Spring Forward: A Dinosaurs' Tale

SPRING FORWARD: A DINOSAURS’ TALE

[Ominous music plays after the production logos appear, reminiscent of the initial music of JURASSIC PARK. The screen is black. Leaves can be heard rustling loudly and strange animal noises can be heard. The scene then cuts to a close-up of a treeline at night, illuminated with floodlights. The trees are rustling dramatically. A large metal crate thrusts out at the viewer. The camera stays with the close-up of the crate as it is lowered to the ground. The camera pulls back somewhat to show a group of humans with hard hats and construction equipment milling around the crate.]

Man #1 (reminiscent of Muldoon in dress and appearance): Loading team, step away!

[The team moves away while the camera remains fixed so that Man #1 is on the right and the crate is on the left.]

Man #1 (in close-up, irritable tone, reading from a clipboard): So, we have a package here. You can’t imagine how hard it was to load this thing up. My team expects to be well compensated, Mr. Sinclair.

[The camera quickly pans slightly to the right and the ominous music stops abruptly. An obese green dinosaur with a red-and-black plaid shirt stands behind Man #1.]

Mr. Sinclair (with deep voice, nodding): Yeah, yeah. *scratches head with index finger* Just leave the bill on the table with the rest of the pile. *shakes head briefly* Sheesh.

[The camera pulls back to reveal that humans and humanoid dinosaurs are working together to build what appears to be a replica of the Sinclair house. A black title card appears written in Dinosaurs font: SPRING FORWARD. The theme song starts to play as we see barely animated scenes, similar to pop-up book images, play out with no audio other than the abbreviated theme song. The first shot is of Ethyl Phillips reading from a storybook to Baby Sinclair, who eagerly listens in his crib. The camera moves right again and we see Robbie eagerly raising his hand in a classroom as Spike behind him rolls his eyes, drumming his fingers on his desk. The camera moves right as we now see a forest disappearing with the help of Wesayso employees. The camera moves right again and we see Charlene flirting with male dinosaurs in a school hallway. The camera moves right again as we now see Richfield pressing a button, which makes an image of the Earth blow up behind him. Tons of snow falling transitions the next shot, which is Earl Sinclair walking away from his huddling fur-coat-wearing family in the living room to stare out the window, like the finale. The image then transitions to a live action version of the image as the theme song ends, with Earl Sinclair staring out of the window. However, now we are back to the warmer forest climate shown at the beginning of the film. The camera follows Earl as he heads to the center of the living room, where Fran is channel flipping on a modern television set. The décor is reminiscent of the television version of the house, though with more modern furniture and decorations. Credits appear in the bottom left of the screen, moving into the shot, pausing, then moving out.]

Mr. Sinclair (sits on a sturdy stool near the tv): Well, that’s the last of it. I never knew humans could be as hard-working as dinosaurs. *chuckles* Kinda makes me want those cavemen younglings Charlene took in that time. I coulda made a mint turning them into working slobs.

Female dinosaur (keeping her eyes on the tv): Earl, you encouraged her to get rid of them. Besides, we’re in a new environment now. We have to assimilate into the current culture and fit in as best we can.

Earl (stares at her in disbelief): You want us to assimilate? Fran – you do realize we’re not even the same species, right?

Fran (nods): I’m not saying it won’t be difficult.

Earl (protesting): The only reason they offered to help was because I told them they’d get film rights!

Fran (finally stops and glares at him): You told them you were filming the building of our new house?

Earl (nods, still excitable): I had to! It was either that or threaten to eat them and their whole family, and quite frankly I didn’t think you’d consider that very … *makes quoting gestures* … “diplomatic”!

Fran (puts down the remote and stands up): Earl Sneed Sinclair --.

Earl (stands, shaking his head): Don’t Middle Name me! You haven’t met these humans! They’re not hairy little dirt clods fit only to clog a guy’s drain! They’re modern! They have weapons Richfield would sell his own daughter for!

Fran (rolls her eyes as she heads to the new kitchen, which is laid out like the previous one but with industrial sized modern appliances): They’ve also evolved. They have shows designed to help others. They make products to make lives easier. They explore the world and educate the public about different cultures. *stops and turns toward him, picking lint off of his shirt* Earl – they didn’t have to help us get started in this new life. If they acted like you think they act, they’d have shot us on sight.

Earl (looks away, mumbling): The bullets are probably too expensive.

Fran (slaps his shoulder and enters the kitchen): Shouldn’t you be looking for work?

Earl (follows her into the kitchen and stops at the island counter): Exactly what type of job should I have in a human world, Fran? Theme park mascot?

Fran (thoughtfully): I wonder if that would work?

Earl (shakes head vigorously): I’m not doing it, Fran! Consider this my retirement! I’m fast approaching forty-seven! Do you know how old that is in human years?

Fran (sighs, getting out pots and pans): Forty-seven.

Earl (stares blankly for a moment): Okay, technically, yes. The point is … you can’t make me.

Fran (stops and turns to stare at him)

[A flip transition brings us to a large unemployment center, with Earl sitting in a waiting room as adult humans glance at him nervously as they stand in line, and children gawk at him in awe. Earl shifts his weight uncomfortably.]

Earl (quietly to the children): Just think, kids, someday all of this fun will be yours.

[Fade-out, credits end.]

Pretty good. The pop-up book beginning is fun to visualize.

Is this just the first part of something bigger, I wonder?

(We need some Dinosaur smilies *Sigh*)

Thanks. I wanted a way to sum up what happened to them in the series without just doing clips of the episodes, like how the actual opening theme did. I plan on making this "movie-length" (how many pages is that?). The hardest part is figuring out how to write the script. I know I'm not following a standard format, but I do want to visualize the scenes as much as possible. At the moment all I have in my head are disjointed scenes that sound cool (for now), but once I can figure out what I want this movie to do, I'll work on it some more this afternoon.

RedPiggy said:

I plan on making this "movie-length" (how many pages is that?).

Click to expand...

I'm kicking myself because I can't remember where I heard this, but...

Each page of a "standard" screenplay equals about a minute of screen time. So an 80 page script or story would be about an 80 minute movie.

Is this what you meant?

Yeah, I read that too. The catch is, I'm including more description and direction than apparently what is considered a "script". Apparently, mentioning camera angles and stuff like that is a no-no. Oh well. I breezed through the Jurassic Park script and it mentioned 141 scenes, so I guess I'm looking at roughly a hundred to a hundred and twenty pages at least.

I've read quite a few scripts that had specific camera angles and stuff like that. Although they were mostly scripts where the writer was also the director.

[Fade-in.]

[Aerial shot of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Subtitle: Six months earlier. Some human hikers are climbing up Mount Mazama within the park. The camera’s POV suddenly changes to a location several yards away, about nine or ten feet high off the ground. Panting can be heard as the camera’s view staggers toward the hikers. As the camera nears the hikers, they stop, turn toward the camera, act shocked, scream and run away, though one hurriedly uses her cellphone camera before she flees. The camera cuts to a shot of a goofy-looking Tyrannosaurus rex, which is wearing a thick coat.]

T-rex: Hey! I need some help here!

[The scene cuts to another part of the forest. Earl and Fran are glancing around. Robbie and Charlene are getting up off the ground as though just waking up. Baby Sinclair can be seen poking a stick at Ethyl Phillips’ wheelchair. Ethyl is asleep. All are still wearing their winter wear from the finale. The house is gone. Only the forest remains.]

Earl (glancing around): Well … this is … different.

Fran (picks up Baby Sinclair): Where is all the snow? And the ash?

Baby: Kiss the ash goodbye!

Fran (glances at him sharply)

Earl: Maybe we’re dead.

Fran: Earl!

Earl: Well, maybe we are! Maybe … maybe this is the afterlife! *points at Ethyl* Wake your mother! She’ll know! She’s practically seen the Afterlife from the living room! *pauses* That makes her the expert.

Fran (frowns): We’re not discussing this now.

Robbie: Mom? If we are dead, now’s a little late to hide the fact from us, don’t ya think?

Charlene (nods): Yeah, Mom. Robbie’s right. It’s a little late to tell us we ended up in a horrible, soul-wrenching torture-filled post-life existence, where all of our stuff has disappeared and we’re left homeless and impoverished.

Fran (curtly): Charlene! *shakes head, voice softening* Whatever’s happened, the important thing is that we stick together.

Robbie (walks away): See ya!

Fran: Where are you going?

Robbie (stops, turns around): Mom … all the plants were destroyed thanks to Mr. Richfield and Wesayso. We were all three seconds away from death. *gestures around* Now, the trees are back, that stupid ivy stuff is gone, the sun is shining … I’m gonna go find out why. *leaves*

Charlene (starts to leave)

Fran (alarmed): And where are you going?

Charlene (not looking at Fran): All my stuff is gone. If the trees are back – I’m looking to see if the malls are. *leaves*

Earl (taking stick Baby had and poking the wheelchair): Is she dead?

Fran: Of course not! She’s breathing!

Earl (shrugs, turns back toward Fran): Doesn’t mean she isn’t about to.

Fran (exasperated, hands him Baby Sinclair): Take Baby and go see what’s going on! I’ll tend to Mother!

Earl: What about --.

Fran (screaming): Go!

RedPiggy said:

Baby: Kiss the ash goodbye!

Click to expand...

*GASP* Someone needs to wash Baby's mouth out!

AND ROY! (That was Roy, right?)

This is really great!

Thanks! Sorry for the shortness, but I had errands to attend to this morning, LOL.

Yeah, that was Roy. I'm still musing who all to keep from the cast. I've realized the main point of the "movie", so that will help. I've also come up with some amusing scenes in my head, though they won't happen 'til later.

[Elsewhere in the forest, at the bottom of Mount Mazama, some park rangers have rifles trained at the camera as they slowly march forward. The camera changes POV and we see the T-rex nervously backing up.]

T-rex: C’mon, now … I can see dose aren’t exactly wooden clubs. Let’s t’ink dis t’ing t’rough, shall we? I mean, you don’t wanna do dis! I mean, o’ course, dat’s assumin’ you even know what I’m sayin’, since humans lack anyt’ing uddah dan da most rudiment’ry o’ languages.

Park ranger 1 (male): Shut up and put your arms where we can see them!

T-rex (gawks at them): Ooookay. I can see we’re past da grunting and hissing stages. *moves his arms* As you might be able ta tell … my arms are practically useless. What you see is basically all dey can do.

Park ranger 2 (female): What are you?

T-rex: I’m a Tyrannosaurus rex. Ain’t you evah heard o’ one before?

Park ranger 1: There are no such things as dinosaurs.

T-rex (nods, amazed): O’ course dere are! Dere’s one standin’ right in front o’ ya.

Park ranger 1: They’re all dead, peabrain.

T-rex (frowns): ‘Ey! I, for one, find dat stereotype highly offensive! My brain is soooo much bigger dan a pea!

Park ranger 2 (lowers weapons held by both rangers, is slightly amused): You know, recent studies on tyrannosaur remains show that their forearms weren’t vestigial but were highly muscularized for gripping struggling prey.

T-rex (cheerfully surprised): No kiddin’? *pauses, hangs head, disappointed* Oh, so it’s just me. *sits down, moping* Maybe it’s bettah if you just go ahead an’ shoot me. *shakes head* I don’t t’ink I can take such a stark change to my worldview.

Park ranger 2 (smiles): Are there others with you?

T-rex (shakes head sadly): She … I … I mean … all da leaves died out … I tried ta find … I … I don’t … *starts whimpering*

Park ranger 1 and 2 (look at each other)

Park ranger 1 (whispers): Should we leave him?

Park ranger 2 (glances at T-rex, whispers): He couldn’t kill a fly. We’ve got poachers to deal with, c’mon. *they start to walk away* Coffee?

Park ranger 1 (shrugs): Sure.

[A campsite. Several tents and RVs are littered about the forest. The sun is beginning to set. A bunch of humans and human Muppets are laughing and playing Winking Murder, a camping game where the one assigned to be murderer winks at everyone and must be identified by the others before everyone is quote-unquote killed by the winking – don’t blame me … apparently it’s a real game.]

Robbie (happens upon the laughing group): Uh, excuse me ….

Group (stops and screams)

Robbie (hurriedly): Nononononono! I’m not going to hurt you! I just need some help!

Charlene (exits a tent, flustered): Robbie! What are you doing here?

Robbie (flabbergasted to see his sister): Uh, well, I was trying to look for help.

Woman 1 (the woman with the cellphone from earlier): That’s what that stupid brown one said.

Robbie (glances at woman): “That stupid brown one?”

Woman 1 (nodding): Yeah, the one that looked like a T-rex if you made a weird cartoon version of one?

Man 1 (sips a beer): Yeah, except not from that stupid Spielberg cartoon. He looked better than that.

Muppet woman 1 (shrugs): That’s not really saying anything. Spielberg’s an idiot.

Man 1 (irritated): No – his JP dinosaurs are the most awesome things ever to grace celluloid. [Author’s note: Would be amusing if Andrew from Buffy was the guy who played this.]

Muppet woman 1: Don’t be a moron. All directors do is sit on their chairs and tell people what to do. It’s the creature maker who has to sell the movie.

Man 1: You are soooo --.

Robbie (clearing his throat): Uh, excuse me? I get it, you know: you saw Roy. Thanks. He’s friends with my dad. Where’s the nearest store or something? I need to get to a phone.

[The humans and human Muppets all look at each other and dig cell phones out of their pockets.]

Robbie: Oh. Well, I guess that’ll save time. I’ll just be a minute. *takes the cellphone and leaves out of sight*

[The tent behind Charlene opens up. A large blue dinosaur, Spike, slowly exits.]

Spike: Scooter’s here?

Charlene (turns and slaps him, hissing): Get back in there! I’ll never convince him you just had some thorns that needed removing!

[The camera reveals Robbie, jaw agape, standing on the outskirts of the campground, staring in their direction.]