Explore Cameron Smith's 'The Glade'

The Screenplay:

The Glade 

By Cameron Smith 

EXT. BUSTOP  Film opens with wide shot of Three lads, Jack (18), Michael (17) and Liam (18) messing around at a train station. Shot from across the tracks showing the boys playfully fighting and joking, before a loud train passes them. All diegetic sounds heard, birds, cars, people talking etc. 

Cut to Montage 1:  

 Track#1 Untitled #9 – Smaskifa 3 by Sigur Ros 

EXT. ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE DAY  

Montage Scene #1:  

Picturesque view of Rolling hills, large green and yellow fields divided by ancient stone walls. A narrow overgrown path winds by a babbling Brook bordered by long, tall grass swaying. Towering Trees are visible from all angles. 

End of Montage  

CROSS FADE TO NEXT SCENE: 

  The Lads are shown from wide shot of them marching along the overgrown path with large backpacks mounted on all three, feint discussion is heard, Jack leads, shot mirroring The Seventh Seal Dancing shot.  

Track#1 (Untitled #9 – Smaskifa 3 by Sigur Ros) fades out   

Jack: Right, we should be nearly there. 

Michael and Liam take off their backpacks assuming that it’s a good time to take a break, they both sit down under a tree while Jack remains standing, in front of them. 

Michael: We better be, I don’t know how much further I can walk. (Drinks from water bottle.) 

Liam: Feels like we’re walking in circles. (Panting, reaching for his bottle) Jack: It’s not the bloody Blair Witch Project pal, calm down. (Jack jokingly pushes Liam while Liam is sitting, causing Michael to laugh.) Liam: (Shouting frustratedly) I am calm, I just don’t want to still be out when it’s pitch black and freezing. 

Jack: (Gesturing for them to get up) Get up and keep moving. 

Short clips of the boys walking along the path and talking while music plays over their dialogue as they have fun together.  

CROSS FADE TO NEXT SCENE: 

The three are shown walking more along the winding path where they encounter a stile with what looks like blood on it, of which Liam is the only one who notices it, he runs his finger against it to inspect it while Jack and Liam walk on, Liam quickly shakes his hands in disgust and wipes them on his clothes as Jack and Michael turn around to look and laugh at him. They walk into the woods, laughing while walking fades to a short montage of the woods, dark and empty, we suddenly hear the boys talking as they are seen appearing from behind the trees. 

EXT. THE WOODS 

Cut to Mid shot from the side of the group walking, Jack at the front with Michael and Liam lagging, visibly uneasy. 

Liam: Are you sure this is the right way? 

Jack: Chill out, man. It’s a shortcut. 

 Liam trips over something out of frame. 

Liam: Auggghhh!  

Michael and Jack turn around to check if he’s okay, Jack gives Liam a hand up  

Liam: My leg (He rubs it in pain) 

as Michael spots an animal skull on the ground. 

Michael: Jack, (Jack turns to look at him) Look at this. (he throws the skull to Jack) 

Jack: (Catching it) Sick, looks like a goat or a sheep or something. 

(They all gather in a circle from a low angle looking up at the boys talking about the skull.) 

Liam: How do you think it died? 

Jack: Natural causes probably, right? 

Michael: Yeah, probably. 

Cross fade to the boys entering clearing in the woods. 

EXT. CLEARING IN THE WOODS – NIGHTFALL 

The group emerge in a small clearing in the woods, an opening amidst all the thick groves of trees. The light of day fades fast creating an extremely eerie atmosphere.  Liam: How far are we now? 

Jack: (Looking at the map) Liam mate, if you ask me that one more time I'm chucking the map at your head. 

Michael: We should head back, I’m starting to get a bit creeped out, let’s just set up camp somewhere else for the night. Jack: We’ve come this far, we’re not going back, we’ll set up camp here and find the spot tomorrow. 

CROSSFADE TO NEXT SCENE: 

 The boys reluctantly start unpacking their gear and setting up camp. Their excitement has faded, and they’re worn out. The trees towering around them create a sense of imprisonment as they pitch up their tents. They sit around a lantern which stands out amongst the shadows. 

Liam:(He looks around) Is it just me or does it feel a bit like... we’re being watched 

(Michael and Jack look at each other and they laugh hysterically) 

Jack: (Jokingly) Sod/Piss off, we’re in the middle of nowhere, who’s going to be out here in the middle of the night. 

Liam: Yeah, you’re probably right (Laughs awkwardly) 

Michael: It’s late, if we want to find the spot we should get an early start. I'm going to bed. 

Liam: Yeah, it’s probably not a good idea staying out too long, you know, with all the wolves about. (Looking around stoically) 

Jack: (Joking Smacks Liam head) There aren’t any wolves in England you melt. 

As the three get up, a rustling sound is heard in the distance, perhaps a branch, or animal sound.  

Michael: Did you hear that? 

Jack: (he nervously laughs) Probably just the wind, or an animal, chill out man. 

Liam: Yeah, just an animal. (he says skeptically, laughing it off out of fear) 

Michael: Yeah, it was probably a wolf (he says mockingly) 

The boys headed back to their tents. We follow Jack as he goes to sleep. Fading to black, followed by a quick cut to a close up of Jack’s face, his eyes dart open as he hears a scream of terror and anguish leading to him sitting up rapidly. Intense handheld close shot of Jack’s face as he runs out of tent. When he leaves the tent cut to mid shot of Michael also getting out of his tent and Jack both outside their tents they look around and then at each other 

Jack: What the fuck was that? 

Shaky visibly handheld over the shoulder shot of Michael 

Michael: It’s... It’s Liam, he (stuttering) he went for a piss and didn’t come back. 

Jack: Get your torch. 

Cut to the two looking for Liam in the woods with torches 

Michael: What’s happened to him, what if he’s hurt? 

Jack: Of course he’s bloody hurt did you not hear him scream. 

Michael: Oh god, Liam!? (He shouts in search of his friend). 

Jack shines his torch on something poking out of the leaf covered floor, cuts to close up of Jack. Then to the two approaching the item. He slowly approaches it and upon closer it’s a severed leg with Liam’s walking boot on. 

Jack: Fuck. 

Dutch angle of Michael, which slowly rotates. 

Michael: That’s a leg... (Panicked) 

Jack: That’s fucking Liam’s leg that. 

Michael turns to look at Jack, close up whoever’s talking 

Michael: What do we do, where’s the rest of him?! (Terrified and in hysterics)  

Jack: (Panicking and putting his hands on his head, breathing heavily) We need to get back to the camp man, we’re going to be alright if we just stay together, when we get service we can call the...  

(cut off by camera quickly panning from Jack talking to Michael running away then quickly panning back to Jack) 

Jack: Shit  

Cut to Jack on his own marching fast, stumbling through the woods 

Jack: (Muttering to himself while marching though the dark woods) Nobody fucking listens to me man, Michael!? (looking around shining his torch in all directions in search for Michael) 

Michael’s scream of terror is heard in the distance 

Jack: Michael... You alright pal? 

 Another of Michael’s screams is heard but this time is in agony instead of fear Branches crack close to Jack. 

Jack: He’s not alright.

End track along with the diegetic sound 

Branches crack even closer to Jack, cut to the dark woods then back to Jack, he stands still looking into the woods then sprints away. Cut to visibly handheld shaky camera following Jack running through the woods with his torch swearing to himself. As Jack runs the sounds of the thing chasing him is rapidly closing the gap between itself and Jack. Very tense sequence of Jack running out of the woods into fields which ends when Jack trips and as he looks up he sees a nearby country road he gets up and runs into the middle of the road where a car is driving towards him, he waves it down, as it slowly stops the sun is rising and the film ends, ambiguous of whether Jack will survive. 

Cut to Credits