The Great Works Project: Season Two, Episode Eight script

Puppet play, scripts, The Great Works Project scripts

———–<.thom.>———–

THE GREAT WORKS PROJECT

a puppet play in many parts

Season Two, Episode Eight

By Thomas Typewriter

(c) 2020

———–<:type:>———–

FADE IN TO BLACK

From the bottom of the screen scrolls up the following text: “02-08”. 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. UNROOM NOT.SEVEN

XCS OF GOLDEN COIN

THE OUTER ONE fidgets with one of their golden coins missing out on the details of the unroom Not.Seven surrounding him/her. The coin spins and flips over finger after finger.
If the Outer One were to look up, they would see a large cavernous space of indistinct corners. A wooden disc sits in what feels like a possible center of the unroom. Cascading out from the wooden disc, rows and rows of grey hued carpet squares spread out like waves from a splash. At the edges of each crest stand tall spindly metallic lamps of a soft illumination. The sound of TYPEWRITER KEYS CLICK CLACKING drifts into from outside the frame of reference.

THE XCS TRANSITIONS TO A POV OF THE OUTER ONE. USE AN EFFECT TO MAKE IT SEEM AS IF THE OUTER ONE’S VISION READJUSTS.

THE POV TURNS AS THE OUTER ONE LOOKS UP AT THE WOODEN DISC.
The wooden disc sits empty dressed in shadows. Unseen lamps click on above the disc. In the newly cast light THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE appears.

TRANSITION FROM THE UNROOM TO THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE

PAN IN TOWARDS THE MID-STAGE AREA OF THE TYPEWRITER ABSTRACT PUPPET STAGE.
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
A desk sits in the center of the stage topped with a typewriter and a ream of paper. To either side sits a lamp and a wastebasket. A small bookcase sits off to the stage-right with various house plants on top.
An ALARM CLOCK sounds off-stage. The stage lights come up to a dim level. THOMAS TYPEWRITER enters from stage-right and walks across the stage and exits stage-left. Shortly thereafter a TOILET SEAT LIFTING, URINATION, then A TOILET FLUSHING. The FAUCET TURNS ON AND OFF as Thomas washes his hands. He reenters from stage-left and walks over to the desk yawning and stretching. Removing the page from the typewriter, Thomas reviews what is written on it as he sits down at the desk.

THOMAS TYPEWRITER
“Alright, let’s see where I left off.” (with a more dramatic voice) “The curved view screen displays a vast swirling colorscape only made more abstract by the Space Egg’s velocity.” (taps his fingers on the desk as he thinks) “Okay what happens next. Whats next. Hmmm. Hmmm “ (starts to absentmindedly swivel his chair left and right) “Space Egg , multi-colors, velocity…”

TRANSITION FROM THE MID-STAGE TO THE HIGH-STAGE

THE CAMERA UNCOUPLES FROM FRAMING MID-STAGE AND PANS UPWARD. IT MOVES OVER THE TOPS OF THE MID-STAGE SETS TO THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS VISIBLE BEHIND THE SETS. IT MOVES UP THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS TO THE TOP AND THE HIGH-STAGE SITUATED THERE. THE CAMERA STOPS PANNING ONCE HIGH-STAGE IS PROPERLY FRAMED.
HIGH-STAGE: CURTAINS CLOSED
The High-stage curtains part and the stage lights turn on, with a sound like A COMPUTER BOOTING ON, revealing…
HIGH-STAGE: EXT. FAR EDGE OF THE FOURTH ZONE OR OUTER SPACE
The Narrator’s door opens. Y-MOUSE walks out.

Y-MOUSE
“Tossed about, struck and striked, that little ship finds itself beyond safety’s reach.”

A model of THE CARRO flies unevenly across the stage. Fill the stage with fog to represent the storm the Carro is caught in. Flashes of light go off in the fog as THUNDER BOOMS.
The curtains close then reopen revealing…
HIGH-STAGE: INT. THE CARRO OBSERVATION DECK
The Observation Deck is severely damaged from when we last saw it in Season One. Wires hang from the ceiling. Bright amber alarm lights blink. CARRO’S terminal has fallen over, as have the other terminals trapping CEDAR WAXWINGS and LUCIDO OBSIDIAN in the debris. Cedar is trapped down stage-left while Lucido is pinned down stage-right. Cedar is laying on his back with his left arm caught under the debris. Meanwhile Lucido is stuck on his belly with his legs pinned. Storm clouds with flashes of lightning can be seen outside the observation windows behind Carro’s terminal.
Lucido is the first to stir. He looks around taking a moment to realize where he is and what has happened.

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Cedar. Carro. You okay.”

Lucido looks at the damaged ship…
INSERT SHOTS OF THE VARIOUS DAMAGED SECTIONS OF THE OBSERVATION DECK.
…at his fallen friends…
INSERT SHOTS OF CARRO THEN CEDAR
…and lets out a stifled gasp…
CUT TO A CLOSE-SHOT OF CEDAR. WE SEE HIS CHEST RISE UP AND DOWN AS HE BREATHES.
…followed by a sigh of relief.
He attempts to stand but realizes his legs are pinned under the terminal. He tries to wiggle loose but yelps in pain and stops.

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“Oww…definitely something broken.”

Lucido lays back. He grabs a couple deep breaths then tries to lift the terminal again. He manages to tilt it a short bit but he yells in pain and collapses. The attempts to lift terminal have moved his guitar to the edge of the terminal. It falls off landing near Lucido.

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
“What have we here.”

Lucido pushes away some debris to reach his guitar.

LUCIDO OBSIDIAN
(to self) “Never thought it would come to this.”

He starts to play the song that Otho Mercutian heard earlier this season. He repeats the tune. He repeats it a third time as dark smoke slowly spills in from off-stage.

LUCIDO
“Come on. Come on. You said you’d be there.”

The guitar then plays on its own.

LUCIDO
“Thank goodness. (coughs)”

Lucido slumps against the floor coughing. The stage lights turn of with the sound of A COMPUTER TURNING OFF while the curtains close to the fading sound of LUCIDO’S COUGHING.

TRANSITION FROM HIGH-STAGE TO MID-STAGE

THE CAMERA UNCOUPLES FROM THE HIGH-STAGE AND PANS DOWNWARD. IT FOLLOWS THE CURTAIN OF CLOUDS DOWNWARD TO THE MID-STAGE AT ITS BASE. THE MID-STAGE SETS SLIDE INTO VIEW WITH THE CAMERA FINALLY STOPPING ONCE FRAMING MID-STAGE.
MID-STAGE: INT. THOMAS TYPEWRITER’S STUDIO
Thomas is still swiveling, thinking about what happens next. What to write? What indeed. As he ponders, he keeps stealing glances back to the bookcase. Soon he stops swiveling and stands. He walks over to the bookcase, grabs Latchkey Kids of Randomness by Jonathan J. Wheelwright. He returns to his desk and starts reading the book.
The stage lights turn off with the sound of A LIGHT SWITCH CLICKING OFF. The Mid-stage curtains close.

FADE OUT

The Script Illuminated – rough sketching

Art thoughts, The Great Works Project scripts, The Script Illuminated

While writing The Great Works Project, I am aware of the fact someone might actually try to stage this thing. While I view the script and the reading of the script as the medium, I do wonder how it will hold up when transferred off the page. How does it hold up to reinterpretation? To explore that idea I am going to try my hand at reinterpreting The Great Works Project. Maybe I’ll learn something in the process.