Dune Ridge Military Base Sequence

WORLD LOCK: The dune ridge above the base, cold blue sand before dawn. NORTH - a high dune ridge, crest forty metres above the flats, wind combing the sand off every crest. SOUTH - open cold blue flats running to a black horizon, the descending enemy hull burning steady high in that quarter. EAST - the palest band of pre-dawn skyglow lying flat on the horizon. WEST - a black dune field, the deepest part of the night. Named anchors: CENTRAL DOME (thirty metres tall, blistered ceramic, middle of the base), COMMAND DOME (seventy metres east of central), ARMORY DOME (seventy metres west of central, half sunk in sand), OUTER DOME (empty shell, one hundred sixty metres north-west of central, on the perimeter), RIDGE CREST (two hundred twenty metres north of central, forty metres higher), ASHWING PAD (sixty metres north-east of the command dome). SCARECROW stands on the RIDGE CREST, two hundred twenty metres north of the CENTRAL DOME and forty metres above the flats, boots on the crest skin, BODY FACING SOUTH toward the domes. AXIS LOCK: 180-degree line from the RIDGE CREST in the north to the CENTRAL DOME in the south. Camera remains EAST of that line for the whole clip. Screen directions: uphill and north read SCREEN-RIGHT, the base and south read SCREEN-LEFT and far below, the descending star reads high SCREEN-LEFT. [T=0.0-3.2s] SHOT 1 - extreme wide - 32 mm CAMERA: eighteen metres east of Scarecrow, 1.2 m above the crest, east of the axis, looking west across the ridge line. MOVE: STATIC. ACTION: wind combs the crest and lifts long ribbons of sand off it past the standing figure. EYELINE: Scarecrow looks SCREEN-LEFT and down toward the domes. SOUND: hard steady wind, dry sand hiss. HARD CUT at T=3.2s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. [T=3.2-6.0s] SHOT 2 - wide low - 24 mm CAMERA: twelve metres east, 0.25 m above the sand, east of the axis, looking west at boot level. MOVE: TRACK L 1.5 m. ACTION: a dark pulse travels under the dune skin from SCREEN-RIGHT to SCREEN-LEFT and the sand shivers above it. EYELINE: none in shot, the pulse travels SCREEN-LEFT. SOUND: a deep subsonic thud rolling away under the ground. HARD CUT at T=6.0s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. [T=6.0-9.0s] SHOT 3 - extreme wide high - 28 mm CAMERA: twenty-five metres east and eight metres above the crest, east of the axis, looking west and down over the flats. MOVE: TILT DOWN 10 degrees. ACTION: three buried foundation rings light under the sand one after another, marking three round domes on the flats below. EYELINE: none in shot, the rings light from SCREEN-LEFT inward. SOUND: the subsonic thud repeating three times, each fainter. HARD CUT at T=9.0s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. [T=9.0-11.6s] SHOT 4 - medium - 50 mm CAMERA: four metres east of Scarecrow, 0.5 m high, east of the axis, looking west at his legs and boots. MOVE: HANDHELD MICRO-SHAKE. ACTION: the sand around his boots vibrates in fine rings and he plants his weight to feel it come up through the leather. EYELINE: he looks straight down at his own boots, SCREEN-DOWN. SOUND: sand grains ticking against boot leather. HARD CUT at T=11.6s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. [T=11.6-14.4s] SHOT 5 - medium close - 85 mm CAMERA: three metres east, 1.3 m high, east of the axis, looking west at his chest and hands. MOVE: STATIC. ACTION: he raises both living hands in front of his chest and turns them palm up in the cold blue light, studying the skin. EYELINE: he looks down into his own open palms, SCREEN-DOWN. SOUND: wind flattening the coat cloth. HARD CUT at T=14.4s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. [T=14.4-17.0s] SHOT 6 - medium wide over shoulder - 40 mm CAMERA: five metres east and slightly behind his right shoulder, 1.7 m high, east of the axis, looking west-south-west past him. MOVE: DOLLY IN 0.8 m. ACTION: his head turns SCREEN-LEFT and settles on the central dome far below, the lit ring under its sand still glowing. EYELINE: Scarecrow looks SCREEN-LEFT and down at the central dome. SOUND: wind, and a low hum coming up from the flats. HARD CUT at T=17.0s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. [T=17.0-19.6s] SHOT 7 - medium close low - 65 mm CAMERA: two and a half metres east, 1.0 m high, east of the axis, looking west and up at his jaw and skull. MOVE: TILT UP 12 degrees. ACTION: he tips his head back and the orange point high in the southern sky lays a hot line down his cheek. EYELINE: Scarecrow looks high SCREEN-LEFT into the sky. SOUND: wind thinning, a faint far-off burn. HARD CUT at T=19.6s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. [T=19.6-22.6s] SHOT 8 - wide sky - 35 mm CAMERA: twelve metres east, 2 m high, east of the axis, angled up thirty degrees into the southern sky. MOVE: STATIC. ACTION: a new star comes down through the high cloud far too fast, burning steady and unblinking, dragging a thin straight trail. EYELINE: none in shot, the star travels SCREEN-LEFT and down. SOUND: a distant flat roar arriving late. HARD CUT at T=22.6s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. [T=22.6-27.4s] SHOT 9 - close - 85 mm CAMERA: two metres east of Scarecrow, 1.6 m high, east of the axis, looking west at his face in three-quarter profile. MOVE: HANDHELD MICRO-SHAKE. ACTION: he speaks one short measured sentence into the wind, jaw and scarred lips moving clearly, eyes staying on the sky. EYELINE: Scarecrow holds high SCREEN-LEFT. SOUND: wind under a steady voice, sand ticking on the coat. HARD CUT at T=27.4s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. [T=27.4-30.0s] SHOT 10 - extreme wide - 28 mm CAMERA: twenty-two metres east and four metres above the crest, east of the axis, looking west across ridge, base and sky together. MOVE: STATIC. ACTION: the small figure holds the crest while the three lit rings glow far below and the burning point drops toward them. EYELINE: Scarecrow holds high SCREEN-LEFT. SOUND: wind, subsonic hum, distant burn. HARD CUT at T=30.0s. Scarecrow on the crest facing SOUTH, camera east of the axis. END FRAME: extreme wide of the ridge with Scarecrow small on the crest facing south, three ring-shaped glows under the sand far below him and one hard burning point coming down out of the southern sky above the domes. INFORMATION CHANGED: the buried thing under the base has woken and lit its three rings, and Scarecrow has recognised what is coming down out of the sky. NEGATIVES: no on-screen text, no captions, no subtitles, no watermark, no split screen, no crowd in focus, no weapon touching a body, no fingers manipulating small objects, no animals in close-up, no cartoon or neon comic look, no oversaturation.