Nebula Awards Showcase 2010 (49 page)
Read Nebula Awards Showcase 2010 Online
Authors: Bill Fawcett
Still, you can ignore all that and just sit back and enjoy the movie.
AN EXCERPT FROM THE NEBULA AWARD-WINNING BEST SCRIPT
WALL-E
W
ALL-E
is an exceptional movie on many levels. It not only used animation to tell a strong story with a message, but managed to bring emotion and pathos to animated robots. Writing a script for a movie that had so little dialogue had to be a challenge and the two excerpts that follow show how this was done for the Nebula Award- winning movie.
ALL-E
is an exceptional movie on many levels. It not only used animation to tell a strong story with a message, but managed to bring emotion and pathos to animated robots. Writing a script for a movie that had so little dialogue had to be a challenge and the two excerpts that follow show how this was done for the Nebula Award- winning movie.
An air of enchantment.
Eve is taken aback.
Eve is taken aback.
WALLY
(beeps)
[Come on in.]
[Come on in.]
She drifts through the sea of knickknacks.
Becomes spooked by a SINGING BILLY BASS FISH.
Threatens to shoot it, but Wally calms her down.
He is compelled to show her everything.
Becomes spooked by a SINGING BILLY BASS FISH.
Threatens to shoot it, but Wally calms her down.
He is compelled to show her everything.
Screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon • Original Story by Andrew Stanton
and Pete Docter • Directed by Andrew Stanton • Executive Producer John
Lasseter • Produced by Jim Morris • Co-Producer Lindsey Collins •
© Disney/Pixar. No reproduction without permission.
and Pete Docter • Directed by Andrew Stanton • Executive Producer John
Lasseter • Produced by Jim Morris • Co-Producer Lindsey Collins •
© Disney/Pixar. No reproduction without permission.
Hands her an eggbeater . . .
. . . bubble wrap (so infectious to pop) . . .
. . . a lightbulb (lights when she holds it) . . .
. . . the Rubik’s Cube (she solves it immediately)
. . . his
Hello Dolly
tape.
Curious, she begins unspooling the tape.
. . . bubble wrap (so infectious to pop) . . .
. . . a lightbulb (lights when she holds it) . . .
. . . the Rubik’s Cube (she solves it immediately)
. . . his
Hello Dolly
tape.
Curious, she begins unspooling the tape.
WALLY
(loud beeps)
[My tape!!]
[My tape!!]
He grabs it back. Protective.
Inserts it carefully into the VCR. Please still work
The movie eventually appears on the TV.
Plays a clip of
POYSC.
Wally is relieved.
Inserts it carefully into the VCR. Please still work
The movie eventually appears on the TV.
Plays a clip of
POYSC.
Wally is relieved.
WALLY
(beeps)
[What do you think?]
[What do you think?]
Mimics the dancing for Eve.
Encourages her to try.
She clumsily hops up and down.
Makes dents in the floor. Rattles everything.
Wally politely stops her.
Encourages her to try.
She clumsily hops up and down.
Makes dents in the floor. Rattles everything.
Wally politely stops her.
WALLY
(beeps)
[How ’bout we try a different move?]
[How ’bout we try a different move?]
Spins in a circle. Arms out.
Eve copies.
Spins faster, and faster . . .
Too fast.
Accidentally strikes Wally. He flies into the shelves.
Eve helps him up from the mess.
Wally’s LEFT BINOCULAR EYE falls off.
Dangles from two wires.
Eve GASPS with concern.
Wally placates her.
Eve copies.
Spins faster, and faster . . .
Too fast.
Accidentally strikes Wally. He flies into the shelves.
Eve helps him up from the mess.
Wally’s LEFT BINOCULAR EYE falls off.
Dangles from two wires.
Eve GASPS with concern.
Wally placates her.
S/Legal/Mktg/Licensing/Science Fiction Fantasy Writers of America (Wall E)
(Disney to SFFWA 07 09 09).doc License Agreement—Science Fiction
Fantasy Writers of America
(Disney to SFFWA 07 09 09).doc License Agreement—Science Fiction
Fantasy Writers of America
EXT. TRUCK—NIGHT
Wally motors outside.
Turns over his Igloo cooler to clean it out.
Pauses to take in the night sky.
STARS struggle to be seen through the polluted haze.
Wally presses the PLAY button on his chest.
The newly sampled
It Only Takes A Moment (IOTAM)
plays.
The wind picks up.
A WARNING LIGHT sounds on Wally’s chest.
He looks out into the night.
A RAGING SANDSTORM approaches off
the bay . . .
Unfazed, Wally heads back in the truck.
IOTAM
still gently playing.
. . . The massive wave of sand roars closer . . .
Wally raises the door.
Pauses.
WHISTLES for his cockroach to come inside.
The door shuts just as the storm hits.
Obliterates everything in view.
Turns over his Igloo cooler to clean it out.
Pauses to take in the night sky.
STARS struggle to be seen through the polluted haze.
Wally presses the PLAY button on his chest.
The newly sampled
It Only Takes A Moment (IOTAM)
plays.
The wind picks up.
A WARNING LIGHT sounds on Wally’s chest.
He looks out into the night.
A RAGING SANDSTORM approaches off
the bay . . .
Unfazed, Wally heads back in the truck.
IOTAM
still gently playing.
. . . The massive wave of sand roars closer . . .
Wally raises the door.
Pauses.
WHISTLES for his cockroach to come inside.
The door shuts just as the storm hits.
Obliterates everything in view.
INT. TRUCK—SAME
Wally alone in the center of his shelter.
Unwraps a BNL SPONGECAKE (think Twinkie).
Lays it out for the cockroach to sleep in.
It happily dives in.
Wally collapses himself into a storable cube.
Backs into an empty shelf space.
Rocks it like a cradle . . .
. . . and shuts down for the night.
Outside the wind howls like the Hounds of Hell.
Unwraps a BNL SPONGECAKE (think Twinkie).
Lays it out for the cockroach to sleep in.
It happily dives in.
Wally collapses himself into a storable cube.
Backs into an empty shelf space.
Rocks it like a cradle . . .
. . . and shuts down for the night.
Outside the wind howls like the Hounds of Hell.
INT. WALLY’S TRUCK—NEXT MORNING
Wally’s CHARGE METER flashes “WARNING.”
He wakes. Unboxes.
Groggy and lifeless.
Stumbles outside.
He wakes. Unboxes.
Groggy and lifeless.
Stumbles outside.
EXT. ROOF OF WALLY’S TRUCK
The morning sun.
Wally fully exposed in its light.
His front panel splayed out like a tanning shield.
A solar collector.
Wally fully exposed in its light.
His front panel splayed out like a tanning shield.
A solar collector.
S/Legal/Mktg/Licensing/Science Fiction Fantasy Writers of America (Wall E)
(Disney to SFFWA 07 09 09).doc License Agreement—Science
Fiction Fantasy Writers of America
S/Legal/Mktg/Licensing/Science Fiction Fantasy Writers of America (Wall E)
(Disney to SFFWA 07 09 09).doc
(Disney to SFFWA 07 09 09).doc License Agreement—Science
Fiction Fantasy Writers of America
S/Legal/Mktg/Licensing/Science Fiction Fantasy Writers of America (Wall E)
(Disney to SFFWA 07 09 09).doc
His CHARGE METER chimes full.
Solar panels fold away into hiding.
Wally, now awake, collects his lunch cooler.
Heads off to work.
. . . and accidentally runs over the cockroach.
Horrified, Wally reverses.
Reveals the FLATTENED INSECT under his tread.
The cockroach simply pops back to life.
No biggie. Ready to go.
Relieved, Wally resumes their commute.
Solar panels fold away into hiding.
Wally, now awake, collects his lunch cooler.
Heads off to work.
. . . and accidentally runs over the cockroach.
Horrified, Wally reverses.
Reveals the FLATTENED INSECT under his tread.
The cockroach simply pops back to life.
No biggie. Ready to go.
Relieved, Wally resumes their commute.
EXT. WALLY’S WORK SITE—THAT MORNING
A SERIES OF “WALLY AT WORK” MOMENTS:
CU of Wally’s hands digging into garbage.
CU of trash being scooped into his chest
compactor.
A cube lands by the cockroach.
CU of Wally’s hands digging into garbage.
CU of trash being scooped into his chest
compactor.
A cube lands by the cockroach.
Wally discovers a BRA in the garbage.
Unsure what it’s for.
Tries placing it over his eyes, like glasses.
Tosses it in his cooler.
Unsure what it’s for.
Tries placing it over his eyes, like glasses.
Tosses it in his cooler.
Wally finds a set of CAR KEYS.
Presses the remote lock.
Somewhere in the distance a CAR ALARM CHIRPS.
Presses the remote lock.
Somewhere in the distance a CAR ALARM CHIRPS.
Plays with a paddle ball.
The ball keeps smacking him in the face.
He doesn’t like it.
The ball keeps smacking him in the face.
He doesn’t like it.
Wally discovers a DIAMOND RING in a JEWEL
CASE.
Throws out the ring. Keeps the case.
The jewel case drops into the cooler, then . . .
. . . A RUBBER DUCKY . . .
. . . A BOBBLE HEAD DOLL . . .
. . . AN OLD BOOT . . .
. . . A TROPHY . . .
CASE.
Throws out the ring. Keeps the case.
The jewel case drops into the cooler, then . . .
. . . A RUBBER DUCKY . . .
. . . A BOBBLE HEAD DOLL . . .
. . . AN OLD BOOT . . .
. . . A TROPHY . . .
Wally finds a FIRE EXTINGUISHER.
Activates it.
FOAM blasts in his face.
It’s tossed far, far away from his cooler.
Activates it.
FOAM blasts in his face.
It’s tossed far, far away from his cooler.
Wally’s shovel hand strikes something solid.
Faces a REFRIGERATOR much larger than himself.
Now what?
Faces a REFRIGERATOR much larger than himself.
Now what?
CU on fridge door.
A WELDING BEAM moves down its center.
It emits from between Wally’s SPLIT BINOCULAR
EYES.
A WELDING BEAM moves down its center.
It emits from between Wally’s SPLIT BINOCULAR
EYES.
THE ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF BRADBURY AWARD WINNER, JOSS WHEDON
F
irst given by Ben Bova in 1992, the Bradbury Award is for excellence in screenwriting. It was named in acknowledgment of Ray Bradbury’s contributions to the fields of science fiction and screenwriting. While it is not a Nebula Award
®
, it is awarded as part of the Nebula Awards Banquet. This award is given only when a work or body of work is exceptional. Past winners include James Cameron for
Terminator 2
, J. Michael Strazinski for
Babylon 5
, and Yuri Rasovsky and Harlan Ellison for
2000X—Tales of the Next Millennia.
irst given by Ben Bova in 1992, the Bradbury Award is for excellence in screenwriting. It was named in acknowledgment of Ray Bradbury’s contributions to the fields of science fiction and screenwriting. While it is not a Nebula Award
®
, it is awarded as part of the Nebula Awards Banquet. This award is given only when a work or body of work is exceptional. Past winners include James Cameron for
Terminator 2
, J. Michael Strazinski for
Babylon 5
, and Yuri Rasovsky and Harlan Ellison for
2000X—Tales of the Next Millennia.
Joss Whedon was in Canada working on a movie at the time of the banquet. Anyone who has watched
Serenity
,
Dollhouse
,
Buffy
, or any of Joss Whedon’s creations is familiar with his sense of humor. When his name was announced for the award, a screen lit up and he made the following acceptance speech.
Serenity
,
Dollhouse
,
Buffy
, or any of Joss Whedon’s creations is familiar with his sense of humor. When his name was announced for the award, a screen lit up and he made the following acceptance speech.
W
hat’s this? How do I come to be in this room full of luminaries? When mere moments ago I was in Canada, filming a film?
hat’s this? How do I come to be in this room full of luminaries? When mere moments ago I was in Canada, filming a film?
Aha, I have fooled you. My image is being beamed to you through a waveavatronic electron machine that causes you to see me although I am not here. That’s right: this is the future. This is one of the many future gadgets you will soon learn to enjoy. Future is my business, because I write fictionalized scientific, or as the kids call it nowadays, fi sci. And right now, I’m very honored to be, not physically but spectrally, among so many people that I admire, especially you, and you . . . and that hot chick over there—why are you even here? I would like to be with you physically, but I can’t, because I’m filming a movie that I feel certain will cause you to take this award back away from me.
But, if I could be there, I would probably say something exactly like what I am saying now. Which is simply that there is no bigger influence on my writing, really, than Ray Bradbury. He is the forefather of us in so many ways. Nobody made fi sci more human, more exciting, the horror, the engagement. It’s stayed with me my whole life, before Stephen King, before Frank Herbert, before so many people I admire, Bradbury was the first. This award is something that I will genuinely treasure when I actually get to be near it physically.
Thank you all. And now . . . I disappear.
AN APPRECIATION OF THE GRAND MASTER: HARRY HARRISON
TOM DOHERTY
H
arry Harrison—Grand Master, writer, critic, illustrator, friend. He has entertained us for over half a century. He’s been published in twenty-five languages. And he’s a creator of worlds and characters that will be long remembered.
arry Harrison—Grand Master, writer, critic, illustrator, friend. He has entertained us for over half a century. He’s been published in twenty-five languages. And he’s a creator of worlds and characters that will be long remembered.
In
Make Room! Make Room!
he made us consider the consequences of overpopulation and of our consumption of the world’s resources. The novel was the basis for the movie
Soylent Green
. I never thought the movie did justice to the book, but it was still good enough to win the 1974 Nebula Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Make Room! Make Room!
he made us consider the consequences of overpopulation and of our consumption of the world’s resources. The novel was the basis for the movie
Soylent Green
. I never thought the movie did justice to the book, but it was still good enough to win the 1974 Nebula Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Over the years, Harry has excited us with the hardest of hard science fiction—and spoofed the same genre with his
Bill, The Galactic Hero
series. He’s combined adventure with humor in the tales of Slippery Jim diGriz,
The Stainless Steel Rat
, the first of which he sold to John W. Campbell for
Astounding
in 1957, thereby initiating a long and productive relationship. It’s his longest-running and probably his most famous series, and he’s currently polishing the first draft of its latest installment, the novel
The Stainless Steel Rat Returns
, which we plan to publish at Tor next year. Among his many other memorable works are the disaster novel
Skyfall
, the Deathworld series with its endless and harrowing struggle for human survival, and the marvelous parallel worlds of the Eden series and
The Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!
Few have produced such quality at such range over such an extended period of time.
Bill, The Galactic Hero
series. He’s combined adventure with humor in the tales of Slippery Jim diGriz,
The Stainless Steel Rat
, the first of which he sold to John W. Campbell for
Astounding
in 1957, thereby initiating a long and productive relationship. It’s his longest-running and probably his most famous series, and he’s currently polishing the first draft of its latest installment, the novel
The Stainless Steel Rat Returns
, which we plan to publish at Tor next year. Among his many other memorable works are the disaster novel
Skyfall
, the Deathworld series with its endless and harrowing struggle for human survival, and the marvelous parallel worlds of the Eden series and
The Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!
Few have produced such quality at such range over such an extended period of time.
When I met my wife in Leningrad, back in the days of the old Soviet Union, he was one of the few American science fiction writers well known to her and her friends. Truly a man of the world, he had traveled in Russia and been published there when there was still an Iron Curtain. He’s been the honorary president of the Esperanto Association of Ireland. In our long friendship I’ve visited with him and with his lovely wife Joan in Mexico, in Ireland, in England, and at my own home on Long Island. They have also lived and worked in Italy, Denmark and, of course, in the United States. Wherever he’s lived, he’s always had stories to tell of his travels, his work, and the great people he’s worked with.
He started out in comics in the 1940s, working both as an illustrator and as a writer. In the 1950s and ’60s I loved his internationally syndicated
Flash Gordon
newspaper comic strips and those wonderful stories in
Astounding
. At the same time he did magazine illustrations and some covers. He edited magazines—the first issue of
Rocket Stories
, and for a short time
Amazing
and
Fantastic
. He edited books, including a number of distinguished anthologies alone and with Brian Aldiss. Along with Brian he raised the level of science fiction criticism. Most of all he wrote
wonderful stories.
To be proclaimed a Grand Master is a very special thing and I am delighted it has come to so special a man.
Flash Gordon
newspaper comic strips and those wonderful stories in
Astounding
. At the same time he did magazine illustrations and some covers. He edited magazines—the first issue of
Rocket Stories
, and for a short time
Amazing
and
Fantastic
. He edited books, including a number of distinguished anthologies alone and with Brian Aldiss. Along with Brian he raised the level of science fiction criticism. Most of all he wrote
wonderful stories.
To be proclaimed a Grand Master is a very special thing and I am delighted it has come to so special a man.
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