Direction Measured in Poplar Bark
Forced together on a land navigation exercise, two boys—one from the city, one from the bush—get dangerously lost in the autumn wilderness. As darkness falls and bravado fades, survival depends on trusting the last person on earth either of them wanted to rely on.
# Direction Measured in Poplar Bark
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
When a confident city kid gets them hopelessly lost in the wilderness, a quiet Indigenous teen must rely on his ancestral knowledge to survive the night, forcing the two rivals to confront their prejudices and shared fears in the face of a terrifying unknown.
## Themes
* **Survival as a Social Equalizer:** The wilderness strips away social hierarchies and technological crutches, revealing that true competence is based on knowledge and resilience, not popularity.
* **The Clash of Worlds:** A stark contrast between modern, urban dependency and traditional, ecological wisdom, exploring how each worldview perceives and navigates fear and the unknown.
* **Vulnerability as a Bridge:** True understanding between the characters is only achieved when they abandon their defensive postures and admit their deepest fears to one another.
## Stakes
Trapped in the encroaching darkness of a remote forest without gear or communication, two teenage boys must overcome their mutual antagonism to survive a single night against the cold and a potential unseen threat.
## Synopsis
As dusk falls, the overconfident JORDAN mocks NOAH for failing to find their way out of the woods with an "army-issue" compass. Noah, quiet and frustrated, knows they are lost because of Jordan's insistence on a "shortcut." The familiar woods are becoming a threatening maze.
With the light fading fast and Jordan's bravado cracking into genuine fear, Noah takes command. He silences Jordan and uses his traditional knowledge, reading the moss and texture on poplar bark, to understand their situation. He makes the executive decision: they stop moving and make camp. Jordan's last hope, his smartphone, is dead. They are completely isolated.
Noah finds a sheltered spot and directs a now-compliant Jordan to gather tinder. While Jordan snaps dry branches, Noah expertly prepares a fire-starting kit from birch bark and a carved piece of wood. His initial attempt with a fire bow fails, and a moment of deep dread sets in as the cold bites. Just then, Noah remembers a small ferro rod in his jacket—a modern tool he uses with practiced skill to ignite the tinder.
The fire creates a small sanctuary of warmth and light. The oppressive atmosphere lifts, and the tension between the boys finally breaks. Jordan, humbled, asks how Noah knows all this. Noah explains it comes from his Kokum (grandmother) and his life on their trap line. Jordan's clumsy, ignorant question about being a "real Indian" is met not with anger, but with a quiet correction. This opens the door for a moment of profound honesty: Jordan admits his terror of the vast, quiet wilderness, while Noah confesses his own fear of the loud, chaotic city. Across the flickering flames, they see each other as individuals for the first time.
Their fragile peace is shattered by a violent crack in the woods, followed by a low, guttural grunt. It is not a familiar animal. The fire suddenly seems pitifully small, and they are plunged back into a primal fear, now facing a tangible threat lurking just beyond the light.
## Character Breakdown
* **NOAH (17):** Quiet, observant, and deeply competent in the natural world. Having recently moved from his family's remote trap line, he feels alienated and misunderstood at school. He carries his knowledge like a shield, masking a deep-seated frustration with the superficiality of his new environment.
* **Psychological Arc:** Noah begins the story resentful and withdrawn, using his silence as a defense against peers like Jordan. Forced into a leadership role, he moves from passive resistance to active command. His journey culminates not just in proving his skills, but in lowering his own guard to forge an unexpected, vulnerable connection with his rival, shifting from an isolated survivor to a reluctant teacher.
* **JORDAN (17):** Outwardly arrogant, popular, and completely reliant on social status and technology. His confidence is a thin veneer covering a profound ignorance and fear of the world outside his urban comfort zone. He's a product of a system that has never required him to be self-reliant.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE MOCKERY:** Jordan's impatience boils over as he mocks Noah's seemingly useless compass. The sun is setting. They are lost.
2. **THE SHIFT:** Noah's patience snaps. He asserts control with sharp, uncharacteristic authority. He reads the trees, declaring they must stop and make camp.
3. **TECHNOLOGY DIES:** Jordan discovers his phone battery is dead. Their last link to the modern world is severed, and the true gravity of their situation hits him.
4. **A SHELTER FROM THE DARK:** Noah finds a dry spot under a spruce and directs a humbled Jordan to gather firewood. Noah begins preparing to make fire with a knife and wood shavings.
5. **THE SPARK:** An attempt to make fire with a bow drill fails, bringing a moment of despair. Noah then finds his forgotten ferro rod, and with a shower of sparks, a flame is born. The relief is palpable.
6. **TRUCE BY FIRE:** The warmth and light create a safe space. Jordan asks about Noah's past, leading to a clumsy but genuine conversation about his upbringing and identity.
7. **SHARED FEARS:** In a moment of raw honesty, Jordan admits his fear of the wilderness, and Noah confesses his fear of the city. They connect across the flames, their animosity dissolved.
8. **THE SOUND IN THE NIGHT:** A sudden, violent crack and a non-animal grunt from the darkness shatters their sanctuary. They grab makeshift weapons as terror replaces their newfound comfort. They are not alone.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will be naturalistic and immersive, employing handheld camerawork to create a sense of immediacy and rising panic. The color palette will shift dramatically, starting with the lush greens of the late afternoon, which become desaturated and cool as the light fails. The final act will be dominated by the warm, high-contrast light of the campfire, creating deep, menacing shadows that press in on the characters, making their small shelter feel both intimate and claustrophobic.
The tone is a tense, atmospheric survival thriller grounded in authentic character drama. It builds from a quiet, simmering anxiety to moments of acute fear, punctuated by a brief, warm respite of human connection before plunging into primal terror. Tonal comparisons include the raw, elemental survival of *The Revenant*, the tense psychological dynamics of two men against nature in *The Edge*, and the quiet, creeping dread of *It Comes at Night*.
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
When a confident city kid gets them hopelessly lost in the wilderness, a quiet Indigenous teen must rely on his ancestral knowledge to survive the night, forcing the two rivals to confront their prejudices and shared fears in the face of a terrifying unknown.
## Themes
* **Survival as a Social Equalizer:** The wilderness strips away social hierarchies and technological crutches, revealing that true competence is based on knowledge and resilience, not popularity.
* **The Clash of Worlds:** A stark contrast between modern, urban dependency and traditional, ecological wisdom, exploring how each worldview perceives and navigates fear and the unknown.
* **Vulnerability as a Bridge:** True understanding between the characters is only achieved when they abandon their defensive postures and admit their deepest fears to one another.
## Stakes
Trapped in the encroaching darkness of a remote forest without gear or communication, two teenage boys must overcome their mutual antagonism to survive a single night against the cold and a potential unseen threat.
## Synopsis
As dusk falls, the overconfident JORDAN mocks NOAH for failing to find their way out of the woods with an "army-issue" compass. Noah, quiet and frustrated, knows they are lost because of Jordan's insistence on a "shortcut." The familiar woods are becoming a threatening maze.
With the light fading fast and Jordan's bravado cracking into genuine fear, Noah takes command. He silences Jordan and uses his traditional knowledge, reading the moss and texture on poplar bark, to understand their situation. He makes the executive decision: they stop moving and make camp. Jordan's last hope, his smartphone, is dead. They are completely isolated.
Noah finds a sheltered spot and directs a now-compliant Jordan to gather tinder. While Jordan snaps dry branches, Noah expertly prepares a fire-starting kit from birch bark and a carved piece of wood. His initial attempt with a fire bow fails, and a moment of deep dread sets in as the cold bites. Just then, Noah remembers a small ferro rod in his jacket—a modern tool he uses with practiced skill to ignite the tinder.
The fire creates a small sanctuary of warmth and light. The oppressive atmosphere lifts, and the tension between the boys finally breaks. Jordan, humbled, asks how Noah knows all this. Noah explains it comes from his Kokum (grandmother) and his life on their trap line. Jordan's clumsy, ignorant question about being a "real Indian" is met not with anger, but with a quiet correction. This opens the door for a moment of profound honesty: Jordan admits his terror of the vast, quiet wilderness, while Noah confesses his own fear of the loud, chaotic city. Across the flickering flames, they see each other as individuals for the first time.
Their fragile peace is shattered by a violent crack in the woods, followed by a low, guttural grunt. It is not a familiar animal. The fire suddenly seems pitifully small, and they are plunged back into a primal fear, now facing a tangible threat lurking just beyond the light.
## Character Breakdown
* **NOAH (17):** Quiet, observant, and deeply competent in the natural world. Having recently moved from his family's remote trap line, he feels alienated and misunderstood at school. He carries his knowledge like a shield, masking a deep-seated frustration with the superficiality of his new environment.
* **Psychological Arc:** Noah begins the story resentful and withdrawn, using his silence as a defense against peers like Jordan. Forced into a leadership role, he moves from passive resistance to active command. His journey culminates not just in proving his skills, but in lowering his own guard to forge an unexpected, vulnerable connection with his rival, shifting from an isolated survivor to a reluctant teacher.
* **JORDAN (17):** Outwardly arrogant, popular, and completely reliant on social status and technology. His confidence is a thin veneer covering a profound ignorance and fear of the world outside his urban comfort zone. He's a product of a system that has never required him to be self-reliant.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE MOCKERY:** Jordan's impatience boils over as he mocks Noah's seemingly useless compass. The sun is setting. They are lost.
2. **THE SHIFT:** Noah's patience snaps. He asserts control with sharp, uncharacteristic authority. He reads the trees, declaring they must stop and make camp.
3. **TECHNOLOGY DIES:** Jordan discovers his phone battery is dead. Their last link to the modern world is severed, and the true gravity of their situation hits him.
4. **A SHELTER FROM THE DARK:** Noah finds a dry spot under a spruce and directs a humbled Jordan to gather firewood. Noah begins preparing to make fire with a knife and wood shavings.
5. **THE SPARK:** An attempt to make fire with a bow drill fails, bringing a moment of despair. Noah then finds his forgotten ferro rod, and with a shower of sparks, a flame is born. The relief is palpable.
6. **TRUCE BY FIRE:** The warmth and light create a safe space. Jordan asks about Noah's past, leading to a clumsy but genuine conversation about his upbringing and identity.
7. **SHARED FEARS:** In a moment of raw honesty, Jordan admits his fear of the wilderness, and Noah confesses his fear of the city. They connect across the flames, their animosity dissolved.
8. **THE SOUND IN THE NIGHT:** A sudden, violent crack and a non-animal grunt from the darkness shatters their sanctuary. They grab makeshift weapons as terror replaces their newfound comfort. They are not alone.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style will be naturalistic and immersive, employing handheld camerawork to create a sense of immediacy and rising panic. The color palette will shift dramatically, starting with the lush greens of the late afternoon, which become desaturated and cool as the light fails. The final act will be dominated by the warm, high-contrast light of the campfire, creating deep, menacing shadows that press in on the characters, making their small shelter feel both intimate and claustrophobic.
The tone is a tense, atmospheric survival thriller grounded in authentic character drama. It builds from a quiet, simmering anxiety to moments of acute fear, punctuated by a brief, warm respite of human connection before plunging into primal terror. Tonal comparisons include the raw, elemental survival of *The Revenant*, the tense psychological dynamics of two men against nature in *The Edge*, and the quiet, creeping dread of *It Comes at Night*.