"Good stuff! This was a tricky episode and overall it works. A few general notes: - The opening scenes needs some softening and reordering, we think. - A few sections to trim or expand, listed below. - A change on where to place the episode song." 1. EXT. BATS' CAVE (ARI'S HOUSE) - DAY cover page - incidental characters, props and Backgrounds is incorrect for this episode I have a few concerns over the complexity of this script. I like the retracing of Ari's day and looking for the patterns of if he had the ball at that point or not. I wonder if you need all three examples....I think just the birds and dogs would be good. Viewers may not relate to or even know what a beaver is. I am also wondering about the connection of animals keeping important things safe in special places and Ari accidentally leaving his ball in the apple bowl. Would it be a stronger connection if Ari...instead of cleaning his room so that everything is in its place he constructs/ designs a special place just to keep his ball. OPEN ON ELINOR and HAZEL walking with ARI. They all stop outside his cave. Let's ease into the episode a little bit more, not just jump RIGHT into dialogue and plot. We're meeting Ari's house and his upside down world for the first time, so let's prepare the audience a little bit for it. For example, you could open on Elinor and Hazel walking (maybe Elinor is curiously looking at things on the way, like a flower or the trees), and they come up to Ari's house, which we see is a big cave (see doodle below) Ari Just trying to think of the set-up here - If they were wanting to play with the ball, I assume we can play it that they are walking up to his house (cave) so he can run in and get it. Starting with 'be right back' implies they've been walking and talking for a bit and we're coming in on him sharing the news of this new Bouncy Ball - maybe start 'I cant wait to show you! Ok, be right back.....' Be right back with that new bouncy ball. I was playing with it this morning and I left it in my room. As he starts to run inside, Elinor and Hazel call after him: Lines 2-17: Let's try re-ordering things a little bit here. Right now we have characters talking about what will happen to an object (the ball), but we haven't really seen the object. Also, we can give more to Ari and do more with the fruit. How about something like: Elinor and Hazel walk in the forest and go up to Ari's house. They ring the bell and Ms. Bat answers the door. They greet each other and Ms. Bat calls Ari. Ari comes out to play, and he's eager to show off his brand new bouncy ball. Ready? Ta da! He whips out of his pocket something round and red. He asks Elinor and Hazel how high they think it will bounce, and they riff for a few lines about how high. Ok, let's see... he winds up and throws down the red object, but it just thuds on the ground. It's an apple! How did that get in my pocket? And where did I put the ball? It must be somewhere in my room. Elinor says, uh... your room is not the neatest of places, we'll go help you find it. They go into the house. Cut to Ari looking around, saying "What do you mean? My room is really neat!" and we continue with the camera rotation joke. HAZEL I like the conversation about how high it might bounce. It maybe fun to put some action into the suggestions...Hazel- As high as my trunk goes up. Elinor- As high as I can hop...So the context is personal. This comparitive talk about the ball bouncing higher and higher is supporting the scientific practice of commutational thinking. Hurry - we really want to see it. EliNOR And bounce it! Ari disappears inside. Elinor and Hazel wait for a beat, bouncing a bit up and down excitedly. EliNOR (CONT'D) I wonder how high it'll bounce. This high? Elinor hops, reaching her hand up high. HAZEL Or this high? Hazel stretches her trunk as far as she can. elinOR Well, it's super bouncy. Maybe even up to the top of that tree? She points toward a tall tree. Hazel raises her eyebrows. hazEL Maybe higher. Maybe up to the moon! They both look up as high as they can. ELINOR (in wonder) You never know! ARI comes running/gliding out, SUPER EXCITED. Ari Ready to play with the bounciest super bouncy ball ever? ELINOR/HAZEL Yes! he would be excited to play with this - I dont think he'd put it into his pocket - he'd run out with it already in his hand ready to show them ARI Watch this! Ari takes something small and orange out of his pocket, and BOUNCES it confidently on the ground. Ari (CONT'D) Ta-da! The item SPLATS and lies there. Elinor and Hazel look closer. HazeL I thought it would be...bouncier. Elinor bends down and looks closer. ELINOR Are you sure that's even a ball? Elinor picks up the flattened item and hands it to Ari, who examines it for a beat, surprised to see it flat. Ari Oh. Whoops - that's an orange from breakfast. HazeL No wonder it didn't bounce. ARI So, where did I leave the ball? Hazel and Elinor shrug. Ari frowns, trying to remember... HAZEL Maybe you should check your room ...again? Elinor and Hazel head toward Ari's room as he follows. "ya! We'll come with you this time." ElinOR We'll come with you this time. Hazel We can help you look. Ari Thanks - it should be easy to find, my room is all neat and tidy Elinor and Hazel exchange glances, reacting. ELINOR Really? 2. Int. Bats' cave - Ari's room - day - conTINUOUS CLOSE ON ARI, standing on what appears to be a neat and empty floor next to his bed. Change "floor" to "room" Ari See? My floor is completely clean! ROTATE CAMERA AND PULL OUT to reveal Ari is "standing" on his ceiling (his bed is bolted to the ceiling.) Daniel - to answer your question. Yes, We have had some creative discussions with Jorge about the Bat family living upside down with furniture bolted to the ceilings. they will be able to walk around on the ceiling when necessary. EliNOR I like the clarification of the ceiling and floor. Maybe getting in the words up there and down here would be good too. These positional words are important for preschool learners. I guess so, if you count the ceiling as your floor . On Hazel and Elinor - standing in knee-deep debris on the real floor (clothes, comic books, bath towels, toys.) ARI Well, bats do sleep upside down. Ari glides down to land near his friends. feels a bit clunky - Maybe ' How can we find the ball in this mess?' OR 'It's pretty Messy. How can we find the ball in here?' Hazel Down here it's pretty messy. How can we find a ball in here? Add a little more to the description below this line: "Elinor and Hazel help Ari look through his mess. After a few beats of looking, the kids stop." elinor I feel like this is a "squint" in Larry's terms...we never answer if the ball is in the mess on the ground. It might not matter for our preschoolers but it felt like it was hanging out there for me. How can we find anything in here? Ari helps Elinor and Hazel sift through his belongings. A beat, then: Ari Well, the good news is, the ball's not here! should we put the accent on 'Good' instead of 'That' ? HaZEL Why is THAT good news? ARI If we know where the ball ISN'T, then we know where the ball IS! ElINOR Really? Where? Ari SOMEWHERE ELSE! So now we know! Hazel and Elinor stare at Ari in disbelief. HaZEL But "somewhere else" could be anywhere else in the world! It could take years to find it! D: "continent" seems like not a preschool word. Maybe just "in town"? ARI (undaunted) If we change to 'town' as pre Daniels note - we should remove the map action Well, we'd better start looking. It's probably still somewhere on this continent. He turns toward a map on his wall, looking for a route. Here Elinor should lay out the plan for the rest of the episode. She has an idea: let's go back to all the places you've been today, and see if we can find the ball. Ari, when was the last time you had the ball? EliNOR There's got to be an easier way. Ari, when did you last have the ball? Ari closes his eyes, reflects, then pops his eyes open. Ari I know! I had it this morning when I got up! This line feels a little grown up-py. ElINOR Good! Let's start there. You got up. What did you do next? He leads the way out of his room. As Elinor and Hazel follow. Lines 38-42: We can skip/delete this whole kitchen scene. In Ari's bedroom, after they can't find the ball, Ari remembers he had the ball and then went outside to play, so they go straight outside. They could pass the kitchen or living room on their way out, and the audience can see that the whole house is upside down (as a follow up joke to Ari's upside down room)! ARI "the rythm feels off with the dialogue - 38 - 41 maybe 38 'I got up, I had my ball with me' 39 'I then had breakfast and started playing with the ball." I got up, I played with my ball. 3. INT. BATS' CAVE (ARI'S HOUSE) - KITCHEN - DAY - CONTINUOUS Ari walks through the kitchen with Hazel and Elinor, who look around for the ball as they follow him. ARI I had breakfast, I played with my ball. Elinor turns to Hazel. ElinOR Let's look around. They all look around, opening the refrigerator, lifting the lid off the cookie jar, looking in silly places. HAZEL It's not here. What did you do next? Ari thinks, trying to remember. Ari Hmmm, oh! I went outside, playing with my ball! 4. Ext. BatS' CAVE (ARI'S HOUSE)- yard - day - conTINUOUS Ari leads the way through the yard with Elinor and Hazel walking behind, looking around for the ball. Elinor So you came out to the yard. What did you do out here? Ari Let's see... Oh yeah - I ate one of these apples. He pauses in front of a BASKET OF APPLES that's sitting on a table in the yard, and helps himself to an apple. Ari (CONT'D) They're so good. Want one? ElinOR Not right now, thanks. HaZEL Maybe later. Ari shrugs, bites into the apple and keeps walking. He stops again, freezing in place. Ari Wait - I remember something else! THOUGHT BUBBLE forms next to Ari, as his DAD now stands near him, pointing at something OS-- Ari (CONT'D) My dad asked me to rake the leaves! ANGLE ON: A messy pile of leaves under a nearby apple tree. EliNOR (hopeful) Maybe the ball's in that leaf-pile! hazel Only one way to find out... (to Ari) Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Ari I think SO! Hazel, Ari and Elinor look at each other for a beat, then dive right into the pile of leaves, swimming around with their arms. hazel/elinor WOO HOO!/Whee!/Leaf-o-rama!! After a few beats of leaf play, the kids stop as the leaves settle around the. ElinOR Well, That was fun. Change this to: But we didn't find the ball. HAZEL But no ball. Change this to: It's not in this pile. Ari is this line insinuating there are other piles? yet they dont go looking through them Not in this pile. Change this to: Hmm… Where else can we look? HAZEL action descriptions - Elinor is hearing a bird chirping up above her. Yet it then reads that theres a branch at her eyelevel. I assume a bird wouldnt make a nest on a branch so low to the ground. we should place it up in the tree. We had Elinor climb the tree in our Elinor Test for PBS - can she climb it here to get a closer look? OR this is an apple tree and some apples have been picked (in the basket) can we assume there is a ladder from whoever picked them? Elinor can climb the ladder? There are still so many places to look. As Ari and Hazel are talking, we ANGLE ON: Elinor as she hears something and looks up to find the source overhead <SFX: BIRDS CHIRPING> correction to this line - can we not repeat 'places' Ari I know. I go a lot of places. ANGLE ON TREE: TRACK UP the trunk to discover a BIRD ON A BRANCH about eye level with Elinor. HAZEL (almost inaudible) Can't you remember where you left it? ARI (almost inaudible) I'm trying, but the leaves are so distracting. HAZEL (almost inaudible) Good point! LEAF JUMP!! As Ari and Hazel jump back in the leave in the background Elinor goes to the tree to observe the bird up close. SCIENCE MOMENT CU: The bird hops busily back and forth on the branch, adding twigs and fluff to its nest. Elinor gets even closer, going up on her tiptoes to discover THREE SMALL EGGS in the nest. ON ELINOR - she reacts, interested. Elinor watches for a beat as the bird returns to the nest. ELINOR (quietly to herself) Ooohhh. The eggs are nice and safe in that nest. BACK TO SCENE: Hazel and Ari lie back into the leaves, smiling as the leaves flutter and settle around them. All of a sudden, Ari sits up straight Ari Wait, I remember something else. Before I could rake the leaves, I had to go find the rake behind the house. This catches Elinor's attention. elinOR Maybe the ball's there? ARI Come on - let's look! 5. EXT. BATS' CAVE (ARI'S HOUSE) - BACK OF HOUSE - CONTINUOUS At the back of the house, the kids look around. It seems a little early to conclude there is no ball or rake. Delete this line HaZEL I don't see the ball OR the rake. Ari pauses, closes his eyes, then opens them wide. Change this to: "Ooh, I remember this is exactly where I was standing when I did my super-amazing toss and spin move. Watch!" Ari "correction ""But this is exactly where I was standing when I did my super-amazing ""toss and spin"" move. Watch!""" But this is exactly where I was standing when did my super-amazing "toss and spin" move. Watch! He spins around, pretends to catch the "invisible" ball, but in a convoluted stretch, reaches out so far to catch it that he almost loses his balance, has to hop on one foot, then-- Ari (CONT'D) Ta-da! HaZEL Um, nice catch? ARI Thanks - it's even more impressive with an actual ball. Hazel (laughing) Right, let's keep looking. (to Ari) Maybe it rolled over this way. Hazel and Ari continue to look for the ball, as SALLY BEAVER hurries by, distracting Elinor. if she's saying excuse me, pardon me, excuse me then she would have seen Elinor - maybe shes walking backwards picking twigs and bumps into elinor 'Oh, sorry, excuse me. Didnt see you there" Sally Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me - hi, sorry, didn't see you there. ElinOR Hey Sally, what are you doing? Change this to: "Oh, hi, Elinor. Us beavers like to collect twigs. We keep them to eat as snacks in the winter." SALLY Oh, hi, Elinor. Just collecting twigs to keep for winter snacks. Elinor watches Sally Beaver collect green stems and smaller twigs and bundle them together. Change this to: "That's a lot of twigs. What do you do with them until winter?" ELINOR That's a lot of twigs. Where do you keep them until winter? SALLY We store them in a special place - our beaver lodge! ANGLE ON: SALLY'S LODGE by the stream in the distance. ELINOR A special place. That's so interesting. SaLLY Yep, that way we can always find our food when we're hungry. ELINOR Oooooooh. ON ELINOR as she watches, fascinated, looking back and forth from busy Sally to the lodge. Elinor's wheels are turning. Elinor is shaken out of her reverie by Hazel's excited call: HAZEL I see the rake! Ari Where? Hazel races across the yard, the others following close behind. Hazel arrives at the spot, but it's a stick. HazEL Oh, it's just stick. At that, Sally Beaver dashes by again. SallY Perfect - just what I was looking for! Thank you, thank you! She collects the stick, and scurries off. """Sally Beaver sure keeps track of those sticks!"" - do we need her to say 'Beaver'? she can just call her Sally" ElinOR Sally Beaver sure keeps track of those sticks! Ari picks up the rake from the ground nearby. Ari Here's the rake! Hazel and Elinor frown, examining it more closely. HAZEL Uh-oh. ElINOR The handle's broken. "Change this to: ""Oh, right… NOW I remember. Our rake is broken so I had to go borrow a rake from Mr. Dog, our neighbor."" " ARI (remembering) Oh, right... I forgot. Our rake is broken so I had to borrow another rake from Mr. Dog. THAT'S what I did next. He spots Mr. Dog's rake leaning against a tree and picks it up. Change to: "Ah, here it is!" Ari (CONT'D) Here it is. Sounds a bit grown-up-py. Try: "Ok, let's see… you went outside… then your dad asked you to rake the leaves, but the rake was broken, so then you went to borrow one from Mr. Dog? ElinoR Let me get this straight: You went outside, ate an apple, your dad asked you to rake leaves, the rake was broken, you made up the spin-and-catch move, then you borrowed a rake from Mr. Dog... Change to: "Yep. Don't forget I did the spin and catch move, too." ARI Yep, that's everything I did today. HAZEL Maybe we should look at Mr. Dog's house! They all start to head over, then Elinor goes back and grabs the rake, handing it to Ari. elinor And , we can return Mr. Dog's rake. After this line, specify that as the kids walk off to Mr. Dog's house, they walk by the apple basket. ARI I bet he would like that! 6. EXT. MR. DOG'S YARD - DAY - CONTINUOUS As the kids enter, MR. DOG is putting a chew-bone into a hole, and starts shoveling dirt over it with a shovel. Just realized: Mr. Dog can't be burying a real BONE (everyone is vegetarian in Animal Town!). Can you think of something else for Mr. Dog to bury? A squeaky toy? Mr. Dog Hi, kids, what's up? Ari I brought back your rake, Mr. Dog. Thanks for letting me borrow it. Typo: IN its place. MR. DOG You're welcome, Ari. It's nice to have everything back its place. He hangs up his rake on the nearby shed, then goes back to his digging. ARI Uhh, Mr. Dog. Did I leave my new super-bouncy ball here? MR. DOG Sorry, Ari I haven't seen your ball. CLOSE ON ELINOR Elinor watches intently as Mr. Dog keeps shoveling dirt. Then he plops a bone in the hole and covers it. (Again, replace "Bones" with something else) ElinOR Uhh, Mr. Dog? Why do you bury your bones? Aren't they for chewing? Change to: "Good question, Elinor! US DOGS love to put things away, and that's why we bury them. We keep them safe in a special place, that way we know exactly where to find them when we need them!" MR. DOG "correction ""safe in their special place." Good question, Elinor. I LOVE to chew bones, that's why I bury them - so I know where they are when I need them - safe their special place. SCIENCE CU MOMENT: As he talks, Mr. Dog buries another bone, then he starts digging again. Elinor looks closely at the hole. Change to: "Another special place… That's SO INTERESTING!" ELINOR Another special place. That's so interesting. Change to: "What is it, Elinor?" HaZEL Come on, Elinor - we have to keep looking for Ari's ball. Change to: "I think I figured something out! We need more observations!" ELINOR Wait! I think I figured something out. THOUGHT BUBBLE next to Elinor. We see the bone in the hole, the sticks stacked in the beaver lodge, and the eggs in the bird nest. "This might be a better spot for the episode's song. It could just be a simple ditty that Elinor sings by herself. The current version of the song needs more rhyming verses. Maybe something like: To keep something safe Keep it in a special place Put things away Save it for another day I saw birds build a nest To hold all their eggs I saw Sally pick up snacks And store them in a stack And Mr. Dog found a spot For a toy he likes a lot To keep something safe Keep it in a special place Put things away Save it for another day Coming out of the song, Elinor re-iterates the lesson: ""If you put things in a special place, you won't lose them!"" Then Mr. Dog can confirm: ""That's right, Elinor! It's important to put things away so you can find them again.""" Elinor (CONT'D) Mr. Dog never loses his bones. He digs a hole to make a special place for them! Just like Sally Beaver keeps her sticks in a special place - her lodge, and birds keep their eggs in a special place - their nests. THOUGHT BUBBLE bursts. "After this line, Ari should have a line where he agrees with the lesson. Something like: ARI Yeah, I should have put my ball in a special place." HAZEL Ari should have put the ball in a special place, then we'd know where to look. At that moment Ari's stomach <SFX: GROWLS> "Then in this line, after the stomach growl: ARI Speaking of special places, I'm hungry. I could use another one of those apples… Wait a minute -- ball, apple, special place… I remember where I left the ball!" ArI I'm hungry. I could use an apple to put in a special place, my stomach! should one of them yell out 'Bye Mr.dog!' as they exit (he starts to put it together) Wait a minute -- ball, apple, special place… I remember where I left the ball! Ari runs OS with Elinor and Hazel at this heels. 7. Ext. Ari'S YARD - DAY - momentS LATER The kids run OS and Ari runs right up to the basket of apples, digs in and... Ari TA-DAH!!!!! He holds up the ball triumphantly. HazeL The ball! ElinOR How did it get there? "correction ""I must have put the it down when I reached for an apple this morning. I DID put it in a special place - but it was the APPLE place not the BALL place.""" ARI I must have put the it down when I reached for an apple this morning. I DID put it in a special place - but it was the APPLE place not the BALL place. Here we should finally see the super bouncy ball in action. Ari throws the ball and it bounces really high! Elinor and Hazel giggle. Elinor picks up the ball and says, "Ok, let's go play with the bouncy ball!" HaZEL Yay, now we can play! ARI Wait! First I have a favour to ask. HAZEL What is it Ari? This line feels a little grown up-py. ElINOR Anything for you. Leave the revelation for after the scene change. Change this to: "I know it's important to put things away. Will you help me with something?" Ari I don't want to lose my ball again, or anything else! Will you help me clean my room? Hazel and Elinor share a smile. HaZEL Sure thing, Ari. ElINOR (laughing) We thought you'd never ask! 8. INT. BATS' CAVE - ARI'S ROOM - DAY - MOMENTS LATER Elinor, Hazel and Ari sort and clean his room as they sing: Here they can reprise the song. ELINOR/HAZEL/ARI we wouldnt be able to visually see all of these things from the window - Sally would be inside her lodge stacking the twigs, Mr.Dog is the neighbor and the Bird building a nest will be very small We'd need to cut away to individual scene to make this work. Make a place for this, Make a place for that, Keep all your special things in a special place! OUT THE WINDOW: They see Sally, Mr. Dog and the bird in turn making their special places for their treasured items. Elinor: Birds build nests to keep their eggs, Ari: Dogs dig holes for their bones, Hazel: And beavers store their sticks and twigs Elinor: Safe inside their homes. Ari: To find our toys again, Hazel: We put them away Elinor: In a special place All: where they can always stay! All: Make a place for this, Make a place for that, Keep all your special things in a special place! END MONTAGE 9. Int. Ari's room - day - conTINUOUS CU Ari's face, thrilled. PULL BACK to reveal he's once again perched on his ceiling near his bed. Ari Wow. My room has never looked THIS good before. ROTATE CAMERA TO RIGHT-SIDE-UP. Hazel and Elinor are standing on the floor, which is now neat and clean. haZEL Yeah, from both ways! EliNOR Everything is in its special place. HAZEL Now we can finally go play with the super bouncy ball! Ari looks around for a beat, panicked. ARI Uh oh, I forgot where I put it! ElinOR/HAZEL (groan) Ari! ARI Just kidding! Ari opens his toy box and takes out the ball. Ari (CONT'D) Here it is in a special place with my other toys! Catch! He tosses the ball to Elinor, who does the spin move and catches it behind her back. elinOR Ta-da! HAZEL/Ari (laughs) iris out: The enD

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ELINOR’S TOWN EP 108 Special Places By: Rachel Lipman Elinor’s Question: Why do birds lay eggs in nests and dogs bury bones in the ground? Logline: When Ari misplaces the group's favorite ball, they discover that he needs a system for keeping track of his things. Curriculum Goals: LS5.Begin to understand that animals and plants depend on other living things and nonliving things in the environment to meet some of their needs. The bird, beaver and dog all depend on their environment to provide a place to store important things and keep them safe. ND. None in this one. SEP3: Planning and carrying out investigations: e: Design and build a solution to a simple problem (they make a special place to keep the ball after observing a nest, a beaver’s lodge, and a hole for dog bones.) PBS Framework (not sure where to put this) Begin to understand that animals and plants depend on other living things and nonliving things in the environment to meet some of their needs. Main Characters: Elinor, Hazel, Ari Secondary Characters: Sally, Mr. Dog Incidental Characters: Norma, LouLou Backgrounds: Top of the hill, Inside the Clubhouse, bottom of the hill Props: Clubhouse journal, crayon, granola, leaf, magnifying glass, Clubhouse, building materials OUTLINE: 28-Dec-2018 FIRST DRAFT: 15-Jan-2019 SECOND DRAFT: Elinor/hazel elinor Ari Hazel Sally Mr. Dog ELINOR/HAZEL/ARI Hqazel HAZEL/Ari (V.O.) (O.S.) (O.C.) (CONT'D) (SUBTITLE) Int Ext I/E BATS' CAVE (ARI'S HOUSE) BATS' CAVE - ARI'S ROOM - DAY ARI'S ROOM ARI'S KITCHEN BATS' CAVE (ARI'S HOUSE)- YARD - DAY BATS' CAVE (ARI'S HOUSE) - KITCHEN - DAY BATS' CAVE (ARI'S HOUSE) - BACK OF HOUSE MR. DOG'S YARD - DAY ARI'S ROOM - DAY ARI'S YARD - DAY Day Night Afternoon Morning Evening Later Moments Later Continuous The Next Day Cut To: Fade In: Fade Out. Fade To: Dissolve To: Back To: Match Cut To: Jump Cut To: Fade To Black.