Nicely done with funny moments. I felt a real moment of zen at the end reading this. Just a few notes below. Thanks 1. EXT. CLUBHOUSE - DAY We thought this was a fun story. Just a couple cosmetic notes: ELINOR, OLIVE, SALLY and TITO have gathered at the clubhouse, for an unusual meeting of the Exploring Club. Today, they’ve all brought instruments! Elinor has a UKULELE, Olive holds a TRUMPET, Sally has a TOY XYLOPHONE (on a neck strap), and Tito has brought a DRUM, also on a neck strap. There’s a <MUSICAL DIN> as they all noodle around, warming up. Lines 1-3: Fun way to start. If this moment is important later (Elinor not being able to hear Sally), then maybe let's not put it right at the top of the episode. Ease us in a bit before, and maybe even add a line or two so it doesn’t go by so quickly? sally (amid the din) This is a great idea, Elinor. "Line Count - 111 Ari - 24 Elinor - 36 Olive - 21 Sally - 17 Tito - 10 Hazel - 3" Elinor looks up from tuning her ukulele. excuse me feels a little old...she might ask "What did you say? I couldn't hear you with the music playing" ELINOR Excuse me? (Olive is still playing <SCALES> on her trumpet in the BG .) SaLLY (louder) I said, this is a great idea! Olive stops playing, to chime in. OLIVE Yes! A musical exploring walk. Super FUN! Olive <BLASTS> a fanfare. Tito winces and holds his ears. Tito ( giggle ) And super LOUD. Elinor laughs. She’s excited too. ELINOR ( laugh ) That’s okay. I want every bird, lizard, and frog in the whole forest to hear us! She spreads her arms wide. Sally smiles. SaLLY Do you think they’ll like our music? ELINOR (confident) Sure! We like music, so birds, lizards and frogs must like it too. Elinor goes a bit dreamy, picturing it... ELINOR (CONT’D) In fact, I bet we’ll see more wild creatures than usual. IMAGINATION BUBBLE - Elinor pictures the Exploring Band, <PLAYING> as they march down a trail. An unlikely horde of BIRDS, FROGS and GEESE flock to them and follow along behind. ELINOR ( VO ; CONT’D) ( CONT’D ) ...a LOT more. ON: Elinor, proudly leading the parade like the Pied Piper! PAN DOWN TO: Olive chuckles as she digs a PAD OF PAPER from her bag. OLIVE Good thing I brought a lot of paper. Because I want to draw every bird, bug and frog we see. Tito is getting excited. TITO Are we ready? Let’s go! sally We can’t. Ari isn’t here yet. ARI (os, breathless) Yes I am! On cue, ARI runs in, carrying a large pair of CYMBALS. ARI (CONT’D) Sorry I’m late. I had trouble closing my bag. OLIVE Because your cymbals wouldn’t fit? ARI No. Because of all my snacks. He shows them a BULGING BACKPACK. (Tito might drum a <RIM-SHOT> to punctuate the joke.) the kids <SFX: LAUGH> ELINOR NOW we can go. OlIVE Wait . F irst we have to do our Exploring Club pledge. ON: Elinor. ELINOR Oh, right! Good thinking, Olive. BACK ON: The kids all have put down their instruments. They do their pledge with hand gestures. OLIVE / ARI / HAZEL / SALLY/ Elinor An Explorer is Brave, an Explorer is kind, an Explorer is CURIOUS, who knows what we’ll find! ON: Elinor’s happy face. ELINOR Okay! Who wants to go and see LOTS of birds and frogs and bugs? BACK ON: The kids have their instruments in hand. Olive / ari / hazel / sally We do! Elinor hurries to the head of the group , with her ukulele. ELINOR Then let’s play! (counting in) And-a one, two, three four! With Elinor < STRUMM ING> in the lead, the kids all march off down the trail. 2. EXT. FOREST TRAIL - DAY As the 'Band of Explorers' parades along, they play an energetic marching song. (Think ‘76 Trombones’) THE EXPLORERS’ MARCHING SONG: (NOTE: as they march down the trail, we see creatures in the foreground sense them coming, and depart before the kids can spot them. BUTTERFLIES perched on a tree flutter OS. An OWL swivels its head to note their approach - and flies away. ) ELINOR/OLIVE/ARI/ TITO /SALLY (SING) Oh we’re off to play in the forest Singing as we march along So our forest friends will all come out To hear our Exploring Song ( Tito drums) <BOOMPA-BOOM , BOOMPA-BOOM , BOOMPA-BOOM!> Elinor stops marching to look around. The others ‘boxcar’ into her. <SFX: IMPACT WALLA WHOOP - OOF> TiTO Whoa, why’d you stop? ARI (hopeful) Is it snack time already? OLIVE (chuckling) Ari. Elinor is looking all around, hoping to see wildlife. Line 29 – Would rather the kids didn’t say “stuff”. Maybe “birds, frogs and other creatures”? ELINOR I’m just looking for birds and frogs and stuff. Do you see any? They look around - but nothing stirs. The forest is quiet. Ari / olive / sally ( ad lib ‘No. Nothing. Nuh-uh.’ ) Elinor is mildly surprised. elinor Hm . SALLY Maybe they can’t hear us? Feels a little odd coming from Elinor (sorry), maybe it should be Tito? Or Sally, and switch Tito above? eLINOR That must be it. Let’s try playing louder. ARI Yeah, louder! We can do that! ELINOR (counting in) Ah-one, two, three, four! They all set off again, singing and playing louder than ever. SONG Oh we’re off to play in the forest Singing as we march along So our forest friends will all come out To hear our Exploring Song (Feature Olive on TRUMPET) <BRAP-A-BAP , BRAP-A-BAP , BRAP-A-BAP!> Suddenly Olive spots something OS. She stops in her tracks. POV - down a side trail, up in a tree, we just glimpse the fla pping of a BLUE BIRD’S WING . OLIVE (parT OS) Wait - I see some bird s. (pointing) Over there. C’mon ! Excited, the band pivots and marches off in the direction Olive indicated. Song Oh we’re off to play in the forest Singing as we march along So our forest friends will all come out To hear our Exploring Song Ari rhythmically <CRASHES> his BIG CYMBALS as we CUT TO: 3. EXT. A HIGH TREE BRANCH A PAIR OF DOVES are sitting on a high branch. As the band approaches, with Ari crashing his noisy CYMBALS - OS <CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!> The doves startle and fly OS, before the kids can really get a good look. CUT TO: 4. EXT. trail - BELOW THE TREE The marchers halt below the tree and look up, but - LOW ANGLE POV - the tree is deserted. Maybe we should show Olive taking out her notebook here too. olIVE Where’d they go? TiTO Are you sure you saw birds? OLIVE Yes! They were here a minute ago. sally Then why they didn’t stay to hear us play? Don’t they like music? elinor (puzzled) They must like it. Birds ‘sing’ all the time. Olive looks up, clutching at faint hope. Olive Maybe they went to tell all their bird friends about us. Just then, Ari sees something OS. He elbows Olive. ARI ( gasp ) Look! On the trunk! Olive quickly looks down and brushes off her own trunk, as if there were a spider on her. Olive (with mild alarm) What? What’s on my trunk? Ari points off in the direction he meant. Ari (part os) Not YOUR trunk. On the TREE trunk. They all turn to look at a CLEARING up ahead, dominated by a big FALLEN TREE . On top of it , a LIZARD basks in the sun. Elinor (os, delighted) It’s a lizard! TITO I see it too! Excited, Elinor beckons to her friends. ELINOR Come on! They all happily fall into formation and strike up their marching song again, as they head towards the sunny clearing. Song Oh we’re off to play in the forest Singing as we march along So our forest friends will all come out To hear our Exploring Song (feature Elinor on UKULELE) <STRUMMA-STRUM , STRUMMA-STRUM , STRUMMA-STRUMMMM!> 5. EXT. FOREST CLEARING As they arrive, Ari < CLASHES> his cymbals for a big finish. Ari (like a rock star) Yeah! Woo-hoo ! Then - they all react to the log with SFX: <DISMAY.> ANGLE ON THE LOG - the lizard is gone! ari (CONT’D) Where’s the lizard? tito It was here. I saw it. it ran off ELINOR But it left. Just like the birds. Olive pulls out her paper to show a blank page. OLIVE (dis appointed ) I didn’t even get a chance to draw it. The kids slump. Sally shakes her head, puzzled. SALLY This is strange . On our last exploring walk , we saw all kinds of birds, bugs and frogs. Ari But today, we’re hardly seeing any. ANGLE ON Elinor, looking thoughtful. ELINOR That’s SO interesting! Why aren't we seeing many wild creatures today? (resolved) We need more observations. ARI But that’s what we’ve been trying to do. Observe them. olive And we’re not having much luck. Elinor nods. would be great to connect back to the word observation. To be a good observer means you use all your senses that will help you notice more about something. We shouldn'tuse taste and Idon'tsmell andcan'ttouch any animals. We could try to listen. ELINOR Yes, but we’ve only been looking with our eyes . What if we try using our ears , instead? SALLY Oh yeah, we can listen , too. Let’s try that. Tito tucks his drumsticks away - TITO I’ll close my eyes, I listen better, that way. - and covers his eyes with his hands. WIDE - they all listen carefully for a BEAT. Finally... <CROAK ! > ON: Elinor . Her ears prick up. ELINOR (low) Did you hear that? The <CROAK> comes again. They all turn towards a marshy area. ELINOR (whisper) (CONT’D) I think it came from over there... Curious, Elinor leads her friends across the clearing . Tito remains - he still has his eyes covered. Sally doubles back to grab him and bring him along. SaLLY Tito, come on! 6. EXT. A MARSHY AREA Following the <CROAKS>, they come upon a large BULLFROG, sitting on a rock at the edge of a puddle. OLIVE A bullfrog! Finally . Olive eagerly pulls out her paper and pencil. OLIVE (CONT’D) (to the frog) Now h old still, so I can draw you. CLOSE ON the BULLFROG, puffing up his throat with each <CROAK>. When he pauses, there’s an OS <ANSWERING CROAK>. The Exploring Club watch es from nearby, delighted. ELINOR My mom says frogs ‘sing’ like that, to talk to other frogs. ARI Frogs sing too? Hey, maybe he’d like to sing with our band ? SaLLY That would be fun . We can ‘jam!’ Everyone (except for Olive, who’s busy sketching) raises his or her instruments to play. ELINOR (playful) Count us in, Mister Bullfrog. <CROAK. CROAK. CROAK...> Taking their tempo from the frog’s croak, the kids launch into their noisy song again - Song Oh, w e’re off to play in the - But - <SPLASH!> The frog hops into the puddle and swims away. Olive waves her unfinished drawing in the air. oLIVE Come back! I’m not finished! ARI ( sigh ) I guess he only likes songs about frogs. Ari leans his cymbals (precariously) against a TREE STUMP. ON Sally, looking thoughtful. SaLLY Elinor, you said frogs ‘sing’ to talk to each other, right? ELINOR Yes? SaLLY Well, maybe it’s like when I was trying to talk to you, but all you could hear was Olive’s trumpet. Elinor nods, understanding. ELINOR Oh. You mean, the frog couldn’t hear his friends, because we were too loud? Ari makes a dismissive gesture. ARI Ah, w e’re not that loud . Just then, his teetering cymbals fall over with a loud <CRASH>. The kids SFX: <REACT, STARTLED!> Elinor and Olive jump in the bushes. Tito dives into a HOLLOW LOG. S ally stumbles into the p uddle, getting a ‘soaker’. CUT TO A ri , who flew straight up in surprise, and is now dangling from a tree. He sheepishly glides down again. ARI (CONT’D) Heh . I guess we are loud. Sally shakes off her muddy, wet foot. Line 83 – Does it sound old for Sally to use the word “startled”? SALLY That s tartl ed m e! Olive pops up from behind a bush. HaZEL Me too! Elinor pops up too, with a twig on her head. elinor Me three. Tito climbs back out of the log, rubbing his ears. Check with Sara to see if kids will understand the word "sensitive"? Or find a kid-friendly way to say it? tito Loud noises always make me jump. My ears are sensitive. Elinor flexes her own long ears, looking thoughtful. ELINOR I wonder if bird and frog ears are sensitive too? (dismayed gasp) Our noise might be scaring them away . OLIVE Oh, no! I don’t want to do that. But how can we find out for sure? Elinor considers the ukulele in her hands. ELINOR Well, the whole time we’ve been in the forest, we’ve been pretty loud. And we haven’t seen many creatures . I wonder what would happen if we stayed quiet , instead? ARI Quiet. Got it! Ari picks up his fallen cymbals, accidentally <CRASHING> them together again. They all cringe. ARI (CONT’D) Sorry! Sorry. The kids all <SFX: GIGGLE> Elinor gestures to the clearing with the log. ELINOR (low) Let’s go sit over there for a while. Shh! She puts a finger to her lips. The others nod and ‘shh’ too, and they all tiptoe OS, back the way they came. DISSOLVE TO: 7. EXT. FOREST CLEARING - MOMENTS LATER WIDE on the clearing, as they all perch on the log in expectant silence. Their instruments have been p ut aside . The forest is beautifully quiet, until - <CHOMP!> ON Ari , biting into a very crispy APPLE he brought along. He <CHEWS> loudly. The other kids turn to <SFX: SHHHHH> h im . aRI (normal volume) I’m not talking , I’m just eat ing. The others give h im a meaningful look, fingers to their lips. Ari reluctantly puts his apple back into a baggie . aRI (CONT’D) (whispers) Okay, okay. Being quiet is hard. Just then, with a <FLUTTER>, the TWO DOVES fly down and start pecking at the ground in front of them. SFX: <SOFT COOING>. The kids’ faces light up with silent delight! Olive remembers her notebook, sitting on the log beside her. She quietly picks it up, and starts sketching. CUT TO: a ROBIN appears, landing on a tree branch. <CHIRP!> CUT TO: the BULLFROG reappears, at the edge of the clearing. He <CROAKS>. The LIZARD clambers onto a sunny rock. ANGLE ON Sally - two BUTTERFLIES dance right past her face. ELINOR (whispers) Being quiet is working. Look at all the creatures that are coming out! CLOSE ON Olive’s notebook page, which is filling up with childlike DRAWINGS of the animals they’re seeing. OLIVe (whispers, happy) I can hardly draw fast enough. tito (whispers) I never really listened to the forest before. It sounds nice. Elinor nods in agreement. ELINOR Yes! We were so busy playing our music, we didn’t notice that the forest already has beautiful music. CUT TO the trees, <RUSTLING> in the breeze. ELINOR (CONT’D) (whispers) Like the sound of the trees... CUT TO the robin, <SINGING> joyfully. ELINOR (CONT’D) (whispers) ...and the birds... Ari beams as the bullfrog hops closer, <CROAKING>. ARI (whispers) ...and the frogs ! WIDE to include all of the quiet, patient Explorers. In her quietest voice, Elinor sings a gentle REPRISE: ELINOR (SINGS QUIETLY) We played our song in the forest But the creatures stayed away Until we used our ears to hear What the forest had to say They all pause to listen for a quiet BEAT - and are rewarded when a FUZZY BUMBLEBEE flies by, <BUZZING GENTLY>. <SFX: quiet ooohs of appreciation> After the bee departs, the whole group joins in Elinor’s song, singing in their most quiet voices; Song (SING QUIETLY) We played our song in the forest But the creatures stayed away Until we used our ears to hear What the forest had to say As they all pause to listen to the beautiful forest music of <BUZZES, CROAKS and BIRDSONG> , we PULL BACK and... FADE OUT. REFERENCE: BULLFROG CALL - (around the 8 minute mark) https: // ca.video.search.yahoo.com /search/ video?fr = yfp-t &p=frog+calls#id=1& vid = 51481521f73c4968564c422b9882cafd &action=view

EWW170 "The Band of Explorers" D2 24-APR-20

ELINOR WONDERS WHY EP . 170 “The Band of Explorers” By: Karen Moonah Elinor's Question: Why aren't we seeing many wild creatures, on our exploring walk? Logline: When Elinor and her friends bring musical instruments on a hike, they don't understand why they aren't seeing any creatures - until they realize that wildlife needs quiet. ES3 . Understand that things people do to live comfortably can affect the world around them, but they can make choices that reduce their impacts on the land, water, air, and other living things. c. Participate in simple activities to care for the environment (When Elinor and her friends realize their music is disturbing the forest animals, they decide not to play their instruments) SEP1 . Asking questions (science) and defining questions. ( engineering ) c) Ask and/or identify cause and effect questions that can be answered by an investigation. SEP4 . Analysing and Interpreting Data: b) use the five senses and simple tools to gather and record data. SEP7 . Engaging in Argument from Evidence: b) support thinking and argue ideas with evidence. Through observation and investigation, Elinor and her friends decide their music is having the unintentional effect of disturbing the animals. OUTLINE: Mar. 16, 2020 FIRST DRAFT: April 06, 2020 SECOND DRAFT: April 24, 2020 Ari Ari / Olive / elinor Crowd elinor Elinor / Olive ELINOR / Olive / ari ELINOR / Olive / ARI / farmer bear / lambs Elinor / Olive / ari / others eLINOR / Olive /a FARMER BEAR G L Lamb 1, 2, 3 / beaver LamB 1, 2, 3 / BEAVER / farmer bear / Olive / ari / elinor Mrs. Mrs. Gorilla Ms. Mole Olive Olive / ARI Olive / elinor Olive. Other students ROLLIE ROLLIE’S SISTER Sr Students Tomato mascot VARIOUS STUDENTS All kids ELINOR/ari MRS. Gorilla/elinor/olive/ari Mz. Mole Ranger rabbit Mr. Hippo Mr. Beaver ARI / OLIVE / MR. BEAVER Philbert O\ PHILBERT / OLIVE / ARI! Audience Dad Ms. llama Elinor / dad dad / elinor Joe mouse Elinor / dad / ms. Llama Elinor’s dad Ms. LLAMA / joe / olive / ari / elinor Elinor / ari / olive Joe mouse / elinor’s dad / ms. Llama / elinor / ari / Olive Dad / ranger rabbit / ms. Llama / joe Mr. Rabbit Deputy DePUTY mouse Mz. Llama OLIVE / ARI / MR. RABBIT Olive / sally / hazel Olive / sally / hazel / ari hazel Olive / ari / hazel / sally Sally Ari / olive / slaly Ari / olive / sally Elinor/olive/arI/sally/hazel Elinor / olive / ari / sally / hazel ELINOR / OLIVE / ARI / HAZEL / SALLY ELINOR/OLIVE/ARI/HAZEL/SALLY Elinor / olive / sally / hazel ELINOR / oLIVE / ARI / SALLY Song OLIVE / ARI / HAZEL / SALLY/ Elinor Tito Olive / tito / sally / ari Olive / elinor / sally / tito Elinor / ari Elinor / ari / olive / sally / tito (V.O.) (O.S.) (O.C.) (CONT'D) (SUBTITLE) (to herself) (muffled) (os) (thoughtful) (grins) (sings) (CALLS) (SHEEPISH) (cheery) (part os) (hopeful) INT EXT I/E 6. EXT 1 2 7 A SOUVENIR STAND DROP LADDER BEAVERS' PRACTICE AREA SCHOOLYARD CLASSROOM MRS. GORILLA'S JUICE CART INT. CLASSROOM ANIMAL TOWN EXT. ELINOR'S HOUSE INT. ELINOR'S HOUSE MR. HIPPO'S STORE MR. BEAVER'S WORKSHOP FARMER BEAR'S TREE FARM ELINOR'S HOUSE INT. A 'BIG TOP' CIRCUS (FANTASY) SCHOOL PLAYGROUND PLAYGROUND EXT. FOREST CLEARING DAY NIGHT AFTERNOON MORNING EVENING LATER MOMENTS LATER CONTINUOUS THE NEXT DAY MINUTES LATER ESTABLISHING KITCHEN DAY MONTAGE CUT TO: FADE IN: FADE OUT. FADE TO: DISSOLVE TO: BACK TO: MATCH CUT TO: JUMP CUT TO: FADE TO BLACK. ‘fluff’ wipe to: ‘wheel’ wipe to: