Morrigan

Written By

Emily Clarkson

Based on the mythical Irish Goddess

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ACT ONE

A woodland environment is slowly lit from night to daylight. Morrigan appears from behind one of the tree's walking. The camera pan following her movement.

Once, centuries ago there lived a beautiful young woman, secretive, shy and happiest in shadow, she was rarely seen.

The camera accelerates leaving Morrigan behind. The woodland thins to more of a clearing. Morrigan reappears in view walking into the distance. The camera focuses on her.

Those who glimpsed her spoke of a woman, forever in the company of crows, and how she vanished in a flurry of their feathers.

Crows squawk flying around Morrigan, before a flock of them suddenly zip across the screen obscuring everything for a second. They dissipate and Morrigan has vanished.

Little did anyone suspect the young woman was a shape-shifter, a Goddess of battle and strife, cursed with the power to forsee imminent war.

A slow zoom on the scenery fades in the title 'Morrigan'

Her name was Morrigan.

The scenery starts to move in a carousel fashion. The titles sliding out of view behind a tree trunk.

Sometimes she would intervene in the bloody battles she was doomed to predict; disguised as an old Hag, she would hasten the end of those who displeased her.

The old Hag appears with her back turned, before turning and fixing a stare, raising her cloak and transforming into a crow. She flies before vanishing behind scenery

Other times she would appear as herself, aiding those she favoured.

Morrigan appears nervously from behind the trunk of a tree, beckoning with a hand gesture. She disappears and reappears

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further away, gesturing once again. A wipe cut behind a tree trunk reveals an open sky with slow moving clouds

And when the wars were won, she would walk amongst the dead and dying and send them onto the next life.

Land forms rise into view littered with bodies, weapons and shreds of material blowing in the wind. A slow zoom focuses on Morrigan at the top of the hill in the distance. She has her arms raised. Ghost crows rise from the dead and fly for the sun.

A fluttering shred of fabric creates a wipe cut to a close up of Morrigan at the top of the hill. She slumps saddened, looking over her shoulder before sighing and walking out of shot. The sky goes dark.

A woodland scene rises into view. Morrigan wanders into the foreground, in the distance a fire can be seen. She stops, now aware of it. The entire scene pivots round to show the fire in the foreground and Morrigan, now distant, edging closer.

Divided from the world of others, Morrigan walked alone until one day she set eyes upon a handsome warrior.

The warrior walks into view and sits by the fire, throwing in some fresh firewood. Wipe cut past a tree trunk.

A lower cam shot over the shoulder of the warrior shows Morrigan peeking out from behind a tree close by. The warrior catches sight and Morrigan hides again

An over the shoulder shot of Morrigan shows the warrior craning round and gesturing, inviting her to come closer.

Cut back to the warriors over the shoulder point of view. Morrigan edges out into view and kneels tentatively in front of the fire to warm her hands. She gives him a nervous glance.

Cut to a close up of the warriors kindly open face, lit by the fire. Cut to a close up of Morrigans face as she smiles shyly.

It was love at first sight

A wide shot shows the pair sitting on opposite sides of the

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fire, casting glances intermittently. The leaves start to fall from the trees, a cascade of them obscures the camera.

ACT TWO

In the reveal a 2D village rises in the distance and the 3D foreground follows, including a large Oak tree.

Seasons passed and Morrigan and her warrior made for themselves a home. She kept her abilities hidden, her true identity a secret.

A time lapse shows the tree pass through the seasons. The lapse stops in spring, the bright sky rolls in overcast. A fast dramatic zoom into Morigan's horrified expression, aided by an explosion of crows leads the viewer in Morrigan's 'Vision mode'

Suddenly, Morrigans mind was flooded with visions of war.

The background turns red and a series of slow motion events fade from one to the next, aided by blooms of Celtic pattern. Men run over a hill, weapons raised. Weapons cross(Axes and swords). Her warrior falls backwards down a ravine to his doom. A final set of Celtic swirl patterns bloom and the scenery fades back into the 'real world'

One awful image turned Morrigan's veins to ice; her handsome love was doomed to die.

An armed villager runs up to meet them at the tree.

Barbarians were attacking a village in the valley! The men of Morrigans village rallied to help

The villager hands the warrior his sword and shield.

The camera zooms in toward Morrigan who stands by the tree supporting herself against it. The Camera pitches so that only the smoke can be seen in the distance and Morrigan by the tree. The camera pans around to see her front.

Morrigan made a decision. She would save him, she would save her love.

ACT THREE- MORRIGAN SEEKS TO SAVE THE WARRIOR

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Morrigan transforms into a crow and in taking to the sky covers the screen. An expanse of sky is revealed as she flies. The camera angles to see the ground below her as specks of men hurry for the smoking and burning village.

Morrigan soared through the skies tracking the warrior as he raced for the village. Below, fires burned and houses collapsed, and villagers had scattered.

Morrigan wheels turning to dive for the ground, covering the camera. Men run over the hill with weapons raised at full speed. Wipe cut as a man speed passes the camera.

The visions were coming to life. Morrigan had to act quickly.

The warrior launches into a fight with a barbarian. The warrior's sword and barbarian's axe clash together. The camera pans around, and wipe cuts on passing a tree trunk.

The wipe cut reveals an over the shoulder shot of Morrigan as the barbarian and warrior fighting on the edge of a long drop. Their weapons locked together.

But things were moving so fast!

The Hag swiftly raises her cloak, obscuring the view, and rustling energetic feathers can be heard as a crow screeches.

Morrigan scratched at the barbarians face. He stumbled back.... and fell.

The crow flies in furious attacking the barbarian, mostly obscuring what is going on. Cut to the warrior with his arms protectively shielding his face. After a pause, the crow has disappeared and the warrior lowers his arms.

Morrigan had done it! She'd changed the warriors fate! She ran to him...

The camera pans around cutting past a tree trunk to an over the shoulder of the warrior, showing Morigan in her hag form. The warrior backs away.

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Morrigan hurries forward slightly, arms outstretched. On seeing her hands she realizes she is not herself. She promptly transforms into young Morrigan. Several crows fly past, providing a wipe cut.

A close up of the warriors face shows him back away further and shake his head in disbelief. A jump cut close up of his foot as he trips over a tree root, followed by another jump cut to a wide panning view of Morrigan, the warrior and the ravine edge, as he falls in slow motion and Morrigans arms are outstretched.

Wipe cut past a tree trunk to a silhouette from beneath the warrior as he falls in slow motion toward the camera. His silhouette blocks out the view.

A slow zoom out from the blackness reveals Morrigans face in in profile as she stares sadly into the distance from the edge of the ravine. The camera slowly pans around to see her from the front.

Once, centuries ago, there lived a beautiful woman.

Secretive, shy and happiest in shadow, she was rarely seen.

Those who glimpsed her spoke of a woman forever in the company of crows and how she vanished in a flurry of their feathers.

Her name was Morrigan, Goddess of battle and strife.

Morrigan is swarmed by crows. Upon their exit Morrigan has vanished. The camera continues to zoom out of the empty environment, fading to black.