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“Inside the Creative Mind of An Inventor” : Evening Tutoring Students Visit Bad Robot Productions

4:15 pm, May 11, 2016: After 2 months of hard work brainstorming, writing, & rehearsing their screenplays, students were rife with nervous energy as the bus pulled up in front of Bad Robot Productions in Santa Monica. After months of preparing, students pitched their very own movie ideas and screenplays to Bad Robot staff, listened to some inspiring words and advice from JJ Abrams, and designed their own t-shirt logo. 826LA intern Dee tells us more about it below.  

“Is the bus here yet?” one student tugged my sleeve.

“Soon! Any minute now,” I smiled and reminded them to turn their attention back to their screenplays.

A minute later, [Programs Manager] Birte announced our ride has arrived & all the students break out of their organized groups in a flurry.

“Stay with your groups!” A volunteer hollered over the rush of voices.

My group found their bus seats, and we pulled out our screenplays to rehearse one last time.

Lily, one of our older and more experienced students, addressed the group:

“I think we all need a pep talk before we begin! Remember, we’ve got this. Be sure to read with emotion. We really want to do our best tonight, guys.”

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When the bus pulled up to a unassuming, charcoal grey building sandwiched between a row of other two story structures, all the kids lined up at the doorbell. A plain wooden plaque had “ARE YOU READY?” engraved on the door. I turned to my group and repeated the question. The answer was a unanimous, “YES! YES! YES!”

Our host for the evening appeared with an exuberant greeting. We entered the studio to see bookshelves of oddities: inventions and sci fi set pieces, colors and quirks, gadgets and gizmos…It felt as though we’d walked inside the creative mind of an inventor. That’s what Bad Robot is—a school of inventors, storytellers, explorers.

Students were immediately given gift bags and refreshments, then led into the art room where they designed their own buttons and made screen print tees.

Then we all shuffled into the theatre room to listen to up and coming screenwriter JD speak about his experiences alongside the illustrious JJ Abrams. They inspired us to push on, following the things that we loved. That’s what our students did when they read their screenplays out loud to a panel of Bad Robot team members, who provided them with constructive feedback.

When we left the studio that night, I couldn’t help but feel like we really were doing something important. Those students looked so proud and so capable standing before their panel of Bad Robot staff. It was a little bit like glimpsing into the future a la science fiction films. I could see where students started (the past), I could see where they were standing (the present), and I could see a string of potential futures. 826LA meets Bad Robot achieved time travel in the realest sense, and that’s the kind of impact we want.

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Michelle:

“I am an outsider. I believe that I’m not a follower. I don’t need to follow the popular person in order to feel worthy of being remembered. I’m a leader. I will become someone who encourages and supports others like my best friends Brandon, Edan, & Noel. They support me in everything when we try to go through time. Oh, I forgot to mention that I could time travel.”

Michelle, age 16, wrote in a mature voice. Bad Robot was floored by her realistic understanding of human relationships. She talked to them about letting a character’s want drive forward the story. They discussed adding voiceovers and video montages. Michelle swelled with pride when one staff member suggested she develop her story into a possible tv/web series. The whole team agreed with eager nods–there was potential here!

Melisha:

SARAH (TALKING TO HERSELF)

Come on Teddy wake up, wake up!

SARAH is doing CPR but he is not waking up. SARAH tries calling mom but it goes to voicemail.

SARAH’S MOM’S VOICEMAIL (LINDA)

Hi this is Linda, I’ll give you a call back, bye!

SARAH

Why don’t they answer?!

SARAH gets really mad. Then she calls her dad. Finally dad answers.

SARAH’S DAD (ON THE PHONE)

Sarah! You need to get here fast, now! Chrrr…I’m losing connection…crrnnn…come here now!

LOST CONNECTION.

SARAH (CRYING)

Noo, dad don’t go!!!

SARAH’S DAD’S PHONE

Crrrr…crrrr

Melisha, age 14, was 3 years old when a tsunami hit Sri Lanka in 2004. Seeing that aftermath, not knowing if her dad would be okay because he was working by the beach … it was scary. This experience inspired her story about a massive storm and a family fighting to find each other. Bad Robot team member Brandon was able to deeply relate to Melisha. He grew up in New Orleans, where natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina were part of his life story, too. The two brainstormed on how to add more realism in survival films. Two people who had survived so much used their experiences to empower one another.

Niko:

EXT. Night. Titan football game, stands.

A huge football field with the fans going wild, the fourth quarter, 59 seconds on the clock. The Titans are down by 2 points and they have the ball, and they just scored to win the game and that was THE MOVING LIGHTS favorite team from the 1960s.

When THE MOVING LIGHT started to run, he saw the SINISTERS FORCE. The SINISTERS FORCE are a group of bad guys that have weather powers, super strength and time jumping powers.

Niko, age 12, stood before the judges with an immensely proud look on his face. They commended him for bringing in “left-field elements like a UFO appearance at a football game.” As the team delved into in depth plot analysis, they elaborated on how Niko could add more complexity to the central father/son superhero relationship in his screenplay.

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Lily:

DORTHY: So, I heard they’re building the Great Wall of America.

JOAN: Have they started?

DORTHY: Yea, apparently it’s going to be a bit longer than they have planned.

JOAN: What makes you say that?

DORTHY: I don’t mind if it takes long to build it, I just want that wall to be built.

Joan stops taking a sip from her drink with her eyes widening.

DORTHY: What?

JOAN: Why do you approve of this?

DORTHY: Well, we should just prevent all immigrants from coming to this country. It’s their fault that they have made America such a delinquent country.

Joan softly facepalms herself.

Lily, age 16, wrote a political satire on Trump. The Bad Robot team advised her on how to heighten the element of surprise and develop a stronger character relationship between the two leads. Lily’s great humor shone through the piece, so there were smiles and smirks all around. We were all impressed by her astute use of an old-fashioned American diner as a microcosm of the nation.

~Dee Perez, 826LA Intern

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