Friday, August 26, 2011

SCENE DEVELOPMENT - Post 4


This is a continuing scene development adventure I've started while exploring methods of description. For clarity I may have made slight edits to the first 3 posts, but if you are up-to-date and have read through Post 3 jump down to the new entry, Post 4. 


Post 1
Darkness…

Dripping water into darkness, and then more water. An echo of water dripping into what seems eternity and the echo of silence between the drips. Water moving without drips and without a cause. Coldness of air which does not drip but does move for no reason. Moving water but not touching water, washing the surface of non-water, water touching dirt. In turn water makes mud that slides against other mud and positions to meet water dripping…dripping to be combined but then considered separate. Cool mud, mud from a recent rain which drips, drips, drips. 

Insects move across the top of the water, and surfaces chasing each other - gather and then scatter. Pooling over the moisture continues its movement, working with gravity, moving down toward the supporting surface. Mud, existing possibly for months or years, maybe centuries while waiting dormant for water, insects, and gravity continues its movement. Water runs down leaves as lightning cracks across the sky and thunder rumbles in the distance.

Post 2
Thunder continues like a banging timpani while moisture drips from the clouds. The bellowing sounds rhythmically resonate across the sky, between the exploding concussions of sound a steady drip of water from the surrounding foliage continues. The combination of the constant, melodic "Drip....Drip....Drip" with the other sounds form a natural symphony of musical quality unrepeatable by man nor nature...sounds only a supreme being would ever dream to create. As the thunder rumbles and the water drops from the clouds the repetitive dripping becomes muddled as a flood of moisture dropping from the sky drowns-out the cataclysmic booms.

The moisture runs from plant to surface to another surface to another plant; the 'drip' is pushed into the constant background sounds of the orchestration. "Boom" leads to a "clash" and then to a "drip" to a "boom", continuing as if no end will be reached. The petals of small plants and buds in development, along with ‘soon to be’ blooms lean low, the water weighting each down toward the surface and watery mud which wait for a mass of plants to feed the planet with nutrients.

Bending over, the plant stems struggle to maintain an erect stance but slowly the leaves give way to the weight of moisture and new plant growth falls from the stem. The ever active stem growth realizes nutrients are available, however buds fall to the wayside allowing stems to pop back into their erect position while the water continues its flow down the stems. Water running downward ultimately reaches the surface, mixes with mud and wields a new combination, sludge. Ultimately this new sludge gives way to gravity and flows down the slopes of terrain.

Post 3
Darkness is the measure of less light; the current lessening of light continues to diminish the presence of the landscape. As the sludge flows it combines with liquid falling from the limbs and stems to form a voluptuous concatenation of noise. Waterfalls dropping short distances could be mistaken as produced by cliffs or a shorter bluff in the darkening but in reality might only be inches or centimeter. Hundreds, thousands, or millions of short drops have the power to generate a boisterous natural sound and move the earth itself.

As the sound continues to build an additional roaring sound begins to develop in the distance with a "Growl!!!!!" and a rumbling followed by an echoing ‘sputter’ type of noise. If detectable by a living being the sound could be mistaken for a natural occurrence, yet confusingly would seem to be manmade. But this rising and falling landscape shows no living movement, only sounds of dripping, splashing, and gurgling of nature in movement mixed with a booming exclamation which might be considered thunder. Then this orchestrated sound is followed by the “Growl….putt...putt…Growl…putt…putt …Growl.”

As the new sound seems to grow louder and near it suddenly stops. But just before the sound ceases a twisting sound, similar to metal sliding across metal erupts and then the combination of new sounds ends again. Flashes of light dance across the landscape with no particular pattern or design. Although bright and intense this lighting can in no way engulf the entire landscape, or at least it presently does not cover the entire landscape. The small, condensed light leaves much of the fluids and sludge in almost complete darkness. Ferns and plants that seek sunlight for growth have to wait; this episode of lambency is not for them. Plants are not capable of thought, but if that a possibility it would be easy to understand that this thematically related lighting was not intended for plants which may been 'in-process' of seeking a growth opportunity. A short moment of time passes followed by intense sludge movement, similar to a river or dam, and then the overflow abruptly stops like rain water gushing over a city curb or the gutter of a residential home.

Seconds pass…

The water can be heard flowing again, dripping from leaf and stem, trickling down to the surface again and then….

Two pounding sounds, “Thud…..Thud!” sound across the landscape, louder than any of the resident flowing sounds. But immediately after the last “Thud” the gushing of the landscape sound mix coulld be heard as the dominate sound and the solo encore performance.

Post 4
"Swoosh", the sound was loud and momentary; once it had reverberated and dissipated the previous, dominant environmental sounds returned to control.  

Moments later a
voluptuous
 "Boom!" sounded and was followed by sloshing sounds of movement which blended with the previous sounds. The sloshing movements were not nature-natural, meaning there was no steady, rhythmic count.  The orchestrated steady drips and mingling of the sloshing became commingled and inseparable and then there was another "Boom!"

Seconds passed and a male voice exclaimed, "Damn!! It's raining harder than...'

But before the sentence could be finished another male voice shouted, "Shut-up!  Do you think I'm an idiot? I can see the rain is coming down, I was driving the stupid van!" 

The rain was indeed coming down, pounding the roof of the vehicle and making it difficult for either to the hear the other. The torrential downpour caused the men to scream above the other sounds to be heard, even though they were only feet away from one another.

One screamed, "Hurry up, I want to get out of here!!!"

The sound of the van doors could be heard opening and both men jumped out into the rain. With water dripping down from their clothing both paused to wipe their face in an losing battle to stay dry. The couple ran to the side sliding door of the van, a handle turned and the door opened. It was dry inside and both jumped back inside, but the vehicle was stuffed with boxes and clothing and they stumbled over one another. With water flooding through the door one let out a cry, "Shut the door!"

"Open the door, shut the door...hand me the keys, hurry up! Make up your confused mind...just make up your damn mind..." the other mumbled and the door slammed shut with a "Boom!!!"

Outside the natural sounds of water, mud, sludge and dripping returned, but inside different sounds, heavy breathing, cursing and the sound of the rain pounding the top of the vehicle were all that could be heard.

While screaming one said, "OK, let's get this finished...I'm hungry!"