2. !
"ROCKET"
FADE IN:
SERIES OF SHOTS:
A) Kate is vacuuming her bedroom.
B) Kate is polishing the banister.
C) Kate is tidying her bedroom.
D) Kate is dusting bookshelves standing on the desk.
E) Kate is vacuuming along the landing she then switches
it off and picks it up she begins to walk downstairs.
INT. STAIRS/ DAY
KATE, 5, is dressed in leggings and a t’shirt, is walking
slowly downstairs carrying the vacuum cleaner which is al-
most her size. She reaches the bottom of the staircase,
and looks over the banister in to the living room.
INT. LIVING ROOM DOORWAY/ DAY
FI, early 40’s, dressed in jogging bottoms, a jumper and a
silk scarf, is sitting on a sofa watching the TV. It is
Apollo 13, and the scene where Tom Hanks is sitting in his
garden looking in to the sky at the moon and moving his
thumb in front of it and to the side. She takes an inhaler
from her pocket and takes a couple of puffs. A wheelchair
is resting against the arm of the sofa.
INT. HALL AND STAIRCASE/ DAY
GREG, late 40’s, dressed in working jeans and a polo
shirt, walks in to the hall from the kitchen. Kate looks
at him.
Greg
Have you done Jesse’s room?
Kate
But she’s not here anymore.
Greg
Don’t argue with me.
Kate irritated sulks back up the stairs and Greg walks
back in to the kitchen.
INT. LANDING/ DAY
3. !
Kate sulks along the landing towards a bedroom door, the
vacuum cleaner is dragging behind her. She pushes the door
almost with her head.
INT. JESSE’S BEDROOM/ DAY
Kate plugs the vacuum cleaner in to a socket she begins to
vacuum the room and walks towards the window. She takes off
the floor adaptor for the vacuum and then begins vacuuming
the window sill. She sees a butterfly through the glass sit-
ting on the window ledge. Shocked she quickly runs to the
vacuum and switches it off. She grabs a chair and puts it up
against the wall under the window. Kneeling on it she looks
out at the Butterfly, fluttering its fragile wings but rest-
ing on the Outside window ledge. She begins to tap on the
glass in the direction of the butterfly, as if to attract
its attention or help push it off the ledge. It flutters of
the ledge and Kate looks shocked as it flies off the ledge.
INT. LANDING/ DAY
Kate runs across the landing.
INT. STAIRS/ DAY
Kate runs down the stairs.
EXT. OUTDOOR PASSAGE/ DAY
Kate walks towards a shed in the garden.
INT. SHED/ DAY
Kate looks at the recycling holding area, which is full of
cardboard boxes, plastic bottles and glass jars all in
separate compartments, which are labelled appropriately.
She walks towards it.
EXT. OUTDOOR PASSAGE/ DAY
She walks backwards and forwards from the garden to the
garage carrying armfuls of packaging materials in front of
her like Obelix with his stone. On the third time of walk-
ing across Greg walks down the passage towards an airing
cupboard, where he begins to get out sheets. He becomes
distracted by Kate and looks at what she is doing, as she
returns to the Shed and then walks back to the garage, he
turns to her.
GREG
What are you doing?
4. !
KATE
I’m going to fly Mummy to the moon.
GREG
OK, be careful.
Greg finishes getting the sheets and walks back in to the
house. Kate continues her journeys back and fourth from
the shed.
SERIES OF SHOTS:
A) Tape is ripped from a band.
B) Kate moves some boxes together.
C) Bottle caps are unscrewed from the empty bottles
and thrown in to a pile.
D) Foil is ripped
E) Kate wipes her forehead and then looks back at
then continues to build.
INT. LIVING ROOM/ LATE AFTERNOON
Kate walks in to the living room, and Greg and Fi are sit-
ting on the sofa watching TV. Both of them turn to look at
Kate and Fi turns the TV to silent with the remote.
KATE
It’s ready for take off.
Greg turns to Fi who is smiling at Kate. He looks con-
cerned and then stands up and begins to walk towards Kate.
GREG
I think its time for bed sweetheart. Why don’t
you go and get changed.
KATE
But I need to take mummy, and I’m not tired.
GREG
I know, but it’s probably for the best.
KATE
No Daddy, I need to take mummy to the moon, and
we need to go now.
GREG
Kate, stop this, you’re not actually going to be
able to fly Mummy to the moon, it’s ...
5. !
Fi holds Greg hand and squeezes lightly. Greg stops talk-
ing and Kate who looked slightly puzzled goes back to
smiling at Fi.
KATE
Don’t worry Daddy. Come on.
Kate runs out the living room. Greg reluctantly lifts Fi
in to the wheelchair and begins to push her out of the
living room.
EXT. IN FRONT OF THE GARAGE/ LATE AFTERNOON
Greg finishes pushing Fi to the front of the garage. Kate
is standing by the garage door and begins to turn the han-
dle to open the door. Greg moves in to help and lift the
door fully open to reveal the Rocket scale in size, large
enough to fit the wheelchair in, and filling the space
similarly to a car. Kate excitedly runs behind her mum and
begins to push her in to the Garage. Greg begins to pull
down the garage door.
KATE
Don’t worry Daddy, I’ll look after her.
Greg steps out back in front of the garage door and Kate
finishes closing the door.
INT. GARAGE/ LATE AFTERNOON
Kate again pushes Fi in to the Rocket. She closes up a
cardboard hatch. Fi looks around at the rocket’s interior
with a number of bottle tops, bottles and boxes all acting
as various knobs and buttons, levers and handles to ‘work’
the rocket. Kate is tirelessly moving about the rocket
trying to begin the ‘launch’ she picks up a make shift
head set and puts it on. Anxiously she walks towards Fi,
who is in shock.
KATE
(in to the head set) Are we ready? (to Fi) We
need to strap you in Mummy. We’re nearly ready
to go.
Kate gets a ribbon which is laying on the floor and places
it around the wheelchair and over Fi. A cardboard buckle
which is looped on the ribbon hangs at the side. Kate
makes a clicking sound as she places it on the chair. She
smiles and returns back to the levers and buttons. She
then gets a computer swivel chair which also has a ribbon
strap around it. She puts it over her. Fi welling up
6. !
smiles at her daughter, as she sits and works at the con-
trol panel.
KATE
Houston we’re clear for take off.
The soundscape from Apollo 13, when the rocket is taking
off, begins to play.
