[A lost cat flyer is attached to a post; pictured is a fluffy white cat]
[Inside a house, phone rings]
Sarah’s dad: Hello?
Yes, this is he.
You foun-
Oh my…I- Thank you for telling me.
How did-
I see.
No no, thank you for letting me know…
No, I couldn’t tell her.
Yes, bye.
[hangs up phone]
[little girl enters room]
Sarah: Did somebody find Snowball?!
Sarah’s dad: No…sorry, sweetie. We-we’ll just have to keep looking.
Sarah: I know we’ll find him. He’ll come back.
[Approximately one month later]
Sarah’s dad: Hey come here, I got a present for you Sarah.
Sarah: Really?! What is it?
[hands her a box]
Sarah’s dad: It’s a robot cat. He can do everything a real cat can do, and he won’t ever run away.
[Sarah is frowning and starts to cry]
Sarah: I don’t WANT some stupid robot! I just want Snowball back!
[Sarah throws the box and storms off]
Sarah’s dad: Sarah, wait-!
[whirring noise, Robocat’s eyes open and he steps out of the box and looks around]
[meowing from outside]
[Robocat goes outside to investigate, going out through a cat door]
[a female cat is sitting on a fence]
[Robocat walks up to her and scrambles up the fence]
[The cat hisses at him and jumps off the fence]
[Robocat climbs down and walks back to the house]
[Robocat walks by a puddle and sees his reflection]
[Robocat climbs into a cat bed and goes to sleep]
[Next day]
[Sarah walks out, ready for school, Robocat wakes up, watches]
Sarah’s dad: Don’t forget to clean your room after school.
Sarah: I won’t.
[Sarah leaves, Sarah’s dad leaves room]
[Robocat appears to be in thought]
[Robocat goes to Sarah’s room]
[The room is littered with various toys and dirty clothes]
[Robocat swipes a finger on the desk and grimaces]
[Robocat leaves room, gets cleaning supplies from closet, returns and begins cleaning]
[While dusting, Robocat notices a photo on the desk]
[The photo is of Sarah holding a fluffy white cat]
[Robocat studies the picture and returns it to its place, and finishes cleaning]
[Robocat goes outside]
[The female cat is sitting on the fence again]
[Robocat approaches her cautiously]
[She starts to move and Robocat stops]
[She stares at Robocat]
Princess [the female cat]: Mreeow
[Robocat tilts his head]
Robocat: Mreeow
Princess: Meeooow!
Robocat: Meeooow!
[Princess jumps off the fence and walks towards him]
Robocat: Mrow?
[Princess starts to lick Robocat, but seems puzzled by his lack of fur]
Neighbor [calling from over the fence]: Princess! Din-din!
[Princess runs back over the fence]
[Robocat returns to the house]
Sarah’s dad: Good job cleaning your room, Sarah.
Sarah: What? I haven’t cleaned it yet, I just finished my homework!
[Robocat goes up to Sarah and purrs]
[Sarah picks up Robocat]
Sarah: Did YOU clean my room?
Robocat: Meoow!
Sarah: Well, thanks…
[She puts him back down]
[Robocat goes to the cat bed and goes to sleep]
[Next day]
Sarah: I’m ready for school! Is the bus here yet?
Sarah’s dad: Not yet, should be here soon.
Sarah: Okay.
[Robocat wakes up and follows her]
[Sarah turns around]
[Sarah moves to the left and Robocat follows]
[Sarah moves to the right and Robocat follows]
Sarah: What are you doing?
Robocat: Meoow!
Sarah’s dad: Sarah, the bus is here!
Sarah: Okay, I’m going, see ya after school.
[Robocat follows]
Sarah: Okay, you can come, but don’t get me in trouble!
[Sarah opens her backpack and Robocat jumps in]
[Sarah boards the bus]
[During lunch break]
[A bully has grabbed Sarah and is demanding her lunch money]
Courtney: Hand it over, Sarah, or I’ll punch you.
Sarah: Lemme go or I’ll scream and you’ll get in trouble.
Courtney: No chance. I’m gonna shake the money outta you!
[Courtney shakes Sarah, and her backpack falls to the ground]
[Robocat steps out of the backpack]
Courtney: Cough it up now or else!
[Courtney raises her arm to punch Sarah]
[Robocat’s eyes turn red and he attacks Courtney]
Robocat: MREEEOOOWWR! HISSSSS!!!
Courtney: AHHH, what is this thing?! Get it off me!
[Courtney runs off]
[Scene cut to Sarah and Robocat in the principal’s office]
Principal: So, I hear you sicced your cat on Courtney. You’re in big trouble young lady.
Sarah: I didn’t do anything!
Principal: Don’t you lie to me.
[Robocat gets up and walks over to the computer]
[Robocat grabs a cable and plugs it into his head]
[Robocat plays back the previous scene]
Principal: Courtney was bullying you again? Why didn’t you tell anyone?
Sarah: It doesn’t help.
Principal: Well, you’re free to go.
[Sarah and Robocat leave]
Principal: COURTNEY, GET IN HERE NOW!!
Sarah [to Robocat]: I guess I owe you twice now. Thanks…
Robocat: Meow!
[That night]
[Sarah is on the phone]
Sarah: Dad! Can Maggie come over tomorrow night? Pleeeeease?
Sarah’s dad: It’s fine with me.
Sarah [on phone]: Yeah, my dad says it’s fine!
Okay, see ya tomorrow.
[Next day after school]
[Sarah and Maggie come in]
Maggie: Wow, so that’s Robocat.
Sarah: Yup.
Maggie: He really beat up Courtney? Man, I wish I hadn’t been sick yesterday.
Sarah: Yeah, you totally missed it.
[Maggie pets Robocat, Robocat purrs]
Maggie: Not fluffy, but Snowball never beat up a bully.
Sarah: Yeah…I guess.
Maggie: I wish I had a cat like Robocat. My mom’s allergic to regular cats anyway.
Maggie [after pausing]: What kind of a name is Robocat anyway?
Sarah: I dunno, he’s a robo-cat.
Maggie: I think he needs a real name. How about Cuddles?
[Robocat grimaces]
Sarah: See? Robocat doesn’t want a new name, right Robocat?
Robocat: Meow!
Sarah: I got a new game last week. Wanna play?
Maggie: Sure!
[They leave]
[The next morning]
[Sarah and Maggie come out yawning, still in their pajamas]
Maggie: Mmm, something smells good.
Sarah: Wow, look.
[Robocat is busy making pancakes, flipping them high into the air]
[Sarah and Maggie watch amazedly]
Maggie: Wow, your cat is so cool.
Sarah: Yeah…he is.
[Later]
[Robocat is outside, jumps onto fence]
[Princess walks over to him and rubs against him]
[Robocat purrs]
Sarah: Robocat! I got something for you!
[Robocat jumps down]
Sarah: Here!
[Sarah hands him a collar]
Robocat: Mreow?
Sarah: Put it on.
[Robocat slips it over his head]
Sarah: It…was Snowball’s. I want you to have it.
Robocat: Meoow.
[Sarah’s dad walks out]
Sarah’s dad: Sarah, I think it’s time I told you something…
Sarah: Yes, dad?
Sarah’s dad: Snowball…was hit by a car a month ago. He died. I know this is hard for you, but I couldn’t keep it from you forever. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.
Sarah [welling up with tears]: Snowball’s not dead…He’s right here!
[Sarah hugs Robocat]
3 comments:
One thing that sticks out to me here is the visual detail - some of this material might seem overly sentimental, but that very same material seems like it would look good on a screen or in a comic - RC looking at the picture, for instance, or cleaning the room. So, while I think there's a danger of seeming overly sentimental here, I also think there's room for great visuals.
Have you read Isaac Asimov's I, Robot? The first story, "Robbie," is similar to yours in some ways.
Moving beyond sentimentality and visual possibilities, I'd like to understand better how this relates to the class. In other words, what are you implicitly arguing here? That simulacra will displace "reality", and that it will be a good thing? That the "natural" world will be displaced by a new or second nature, sculpted according to human needs? Are you rooted in, or oppposing, Philip K. Dick, or Haraway, or Joy?
I can imagine various answers to these questions, but I want *your* answer. If you can somehow clarify your implicit intellectual agenda with the script, fine. If you want to add a layer of footnotes, or an introduction or appendix, fine. What I want, one way or the other, is to see you clarify your *ideas* here.
Introduction
In today's world, while robots do not yet flawlessly imitate organic living beings, the idea of a flawless imitation is nonetheless ubiquitous in science fiction, particularly in Philip K. Dick's Do Androinds Dream of Electric Sheep? For him, electric animals are real, and I am inclined to agree. Once one reaches such an imitation, whether a creature is programmed with A's, T's, G's, and C's or 1's and 0's becomes irrelevant. I remember reading about a study once in which elderly people were given an Aibo to take care of for a certain amount of time, and by the end of the study those involved found themselves more attached to the little robots than they thought they would be. Something does not have to be 'real' to be real. Robocat is real because others can connect to him and he to others. Robocat is not a Pinocchio; he needs no magic fairy to turn him into a 'real' cat. I do not think that such robots would replace organic things; I think that both would exist side-by-side. Some will always prefer the organic, while others will see more advantage in the robotic. Just because an alternative exists does not mean that it must replace the original, after all.
[A lost cat flyer is attached to a post; pictured is a fluffy white cat]
[Inside a house, phone rings]
Sarah’s dad: Hello?
Yes, this is he.
You foun-
Oh my…I- Thank you for telling me.
How did-
I see.
No no, thank you for letting me know…
No, I couldn’t tell her.
Yes, bye.
[hangs up phone]
[little girl enters room]
Sarah: Did somebody find Snowball?!
Sarah’s dad: No…sorry, sweetie. We-we’ll just have to keep looking.
Sarah: I know we’ll find him. He’ll come back.
[Approximately one month later]
Sarah’s dad: Hey come here, I got a present for you Sarah.
Sarah: Really?! What is it?
[hands her a box]
Sarah’s dad: It’s a robot cat. He can do everything a real cat can do, and he won’t ever run away.
[Sarah is frowning and starts to cry]
Sarah: I don’t WANT some stupid robot! I just want Snowball back!
[Sarah throws the box and storms off]
Sarah’s dad: Sarah, wait-!
[whirring noise, Robocat’s eyes open and he steps out of the box and looks around]
[meowing from outside]
[Robocat goes outside to investigate, going out through a cat door]
[a female cat is sitting on a fence]
[Robocat walks up to her and scrambles up the fence]
[The cat hisses at him and jumps off the fence]
[Robocat climbs down and walks back to the house]
[Robocat walks by a puddle and sees his reflection]
[Robocat climbs into a cat bed and goes to sleep]
[Next day]
[Sarah walks out, ready for school, Robocat wakes up, watches]
Sarah’s dad: Don’t forget to clean your room after school.
Sarah: I won’t.
[Robocat approaches Sarah]
Sarah: What do you want? You're not even real.
[Sarah leaves, Sarah’s dad leaves room]
[Robocat appears to be in thought]
[Robocat goes to Sarah’s room]
[The room is littered with various toys and dirty clothes]
[Robocat swipes a finger on the desk and grimaces]
[Robocat leaves room, gets cleaning supplies from closet, returns and begins cleaning]
[While dusting, Robocat notices a photo on the desk]
[The photo is of Sarah holding a fluffy white cat]
[Robocat studies the picture and returns it to its place, and finishes cleaning]
[Robocat goes outside]
[The female cat is sitting on the fence again]
[Robocat approaches her cautiously]
[She starts to move and Robocat stops]
[She stares at Robocat]
Princess [the female cat]: Mreeow
[Robocat tilts his head]
Robocat: Mreeow
Princess: Meeooow!
Robocat: Meeooow!
[Princess jumps off the fence and walks towards him]
Robocat: Mrow?
[Princess starts to lick Robocat, but seems puzzled by his lack of fur]
Neighbor [calling from over the fence]: Princess! Din-din!
[Princess runs back over the fence]
[Robocat returns to the house]
Sarah’s dad: Good job cleaning your room, Sarah.
Sarah: What? I haven’t cleaned it yet, I just finished my homework!
[Robocat goes up to Sarah and purrs]
[Sarah picks up Robocat]
Sarah: Did YOU clean my room?
Robocat: Meoow!
Sarah: Well, thanks…
[She puts him back down]
[Robocat goes to the cat bed and goes to sleep]
[Next day]
Sarah: I’m ready for school! Is the bus here yet?
Sarah’s dad: Not yet, should be here soon.
Sarah: Okay.
[Robocat wakes up and follows her]
[Sarah turns around]
[Sarah moves to the left and Robocat follows]
[Sarah moves to the right and Robocat follows]
Sarah: What are you doing?
Robocat: Meoow!
Sarah’s dad: Sarah, the bus is here!
Sarah: Okay, I’m going, see ya after school.
[Robocat follows]
Sarah: Okay, you can come, but don’t get me in trouble!
[Sarah opens her backpack and Robocat jumps in]
[Sarah boards the bus]
[During lunch break]
[A bully has grabbed Sarah and is demanding her lunch money]
Courtney: Hand it over, Sarah, or I’ll punch you.
Sarah: Lemme go or I’ll scream and you’ll get in trouble.
Courtney: No chance. I’m gonna shake the money outta you!
[Courtney shakes Sarah, and her backpack falls to the ground]
[Robocat steps out of the backpack]
Courtney: Cough it up now or else!
[Courtney raises her arm to punch Sarah]
[Robocat’s eyes turn red and he attacks Courtney]
Robocat: MREEEOOOWWR! HISSSSS!!!
Courtney: AHHH, what is this thing?! Get it off me!
[Courtney runs off]
[Scene cut to Sarah and Robocat in the principal’s office]
Principal: So, I hear you sicced your cat on Courtney. You’re in big trouble young lady.
Sarah: I didn’t do anything!
Principal: Don’t you lie to me.
[Robocat gets up and walks over to the computer]
[Robocat grabs a cable and plugs it into his head]
[Robocat plays back the previous scene]
Principal: Courtney was bullying you again? Why didn’t you tell anyone?
Sarah: It doesn’t help.
Principal: Well, you’re free to go.
[Sarah and Robocat leave]
Principal: COURTNEY, GET IN HERE NOW!!
Sarah [to Robocat]: I guess I owe you twice now. Thanks…
Robocat: Meow!
[That night]
[Sarah is on the phone]
Sarah: Dad! Can Maggie come over tomorrow night? Pleeeeease?
Sarah’s dad: It’s fine with me.
Sarah [on phone]: Yeah, my dad says it’s fine!
Okay, see ya tomorrow.
[Next day after school]
[Sarah and Maggie come in]
Maggie: Wow, so that’s Robocat.
Sarah: Yup.
Maggie: He really beat up Courtney? Man, I wish I hadn’t been sick yesterday.
Sarah: Yeah, you totally missed it.
[Maggie pets Robocat, Robocat purrs]
Maggie: Not fluffy, but Snowball never beat up a bully.
Sarah: Yeah…I guess.
Maggie: I wish I had a cat like Robocat. My mom’s allergic to regular cats anyway.
Maggie [after pausing]: What kind of a name is Robocat anyway?
Sarah: I dunno, he’s a robo-cat.
Maggie: I think he needs a real name. How about Cuddles?
[Robocat grimaces]
Sarah: See? Robocat doesn’t want a new name, right Robocat?
Robocat: Meow!
Sarah: I got a new game last week. Wanna play?
Maggie: Sure!
[They leave]
[The next morning]
[Sarah and Maggie come out yawning, still in their pajamas]
Maggie: Mmm, something smells good.
Sarah: Wow, look.
[Robocat is busy making pancakes, flipping them high into the air]
[Sarah and Maggie watch amazedly]
Maggie: Wow, your cat is so cool.
Sarah: Yeah…he is.
[Later]
[Robocat is outside, jumps onto fence]
[Princess walks over to him and rubs against him]
[Robocat purrs]
Sarah: Robocat! I got something for you!
[Robocat jumps down]
Sarah: Here!
[Sarah hands him a collar]
Robocat: Mreow?
Sarah: Put it on.
[Robocat slips it over his head]
Sarah: It…was Snowball’s. I want you to have it.
Robocat: Meoow.
[Sarah’s dad walks out]
Sarah’s dad: Sarah, I think it’s time I told you something…
Sarah: Yes, dad?
Sarah’s dad: Snowball…was hit by a car a month ago. He died. I know this is hard for you, but I couldn’t keep it from you forever. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.
Sarah [welling up with tears]: I-I'm really gonna miss Snowball...but I have a new kitty now.
[Sarah hugs Robocat]
I thought your introduction was fine, but also short - I would have liked a more detailed explanation of your assertion that there is no significant difference between the real and the artificial. Actually looking up the relevant study(s) on Aibo, for instance, would have been a great starting point. As it
"Something does not have to be 'real' to be real. Robocat is real because others can connect to him and he to others." These lines, of course, are pivotal, and certainly explain your intellectual perspective in your script (and, incidentally, justifies my initial view, which I didn't even entirely understand, that this wasn't primarily a sentimental piece, even if it could arguably be seen that way). What I'd like to see here is an understanding of perspective. Pinocchio, after all, is the story of a puppet who experiences *himself* as unreal. This is a story of a little girl who discovers that, from her point of view, her artificial cat is real. What about the cat, though? Is he real to himself? Is he self-aware? For that matter, are "real" cats self-aware (presumably they are, but it's a relevant question)? In other words, are you interested in how RC understands himself, how he is understood, or a combination of the two? The latter is perhaps most interesting - to me, though, your strong but undetailed identification of the artificial with the real makes sense only if you are exclusively concerned with RC from the outside, rather than from the inside.
I hope that made sense - I like the approach, but it feels very incomplete without some attempt to access not only what it means to *own* RC but what it means to *be* RC.
Post a Comment