Prologue: The Reckoning
The camera pans over a dimly lit street in London, remnants of rain glistening on cobblestones.
Pedestrians move hurriedly, each lit by a soft halo of light.
The scene is a weird mix between grimey and ethereal, spiritual and consumerist.
In a grand building's window, we see the reflected outline of our main character standing with a smaller figure. He is lost in thought.
We hear his voice, it is tinged with melancholy:
"I'm sorry. I should never have believed all those pie-in-the-sky promises."
Young voice:
"What's the matter, Daddy?"
Sighing:
"I've been obsessed with the future, with numbers and progress. I've forgotten what truly matters."
Cut to an edit timeline and then zooming into a holographic memory – a family outing, juxtaposed with a fleeting digital notification of a crash, panic, anger.
A robotic sounding voice: "There's always a way to set things right."
Fade, as the notes of Let’s Go Fly A Kite from Mary Poppins begins, the lyrics overlaying the visuals.
1. Opening: The New World
Skyscrapers dominate the horizon.
Among them are buildings reflecting architectural hints from a bygone era.
The facade of a grand colonial building is bathed by a sophisticated projection map advertising "Oceanfront Property in Arizona".
Beside it, a quaint digital cafe where avatars sip pixelated coffee and mark up hardback novels with digital ink, before swiping their hands to cover the costs of their purchases with timepoints.
A swarm of drones skim overhead like a murmering of animatronic starlings, momentarily overshadowing a corroded, antiquated street sign.
Pause.
Lyric: "With tuppence for paper and strings..."
2. Introducing characters
The founder: Inside a lavish office, an aging tech CEO leans over his mahogany desk, which fuses traditional woodwork with sleek modern tech interfaces.
His expansive window reveals a bustling city, where historic landmarks are now dwarfed by technological marvels that seem somehow worn out - elements of a corroding solar punk aesthetic.
A virtual pet dances next to an antique globe, both vying for the mogul's attention.
His eyes wander to the sand timer draining slowly in front of him.
Time is almost up.
Pause.
Lyric: "You can have your own set of wings..."
3. Rise of Cryptocurrency, Stocks, & AI
The assassin: an eclectic room brims with nervous energy.
Beside movie posters are holographic displays, feverishly charting prices.
In one corner, an old cabinet houses mint condition action figures, we track around to see a stunning retro karaoke booth and dress up box of wild outfits - then a wall with handguns.
Self aware memes are framed on the walls. They run the full gamut... funny, ironic, deeply offensive, but all for the lols.
Pause.
Lyric: "With your feet on the ground, you're a bird in flight..."
4. Climate Change and AI Predictions
The scientist: Standing in front of a glowing orb. Wearing a Badwater 135 ultra-marathon finisher t shirt.
Scanning through a range of alarming prediction models trying to find patterns in data whilst chain smoking a pack of Marlboro reds and checking personal health stats. Motivational quotes on the walls.
A set of trainers, running gear, supplements.
A shelf behind her contains curiosities – a 'drowning' polar bear figurine next to a blinking tech relic from Web 2.0 days.
Pause.
Lyric: "With your fist holding tight to the string of your kite..."
5. Tension Rises
The market floor, a sprawling space echoing with urgency, sits under a dome-like structure that pays homage to grand old trading halls with one strange addition.
The environment has been greened. Flowers, climbers and mushrooms are scattered through a space. The tinkle of small streams, hydro-ponics, fresh food.
The Eden Project reimagined in the home of capitalism.
Amid the flurry, brokers clutch both contemporary gadgets and oddly out-of-place artifacts like brass telescopes.
Animated holograms project market trends, occasionally disrupted by pop-culture digital art. Is this the past? The present? Or the future?
Pause. "Oh, oh, oh..."
6. Personal Struggles
The deaditor: a medley of old-world charm, pizza boxes and techie clutter. Walls adorned with sepia-toned selfies face desks littered with gadgets in varying states or repair.
His screen juxtaposes the soaring costs of digital life with pixelated nostalgia games like Snake.
An antique clock's chimes are overshadowed by notification pings, whilst a giant screen scrolls through a rolling list of featuring best ofs from myriad deceased perspectives.
A palm is lit up with an alert - "Max dead, want to cut?"
Pause.
Lyric: "Let's go fly a kite..."
7. Realisation: The Tech Detox Retreat
Set against lush greenery is a stately manor-turned-retreat. Inside, attendees lounge in areas that blend carved woodwork with biophilic design.
Everything is sensitive to the touch.
This is Spirituality 2.0. Ayahuasca is now available in the App store.
A deep meditation is in session, softly glowing students tune into the steady hum from their own technically enhanced vibrations, seeking to become one with the machine.
The singularity is within touching distance.
Pause.
Lyric: "Up to the highest height..."
8. Chaos Unleashed
On historic streets, the digital and real collide.
Protestors - many of whom don’t seem to be touched with the same consistent glow as regular citizens wave banners decrying the "New Empire".
They converge on the gawdy residence of a suspected member of the cry-luminati.
A refurbished colonial mansion cluttered with dayglo brand logos from sponsors.
Screens dotting the streets flash doxxed details including the time points of well known faces and side deals between rival authors, punctuated by glitchy 8-bit rainbows and pixel cloud.
Lyric: "Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring..."
9. Climax
In a park, past meets future.
Children, absorbed in tech-enhanced play, sit beside elders sharing tales. The family examines the child’s drawing that brilliantly juxtaposes internet icons with age-old ships and explorers.
Nearby, an indigenous elder is sat cross-legged, tinkering with a bio-degradable sensor, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers drawn to hear timeless wisdom.
A young boy pushes to the front.
The elder nods. Kind eyes. Warm smile. Peaceful.
The boy is pushed from behind and stumbles forward. The elder's calm demeanour snaps.
Elder: "Get off me you little shit!"
Pause. "Up through the atmosphere..."
10. Closing
A panoramic view of the city at dusk.
The skyline is a tapestry of eras, blending ornate colonial spires with soaring digital-age wonders. Cultures collide. Ideas compete. Histories remix.
A billboard gradually transitions from a network topography into "Number Go Up".
Pause. "Up where the air is clear..."
Fade Out.
