Song of the Wind

 

Movie Treatment by Jon Anthony & Kely Lyons

September 25, 2014

 

 

 

 

Captain Gareth Glover is readying his London based crew for the prestigious and dangerous “Clipper Round the World” yacht race in the early summer of 2013.  Captain Glover is a veteran of the sea but his crew is made up of all amateurs chosen from a rigorous application process.  The yacht he will be in charge of in this year’s race will be the “Qingdao”, sponsored by Ji Gaoshang, who is the Director General of the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Sports.

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Captain Glover is called into a meeting with Gaoshang and is told that one of his crew must be replaced by a female Chinese amateur sailor, a sailing event commentator named Vicky Song who has qualified. This news does not go over well with Captain Glover but Gaoshang insists Glover accepts the new sailor or he will be replaced by another captain and crew.

 

Glover must meet with his astonished crew to inform them of this development. The crew decides by pulling straws who will be the unfortunate sailor to be replaced.  James Murphy is the sailor who pulls the unlucky straw.  Murphy is beside himself after learning he has wasted months of applications, testing, and training only to learn he has been replaced by what he believes is an inferior and useless female from China, and for the sole reason of politics.  The crew members are in agreement with Murphy, but they are relieved that it is Murphy and not them.  To say the least Vicky Song will be put in a position of 1 year on a boat at sea with a crew who believes she is a detriment incapable to accomplish the task ahead. 

 

When Vicky joins the Qingdao crew in London, she learns that her mother has been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. This unbearable news comes at a time when Vicky already feels the pressure of an entire country on her shoulders.  She is on the verge of quitting the Qingdao crew but her mother will not hear any of that and urges Vicky to press on. Vicky vows to finish the race in spite of all the negativity of the crew as long as her Mom fights just as hard to battle her terminal disease. Vicky and her Mom make a promise to each other that motivates each other.

 

The Clipper Round the World Race involving 12 yachts from English speaking countries will visit 14 ports on 6 continents in a race around the world. During the 2nd leg one of the female crew members begins to experience delusionary visions and must be replaced. The replacement is James Murphy.  The crew is happy that Murphy is reunited with them but the very capable but revengeful Murphy is determined to expose Vicky Song as an incompetent sailor.

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As the race circumnavigates the globe the Qingdao crew experiences everything imaginable from calm seas with beautiful sights of nature and feelings of deep spirituality to harsh and dangerous conditions at sea. All along the way Vicky is determined to overcome anything and everything Mother Nature and her fellow crew members can toss in her way. Another female crew quits.

 

As the yachts visit beautiful and exciting ports such as Jamaica, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Panama, and South Africa, Vicky falls in love with a crew member of a rival yacht sponsored by New Zealand. This does not help her cause with winning over her nemesis James Murphy. 

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As the journey moves along Vicky little by little does win over her fellow crew and Captain Glover because of her abilities to overcome everything she encounters as she transforms herself from someone who is not quite ready to teaching her fellow crew and captain about what’s really important in life. The crew learns an important lesson when the Mission performance, a competing yacht is flipped over in a tornado and the Qingdao at the insistence of Vicky and Captain Glover, ceases racing to save members of the damaged yacht thrown into the stormy ocean.  For this heroic deed the Qingdao is awarded the Henri Lloyd Seamanship Award.

 

By the time the Qingdao arrives back in London Vicky has won the hearts and minds of the crew and other yachts as well as the world which is watching Vicky become the first Chinese woman to accomplish this feat of sailing around the world. The crowds line the banks of the Thames to welcome the yachts back to London. As Vicky departs the Qingdao to a standing ovation from her crew led by James Murphy and Captain Glover she rushes to her mother who is there to witness Vicky accomplishing the feat and the fulfilling of the promise they made to each other 1 year ago.

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Kung Fu Scholars is a project with franchise potential. Think China's own Harry Potter meets Indiana Jones

 

 

KUNG FU SCHOLARS

 

Treatment

By

John Penney

 

 

LOGLINE:

 

A group of international students from the Kung Fu Scholar program at the Beijing University under the tutelage of Master Ma, travel to Vienna to bring back a priceless collection of Chinese art that was taken during WWII. Before they can return with the art, an eastern European crime syndicate steals it and the students set out to get it back.

 

 

THE STORY:

 

We are at an intense and action-filled Kung Fu Scholar match at the Beijing University. Under MASTER MA’S watchful eye, ZACH TAYLOR, a 26-year-old MMA star studying here from the U.S., lets his emotions get the better of him and his opponent, KAN LEE, the 21 year old Chinese super-star wins the match. Afterward, Zach’s girlfriend JANICE DUNLOP, a 22-year-old exchange student studying Chinese art, consoles Zach. The defeated and depressed Zach tells Janice that he doesn’t believe he will ever be able to gain the emotional discipline needed to master Kung Fu. He tells Janice that he is going to drop out of the group and asks Janice to return to the U.S. with him where he can make a good living in the MMA… But Janice is unable to commit to his plan, leaving their relationship in a very precarious place.

 

Later that afternoon, the CEO of the Beijing China Forestry Group which is building a new museum to house Chinese art, visits Mater Ma and tells him about a large art collection to be retrieved from Vienna. We learn that Ma runs a non-profit organization to retrieve Chinese art and has been very successful in the past. There will be a ceremony to turn over the art and the government wants Ma to bring a collection of his students along to promote the event. When Kan finds out about the trip, he immediately asks to go, but the government is reluctant because Kan is a national star. Ma convinces the government that he will get a bodyguard to watch over Kan.

 

Meanwhile, Janice tells Zach about the trip. She pleads with him to come along on this last trip with her before leaving. Zach agrees, but insists he will drop out when he returns from the trip. At the Beijing airport, Zach, Kan, Janice, and Ma meet up with the beautiful and lethal MILA, a 30s female special agent with the Offshore Law Enforcement agency, who will also be going. Mila was a former student of Ma’s.

 

The group arrives in Vienna where JOHN HARRINGTON, the 70-year-old British art collector who was instrumental in recovering the art, greets them. Ma and John are old friends. We also meet Kan’s bodyguard, GORDON PARKER, the mid-60s head of security for Harrington’s museum in London. That night when they are checking into the hotel, Janice is surprised when her father, MICKEY DUNLOP, 50s, arrives. Mickey is recently retired from the New York City police department and wants to re-connect with his estranged daughter now that he has time on his hands. Janice is resistant, but ultimately agrees to spend a few days with him since he has come so far to see her. Mickey is very happy with her decision, but then he meets Zach. The two men instantly butt heads. Mickey is convinced that Zach is not the right man for his daughter.

 

The next day at the large press conference, we see the magnificent large collection of art on display… We also meet VLADIMIR YERZOV, 50’s, and the ruthlessly sexy TATIANA KOVALAKO, 30s. Vlad is the head of a dangerous and powerful eastern European crime syndicate and Tatiana is his chief enforcer. They are there eyeing the art and we know there is a plan afoot to steal it.

 

That afternoon as the European Police are escorting the group and the truck of antiquities to the cargo airport, they are cut off in traffic. Vlad’s gang descends on the truck and an intense firefight ensues. The action sequence is violent and suspenseful. Zach, Mila and Kan make heroic attempts to stop the theft, but Kung Fu is no match for the heavy assault weapons and the high-speed car chase in which the entire art collection is stolen. Mickey is horrified that his daughter was almost killed. Mickey gets into a heated argument with Mila and Zach; Mickey disdainfully considers Kung Fu a pointless art in the new world of heavy firepower.

 

The police immediately shut down all flights leaving Vienna. They put up checkpoints on all roads. But the blanket searches don’t turn up anything. Just when things look completely hopeless, Gordon comes to Ma with some potentially good news. He tells Ma that the cops got a tip that the artwork is definitely being moved out of Vienna-- But not by land or air and that only leaves one thing: Vienna is a landlocked city… except the Danube river.

 

Ma and Gordon go to the police checkpoint at a bridge on the Danube. Cops are searching cargo boats. Ma sees a tourist River Cruise boat being searched and cleared. As the boat departs, Ma notices that the water line on the boat is much higher than the other identical tourist boats. Ma alerts the police at the checkpoint. They insist that they found nothing unusual on the boat, but when Ma points out how low the boat is riding in the water, they can’t deny it…There is definitely something unusually heavy on the boat. They realize they have to proceed carefully because they don’t want to risk going in and getting tourists killed. Ma, Mickey, Gordon and the Scholars join with the police and track the boat along the Danube River to the Hungarian border. They wait until the boat stops and they see several large diesel oil drums of “extra fuel” being off-loaded. The police go in, guns blazing. But they are matched with equally heavy return fire. It’s a stand off.

 

Mila, Zach, and Kan launch a stealth attack by circling around behind the mob army. They use their Kung Fu to great success this time, taking out Vlad’s team quickly and efficiently. Sure enough… when they open the steel drums, they find the entire antique collection packed inside airtight pouches submerged in the diesel fuel. Mickey has to admit to Mila that her Kung Fu prowess was impressive, but he still prefers to trust his life to his guns. The exchange between them is flirtatious and we can see that these two have an attraction to each other. The next day, the European Police hold big press conference, taking credit for getting the collection back. Zach is angry that the police are taking credit, but Ma is philosophical and teaches Zach to be humble. But as they are getting ready to go home, Ma has a growing suspicion that something isn’t right. He feels that a man like Vlad is too cleaver to lose the collection that easily. One should never underestimate an opponent… especially one that got away. Ma goes to the secure cargo area where Janice has just finished carefully reviewing and cataloguing the complete collection.

 

But Ma’s wise eyes see things differently… He looks closely at one of the priceless vases… And then, much to Janice’s shock, Ma SMASHES the priceless artifact-- It’s a fake. Vlad wasn’t after the entire collection… Vlad was after the vase that they have switched with a fake. Janice feels terrible. She can’t believe she was duped. Ma now knows that they were set up. They were supposed to get the artifacts on the boat so they would go back to China, thinking they had all the pieces. Gordon reminds Ma that the tip he heard came from the police. Ma believes that they can’t trust anyone anymore. Especially the police. Now, they must work on their own to get it back.

 

They send the crate of antiquities back to China under heavy guard, and then Ma and the Scholars start investigating the art world in Budapest while they pretend that they are sightseeing. They learn that there is going to be an underground black market art auction in the historic Budapest Castle District. Mickey poses as an eccentric American buyer to infiltrate auction that will be held down in the ancient labyrinth of the Budapest Castle.

 

With Mickey’s inside assistance, the Scholars embark on a suspenseful ninja-like assault on the auction stronghold. With stealth precision, they use Kung Fu expertise to overcome Vlad’s defenses. Vlad and Tatiana barely manage to escape at the last moment, but the Scholars successfully get the priceless vase back. Finally, the victorious Scholars can celebrate. They will return to China as unsung heroes. But on the drive to the airport, Gordon suddenly turns a gun on Kan and Janice. He takes them across Budapest to Vlad’s hideout and turns them over to Vlad. Gordon has been the mole all along. He had been an underpaid security chief for the British institute for years and was tempted by Vlad’s promises of riches. It was his job to tip the police off about the tourist boat transport. Vlad pays Gordon off and the older man disappears. Then, Vlad contacts Ma. He tells Ma that he will trade Lee and Janice for the vase. We cut back to China. The government is furious. Kan is a national treasure. Ma is ordered to trade the vase for Kan – no questions asked. Ma anguishes over the trade, but the value of a human life is no match for the vase… no matter how priceless the treasure may be. The secret trade is arranged. During the tense exchange, Vlad grabs the vase, but he keeps Janice just for insurance and takes off. Mickey is furious that his daughter has been taken. Zach is horrified.

 

Mickey tracks down the turncoat bodyguard, Gordon. Much to Mickey’s displeasure. Zach follows. They get Gordon to tell them where Vlad’s stronghold is…They will need to go in and get Janice… and the vase… But how will they know where to find the vase?

 

Ma has the answer… The ancient glaze on the vase is made with barium. They can use a Barium Vapor Detector that can act as a tracking device for the vase. They will be able to find out where the vase is being hidden inside Vlad’s stronghold. Due to the dangerous conditions, Kan is told to leave Hungary immediately. At last the second, he bolts and joins the other Scholars much to Ma’s displeasure. But of course, Ma understands. This is a big moment for Kan. He learns to drive himself by a bit of emotion. He is the opposite of Zach and his arc here reflects it.

 

In the final, big action sequence, Ma, Mickey and the Scholars assault Vlad’s hideout in a high-rise in downtown Budapest. During the intense action, Zach and Mickey must put aside differences and team up. The ending action is a high-energy blend of martial arts and good old-fashioned shootouts inter-cut with the tense and suspenseful quest of Ma tracking down and finding the vase. Mickey relies on his gun, as Zach, Mila and Kan rely on martial arts. Zach learns to keep his emotions in check and focus his Kung Fu abilities and in the process, rescues Janice from a Mexican stand off between Mickey and Vlad. Mickey learns to respect the art of Kung Fu because the Mexican standoff was a situation he couldn’t shoot his way out of.

 

In the final moments, Janice also redeems herself when Ma is momentarily incapacitated and Janice must correctly identify the priceless vase within a room of fakes. In the end, the entire art collection is presented at the grand opening of the new museum sponsored by Beijing China Forestry Group. Zach has learned valuable lessons in the art of mastering Kung Fu and stays on at the school with a newfound relationship with Mickey, who decides to hang around in Beijing to get to know Mila a little better.

 

 

 

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