Mitosis: The Great Divide

By

Kimberley Davis

Version 4
March 2020
 “Mitosis: The Great Divide”

SFX: RUMBLING/CLICKING
FADE IN:
INT. SCIENCE LAB.
Science lab with test tubes, dishes and a large glass vial on
a silver table. Purplish/ blue cells are floating in green
liquid in the vial, blurred creatures moving in the
background.

Focus moves on to the large vial.

SFX: CLICKING AND BUBBLING.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
CELLS.
YOU BODY IS MADE OF 37.2 TRILLIION OF THESE TINY ORGANISMS.
EACH HAVING THEIR OWN FUNCTION.

INT. INSIDE VIAL.

Cells floating and twisting

Focus on one cell, twisting and turning.

SFX: CLICKING AND SHIFTING

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
BUT WHAT HAPPENS …
Cell starts shaking…

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
WHEN THESE CELLS BECOME DAMAGED??

Cell cracks and light shines outwards.

SFX: CRACKING.

BLURS OUT, TITLE STARTS.

FADE OUT AND IN.

INTRO MUSIC/ SFX.

INT. THE CYTOPLASM

Cells floating and twisting in the cytoplasm, THE CYTOPLASM

appears across two twisting cells then disappears.

BACKGROUND MUSIC STARTS.

SFX: CLICKING AND BUBBLES.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
MITOSIS IS THE PROCESS OF CELL DIVISION AND HAS FIVE STAGES.

Scene moves though the cell’s cytoplasm past organelles,

coming across a cell that’s twists to show the words
INTERPHASE.
NARRATOR (FEMALE):
STARTING IN THE CYTOPLASM, THE FIRST IS KNOWN AS INTERPHASE.
Continues to move downwards towards the nucleus, scene turning
towards the centriole. The centriole is floating and twisting
idly, the name CENTRIOLE appears then disappears.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
THE CENTRIOLES START BY REPLICATING THEMSELVES.

The centriole stops twisting/ clicking and to grow length

ways. Once finished, it clicks apart in the middles and spins
to break away.
NARRATOR (FEMALE):
MOVING TO OPPERSITE SIDES OF THE NUCLEUS, LONG MICROTUBLES
EXTEND FROM THEIR BODIES.

The two centrioles turn around and move towards the nucleus.
As the Centrioles move into place, long spindles appear.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
THESE ARE CALLED SPINDLES AND HELP IN DIVING THE CHROMOSOMES.

The scene switches to the front of the Nucleus cell, the DNA
slowly drifting inside and twisting. The front the nucleus
opens, light from the centre shining outwards. DNA (Chromatin)
continuous to drift inside.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
CROMATIN, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS DNA, BEGINS CREATING CREATES TWO
IDENTICALS SETS OF CHROMOSOMES.
THESE NEW IDENTICAL COPIES STAY ATTACHED TO THE ORGINAL DNA.

Moving upward and facing down towards the newly formed DNA
structures, the name PROPHASE is visible. The lettering
disburses back into DNA structures, which continuous to float
about.
 NARRATOR (FEMALE):
NEXT, WE ENTER PROPHASE.

Histones appear from the sides of the screen and move though
the DNA. The histones twisting and turning, the scene
following behind one as it makes its way.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
HISTONES WORK THEIR WAY THOUGH THE DNA, ACTING AS A CENTER FOR
THE LONG STRANDS OF CROMATIN TO WIND AROUND.

The histone becomes tangles in a DNA stand, which starts to

wind around it. The points of the histone close, making a
diamond shape. More histones join and the DNA condenses down,
becoming a larger X-shaped chromosome structure.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
AS THE CROMATIN WINDS AROUND THE HISTONES, THE DNA BECOMES
CONDENSED DOWN. THIS COMPRESSION MAKES THE LARGER, MORE
COMMONLY RECONISED X-SHAPED CHROMOSOMES.

Several chromosomes floating around and twisting in the

nucleus.

SFX: CLICKING.

INT. THE CYTOPLASM

Nucleus is shown with X- shaped chromosomes in the middle

floating around, the cell wall starts to fold away. Eventually
disappearing all together. As the nucleus cell wall
disintegrates, the spindles from the centrioles starts to
extend towards the chromosomes.
 NARRATOR (FEMALE):
THE NUCLUES WALL DISENTRIGATES, ALLOWING THE SPINDLES TO REACH
AND ATTACH THEMSELVES TO THE NEWLY FORMED CHROMOSOMES.

One spindle to the forefront grabs hold of a chromosome,

others appearing in the background. As the front chromosome is
pulled off screen, the words METAPHASE appears.
SFX: WHOOSHING.
VOICE OVER (FEMALE):
NOW THE SPINDLES HAVE HOLD, WE GO INTO METAPHASE. THE SPINDLES
LINE UP THE CHROMESOMES ALONG THE EQUATOR OF THE CELL.

The chromosomes appear one after another, being lined up and

grabbed by a spindle from the opposite side. Once all done, a
large view of the chromosomes and centrioles appears.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
THE CENTRIOLES START PLAYING TUG’0’WAR WITH SOME HELP FROM THE
DYNEIN PROTIENS. THIS TOING AND FROING ENSURES THE CHROMOSOMES
LINE UP CORRECTLY.

The Chromosomes start to get pulled left and right, tug of war
commencing between the two Dynein proteins holding onto the
centrioles. This continues for a few beats.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
EVENTUALLY, THE CHROMOSOMES ARE PULLED SO HARD, THEY SPLIT
INTO TWO!

SPX: POPPING/SPLITTING.

Each of the lined-up chromosomes are split into two, going

downwards in direction. The centriole and the new single
chromosomes wait for a beat, then speeds away, leaving behind
the word “ANAPHASE” in bubbles.
SFX: WHOOSHING AND BUBBLES.

NARRATOR (FEMALE):
ONCE ALL THE CHROMOSOMES ARE SPLIT, ANAPHASE INVOLVES THEM
BEING PULLED BACK TO THE OPPERSITE SIDES OF THE CELL.

The centrioles reach the side of the cell wall, letting go of

the single chromosomes and dives off the screen. The spindles
disappear as it goes. The chromosomes float for a beat, then
start to unravel. As they unravel, the histones also take
leave. The long stands of DNA/Chromatin start to twist again.

VOICE OVER:
NOW THE CENTRIOLES LOSE THEIR SPINDLES, AND THE CROMTIN UNWIND
FROM THE HISTONES.

SFX: CLICKING.

The nucleus membrane starts to unfold upwards around the new

set of chromatins, making a whole new nucleus membrane. Two
new nuclei are floating in one big cell. The name “TELEOPHASE”
appears across cells.

VOICE OVER (FEMALE):

WITH TWO NEW SETS OF IDENTICAL CHROMOSOMES, TELOPHASE STARTS
THE CREATION OF THE NUCLEUS MEMBRANES. THIS NOW COMPLETES THE
NUCLEUS REFORMATION.

INT. LARGE VIAL.

The two nuclei push away from each other, creating a rip in
the cell membrane and starting the “Cleavage” process. The two
nuclei bounce back, seemed stunned for a beat, then push back
again against the cell wall. The cell “pops” into two new
cells.
 NARRATOR (FEMALE):
THESE NEW NUCLUI NOW PUSH AGAINST THE CELL WALL AND UNDERGOES
“CLEAVAGE”. THIS CAUSES THE CELL TO SPLIT! AND WITH IT TWO NEW
IDENTICAL CELLS ARE MADE.

SFX: STRETCHING AND POPPING/SPLITTING.

The cells float for a beat, the cells shrinking as the scene
moves towards showing them floating and twisting with the
other cells again.

INT. LAB TABLE.

Lab table shows all the cells floating happily again in the
vial.

CREDITS/END