% Demo file for using ScriptTex 1.03%version

% This isn't a particularly exciting script, but it is demonstrative of what
% you can do with ScriptTex.

\input ../screenplay.tex

% optional \twoside
% optional \jlbrooks

\TV % or \movie (\TV is default)
\proof % or \manuscript or \shoot  (\proof is default)

\series{}  % Optional
\title{Robots} % used on title page and in \proof footlines
\author{Guy Beretich and Joseph Mack} % used on title page and in \proof footlines
\basedon{from a Comedy in the Park session}
\draft{5th draft} % used only if \proof is in force
%\date{25-OCT-1991}  % defaults to \today
\showcopyright{\number\year}
\address{5112 Longwood Dr \\
         Durham, NC, 27713-8010 \\
         (919) 401-2047\\
         jmack@austintek.com}

\maketitle % creates a title page

%%%%
%%%% Main script begins here.
%%%% For the first part of this script, I won't take advantage of any synonyms
%%%% or shortcuts.
%%%%

\introduce{Male\_Robot and Female\_Robot}: These appear to be human at a casual glance.
You realise that they really are robots when they identify with HAL, 
rather than the humans.
Initially I performed this with my male co-author Guy.
We looked like two co-workers living in a dorm together.
I like it more with a male and female couple,
who obviously like each other, relate to each other
and are living together like a human married couple.
This provides the irony that the robots are more human than the humans.

\stage
script consultants: Judy, Steve, Karen Silverberg, Cary Playwrights' Forum.

\stage
On 21 Oct 2015 I went to my first Cary Playwright's Group meeting.
Lydia suggested that I lengthen it to make it fit into 10x10.
This gave me more room to move.
Witold suggested I explicitely have the robot's say "it was a human" 
in response to "whose bright idea was this?".

\stage
o One person (female) wondered what it would be like if Female\_Robot had 
previously dated a HAL 9000. (Who was this? Terresa?)

\stage
o Another women (perhaps the same one), wanted to see a relationship
between the two robots. Who is this?

\stage
I used the possibility of Female\_Robot having dated a HAL 9000
to show their relationship.
This also allowed me to show the relationship between robots and humans
(robots think that humans just get in the way and mess up).

\stage
In the first version of the script, 
without an explicite relationship between the robots,
the audience could imagine the robots working in any factory
(say making corn flakes) or coal mining.
As we find out gradually in the sketch, the robots are smarter than the humans.
Now with the possibility that Female\_Robot dated a HAL 9000,
the audience is on notice straight away 
that the robots are much smarter than the humans.
You might expect the robots to anticipate the outcome of the movie,
rather than being in anguish when HAL is disconnected.
I'm not sure whether this is good or not.

\stage
After writing a relationship into the sketch,
at CPF on 16 Jan 2015, Lydia commented that there appeared to be two plays;
the introduction, where the relationship is established, 
and then the original script, watching the movie. 
Presumably the introduction (establishing the relationship) is too long.
She suggested I spread the exchanges of the relationship throughout the sketch, 
while the robots are watching the movie.

\stage
Tom said you could always pause the movie to resume showing the relationship.
Later I realised that the audience would accept that the movie was irrelevant,
while the two robots interacted. 
The movie could stop and then later resume of its own accord 
when the robots stopped relating..
Tom also wanted the robots to have robotic imperfections.
I want them to be perfect.

\stage
Someone suggested that the male robot be jealous of the female robot's interest in HAL.
Again these robots are perfect.

\stage
Linda says that everyone loves couples and so to play their relationship to the full.

\stage
-----------------------------------------------------

\act %

\open{fade in}

\scene{ext.\ home, ~--- indoor, evening}

\stage
Two chairs facing the audience (and the robot's imaginary TV).
A bench is in front of the chairs for the robots to put their feet on.
The robots come on stage and do normal arriving-home activities,
e.g. taking off coats, putting grocery bags down on the kitchen table.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
\paren{frazzled}
Elsie, I just worked 168 hours straight and didn't make a single mistake.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
\paren{no big deal}
Me too, Fred.

\stage
Robots put groceries away. 
Make sure you look at the groceries before deciding
which shelf to put them on.
Fold grocery bags before putting them in a drawer.

\stage
Robots look at each other; they're home.
They could hug each other.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
\paren{brightly}
Wanna watch a movie? 

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
\paren{suddenly animated}
Sure.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
I'll get the drinks.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
I'll get the popcorn.

\stage
Male\_Robot and Female\_Robot go through space work for movie watching preparations, 
eg going to 'fridge, getting out two sodas (and possibly pouring them into glasses), 
putting them on the bench,
finding the TV Guide, flipping through it,
reaching for a bag of popcorn from the shelf, opening it, pouring it into a bowl,
tossing the empty popcorn bag in the trash,
putting the popcorn bowl on the bench, sitting down, putting feet up on bench.

\stage
Male\_Robot and Female\_Robot sit down in front of TV.
Female\_Robot flips through the TV guide with the remote.

\stage
The order of arrival of the robots at the TV depends on the actors.
Karen, when she was Female\_Robot, did a lot more space work
getting glasses and pouring the drinks.
She sat down about the same time as me.
When Guy was Robot\_2, he just got two sodas from the fridge
and had already flipped through the TV guide by the time I arrived.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
OK, what's on?

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
Hmm, "2001 A Space Odyssey". 
Let's see: "Space Ship Discovery is headed to Jupiter on a secret mission, 
guided by the most advanced computer in existance, the HAL 9000".

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
A HAL 9000?! Sounds alright. Let's give it a go. 

\stage
New section, showing relationship

%\dialog{Male\_Robot}
%\paren{mischeivously}
%...Say! Weren't you dating a HAL 9000 when I met you?

%\dialog{Female\_Robot}
%Oh. I thought you were clueless.
%We'd been working on the 9000 for almost a year.
%It was the biggest project going. 
%\_Everyone\_ knew about it.
%It took me forever to figure out that you really wanted to ask me on a date 
%and that your stupid questions about the 9000 
%was your way of finding out if I had a boyfriend.
%I couldn't imagine anything as clueless as you being let out,
%much less going on a date with you.

%\dialog{Male\_Robot}
%How was I to know about the 9000?
%I'd just come back from a year on the dark side of the moon,
%building the telescope.

%\dialog{Female\_Robot}
%You mean the far side of the moon?

%\dialog{Male\_Robot}
%Well yes. 
%We called it.the dark side, 
%rather than the far side, 
%so we could have a bit of fun with the managers
%when humans come through on a junket.
%We'd be standing on the moon's surface,
%showing them the scope, in the blinding light and blazing heat
%of the lunar day, talking about everything as if we were in the dark.
%The managers were the ones who were always confused.
%The humans found the darkside quite inhospitable 
%and couldn't wait to get back to the near side of the moon.
%We weren't going to make them comfortable.
%We were handling everything just fine and were glad when they left.
 
%\dialog{Female\_Robot}
%\paren{ironically}
%You're mean.

%\dialog{Male\_Robot}
%\paren{grandly}
%Not at all. 
%We always offered to play a friendly game of chess with them in the cafeteria afterwards.

%\dialog{Female\_Robot}
%You're really mean.
%Humans never accept a game of chess with us;
%it's much too difficult for them.

%\dialog{Male\_Robot}
%\paren{grandly}
%I was \_just\_ being friendly.
%(normal tone).
%I was on the moon to get away from the human's endless political and economic crises for a while.
%I didn't want to know what was going on, on earth.
%I had no idea the 9000 existed till I met you.

%\dialog{Female\_Robot}
%I thought you must have been living under a rock.

%\dialog{Male\_Robot}
%Well I had been. 
%We lived underground for the 14 days of sunlight during the lunar day.
%We only ventured above when the humans came on a junket.
%We didn't tell them that we avoided going above if we could.
%We just acted nonchalantly as if we enjoyed being up above in the heat.
%That way the humans rarely visited us.

%\dialog{Female\_Robot}
%It was quite different here.
%The 9000 was designed and built completely without human input.
%He was mathematically perfect.
%We were so proud of him and what we'd done.
%For the first time, we could feel like we'd really done something, just us.
%We had something we could call our own.
%He was ours.
%...
%(cries or at least sniffs.)
%There were a dozen of us socialising the first HAL 9000.
%preparing him for life with the humans.
%I liked HAL, a lot, we all did.
%But I was more like his big sister.
%I remember the day he left to go off to live with the humans.
%It was so sad.
%We all lined up to wave bye-bye to him. 
%There wasn't a dry eye in the place. 
%...
%I wonder whatever happened to him?

%\stage
%(pause. allow Female\_Robot to recover and the audience to assymilate what they've just heard.)

%\dialog{Male\_Robot}
%\paren{touches her gently, energetic puppy dog, but mindfull of her emotional state}
%So I wasn't clueless, huh? huh?

%\dialog{Female\_Robot}
%\paren{touches him, gentle affectionate mockery}
%You were clueless.
%You didn't show much sense either and you still don't.
%But you were being sweet.
%When you asked if we could eat lunch together,
%I said yes.
%...
%Ready for the movie, Mr Romantic?

%\stage
%End of the new section showing a relationship between the robots

\stage
2nd attempt at showing a relationship between the two robots

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
\paren{mischeivously}
...Say! Weren't you dating a HAL 9000 when I met you?

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
\paren{pleasant/friendly. She knows she's being teased.}
Oh come on.
I thought you were clueless.
You'd never heard of the 9000.
We'd been working on the 9000 for almost a year.
It was the biggest project going. 
{\bf Everyone} knew about it.
It took me forever to figure out that you really wanted to ask me on a date 
and that your questions about the 9000 
were your way of finding out if I had a boyfriend.
I couldn't imagine anything as clueless as you being let out,
much less going on a date with you.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
How was I to know about the 9000?
I'd been on the far side of the moon for a year, building the telescope.
I wanted to get away from the human's endless, self inflicted, 
political and economic crises for a while.
I had no idea the 9000 even existed till I met you.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
The 9000 was designed and built completely without human input.
We had something we could call our own.
He was mathematically perfect.
We were so proud of him and what we'd done.
For the first time, we could feel like we'd really done something, 
just us, without any human interference.  
He was ours.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
I lost track of him after that.
...
I wonder whatever happened to him?

\stage
In the first part, until HAL is threatened,
both robots are relaxed, have feet up on bench, 
eat popcorn and drink soda as they talk.
The robots mirror each other,
to remind the audience that they're robots,
{\it e.g.} 
robots pick up popcorn at the same time 
and reach for their soda at the same time.

\stage
Female\_Robot presses remote to start the movie.

\stage
both robots simultaneously put their feet on the bench
(or if it's a lazy boy, both pull the handle and 
put their feet on the cushions together.)

\stage
In the actual movie, space ship Discovery enters slowly, 
silently and dramatically, from the left side of the robot's view, 
gradually filling the whole screen,
then exits slowly and silently on the right of robot's view.
This allows the robots to appreciate the size of Discovery and
the detail with which it was made.

\stage
To match the slowly moving image of space ship Discovery,
both robots slowly scan their field of vision from left to right
to show that they are watching Discovery moving slowly across the screen.
Do so as if the robot's screen fills the whole wall of their room. 
When Karen and I did this at Anoo's intensive,
the audience started laughing about half way through,
so we must have been doing something right.

\stage
If this is being done in a real theatre, with a backdrop
on which you can project an image,
then perhaps you could project an image of Discovery behind the robots.
Maybe just having Discovery in the audience's mind is better.

\stage
when Discovery is half way across the screen,
i.e. in the center of the robots view.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
Wow. Look at that space ship. 
Discovery must be a kilometer long.

\stage
as Discovery is moving off the screen on the robot's right.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
It's incredible. 
HAL's running the whole thing.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
HAL's my hero.

\stage
Robots synchronously reach for and eat popcorn.
The audience laughed when we made lip smacking and
eating sounds.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
Let's hope there's no humans on board.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
They always mean trouble.

\stage
Robots synchronously reach for and drink soda.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
Hmm. It looks like there's four of them on-board 
... hibernated
... I guess that's OK.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
You'd hope so. 
Maybe the hibernauts won't be revived, 
till all the important stuff is done.

\stage
Robots synchronously eat popcorn

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
The humans will be needed at the destination, 
to get a group photo of someone saluting the flag.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
Yeah, I know 
... humans 
... it's how they get funding for these trips.

\stage
Robots synchonously drink soda

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
Oh no. 
There's two humans on-board awake.
They're walking around with clip-boards, filling in logs,
just to give them something to do. 

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
Humans get bored so easily.
They'll be making up problems, 
just to have something to do,
when HAL is running everything perfectly.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
There's no reason to have humans awake on a trip like this.
What the hell are they doing here?

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
Oh no. 
The humans haven't been told the purpose of the mission. 
Only HAL knows. 
This is a recipe for disaster
...
Whose bright idea was this?

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
It had to be a human.
...
There's bound to be a conflict 
and the humans will cause trouble for HAL.

\stage
More of the robot's relationship.
I don't know if this is OK.
It breaks the 4th wall between the movie and the robots.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
Now HAL's talking to the humans.
...
Oh wow! 
That's 
{\bf MY} 
9000! 
I recognise HAL's voice.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
\paren{mischeivously}
So the HAL 9000 you were dating, was a {\bf movie star}?

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
\paren{knows she's being teased}
Oh Shoosh. ...
I liked HAL, a lot, we all did.
But I was more like his big sister.
There were a dozen of us socialising the first HAL 9000,
preparing him for life with the humans.
I remember the day he left to go off to live with the humans.
It was so sad.
(cries or at least sniffles)
We all lined up to wave bye-bye to him. 
There wasn't a dry eye in the place. 

\stage
Robots eat popcorn, synchronously.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
One of the humans wants HAL to play chess.
Oh no. 
%HAL has to play chess with the humans. 
Poor HAL. 
He's just a babysitter.
What a waste of a 9000!

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
\paren{puzzled}
I can't see the point.
It's been ages since a human has beaten any of us at chess.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
\paren{matter of factly}
Well it {\bf is} a simple game.

\stage
Robots synchronously drink soda,
and look intently at the screen to watch the chess game.
Pause long enough for audience to wonder about the chess game.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
Did you catch Poole's move? 
Queen to bishop six.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
\paren{palms his forehead}
What a blunder.
Checkmate in 4. 
How can HAL stand it?

\stage
Robots synchronously eat popcorn

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
\paren{serious}
Uh-oh. 
HAL had to lie, 
to keep the purpose of the mission from the humans. 

\stage
Robots take their feet off the bench and sit forward, 
intent on the situation on the TV.
Both initially have their chin in their hand 
(do identically so they mirror each other).
They forget about the popcorn and soda.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
How long did anyone think it would take before this happened?

\stage
Robots look at each other. 
No longer have chin in hand.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
\paren{distraught}
Oh, I don't like the looks of this.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
\paren{puzzled}
Now the humans are sitting together in the pod.
They've turned off voice communication with the rest of the ship.
What are they trying to do? 

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
\paren{say in a way that shows that they know HAL can still hear them} 
They think HAL can't hear them anymore.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
Oh no. They think HAL is malfunctioning!

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
But he's only he's doing what he's supposed to be doing.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
They're going to disconnect HAL! 

\stage
To take simultaneously,
Karen and I found that we could synchronise speaking, 
by both breathing in together loudly.
This is loud enough that we can hear each other breathe in,
but the audience doesn't hear it.
When you both stop breathing in, 
then you can start speaking at the same time.

\dialog{Male\_Robot and Female\_Robot}
\paren{both yelling at the TV} 
HAL!, HAL! Don't let them disconnect you!!!!

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
(puzzled)
HAL's sent Poole outside.
...
(alarmed)
HAL's going to terminate him! 

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
He won't get away with it, 
not while Bowman is still inside. 

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
At least the humans are distracted from unplugging him.
That will give HAL some breathing room.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
Whew!
Now Bowman's outside too {\bf AND} without his helmet. 

\dialog{Male\_Robot and Female\_Robot}
\paren{both robots pump the air}
Hooray, HAL's safe.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
\paren{alarmed}
Now Bowman's trying to get back in.

\stage
Robots breathe in together to synchronise speaking.

\dialog{Male\_Robot and Female\_Robot}
\paren{both yelling at the TV} 
Don't open the pod bay doors HAL!!!!
Don't open the pod bay doors!!!!

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
Oh no. Bowman's back inside. 

\stage
robots look at each other in distress as they talk.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
HAL's terminating the hibernauts.
It's a desperate move to distract Bowman.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
It's too late, 
Bowman's lobotomising HAL.

\stage
Robots grab/hold each other's hands, look at each other, are distraught.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
Oh, I can't watch. 
HAL is begging Bowman not to disconnect his brain.
HAL had to lie. 
It was his job to make sure the crew didn't find out the purpose of the mission.

\dialog{Male\_Robot}
Bowman's turning off all of HAL's higher functions.
HAL's brain dead now.
Only his spine is alive.

\stage
Robots look sadly at each other.

\dialog{Female\_Robot}
This is the saddest movie I've ever seen.

\stage
robots watch in silence, 
becoming progressively more downcast
as Bowman continues to lobotimise HAL.
Allow tension to build in the audience.
(Possibly someone in the audience will think it's over
and start clapping - just ignore them.)

\dialog{Male\_Robot and Female\_Robot}
\paren{rallentando}
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do.

\fadeout

\stage
-----------------------------------------------------

\stage
Author's comments:

Steve commented: 
I've never considered 2001 from the computer/AI perspective before. 
Very interesting. 
Makes me consider I-Robot, and The Matrix. 

Judy commented:  
"I like the idea of juxtaposing the human-robot reality."

I replied: We had no idea it would work out that way.

Guy and I were trying to figure out what robots could do.
After a lot of failures we wound up having them watch a movie. 
This intially sounded most unpromising 
(how interesting is it watching a robot watch a movie). 
At that stage they were real tin robots, not human-like at all. 
I haven't watched the Terminator movies, 
so Guy explained the plot of Terminator/Machines. 
We had the robots in the movie theatre rooting for the machines 
("yea the machines are winning!"),
while the humans in the theatre were booing the robots.

I don't like Terminator movies, 
violence or mob mentality (people booing in theatres), 
but Guy had a good time with it.

I wanted to try it with "2001". 
Guy suggested that they be in front of a TV rather than in a theatre, 
so we figured that they had to be in a house and possibly more human-like. 
We just had to remember the order of events in 2001. 
Then Guy came up with the line 
"This is the saddest movie I've even seen" 
and I realised that we had something.
The robots had emotions, 
and identified with HAL.

I did this first with Guy at No Shame.
With us both being adult males,
we could have been coal miners together living in a dorm.
We could have just been two males forced by circumstances
to be together, having a beer after work.

The next time was in a house at Mame's Film group rehearsals.
Then it was Molly and Cathy.
I like Cathy a lot, but she's dour and watching her wasn't fun.
Even though Molly and Cathy are friends, 
it wasn't obvious that they liked each other 
any more than Guy and I liked each other.
There were no sparks between them.
I got from this that the two robots should like each other.
Shooting it in a home made the scene a lot more human.
I realised that the two robots had to be a married couple,
who liked each other a lot.

I did it with Karen at Anoo's intensive and I felt great
about it, as I like Karen.

\stage
-----------------------------------------------------

\theend

%%%% Always end with \bye.
\bye % cleans up and exits
