Lend A Hand Project Outline

Outline: Lend A Hand Children’s Television Special Written by Casey Berna
First Scene:
The Main Characters are all hanging out in their usual spot after a major storm has hit. Their surroundings are clearly disheveled, but nothing is drastically wrong. Mama Bird, and her three Baby Birds enter, distraught. She tells the main characters that the storm destroyed the Bird Family house. They need their house fixed before dark or they will have nowhere to sleep. Main characters come up with the idea to help rebuild Mama Bird’s house. Mama Bird is grateful and takes them to their destroyed house.

Second Scene: LEND A HAND
At the start of the song, the singer is playing the guitar and singing, while kids are dancing around. As the song progresses, still pictures appear showing a Habitat for Humanity build. There are breaks in the pictures to show the kids dancing. Eventually, a complete Habitat build is shown. Link to listen to "Lend a Hand":
http://www.geniusstrikes.com/lendahandproject/01_Lend_a_Hand.mp3

Third Scene: IT”S FUN TO BE KIND
These lyrics are to the music of, “Jump in The Line”, by Harry Belafonte. I think it would be good to have one dynamic puppet singing the song, and for other puppets to help out act the verses with that puppet. For the chorus, I picture the main puppet dancing around and singing along with different celebrity guest stars. (Sort of like the video for “Put Down The Duckie”)

Fourth Scene: A poem, A Piece of Peace
The poem, A Piece of Peace, is read with Mexican instrumental music playing the background. The visual is a cartoon of a character walking through what is similar to Chicano park in San Diego. The character finds a piece of peace that has fallen off one of the murals and puts it on her heart. As she is transformed by the "piece", she passes picnickers in the park as the park transforms into an urban street, where she sees people in the neighborhood. The neighborhood transforms into a depiction of a beautiful clean earth (an Eden type place), drawn in the same style and colors of all the murals and she soaks in the beauty and peace of the world which is where it ends.

Fifth Scene:
We see the main characters walking along with Mama Bird and the baby birds. They get to Mama Birds house and see the terrible damage that has been done. They are all sad. They ask Mama Bird what can be done to help. Mama Bird shows them a picture of how the house used to look. She then gives them directions on how to start. They sing “Rally Song” as they get started rebuilding. Link to listen to "Rally Song":
http://www.geniusstrikes.com/lendahandproject/01_Rally_Song.mp3

Sixth Scene: A poem, Incurable Optimist
The poem Incurable Optimist is read with instrumental music playing in the background. The visual is a character who sees an incurable optimist on a “main street” type place. The Main character eventually becomes another Incurable Optimist.


Seventh Scene: “Lemonade Stand”
With instrumental music playing softly in the background, the viewers here the voice of a young girl describing the video being shown, her and her sister selling lemonade to raise money for a children’s hospital. We find out that her sister had to stay in the same hospital when she was little and every year they set up a lemonade stand in front of their house to raise money for it. We see them making the lemonade, setting up the stand, and selling it to people coming by. Then we see them go to the hospital and drop off what they raised.

Eighth Scene:
As we check in with our main characters, they are sitting eating the lunch that the baby birds helped to make everyone. The baby birds made them their favorite family recipe. The Bird family shares stories about their family, traditions and the culture that is in their house. One of the main characters talks about how great it is that they are making progress on the build of their home and how the Bird family should be in by tonight. He talks about how in some places around the world many animals are losing their homes permanently.

Ninth Scene: SAY HEY FOR HOPE- a song to promote awareness about endangered species
These lyrics written are to the music of “Say Hey” by Michael Franti and Spearhead. I picture only puppets of endangered species to perform this song. I picture rich scenery depicting each environment of all the characters that are endangered.

Tenth Scene: a poem, The Endangered Species Alphabet
We are taken through the words of the poem as the viewer sees a rich cartoon depicting each animal talked about.

Eleventh Scene: “Community Garden”
With instrumental music playing softly in the background, the viewers hear the voice of a young boy, describing the video being shown, his experience planting flowers and cleaning up an urban community garden.

Twelfth Scene: RECYCLE
Written lyrics are to the music of “Get a Job” by The Silhouettes. As we here the song we see the video of a young people in their different environments recycling. Putting bottles and paper in bins and then taking bins to the garbage men outside of their house. Also, kids recycling in their apartment buildings. We can also see kids recycling in their schools. We also can watch families taking bottles back to the supermarket.

Thirteenth Scene: A poem, The Universal Language
The poem, The Universal Language, is read with instrumental music playing the background. The visual are pictures of smiles, hands holding, people hugging of all different races, nationalities, and ages.

Final Scene:
The final scene brings us back to our main characters and the Bird Family. We see them complete the last part of their house together. The bird family is grateful, the main characters are grateful too. Everyone is happy and had a great time together. They sing Rally Song Reprise all together.