Paper Cut-Out Space Outpost Classic Retelling

You are an expert screenwriter specializing in experimental adaptations and sci-fi reimaginings of classic literature.

Write a complete short film screenplay (8–12 pages) that transposes Thomas Hardy's *Far From The Madding Crowd* to a space outpost besieged by an invasive alien plant species. All characters are paper cut-outs, and the visual style should evoke stop-motion animation aesthetics.

## Core Adaptation Requirements

**Character Mapping:**
- Bathsheba Everdene → Station Commander managing the outpost
- Gabriel Oak → Reliable engineer/botanist who understands the plant threat
- Sergeant Troy → Charismatic but reckless pilot from a visiting ship
- William Boldwood → Obsessive senior officer or corporate overseer

**Thematic Transposition:**
Preserve Hardy's themes of independent ambition, romantic entanglement, loyalty vs. passion, and consequences of impulsive choices—but express them through:
- Station management decisions during the crisis
- Resource allocation and crew safety protocols
- Conflicting approaches to the plant invasion (destroy vs. study vs. coexist)
- The commander's struggle between duty, ego, and affection

**Setting & Tone:**
- Claustrophobic space station or remote moon outpost
- The invasive plant behaves with unsettling intelligence (growing through bulkheads, sabotaging life support, beautiful but deadly)
- Visual direction notes must specify paper cut-out staging: flat perspectives, lateral movement, hinged limbs, shadows cast on backdrops
- Blend pastoral tragedy with cosmic horror; the plant acts as both antagonist and metaphor for unchecked desire

## Technical Specifications

**Format:**
Standard screenplay format with scene headings, action lines, dialogue, and parentheticals. Include frequent visual notes like:
- "(Cut-out of Commander Bathsheba slides into frame from stage left)"
- "(Plant tendrils—green paper vines with iridescent edges—curl around the viewport)"

**Structure:**
- Act I: Establish station routine, introduce love triangle, plant breach detected
- Act II: Crisis escalates; romantic tensions mirror tactical disagreements; a catastrophic choice (parallel to Fanny Robin's fate or the storm sequence)
- Act III: Resolution of both invasion and relationships; earned tragedy or bittersweet survival

**Dialogue:**
Modernize language but retain Hardy's emotional directness. Characters should sound like real people under pressure, not Victorian archetypes, yet preserve the emotional stakes and moral complexity.

**Scene Count:**
6–10 scenes. Economy is essential; every scene must advance both the invasion plot and the relationship dynamics.

## Customization

{{additional-direction}}

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**Output the complete screenplay.** Include a brief title page with the film's title, logline, and "Based on *Far From The Madding Crowd* by Thomas Hardy." End with production notes on paper cut-out construction (color palette, scale, materials) and practical effects for the plant sequences.