PROJECT TITLE: Blood Red Rain: The Invasion
BLAKE SNYDER GENRE: Institutionalized (dysfunctional family type)
DATE: 03/13/13
Logline: A carefree young Hawaiian, who becomes a crown prince when his father kills his uncle, must learn to defend himself from power hungry brother who wants to continue the family tradition.
1. Opening Image (1): Pono running toward us (and away from the Hill of the Jealousy, Pu’u o Kahua) through an early developmental stage of the Kohala Field System, a large garden that feeds the people of Hawaii island in the 17th century. Pono is popular and farmers along his route stop work to cheer him on.
Pono is sheltered, naïve, childish, unambitious, not serious.
2. Theme Stated (5): The land can feed its people only if a good person is the sovereign. This is another way of stating the Hawaii State Motto: The life of the land is preserved in righteousness OR the sovereignty of the land is preserved in Justice OR the lands will be brought to live again only when all things are correct and proper (pono).
3. Set-Up (1-10): Pono is a happy-go-lucky, athletic, Hawaiian surfer dude who is in love with Lani, his beautiful second cousin and the granddaughter of the king. Lani is used to getting what she wants and right now she wants to marry Pono and have babies. When Pono asks his uncle, the king, for permission to marry Lani, he is told to wait until his succession was settled. Pono seeks the advice of a wizard who advises Pono to become proficient at wrangling (debate and riddling) and who mysteriously calls Pono “my prince.”
Pono want to become rich, wants to marry Lani. He rejects the warrior role.
4. Catalyst (12): Pono’s father, Keawe, convinces his supporters (landless chiefs) he can ramp up food production faster than his brother, the king. Without warning Pono, Keawe, has the king killed and usurps the throne, just as his father (Pono’s grandfather, Umi) killed his brother to usurp the throne. Kanahoa, who is Pono’s older half brother and Keawe’s favorite, sides with their father and organizes the killing.
Pono is “out of the loop”, not respected by his father.
5. Debate (12-25): Keawe is a womanizer and as the new king he gathers all the beautiful women in the kingdom for his pleasure. He has children with low ranking women, angering the nobility. The trade winds fail, reducing the rainfall on and output of the field system, making matters worse and the people unsatisfied. Kea, a little person, Pono’s half brother and coach, rebels against the dysfunctional family around them and leaves the court. As the people grumble, Keawe’s health fails as does the health of the island. On his deathbed, Keawe sees the error of his ways and names Lani as the next queen. He appoints Kanaloa as reagent until Lani is old enough to rule. An evil schemer to the end, Keawe direct both his highest ranking son, Pono, and his oldest son, Kanaloa, to marry Lani, thereby keeping his sons in bloodline. Naïve Pono is warned by Kea and his high-ranking mother, the founder of a woman’s temple (heiau) in Waimea, that his marrying Lani would put him in a lethal (fratricidal) competition with Kanaloa (keep this a secret: and his younger brother, Umio,) for the kingship.
Pono is afraid to take on the role of crown prince, but really wants Lani.
6. Break into Two (25): Pono accepts from Keawe the offer of the kingship but prudently asks Keawe for time to learn the skills of warfare before marrying Lani (over her objections to the delay) and taking charge of the kingdom. Keawe agrees and sends Pono off to be trained by Kea, who is an expert at Hawaiian hand-to-hand fighting moves (lua).
Pono makes a commitment to prepare for his destiny as the future king. Pono discovers how hard that is and how difficult and dangerous his life will be.
7. B Story (30): During Pono’s training, Kanaloa befriends the angry and lonely Lani who is kept in isolation until Pono can return and marry her.
8. Fun and Games, The Promise of the Premise (30-55): When his training is complete, Pono returns to claim his wife and the throne, but first has to pass tests designed by Kanaloa, which almost kill him. In the spear dodging contest, Pono dodges 80 spears thrown at him simultaneously. Pono wins a riddling contest with a man whose house is surrounded with a wall made of the bones of his previous competitors.
Pono rises to the occasion and avoids being killed by his brother(s).
9. Midpoint (55): Pono passes the tests (barely), takes Lani as his wife, and becomes king. The trade winds, and with them the fog-drip irrigation water, return. Pono decides it is time to make babies.
Pono is “on top of the world”. He feels confident and everything appears to be going his way.
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75): Pono discovers that Lani was seduced by Kanaloa while he was away in training and that she has already had two male children with him. As the higher-ranking husband, Pono decides to have children with Lani, thereby ramping up the same competition for the throne that his family has faced for generations. A white tapa tent is set up and Pono and Lani enter and try to make a baby, with the tent surrounded by praying priests. Several attempts end in failure and Pono gets very frustrated. Pono’s brothers regroup and try to get rid of Pono. Kanaloa again tries to seduce Lani. When that does not work, he sets up a situation which makes it appears like Lani has a lover (which might indeed be the case, we will never know for sure). Pono and Kanaloa are supervising the clearing of the Waimea forest and construction of ditches to irrigate the crops that will be grown there when Lani’s surfing teacher, and alleged lover, is introduced.
Pono is disappointed in Lani’s not being faithful and confused by Lani’s possibly having another lover.
11. All Is Lost (75): When he thinks he overhears Lani’s lover calling to her, Pono’s sexual jealousy gets the best of him. He hits Lani on the head with a stone Hawaiian checkers board and believes he has killed her. Pono contemplates suicide. His brothers hear of the incident and raise a rebellion.
Pono is angry and violent, maybe for the first time.
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Pono travels alone to Oahu where he wallows in regret and mourns his loss. He gambles with the King of Oahu. He is seduced by a chiefess who is on her way to Hawaii to get married. He moves through his jealousy.
13. Break into Three (85): Lani finds Pono on Oahu and chants to him. Convinced that she still loves him and that he is the right person to lead his kingdom, they return to Hawaii to put down the rebellion.
14. Finale (85-110): Pono uses his debating skills to convince some of the Hawaii island chiefs to fight on his side, because he is the correct person to be in charge. Kea acts as Pono’s general. After losing an initial battle, Pono’s side prevails. Pono is again tested when Lani asks him not to kill the father of her children, Kanaloa. When the war appears to be won, Pono’s younger brother, who would inherit the throne in Pono’s absence, tries to kill Pono, but fails. This time it is Pono’s mother who pleads for the life of her other son.
15. Final Image (110): Pono is seen walking through a much larger version of the Kohala Field System, this time toward The Hill of the Jealousy with his step sons. The farmers cheer him again, this time as their leader.