**"THE SKETCHED CONSPIRACY"** **MOVIE TRAILER SCREENPLAY** --- FADE IN: **TEXT CARD: "SOME STORIES..."** INT. MARCUS'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Close on a sketchbook. A pencil dances across the page, bringing to life a dapper cat in a detective's coat and magnifying glass. MARCUS WEBB (30s, disheveled hair, paint-stained hoodie) adds the final whisker with a satisfied smile. MARCUS (to himself) There you go, Whiskers. Case closed. He closes the sketchbook. Sets down his pencil. A RUSTLING sound. Marcus looks up. His eyes widen. Standing on his coffee table is WHISKERS—fully three-dimensional, animated, alive. The cat adjusts his tiny detective hat. WHISKERS (British accent) I say, do you have any tuna? Marcus stumbles backward, knocking over his coffee. **SMASH CUT TO:** **TITLE CARD: "...REFUSE TO STAY ON THE PAGE"** INT. MARCUS'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS Illustrations peel off the walls—a dancing elephant, a flying fish, a knight in armor—all swirling around the apartment in a magical chaos. MARCUS This isn't happening. This isn't— A KNOCK at the door. Marcus opens it. MEI LING (late 20s, sharp eyes, leather jacket) stands there holding an ancient jade necklace. MEI LING Marcus Webb? We need to talk about your gift. **CUT TO:** EXT. PRAGUE ROOFTOP - DAY Mei Ling and Marcus run across terracotta tiles. Behind them, ILLUSTRATED SHADOW CREATURES with glowing red eyes give chase. MEI LING The necklace contains a fragment of the Creator's Brush! It's what's activating your drawings! MARCUS My drawings are children's books! Not— A shadow creature LUNGES. Marcus instinctively sketches in the air with his finger. A CARTOON SHIELD materializes, blocking the attack. MARCUS (CONT'D) —weapons! **CUT TO:** INT. ART GALLERY - NIGHT PROFESSOR ZHANG (60s, elegant, cold smile) stands before a wall of ancient paintings. PROFESSOR ZHANG Marcus was always my most talented student. Such a shame he chose whimsy over power. He touches a painting. A WARRIOR steps out of the canvas, fully armed.

A comic book artist’s creations spring to life, pulling him into a globe-trotting adventure to recover a stolen jade necklace and unravel a real-world mystery—all in hopes of helping the captivating Mei Ling.

Edit: Mei Ling and Professor Zhang have been added. Cartoon image of Marcus has been removed. Initially my though was to create this more like Roger Rabbit where Marcus Webb, Mei Ling, and Professor Zhang would be real, and only the characters drawn by Marcus would be animated like Roger Rabbit. Now I'm wondering if I should make Marcus, Mei, and the Professor more cartoon-like but not in the same was as Whiskers and the others. Marcus is shown below as the cartoon-like and realistic. Whiskers is also shown as he will be. Another option would be to 3D Marcus, Mei, et al, but 2D whiskers and the other drawn characters that come to life, which would blend 2D and 3D. Opinions would be welcome.

What laptop would you recommend for IClone? Not the minimum, but something which will optimize the productivity. Thank you!