Z&B Episode 6: Run! Away! GUMBALL!
[Exterior wide sweeping view] A raised stage has been erected in a grassy park next to a parking lot. A six-foot-tall glass ball full of gumballs is prominently displayed on the stage, along with a sign saying, "Guess how many". It has a very small hole in the top, through which gumballs could be added or removed one-by-one. A crowd of gumball enthusiasts, mostly costumed anime girls and fanboys, standing about on the stage admires and stares at the marvel. In front of the stage, Buff is the lone person standing on the grass facing the stage. Next to him is a chest-high pedestal with papers on it.
[Zoom to follow action] On the stage, among the crowd of gumball enthusiasts, Zoot carefully measures the diameter and spacing of the gumballs with a yardstick. She concentrates to perform difficult calculations in her head.
[Face and chest] Buff stands on the grass in front of the stage unimpressed with the marvel. He glances at the 3x5" index cards on the pedestal next to him, some with a few words and numbers written. In a moment he quickly picks up a card, revealing a small pencil under it, makes a wild guess...
[extreme closeup] ...and writes on the card "999,999 BUFF".
[Return] He casts the card onto the other cards on the pedestal. Something catches his serious attention.
[Rear view, waist to ground, slow zoom in] On the front of the stage is a placard saying, "SAFE WORKING LOAD 2000 LBS"
[Head to waist] Buff is alarmed. He looks up and starts to count the people, quickly pointing to them one-by-one.
[Face] Zoot writes on a similar card with a similar pencil. Then she notices him and is curious what the problem is. She looks down.
[closeup] The stage under the ball starts to deform downward. <creaking sounds>
[head to waist] People crowded on the wooden platform one by one look down at their feet and become alarmed as they notice it start to bend under the weight.
[rear view, head to knees] Buff quickly takes the pedestal and moves it aside, then strikes a powerful pose in front of the ball.
[dolly to the side] The ball rolls toward Buff slowly. He steps into a powerful Olympic pose and catches it with a serious expression as he turns his head to the side. It dawns on him that the ball is still rolling forward only slower, and his expression turns to comical disappointment. He collapses under its weight off camera.
[face] Zoot is worried and steps forward.
[rear head to waist, dolly forward to follow action] Zoot and crowd approach the front of the warped stage until they can see that the ball is still rolling, now on the grass, and Buff was harmlessly smashed into the turf under it.
[head to waist] A bit angry, Buff pulls his head out of the depression and sees a gumball was deposited onto his navel. He picks it up, unhappy. A woman's feet can be seen to walk up to him. Her hand takes the gumball from him. He looks up at her.
[head to waist] The bespectacled woman regards the gumball...
[extreme closeup, narrow field of view] ...and writes the number "1" on it with a large marker. (Out of focus, Buff can be seen slowly extracting himself from the soft ground.)
[return] Then she tosses the numbered gumball to her assistant who catches it in a large empty paper shopping bag which he is holding in front of him. They both turn in the direction of the rolling ball, grow worried, and step off camera toward it.
[front of stage] Buff is getting to a crouch. Zoot helps him up. The crowd slowly climbs down off the stage.
[head to chest] Zoot and Buff look in the distance, worried. They look at each other. With determination, they run off camera.
[rear wide crane view] As the stage empties of people (foreground), Zoot runs to the parking lot as Buff runs toward the still rolling ball. Buff quickly passes the official and her assistant who are stopping to pick up each gumball that falls out of the ball as it rolls, making a trail of gumballs.
[from ground looking upward] The official crouches down to pick up a gumball off the ground and marks a number on it (perhaps "4") as Buff runs past her in the background out of focus. She tosses the numbered gumball to her assistant who catches it in the grocery bag.
[continuous, rise up to chest height] The official stands, looks at the still retreating ball, and takes a deep breath. The assistant looks at the ball and his sack and worries that he will need a much bigger bag. The other contestants group around them and follow with interest when the official and assistant step off camera toward the ball.
[wide crane view] The ball rolls down the street, hitting many cars along the way, bouncing like a pinball. <pinball sound effects>
[dolly side view, tracking the action] Buff stops at one car with a dent in the fender. The occupants are angry. Buff reaches under the fender and pops out the dent. The occupants are less angry as Buff hurries past them. The next car has a dent in the hood, and equally upset occupants. Buff again reaches under the wheel well, further this time, and pops out the dent in the hood of the car. The occupants are relieved but confused by the ball's presence.
[front head to waist, slowly zoom out then in to follow action] Buff is running forward with determination. <honk> He glances behind him to see Zoot driving the convertible up behind him. He falls back onto the hood of the car and braces himself for a rough ride. She hands him a flashing red dome light over the windshield. He regards it. He slaps it onto the front of the hood like a hood ornament, where it magnetically sticks.
[side view driver] While driving, Zoot taps her watch and says something to it.
[Head to knees] Further down the street, a pair of uniformed beat cops respond to their watches beeping and flashing.
[continuous dolly and zoom out to follow action] The police run into the busy street and gesture for all the cars pull to the sides just in time for the gumball ball (now only half full) to roll through damaging nothing.
[Windshield front view] Buff plops down in the passenger seat. Zoot and BUFF speed forward.
[insert random encounters as desired to fill time]
[faces] Zoot and Buff are surprised by something they see in front of them.
[wide view, zoom forward along the street] Although the ball is rolling at a walking/jogging speed, far in the distance it can be seen that the road has been blocked off for two special events. In the left lane, a banner says, "TRAMPOLINE SALE", while in the right lane, a banner proclaims, "FABERGE EGGS FESTIVAL". Many people attend each event, unaware of the ball rolling toward them.
[faces] Zoot and Buff are disheartened, then they look at each other, then Zoot climbs out of the car. The seatbelt stretches to impossible length. Buff slides over to the driver's seat unfazed.
[closeup, canted angle] Zoot, perched sidesaddle on the driver's door, presses a button on her stylish boots. Bright wheels emerge from the soles. She leaps to the street while gripping the seatbelt with one hand.
[front view dolly] Rolling beside the car, Zoot pulls the seatbelt off her shoulder with her right hand while removing and donning her fedora hat with the left as the seal belt passes over her face.
[face] Buff looks at her.
[face] She looks at him, then ahead.
[closeup] Buff's bare foot floors the gas pedal then lets up.
[front view dolly] The car pulls ahead of Zoot, stretching the seatbelt, then slows, slingshotting Zoot forward ahead of the car.
[side dolly view] Zoot shoots past the ball, rolls in front of it, gradually slows and carefully leans her left shoulder into the rolling ball to deflect it to the other lane.
[head to knees] Crowd carrying Faberge Eggs are fearful, turn to watch danger pass them, are relieved, then worry about what they are now seeing.
[head to knees] Zoot is frightened by something up ahead and screeches to a halt. Behind her, Buff slows the convertible.
[wide side view] The ball rolls into a large tilted trampoline, <boing> bounces straight up, lands on the same trampoline a moment later, and <boing> bounces back the direction from whence it came.
[head to knees, dolly forward to follow action] Zoot dodges to the side off screen as the ball rolls past. Buff turns the convertible harshly <tires screech> and misses the ball.
[face] Zoot is very worried.
[Face and knuckles] Buff is very worried as background behind him is a whirling blur.
[wide view] <brakes screech> Convertible screeches to a halt perfectly parallel parked in a very tight gap between two other parked cars.
[Face and knuckles] Buff is relieved, then he sees something frightening.
[wide view up street] Ball rolls back where it came from, uphill. Official and crowd see it coming back and part like the Red Sea.
Ball leaves a second trail of gumballs. They stare at it a moment. Then official resumes counting and crowd surrounds her again.
[wide view] Buff hops out of the car while Zoot rolls up and skillfully stops her skates.
[closeup] Official picks up another gumball and writes a six-digit number on it.
[continuous, lift up to see background] The lone ball stops rolling uphill then starts to roll back toward them.
[head to waist] Zoot and Buff watch in mild horror. Then Zoot and Buff wave at crowd.
[head to ground] Crowd sees them, all blink in unison, all turn around, all jump a bit startled, and the crowd parts again just in time for the ball to roll through harmlessly. The ball leaves a third trail of gumballs in the street.
[wide view up street] Zoot and Buff see it coming at them again, run and grab the trampoline, one on each side. They slide it directly in front of the oncoming ball in the background. Their eyes follow it as the ball hits the trampoline, bounces up, <boing>, lands on the trampoline again, <boing> and bounces again rolling uphill. In the distance, the official appears to again be crouching counting gumballs surrounded by the interested crowd. The crowd parts again just in time for the ball to roll past them harmlessly.
[head to waist of trampoline] Zoot and Buff step together squinting into the distance, disapprovingly, both gesture hands in rolling motions. (Zoot and Buff remind them that it will roll back downhill again.)
[head to ground] Crowd sees them, all blink in unison, all turn around, they are not startled this time, and the crowd parts again just in time for the ball to roll through harmlessly. The ball leaves a fifth trail of gumballs in the street.
[side view head to knees] This time, Buff is ready to catch it. Zoot prepares to shoulder it. <heroic music> The ball rolls into scene. Upon impact, the ball comes to an instant stop, (it now appears empty) and Zoot and Buff are knocked backward offscreen. <crash of cue ball hitting billiard balls>
[side view] Zoot and Buff fall sideways into the trampoline akimbo, bounce up slightly and flop to a stop.
[low view under trampoline toward crowd] One of Buff's bare feet slide off trampoline to ground. Then the other. Then Zoot's hat. The Zoot's hand slowly reaches down, picks up hat, and retrieves it.
[head to toe] Zoot and Buff lay on the trampoline, limbs all willy nilly, and blink once.
[helicopter view looking down at street] From the sky, the crowd can be seen to follow the trail of gumballs as it doubles back on itself a few times. At each gumball, the crowd stops a moment, then zips quickly to the next one. Eventually they reach the ball and trampoline.
[close to ground] At the base of the ball, the official sees the ball has only one remaining gumball. She pushes the ball slightly, and the last gumball falls out. The official reaches for the last gumball from the ball.
[head to toe] Zoot and Buff lie there on the trampoline, (she is upside down), take a deep breath, and blow it out with puffy cheeks, exhausted.
[closeup] The official numbers the 999,999th gumball
[head and shoulders] She tosses it to the assistant who catches it in the stuffed full sack. She turns her head to look at the sack. The official notices that the sack is much smaller than the ball. She looks accusingly at the assistant. The assistant chews gum. All the contestants are chewing gum. She realizes where all the other gumballs went. She does not approve. She flips through a stack of index cards at amazing speed until she stops at the winning card. She flips it around, showing that the card says, "999,999 BUFF".
[head to head] Buff is happily surprised. Zoot is not.
[side, head to waist] Smiling Buff pops up to the official. Dollar, bitcoin, and yen symbols dance around his head. After a moment's pause, the official turns, grabs the bag of gumballs, and hands it to Buff.
[head to waist] Buff is disappointed and unimpressed by the prize. Zoot slides in next to him smiling. He tilts the bag to her. She happily takes a gumball. He tilts the bag the opposite direction. A hand reaches in and takes a gumball. He starts to smile. He rotates the bag slowly, and hands come in from all sides to take one.
[crane view] All the crowd of gumball enthusiasts and some Faberge Egg collectors and trampoline salesmen are standing around Buff smiling and chewing gum. Buff waves the empty bag to make sure they are all taken. All are happy now.
[pull back and fade to black]
Plot type
Episode
Parent Plot
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