This has come together nicely. Well done 1. EXT./INT. RABBIt’s house/Ranger and mr rabbit’s room -- early morning This more streamlined version is good. My comments are few and only just to be a little more straight forward. We see the sun rise over Animal Town on a clear morning. CU: On a ROBIN sitting on a branch outside of ELINOR’S window. Through the window, we see Elinor sleeping peacefully. The Robin jumps from branch to branch and lands on one very close to her parents’ bedroom window. (NOTE: although we can hear and possibly see all kinds of birds in the trees, all the “main birds” are American Robins. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Robin/id Nice revision! Just a few notes from us. THROUGH THE WINDOW: we see MR. RABBIT sleeping, snoring quietly. The robin gathers itself and then belts out a loud and proud <SFX: BIRD SONG>, musical but with exaggerated pretension. INSIDE: Mr. Rabbit wakes up. He stirs, somewhat confused, looking around. MR RABBIT (Mumbling) Wha..? The <SFX: BIRD SONG> stops. Mr. Rabbit lays back down, snuggles back into his pillow and tries to go back to sleep. BACK ON THE TREE: The bird takes a deep breath and starts again, with great gusto. BACK ON: Mr Rabbit’s eyes open again. He groans sleepily. MR RABBIT (partially mumbled) (CONT’D) WHAT is that? The <SFX: BIRD SONG> pauses again. MR RABBIT (CONT’D) Ahhh, that’s better... He curls back up with his pillow. BACK ON THE TREE: The bird gathers itself for the pièce de résistance, and starts belting out in song again, even louder this time. It LOVES to sing. BACK ON: Mr. Rabbit jumps out of his sheets, startled. MR RABBIT (CONT’D) Wha? Who? (adlib startled nonsense) He falls accidentally on the floor. MR RABBIT (CONT’D) <groans> 2. INT. ELINOR’S ROOM Elinor wakes up slowly. She rubs her eyes and yawns contentedly. She hears some <SFX: BIRD SONG> in the distance and her ears turn and react. ELINOR Hmmm. Wh o’ s that? Elinor hops out of bed and goes to the window. ZOOM IN on the window, revealing the Robin outside. ELINOR (CONT’D) Oh, good morning, little bird! The bird <SFX: BIRD CHIRPS>, seemingly in response. ELINOR (CONT’D) Thank you for the nice wake-up song! I’ll be outside soon. Maybe we can play! 3. INT. KITCHEN -- DAY, A SHORT TIME LATER Elinor comes down for her breakfast, which Ranger Rabbit has just served on the table. Please Notes that Elinor and ranger Rabbit are still in their pyjamas. RANGER RABBIT Good morning, Elinor! How are you this morning? Mr. Rabbit slouches down the stairs like a sleep-deprived zombie. He comes into the kitchen. ELINOR I’m great, mom! I just heard a cute little bird singing a really p retty wake-up song. Elinor munches on her breakfast. RANGER RABBIT That’s wonderful, dear. Mr. Rabbit pours himself a coffee and slumps into his chair. ELINOR Morning, Dad! Did you hear that cute bird singing this morning? MR RABBIT (UNENTHUSIASTIC) Mmmm hmmm . I sure did, Elinor. ELINOR Wasn’t the song pretty? MR RABBIT Yes. <pause> Pretty LOUD. ELINOR/ranger rabbit (laugh) RANGER RABBIT Did it wake you up, dear? I know you wanted to sleep in today. MR RABBIT Well, I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn’t. Why do birds have to sing RIGHT outside my window? ELINOR (intrigued) Good question, Dad! And why do birds sing anyway? Mr. Rabbit shrugs sleepily. Since crickets and cicadas make "music," is it fair to say that bugs don't sing? ELINOR (CONT’D) (excited by the mystery) Lizards don’t sing. Bugs don’t sing. Plants don’t sing. MR RABBIT Thank goodness for that! ELINOR So why do BIRDS sing? Ranger R abbit puts down a plate of food for herself and Mr. Rabbit and joins the family at the table. RANGER RABBIT That IS a good question, Elinor! Why do YOU think birds sing? ELINOR (excited to share) Hmmm... Maybe they are practicing to give a big singing concert somewhere? RANGER RABBIT That’s a fun idea. Have you ever heard of birds giving a concert? ELINOR No, you’re right. Birds don’t give concerts. So why do they sing? MR RABBIT Maybe they just like waking up sleeping bunnies? maybe Ranger Rabbit has a bit of sympathy for Mr.rabbit - with a smile 'Awweee' - Maybe rubbing his arm ELINOR/RANGER RABBIT (laugh) We're not sure Elinor actually ends up figuring out why the bird is waking Dad up. Might be better to revise to: If I figure out WHY birds sing, then maybe I can figure out how to keep it from waking you up! ELINOR I f I figure out WHY birds sing, then maybe I can figure out why that bird is waking you up! MR RABBIT Thank you, Elinor. That’s the best idea I’ve heard all morning. RaNGER RABBIT How are you going to figure it out, Elinor? Do we want the binoculars hanging on a hook in the kitchen? Maybe she opens a drawer and pulls it out. Or it's sitting on the counter ELINOR Hmm... I need MORE OBSERVATIONS! Ranger Rabbit gets up and pulls a pair of binoculars off a hook on the wall RANGER RABBIT Then you might want to use these binoculars. They’re good for watching birds. ELINOR Oh, thanks mom! I wonder if lines 35 or 36 are needed? They won't really hurt the learning but I'm not sure preschoolers will relate this to Elinor using them backwards at first. RANGER RABBIT You’re welcome. Do you remember how to use them? ELINOR (slightly offended) Of course! Ranger Rabbit smiles. ELINOR (CONT’D) OK, I’m going to figure out this mystery! Thanks for breakfast, mom! See you later, Dad! Dad? Elinor hops by her father, who is now fast asleep, head on the table. Mr RABBIT <Snores...> can she give him a kiss after her line before running off ELINOR (STAGE WHISPER) Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll figure this out for you. 4. EXT. FOREST NEAR ELINOR’S HOUSE - A SHORT WHILE LATER Elinor is hopping around the woods near her house with the binoculars around her neck. ELINOR OK, let’s find some birds and make some observations! She lifts the binoculars to her face -- the wrong way. BINOCULARS POV: We see two small overlapping circles with far away trees. ELINOR (O.S) (CONT’D) Hmm, that doesn’t look right. BACK TO ELINOR: Elinor keeps the binoculars at her face and waves one hand in front of the binoculars. BINOCULARS POV: We see a small Elinor’s hand waving. ELINOR (O.S.) (CONT’D) These are supposed to make things look CLOSER, not FARTHER AWAY! BACK TO ELINOR: She lowers the binoculars and realizes that she’s had them backwards. ELINOR (CONT’D) Oh. <giggles> Oops! She turns them around. BINOCULARS POV: We see two large overlapping circles that come into focus. Awesome! after line 44 - describes: Elinor scans around, we pan with her POV, until she passes a bird and then comes back to look at it. ELINOR (O.S.) (CONT’D) Th at’s better! Elinor scans around, we see the POV sliding, until she passes a bird and then comes back to look at it. ELINOR (CONT’D) Ooh! There’s a cute little bird. Sing for me, birdie ! Something brown, fuzzy and blurry blocks her view. ELINOR (CONT’D) Huh? What’s THAT ? BACK ON ELINOR: We see her adjusting the focus knob on the binoculars. BINOCULARS POV: The picture comes into focus and... we see part of ARI’s face. BACK TO ELINOR: We see Ari looking through the big end of the binoculars. OLIVE is standing behind him. ARI Hi, Elinor! Whatcha doing? She lowers the binoculars. ELINOR Oh, hi Ari, hi Olive! I’m using these binoculars to look for birds. I’m trying to answer a question ! OLIVE Cool! <beat> Uh, what’s the question ? Love this line ELINOR I want to know why birds sing! Plants don’t sing, lizards don’t sing. Why do birds sing? ARI Uh, of course birds sing! They are birds! OLIVE But WHY do they sing, Ari? ARI Oh. Hmm. I never thought about it before. You’re right, I don’t know! OLIVE We’ll help you, Elinor. Let’s all solve the mystery together! ELINOR OK! We’ll all watch the birds and try to figure out what makes them sing. The kids look around for birds. We hear <SFX: TRILLING AND CHIRPING OF VARIOUS BIRDS> from different directions. ARI (STAGE WHISPER) There’s some that way! He points in one direction. OLIVE (STAGE WHISPER) I heard one this way! She points in a totally different direction. ELINOR I think there’s one over there. She points to a nearby tree. ELINOR (CONT’D) Hmm. There are a lot of birds in the forest. OlIVE Let’s split up! I’ll look for birds over here... Ari And I’ll look over there! EliNOR Great idea! Now we can get MORE OBSERVATIONS! Ari and Olive and Elinor tiptoe off screen in the direction of the birds they heard. 5. EXT FOREST -- VARIOUS LOCATIONS -- DAY Elinor finds a good spot. She sits among some short bushes (so she’s slightly hidden) in the center of the scene and cocks her head to listen for the <SFX: FOREST NOISES>. Ari and Olive are far enough away that we can’t initially see or hear them. ELINOR OK birds, I’m ready, let’s hear some songs! There are faint <SFX: BIRD SONGS> from many directions, but nothing close. Suddenly she hears <SFX: ROBIN CHIRPING> in a tree to her left. She picks up her binoculars and puts them to her face, turning to her left. BINOCULARS POV: We see through her binoculars an American Robin mama bird. [AR adult design reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-LbyrrJzrM]. The robin is looking left and right, up and down, <SFX: CHIRPING> each time. We get the sense that it’s looking for something. [ AR Adult sound reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZl2X4zjejA ] BACK ON ELINOR: We see Elinor looking through her binoculars. 64-65: It might be clearer to have babies in a nest calling for the mama. They are really more like juveniles once they fledge and are out of the nest which is what is represented currently and they wouldn’t sound like the example given (they also would look different). It might help the audience get the idea of babies and mama a bit better by having them call from the nest. (And you could have more than 1 baby calling which would be super cute.) ELINOR (CONT’D) Hmm, you look like you’re looking for something. Elinor hears another <SFX: CHIRP>, this time to her right. It sounds similar, but like a baby.[AR Chick sound reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycgqNNL10yI] Elinor lowers her binoculars and turns to the right. "Do they know eachother?" feels a little random or might need more context, I wonder if Elinor could be slightly more direct is noticing that the birds are looking for something...for eachother. ELINOR (CONT’D) Ooh, another bird. They sound kind of the same. Do they know each other? She looks through her binoculars again. BINOCULARS POV: We see a baby American Robin in the tree. It is looking around, <SFX: CHIRPING> constantly. [AR chick Design reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-LbyrrJzrM]. ELINOR (CONT’D) Hi , cute little bird! You look like a baby version of the other bird! We hear the mama bird <SFX: CHIRP> again (offscreen) and see the baby respond <SFX: CHIRP>. BIN OCULARS POV: swishes left to where the mama bird is. ELINOR (CONT’D) Hey, you must be the mama bird! Are you looking for your baby? We hear the mama bird <SFX: CALL>, and the baby <SFX: REPLY>. The mama bird flits over to the tree on the right near where the baby bird sits. BACK ON: Elinor lowers her binoculars and tries to show the Mamma where to go. ELINOR (CONT’D) Yes, your baby is over there! Elinor lifts her binoculars again. BIN POV: We see the Mama and baby near each other but not next to each other. The mama calls and the baby replies. The mama moves over to the baby and they have a happy reunion. BACK ON ELINOR: She’s looking through the binoculars. ELINOR (CONT’D) Yay! You found each other! (putting down the bins) Hmmmm. Elinor looks like she’s about to have an idea, when suddenly we hear some crashing in the bushes <SFX: Ari crashing bushes> and then Ari calling out to Olive. after line 70 reads that Elinor puts down the binoculars to listen but she just lowered them in previous line ARI (O.S.) OLIVE! Where are you?! Elinor puts down the binoculars and listens. OLIVE (O.S.) I’m over here! Who is calling me? The voices come from the left and the right. Elinor turns her head each time to follow the voices. ARI (O.S.) It’s me Ari! OLIVE (O.S. ) Ari? ARI (O.S.) Yes! OLIVE Where are you? ARI I’m right next to a tree! OLIVE Which tree? Ari emerges from the left-hand side of the screen, standing next to the tree the mama bird was spotted on earlier. ARI Uh, it’s tall, with a bunch of leaves? OLIVE emerges from the right-hand side of the screen, standing next to the tree that has the mama and baby bird. OLIVE That sounds just like the tree I’m standing next to. The mama and baby bird fly off. ARI Oh, I see you! OLIVE I see you too! ELINOR Guys! I think I figured it out! I think I know why birds sing! ARI What? Already? OLIVE Yeah, we haven’t seen a lot of birds yet . ELINOR You two helped me figure it out! Ari and Olive look at each other. ARI and OLIVE We did? ELINOR I was looking around , and I saw a mama bird trying to find her baby bird. Next to Elinor, we see a THOUGHT BUBBLE recalling the scene from earlier. OLIVE Awww! ELINOR Both birds were singing, and then I realized they were doing the same thing you and Ari were doing! ARI They were? Lines 91 and 95 have Elinor coming up with two different conclusions for why birds sing: first, that they sing to find each other, and then that it’s how they talk to each other (the latter is the best explanation). Can we simplify to focus on just one of these ideas primarily and drive that idea home – preferably the idea of them singing to talk to each other? ELINOR Yes! They were singing to find each other! ARI Wait, am I supposed to be a baby bird? OLIVE (laughing) Noooo, Elinor means the birds called to each other with their singing the way we did with our words. ARI Oh! When we couldn’t find each other! ELINOR Birds use singing to TALK to each other! That’s why they sing! ARI AND OLIVE Ohhh... Ari It’s bird talk! ELINOR Yes! That is SO INTERESTING! <MFX> MONTAGE: of the kids watching birds as they sing . ElINOR/olive/ari We know it’s true, Birds like to sing, But why do they sing? It’s for lots of things. A singing bird can say How do you do! Or This is MY tree, Or even I love you, Birds love to sing, And now we can see! They’re talking to each other, Just like you and me! END MONTAGE - back where we started. ARI We solved the mystery! OLIVE We know why birds sing! Scene 7: Can Elinor be a bit more explicit about what she's doing? Some supporting VO would help. ELINOR Hmmm... and that gives me an idea... PULL OUT: As the kids run off screen, we PAN UP to the sky. 6. EXT ANIMAL TOWN - WIDE The sun sets, the night passes, the sun rises again. 7. EXT. ELINOR’S HOUSE -- MORNING It’s early morning and through the window we see Elinor’s father sleeping happily. Suddenly the same bird from yesterday lands on the branch outside his window. ON: Just as the Bird opens its mouth and prepares to belt out a good morning song, it’s interrupted by an off-screen <SFX: WHISTLE>. ON: Elinor whistling to the bird. She smiles. WIDEN : The bird looks interested in Elinor’s whistle. Elinor backs away <SFX: WHISTLES> more, then she beckons (so it’s clear to the audience) and the bird follows. It flits from tree to tree, <SFX: CHIRPING> as Elinor leads it away. very cute ending ELINOR Sleep well, Dad! PAN back to show Elinor’s father sleeping happily. THE END.

EWW113 Bird Song D2 19-Feb-19 .

<SFX: AMERICAN_ROBIN Ahhh CU: HTTPS: Hmmm Mmmm WWW.ALLABOUTBIRDS.ORG Wha adlib

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ELINOR Wonders why EP 113 Bird Song By: Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson Elinor’s Question: Why do birds sing? Logline: Elinor and friends figure out that birds use songs to talk to each other. Curriculum Goals: LS 3a . Observe ways that animals and plants get what they need to live and grow. [Elinor will observe the ways the birds use songs to communicate in order to get what they need. SEP1 Ask and/or identify cause and effect questions that can be answered by an investigation [Elinor asks why birds sing and does an investigation] SEP3 . a. Identify and use a greater variety of tools to extend the senses for observing, measuring, and recording data about objects and events [Elinor uses binoculars] SEP4 . b. Use the 5 senses and simple tools to gather and record data [Elinor listens to as well as watches the birds] SEP6 b Look for and describe patterns and relationships in natural phenomena [Elinor watches the birds to get a clue about why they sing] SEP7 . Engaging in argument from evidence a. Engage in discussions before, during, and after investigations. [Elinor speculates about why birds sing, observes and updates her thoughts] b. Support thinking and argue ideas with evidence [ Elinor uses her observations to support her idea for why bird sing] ET2 . b. Use a variety of low-tech tools including binoculars. CHARACTERS: Elinor, Ari, Olive, Mr. Rabbit , Ranger Rabbit NOTE: BOTH Ranger Rabbit and Mr. Rabbit have more than 5 lines. We should address this. Line Count - 103 FIRST DRAFT: 28-Jan-19 SECOND DRAFT: Feb. 19, 2019 ARI ARI and OLIVE ELINOR MR RABBIT OLIVE RANGER RABBIT ELINOR/ranger rabbit ElINOR and olive (V.O.) (O.S.) (O.C.) (CONT'D) (SUBTITLE) (STAGE WHISPER) INT EXT I/E 1.EXT./INT 1 RABBIT'S HOUSE/RANGER AND MR. RABBIT'S ROOM – EARLY MORNING EXT./INT. RABBIT'S HOUSE/RANGER AND MR RABBIT'S ROOM -- EARLY MORNING 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. Order Title Location ARI ARI