Every night, Sinan dreams of a sky split in two—one side cloaked in mountain mists and ancient scrolls, the other bathed in soft light from gardens in the clouds and towering cities by the sea.
She doesn’t know why these dreams come, only that a voice—faint, like a memory carried on the wind—calls gently to her:
“Follow the thread between past and promise.”
Sinan was born in Singapore, where she grew up surrounded by stories of her family's homeland in Jinan—tales of sacred springs, timeless mountains, and the wisdom of sages passed down through generations.
Now, for the first time, she visits her old home in Jinan to reconnect with her roots. In a quiet attic filled with scrolls and keepsakes, she finds something strange and beautiful: a celestial compass, forgotten by time yet softly glowing with inner light.
As she reaches out to touch it, the stars above ripple.
The air shifts.
A portal opens—not just through space, but through memory, heritage, and the heart.
Sinan’s journey is not one of escape.
It is a journey of return.
To walk the path of her ancestors.
To unite the wisdom of the old with the wonder of the new.
To discover the harmony that lies between the sky and the earth, between origin and becoming.
She doesn't fly alone—we fly with her, through the myths and spirits of China and Singapore, uncovering the hidden threads that connect heritage, identity, and future.
PROLOGUE — A Whisper in the Wind
Setting: Deep Night — Cosmic dreamspace into night sky over Jinan
The screen fades in from black. A soft, mystical hum. Floating stardust drifts across the darkness like fireflies. An ancient celestial map slowly unrolls in mid-air, drawn in glowing ink strokes. Constellations pulse—two of them representing Jinan and Singapore, connected by a golden arc.
Sinan steps into frame—childlike, wide-eyed, holding the glowing celestial compass that pulses with inner light. She raises the compass, and the stars shimmer. The attic fades into the sky.
Below, the waters of Baotu Spring reflect the stars. A ripple forms, shimmering brighter and brighter—then a brilliant spout bursts from the surface, rising into the air. From it emerges the celestial dragon—formed of springwater, calligraphy, and light.
The dragon bows its head gently.
DRAGON (softly): "Sinan...the heart of Jinan awaits. Are you ready to begin?"
Sinan climbs onto its back. The ride begins.
PART I — JINAN & SHANDONG LEGACY
1. Baotu Spring – The Awakening of the Spirit
Setting: Night — Moonlit spring surrounded by ancient rooftops
We swoop over ancient rooftops, spiraling toward Baotu Spring—its crystalline waters shimmering beneath the moonlight. The spring’s surface ripples again as we return to the moment of ascent. The dragon coils upward, its translucent form trailing mist and ancient poetry.
DRAGON: "This spring is the source. Every drop carries a story, a memory..."
2. Daming Lake – The Mirror of Time
Setting: Pre-Dawn — Dreamlike lake reflecting ancient memories
The dragon glides over the peaceful surface of Daming Lake, now transformed into a gigantic celestial mirror. The reflections don’t match reality—they show ancient poets writing on scrolls, artists painting with brush and ink in slow motion.
DRAGON: "Look closely, Sinan. What do you see reflected in your heart?"
Suddenly, lanterns rise from the lake, floating gently into the night sky and forming shimmering constellations that guide our path forward.
Interdimensional Portal
Setting: A swirling vortex of light and color
A swirling portal of light and color shimmers into existence. The Dragon Surges forwards through the portal. As they travel at an extreme speed, Sinan sees fleeting images within the vortex: serene mountain landscapes, faces of meditating monks, and swirling clouds of incense.
3. Thousand Buddha Mountain – Guardians of Stillness
Setting: Early Dawn — Forested ascent glowing with sacred light
The dragon soars past the trees and toward the peak of Thousand Buddha Mountain. A single colossal Buddha statue sits in meditation, bathed in the golden light of dawn.
DRAGON: "Find the stillness within, and you'll find your path."
A deep golden aura envelops the peak, and ethereal chanting echoes all around. Sinan bows her head. A golden halo of enlightenment briefly crowns the dragon.
4. Qufu – Confucius Temple of Knowledge
Setting: Sunrise — Golden temple corridors filled with scrolls
We dive toward Qufu, gliding through the soaring red gates of the Confucius Temple. As we fly between colonnades, scrolls unroll mid-air, each filled with glowing text.
DRAGON: "Wisdom guides. But it is your heart that chooses the way."
Young ghostly figures—representing students of the past—recite verses from the Analects in multiple languages, dissolving into light as we pass. A massive ceremonial bell tolls gently, opening a floating ink corridor that leads us forward.
5. Yellow River - A Golden Ribbon of Time
Setting: Mid-morning - Flying above the Yellow River
We fly above the Yellow River - its waters thick with sediment, shining like a golden ribbon in the sunlight. The landscape below transforms into a series of historical paintings, showing different eras of China's past.
DRAGON: "This is more than just a river, Sinan. This river is like a Mother - the cradle of our civilization. Its golden waters carry the stories of dynasties, and the resilience of a people."
6. Mount Tai – The Bridge Between Worlds
Setting: Morning Golden Hour — Majestic ascent into sky portal
This is the peak of Part I. We begin ascending Mount Tai, navigating the Eighteen Bends—but they now appear as a celestial staircase, carved into a mountainside that glows with divine power.
DRAGON: "Here, heaven and earth meet. What do you seek beyond the gate?"
As we climb, clouds form a cosmic sea, and the sunrise breaks through—so bright it turns the sky into a golden dome. The dragon ascends into the sky, looping upward toward the cliffside inscriptions, which light up like ancient runes.
At the summit, the sky opens—an interdimensional cosmic portal, swirling with water, stardust, and calligraphy. Sinan raises the compass again.
TRANSITION — Transformation Through the Stars
Setting: Outside Time — Cosmic storm of portals and stardust
Time slows. The screen becomes abstract—celestial calligraphy, glowing ink, constellations rearranging, swirling portals.
Just as the dragon approaches the portal, a sudden wave of cosmic energy ripples across the sky. The portal begins to shrink and flicker, threatening to close before they can pass through.
A storm of celestial wind and stardust rushes toward us, pushing us off course.
The dragon roars, fighting against the cosmic gale.
With determination, Sinan holds the compass high—its light flares brightly, cutting through the storm. The dragon swerves and twists, dodging meteors and cosmic debris, racing against time to reach the opening before it disappears entirely.
In a final, heroic surge, the dragon bursts forward, breaking free of the storm. The portal explodes open wider, and we leap into the glowing sky.
Through the starlit fog, we see the dragon’s form ripple—transforming into the Winged Merlion, born of seafoam and starlight. Its mane flows like waterfall silk, its wings like sails.
MERLION (cheerfully): "Almost lost you there! Welcome home, Sinan."
The portal bursts open—we emerge into the glowing skyline of Singapore.
PART II — SINGAPORE’S VISION & MYTH
7. Botanic Gardens – Flight Through the Vortex
Setting: Midday — Botanical kaleidoscope of orchids and light
We race through Jewel Changi’s Rain Vortex, emerging into a tunnel of blooming orchids.
MERLION: "Even our gardens are portals. What do you see blooming in your future?”
Each flower morphs into butterflies with orchid wings, swirling in spiral formations. The Merlion twirls among them, releasing golden pollen.
Below us, the Botanic Gardens form living mandalas from above—like Singapore’s very DNA in floral form.
Interdimensional Portal
Setting: A swirling vortex of light and color
The Merlion soars toward a newly formed portal. It shimmers with all the colors of the orchids, but within it, swirling images flash—ancient Chinese calligraphy, futuristic Singaporean skylines, faces of ancestors.
MERLION: "Ready for the next leap, Sinan? This city is full of surprises."
We plunge into the portal. Time and space twist around us. We see fragmented memories— Images of Sinan's own childhood, voices from her past —all merging into a kaleidoscope of light, sound and emotion.
8. Marina Bay Sands / Merlion Park – Song of the Ancients
Setting: Early Afternoon — Reflective waters under the sun
The Merlion emerges into the bright sunlight, landing beside its iconic counterpart at Merlion Park. Both gaze at each other—one stone, one spirit.
MERLION: "Every story leaves a mark—a symbol for those who come after.”
As the Winged Merlion and Sinan look out over the bay - The scene transforms to a time hundreds of years ago with the Royal Ship of King Sang Nila Utama . We see the king on board the ship pointing towards The Merlion, who lets out a mighty roar and bows his head in respect to the king who eventually gave the land its name “Singapura”.
As the scene fades from our vision we are brought back again to the visuals of Marina Bay as it is today.
9. Gardens by the Bay – City of Light & Life
Setting: Sunset — Gardens glowing as the sky begins to darken
We soar past the glowing Supertrees, now alive with bioluminescent pulses. Leaves drift upward in elegant spirals—forming glowing mandalas in the air.
Below us, water flows like energy through the Flower Dome, revealing blooming ecosystems.
MERLION: "We build our dreams on earth and starlight, Sinan."
The Merlion’s wings emit a low, reverent hum. The setting sun bathes the city in amber light as dusk draws near.
10. Sentosa Finale – A Sky of Symbols
Setting: Dusk — Coastal light and soaring joy
As we glide along the Sentosa coast, the sky deepens to indigo. We see families waving, kites soaring, children laughing. The sea meets the sky in a glowing horizon.
MERLION: "Every journey ends where it began...in the heart."
Above, the clouds take shape—Chinese calligraphy and Malay batik-inspired motifs blend in a kaleidoscope of color and movement.
We spiral slowly upward, the Merlion gliding higher into twilight
CLOSING MOMENT — The Compass Becomes the Bridge
Setting: Dusk — A cosmic plane where Jinan’s mountains and Singapore’s skyline merge
The Merlion ascends one final time, its form dissolving into stardust that swirls around Sinan. She floats freely now, the compass glowing brighter than ever in her hands.
Below, the ocean transforms into a living map—Jinan’s Baotu Spring flows into Singapore’s Marina Bay, their waters merging into a single river of light. Above, the split sky from her dreams reappears, but now:
Left: Ancient mountain peaks dissolve into floating scrolls of Confucian texts.
Right: Singapore’s Supertrees bloom with orchids that become constellations.
SINAN (voiceover, calm realization):
“The compass wasn’t guiding me to a place… but to what I already carried.”
She opens her hands. The compass splits into two halves—one glowing with Jinan’s golden springwater, the other with Singapore’s blue starlight. They orbit each other, then merge into a single pulsing light that expands outward.
I need a 60 second teaser trailer for the above write up - analyze it in detail and also have a look at the attached image refs for the scene context
Key points
1) The lead character in our story - Sinan - is a 14 year old girl - So she has to be depicted as such. No immodesty to be shown with regards to her and also look at the character ref of Sinan also attached
2) The trailer should have the feel of a fantasy movie like Narnia - universally acceptable to all audiences young and old. It should convey a sense of wonder, excitement and adventure. It should be cinematic like some thing Steven Spielberg would direct. Some shots would be slow and cinematic, where as others would be have a lot of fast paced action and dynamic camera movement. For sections where the dragon is flying around the 1000 Buddha mountain or where the merlion flies at Gardens by the bay in Singapore, you can have a very dynamic drone shot fly through -
3) At no point should the trailer feel slow and boring - It needs to have a good pacing to it editorially and have a good balance of shots that have an emotional appeal as well as shots of high excitement as well as one or two shots of humor nicely introduced at key points to give a nice break
4) Think of the music as an epic sound track by a composer like John Williams - Like what John Williams did for the movie ET the extra Terrestrial
5) You are free to add additional imagery that meets the design style of the reference images or the story narrative
6) If you're adding a voice over - It needs to be a deep James Earl Jones kind of voice
7) Overall the trailer should appeal to young and old alike and should leave the audience with a sense of anticipation - eagerly awaiting the release of the film
