Mr Gilbert
VIDEO SCRIPT/TREATMENT
On a sunny summers afternoon in an idyllic park not for from Brighton the eccentric Mr Gilbert is dragging a giant old chest across the landscape.
When he finally gets to the centre of the park on the crest of the hill he stops and puts the chest down. He wipes his brow with a handkerchief and looks around, assessing the lye of the land. He then proceeds to open the majestic chest and out of it like a very rehearsed magician pulls out two little tables, and one well sculpted chair.
He then reaches into the chest again and pulls out a checkered table cloth, and an ornate cup and saucer. He casually sits down and tends to his smoking pipe. He goes to light it but before he gets a chance a kettle starts whistling from inside the chest, with steam bellowing out from bellow.
Again he goes over to the chest and from it this time pulls out the kettle and casually pours himself a cuppa. With his pinky finger out, satisfied with his earl grey he takes a match, lights his pipe and enjoys a good old puff. Smiling and content he goes back over to the chest and out of it pulls a giant ornate gramophone type machine.
He puts it on the other table, and admires it. It's a magnificent thing, dusty, old and loved, with a soul of it's one. It's made from a rich mahogany, with buttons, dials, switch, gadgets and gizmos all over it. He looks at it again, puffs his pipe, and goes back to the chest.
He delves deep into the chest, rummaging around to find something. Mr Gilbert pulls out a dusty old record, blows off a thick layer of dust and smiles. The record has the playgroup festival logo on it. He has another puff on his pipe, smoothly flips the record in his hand and puts it on the chunky turn table. He then spends some time fiddling with all these shinny buttons, switches and dials on the contraption. He winds it up with a giant gold crank, and goes to hit play. But before he does so he checks the volume, he notices it's only on 10, so he notches it up to 11 and hits play...
The record start to spin, and the most amazing magical ethereal sounds starts whirling around, the strings kick in, then the horns, the beats and the base. Mr Gilbert is looking exceedingly pleased with himself, he takes another puff of his pipe and twiddles his moustache. He gives a warm knowing nod at the camera and sits back and takes another sip of his earl grey....
Suddenly a life-size tin soldier pops his head out the box and looks around. The soldier scouts the land and commences to get out the box, bobbing his jolly old head to the beats and base. He gives Mr Gilbert a salute, and at which Mr Gilbert gives a friendly wink back. The funny thing is, this tin soldier looks remarkably like Mr Gilbert himself! Just a few moments later a rosy cheeked little doll piers up from within the box, who happens to look very much like our friend Twink! At site of the tin soldier she grins from ear to ear, hops out the box and runs over to him to give him a great big hug and lots of kisses. With that the pair start dancing together, all the while Mr Gilbert is sitting there smiling like a proud father, puffing his pipe.
Suddenly two big goggly eyes pier out the box, they look left, they look right and them a monster jump right out the box! This monster is green and blue with long shaggy hair, and it's crazy. When it hears the music it just can't stop jumping and spinning around like a kid with too much candy! Next from the magical box of wonders an amazing rusty old robot steps out, a real classic. It then proceeds to guess what... do the robot dance with kick-ass body popping moves! The next little thing to pop it's head out, is a beautifully sculpted wooden puppet girl. She gives a little wave to the monster, and the monster comes running over to give her a hand.
The monster delves deep into the box and finds her puppets strings and controls. With that he proceeds to lifts the puppet out with the string and starts dancing the puppet! From out of nowhere a lasso comes flying out of the box, and and lasso's the dancing doll. Who's it on the other end but our favourite drunken sleazy cowboy, finding his way to a slow dance with the doll! A dinosaur then peeks out the box, shows his scary teeth but then smiles. He sleeks out the box, stands on it's hind legs, roars, and proceeds to chase everyone around dancing as he goes! The Dancing doll dances over to the box and from it pulls an old brown teddy bear with button eyes. The bear clumsily hops about like a Russian dancing bear on hot plates!
At this point Mr Gilbert takes another sip of his earl grey, and another puff of his pipe. Looking happy with his work, he tends to his contraption, adjusting a few switches and buttons. The craziness continues! More and more magnificently forgotten toys keep climbing out the box, more tins soldiers, more monsters, more dolls, and cowboys and all. These weird and wonderful toys of all shapes and sizes are jumping and dancing around like crazy, free from their box. The music is getting faster, and heavier, and louder. It's like a primordial toy party with clans of toys dancing round and round, faster and faster.
Mr Gilbert drops a bigger beat and it seems nothing can stop this party. There are now hundreds of toys, all dancing round the crazy gramophone contraption, and more toys still clambering out the box. Our good friend Mr Gilbert is at the epicentre of the toy madness. At this he winks at the camera, drops one final beat and ends with a crescendo of horns, strings, cymbals and base. He salutes his toy box friends and the crowd goes wild, cheering, jumping, and screaming. The lost toys have been found and they are out to play!!!