06x01 - The Bionic Bunny Show

[bunniefuu]

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

♪ Butterfly in the sky ♪

♪ I can go twice as high ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can go anywhere ♪

♪ Friends to know ♪

♪ And ways to grow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can be anything ♪

♪ Take a look ♪

♪ It's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

Hi!

Welcome to
the starship enterprise

From the television show

Star trek,
the next generation.

You might have seen me here

As lieutenant geordi la forge,
the ship's navigator,

But I'll bet you
haven't seen this before.

None of this
appears on the show,

But without it,
there wouldn't be

A star trek,
the next generation.

What you see on screen
isn't the whole story.

This book
is about the people, time,

And energy it takes to make
a tv show about a rabbit

Who becomes a super hero
in the bionic bunny show.

The bionic bunny show!

By...

"Good morning," said wilbur.

"You're late,"
grumbled the director.

Wilbur had ten minutes
to get made up,

Go to wardrobe,
and learn his lines.

"Hold still," said maxine,
the make-up woman.

"Making you look
strong and smart

Isn't easy," she joked.

With skill,
the wardrobe department

Transformed wilbur
into the bionic bunny.

They snapped on his costume
with built-in muscles.

They tied his bionic sneakers
which made him taller.

They strapped on
his bionic wristwatcher

Which supposedly let him
see anything,

And they pulled on
his bionic ears,

Which supposedly
let him hear everything.

"Everyone on the set!"
Ordered the director.

"Speak up!"
Mumbled wilbur.

"I can't hear
with these ears on."

The crew switched on the lights
and tested the microphones.

They moved sets into place

And wheeled cameras
into position.

"Tilt camera one up
to make wilbur look taller."

"Wake up, wilbur!"
Called the director.

"Let's make television."

"And now..."
Said the announcer,

"With a wiggle of his ears,

"The one who makes
the impossible possible,

The bionic bunny!"

This is
a stick-up.

Oh, dear.

Nobody's
goin' nowhere.

We've been robbed!
Help!

So long, suckers!

Ouch!

"Cut!"
Shouted the director.

"What's the matter, wilbur?"

[Wilbur]
"I need a band-aid."

"If those bricks were real,

You'd need more than
a band-aid," said the cameraman.

"Action!"

"Cut!" Called the director.

"Wilbur, you should
know your lines.

It amazes me
you even remember your name."

The scriptman
from the control room said,

"Drop those g*ns
you rotten robber rats!"

"Ready... Action!"

"Cut!"
Called the director.

"Set up the bionic leap."

"Wilbur, pose for three sh*ts.

"Remember, just look
like it's easy.

"The editor
will make it look like

You did it yourself."

...boing!

Boing!

Boing!

I see everything
except those robbers.

I'll tune them in
on my bionic wristwatcher...

I have a plan
that will cook their goose.

Aargh...

"Cut!" Screamed the director.

"Help! I'm drowning!

I can't swim!"

"This is a storm,
not a tornado!"

Yelled the director.

"Control room,
less thunder and lightning."

"Prop department,

Bring out the
giant cat balloons."

Meow.

Mee-ow.

Meoow!

"Cut!"
Announced the director.

"Another show finished.
Good work, cast.

"Wilbur, make sure
you know your lines tomorrow

"When the bionic bunny
meets the giant gerbils

From mars!"

"You're kidding!"
Groaned wilbur.

Wilbur said
a tired good night

And went to his dressing room.

He slipped off
his bionic sneakers,

Pulled off his bionic ears
and wristwatcher,

Hung up his costume
with the built-in muscles,

And headed home.

"Hello, dear," said his wife.
"Can you open this jar?"

"Twitch your nose, daddy,"
suggested the twins.

"Wiggle your ears,"
giggled the triplets.

Aargh...

Oooh...

"Look!" Cried the triplets.

"Bubba opened the jar.

"He didn't twitch his nose,
or wiggle his ears!

Ha ha ha!"

For every character on
the bionic bunny show,

There are many doing
their jobs behind the scenes.

It's the same on
star trek, the next generation.

You see the captain, geordi,
worf, counselor troi,

Data,

Commander riker.

They keep the ship
running at warp speed,

But there's
another group of people

That you never get a chance
to see... Until now.

Take the light up.

Ok, that's good.
Thank you.

This up to this?

Our day begins
in the make-up trailer,

Where we're transformed into
our characters for the show.

Some of us
change more than others.

Turning an actor into a klingon
takes a bit of doing.

It takes
two hours every morning

To transform my friend michael
into lieutenant worf,

Chief of security
on the enterprise.

Grrr.

Stand aside.
I take large steps.

At the set, we go over
the script with the director.

Everyone contributes ideas
to make the scene work.

So you get
a sense of...

Yeah,
build that.

Take
your best sh*t.

Ha ha ha!

All right.
Let's rehearse it.

Rehearsing
from the top...

Action.

During rehearsal,
the director blocks the action

And we practice the dialogue.

Here comes
johnathan...

How are our
quarrelsome guests?

Waiting
for you, sir.

A scout ship reported
two identical planets.

One will acquire
space travel.

There
are two centuries...

Rehearsal is going well,

So the director
begins final preparations

To sh**t the scene.

Roll in here...

He directs the cameramen
into position.

Sound is in place,
and lighting is adjusted.

Lose the signal.

The actors get ready

With a few
vital finishing touches.

Here we go.
Places, please.

The crew
has done a great job.

Now they look to us,
the actors,

To bring the scene to life.

Focus for the camera
is measured.

And... Roll, please.

We wait
for the director's cue...

Background...
Action, levar.

Solar flares
are increasing, captain.

The shields are shaky,
but holding.

How are our
quarrelsome guests?

They're waiting
for you, sir.

Tell us about
the inhabitants

Of this system.

Cut!

The scene is sh*t
from many angles.

The cameras are
rolled into a new position.

Props are moved out of the way.

We'll sh**t the scene
from a different point-of-view.

Jonathan,
take your position

For a second.

Rolling, please.

Backdrop... Action.

Here's what the cameraman
sees through his lens...

This is a master sh*t,

Meaning the major characters
are in the sh*t.

The only contact
was 200 years ago.

A ship reported
two planets.

Now, the captain's close-up.

Can you tell us
about the inhabitants?

Now riker's
reaction sh*t.

Not very much, sir.
The only contact...

And data's close-up.

The system
was 200 years...

And so it goes.

sh*t...

After sh*t...

After sh*t.

Backdrop... Action.

Close-ups, establishing sh*ts,
reaction sh*ts,

Two-sh*ts, zooms, pans,
wide angle sh*ts--

How do you make a show
out of all of this?

You take it to
an electronic editing house.

Solar flares
are increasing, captain...

We're at the post group
in hollywood, california,

Where post-production work

For star trek,
the next generation is done.

Rob legato is the show's
visual effects supervisor.

He's working with
the post-production team

On some scenes.

Welcome.
Hi, rob.

Levar, here's fred raimonoi
and rich thorne.

Hi, fred. Hi, rich.

What are these knobs?

Everything is
a remote control

For all the tape
machines downstairs.

Your keyboard is...

It's a computer that
lets me edit tape.

Let's edit
some film.

We're working
on scene 42,

The one with
the solar flares...

Ah, yes.
That's right.

What are we
doing first?

We'll cut to
the wide sh*t.

Editing film,
or videotape,

Is like putting
together a puzzle.

Each sh*t is
a piece of that puzzle.

The editor
rolls through the sh*ts,

And selects the ones
that best tell the story.

When the scenes are put
together, we have a show.

Solar flares increasing
in magnitude, captain...

Maintain.

How are our
quarrelsome guests?

They're waiting
for you, sir.

What can you tell
me about the inhabitants?

Not much, sir.

But what makes
star trek unique

Are those
amazing special effects.

Captain,
we're passing warp 10.

Rob and his team
create these effects

In some surprising ways...

Where does this
visual effects
process start?

It's starts
with the script.

They describe
a scenario,

And I decide what
I think it should be.

In this scene
the writer says,

"In the center
is a black box

With a
glowing light."

After I read that,

I decided to make
it 100-feet tall,

And I came up
with this.

In keeping
with the script,

We made an
octangularly shaped model

Out of
old model parts,

Like pieces from
aircraft carriers...

So, you can use
absolutely anything.

You can make
this two-foot object

Look like
it's 100-feet tall.

One special effect
that everybody loves

Is the
transporter effect--

Beaming in and out.

How is that done?

First, it may be
described in the script

As a sparkly pattern.

Then you figure out
how to make that pattern.

One way is to take
ordinary sparkles

And suspend them
with wind or in water.

Simply take
regular sparkles

And dump them
in a water t*nk,

Stir it up,
and film it

After it's stirred.

It looks like...

Look at that.

You can see those sparkles
in the beam-up effect.

Rob, that's amazing.

What's
this little guy?

This is
a model we built

For a matte painting
of the enterprise.

This scout ship was
built out of spare parts.

We added lights,
which we sh*t in smoke,

So beams
come out of it.

We flew that in front
of this enterprise painting.

I know you like
what you do.

I bet
you're wondeng

Where the real
enterprise is.

Earlier, rob took
me to image g,

Where the
enterprise lives.

So this is
the enterprise.

How big is it?

Six feet.

Why is the
ship upside down?

So you can sh**t
the bottom of the ship

For when
it comes overhead.

You flip the
camera upside down...

And it looks
right side up.

The camera is
actually moving around.

To make
the ship move

Is not to move
the ship.

We just move
the camera.

When you put it
against the star field,

It appears that
the ship is flying.

The camera
does all the work.

Now they'll put
the enterprise into space.

This, I want to see.

We've sh*t the model.
Now what?

We'll take
all the pieces

We've sh*t
of the model,

And make
one sh*t of it.

What's next?

There's the planet
and the stars,

And we'll put the
enterprise over that.

To insert the
enterprise into a sh*t,

We cut a hole
in the background.

We use a cookie
cutter of sorts.

Something
that looks like

A shape
of the enterprise.

A silhouette.

So we cut a hole
in the background.

Wow!

A shape
of the enterprise.

If we add
the enterprise
into that hole,

It looks like that.

Now, can you make
that image move?

Sure.

Whoa!

What did you think?

That was great.

Thanks, guys.
I learned a lot.

You're welcome.

See you later.

Ok,
let's cut to the sh**t.

You got it.

Walking along the corridors
on this ship,

You begin to understand
the power it takes

To keep it running.

Let me
show you the engine.

This is the energy source
that powers the enterprise

As she explores
unknown worlds.

Something else can help you
explore the universe.

Books.

If you liked
the bionic bunny show,

Then these three will take you

"Where you've never
gone before."

Lights!

Camera!

Action!

Hi, my name
is jonathan rameau.

I read this great book
called lights, camera, action!

It tells you
how movies are made.

The three steps are...
Pre-production,

Production,

And post-production.

If I worked in the movies,
I'd like to be a director.

You get to tell
people what to do.

So if you'd like making
movies, this book's for you.

Cut! Print it!

Where would 105 men and women

All dressed
in black and white,

Go to play
in the middle of the night?

To the philharmonic!

That's what
this book tells about.

It's called
the philharmonic gets dressed.

The 105 men and women
are members of an orchestra.

Before the performance,
they bathe, dress,

And get their
instruments ready.

Everyone comes early
to practice.

I play the piano.

I know what it's like
to play in front of an audience.

I get butterflies
in my stomach,

But I love
that special feeling.

I'm de'adre avery.

If you want an idea

Of what that
special feeling is like,

Read the philharmonic
gets dressed.

Hey! Don't touch that dial!

My name is george.

I have a great book
to tell you about.

It's called ramona: behind the
scenes of a television show.

It's about
how a tv show was made.

It tells how
scripts were written

And how the cast was chosen,
like ramona.

The pictures show
every step in production,

Including how
the sets were built,

And how the show
was put together by an editor.

This book
is challenging to read.

It's a chapter book filled
with information and pictures.

Check it out.

You know, things on the set
don't always go... Perfectly.

The freighter's
temperature is critical.

We're losing
the freighter.

Beam them now--
sooner--

When I can
give the order!

Cut!

We can't attach the...
What's the name?

We're not
able to attach--

Cut!

We're not able...

Sorry, gentlemen.

Ooh!

Ha ha ha!

Chuck! Chuck!

Ha ha ha!

We have fun,
and when we're finished,

We've made
a show we're proud of.

You can turn on
your tv

And enjoy a story
told by experts,

Or you can be the expert
by picking up a book.

By reading a book,
you're the producer, the actor,

Even the special effects
magician.

You bring the book to life
in your imagination.

When you're looking for
behind-the-scenes adventure,

Pick up a good book.

One to beam down...

I'll see you next time.

Energize!

Today's reading rainbow books
are

The bionic bunny show,

By marc brown
and laurene krasny brown,

Published by atlantic
monthly press,

Little, brown and company.

Lights! Camera! Action!

By gail gibbons,

Published by
thomas y. Crowell.

The philharmonic
gets dressed,

By karla kuskin,
illustrated by marc simont,

Published by harper & row.

Ramona: behind the scenes
of a television show

By elaine scott,

Photos by margaret miller,

Published by
morrow junior books.