"The focus is good and the tone and humor are there. Some tweaks below, but overall, try to shorten the intro (or it will likely be cut later) and focus the song slightly to make it a bit more specificallyabout the desert rather than broader question of where life can live. Detail: note its Sen~or Tapir, not Senior.
On Kevin's comment: Let's avoid the costume changes, as those will be tricky for design and not needed in such a short bit. The edits we suggest will make the intro consistent with a desert environment (few plants, not zero). But please try to limit the number of scene changes. "
1. EXT DESERT -- DAY
My concern is having the kids at bibi’s house and noting how there isnt a plant or animal in sight. The animal isnt the issue however we are returning to bibi’s and established in episode ‘backyard soup’ that they have full garden filled with desert plants and cactus. in ‘burrowing owl girl‘, we establish that they venture behind the house, where its described as having some vegetation. Therefore this location doesnt fit the description needed and i dont think we can have them roaming in an area of the desert to fit what we need here. Perhaps we rework to have it take place in elinors forest as she shares with olive and ari her experience in the desert- and how different it is there. Senior tapir overhears and begins as we currently have it. Then tweak the end to work with them in the forest
I agree with Kevin that this contradicts what we have shown/ said in other desert stories. I am also a little concerned about how much learning is happening. The fact that a cold environment is considered a desert is mind blowing...even to adults. This in itself would be enough content (deserts are where little water falls, some are hot and some are cold). There is also the content about life living in challenging environments. It is a lot to take in, especially in 90 seconds.
ELINOR, ARI, and OLIVE are exploring the area around
BiBi’s
house. We see features of
Bibi’s
desert environment. The sun’s heat reflects off the landscape.
<SFX:
DRY BREEZE BLOWING>
I'm thirsty!
Ari
It’s so hot out!
It's so dry out here.
OLIVE
And dry...
The kids stop and look up at the landscape in front of them. They see sun-soaked hills but not a plant or animal in sight.
It must be hard for animals and plants to live out here.
ELINOR
There aren’t any plants or animals around. I wonder why not...
<SFX:
GUITAR TUNING>
Hey kids, you're right! That reminds me of a song about a scientist who wondered what kind of life survives in the desert
SR. TAPIR (O.S.)
Well, plants and animals need food and water. Not much of that to be found right here!
The kids turn around and are surprised to see Senior Tapir in the desert.
Cut the rest of the intro.
ARI, OLIVE, and Elinor
Senior Tapir!
Ari
What are you doing here!?
SR. TAPIR
Heh
heh
. Well, like you, I enjoy a visit to the desert now and then. I’m on vacation!
ELINOR
Senior Tapir, I wonder why plants or animals can’t live here..
SR. TAPIR
I’m not so sure they can’t! Let me sing you a song about a scientist from the Philippines who wondered about where life can - and can’t -survive.
<SFX:
YAY WALLA> Senior Tapir stands and stretches his back to sing and play the guitar. The kids gather close by.
2. EXT OUTSIDE (SONG ANIMATION) -- DAY
In simplified song animation, we see young
Roseli
Ocampo
in a TROPICAL FOREST in the Philippines, examining a plant.
"O – O – Roseli Ocampo
Wanted to know
O O Roseli, oh!
All the places where life could grow
Well all life is alive!
Life needs food and water to thrive
Some places get lots of water
Other places are much drier
Rosali went to visit the desert
Saw life all around
Was amazed at all
the creatures she found
O - O - Roseli Ocampo
Wanted to know
O O Roseli, oh!
If things could live in the desert cold
Some deserts are hot
But the driest one ever
Was actually cold
It had almost no water!
She used her observation
And looked everywhere
And whaddya know?
She found life, even there!
O - O - Roseli Ocampo
Wondered where life would grow
O O Roseli, oh!
Found life in the dry desert cold!"
SR. TAPIR (CONT’D)
O – O –
Roseli
Ocampo
Wondered where life would grow
O O
Roseli
, oh!
we have 3 costume designs and 3 major locations needed here - to help production, we will need to keep her in one veiw for the 2 extra design changes. having her walking either 3/4 front or profile throughtout those sections
So she traveled on to where she could go
Roseli
walks through the forest looking at the extent of life.
Well all life is alive!
Life needs food and water to thrive
Some places have lot and lots
And some places: they don’t have as much.
Roseli
continues her walk through the TROPICAL FOREST, but as she passes behind a big tree, her clothes and the forest change, from tropical forest to a SOUTHWESTERN DESERT.
So many different living things around
Could it be that life has found
a way…?
Roseli
wondered…
Close-up on
Roseli
as she stoops to examine a rock in the desert. A cute horned toad climbs up on her shoulder to look at the same rock. It looks at the camera and shrugs.
O - O -
Roseli
Ocampo
Wondered where life would grow
O O
Roseli
, oh!
So she traveled on to the desert cold!
Roseli
walks on, passing behind a huge saguaro cactus. As she does, her clothes change to ARCTIC GEAR and the setting changes to a lifeless ARCTIC DESERT.
Deserts have very little water
And one desert has the least
So
Roseli
, she journeyed there
to
see what she could see
Roseli
looks closely at a horizontal band in a cliff face. She scrapes off some of the rock and holds it in both hands, carefully taking it with her.
She used her observation
And her skill with plant care
And
whaddya
know? Where life will go!
She found life even there!
INSIDE,
Roseli
peers at her collection through a microscope. CUT TO: Microscope
POV:
links of green ovals, gently swaying. Cyanobacteria from Antarctica. BACK ON:
Roseli
looks surprised and happy.
O - O -
Roseli
Ocampo
Wondered where life would grow
O O
Roseli
, oh!
Found life in the driest desert cold!
Roseli
continues her march though the Antarctic desert. Fade to white.
BACK ON: Senior Tapir and the kids.
<SFX:
KIDS CHEER>
Cut line 11
OLIVE
Well, this desert isn’t
that
dry.
Start with "Maybe…"
ARI
Yeah. Maybe we aren’t looking closely enough.
ELINOR
Or
... in the right place! Look!
Elinor points off to the left. There they see cacti, a tortoise slowly shuffling in the shade, and a lizard scamper by.
<SFX:
WHOA COOL WALLA>
EWW
123 Interstitial
Señor Tapir Ballad
Roseli
Ocampo-Friedman
- "
Roseli
in Antarctica"
Robert
Kalinowski
Follows: "Burrowing Owl Girl"
Curriculum: the kids learn that
Roseli
Ocampo-Friedman
was a Philippine born botanist who wondered if life could exist in even the harshest deserts on Earth, so she went to the Ross Desert in Antarctica and found out!
LS3
. Understand that all animals need food in order to live and grow, that they get their food from plants or from other animals, and that plants need water and light to live and grow:
FIRST DRAFT: Sept. 11, 2019
OLIVE
Ari
ELinor
SR. TAPIR
ARI, OLIVE, and Elinor
ARE
(V.O.)
(O.S.)
(O.C.)
(CONT'D)
(SUBTITLE)
INT
EXT
I/E
1
EXT DESERT -- DAY
DAY
NIGHT
AFTERNOON
MORNING
EVENING
LATER
MOMENTS LATER
CONTINUOUS
THE NEXT DAY
MAGIC HOUR
DAWN
DUSK
SAME
SAME TIME
CUT TO:
FADE IN:
FADE OUT.
FADE TO:
DISSOLVE TO:
BACK TO:
MATCH CUT TO:
JUMP CUT TO:
FADE TO BLACK.
SMASH CUT TO:
CUT TO BLACK.
TIME CUT:
Order
Title
Location
CHARACTER
CHARACTER'S ARC