LOGLINE
Long after the internet finally died, a group of teens find out why it was bad enough to lock away, but not bad enough to burn.
Elevator Pitch
It’s the year 3098, exactly three-hundred years after the internet was officially nailed into its coffin. But, after a leaked meme from the old, banned archives, a group of teens go on a search to find the legendary, old, forbidden fruit. Their search takes them to an abandoned steel lab in the deep middle of a forest wherein lies the internet, locked into a black box in a back room. They scroll through the archives and find everything from the beginning of the internet to its end: old memes, the first viral YouTube channel, Tumblr text posts, everything. Beyond the novelty of it, though, is all the dark reasons why the internet was banned and they realize it’s best for it to stay locked away, but there were parts of it good enough to leave it without burning it forever. They lock up the old lab and leave it behind… except for one who sneaks back to save a harddrive of old comedy videos. “This is definitely worth saving and remembering.” He says. It has a strong “Back to the Future” vibe, but coming-of-age 90’s.
SYNOPSIS
The internet has been banned for the past 300 years, but the whispers still go around about the legendary archives. However, it has remained shrouded… until now, when an anonymous person shares an old meme post to the communal ether.
A group of teens sees it before it’s taken down and, excited about a glimpse into the past, they decide to track it down and find the internet.
Their little team consists of four college-age kids and a 25-year old tech whiz. Throughout a series of tips, research, and a lot of big guesses, they’re led to the middle of a forest at one a.m. where stands an old, abandoned, steel lab, dilapidated and untouched for maybe centuries.
They break in with little effort and step into the cold, dusty, yet sterile halls. With the lights somehow still faintly working, they find their way to a back room with a rusted padlock protecting it.
Once they’re inside, they find a black box on a shelf, an old computer under the lab table, and a charging cord. They marvel over how retro it is and get it up and running.
Sorting through the entire history of the internet, they find memes, YouTube videos, Tumblr posts, Vine shorts and wonder why the internet was ever banned.
They’re then spooked by a crotchety old lab keeper who directs them to the dark corners of the internet, soon unearthed, and they realize it’s for the best to keep it locked in the black box, but collectively decide to not do away with it forever, because of the good bits of it.
They seal back up the old lab and make their way home, bittersweet but confident that it was best they return empty handed.
…However, one of them returns the following midnight with a thrifted harddrive and downloads some of the comedy videos, because those were good enough to keep.
The internet might not have been great, and the 90’s were right when they said it would be a fad, but there were some things worth remembering, though the whole of it is better off banned.
Notes
Technicalities
Locations:
– Requires 5 different bedrooms (we could possibly work out renting 1 airbnb and decorating the rooms as individual – but then that’s a lot of prop and decorations; or using our own apartment/dorm spaces).
– An abandoned building with hallways. I really want a cold lab-looking room.
– A forested area.
Costumes:
Costumes are casual, 90’s teen wear. Think like a letterman jacket for at least one of the boys, watches, one or two characters wearing a ballcap, etc.
Cast:
– We need 5 main cast
– A day-player janitor-esque character
Special Cast:
– 2-5 elders, if we want to have the characters talk with their grandparents about what rumors they remember about the internet – otherwise, we can go a tech route, and have the 25yr old tech savvy character literally track down wifi signals, leading them on a cool adventure. We could also do a mix of those two.
Props:
– Two computers & a charging cord
– A black box (like a cash box)
– A thumbdrive
– A lab table for the lab room
– A Corkboard, pushpins, and notebook paper
A.M.M. Scripts 