Lab Journal Entry #1
May. 7th, 2014 11:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilOkay! Two readers are enough for me. :) Here's the first episode. A few notes: I don't know all the proper format and terminology for scripts/screenplays (and the centering doesn't always transfer well), so if you do, I apologize if my mistakes make your brain melt. Also, the intent was to post one entry a week, with a few exceptions. So, here we go.
"No Shortcuts"
Int., laboratory, well-lit but simply furnished. Pan over table and desk littered with well-used secondhand equipment and notebooks with rows and rows of close-written notes.
TORI (VO)
I don’t believe in shortcuts. Anything worth accomplishing requires hard, determined work. Sure, it’d be nice to discover a magic cure-all, but that’s not reality. That’s alchemy. Trying to turn lead into gold. Dr. Waldman, my advisor in graduate school, used to say that alchemists promised to perform miracles and ended up doing nothing, and in contrast, a true scientist never claims to achieve miracles but, with discipline and concerted effort, the results can be miraculous.
Cut to: Shot of old maps of the world, gradually becoming more modern and accurate until showing present-day atlas.
TORI (VO cont.)
The old explorers tried to find a shortcut across the ocean. They were sure if they just traveled far enough north, they’d discover that elusive passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was never there. How many people froze to death in search of something that didn’t exist? There are no shortcuts. But there are answers.
Cut to: Lab again, this time focusing on medical textbook.
TORI (VO cont.)
What the rest of the world perceives to be miracles – pacemakers, artificial limbs, in-vitro fertilization – are actually the result of long, careful research and experimentation, each scientist building on the foundation of those who came before. I consider it my privilege to offer my own contributions to that foundation.
Cut to: Finally, shot of TORI’s face, as she holds camera and directs it at herself. She is stiff but attempts a smile.
TORI
Hello. Welcome to my lab journal. (Clears throat, puts camera down so half her face is cut out of the shot) I’ve kept a journal for years, but recently I thought it might be useful to record it on camera, and share my thoughts with anyone who’s interested. If you have a similar interest in scientific inquiry, I believe you will find much of value in these videos. Thank you for watching, and – goodbye. (Mouth moves awkwardly, then she scrambles to shut off camera.)
"No Shortcuts"
Int., laboratory, well-lit but simply furnished. Pan over table and desk littered with well-used secondhand equipment and notebooks with rows and rows of close-written notes.
TORI (VO)
I don’t believe in shortcuts. Anything worth accomplishing requires hard, determined work. Sure, it’d be nice to discover a magic cure-all, but that’s not reality. That’s alchemy. Trying to turn lead into gold. Dr. Waldman, my advisor in graduate school, used to say that alchemists promised to perform miracles and ended up doing nothing, and in contrast, a true scientist never claims to achieve miracles but, with discipline and concerted effort, the results can be miraculous.
Cut to: Shot of old maps of the world, gradually becoming more modern and accurate until showing present-day atlas.
TORI (VO cont.)
The old explorers tried to find a shortcut across the ocean. They were sure if they just traveled far enough north, they’d discover that elusive passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was never there. How many people froze to death in search of something that didn’t exist? There are no shortcuts. But there are answers.
Cut to: Lab again, this time focusing on medical textbook.
TORI (VO cont.)
What the rest of the world perceives to be miracles – pacemakers, artificial limbs, in-vitro fertilization – are actually the result of long, careful research and experimentation, each scientist building on the foundation of those who came before. I consider it my privilege to offer my own contributions to that foundation.
Cut to: Finally, shot of TORI’s face, as she holds camera and directs it at herself. She is stiff but attempts a smile.
TORI
Hello. Welcome to my lab journal. (Clears throat, puts camera down so half her face is cut out of the shot) I’ve kept a journal for years, but recently I thought it might be useful to record it on camera, and share my thoughts with anyone who’s interested. If you have a similar interest in scientific inquiry, I believe you will find much of value in these videos. Thank you for watching, and – goodbye. (Mouth moves awkwardly, then she scrambles to shut off camera.)
