OPENING CREDITS - Media Motion
Productions Presents - BLACK LETTERS ON WHITE BACK GROUND (b.g.)
MATCH CUT - BLACK LETTERS - IGNITE - MATCH CUT - BLACK LETTERS - EXPAND INTO
MULTI-COLOR 3D - FREEZE FRAME - DISSOLVE
EXT. CITY
- DAY - MUSIC PRELUDE
AERIAL SHOT - BUTTERFLY P.O.V. Rises above city. Swiftly passes downtown buildings.
Goes up higher. Moves toward countryside.
REVERSE P.O.V. of LEWIS and SUSIE (twins) become a MED. SHOT. Both are smiling
and sitting on the flying butterfly which flies away from camera to left of frame.
EXTREME LONG SHOT of sky in b.g. as children on the butterfly arcs into the
sun, disappears.
Arcs out of the sun. Swiftly moves towards camera as MED. SHOT of sky in b.g.
Diving away from camera, MOVING SHOT.
Rushing up as MED. SHOT of sky in b.g. Butterfly and children flying right
to left.
(LOGO) NICE TO BE HERE trails behind butterfly.
SINGER (V.O.)
Nice to be here...
LONG SHOT of sky in b.g. as Logo moves back. Arcs under the sun like a rainbow.
Sun's rays spray downward, going outward.
SINGER (V.O.)
(continue)
Lying in the sun.
Bathing the logo in glitter, multi-color rays MOVE DOWN to OAK TREETOPS.
BEHIND butterfly over the treetops with sky in b.g.
SINGER (V.O.)
(continue)
Lovely weather must climb a tree.
Butterfly and children appear. Follow them for a thrilling cruise over and
through the treetops.
SINGER (V.O.)
(continue)
The show has just begun. All the
leaves start swaying to the breeze
that's playing...
Butterfly and children swing back and forth with the breeze which lifts them.
BREEZE STREAMERS trail as they arc up to the left.
SINGER (V.O.)
(continue)
on a thousand violins.
Streamers change to transparent VIOLINS, rushing past the camera into clouds.
Children P.O.V. is the sky and meadow.
SINGER (V.0.)
(continue)
And the bees are humming...
Butterfly and children flow into a meadow of BEES, FLOWERS and BLADES OF GRASS.
SINGER (V.O.)
(continue)
...to a frog sat strumming...
In the distance, Young boy, ALEX, (children's best friend) is seen with his
magnifying glass. He is studying a FROG that is sitting upright on a TWIG, strumming a ONE STRING GUITAR.
SINGER (V.O.)
(continue)
...on a guitar with only one string.
Magnifying glass P.O.V. ZOOM to frog as an EXTREME CLOSE UP. He turns with
a knowing, benevolent smile which catapults into huge white teeth. DISSOLVE to WHITE FREEZE FRAME.
EPISODE TITLE: The Great Magical Library is multi-colored it bursts out of
the white FREEZE FRAME. MATCH CUT of episode title to a FREEZE FRAME - MUSIC ENDS FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT. DAY - SCHOOL
AERIAL SHOT - Slowly ZOOM down to MS. PEREZ's classroom window. Where she is
standing in front of the class with a sheet of paper in her hand, instructing.
MOVING SHOT by going through the glass window.
ENT. MS. PEREZ's CLASSROOM
Frog P.O.V. in an atrium.
REVERSE P.O.V. to CLOSE UP of the frog in a atrium, with sand, some water and
tiny plants.
REVERSE P.O.V. where the frog is looking out over the class.
MS. PEREZ (O.S.)
On this handout are several
titles.
Frog P.O.V. PAN the classroom with thirty-five students of all nationalities,
holding the handout.
GIRL #1 is dreamily looking at Lewis who doesn't appear to be too cheerful
over the handout -- actually he is getting bored with the whole thing.
MS. PEREZ (O.S.)
(continue)
I would like this reading assignment
complete before we go...
The PAN continues: Different projects are represented on the classroom walls:
"How Our Government Works," "Green Theme" - Environmental, "Ethanol Plant Tour is Wednesday -- bring your own lunch. Drinks
will be provided," "Spelling Bee Champs," etc.
MS. PEREZ (O.S.)
(continue)
on the Ethanol Plant Field trip...
End at REVERSE P.O.V. looking at the frog, coming back to the classroom with
"Biology Project" by Alex Sheeney clearly seen over the frog's atrium. PAN to Alex who is very attentive to Ms. Perez.
MS. PEREZ (O.S.)
(continue)
You have to read one book, completely...
Susie, in b.g., is attentive, sitting behind Alex. To the side of Susie is
Lewis who is not paying attention.
CLOSE UP of Lewis, whose eyes are getting heavy and heavier as the handout
leaves his desk, swaying to the ground.
MS. PEREZ (O.S.)
(continue)
I have given you a wide range of books
choose from.
Just as he is about to dose off, Susie picks up his handout and nudges him
to stay awake, handing the titles to him.
MS. PEREZ (O.S)
(continue)
This is required for all 5th graders...
Lewis P.O.V. of the titles and authors on the handout: "The Neverending Story"
-- Michael Ende; "The Secret Garden" -- Frances Hodgson Burnett; "The Little Prince" -- Antoine De Saint-Exupery; "White Fang"
-- Jack London; "Good-bye, Mr. Chips" -- James Hilton; "The Old Man and the Sea" -- Ernest Hemingway; "The Grapes of Wrath"
-- John Steinbeck; "Phantom of the Opera" -- Gaston Leroux; "The Yearling" -- Margorie Kinnan Rawlings; "The Hunchback of
Notre Dame" -- Victor Hugo; "To Kill a Mockingbird" -- Harper Lee;
MS. PEREZ
(continue)
You will give a verbal report...
STUDENTS (O.S.)
(groan)
MED. SHOT of Lewis grimacing, PAN over students there are about two-thirds
with similar expressions, excluding Alexis and Susie; then back to Lewis.
MED. SHOT behind Ms. Perez who looks over the students in b.g.
MS. PEREZ
(emphatically)
There are some wonderful titles
here.
BOY #1
Hey, "White Fang" is a movie - it's
playing on cable.
STUDENTS
(AD LIB)
So, is "The Secret Garden" and "The
Grapes of Wrath" -- "To Kill a Mock-
ing Bird..." My folks rented these.
We could rent the videos!
MED. SHOT of Lewis.
LEWIS
(smiles)
Yea!
MED. SHOT of Girl #1.
GIRL #1
I'll watch any video with
you, Lewis.
MED. SHOT of Lewis as he cringes from the girl, returning to the assignment
list and circling the ones he knows are videos.
MED. SHOT behind Ms. Perez looking over the students in b.g.
MS. PEREZ (O.S.)
Class, Class, Class -- quiet
please.
The whole class quiets down to a mutter, then silence.
CLOSE UP of Lewis who is wrapped up into the idea of renting a video instead.
He doesn't notice the class has quieted down.
LEWIS
I'll watch a video. Books are
for snail heads.
STUDENTS (O.S.)
(laugh)
Snail head, snail head -- Lewis
is a snail head.
MED. SHOT of Alex with Susie in b.g. Both shaking their heads, feeling embarrassed
for Lewis.
CLOSE UP of Ms. Perez.
MS. PEREZ
Class, that's enough.
The whole class quiets down to a mutter, then silence.
CLOSE UP of Lewis with a red face.
SCHOOL BELL rings.
LONG SHOT of students getting up from their desk and leaving. Alex gets up
- MOVING SHOT - and goes to his frog to make sure it's okay for the weekend.
MS. PEREZ (O.S.)
The book report (not video) is due
in two weeks. Have a nice weekend.
CLOSE UP of Alex silently saying good-bye to the frog.
MOVING SHOT through the window of the classroom.
EXT. SCHOOL BUILDING - DAY
Continue MOVING SHOT to PAN up toward the sky. AERIAL SHOT coming over to the
other side of the school building.
MED. SHOT OF Lewis, head down, despondent, exits through two large school doors
as Susie is f.g. and Alex is b.g.
ALEX
Lewis! Lewis! Wait up.
MED. SHOT of Susie who stops and turns around to wait for Lewis and Alex. Lewis
walks right past Susie, brushing her aside.
SUSIE
(offended)
Lewis Davis!!
Lewis keeps walking toward the school bus. Alex joins Susie. He is inquisitive
as to "What's with Lewis?"
SUSIE
(continue
- under her breath)
If you weren't my twin
brother...
ALEX
What's up?
SUSIE
He doesn't like to read.
INT. BUS - DAY
The school bus is packed with kids who are talking, laughing and ecstatic that
"it's Friday" and they have a weekend ahead of them.
Lewis' head is down. Susie is setting next to him while Alex, reading a book
on Ethanol, is in the seat behind them.
LEWIS
Why we can't watch videos.
It's the same thing.
ALEX
(looks
up from his book)
"White Fang" wasn't anything like
Jack London's book.
LEWIS
I'll just pick another video from
Ms. Perez's list.
SUSIE
Movies are different than books.
LEWIS
(to
Susie)
My twin sister and
(to Alex)
best friend can fill me in -
Yea, I'm sure to pass.
MED. SHOT of Susie looking at Alex as both look perplex, knowing it's not right
thing to do.
INT. VIDEO STORE - NIGHT
Lewis' back can be seen at the video store counter the VIDEO COUNTER WOMAN
(VC WOMAN) is looking at the assignment sheet.
VC WOMAN
We got lots of "White Fang."
LEWIS
No, it can't be that one.
VC
WOMAN
(rolling
her eyes)
"The Secret Garden"
is available.
I've never heard of "Good-bye, Mr.
Chips." Who's Michael Ende, James
Hilton or Jack London? Actors?
LEWIS
They wrote the books.
Susie walks up.
VC WOMAN
Books? These movies became books.
SUSIE
Actually, it's the other way around.
VC WOMAN
Yea? Books came first.
