WORDS
Population One
What if you were required to have a parenting license in order to give birth?
Population One |
PAGE 1 | 6 PANELS
PANEL 1
View from inside the mailbox, lid open, as LEE stares at a letter from the Department of Population Control. He is apprehensive.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 2
LILY stands in the doorway as Lee opens the letter. Her belly is obstructed from view, so the reader does not yet know she is pregnant.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 3
Lee stands halfway between the mailbox and the house, in the middle of the yard, having walked back a few paces while reading he letter. His mouth is open in shock as the letter falls from his hands.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 4
Close up of letter on ground, and the first line of text.
PANEL 5
Reaction close-up of Lily’s face with an expression of fear and a tear running down her cheek.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 6
Wide side shot of Lily, revealing she is pregnant, with hands holding her belly in a protective manner.
NO DIALOGUE
PAGE 2 | 3 PANELS
PANEL 1
Single panel that consumes 2/3rds of the page: Lee is in bed, back twisted and arched while he suffers through a nightmare about the parental license application. He is wondering which answer resulted in the denial of their request. Various application questions appear in narration boxes around him, three on each side of the panel. Lily is awake, disrupted by Lee’s tossing and turning. Her raised head and outstretched arm show concern for Lee.
PANEL 2
Lily’s hand is on Lee’s arm. A moment ago, she shook him awake, but her hand now lingers to provide a sense of comfort. Lee is sitting up in bed, staring forward with eyes wide open, sweating.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 3
Lee faces Lily, his hand on her cheek, as though he’s wiping away her earlier tear (page 1 – panel 5) with his thumb.
PAGE 3 | 5 PANELS
PANEL 1
Lee and the grizzled FORGER are standing in a garage/workshop. The Forger is sitting to the left of the panel, behind a workbench on a raised bar stool. Lee is standing in front of the workbench.
PANEL 2
The Forger taps his pointer finger down on the workbench, on top a stack of random papers, while he explains the options available. Lee has both hands raised, palms out in a shrugging gesture, as he asks a follow-up question.
PANEL 3
The Forger is now up and walking to the left, raising his hands as he talks. There is an oil rag hanging out of his back pocket. Lee is feeling both exasperated and disappointed.
PANEL 4
The Forger faces Lee, with several feet of distance between them.
PANEL 5
The Forger turns his back on Lee, facing the reader head on, and with shifty eyes gives one final instruction.
PAGE 4 | 5 PANELS
PANEL 1
OFFICER LORENZO MANCINI is standing to the side of the doorway with his gun drawn as OFFICER BONNIE CLARK smashes the door open with a battering ram. Officer Clark's gun is holstered. Their uniforms have Velcro straps on the left chest plate that read, “DPC” (albeit, if the scene is drawn from a viewpoint behind the officers this information won’t be useful until later). Officer Mancini is seasoned, while Officer Clark is junior.
PANEL 2
Lee is sitting at the kitchen table. Lily is standing near the kitchen counter, holding a recently poured cup of coffee. Officer Mancini is near Lee, gun now holstered. Lee is staring at the gun and sees that it is not clipped into the holster. Officer Clark is near Lily, gun in hand. Officer Mancini is speaking.
PANEL 3
Close up as Officer Clark places the gun to Lily’s forehead.
PANEL 4
Wide shot of Lily with Officer Clark holding a gun to her forehead. In the background, Lee has a shocked/worried expression. He is getting up from his chair and reaching towards Officer Macini’s gun (although this action shouldn’t be fully realized, only implied).
PANEL 5
Close up of a gun firing.
PAGE 5 | 4 PANELS
PANEL 1
Looking down from above, we see a first-person view of two hands, palms up and covered in blood.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 2
The hands belong to Officer Clark, who is bleeding from a gunshot wound in the lower abdomen, just beneath her body armor. Lee holds the (still smoking) gun he grabbed from the holster of Officer Mancini. Officer Mancini has a surprised expression. Lily is in shock.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 3
Officer Mancini is charging Lee. Officer Clark has fallen to the ground. Lee shoots Officer Mancini in the leg.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 4
Large panel. Officer Mancini and Officer Clark are both lying on the ground, incapacitated. Lee and Lily, holding hands, run towards the broken open front door… and to their uncertain freedom.
NO DIALOGUE
END
PANEL 1
View from inside the mailbox, lid open, as LEE stares at a letter from the Department of Population Control. He is apprehensive.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 2
LILY stands in the doorway as Lee opens the letter. Her belly is obstructed from view, so the reader does not yet know she is pregnant.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 3
Lee stands halfway between the mailbox and the house, in the middle of the yard, having walked back a few paces while reading he letter. His mouth is open in shock as the letter falls from his hands.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 4
Close up of letter on ground, and the first line of text.
- LETTER: Your parental license has been DENIED. [The word ‘DENIED’ is stamped in red ink.]
PANEL 5
Reaction close-up of Lily’s face with an expression of fear and a tear running down her cheek.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 6
Wide side shot of Lily, revealing she is pregnant, with hands holding her belly in a protective manner.
NO DIALOGUE
PAGE 2 | 3 PANELS
PANEL 1
Single panel that consumes 2/3rds of the page: Lee is in bed, back twisted and arched while he suffers through a nightmare about the parental license application. He is wondering which answer resulted in the denial of their request. Various application questions appear in narration boxes around him, three on each side of the panel. Lily is awake, disrupted by Lee’s tossing and turning. Her raised head and outstretched arm show concern for Lee.
- CAPTION: TRUE/FALSE
- CAPTION: You were abused as a child.
- CAPTION: One of your parents is an alcoholic.
- CAPTION: You sometimes drink to excess.
- CAPTION: You take illicit, non-prescription drugs.
- CAPTION: You drink caffeine.
- CAPTION: You eat red meat multiple times per month.
PANEL 2
Lily’s hand is on Lee’s arm. A moment ago, she shook him awake, but her hand now lingers to provide a sense of comfort. Lee is sitting up in bed, staring forward with eyes wide open, sweating.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 3
Lee faces Lily, his hand on her cheek, as though he’s wiping away her earlier tear (page 1 – panel 5) with his thumb.
- LEE: I won’t let them take our baby.
- LILY: I know.
PAGE 3 | 5 PANELS
PANEL 1
Lee and the grizzled FORGER are standing in a garage/workshop. The Forger is sitting to the left of the panel, behind a workbench on a raised bar stool. Lee is standing in front of the workbench.
- FORGER: Sure, I can get yer papers. But it’s gonna cost ya.
- LEE: How much?
PANEL 2
The Forger taps his pointer finger down on the workbench, on top a stack of random papers, while he explains the options available. Lee has both hands raised, palms out in a shrugging gesture, as he asks a follow-up question.
- FORGER: You want a fake license, or fer me to hack the database records in the system?
- LEE: How much for the hack?
PANEL 3
The Forger is now up and walking to the left, raising his hands as he talks. There is an oil rag hanging out of his back pocket. Lee is feeling both exasperated and disappointed.
- FORGER: High risk scenario. That’ll run you fifty grand.
- LEE: Well… shit.
PANEL 4
The Forger faces Lee, with several feet of distance between them.
- FORGER: Ten fer fake papers. But know, first time you get stopped an’ they scan your license, they won’t find a record in the system.
- LEE: I just need to buy time until we can cross the border.
PANEL 5
The Forger turns his back on Lee, facing the reader head on, and with shifty eyes gives one final instruction.
- FORGER: Wire the funds.
PAGE 4 | 5 PANELS
PANEL 1
OFFICER LORENZO MANCINI is standing to the side of the doorway with his gun drawn as OFFICER BONNIE CLARK smashes the door open with a battering ram. Officer Clark's gun is holstered. Their uniforms have Velcro straps on the left chest plate that read, “DPC” (albeit, if the scene is drawn from a viewpoint behind the officers this information won’t be useful until later). Officer Mancini is seasoned, while Officer Clark is junior.
- OFFICER 1: Open the door! We have a warrant!
- SFX: SHKRAK
PANEL 2
Lee is sitting at the kitchen table. Lily is standing near the kitchen counter, holding a recently poured cup of coffee. Officer Mancini is near Lee, gun now holstered. Lee is staring at the gun and sees that it is not clipped into the holster. Officer Clark is near Lily, gun in hand. Officer Mancini is speaking.
- OFFICER MANCINI: Lee Kim, you enlisted an undercover agent to forge birthing papers.
PANEL 3
Close up as Officer Clark places the gun to Lily’s forehead.
- OFFICER MANCINI (offscreen): You are both guilty of carrying an unsanctioned pregnancy past the second trimester.
- LEE (offscreen): Lily, no… oh god, no!
PANEL 4
Wide shot of Lily with Officer Clark holding a gun to her forehead. In the background, Lee has a shocked/worried expression. He is getting up from his chair and reaching towards Officer Macini’s gun (although this action shouldn’t be fully realized, only implied).
- OFFICER MANCINI: We are authorized to terminate this pregnancy.
PANEL 5
Close up of a gun firing.
- SFX: BLAM
PAGE 5 | 4 PANELS
PANEL 1
Looking down from above, we see a first-person view of two hands, palms up and covered in blood.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 2
The hands belong to Officer Clark, who is bleeding from a gunshot wound in the lower abdomen, just beneath her body armor. Lee holds the (still smoking) gun he grabbed from the holster of Officer Mancini. Officer Mancini has a surprised expression. Lily is in shock.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 3
Officer Mancini is charging Lee. Officer Clark has fallen to the ground. Lee shoots Officer Mancini in the leg.
NO DIALOGUE
PANEL 4
Large panel. Officer Mancini and Officer Clark are both lying on the ground, incapacitated. Lee and Lily, holding hands, run towards the broken open front door… and to their uncertain freedom.
NO DIALOGUE
END
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