updating…

From the desk of Thomas Typewriter, Up Late, Late at Night

The storm last week covered our streets in tree branches. Everywhere I drive in The City of Champions, there are piles of debris in every yard. Luckily, my house and family were unharmed. Just giant elm branches and drooping telephone lines in my backyard. The branches I’ll work into building some new garden beds. The dropping telephone line I’ll try to convince the Utility company to come out and fix. Automated customer service prompts here I come.

Up Late, Late at Night continues its glacial pace forward. Ophidia is out of habit on storyboarding, so she is working to get back into a groove.  I have no room to complain, because I am no speed demon when it comes to the scripts. I’ll post the  Season One, Episode One, Act Five script on Wednesday. Then I’ll finish and post the Act Six script next week.  After that, Ophidia will work on storyboards while I start constructing puppets. 

Storms in the Land of Lincoln…

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The power and phone lines to my house are currently buried under a giant branch from The Wise Olde Elm in our backyard. The current estimate for restoration of power is Saturday. My house is fine outside the power lines and superficial damage to the garden from the hail. My family is healthy and fine, so everything will work out in the end. I am pushing my publishing schedule back one week, so the Act 5 script of Up Late, Late at Night will go live next Wednesday.

From the desk of Thomas Typewriter, August 10th, 2020 edition

assignments for self, From the desk of Thomas Typewriter, Puppet play, scripts, The Great Works Project scripts

When I was growing up, I had this overwhelming feeling that the world had lulled. As in, I felt like maybe I had been born in one of the times that was not too volatile nor too peaceful. The savagery is in the past and the wonders are in the future. I look back at that naive kid and shake my head. You had it so wrong buddy. I am still on furlough from my day job. No answer for when the movie theatre will reopen. I miss movies. Movies and museums. 

But with every sour, there can be a little sweet. Working the late hours of a movie theatre Manager’s schedule, I felt like Primo and Secondo were slipping through my fingers. Not them physically, but more like time with them. Now that we have all this time, they have convinced me to play Minecraft with them. It is a lot of fun. Relaxing too. (Secondo asks me “Dad, what do you want to do in Minecraft?” I responded, “Dig ditches.” He did not find that answer as humorous as I did.)

Progress moves forward on The Great Works Project. Next week should see the posting of the next script for Season Two. I am nearing completion of the Season Five rough drafts. Plus, while on vacation I was able to plot out Season Six. 

In a continuing effort to improve myself, I return to working my way through a list of great works of art.  Hopefully, I’ll discover something inspiring. If not, that is okay too. The exposure itself is the most important thing.

Cinema Assignment: Alien (1979)

Literature Assignment: “Altered Carbon” by Richard K. Morgan.

Music Assignment: “Alien Lanes” from Guided By Voices

Thank you Brighid for the gift of this artwork and the spark of all art. Thank you Above, Below, and four Corners born between for your love, guidance, and gifts.

writing…

From the desk of Thomas Typewriter, today in the studio
thank you to Brighid for the words and flames. thank you to “Lil’ Golden Book” by Princess Chelsea for the tunes.

The Great Works Project: Season Two, Episode Ten script

Puppet play, scripts, The Great Works Project scripts

———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season Two, Episode Nine

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2020 thomas typewriter

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN TO BLACK

From the bottom of the screen scrolls up the following text: “02-09”. It moves upwards, pausing a moment in the center of the frame, then continues upward, exiting the frame at the top edge

FADE OUT

FADE IN

INT. THE UNROOM NOT.SEVEN
THE OUTER ONE sits patiently on a small square of carpet in the Unroom Not.Seven. The patches of carpet radiate out from a wooden disc in the potential center of the unroom like waves ripples on a pond.

POV OF THE OUTER ONE LOOKING AT FLOOR

The Outer One has out all his/her golden coins. They are on the floor in a stack. They glint in the soft light cast from the spindly metallic lamps at the end of each row of carpets. TYPEWRITER KEYS CLICK CLACK. The Outer One picks up his/her coins and puts them away.


POV OF THE OUTER ONE AS THEY STAND AND MOVE.

Then they scoot up a few rows to a closer seat to the wooden disc.

POV OF THE OUTER ONE SITTING DOWN AND THEN LOOKING AT THE WOODEN DISC.

The disc sits empty and cloaked in shadow. The metallic lamps do not quite seem able to light the stage, their illumination giving the feeling of bouncing off it. Unseen lamps above the wooden disc flip on changing the view ever so slightly that the TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE materializes in the center of the wooden disc.

TRANSITION FROM THE UNROOM TO THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE

PAN IN TOWARDS THE MID-STAGE AREA UNTIL IT IS PROPERLY FRAMED

MID-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The Mid-stage curtains part and the stage lights turn on, with the sound of A LIGHT SWITCH CLICKING ON, revealing…

MID-STAGE: INT. THOMAS TYPEWRITER’S STUDIO. DAYTIME
THOMAS TYPEWRITER sits at his writing desk in the center of the stage, reading “Latchkey Kids of Randomness” by John W. Wheelwright. A typewriter and ream of paper sit on top of while a lamp and wastebasket sit on either side of the desk. Behind him, and off to stage-right stands a small bookcase adorned with various houseplants.

Hold on him reading for three to five minutes as he shifts back and forth. A PHONE VIBRATES breaking the serene scene. Thomas removes the phone from his pocket and answers it.

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Hello, yes this is Thomas. Oh hi Mark. Sure, I have a minute.(puts a bookmark in the book and closes it) So what’s the good news.” (stands up and starts to pace)

TRANSITION FROM THE MID-STAGE TO HIGH-STAGE

THE CAMERA SHAKES LOOSE FROM MID-STAGE AND PANS UPWARD. IT MOVES PAST THE TOP OF THE MID-STAGE SETS TO SEE THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS LINING THE BACK OF THE STAGE BEHIND THE SETS. IT CONTINUES TO PAN UPWARD FOLLOWING THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS. IT MOVES TO THE TOP OF THE CURTAIN TO WHERE THE HIGH-STAGE IS LOCATED. IT STOPS WHEN PROPERLY FRAMING HIGH-STAGE.

HIGH-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The High-stage curtains, as also the Narrator’s Door, are closed. On the edge of the High-stage, with feet dangling over the edge, sits GRIGIO COLORI reading a scriptbook. If we look closer we can see that he is reading the scriptbook for the complete series of “The Great Works Project”.

GRIGIO COLORI
(to self) “So that’s what happens next.”

The High-stage curtains start to part. Grigio sets the scriptbook on the floor. He stands and stretchs. The curtain finishes opening. Grigio misses this but we can just see that the curtain has caught the scriptbook and dragged it off to the side. It falls out of view, over outside the frame. The stage lights turn on, with the sound of A COMPUTER BOOTING UP, revealing…

HIGH-STAGE: INT. THE CARRO OBSERVATION LOUNGE
The Observation lounge is in a sad state, showing signs of excessive damage from the celestial storm. Wires hang from the ceiling. Scattered debris covers the floor. Dim amber emergency alarms blink through the smoke pouring in from off-stage. CARRO’S terminal is toppled over. CEDAR WAXWINGS lies pinned by the arm under rubble stage-left while LUCIDO OBSIDIAN is pinned by his legs under a fallen terminal stage-right. Lucido has one hand resting on his guitar.

GRIGIO COLORI
“Well this seemed a lot worse in the script. (looks around) Time to be a hero.”

Grigio shimmers and his body gains a red and blue stripe replacing two of his grey stripes. He shimmers a second time. The red and blue stripes have returned back to grey but AZURE COLORI and ROSSO COLORI now stand next to him. They exchange knowing nods.

Grigio walks over to Carros’ terminal. He looks through the rubble for Carro’s brainbox.
Meanwhile Azure Colori heads over to Lucido and puts his hands on him. A blue spotlight illuminates them while a METALLIC SPARKLE plays in the background. The spotlight and spakle turn off.
At the same time, Rosso walks over to where Cedar is pinned and kicks the debris off-stage. It arcs up and out of sight. He scoops up Cedar. He then walks over and kicks the debris off Lucido. The terminal crashes off stage. Azure scoops up Lucido.

There is a CRACKING SOUND LIKE A GUNSHOT. Grigio turns…

CUT TO CS OF THE GLASS CRACKING

CUT TO CS OF GRIGIO’S EYES IN SURPRISE…

CUT BACK…

GRIGIO COLORI
“Well gentlemen, looks like our time grows short. The Music Pit is too far, but our rainbows should be able to reach the Flute.”

He finds Carro’s braninbox and walks over to the rest of the group. There is a shimmer and they all disappear in a grey, blue, & red rainbow.

CUT TO MS OF THE OBSERVATION WINDOW AS IT STARTS TO SPIDERWEB WITH CRACKS.
CRACK CRACK CRACKLE

The window shatters outward. The atmosphere starts to escape through the window sucking out all the air and loose debris. The loose wires are pulled taunt towards the open window. The stage lights turn of with the sound of A COMPUTER SHUTTING DOWN and the curtains close.

TRANSITION FROM HIGH-STAGE TO MID-STAGE

THE CAMERA PANS DOWNWARD, DISENGAGING FROM HIGH-STAGE TO TRANSITION TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS. IT CONTINUES TO FOLLOW THE CURTAIN DOWN TO THE MID-STAGE SETS. IT SLIDES OVER THE TOP OF THE MID-STAGE SETS TO FINALLY STOP WHEN PROPERLY FRAMING MID-STAGE.

MID-STAGE: INT. THOMAS TYPEWRITER’S STUDIO. DAYTIME
THOMAS TYPEWRITER paces while speaking on the phone.

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“So they’ve let the options expire. Okay, that sucks. What about one of the other studios. No. Really no one is interested. Okay, that sucks. Yeah, I know no guarantees in life. Yeah, I’ll be fine. Maybe. I might have something new. Not sure yet. I’ll let you know. Thanks. You too. Talk to you later. Bye.”

Thomas sets his phone down. He sits down in his chair, facing off to the side slightly. He does not finish scooting it in, but instead just stares out lost in his thoughts.

The stage lights turn off with the sound of A LIGHT SWITCH CLICKING while the curtains close.

FADE OUT

typing and drawing…

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And this much drawing sent my arm into pain, so rethinking “The Script Illuminated”. If there is a limit to my dexterity, how do I want to spend my time? Is being a cartoonist even something I want anymore?

Back from vacation…

From the desk of Thomas Typewriter

Back in the studio after a family vacation to northern Wisconsin. My Sister-in-law was kind enough to invite Ophidia, Primo, Secondo, and myself. (Thank you Mia!) Originally I was not going to go, as this is normally a busy time at my day job, Movie Theatre Manager. Funny how things change. The first theatre I was at lost its building when the property was sold to Costco. Then the theatre I was transferred to put everyone on furlough due to all new releases being pushed back due to Covid-19. My schedule opened up to say the least.

What a beautiful view.
Finished reading “Big Night” by Joseph Tropiano. (Really good!)
Found some good movies and books at a local library fundraiser. (Really excited for “The Roots of Modern English” with its entire section on Old English.)
I tried to minimize my electronic device usage on the trip, so I got a lot of sketchbook work done.