Script Synopsis

Garrod, Ben (55117)

55117@eastnorfolk.ac.uk
Ben Garrod, 55117 Script Synopsis

Contents

Logline ................................................................................................................................. 2
Synopsis .............................................................................................................................. 2

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Ben Garrod, 55117 Script Synopsis

Logline

Title: Living in the Future

Logline: A family from 100 years ago is transported into the year 2020 and find
themselves in an unrecognisable world.
Genre: Adventure, with sci-fi and comedy elements

Synopsis

A nuclear family – Robert, Dorothy, Mary and John Smith – are going about their
daily lives in the 1920s. They are shown working at a farm; ploughing a field with a
horse. They clearly enjoy their work and are living happy, contented lives. At the end
of the day, the family finish work and go to bed.
The following morning, the family wake up to a changed world. Although their
location is unchanged, time has advanced by 100 years. Initially, panic ensues, as
they begin to realise what has happened. The idyllic, isolated cottage is now
surrounded by a housing estate, leaving no trace of their farm. Inside their house, the
sparse interior has been swapped for modern luxuries, such as kitchen appliances,
TVs and smart home devices. Whilst the parents – Robert and Dorothy – are
bewildered and concerned, the children – Mary and John – are fascinated by the
world that they find themselves in.
After exploring their unrecognisable home, the family venture outside. Dressed in
traditional clothes from the 1920s, they find it hard to blend in. Changes in colloquial
language result in difficulty communicating. The family go on a ‘quest’ to find food,
walking for miles to find a shop. Eventually, they find a Tesco; Robert remembers
reading about their first store opening in a newspaper. The four of them try to enter
but are told that only one person is allowed in per family. They are shocked to learn
that the world has entered another pandemic: Covid-19.
Robert leads the quest to return the family back to 1920. Aided by Mary – who has
quickly learned how to use technology – they scour the internet for clues about
future generations. After days of research, they find the contact details of their future
family. They meet with India and Ryan Smith (brother and sister). Initially, India and
Ryan find their story unbelievable. However, a DNA test confirms that they are indeed
related.
Both generations of the Smith family work together to find answers to why the shift
in time has occurred. After painstaking research, the family find a ‘time travel’ expert
on the internet, named Douglas. He agrees to meet them as he is fascinated by their
situation, however he lives in Glasgow, which is 400 miles away from their home in
Norfolk. The family agrees that they should make the trip to Scotland. As only
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Ben Garrod, 55117 Script Synopsis

essential travel is permitted, due to Coronavirus restrictions, they are stopped and
quizzed by police; justifying their journey proves difficult!
After a long and arduous journey, they meet Douglas in Scotland to discuss their
bizarre situation. Douglas believes that the shift in time has occurred due to a
mutation in the Spanish Flu, which the Smith family from the 1920s has contracted.
He has been developing a time machine for the last decade but has not had the
opportunity to test it. He agrees that the Smiths can use his time machine to travel
back in time.
They realise that they can use the time travel to their advantage, as they can bring
back modern knowledge back with them! Their first priority is to bring medical
knowledge. For example, they gather all the scientific information they can about flu
vaccinations, in the hope that they can expediate their production, slowing down the
Spanish Flu pandemic. They also document: technology, current global issues and
major historical events; hoping that knowing the future will aid global planning and
solve problems before they occur.
Armed with the knowledge of the future, the Smiths from the 1920s step inside the
time machine and travel back 100 years. There is a fade to black and the film ends,
ending on a cliff hanger – did they manage to successfully travel back in time?

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