In the Style of a Robot Friend Movie like "Short Circuit" or the Iron Giant."
In a World...where some will do anything to create weapons of mass destruction...a lost robot will learn its own way in the world while making friends with a special boy. As long as it can keep away from the people who would use it for evil.
This episode features the improv games A to Z, Pardon, What Happens Next, Gibberish Switch, and Cutting Room.
In this episode, we pay homage to “friendly robot” movies, like Short Circuit and the Iron Giant. You know the ones, where a robot (usually military) escapes and finds its way to some nice humans who it befriends? But of course, the military people always want to get the robot back at any cost...
Links:
Short Circuit on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Circuit_(1986_film)
The Iron Giant on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iron_Giant
Time Codes
Segment 1 - Discussion the Genre Tropes: 03:25
Segment 2 - Creating the Movie Outline: 09:42
Segment 3 - Picking the Improv Comedy Games: 18:46
Start of show: 25:48
Improv Game - A to Z: 25:57
Improv Game - Pardon: 32:56
Improv Game - What Happens Next: 42:20
Improv Game - Gibberish Switch: 52:03
Improv Game - Cutting Room: 1:01:04
End of show, into announcements: 1:19:57
More Information About the Show, Mike, and Avish
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Avish’s site: www.AvishParashar.com
Mike’s site: www.MikeWorthMusic.com/
Transcription of the “Discussing the Genre Tropes” Segment (Unedited and Un-Cleaned up)
Avish Parashar: segment one discussing the genre tropes right all right now Mike and I are going to spend five minutes discussing the tropes commonalities and cliches of this type of movie so i'll start our timer now.
Avish Parashar: All right, mikey let's talk robot friend short circuit iron giant yeah.
Avish Parashar: What do you think of when you think of these movies.
Michael Worth: Well, first of all, I definitely say the tone is going to be family friendly right we'd like Well, this is not one of these, this is not like superhero hard was that one break bread burn or whatever, where it's like.
Michael Worth: Oh yeah Superman was a sociopath so it's gonna be family, friends.
Avish Parashar: I mean the.
Avish Parashar: The genre is usually family friendly where our improvisation mego could be a whole other thing but, in general, these stories.
Michael Worth: yeah family friendly reserve the right to go dark.
Michael Worth: yeah i'm usually the robot oh boy there's two ways to go if you do the iron giant the robot is basically iron john is basically et.
Michael Worth: So do you want to go that route, or do you want to go experiment that grew beyond the control of the creators.
Avish Parashar: You know, like, I mean when I think this sort of movie I usually think of some kind of military robot that developed a conscience or escaped and accidentally got lost the programming got screwed up, so I forgot the iron giant was an alien or was actually a military or a.
Michael Worth: was an alien invasion kind of tied in with the war of the worlds thing you know yeah i'm thinking more like military experiment or science experiment that kind of grows beyond is creators it's kind of like a there's a Frankenstein component to it right yeah.
Avish Parashar: Nice Frankenstein like.
Avish Parashar: The monster like.
Michael Worth: Right well Mary shelley's Frankenstein originally was highly intelligent That was the whole.
Avish Parashar: Oh yeah yeah you like talking it's conversational very philosophical at times it's very weird.
Michael Worth: yeah yeah so so that that's a good way to start it, which is like it starts yeah because usually it's a comment on like the military industrial complex in the research thing.
Avish Parashar: So, and then yeah.
Avish Parashar: So okay yeah so the robot either escapes or gets left behind, as abandoned and then is found by.
Michael Worth: Do this call it's a kid I always found a kid.
Avish Parashar: Well, you know, a kid or Steve Gutenberg.
Michael Worth: Is there is there a difference.
Avish Parashar: Okay, it or it's like someone innocent like a child or someone who's like very kind of like positive optimistic.
Avish Parashar: You know, maybe a little naive.
Michael Worth: Well, and that's the central trope which is they see beyond the exterior because the whole point is that the machine is usually very unsettling to look at or or you know kind of frightening it and then this person is kind of like sees it to me that was it le shady who found him.
Avish Parashar: yeah I was actually shooting and Steve Steve guttenberg like was the scientists right like actually like Steve like took the robot because he didn't want it weaponized or something.
Avish Parashar: Oh that's a, this is a fantasy they do Steve guttenberg is a scientist.
Avish Parashar: And there is like that yeah sometimes it's like the scientists are there's like a good person inside who like helps the robot escape and sometimes it just kind of gets.
Michael Worth: lost yeah so so let's drill down somebody starts using core characters there's gonna be some side of sympathetic scientist because, even if its military or some sort of military create a program or a scientist is.
Avish Parashar: You as sympathetic scientist right.
Avish Parashar: there's obviously some kind of.
Avish Parashar: Seville there's almost always like a military overlord like.
Michael Worth: That guy yeah the villains good basically the military person either either who's in charge of the project or has been like Colonel Decker and the team assigned to bring him back.
Avish Parashar: yeah it's like the person is real yeah.
Avish Parashar: The one who really wants to weaponize this thing doesn't care that it's developing a personality.
Michael Worth: lots of good point so they don't bring it back, they want to bring back and like convert it back to its evil mode.
Michael Worth: yeah so the villain.
Michael Worth: wants to convert.
Michael Worth: Back to evil mode right yeah we're kind of moving the iron john a little bit, but that's okay well, these are just germination ideas there's definitely a sympathetic scientist, whoever finds the robot becomes his best friend so it's a boy and his dog kind of thing.
Michael Worth: yeah and that that that finding person has to be an innocent and is usually.
Michael Worth: The robot becomes the protector.
Avish Parashar: yeah.
Michael Worth: Of the best friend right.
Avish Parashar: yeah and then.
Avish Parashar: These movies always have two things one is the.
Avish Parashar: Learning montage sequence, where the robot is learning the ways of humans yeah.
Michael Worth: I like.
Michael Worth: Learning montages in.
Avish Parashar: And then there's.
Michael Worth: Also, the company with a phil collen song.
Avish Parashar: is almost always that like sad kind of end of the third act going to the fourth act.
Where.
Avish Parashar: The robot gets recaptured, or something right like.
Michael Worth: Well yeah you're right now, the question is this there's two ways, it could go one is the robot gets recaptured, they have to like break them out right that's kind of an et thing and i'm doing eating, not because.
Michael Worth: that's what happens yeah more the robot.
Michael Worth: Like somehow people get betrayed by the robot or they like turn their back on the robot they're like oh you, you really are just an inhuman monster and.
Avish Parashar: yeah or like they think they're doing a good thing, like no like we got to get your back, and then they realize oh that's when they realize that oh my God no they're gonna like.
Avish Parashar: use this for evil, like the humans get bamboozled by the military person, you know they think that person's positive and helpful, but they turn out actually.
Avish Parashar: yeah those are like a tearful breakup like.
Avish Parashar: What they're really sad.
Avish Parashar: Because they betrayed the robot the robot is getting taken away.
Avish Parashar: All right, then.
Michael Worth: And then act for there's the the.
Michael Worth: Well, you could be a lot of ways here the the best friends can kidnap the robot has to break them out the roebuck kidnapped, they can break the robot out, however, one critical things that happens is the robot somehow cleverly uses.
Michael Worth: Its original programming and or original technology in a creative way to demonstrate its independence and get out from under the evil military overlord.
Avish Parashar: Right and I was that combination of like their original and kind of what they've learned, you know it's like right they learn something watching a TV show, and so, then they use that later on to like yeah kind of.
Avish Parashar: yeah beats the new world like yes.
Michael Worth: Whenever the learning montage is.
Avish Parashar: That gets tied back into the.
Michael Worth: tie back into the fourth act yeah yeah yeah.
Avish Parashar: Alright, so that's five minutes we got enough tropes you then care, I think so.
Michael Worth: I think, so this is a couple of different ways, this is kind of cool.
Transcription of the “Creating the Outline” Segment (Unedited and Un-Cleaned up)
Avish Parashar: Alright, so segment two: creating the outline next was spent about five minutes, creating a rough high level outline for the movie.
Avish Parashar: When we get into actually performing the show it may veer from what original outline is because it's improv and you never know where it's gonna go, but we we roughly state of this and we like to use what.
Avish Parashar: We use a four act structure if you're familiar with storytelling you're probably familiar with a three act structure, ours is very similar issues we break act to interact, two and three.
Michael Worth: is actually these.
Avish Parashar: shorter do anyways yeah and then we act like the reactive we're trying to figure out and act three is the.
Avish Parashar: proactive and then I for is the conclusion alright.
Michael Worth: Well, where are we taking notes, we taking notes in the show script and outline.
Avish Parashar: I know in in that folder the dated folder in the long form improv show there's a prep dogs and game ideas for test run number 11.
Michael Worth: Alright, a.
Avish Parashar: To run the long form improv.
Michael Worth: yep 2021 611.
Michael Worth: yeah prepped up for test from 11.
Avish Parashar: yeah so we'll take.
Michael Worth: It okay hold on suddenly it all set up and then we'll go back in so these we're going to take notes for for our show all right and.
Avish Parashar: Alright, so a word start our five minutes timer now.
Michael Worth: Great so first one do prologue or trailer what do we think it.
Avish Parashar: could go either way.
Michael Worth: I don't know tell you what let's let's skip that let's go there, I.
Avish Parashar: will decide that later.
Avish Parashar: yeah alright so act one.
Avish Parashar: During act one, we need to establish.
Avish Parashar: The robot.
Michael Worth: yep establish the robot and the robot at this point I want to say disappears, but like is misplaced right.
Avish Parashar: yeah kind of how he is misplaced disappears.
Avish Parashar: robot.
Avish Parashar: Whatever happens, so we had a.
Michael Worth: friend right.
Avish Parashar: yeah we gotta get them the best friend the kind of human protagonist and will also need a we should meet like the main military antagonist here like whoever's in charge of the project.
Avish Parashar: Like you, almost always meet that person before you even meet the hero because they're like the one who's like evil and wants to control the robot.
Michael Worth: Right, so it Let me read some stuff down to robot is very harmless emotionally but potentially physically dangerous, and that is going to be comedic physical comedy and sue's you know what I mean.
Avish Parashar: yeah.
Michael Worth: All right, and then we meet the.
Michael Worth: meet evil military that guy.
Michael Worth: yeah basically the Colonel Decker.
Michael Worth: Alright cool and uh at one usually ends with the best friend.
Michael Worth: Taking robot home.
Michael Worth: yeah and hiding him.
Michael Worth: Alright Act two okay.
Avish Parashar: So this definitely will have like the learning.
Michael Worth: Learning montage.
Michael Worth: Both training robots social skills.
Michael Worth: and developing friendship.
Michael Worth: Okay, a second is.
Michael Worth: What could happen here is is, if you want to get a little goonies the best friend could bring small small group of small tribe in or her small tribe in and they all kind of like gang up to help the robot things like that right.
Avish Parashar: yeah we could meet some other people, I feel like with this format, maybe like bring in one person, and I feel like anytime you start getting with these shows if you're talking too many characters it gets a little unwieldy but yeah he could kind of introduce.
Avish Parashar: The friend.
Michael Worth: Oh, if you want to go that way, we could maybe have the friend be like a little bit of a kind of a nerdy like nerdy nerdy make nerds team, and you know kind of like help program the robot help interact with.
Avish Parashar: It could be a nerd It could also be a love interest for the main character right.
Michael Worth: yeah yeah at this point also is the detective portion of the military overlord so they are figuring out where the robot went.
Avish Parashar: Oh yeah Terry researcher kind of.
Avish Parashar: detective work.
Michael Worth: I don't know if I want to get too big into this, but.
Michael Worth: This could be also where you under you the robot could have a doomsday device.
Avish Parashar: yeah it's got I feel like some level of danger either the robot has a doom.
Avish Parashar: Excuse a device or there's some like external threat that needs to be addressed in the fourth act um, so I think there's some bigger danger we find out about.
Michael Worth: yeah I looked at, possibly an external threat.
Michael Worth: that's possible or.
Avish Parashar: It could be like a self destruct doomsday or yeah it's like a robot you know, like the.
Avish Parashar: If there's like in the 80s and, like the Russians are also trying to.
Michael Worth: get in.
Avish Parashar: Our own robot are getting yeah there's like a third faction.
Avish Parashar: that's trying to.
Michael Worth: Get the robot this is good, this is getting it looks surprisingly deep in terms of like factions and things like that uh.
Avish Parashar: Alright, so.
Michael Worth: So then actually an x four, I was just gonna play out.
Avish Parashar: I think act three is where i'm.
Avish Parashar: I think X three is again the heroes usually more proactive and act three, so I think there.
Avish Parashar: Oh, I I think Okay, I think here's a rough outline so there's a third faction and act three the hero, and the robot they're like actively trying to get away from that third faction, and maybe trying to reconnect with the military arm.
Avish Parashar: And that's when like the betrayal happens because when they think they're safe oh yeah we got away from the Russians and then they realize oh yeah the military is going to destroy this robot or use it for evil purpose or wipe his memory.
Avish Parashar: So then act for becomes like the oh now i'm going to go and rescue my robot friend, so the, no one can use them for these kind of evil purposes.
Michael Worth: yeah yeah rescue robot friend yeah like that I know we're starting to drill down a little bit and we're making the story a bit more strict but, like, I actually like having this guideline because we because I was a little worried, as we go five different ways and.
Avish Parashar: I think, having a stricter outline and then having the freedom to not stick to it at all, once we get in there.
Michael Worth: I mean.
Michael Worth: yeah we reserve the right to have everything up with our improv.
Avish Parashar: I think we've got the third faction X two X three is more like proactive stopping the third faction are getting away.
Avish Parashar: reconnecting with the military arm and it ends with them kind of turning the robot back over to the military.
Avish Parashar: And realizing that oh like that was a mistake.
Michael Worth: yeah a target of the military to be trade rescue robot friend X force rescue robot friend and then a critical part of X, for his robot has agency, meaning it blends its purpose with what it learned.
Avish Parashar: Oh, and this might be more granular.
Avish Parashar: But then so i'm gonna have an act for is the.
Avish Parashar: The third faction kidnaps, the main character and or his friends and then the robot has to escape from the military to.
Avish Parashar: EU and the remote robot realizes like all these are my friends and start to understand the concept of friendship and going like.
Avish Parashar: friend yeah exactly.
Michael Worth: yeah that could work yeah let's put it down i'll put down possible.
Michael Worth: Third faction kidnaps.
Avish Parashar: Friends, and we have to see what the robot we see what the robot has learned in the fourth act.
Michael Worth: All right, and then and then at the end of the road is agency blends its purpose with what I learned from montage to defeat.
Michael Worth: bad guys.
Michael Worth: yeah and kind of prove now I like the idea of like prove its need to leave the military.
Michael Worth: I like the idea of the military being like I didn't I didn't see that robot leave.
Michael Worth: kind of thing right yeah and then you know, then, and then, of course.
Avish Parashar: Maybe the main military bad guy like gets taken away and the others are like.
Avish Parashar: Oh it's a shame the robot you know blew up.
Michael Worth: blow open that fire yeah.
Michael Worth: And then the ending is like in bolt where it's like the family, you know happy family sitting in a ranch somewhere in Montana right he's the ruler chillin out and i'm.
Avish Parashar: Sorry now.
Michael Worth: Now we haven't done intro trailer prologue prologues fitting it for this.
Avish Parashar: evening prologue for this one so we'll see kind of what happens to the.
Michael Worth: yeah because prologue could could probably do one or two things it could have to introduce the robot getting built or can induce a third faction as a cold lead.
Avish Parashar: Okay yeah I think our prologue.
Avish Parashar: All right, yeah.
Avish Parashar: One of those oh yeah i'm not sure which one.
Michael Worth: Was that a bad yeah or a good yeah.
Avish Parashar: it's a i'm not sure which one is better like to actually see the robot like being built and talked about.
Avish Parashar: Or to see the third probably the robot I would think so that's kind of the main character, but.
yeah.
Avish Parashar: All right, good so.
Avish Parashar: We have our high low outline now.
Michael Worth: This is good, we can do something with this.
