Blast from the Past #513: November 15, 2005: Re: TMNT Interstitial premise and November 16, 2005: Re: New TMNT Interstitial Script: "Stupid Dino Tricks"

Subj: Re: TMNT Interstitial premise
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 12:12:07 PM
From: Peter Laird
To:   Lloyd Goldfine

 TMNT Paleo-Patrol Interstitial Premise:
  
 Mikey is sitting in the Paleo Buggy.  The engine is on, the radio is
 jamming, and Mikey is snapping his fingers to the music as he reclines
 in the passenger seat (as if it were a lawn chair). He looks real
 leisurely.  Don comes over and snaps at him.  They have to conserve
 power.  They have limited resources while they are stuck in the
 Paleozoic Age and they shouldn’t be wasting their batteries on "tunes".
   Mikey tells him to chill out, he's sure the buggy's got plenty of
 juice.   Just then, the buggy stops running, the music dies, the power
 has run out on the buggy.  Mikey smiles sheepishly.  Don scowls.  Mikey
 apologizes and asks what they will do for power now?  Don leans in with
 a sinister smirk and says something that suggests Mikey is going to get
 a comeuppance.   Mikey laughs nervously, then gulps.
  
 DISSOLVE TO:
  
 Don is in the Paleo Buggy.  The engine is on.  He is playing the radio.
 He snaps his fingers in the same way/same pose Mikey was in before.  
 Raph comes over and asks why he is playing the radio, he thought they
 had to conserve power.  Don says power won’t be an issue anymore - he’s
 rigged a new generator.  Raph asks what he it runs on.  Don replies
 "turtle power" (a nod to the 80's).   We widen to reveal that the Paleo
 Buggy is hooked up to a generator that is basically Mikey running on a
 treadmill being chased by a hungry raptor.  Don says a final line that
 provides some comedic closure as Mikey runs from the hungry raptor and
 calls out in desperate “Jane, stop this crazy thing…” kind of way…

Lloyd,


Hey -- that's pretty funny! Of course, my practical/logical side has to kick in and make me ask: Why doesn't Mikey (and/or for that matter, the raptor) get OFF the treadmill -- Mike, to get away from the raptor; and the raptor, to get get to Mike?
I wonder if it might be just about as funny if either:


a.) we got rid of the raptor and just had Mike sweating it out on this treadmill, or


b.) we got rid of the raptor and in its place we have some jury-rigged gizmo that kind of LOOKS like a raptor (or at least the nasty teeth 'n' claws parts... hey, maybe they're actual raptor BONES!) that Don can activate (by pulling on a rope or vine) to snap/claw at Mikey when he starts to slow down.


-- Pete

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Subj: Re: New TMNT Interstitial Script: "Stupid Dino Tricks"
Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 3:24:14 PM
From: Peter Laird
To:   Lloyd Goldfine

Lloyd,


I think this one is boring (the bronto does the same thing TWICE to Raph) and very silly (Raph is supposed to survive being sat on twice by a huge Brontosaurus?!), and way too "Road Runner"-ish in its "comedically mangled Raph" bits. I think the basic idea is sound, but it needs to be more creative and less ridiculous in WHAT happens to Raph when Leo and Don try to prove their dino-training abilities. And I don't think it necessarily needs to be the SAME dinosaur in both instances.


-- Pete

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Subj: Re: New TMNT Interstitial Script: "Stupid Dino Tricks"
Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 10:12:07 PM
From: Peter Laird
To:   Lloyd Goldfine

In a message dated 11/15/05 3:37:14 PM, Lloyd writes:

Hey Pete -


I'm fine with featuring more than one dino.  I think the gag is in the
over the top punishment Raph takes - it happens once (bad enough!), but
then it happens again!  And while we'd never do this in the series, we
do have the boys doing more slapstick, road-runner-ish stuff in these
interstitials (i.e. driving a motorcycle /through a sewer wall/!).


Lloyd

Lloyd,


I should probably read the new version before I respond to your email, but seeing as I have this mail open...


I also thought the gag was in the repeated punishment Raph got, but I didn't see it as necessary in any sense that it is the SAME punishment being repeated. That's boring to me, especially when you consider all of the different kinds of punishment dinos could inflict on Raph (whapped with big tail, poked with horns, sneezed on with big dino boogers, jabbed with claws, slobbered with huge tongues, kicked with big ol' dino legs, buried in dino poo -- well, maybe not that last one... but you see what I mean). And though I know we're being a little looser with the interstitials, there IS a line, and I think it got crossed with the double-bronto squashing.


Okay, now I'm going to read the new version.


-- Pete