Video - Chasing Laughter: The Life Daniel Never Lived

[0–3s] Visual: A grey, fog-covered cemetery. The camera glides slowly toward a single, forgotten tombstone. Voice over (deep, emotional): "Here lies Daniel… A man who once dreamed of painted faces and roaring crowds." [4–10s] Visual: A child giggles as he paints his face with clumsy clown makeup in his bedroom. He spins around in front of a mirror. Then, as a teenager, he stands outside a glowing circus tent, eyes wide with wonder. Voice over: "He saw magic under the big top… He heard laughter calling his name." [11–16s] Visual: Adult Daniel opens a drawer. Inside: a red clown nose. He picks it up. Smiles faintly. Then puts it back and closes the drawer. Voice over: "But the world said, ‘Grow up. Be serious.’" [17–23s] Visual: Daniel drives a truck through dark highways. Rain taps against the windshield. He laughs at something on the radio… But his smile fades. Silence returns. Voice over: "And so he became a trucker. Miles of road. No applause. No stage." [24–38s] Visual: A bright, alternate world. Daniel in full clown costume, under the circus lights. Children laugh. He juggles. He dances. He trips and smiles. He takes a bow. Backstage, he hugs his family, tears of joy in his eyes. Voice over: "This… This could’ve been his life… if he had followed the laughter instead of the rules." [39–60s] Visual: Back to the cemetery. The camera pulls back slowly. Soft rays of sun pierce the fog. Voice over: "Don’t silence your joy. The world needs your weird, your wild… your wonder." *Fade to black with heartbeat sound*