Narrative: Badger Synopsis & Treatment

Here are my synopsis and treatment for the badger animation. They have been modified and changed slightly since the premise, and again they are a little off from what the final piece is. I find this quite annoying as it is a similar case with the crime project, not being able to fulfil what I was expecting to get done within the time frame given. However, the gist of it remains in tact, with only a few mismatches with the final outcome.

Synopsis:

It is a peaceful day and the badgers are out of their setts foraging. They wander close to the edge of the wood and into a vast empty field. A farmer out with his dog and The dog picks up on the badgers scent start barking. The badgers, startled, disappear back into the woods. The farmer and his dog come and he finds traces of their foraging. Following this he sets traps for the badgers: snares, rat poisoning etc. before retreating. The badgers venture out unaware. Slowly, they head toward the field again. Some begin to eat the rat poison. The farmer returns with a gunshot, startling the badgers and they flee back to their sett. Some get caught in the snares. The farmer walks past as the snares wind tighter and tighter. Trapped inside their sett, those that manage to return have no escape when the farmer finally buries their sett with slurry. The farmer walks off into the horizon with his dog, dropping dead badgers by the roadside to look like road kill.

Treatment:

For this project I plan to use cut-out and collage of photos for the opening act, wherein the badgers are peacefully foraging at the edge of the woods on an open ended field. All is peaceful and tranquil; snuffling and bird chirps in the distance break the silence.

The badgers move closer and closer into the field, (here there will be a far, wide shot of the scene) and we begin to hear the farmer’s footsteps. Close ups of the bagders snuffling snouts as they forage begin to be interlaced with another snout: the nose of the farmer’s dog, which is in black and red. The footsteps are gradually growing louder, closer. Switching between the foraging badger noses and that of the dog hunting for smells gradually increases in speed each time. Then we stop with a upward angle shot of the farmer’s face (all shots from here are in black and red in pop art style) the dog stop sniffing out smells, raises its head and howls. The farmer turns his head in that direction and enters the field. (The same far, wide shot as earlier.) The dog is sniffing round the field as the badgers have disappeared. The farmer kneels down, (then an over-the-shoulder angle will be used) inspecting the ground. The dog barks, signalling he’d found something.

The farmer, following his dog, discovers a well-used animal track under the fence and places a snare. He leaves rat poison down where they had been foraging. And we hear his footstep recede into the distance with his dog.

We switch to the entrance to the set. Tentatively, the badgers emerge and cautiously head out to forage again. After a time, a few have begun to venture out into the field again. One starts sniffing at the rat poison. Another notices and joins. A gun shot. One of the badgers is shot dead. Frightened, the other badgers turn and run. In their hurry, they get trapped in the snares. As the farmer passes, he pauses long enough to shoot a few, before ambling on.  The badgers scurry into their set again. Just as the last one disappears, we see the farmer stopping at the entrance. (Only the feet are visible). We switch to a black screen with nervous sounds of badgers inside their dark sett. A brief silence proceeds their squeals as they are buried by slurry in their home with no chance to escape.

All becomes dead silent. We then see the farmer destroy the entrance to the sett. He walks away. On his way back home, we see him dropping badger carcasses on the roadside as he disappears off into the horizon.