Infection by HIV

Step Outline

Scene 1 – INT. Classroom, Day

Scene: Classroom, Textbook left open on desk.

Sound: Gentle building of tension as camera approaches book.

Action:
• Top down shot of text book lying school desk.
• The camera travels towards it, zooming closer and closer.
• The camera zooms in so close that it is at a microscopic level, and zooms into the
paper weave.

Notes: Little of the classroom is seen, simply the context understood. The text is open on a page
about HIV infection, but the page is doodled on and grubby.

Scene 2 – INT. The Immune System

Scene: Inside a paper representation of the immune system.

Sound: There are the muffled sounds of the body, the heart beat, the rush of blood.
Action:
• The setting of the lymphatic system is established.
• Other particles, such as protein, blood and glucose are seen floating around, but
the focus is drawn to the white blood cells occupying the system.
• It is shown to be quite beautiful, clean and attractive.

Notes: Factual information could be projected onto the side of paper, to convey information, in
the style of a text book.

Scene 3 – INT. The Immune System

Scene: An entry point into the lymphatic system.

Sound: A slightly more ominous tone enters the sound track. Also the gentle sound of
fire/burning.

Action:
• Amidst this calm flowing of the system, a different particle enters.
• It's more yellow in colour, dirtier, it seems immediately out of place, at odds with
the sterilized surroundings.
• With in it seems to carry a burning centre, an evil fire.

Notes: The particle is immediately seen as antagonistic, a foreign body to be destroyed as soon
as possible.

Scene 4 – INT. The Immune System

Scene: The lymphatic system.
Sound: An air of tension is added to the music as the urgency of the threat is made apparent.
Also the representative sounds of camera movement as it follows the HIV particle into
the Macrophage.

Action:
• A Macrophage spots the HIV particle and ensnares it with its pseudopodia.
• It pulls it in to ingest it, and the camera follows its progress.

Notes: The catch must seem like a bit of an anti-climax, a feeling of 'oh, it's all over'... little do
they know...

Scene 5 – INT. Inside the Macrophage

Scene: Inside the Macrophage.

Sound: Even more muffled, almost silent. There's the faint crackle of fire.

Action:
• The HIV particle is scene attached to the cell membrane.
• It then emits a spark, representative of the HIV capsule containing viral RNA.
• This spark floats gently down to the Macrophage nucleus where it burns its way
through.

Notes: The journey of the spark to the nucleus is slightly ponderous, a moment of calm before
the storm begins to stir.

Scene 6 – INT. Inside the Macrophage Nucleus

Scene: Inside the nucleus, observing the macrophage DNA.

Sound: A rising tension in the music. Then, as the DNA begins to catch alight, a sound of
burning and consuming. Once completely changed there is near silence once again, but
with a hint of subtly changed, tense music.

Action:
• Once inside, the spark aims for the bottom of the DNA strand.
• At first little seems to happen... then, slowly, the DNA strand begins to catch
alight, to smolder.
• There's a pause, a moment of doubt... then, as a precursor of what's going to
happen to the whole system, the DNA is consumed, the 'fire' of HIV corrupting
it, a representation of the reverse-transcription process.
• At the end we're left with a burnt, blackened strand of viral DNA, glowing
malevolently with the destructive power of HIV within it.

Notes: The transformation must be almost shockingly destructive and quite sudden, it must be
clear the macrophage stands no chance.

Scene 7 – INT. The Immune System

Scene: Back outside the cell, a few white blood cells take notice.
Sound: It must be a classic moment of music building as the HIV is nearly discovered, and then
silence as it is dismissed and passed by. The resulting sound must convey a sense of
defeat and of the inevitable.

Action:
• The now infected Macrophage seems to be struggling slightly, its inner blue-ish
glow struggling with something, flickering with a yellowish light.
• Another macrophage or two, and some lymphocytes take notice, halting their
flow and approaching the struggling victim.
• As they close in, the macrophages extending their pseudopods, the music builds,
the tension builds, the HIV is caught!
• But then it seems the blue glow wins out, all is returned to normal. The other
white blood cells dismiss it and move on.
• Once they are gone a suitable distance, the yellow, burning glow emerges. HIV
has successfully dodged the patrols.

Notes: This really must seem like the last chance for the immune system, and the audience must
really feel the tension over whether HIV will be caught or not.

Scene 8 – INT. The Immune System

Scene: Making its way through the system.

Sound: Lurking, malevolent music, a threat hanging over the system the HIV is moving through.
Then, as it meets the other infected cells, a pregnant pause, the moment before the virus
is unleashed.

Action:
• The viral Macrophage makes its way through the system, approaching a bend. As
it makes its way round it pauses and observes.
• The 'tunnel' is dim at first, seemingly normal. Then, yellow lights begins to
conquer blue ones and the scale of the HIV stealthy operation is clear.
• The viral macrophages begin to swarm.
• The macrophages lose all appearance of hiding and are consumed, converted into
host cells, producer of new HIV particles.
• These newly created HIV particles begin to spread into the system.

Notes: There's got to be a real sense of 'the reveal', a shocking realisation of the scale of the
infection.

Scene 9 – INT. The Immune System

Scene: A montage of destruction, showing both the effect inside and outside of the victims.
Sound: A crescendo of violent music and crackling, consuming fire. Swooping camera noises
and a sense of overpowering destruction.

Action:
• The HIV particles begin to target the T Cells, latching onto them and corrupting
their cores, destroying them in their thousands.
• DNA is turned viral and the immune system is burnt out, turned desolate, lined
 with ash and burning veins of evilly glowing fire.

Notes: This sequence is pretty much an action sequence, an apocalypse of infection. It has to
have the feel of a forest fire, of unstoppable spreading destruction.

Scene 10 – INT. The Immune System

Scene: The stillness after the storm.

Sound: Stillness, echoing sound emphasising the emptiness of the system, bringing home the
desolation.

Action:
• As the now wasteland is observed, a projection defining AIDS is observed.
• It describes the vulnerability of the system after HIV and consequences.
• The camera then zooms out, exiting the system.

Notes: The definition of AIDS should hit home a haunting message.

Scene 11 – INT. Classroom, Day

Scene: The camera zooms back out of the textbook.

Sound: A faint crack/sizzle of fire, also retaining the empty sounds.

Action:
• The camera zooms away from the book, slowly and smoothly, leaving the
audience to reflect.
• Fade to black.

Notes: The scene provides a moment of reflection on what the audience have just seen, and the
message must bring home the danger of HIV that the words on the page don’t.

THE END