN UNDERWOOD. He has been watching a girl cry, in the driftwood hut he has been building, close in on his face, puzzling why she is there. He watches as she tucks something in the rafters of his structure, watches as she exits down the beach. Devlin makes for his seahut, to see what she has done. He finds her note and puzzles at the bird shape but doesn’t open it. We see him climbing in and out of tidepools on the hunt to leave something of the sea for her. An abalone shell.