TREATMENT FOR A MOTION PICTURE
BUGZ the MOVIE©
(Science Fiction
Adventure)
BY
ALLEN BISHOP
WGA
Registration: 1098670
Copyright 2007
LOG LINE
BUGZ the MOVIE, Science Fiction:
A young boy's toy robots accidentally acquire military
attributes from a nearby government research facility. They become
self-aware and discover that "others" exist at the base and set out
to rescue them. (The Karate Kid meets
the Seven Dwarfs)
TREATMENT
(Present Day)
The opening scene begins with a
close-in shot of a six-legged, four-inch toy robot with a body shell that
resembles a football player’s uniform with the number seventeen. The scene slowly zooms out to expose more
robots lined up as an offensive frontline.
Eventually twelve robots are seen on a grid that resembles a football
field. The shot continues to zoom out
until two young boys, David (Protagonist) and Adam (friend) are seen
sitting across from one another getting ready for the game to begin, each
sitting in front of a laptop computer.
There are only seconds remaining in the game with David’s team behind by
one touchdown.
The scene continues with each team of
robots scurrying about playing out their preprogrammed responses, offense and
defense, respectively. As the final play
continues, David’s offensive line is pushed out of the way by Adam’s quicker
and more agile defenders chasing and “tackling” David’s quarterback Bot. The game clock reaches zero and the game ends
with another disappointing loss to David’s robot team.
As David watches his friend pack up
his team and laptop into a custom case that displays an NFL logo and team name
(OAKLAND RAIDER-BOTZ) he sits frustrated at another loss. His friend smiles and wishes him better luck
at the up-coming annual tournament, the “COMBOT CHALLENGE”. An event that is held each
year to determine the best robot team.
The story centers on a next
generation of toy robots known as “GAME-BOTZ”.
They are robots that can be programmed by the player and are capable of
“learning” from mistakes made during competitive play. The robots have taken over the video based
computer gaming market by providing a true three-dimensional playing
environment. In addition, a very
competitive tournament is hosted each weekend by the local robot gaming club,
all in preparation for the annual tournament where the winner goes on to the
nationals at MIT to compete in the COMBOT CHALLENGE.
David’s father is a civilian
scientist who works at a local top-secret government development facility where
advanced robotics are developed for covert
intelligence operations. The head of the
facility is a ruthless Colonel Jeffrey Scott (Antagonist) whose only
ambition is to get his first star and will do anything to ensure that happens.
Friday evening David’s father (Bill)
comes home from work and is very distraught and says little at the dinner
table. Following dinner, David’s mom
(Carol) asks him what’s wrong. Bill gets
his briefcase and opens it to reveal a crushed robot not much bigger than
David’s toy BOTZ. As David and his mom
listen, Bill tells of his disappointing day where he demonstrated the latest
version of his covert robot. Bill’s
boss, Colonel Scott was not as impressed as David’s father and in a fit of
rage, crushed the robot with his foot. The
remnants are lying at the bottom of the briefcase.
Displaying typical teenage curiosity,
David goes into his father’s home office later that evening and opens the
briefcase, removes the crushed robot and brings it downstairs to his “GAME-BOT”
area in the basement. There he inspects
the robot and notices a computer port that is the same as the one on his own
GAME-BOTs. He connects the crushed robot
to the gaming hub and attempts to establish a connection. Unable to make a connection, he assumes the robot
is too badly damaged to be of any use.
As he disconnects the laptop cable the robot shell falls off revealing
its inner workings, which are mostly a mass of tiny motors, wheels and
micro-electronic components the likes of which he has never seen before. Except for one. There in the middle of the robot body is a
removable chip very similar to the memory chip in his own toy robots. Written on the surface of the chip is the
Code W-ESR. (Weaponized Electronic Surveillance
Robot) The chip is the only component
not damaged and appears to be intact.
Carefully removing the chip he
transfers it to one of his “GAME-BOTs” and then connects it to his programming
game port. What follows is the beginning
of a story that brings “life”, adventure and danger to a young boy and his toy
robots.
David’s GAME-BOT acquires the
capabilities inherent in the top-secret robot designed by his father’s team of
scientists. Soon David is communicating
with his GAME-BOT in a way that he never imagined. The GAME-BOT is actually communicating with
him as though it were a sentient being.
Through many interactive questions, the robot soon realizes that David
was responsible for its rescue. One of
the robot’s questions is, “who are you”.
David explains who he is and asks the same question of the robot. The reply is, “I don’t really know.” David remembers the code written on the
memory chip (W-ESR) and asks what that means.
The robot replies, “it is my function
code. It stands for Weaponized
Electronic Surveillance Robot.” David
thinks for a moment and tells the robot his name is now WEEZER.
David soon realizes that he has made
an incredible discovery. One that could have a profound impact on his upcoming GAME-BOT
tournament. The days that follow
are consumed by David’s attempt to replicate the program from WEEZER to the
other GAME-BOTs. Unfortunately, the
GAME-BOT memory chips are too small and need to be upgraded but no one knows
anything about the memory chip that David has taken from the government
robot. With WEEZER’s help David is able
to reduce the programming and thus allow it to fit in the smaller GAME-BOT’s
memory chips. Within a few days David is
sitting in the basement with WEEZER and six more GAME-BOTs all lined up “looking”
at him like seven puppies waiting for a treat.
With WEEZER as the “quarterback”
David tries out an offensive play from his football “playbook”. As the “ball” is hiked, each robot moves with
precision and incredible speed to assigned locations, the ball is “caught” and
the play is executed faster than David thought possible. He runs through all thirty plays he has
developed for his offensive team. All
are executed with the same precision and speed.
That evening while David is in the
basement surfing the Internet, WEEZER, who is connected to the game port and
the Internet as well, tells David there are “others”. David learns from WEEZER that other robots
(MILBOTs) at the secret facility are being programmed for a deadly mission. A mission where they will
be shipped overseas to assassinate a high-level foreign government official and
in the process the MILBOTs will be sacrificed. Some have been equipped with small syringes
for injecting poisons; others have small explosive devices to be detonated next
to their human targets. WEEZER asks
David if they can rescue them before they are sent on their mission, which will
mean certain death if they aren’t.
Through David’s Internet connection,
WEEZER is able to connect to the computers at the development center, penetrate
security and establish communications with the six nearly complete
MILBOTs. WEEZER determines that they
will be mobile within three days.
The story continues with a plan
developed by WEEZER to use the other six GAME-BOTs who have now acquired the
names of: WILLY, WALLY, WILBER, WEEBER and WOBBLES (who got his name due to a
defective leg that causes him to sometimes move like a drunken sailor).
The mission is undertaken late at
night by the six GAME-BOTs as David places them inside the chain-link fence
that surrounds the government facility.
The robots make their way into the building using an underground
drainage pipe. Each of the GAME-BOTs is
responsible for specific tasks. WILLY is
responsible for connecting to the facilities computer network and providing a
connection for WEEZER to communicate with the captive robots. WALLY is responsible for controlling the
electronically activated doors and cipher locks throughout the facility. WILBER’s job is to connect to the video
surveillance system and monitor human movement throughout the facility. WEEBER is responsible for all phone
communications, which will prevent any calls for help should their plan be
uncovered. WOBBLES, having a
“disability” of sorts is to act as a recharge station by connecting to a power
outlet with his antennae so each of the GAME-BOTs and their rescued MILBOTs can
recharge for the trip back to David who will be waiting outside the perimeter
fence.
The mission goes flawlessly until all
are taking turns recharging off of WOBBLES by touching their antennae to
WOBBLES legs. All the robots must wait
until all have been recharged before leaving the facility. Just as the last robot finishes its recharge
and WOBBLES disconnects from the power outlet, a security guard walks into the
hallway and sees the last MILBOT scurry into the drain pipe with WOBBLES close
behind, but not close enough. Just as
WOBBLES is about to enter the pipe the guard grabs him. WOBBLES has been captured.
WEEZER, leading the line of robots
like a line of ants moving through the grass, stops for an instant, moves his
antennae, turns to look back and realizes WOBBLES did not make it. WEEZER turns back and continues to lead the
line of robots back to the rendezvous point where David is waiting. He picks up each robot and places it in a box
then jumps on his electric scooter and heads home.
As he unloads the box of all the
robots, he realizes one is missing, WOBBLES.
Immediately he connects WEEZER up to the game port and asks were WOBBLES
is. WEEZER tells Adam what happened and
asks Adam to connect them to the Internet.
Within a few seconds WEEZER has connected to the facility and located
WOBBLES who has now been clamped to a work bench and connected to the lab’s
development system. He is being
“interrogated” under the watchful eye of Colonel Scott. When the Colonel is told that nothing is of
any use in the robot’s memory chip, he becomes infuriated and rips the robot
from its clamps. Just as the communications
cable is about to be torn from WOBBLES communications port a small spark is
seen at the connector.
WEEZER looks towards David and says,
“WOBBLES is no more.” David asks what he
means by that and WEEZER says, “I can’t sense him anymore, he is no longer
there.” All the other robots that are
now all facing WEEZER with their antennae twitching hear a chirp from WEEZER
and immediately become motionless and lower their antennae. He has told them that WOBBLES has ceased to
exist.
Word of the “escape” has reached
David’s dad via an urgent phone call from the Center. He is told to report immediately. David is told that something has happened at
the facility and has been summoned by the Colonel. Fearing that his dad may be accused of the
incident, David asks his dad to come to the basement first. As they come down the stairs, David’s dad
looks at the site before him as eleven robots, five in football uniforms and
six in military camouflage are in two perfectly parallel lines all facing
towards them. David connects WEEZER to
the game port. At that moment the six
MILBOTs in unison say, “good morning Doctor Williams.”
After David’s dad regains his
composure he asks his son just what is going on. David tells him the story beginning with the
stolen chip, the rescue and the loss of WOBBLES. Then WEEZER tells David’s dad about the
mission that the MILBOTs were supposed to undertake. All along Doctor Williams was kept in the
dark by Colonel Scott. Not knowing that
the robots he was developing were going to be used to assassinate foreign
leaders. With this revelation, David’s
dad decides to confront the Colonel and tender his resignation or reveal the
true nature of the development going on in the facility.
Returning home that afternoon,
David’s father has for the very first time a smile. He has quit, the Colonel has been reassigned
and the facility is being shut down.
Now, with ample time to spend with his son, they begin training for the
upcoming championship.
As the movie enters
its closing scenes, a chirping starts emanating from the computers’ speakers.
Immediately all eleven of the GAME-BOTs turn and face the computer. WEEZER motions to be connected to the game
port. As soon as David connects the
cable, WEEZER says, “he’s here, WOBBLES is back.” David asks what do you
mean. As the chirping continues, WEEZER
says, “He’s here he’s IN the Internet.”
WEEZER explains that just before the Colonel was about to destroy him in
the lab, WOBBLES was able to transfer to the Internet. WOBBLES has found his way back home. David connects a spare GAME-BOT to the port
and immediately WOBBLES downloads himself to the new BOT.
The team is again complete. WOBBLES is back and David and his dad now
have two teams to compete at the national tournament.
The movie ends with the MIL-BOTs
taking first place in the laser tag tournament and Adam in the final game
against his nemesis Adam. The OAKLAND
RAIDER BOTZ finally beating Adam’s team with a score of 70 to zero.
THE END
Contact Information:
Writer’s Dreams LLC
Attn: Allen Bishop
Phone: (303)
437-7835
Email: abishop@writersdreams.com