2. !
"ROCKET"
FADE IN:
SERIES OF SHOTS:
A) A small pair of hands is vacuuming a bedroom.
B) The same small hand is polishing the banister.
C) A pair of small hands are tidying her bedroom.
D) A small girl is dusting bookshelves standing on the
desk.
E) A small pair of hands is vacuuming along the landing
she then switches it off and picks it up she begins to
walk downstairs.
INT. STAIRS/ DAY
KATE, 5, 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 into 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 TV.
POV on the screen Tom Hanks is sitting in his garden look-
ing 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 rest-
ing against the arm of the sofa.
INT. HALL AND STAIRCASE/ DAY
GREG, late 40’s, dressed in working jeans and a polo
shirt, walks into 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.
3. !
Kate irritated sulks back up the stairs; Greg walks back
into the kitchen.
INT. LANDING/ DAY
Kate sulks along the landing towards a bedroom door, the
vacuum cleaner dragging behind her. She pushes the door
almost with her head.
INT. JESSE’S BEDROOM/ DAY
Kate plugs the vacuum cleaner into a socket she begins to
vacuum the room, edging towards the window. She takes off
the floor adaptor for the vacuum and begins vacuuming the
window sill. She sees a butterfly through the glass sitting
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. The butterflies wings flut-
ter and Kate’s face appears shocked as she tries to push it
off the ledge by tapping the window. It flutters of the
ledge and Kate looks stunned 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
Greg walks out of the kitchen in to the outdoor passage
and goes to the airing cupboard. He begins to fold sheets.
Kate walks out of the shed carrying armfuls of packaging
materials in front of her like Obelix with his stone. She
walks to the garage and then runs back to the Shed. She
then comes back out of the shed with another armful of ma-
terial. She repeats this movement three more times. Whilst
4. !
she is going backwards and forwards Greg becomes dis-
tracted by Kate. On the sixth time Greg turns towards her.
GREG
What are you doing?
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 into 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.
5. !
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 ...
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
into the wheelchair and begins to push her out of the liv-
ing 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, a large structure
which is juvenile in its appearance, however the way it
has been made makes it appear above her years. Kate excit-
edly 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 into 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 makeshift
head-set and puts it on. Anxiously she walks towards Fi,
who is in shock.
KATE
(in to the head set)
Are we ready?
6. !
(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
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. The rocket which has been lit like an
ordinary room becomes darker, with spotlighting from the
floor. These then begin to flash as the sound grows in to
the launch and take off. As this happens the camera will
also begin to shake replicating the movements of the
rocket taking off. When it does take off, the lighting
mixes between white and red. To end a spotlight is shined
brightly through the port hole and then it fades out to
black.
