EXT. GOLDEN FIELDS - EARLY MORNING
**Music CUE: “GOLDEN FIELDS”** (swelling, hopeful, adventurous orchestral theme)
1: Extreme wide shot — vast dry golden wheat fields glowing in soft early-morning light. A lone homemade air balloon sits in the middle of the field, half-inflated, ropes and supplies scattered around it.
2: Macro close-up — a bright dragonfly perched on a swaying stalk of wheat, iridescent wings catching the sunrise. Gentle breeze moves the stalk.
3: Slow rack focus — dragonfly blurs as focus pulls to reveal Avio (17, determined, wind-swept hair) and Bex standing beside the balloon in the midground.
4: Medium shot — Avio carefully rolls up large schematics and slides them into a protective metal cylinder.
5: Close-up insert — Avio’s hands tightening the cap on the cylinder, schematics safely sealed.
6: Medium two-shot — Bex helps lift a heavy supply bag onto the balloon basket as Avio secures it.
7: Close-up — Bex wrinkling his nose, sniffing the foul air near the balloon fabric.
8: Over-the-shoulder (Bex to Avio) — Bex: “So, after thousands of years of man trying to reach the top of the Great Falls in everything from bicycles with wings, to mile-long Legacy Ships, you think you can reach the top in this?”
9: Close-up — Avio grinning confidently, “Yup!”
10: Close-up — Bex leans in closer to the balloon, sniffing again: “This smells like your grandpa’s old shirts.”
11: Close-up — Avio laughing, “It is!”
12: Close-up — Bex shaking his head in disbelief: “You must have been dropped on your head a lot as a child!”
13: Medium shot — Avio and Bex together straining to lift a large, heavy supply bag into the balloon basket.
14: Close-up — Avio’s hands gripping the bag, muscles tense with anticipation.
15: Close-up — Bex’s concerned face as they set the bag down: “You’re going to leave me, your best friend in the whole world?”
16: Close-up — Avio, sincere: “I’ve asked you a million times to come with me.”
17: Medium shot — Bex stepping back, pleading: “What do I have to do to convince you to stay?”
18: Tracking shot — Avio moves around the balloon, checking ropes and prepping the burner.
19: Close-up — Avio’s hopeful eyes: “There is something more than a source of water up there. I can’t explain the feeling I get.”
20: Close-up — Bex pressing: “Try!”
21: Close-up — Avio, passionate: “It’s hard to explain why I need to do this! Why I have to go! My grandfather told me: Chase every dream. Even if it kills you.”
22: Medium two-shot — Bex looking worried: “Look, I would never want to tell you to not chase your dreams, but no one from our village has ever come back alive.”
23: Close-up — Avio smiling reassuringly: “Don’t worry I will be back. You just need to imagine everything that can go right, not everything that can go wrong.”
24: Insert close-up — Avio’s hand tugging the engine starter line, testing it firmly.
25: Close-up — Bex, half-smiling, half-sad: “You are a stubborn kid. Even if you knew you were going to fail, you would still have to try.”
26: Close-up — Avio, philosophical: “Where would this world be if we gave up before we tried? Don’t worry, I will be back… I left something with my grandparents for you, and I know you’re going to love it!”
27: Close-up — Bex, curious: “What is it, a new friend?”
28: Close-up — Avio winking: “It’s a surprise, you’ll see. And will you keep an eye on my grandparents? I don’t want anything to happen to them while I’m away.”
29: Medium shot — Bex sighing, accepting: “I guess if you got to go, you got to go.”
30: Close-up — Avio, warm: “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it…”
31: Wide shot — Avio pulls the engine cord hard. The burner roars to life and the balloon begins to lift slowly off the ground.
32: Low-angle shot — balloon rising, ropes still tied, golden morning light flooding the basket.
33: Close-up — Avio calling down: “Untie the ropes!”
34: Medium shot — Bex quickly unties the last ropes, then steps back as Avio pulls them up into the basket.
35: Slow push-in wide shot — the homemade air balloon lifts higher and higher, floating away across the endless golden fields toward the horizon. Bex stands alone below, watching his friend disappear into the sky. A single tear rolls down Bex’s cheek as the music swells.
**Music CUE: “GOLDEN FIELDS”** (swelling, hopeful, adventurous orchestral theme)
1: Extreme wide shot — vast dry golden wheat fields glowing in soft early-morning light. A lone homemade air balloon sits in the middle of the field, half-inflated, ropes and supplies scattered around it.
2: Macro close-up — a bright dragonfly perched on a swaying stalk of wheat, iridescent wings catching the sunrise. Gentle breeze moves the stalk.
3: Slow rack focus — dragonfly blurs as focus pulls to reveal Avio (17, determined, wind-swept hair) and Bex standing beside the balloon in the midground.
4: Medium shot — Avio carefully rolls up large schematics and slides them into a protective metal cylinder.
5: Close-up insert — Avio’s hands tightening the cap on the cylinder, schematics safely sealed.
6: Medium two-shot — Bex helps lift a heavy supply bag onto the balloon basket as Avio secures it.
7: Close-up — Bex wrinkling his nose, sniffing the foul air near the balloon fabric.
8: Over-the-shoulder (Bex to Avio) — Bex: “So, after thousands of years of man trying to reach the top of the Great Falls in everything from bicycles with wings, to mile-long Legacy Ships, you think you can reach the top in this?”
9: Close-up — Avio grinning confidently, “Yup!”
10: Close-up — Bex leans in closer to the balloon, sniffing again: “This smells like your grandpa’s old shirts.”
11: Close-up — Avio laughing, “It is!”
12: Close-up — Bex shaking his head in disbelief: “You must have been dropped on your head a lot as a child!”
13: Medium shot — Avio and Bex together straining to lift a large, heavy supply bag into the balloon basket.
14: Close-up — Avio’s hands gripping the bag, muscles tense with anticipation.
15: Close-up — Bex’s concerned face as they set the bag down: “You’re going to leave me, your best friend in the whole world?”
16: Close-up — Avio, sincere: “I’ve asked you a million times to come with me.”
17: Medium shot — Bex stepping back, pleading: “What do I have to do to convince you to stay?”
18: Tracking shot — Avio moves around the balloon, checking ropes and prepping the burner.
19: Close-up — Avio’s hopeful eyes: “There is something more than a source of water up there. I can’t explain the feeling I get.”
20: Close-up — Bex pressing: “Try!”
21: Close-up — Avio, passionate: “It’s hard to explain why I need to do this! Why I have to go! My grandfather told me: Chase every dream. Even if it kills you.”
22: Medium two-shot — Bex looking worried: “Look, I would never want to tell you to not chase your dreams, but no one from our village has ever come back alive.”
23: Close-up — Avio smiling reassuringly: “Don’t worry I will be back. You just need to imagine everything that can go right, not everything that can go wrong.”
24: Insert close-up — Avio’s hand tugging the engine starter line, testing it firmly.
25: Close-up — Bex, half-smiling, half-sad: “You are a stubborn kid. Even if you knew you were going to fail, you would still have to try.”
26: Close-up — Avio, philosophical: “Where would this world be if we gave up before we tried? Don’t worry, I will be back… I left something with my grandparents for you, and I know you’re going to love it!”
27: Close-up — Bex, curious: “What is it, a new friend?”
28: Close-up — Avio winking: “It’s a surprise, you’ll see. And will you keep an eye on my grandparents? I don’t want anything to happen to them while I’m away.”
29: Medium shot — Bex sighing, accepting: “I guess if you got to go, you got to go.”
30: Close-up — Avio, warm: “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it…”
31: Wide shot — Avio pulls the engine cord hard. The burner roars to life and the balloon begins to lift slowly off the ground.
32: Low-angle shot — balloon rising, ropes still tied, golden morning light flooding the basket.
33: Close-up — Avio calling down: “Untie the ropes!”
34: Medium shot — Bex quickly unties the last ropes, then steps back as Avio pulls them up into the basket.
35: Slow push-in wide shot — the homemade air balloon lifts higher and higher, floating away across the endless golden fields toward the horizon. Bex stands alone below, watching his friend disappear into the sky. A single tear rolls down Bex’s cheek as the music swells.
SHOT LIST 1-56
In a golden field at dawn, 17-year-old Avio launches a homemade air balloon — stitched together from his grandfather's old shirts — determined to reach the top of the Great Falls, a feat no one from his village has ever survived. His best friend Bex helps him load supplies while cycling through sarcasm, worry, and reluctant acceptance. Avio insists there is something waiting at the top beyond just a water source, a feeling he can't explain but can't ignore. The two part ways with Bex's affectionate insults echoing as the balloon lifts off — but as Avio shrinks to a distant speck in the sky, Bex's jokes fall away and he quietly tears up watching his best friend disappear. As Avio floats over towns he's only ever seen in photos, he radios Bex to check in, asks him to watch over his grandparents, and promises he'll return.
SCENE SUMMARY
3. GOLDEN FIELDS
SHOT LIST 1-50 ( 2:11 min )
