SCRIPT

MUCH OF THE FILMING UP TO 14. IS SHOT WIDE-ANGLE, ‘TABLEAU VIVANT’, INTERSPERSED WITH CLOSE-UPS.

2. The PHYSICIAN, periwigged, sits in a chair, one trouser leg rolled up, his foot in a wooden bucket of water. He is cracking bird’s eggs into a bowl on his knees.

His APPRENTICE, Harvey, similarly wigged, sits on a stool nearby, coiling copper wire onto an iron ring.

PHYSICIAN:
What’s this? An egg?
(turning)
Harvey, in the name of Gallileo, shall we spark up this
red rag or do I live rude only to swallow my own clapper?

3.Taking two coins, one brass, one silver, the Physician dips them in the eggs. Harvey passes him the end of the wire. Extruding his tongue, the Physician fastens the coins either side of it by coiling the wire around them. He ties his jaw tight to his head with a strap.

4. Thus muted, the Physician motions to Harvey who rises from the chair and rolls up his sleeves.

5.They cross the room together to the Electrical Generator. The Physician drags the bucket of water along the floor with his foot, the wire connecting his tongue to the iron ring carried by Harvey.

6.The Physician places his hands onto the Electrical Generator’s glass ball. Harvey hooks the wire over a chain, suspending the iron ring over the glass ball. Taking position, Harvey spits on his hands and starts to crank the wheel.

7. CUT TO: A darkened asylum ward. Electricity from the Laboratory next door creates dramatic flashes of light that project bars across a wall. There is enough light to reveal piles of straw that stir slightly.

PRODUCTION. Light effect made in situ: a fast strobe is pointed through a ‘bars’ template.

8.CUT BACK TO LAB: In CU: The glass ball with hands rubbing it as it spins. Electricity crackles inside the ball.

PRODUCTION: Crackling electricity created in situ. by filming close ups to a commercially available ‘Electrical Storm’ ornament/gadget.

9. Wide angle: Harvey cranks the wheel as the Physician’s head, wired at the mouth, convulses. Sparks spit from the generator.

PRODUCTION: Sparks effect created in situ. using indoor firework (‘Roman Candle’).

10. Harvey suddenly stops cranking. The Physician, instantly released, staggers back across the Laboratory, his foot sloshing in the bucket until he falls to the floor.

11. The Physician lies face down full-length on the floor. Seen closer, his head is smoking.

PRODUCTION: effect created through tobacco smoke being released slowly from mouth.

12. Harvey leans over the Physician to whisper into his ear.

13. Turning slowly to camera, in CU, the Physician speaks, stammering:

‘Harvey . . . release my electrical creatures. . '

14. He gasps and then snuffs.

15. Harvey crosses himself and pulls a blanket over the body.

16. Harvey descends down spiral stairs to the basement. He reaches a heavy gothic-arched door in the corner. Taking a key hanging from the wall he sweepingly opens wide the door to the asylum, as if introducing the opening of a stage play. Direct to camera he delivers a kind of freakshow barkers spiel with theatrical flourishes:

HARVEY:

In the annals of Natural Physic, no endeavour is less bounded by possibility than the harnessing and trammeling of electrical fire. Resident at this Sanatorium,
(coughs discreetly)
are the remnants of people by whom the electrical charge would make whole again. Yes! These sturdy souls you are about to see, believe that a divine spark which will repair all flesh, can Manufacture itself through their own Willful Volition. Enter the Electricians!

17. CUT TO: The asylum ward’s dark interior, a shaft of light from the laboratory. Figures stir in the straw.

18. CUT BACK TO LAB: the door is framed, wide open. The camera, expectantly, is at a low angle face on to the door as one by one the five ‘Electricians’ enter the Lab on all-fours. They wear coarse shifts and their hair and nails are overgrown. Blinking in the light, they crawl mock-menacingly towards the camera.

(ENTRANCES devised by individual performers. Explicit reference is made to the storm scene in Todd Browning’s Freaks (1932).

19. The Electricians assemble at the Generator as if at some holy shrine, touching and stroking it fondly. They hug themselves, rubbing their hands in glee and excitement. Electricity is their addiction. Harvey busies himself wiring up the Generator again.

THE NEXT SECTION OF FILM (UP TO 28.) CONSISTS OF DEVISED PERFORMANCES BY INDIVIDUAL ‘ELECTRICIANS’. EACH PIECE IS BOTH OBSERVED AND ASSISTED BY THE WHOLE GROUP.

THE PERFORMANCE STYLE IS BURLESQUE, WITH FACE PULLING TO CAMERA, FIDGETING ETC.

THE FILMING STYLE (UP TO 28), IS HAND HELD CAMERA, PANNING JERKILY, TO REFLECT A SENSE OF CLAMOUR AND EXCITEMENT. THE CAMERA IS ACKNOWLEDGED AS A PHYSICAL PRESENCE IN THE GROUP.
SOME IDEAS/SUGGESTIONS FOR PERFORMANCES INCLUDE:

a). An Electrician, the MERMAID, climbs onto the swing that hangs near the Electrical Generator. Harvey connects chains from the Generator to the swing.

The other Electricians, gurning and laughing, take turns to push the Mermaid on the swing as Harvey cranks the Generator again. As electricity charges through the Mermaid, her hair stands on end and her swinging goes awry and flounders around. The swing slows and, evidently elated, she lowers herself to the ground.

PRODUCTION: A strobe light flashes in situ. to imply the electrical shocks. These flashes are matched at the editing stage with overlaid ‘masks’ of electrical bolts (low-budget effectiveness only!). These effects are repeated through the following performances, and we may also use indoor fireworks for ‘sparks’.

b). Harvey mounts a wooden stool. The Electricians attach chains to straps on his wrists. One of them takes on the cranking and the Generator spits sparks across the room. In CU from the knees down, Harvey’s feet, locked solid with electricity slowly leak blood from his shoes.
The cranking ceases and Harvey, woodenly and with a satiated fixed grin, is helped from the stool.

c) The EEL GIRL climbs onto a table-top and the Electricians crowd round. One of them goes to a large tank in one corner of the room. Wearing gloves s/he fishes in the tanks murky water to extract a large skate or ray. Another Electrician, similarly gloved, fishes out an electric eel. The fish squirm in their hands. They approach the reclining Eel Girl. They ‘apply’ the fish to her skin and she stiffens at the sudden electric current. The Electricians slap her with the fish as she shakes and tremors from the shocks.

d) Another Electrician, the ORACLE, takes a chain from the Electrical Generator and threads it through the gold earrings he wears. The chain passes through his teeth. The Generator is cranked. In CU, face on, his ear lobes flicker with an eery red light, cutting on and off as if sending out a signal.
He frowns, his eyes drifting as if listening for something.

PRODUCTION: Ears flash red using commercially available ‘Lite-Up Ears’ toy.

19. In CU to his eyes: the Oracle strains to listen. He squints, straining further. After a dramatic pause, a distant rumbling is heard, building to a loud clap of thunder. The eyes widen to fix the sound.

PRODUCTION: Sound sampled from sound-effects library or film.

20. The Electricians stare up at the roof, listening to the thunder rumbling. When it fades they point excitedly to the roof, imploring Harvey.

21. Harvey pulls down a heavy chain from the ceiling as lightning flashes through high windows into the Laboratory.

PRODUCTION: Strobe-light effect made in situ. The strobe operates overhead.

22.The group hugs each other gleefully before forming a circle around the hanging chain. Taking another chain they join themselves together tying it to straps around their wrists, feet and necks.

22.The group hugs each other gleefully before forming a circle around the hanging chain. Taking another chain they join themselves together tying it to straps around their wrists, feet and necks.

23. In the centre of the circle, Harvey takes six glasses and a bottle of wine. He hands the glasses out and pours wine for each of the Electricians and himself. He joins the circle, wrapping the chain around his waist as the thunder continues and lightning flashes to light the Laboratory.

24. THE FOLLOWING SCENE IS PLAYED WITH MUCH GURNING AND JOSHING AMONGST THE CIRCLE.
THE CAMERA IS HAND-HELD INSIDE THE CIRCLE AND PANS ROUND AS IF DRUNK OR SEASICK:

Harvey proposes a toast: ‘Galileo Galilei!’. There is giggling as the group swallows the wine in a single draft. Another bottle is found and one of the Electricians proposes a new toast: ‘Alexander Volta!’. Again, merriment followed by a draft of wine. The toasts continue round the circle: ‘Benjamin Franklin!’ (someone blows a raspberry). Grandly: ‘Otto Von Guerricke of Magdeburg!’ (spluttering laughter). A new bottle, inebriation setting in: ‘Um,. . . Francis Hawkesbee!’ (some guffaws). Another toast, hushed: ‘Professor Richman’: the group fall serious, look down at the floor and cross themselves. Finally, the last Electrician, for an inebriated crescendo, yells up to the ceiling: ‘Luigi Galvani!’ Everyone tosses back the remains of the wine, laughing.

25. A thunderbolt and flash of lightning seemingly nearby. The circle looks expectantly up to the ceiling. A pause.

PRODUCTION: increase volume for strobe light.

26. Lightning outside builds in volume until a violent flash of light explodes. The group, holding hands in the circle, convulse wildly together for a few seconds, sparks firing all around.

PRODUCTION: Indoor fireworks create flare and sparks.

27. The lightning abruptly cuts out leaving the Electricians lying flat on their backs on the floor.

28. The storm has abated. The Electricians’ prone bodies, close by each other, are seen in wide-angle with candle-light only.

THE FINAL SECTION OF FILM (2 mins approx.) IS SHOT WITH THE CAMERA HAND-HELD AND CIRCULATING ABOVE THE ELECTRICIANS LYING FLAT ON THE FLOOR. WE SEE ONLY FRAGMENTED BODY PARTS IN THE FRAME (REF. TO END SEQUENCE OF FLAMING CREATURES BY JACK SMITH (1962).

29. An arm, sleeved. A pale blue light flickers through the sleeve. In slow motion a burning blue light bulb emerges from the sleeve and is grasped by the hand. It glows brighter.

PRODUCTION: effect made in situ. Cool lightbulbs are hidden amongst clothing. They light up (using a volume control) and are gently pulled (from out of frame) out of the Electricians’ clothing using transparent fishing line.

30. A foot. Small bulbs poke from between the toes. They glow slowly and softly into brightness. The foot moves in slow motion.

31. Repeat filming in (29 & 30) for various body parts: the mouth, a knee, an ear, an elbow, another hand.

PRODUCTION: much of this sequence (from 29.) is edited using SLOW MOTION, STOP-FRAME photography and overlaid FADE-IN / FADE-OUTS to create a collage effect.

32. In wider shot, the Electricians lie around, light bulbs burning from various body parts. The camera moves overhead among them.

33. Slowly, they stir.

34. A wide-angle group shot. The Electricians huddle together, bulbs burning. They arrange themselves to camera for final tableau vivant. Still image.

THE END.