Collaboration: Narrative Development

Following constructive tutorial feedback, our collaborative group decided to adapt our four scenarios into something more than basic. At this stage, the group felt as though our scenarios needed more substance, which could then be used as the foundations for better comedy.  I contributed to this stage of the project by writing an interpretation of a possible new approach to the storyboard and animatic we already had, which can be seen below. In my interpretation, I tried to identify some common themes and use these elements for repetition throughout the four scenarios. The key word was distraction, which is created by the use of Moom's Walkman. Under each of the four scenarios, I try to comment on the changes I had made to the originals, so the group could recognise the reasoning behind my changes. This document was presented to the rest of the group and further edits were done collaboratively. 

‘World’s Worst’ Summary – Linking the 4 scenarios with a common theme.

·        Distraction - In each scenario, Moom sabotages his jobs by becoming distracted by his Walkman. Moom is Anxious and meticulous by nature but becomes carefree and side-tracked by music. In each scenario, Moom is the culprit of a disaster, but doesn’t realise he’s the one to blame.

The Video Store

Moom dances to his Walkman as he wheels a cart of return cassettes around the video store, putting them back on shelves. Moom obliviously bashes the cart into displays as he parties to the Walkman music. The cart hits a video player display, reels of tape spit from the video player as Moom turns away, merrily dancing. Moom is unaware of the chaos as shelves fall and reels of cassette tape fill the room. Moom is so absorbed by dancing that he can’t see or hear the disastrous scene unfolding in the video store. He makes it worse by continuing to bash his cart into shelves and displays. Soon, all the shelves have fallen over. With his eyes closed, Moom still works on the returns, unaware that all the shelves have now toppled over. The cassettes therefore fall to the floor from moom’s hand. Moom eventually gets caught in the cassette tape spilling from the video player, he becomes tangled and left stranded hanging by his leg from the ceiling, finally noticing the mess.

~

In this scene, Moom’s Walkman prevents him from realising the video players are making chaos throughout the video store. If it weren’t for his Walkman, Moom would’ve noticed the problem immediately. Moom conveniently turns away from the chaos, avoiding painfully obvious opportunities to notice the situation. This creates comedic effect by playing on an audience’s expectations, subverting them by making Moom oblivious to the obvious.

 

The Rolling Waiter

Moom is feeling confident as he roller-skates around the diner with his Walkman blasting in his ears. His confidence is groundless; he’s an awful diner skater waiter. Moom collects customer orders on his tray and skates unsteadily to customer tables. As he travels, the contents of the tray spills over the floor, but Moom doesn’t realise. He arrives at a customer table and places an empty ice cream glass in front of the customer. Moom confidently smiles and skates away with terrible skill, leaving the customer angrily looking at the empty glass. Other waiters slip over the mess that Moom is leaving on the floor from his wobbly skating. Customers get angry at their empty plates and glasses; they stand and slip on the food covering the floor. Moom can’t hear the chaos through his loud Walkman music, he’s having a great time. Customers and diner colleague’s pile-up on the ground. Moom collects his next customer order and turns, finally noticing the carnage of burger and ice cream covered people covering the floor.

~

In this scene, Moom is convinced that he’s doing a good job. Yet again, Moom is infatuated with the music from his Walkman and doesn’t notice how awful he is at using roller-skates. The consequences of moom’s Walkman addiction (food covering the floor), gets him into trouble once more.

 

 

The Bell Hop

Moom is dancing to his Walkman in the foyer of a hotel, loading luggage onto a luggage cart. Completely distracted by the Walkman music, Moom has no regard for the luggage he is loading and grabs anything in his path. From pet crates to fragile luggage to instruments, anything nearby is loaded onto moom’s cart. Customers become confused and panicked as their luggage disappears from their side. Moom is unaware of the panic increasing around the foyer. Customers start trying to tackle Moom, thinking he’s a thief. Moom can’t be caught by customers as he dances to his Walkman, customers fall onto the luggage cart instead. Luggage spills over the foyer. Moom finally turns and looks at the luggage cart, which is now filled with angry people. Moom notices the clothing spilled around the hotel foyer, confused and unaware.

~

In this scenario, Moom’s Walkman causes havoc once again. Moom is a nimble dancer and can’t be caught by the angry customers who believe their luggage is being stolen. Moom is ignorant to the climaxing situation around him whilst listening to his Walkman. Moom is unintentionally the culprit once more.

 

The Laundromat

As always, Moom is dancing to his Walkman (he never learns his lesson!). Moom completes a detergent display as he works a shift in a laundromat. His display is complete, but he has detergent boxes left over. He decides to dispose of the detergent into washing machines that are currently in use. Moom dances around the room, pouring the detergent into the washing machines. Moom continues to dance passionately as the washing machines begin to strain behind him. The machines begin to judder violently but stop each time Moom turns around suspiciously. Each time Moom looks away, the machines swell more and eventually burst. A tsunami of water and foam fills the laundromat, Moom is swept away. Moom emerges from the bubbles wearing tennis rackets on his feet, goggles and hiking sticks, these are all collected from customer luggage. Moom escapes the foamy blizzard in a dramatic sequence choreographed to his Walkman music. Moom bursts out the Laundromat front doors as foam spills out the building. Moom is confronted by his boss on the street, framed as the perpetrator who destroyed the laundromat.

 

In this scene, Moom is suspicious that an issue has risen after being involved in so many disasters in previous sequences. However, Moom is still too easily distracted and has poor judgement. Try as he might to, Moom still wreaks havoc in the laundromat. Since Moom never realises he’s to blame for disposing the detergent, he doesn’t realise the disaster is his fault yet again.

 

 

In all these scenarios, Moom’s Walkman is the cause of chaos. However, Moom is unable to realise he’s to blame, and therefore continues to enjoy his music. Moom is always framed as a criminal who intentionally sabotages his workplace, but this couldn’t be further from the truth; he’s just stupid. Moom never learns his lesson.