Siomai Story Complete Script

SiomaiStorypage plan+script by Clara Buenconsejo

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Wide angle shot of the AS West Wing (the side goingto FC). It’s the period in between classes, so the placeis a bit crowded--a line at the xerox station to the left, people rushing in and out of the building to the right or on the stairs also at the right.

CAP: AS West Wing, 11:30.

Same scene as panel6, though diff. angle:from the ground. Nowshow Siomai’sexpression of terrorwhen he narrowly missed getting missed getting crushed by the foot in earlier panel.

Extreme close-up of panel 7;focusing on Siomai’s faceand the expression of terror.

Siomai: What will happen to me now?

Shot of students going up or down the stairs

Close-up of panel 2, this timefocusing on a singlestudent on the stairs

Extreme close-up of two studentschatting.

Zoom in to last step of stairs. Our main character,Siomai, is on the floor lying in a small puddle of dirt, soy sauce, garlic flakes while people (shown hereonly as feet) go on the stairs and their daily business.

Aerial shot.A foot steps onthe soy saucepuddle near Siomai. Only show the puddle+ the ripples;+ the ripples;don’t show Siomai just yet.

FLASHBACK. Wide shot again of ASKAL. A colorful stall selling street food is at the right of the panel; a few students are gathered around the stall, waiting for their orders. The stall is manned by a middle-aged lady with an apron. In the stall is asteamer where the siomai are stored, along with the other street food.

Extreme close-up of the steamer from the back of the stall. Show the siomaihuddled closely together as a student (don’t show the face) taps the glass, pointing to the siomai.

Student: Ate, pabili po isang siomai.

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Extreme close-upof Siomai’s forehead. He’sstill “asleep.”

Sound effect:TAP.

From panel 3, camerapans downward a little.Siomai’s eyes are starting to open.

Sound effect:TAP.

Siomai’s face now fills the whole panel. He has an expression of surpriseon his face. He is finally“awake.”

Sound effect: TAP.

Zoom out to see steamer (and Siomai) in the background, and the frying pan in the foreground. Show one of the siomai being dropped into the frying pan from the tongs of the lady (don’t show the lady, only the hand holding the tongs). The siomai droppinginto the pan has just closed his eyes.

To the left is the customer who was tapping the steamer earlier when ordering, nowgiving the payment.

Siomai being dropped into oil: [sound effect] AAAAAAAAAA!Siomai being dropped into oil: [sound effect] AAAAAAAAAA!

Siomai in steamer, our protagonist, can just stare in horror.

CAP: ASKAL, 10:00.

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7 Close-up of Siomai, with all the other siomai in thebackground.

Siomai: What do you mean?

Show Siomai and Elder Siomai talking.

Aerial shot.

Show shopkeeper handing over the siomai to thestudent; at the other side of the shop, somestudents are eating other siomai.

Elder siomai (offpanel): Do not be shocked.

Siomai turns around to see the speaker, Elder Siomai. Has a curious look on his face.

Show Siomai talking to Elder Siomai. In thebackground, show the multitude of other siomai,listening intently.

Elder Siomai:Such is our fate.Such is our fate.

Over-the-shoulder shot, ina way.Shot from the back of theother siomai, who’s facingSiomai.

Siomai: What do you mean?mean?

Elder Siomai: You new here?Siomai: Yeah.

Elder Siomai:Well, now you shouldknow that every siomai willend up that way.

Elder Siomai:It is our only reason for existence: to become sustenance for the family of our Creator.

Panels 5 and 8 are one picture split into two: a full-body shot of Elder Siomai.

Siomai StoryPage 3 of 14

Siomai Story Page 4 of 141 2 3 4 5

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Side view of ElderSiomai, talking to Siomai.

Elder Siomai: You don’t remember?

Siomai facing ElderSiomai.

Elder Siomai: (off panel)I’m sure you do.

Shot from taken from the back of Siomai; he’s looking at the view outside the steamer: green foliage, happy students, etc.

Siomai: But the world outside looks so pretty...

Shot from the back of Siomai, who’s now looking at the steamer, Elder Siomai,and behind Elder Siomai, the steamer’s inhabitants: other siomai, some looking afraid, some still asleep, some defiant, all cramped and bunched together.

Siomai: compared to this.

Panels 2 - 9 will just be just a step-by-step illustration ofthe siomai creation process: from the preparation of thefilling* to the wrapping and travel to the stall

*[not to be printed in comics itself, but here’s an explanation forthe artist: the sentience of the siomai comes from the beads of sweat of the siomai-maker which fell into the filling while mixing]

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Elder Siomai: This is the only destiny...

Elder Siomai: that is meant for us.

Elder Siomai: We can only have a taste of that world...

Shot from the back of Siomai, close-up. Siomai can only stare in horror as ElderSiomai is being taken by a pair of tongs out of the steamer to be fried. Imagine: something like ascending to heaven, from the point of view of the one on the ground.


Medium shot from outside of the steamer again. From the steamer, Siomai is now looking at Elder Siomai, who is now about to be dropped into the boiling oil of thefrying pan (frying pan not in panel).

Aerial shot, Siomai (from steamer) sees Elder Siomai falling into the boiling oil.

From the back of Siomai and inside the steamer again, he sees the newly-cookedElder Siomai in the paper container/tray thingy held by the student that boughtsiomai from the stall and was now walking away in the direction of the building (AS).

Same scene as Panel 1, but different angle: this time it’s from Elder Siomai’s POV,from his back, he’s looking down at Siomai. Using the “ascending” image, imaginefrom the point of view of the one ascending, looking to the ground.

Elder Siomai: if we are chosen to fulfill that fate.

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Siomai: If this is our fate...

Siomai: and the only wayto see the world outside...

Siomai: then I must face it.


Sound Effect: TAP.

Sound Effect: TAP.

Sound Effect: TAP.

Close-up from the rear, Siomai lookingover his “shoulder.”Another student’s tapping on the glass, ordering. Siomaisees this as a sees this as a chance to leave thesteamer. Close-up of Siomai,

looking straight at the camera, a determinedlook on his face.

Same shot as Panel 2,only the tongs have nowgrasped him at the sides.Still keeping that“determined” look.

Aerial shot. Siomai, facing the camera, is now on the verge of being dropped in the boiling oil of the frying pan, only thing that keeps him from falling are the tongs. Still keepingthat “determined/fierce” look from panels 2 and 3.

Same angle as Panel 4; Siomai has now been dropped into the boiling oil, and he closes hiseyes as the boiling oil envelops him.

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1Medium shot. Show Siomai in pain as he is being cooked in the boiling oil of the frying pan.Quite literally a “baptism of fire.”

Aerial shot.This circle, technically panel 2, is the strainer wherein Siomai will be lying in after the “baptism of fire” in the pan. Siomai looks like someone who just got out of water from nearly drowning--panting wildly, tired and exhausted. The panting wildly, tired and exhausted. The spaces outside the panel is part of thescene--it’s the aerial view of the stuff inthe kiosk, like the frying pan, etc. onlyblurred out.

Close-up.Siomai finally makes it to the paper tray. Ordeal’s not over, though, as Siomaiis cut up by shopkeeper.shopkeeper.It’s painful for Siomaiof course.

Same angle asPanel 3.The first salvo of seasoning--soy sauce--is poured on him. Siomai’s painincreases; he increases; he grimaces.

Same angle as Panel 3,this time kalamansi is squeezed over our poor Siomai. Another round ofpain.pain.

Same angle as Panel 3, the last ordeal: chili garlicon Siomai.

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Same angle as panel 1, but the view changes since girlcarrying the siomai is turning towards the direction ofAS. Siomai is still awestruck by all that’s happening around him; student, meanwhile, has a bunch of philo(existentialist) readings on other hand which we’d geta glimpse of (it’s just at the edge of the panel).

Siomai: the outside world.

Long shot from the POV of Siomai. Container where Siomai is now in is lifted by thestudent/customer, and he gets to see a better view of the whole place.

Siomai: So this is...

The whole panorama as seen by Siomai, still quite the same angle as panel 1. Siomai sees a big area of ASKAL. Typical between classes scene, people are rushing to and from class.

Siomai: It’s beautiful.

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Front close-up of Siomaiand the three other siomaibehind him in the container.The one at the very back has now been speared bya toothpick. Offpanel, girlis now heading inside AS.is now heading inside AS.

Siomai has a expression of horror on his face.

Same angle as panel 1.Siomai is trying to moveand get off container byleaning left and right (speedlines) as the third to the lastis speared by toothpick.

Siomai: I still want to staySiomai: I still want to stayand see more of the world!

Still same angle as panel 1.Siomai can only glance in horror as the siomai behindhim is speared and is takenaway (siomai behind him hasan expression of pure terror on his face).on his face).

Siomai: What can I do now to escape this fate?

Aerial shot.

Siomai looks up at girl, who has already eaten the other siomai, and hasa look on his face that says “mercy on me” or something.


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Siomai Story Page 10 of 141 2

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5Same shot as panel 1, alsosplit into two to form panels6 and 9. A photographercovering the incoming mobbumps into Girl, spilling thecontents of the container onthe comic.the comic.Siomai flies off the container.

Panels 1, 3 and 5is just one picture splitinto three to make thethree panels.

The moment ofspilling, same sceneas panels 2 and 3. Siomai has a bigger expression ofterror on his facenow as he flies offnow as he flies offbecause of theimpact.

Same shot as panels 2and 3. Show the pagesof the Kubori Kikiam comics now stained with toyo.

Girl: AAY!

Friend (offpanel): Shet, Kubori Kikiam ko!Girl (offpanel): Ano ba yan, hindi man lang mag-sorry!

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Medium shot of girl, now insideAS, carrying container withSiomai in it in one hand and readings in the other.She’s approached by anotherfriend.

Girl: Huy!Girl: Huy!Friend: Oist, tama na yang aral!

Girl: Eh may exam pa akomamaya sa Philo eh...

Friend: Existentialist diba?Sabihin mo lang na “existenceprecedes essence” ni Sartre!Keri na yun!Keri na yun!

Girl: Ikaw talaga.

Aerial shot of Siomai in container at the right, looking on asFriend (offpanel) hands over a copy of Kubori Kikiam (opened to a certain page) to Girl (also offpanel).

Friend (offpanel): Ito na lang basahin mo!

Same as panel 2, but zoomed in. Siomai displays a really shocked reaction upon seeing the comics andhow the characters were depicted in the fight scene.

Girl (offpanel): Hahaha, ang kulit naman nito!Siomai (thinking): Why can they move like that?


Also a slightly worm’seye view shot.Panels 2 to 6 will just show how Siomai falls to the ground; 2-6 willjust show the background and Siomaibackground and Siomaihimself is falling “out” ofthe panels

Long shot. Siomai is on the ground at the base of the stairs, and back to present time, wincing everytime someone steps closer to him.

CAP: AS West Wing, 11:30am.Siomai: That is how I got here.

Siomai flying out of the container, similar to a worm’s eye view shot.As he flies out and falls from here to panel 6, Siomai has mixed emotions ranging from surprise to delight (because he has a chance of escaping) to fear (when he realizes that because he flew out, he has to fall on the ground).

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Same shot and angle as panel 7 of page 10. Siomai attempts to move from hiscurrent location, but cannot, and only grimaces in pain.

Siomai: I may have been freed from that fate, but I can’t move.

Siomai wonders about his fate, flashback to the memories of the steamer: Siomaimeeting Elder Siomai for the first time, etc.

Siomai: I cannot go back to where I came from.

Same shot and angle as panel 1.

Siomai: And I can’t move to explore the world and fight either, unlike them.

Same shot and angle as panel 1, show feet avoiding stepping on Siomai.

Siomai: I wish that I had just allowed myself to be eaten. At least I would haveserved some purpose and made someone happy, instead of being avoided likethis.

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4 5Panels 4-6 willbe mostly shotsof the Kikiamshaving fun and battling the Fish/Squidballs

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Aerial shot of Siomai on the base of the stairs, yelling out in frustration as the mob passes,stepping around the puddle of soy sauce and dirt.

Siomai: Why is the world unfair?!

Same aerial shot, only a bit zoomed in, as Siomai gets squished by the tsinelas-clad footof someone from the mob.

Sound effect: SQUISH!

Full page spread, aerial shot of the stairs at the AS West Wing.The tsinelas-clad guy from the mob, left behind, will be at the center of the action, looking at the soy sauce and dirt puddle where Siomaiwas squished to death earlier and trying to clean his soy-sauce drenchedfoot while another friend looks on. Other people will just be avoiding thesaid puddle and go on their own business.

Guy with tsinelas: Ugh, sino ba kasi nakatapon ng siomai dito? Ang kalat,Guy with tsinelas: Ugh, sino ba kasi nakatapon ng siomai dito? Ang kalat,naapakan ko pa!

Friend: I know right? Sorry tsong, wala akong alcohol. Hirap pa naman tanggalin ng amoy nyan.


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Siomai Story Complete Script

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