Full Moon Over Faulconbridge

Set in a fantasy version of the Blue Mountains, NSW,  Full Moon Over Faulconbridge is a story of reconciliation and healing, and deals with the themes of respect for the earth, respect for each other and the misuse of power. Currently in the form of a pilot episode and series bible.

Full Moon Over Faulconbridge was co-written by Victor Spiegel.

 

SAMPLE

Full Moon Over Faulconbridge
                                  One-Hour Pilot Episode

               CAST LIST:
               Primary Characters:

                    BERNARD

                    ROBYN

                    MARGARET

                    MERV

                    MICK

                    CHRIS

                    DAVE KELLY

               Secondary Characters:

                    MASTER

                    AGATHA (NOT IN PILOT)

                    WARGON

                    PRIME MINISTERS/GOVERNORS:

                     SIR HENRY PARKES, WHITLAM, FRAZER, FISHER, BLIGH,
                     PHILLIPS, MACQUARIE, GORTON, MENZIES, DEAKIN,
                     SCULLIN, LYONS, MCMAHON

                    BULLIES 1 & 2, PARK

                    PENTATHUS (NOT IN PILOT)

                    INDIGENOUS ELDER

                                                               FADE IN:



         1     EXT: CORRIDOR OF OAKS - PREHISTORIC ERA                  1
               An indigenous ELDER is turning something over in his hand as
               he sits crosslegged at the future site of the Corridor of
               Oaks, Faulconbridge. A FIRE is burning in a stone circle.
               Nine CROWS are perched in various locations, watching
               intently. The background is lush, prehistoric and very green.
               His temporary hut is made of leaves and bent branches. 

               The stooped and ancient elder inspects the object, which is
               revealed to be a SHE-OAK SEED, looking at it closely and then
               holding it away from him. 

               He exhales slowly.

                                   ELDER
                             (SPEAKING DARUG WITH
                              SUBTITLES)
                         Just a seed. 

               He looks out across the thick vegetation, takes a deep
               breath, kneels down and digs a small depression in the rich
               soil. He gently places the spiky pod into the receptive
               earth. 

               An odd melody - with the incongruous timbre of a bamboo flute
               - echoes through the canyon and soft evening light
               accompanies the slowly setting orange sun and grey purple
               clouds. Several birds land and hop forward. The elder stands.
               Crows and black cockatiels flap and settle around the aged
               man as he listens to the melody.

               Pensively he throws a log on the fire and raises his arms out
               and wide. 

                                   ELDER (CONT'D)
                         It is done, Sky Father. 
                             (to himself)
                         But why? What is the point of this?

               He throws a pinecone into the coals. The fire suddenly
               explodes releasing thousands of white and red incandescent
               sparks. The crows scatter. The gathering purple-gray storm
               clouds rumble in the distance. The shaman looks up
               apprehensively. He is about to apologize for his curiosity
               when blurry images appear inside the clouds. The projections
               clarify momentarily: people in strange clothing, strangely
               shaped dwellings, long ribbons of black and grey, metallic
               chariots, and men and women walking quickly and purposefully
               in every direction. 

               He shakes his head.

                                   ELDER (CONT'D)
                         None of my business. 

               He pats the earth where he planted the seed as a shaft of sun
               lights the mound with an uncanny glow. Throwing dirt over the
               fire, he stands for a moment looking out at the lush forest
               in the onrushing winds of a monsoon, and then hobbles slowly
               back to his hut.

                                                                MONTAGE

               THE SHE-OAK SPROUTS AND GROWS IN TIME LAPSE. 

               BLIZZARDS. 

               BLINDING SNOW BLANKETS THE LAND. 

               THE FREEZING BITE OF THE LAST ICE AGE SEEPS INTO ROCKS AND
               CREVICES. 

               THE SHE-OAK ENDURES, GATHERING ELEMENTAL STRENGTH AND
               KNOWLEDGE. 

               THE DEEP FREEZE TRANSFORMS THE LAND INTO CLIFFS AND VALLEYS
               OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS. 

               WE SEE A TIME LAPSE OF PEOPLE COMING AND LEAVING OVER THE
               19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES,

               THE TREE GROWS...

               ...And becomes part of The 'Corridor of Oaks' in its
               contemporary state: a park by a freeway. 

               A train whistles past. A branch falls from the she-oak.  A
               MAN in Shaolin-style robes stoops, picks up the branch and
               runs his fingers over it, eyes closed. He inspects it closely
               and nods.

                                                                CUT TO 

               The Shaolin man is hand-carving the she-oak branch. He then
               puts it into a lathe, then chips away at it, hand-drills
               holes at precise points, tests the sound and adds more holes.
               He blows away the shavings, polishes it and when he has
               cleaned it, puts his lips to it and plays a beautiful melody.
               His hands begin carving glyphs into it.

                                                             CROSS FADE

               TITLES AND CREDITS



         2     EXT. BLUE MOUNTAINS BUSH - LATE AFTERNOON                2

               A large CROW is perched on a Eucalyptus branch. Its rainbow
               colored eye looks quizzically at us and then the crow lifts
               off winging its way over the Blue Mountains of New South
               Wales, Australia. It dips and rises in the green-blue canyons
               until...



         3     EXT. BLUE MOUNTAINS BUSH - A CLIFF OVERLOOKING A VALLEY -3
               SUNSET

               ...we reach a CLIFF where MARGARET - a middle-aged housewife
               who is worried about her weight and attractiveness - and MERV
               - a middle aged, typical Aussie bloke - are having a
               "picnic." They stare vacantly away from each other as the
               FULL MOON begins to rise. Storm clouds flex their muscles.
               Fog spills into the canyon as the crow floats above it and
               lands on the cliff.

               MARGARET pops the cork on a wine bottle.

                                   MERV
                         Maggie! That's the good stuff! I
                         was saving it for a special
                         occasion!

                                   MARGARET
                         So our anniversary doesn't count as
                         a special occasion?

                                   MERV
                         What's to celebrate? Twenty
                         whatever years? 

               Margaret grabs the cake knife and cuts the cake, putting
               slices on the paper plates.

                                   MARGARET
                         It's twenty-seven years. And I've
                         told you a thousand times, Merv,
                         don't call me Maggie.

                                   MERV
                         Yes, Ma-a-argaret. 
                             (Beat noticing Margaret's
                              LOCKET)
                         God that thing's ugly. Why do you
                         wear it anyway?

                                   MARGARET
                         None of your business. I don't have
                         to tell you everything.

                                   MERV
                         Yeah, but you've had it since
                         before the wedding, and you never
                         seem to put it down. You made me
                         miss the footy so you could bring
                         me to this bloody lookout. Well I'm
                         looking out, and there's so much
                         fog I can't see a thing. You say we
                         never do anything any more, we
                         never talk. So, come on, Maggie -
                         talk! 

                                   MARGARET
                         You wouldn't understand. And I told
                         you not to call me Maggie.

                                   MERV
                         Oh, here we go.

                                   MARGARET
                         Here we go what, Merv? What?

                                   MERV
                         Nothing. Are we done celebrating
                         now?

               Bottle teeters, falls and breaks.

                                   MERV (CONT'D)
                         Bitch! That cost me two hundred
                         bucks!

                                   MARGARET
                         That's all you care about, isn't
                         it? I'm fine, by the way.

                                   MERV
                         Well as long as you're fine. I'm
                         starving- did you cut the cake?

                                   MARGARET
                             (indicating the lamely
                              iced slices of chocolate
                              cake)
                         Help yourself - you always do.



         4     EXT. CORRIDOR OF OAKS - SUNSET                           4

               BERNARD, intent on reciting his mantra with sacred beads,
               trips and falls face first into the mud.

               Groaning, he picks himself up. He wipes the red clay from his
               perfectly unkempt robes. He sighs, and walks over to a stone
               water fountain, washing off the mud as best as he can. He
               sits and pulls out a roll of suede, which he unwraps to
               reveal a beautiful flute. The patterns on the outside are
               worn and undecipherable. He places it on his lips and blows. 

               The light in the grove shifts to an odd angle. The trees and
               grass blades are illuminated from within. The birds and
               insects fly in from every direction to be part of the ancient
               song. 

               A MUM and DAD and their 7 year old daughter CARRIE are riding
               bicycles through the park. The daughter slows down and pauses
               when she hears Bernard's playing. She listens, transfixed
               with a smile on her face. Bernard smiles back but the mum
               doubles back and hurries her along. The Mum gives Bernard a
               dollar.

                                   MUM
                         Come on, Carrie, don't bother the
                         nice man.

                                   CARRIE
                             (riding away)
                         He smells, Mummy.

                                   MUM
                         Sssh!

               Bernard stops playing and watches the family ride off. He
               looks in his swag for something to eat but his last packet of
               bread is mouldy.

               He sighs, stands and walks, finding a suitable spot where the
               energy is right. He begins a slow Qi Gung movement
               meditation, full of flowing movements and gentle forms. As he
               gains momentum and energy, the Qi Gung flows seamlessly into
               powerful martial arts moves, he spins and ducks and weaves
               with an almost magical agility.

               Suddenly, he hears a sound. A scream? He stops. Listens.

               From Bernard's POV, we see a YOUNG MAN (early 20s, white t
               shirt, jeans, short hair) arguing with a YOUNG WOMAN (early
               20s, leather jacket, vinyl skirt, heels) on the other side of
               the park. They have reached screaming pitch.  

               The young man slaps the young woman on the face. 

                                   BERNARD
                         Hey!

               The young man turns toward Bernard, the young woman turns her
               head away. Bernard walks towards the couple.

                                   BERNARD (CONT'D)
                         If you hit her again, I'm gonna
                         stop you.

                                   YOUNG MAN
                         Butt out.

                                   BERNARD
                         (To young woman) You ok?

                                   YOUNG MAN
                         She's fine.

               The young woman nods.

                                   BERNARD
                         Sure?

                                   YOUNG WOMAN
                             (nods again, tears on
                              cheeks)
                         Fine.

                                   YOUNG MAN
                         Piss off.

               Bernard shrugs and turns to walk away.

                                   YOUNG MAN (CONT'D)
                         Fucking homeless loser.

               Bernard tenses. He turns around, falling naturally into
               combat stance. His eyes are full of rage. He moves towards
               the young man, who flinches. From Bernard's POV, the whole
               world TURNS RED. Bernard moves right up to the young man and
               moves to hit him. The young man flinches.

               FLASHBACK TO:



         5     INT. MARTIAL ARTS DOJO                                   5

               Bernard is standing in line at a Martial Arts grading. He
               sees his girlfriend, ROBYN, flirting with another student,
               GREG. He is paired with Greg to spar. They trade a few blows,
               Greg pins Bernard to the ground and whispers 'loser' in
               Bernard's ear. Bernard flies into a rage, throws Greg off him
               and kicks him with enough force to slam him into the wall. CU
               on horrified faces of other students, disappointed face of
               the martial arts MASTER.



         6     EXT. CORRIDOR OF OAKS - SUNSET                           6

               Bernard shakes his head as he comes out of the memory. He
               uses a breathing technique to calm himself down, and with
               great difficulty he walks away.  The young man recovers his
               composure and sniggers.

                                   YOUNG MAN
                         Ha. Told you he was a loser. 

                                   YOUNG WOMAN
                         Yeah.

               As the man leads the woman away, she turns to mouth a silent
               'thank you', but Bernard doesn't see. Internally fuming, he
               walks back to his swag near the fountain and crawls into it
               for the night. He looks up at the branches above him, where
               the CROW is silhouetted against the full moon.



         7     EXT. BLUE MOUNTAINS BUSH - LOOKOUT ABOVE CLIFF- SUNSET   7

               Another CROW sits on a branch at a lookout above the cliff
               overlooking Margaret and Merv's picnic spot. The crow is
               reflected in the compact mirror of ROBYN TREADWELL, cute,
               perky, ambitious in her late twenties, who is looking at
               herself in the mirror, straightening her hair and applying
               makeup. MICK & CHRIS, early twenties, are halfway through
               setting up video and sound equipment. As Mick reaches down to
               unlock an equipment case, Chris spots a puddle and his inner
               two-year-old takes over.

                                   CHRIS
                         Hey, Mick! Look at me! I made a
                         rainbow!

               Chris splashes Mick.

                                   MICK
                         Thanks, Chris. Now my pants can
                         share the rainbow.

                                   CHRIS
                         Sorry. But they're just so shiny! I
                         thought: there's puddles! Puddles
                         splash. See the shiny?

                                   MICK
                         Yes. Astute of you, Chris. There
                         are puddles. And they do indeed
                         splash. Would you like  a
                         demonstration?

               Mick splashes Chris deliberately.

                                   CHRIS
                         Okay that's it - you're dead now!

               Enthusiastic splashing and shouting.

               Distant thunder, slight drizzle.

                                   ROBYN
                         Stop it! Can we just get the shot?
                         We gotta get this in before the
                         storm hits. 

                                   MICK
                             (play-acting the child)
                         But he started it!

                                   CHRIS
                         And are you sorry?

                                   MICK
                             (laughing)
                         Not really.

               Splashing

                                   ROBYN
                         Oh, for God's sake.

                                   MICK
                         Okay, okay... We're sorry. 

                                   CHRIS
                             (chuckles)
                         Sort of.

                                   MICK
                         Sound.

                                   CHRIS
                         Rolling.

               WITH CHRIS'S CAMERA

                                   ROBYN
                         Hi, I'm Robyn Treadwell from Aussie
                         Weekender. Welcome to the Blue
                         Mountains, without doubt
                         Australia's best-known national
                         park. Easily reached from the
                         centre of Sydney and well-serviced
                         by public transport, these
                         panoramic escarpments are magnets
                         for abseilers, bush-walkers and
                         families just wanting to say
                         they've been there. There are cafŽs
                         and restaurants offering expansive
                         views. The Glenbrook trail is
                         popular with the mountain biking
                         set. Katoomba hosts the enchanting
                         Winter Magic Festival. Not to
                         mention the spectacular natural
                         surroundings - including the World
                         Heritage listed Three Sisters
                         formation. The Blue Mountains is
                         also known for historic buildings
                         like the Old Academy, and its many
                         quaint antique shops, for all you
                         collectors. I'm about to check out
                         the Faulconbridge lookout - let's
                         go.

                                   CHRIS
                         Okay, got it. 

               Chris swings the camera around and zooms in on Margaret and
               Merv.

                                   CHRIS (CONT'D)
                         Hey... Check out this old couple...
                         Mick, come here!

                                   ROBYN
                         Chris, we don't have time to -

                                   CHRIS
                         Hey, possible smooching situation
                         here... Oh, they're standing up...
                         I - I think they're arguing,
                         actually.

                                   MICK
                         Let me see!

               From POV of TV camera, the ledge that Margaret and Merv are
               standing on cracks down the centre. 

                                   CHRIS
                         Hey, did you see that?!



         8     EXT. BLUE MOUNTAINS BUSH - A CLIFF OVERLOOKING A VALLEY -8
               EVENING

               The moon rises. Mist has crept in. A tremor. The rocks on the
               cliff wobble slightly.

                                   MARGARET
                         Hey, did you just feel the rock
                         move?

                                   MERV
                         Ha. I told you: you need to lose
                         weight.

                                   MARGARET
                             (If looks could kill)
                         Oh that's so typical. Do you even
                         know what feelings are?

                                   MERV
                             (general mumbled
                              argumentative sounds)
                         Huh. Only feeling I've been doing
                         lately is between me and myself.

                                   MARGARET
                         That's disgusting.

                                   MERV
                         Well pardon me for having a libido.

               Another tremor.

                                   MARGARET
                             (stands up)
                         I'm serious. It's a minor
                         earthquake or something.

               MERV stands too. He steps out towards the edge to see if he
               can see what's going on.

                                   MARGARET (CONT'D)
                         Don't step out onto the - 

               MERV makes a dismissive gesture.

                                   MARGARET (CONT'D)
                         Bloody hell. If you fall, I'm not
                         coming down to get you.

                                   MERV
                         You'd be delighted, wouldn't you?

                                   MARGARET
                         How dare you-

                                   MERV
                         Oh come on. What are we even doing
                         here. You don't want to have cake
                         with me, and I don't wanna have
                         cake with you. I've missed the
                         Panthers kick off, instead we're
                         standing here arguing, getting
                         bitten by flies and surrounded by
                         creepy birds...

               Another tremor, a proper one this time. Merv yelps, as he
               loses his footing and begins to slide over the edge.

                                   MARGARET
                         Merv! Oh you idiot.

                                   MERV
                         Help me, Margaret!

                                   MARGARET
                         Alright, don't be such a cry baby.
                         Here.

               Margaret twists the picnic blanket and offers it like a rope
               to Merv.

                                   MERV
                         Don't be so keen to help. I mean,
                         I'm only dangling off the edge of a
                         bloody cliff. Aw, Jesus, hold it
                         still, will ya? You're holding it
                         all wrong.

                                   MARGARET
                         You want me to let go? You want to
                         die?

                                   MERV
                             (mumbling under breath)
                         At least I wouldn't be married.

                                   MARGARET
                         What?

                                   MERV
                         Hey - watch it...it's slipping.
                         Hold it tighter!

                                   MARGARET
                         Okay, so tell me Merv - why should
                         I?

                                   MERV 
                         What? Bloody crazy woman! Give me
                         your hand!

                                   MARGARET
                         I'm just wondering what you've done
                         to deserve my help.

                                   MERV
                             (to himself)
                         Jesus. I'm close to plummeting off
                         this cliff and she wants to discuss
                         the relationship. Typical woman. 
                             (to Margaret)
                         Pull tighter!

                                   MARGARET
                         Fine. Have it your way.

               Margaret loosens her grip slightly.

                                   MERV
                         Hey - Maggie - Margaret! I'm sorry.
                         Please, I just need a hand...then
                         we can talk, okay? No bull.

                                   MARGARET
                         It's too late for that now, Merv. 
                             (Margaret thinks to
                              herself)
                         It's been too late for years.

                                   MERV
                         What? Margaret! What the bloody
                         hell do you mean?

               Cracking rock, Merv is slipping.

                                   MERV (CONT'D)
                         Maggie! Please! Don't do this!

                                   MARGARET
                         GET OFF MY DRESS!

               Margaret shoves Merv. He scrabbles and scrapes for purchase.

                                   MERV
                             (falling)
                         Aah!

                                   MARGARET
                         Oh God.

               Merv falls bumping and swearing into the canyon mists. 

                                                              CROSSFADE