‘Webbed Lights’
The Premise
Keep out of sight under those webbed-lights!
Theme
Bravery
Synopsis
George refuses to believe big brother’s tales of giant
street spiders that hide amongst the trees and above the streetlamps at night,
preying on cars and late night joggers. So Ben dares George to sneak out of bed
in their pyjamas and walk up to the bridge and back if he doesn’t believe him. Despite
being scared stiff of his stories, George is eager to prove to Ben that he is
no chicken, and that giant spiders aren’t real. Equipped with just an umbrella,
a cricket bat and one torch will Ben and George make it down the road to the
bridge and back, or will they become the prey of the night crawlers.
Treatment
Ben and George are in already in bed
but they’re not asleep yet. Ben Starts telling George tales of giant spiders
that come out at night and lurk in the shadows above the street lights; preying
on cars and late nightwalkers.
George gets scared as he begins to
imagine Ben’s tale vividly but then refuses to believe him. Being eager to
prove that he isn’t lying, Ben dares George to go outside if he doesn't believe
him and walk down the road to the bridge and back. George immediately says no at
first, but then to Ben’s surprise he suddenly agrees to go in hope that Ben
might stop calling him a chicken.
Equipped with just one Torch, a
cricket bat and a large umbrella, they sneak out of the house. Ben leads the
way down to the bridge with the torch and George follows closely behind him.
They’re both frightened now but Ben tries to hide it - He asks George if he‘s
ready to turn back yet but George puts on his brave face and pushes him to
continue. As they reach the bridge, there is less and less light and it becomes
really dark. Ben starts to panic while frantically shining the torch around the
grand arch of the bridge until he drops the torch
Suddenly Ben cries with fear and
immediately turns to run back up the road to the house, leaving George alone
and more frighten than ever! George cries out for Ben as he runs off but he
doesn’t look back. George quickly picks up the torch off the floor and shines
it above him with his umbrella ready, trying to get a glimpse of anything he
can. He sees something moving but can’t quite make it out. Just then, a van
approaches and it’s full beams light up the entire bridge revealing nothing but
a shredded bin-bag above him, which is caught on the bridge and blowing in the
wind. George is bewildered at first but then becomes hugely relieved. He pulls
himself together and heads back for the house.
Back at the house Ben is hidden
under his covers, still quite shaken up. Just then George creeps into the room and
jumps back into bed, startling Ben. Ben suddenly appears from the covers
relieved to see George back in one piece. Ben immediately asks if George is ok
and starts firing questions at George trying to find out what happened.
Suddenly with his wits about him, George starts describing a giant Bridge
spider more vividly than ever and how he was left to fend him off. Ben listens
intensely but then eventually says that he doesn't believe him. George then
proclaims that he could have seen it all for himself had he not been such a
chicken!
‘WEBBED LIGHTS’
(SCRIPT VERSION 1)
BY
DAVID LEWIS
SCENE 1 - LOCATION: BEN AND GEORGE’S
BEDROOM
(THE
ROOM IS VERY DARK – BEN IS ON THE TOP BUNK OF THE BED, WHICH IS SITUATED BY THE
WINDOW. BEN STARTS PULLING THE CURTAIN BACK FROM HIS BUNK AND LIGHTS FROM THE
STREET SPILLS IN TO THE ROOM, WHICH IRRITATES GEORGE ON THE BOTTOM BUNK)
GEORGE: What are you doing Ben?! Leave
the curtains alone you’re letting all the light in.
BEN: I’m looking out for the street spiders.
(GEORGE
SITS UP)
GEORGE: What Street spiders?
BEN: The giant ones that hide in the
trees and the shadows, above the street lamps
GEORGE: That's rubbish, there’s no such thing.
BEN: There is! They come out at night and
catch cars and late night joggers; they’re massive, bigger than cars!
(GEORGE LOOKS
STIRRED BY BEN TALE – (ANIMATED VISUAL ACCOMPANY BEN’S DISCRIPTION/NARRATION))
GEORGE: What?! There’s no way!
(ANIMATED
VISUALS CONTINUE)
BEN: Yeah! They spin long webs from tree
to tree so they can get around, and they hide what the catch up there out of
sight. I see them sometimes around now.
GEORGE: Oh shut up Ben! You’re always
lying…
(ANIMATED VISUALS INTERUPTED)
BEN: I swear it George! Come outside if
you don’t believe me, we’ll walk down to the bridge and back and we’ll be bound
to see one!
(BOTH BEN AND GEORGE PEER OUT THE WINDOW)
GEORGE: Don’t be stupid, we’re not going
out now.
(GEORGE LOOKS AT
THE BEDSIDE CLOCK, IT’S 9:00PM)
BEN: That’s ‘cos you’re a chicken!
(BEN HANGS OVER THE TOP BUNK TAUNTING
GEORGE)
GEORGE: I’m not a chicken.
BEN: Yeah you are…
GEORGE: I’m not - They’re not real
anyway.
BEN: Come outside with me then… You
little chicken.
GEORGE: I’M NOT!… FINE THEN!
(BEN LOOKS SUDDENLY STARTLED)
SCENE 2 –
LOCATION: BEN AND GEORGE’S HOUSE EXTERIA
(BEN
AND GEORGE ARE NOW OUTSIDE THEIR HOUSE THEY ARE BOTH CROUCHED AND CREEPING. BEN
LEADS WITH GEORGE CLOSE BEHIND. GEORGE IS EQUIPPED WITH A LONG SPEAR-LIKE
UMBRELLA AND BEN HOLDS A WOODEN CRICKET BAT AND THE ONLY TORCH)
GEORGE:
Why can’t I have the cricket bat?
BEN: Sshh, Come on…
(BEN AND GEORGE
START TO WALK ON. (SHOTS FROM HERE WILL BE LARGELY FROM THE P.O.V OF BEN AND
GEORGE LOOKING UP AT THE STREET LIGHTS AND THE TREE ABOVE. SOME SHOTS MAYBE
CLOSE UPS OF THEIR NERVOUS FACES AND OTHERS ARIAL SHOTS - FROM ABOVE THE
STREETLIGHTS LOOKING DOWN AT THE PAIR))
BEN:
Are you ready to turn back
yet?
Pause – (GEORGE
PUTS ON A BRAVE FACE)
GEORGE: No, keep going…
SCENE 3 – LOCATION: EXTERIA UNDER THE
ARCH OF THE BRIDGE
(THE SCENE IS DARK
MOST OF THE LIGHT COMING PRIMARILY FROM THE TORCH BEN IS HOLDING. BEN AND
GEORGE ARE BOTH VERY CROUCHED AND FRIGHTENED AND GEORGE WALKS CLOSELY BEHIND BEN.
BEN START FRANTICALLY SHINING THE TORCHE UP ABOVE HIM CONSTANTLY LOOKING
AROUND)
BEN:
uuuUUHH AAAAAHHH!!
GEORGE:
WHAT IS IT!???
(BEN
DROPS THE TORCH ON THE GROUND AND SUDDENLY RUN AWAY BACK TOWARDS THE HOUSE
LEAVING GEORGE BEHIND)
GEORGE: Ben? BEN! WAIT! COME BACK!
(GEORGE FREEZES AS
HE WATCHES BEN RUN OFF AND START PANTING SHORT FAST BREATHES. HE PICKS UP THE
TORCH AND SHINES IT ABOVE HIM TRYING TO GET A GLIMPSE OF SOMETHING. GEORGE IS
SUDDENLY STARTLED BY A VAN APPROACHING THE BRIDGE THAT LIGHTS UP THE ENTIRE
SCENE WITH ITS FULLS BEAMS. GEORGE LOOKS UP AGAIN. AS THE VAN PASSES AND THE
SCENE DARKEN AGAIN, HE BEGINS TO CALM. HE THEN TURNS BACK TOWARD THE HOUSE AND
RUN BACK UP THE ROAD.)
Scene 4: LOCATION:
BEN AND GEORGE’S BEDROOM
(BEN
IS HIDING UNDER HIS COVERS ON THE TOP BUNK STILL QUITE SHAKEN UP. AS THERE IS A
CREEKING NOISE FROM THE DOOR HE QUICKLY APPEARS TO LOOK ONLY TO SEE THE DOOR
CLOSING. THEN FOLLOWS THE SOUND OF THE BED CREAKING AND THE RUSSELING OF BED
COVERS FROM THE BOTTOM BUNK)
BEN: (Gasp) George??... GEORGE!? Is that
you? What happened!? I’m sorry I…? Are you okay? What was that up there? Did
you see it?... George?!
(Long pause - BEN
LEANS OVER THE TOP BUNK TO LOOKS FOR GEORGE)
GEORGE: Yeah I saw it…
BEN: What was it?
(GEORGE POKES HIS
HEAD OUT FROM THE BOTTOM BUNK AND LOOKS UP AT BEN WITH WIDE EYES)
GEORGE: It was massive; bigger than a
car, with long hairy legs - And it saw me!
BEN: (Gasp)
(ANIMATED VISUALS
ACCOMPY GEORGES DESCRIPTION NARATION)
GEORGE: It came running down its web
towards me so fast, I could only just see it! It had big fangs and LOADS of
eyes! It tried to grab me and had to jab it with the umbrella whilst hiding
under it until it went away.
BEN: No way?!
GEORGE: Yeah… I kept shining the torch
in its face and it hated it!
BEN: That’s rubbish! You’re lying!
(GEORGE PULLS HIS HEAD BACK IN)
GEORGE: I’m not I swear it! You should
have been there, Ben! You could have seen it for yourself… If you weren’t such
a chicken!
END
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