Day one scenes

Origin

Sentient began with a writers’ task. Create a Day One event describing the arrival of the alien life form.

Brief

A stream of meteors, with a tail spanning three quarters of the earth’s surface, hurtles towards the planet. Impact is imminent but scientists reassure the community they pose no danger and will burn up in the atmosphere.

The meteor shower puts on a spectacular light-show, illuminating the night-sky and delighting crowds.

When dawn arrives an eerie red haze engulfs the land.

Unbeknown to the scientists, the shower carries a guest.

In just one night, billions are wiped-out leaving the survivors to face the Sentient.

Datum points

Our premise pays homage to two other classic works.

Day of the triffids starts with a meteor shower that bedazzles humanity but renders the populace blind. Only a few survivors can see and must battle armies of carnivorous walking plants.

In 28 Days later, a man awakes from a coma to discover London’s population wiped out or converted to flesh-eating zombies, (the kind that move fast and are really hungry). This work pays homage to, ‘Day of the triffids’, whose protagonist also awakens in a hospital to discover a world that bites. 28 Days later then paved the way for The walking dead.

Did you know

The original work was designed to be employed on another project titled, ‘Journey of the seeds?’ Thus, many of the scripts below are titled, by that name.

‘Vera or Samantha’

By Roderic Byrnes

Location: A London hotel foyer

Synopsis: A father must decide which daughter to save

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‘A new world’

By Jacqueline Smyth

Location: Air France flight on route to Paris

Synopsis: Infection is unleashed mid-air over Paris

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‘London calling’

By Tony Vercoe

Location: Sydney to London – Live Skype call

Tag: “London calling to the zombies of death, quit holding out, and draw another breath”

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‘Escape From Ward Z29‘

By Amanda Asquith

Synopsis: Running, good. Scissors, good. Zombie nurses running after you with scissors… bad.

Location: St Andrews Community Hospital, Scotland

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‘Hunger’

By Irina Penn

Synopsis: Jade is overcome by a desire to self-harm

Location: Pretoria – South Africa

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‘You should be here’

By Nicholas Andrew Halls

Synopsis: A sheltered gamer witnesses the meteor shower overhead. The red snow that follows is just the first in a series of bizarre incidents that will culminate in a group of young adults, locked in a basement, fearful for their lives

Location: Pretoria – Dortmund, Germany

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‘Oh Valerio’

By Rafael Tavares and Chantal Aytes

Synopsis: Filled with confusion and guilt Gabriella is stuck trying to figure out why the world is coming to an end and if there’s a way she can ever help to stop it.

Location: New York

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