Our Fascinating Earth
A proposal for television
4700 Sterling Drive, Suite J
Boulder, CO 80301
303-545-9955, FAX
303-545-6658
Phillip Seff Ph.D.
Nancy Seff M.Ed.
Marcie B. (Bunnie)
Strassner (bunnie@fascinating.tv)
WGAw regis 1997 #817430
Copyright 1990 - all rights
reserved
At
a time when television seems more focused on science fiction than science,
tabloid rather than truth, recreations instead of reality, along comes a
program with fun, music, drama, excitement, unbelievable information and some
unexpected surprises -- all firmly rooted right here on terra firma. It’s a show for all ages, produced with
style, personality, and entertainment value.
It’s called
Based
on the series of books that the New York
Public Library voted one of the ten
best for families, and that is
featured at the Smithsonian
Institution’s Museum store in
Washington, DC, Our Fascinating Earth
will take ordinary ideas about Earth and show how they are actually incredibly extraordinary…
Conversely, we’ll examine some bizarre notions and demonstrate why they are not so far out.
Through
magazine style segments,
3D
computer animation,
contemporary
music,
historical
footage,
a
constantly evolving Website,
and
real life adventures,
we’ll
focus on the earth, its environments and it’s creatures.
We’ll
cover all ends of the earth through the help of:
Þ The US Geological Survey
Þ The Museum of Natural History
Þ The Smithsonian Institution
Þ M.I.T.
Þ NASA
Þ NOAA
Þ The Weather Channel
Þ The University of Colorado at Boulder
Þ Internationally recognized scientists
and more…
…Unlike ‘Beakman’s World’,
‘Bill Nye the Science Guy’ and other laboratory science shows for younger
children, we’ll be out in the field – looking at the very things that make
Earth so amazing.
The research of Phillip and
Nancy Seff will take us over, under, around and through the globe as we get the
scoop on topics like:
What’s the oldest living
thing on earth?
(a
giant fungus - 11,500 years old – and it’s in Michigan)
You can’t drown in the Dead
Sea!
(unless
you try really hard by fastening weights to your feet)
Modern Day Locusts.
(Hungry?
You won’t believe it.)
200 Mile per Hour Avalanches
(how
fast can you get out of the way?)
Ancient Antibiotics from
Egypt.
(an
RX from BC)
Inside Killer Tornadoes
(and
ones that won’t even break an egg)
Underwater Volcanoes
(what
a way to boil a fish)
When the moon was just
12,000 miles away.
(surf’s
up…way up)
Celebrity guests from all walks of life. As
they did on the original Muppet Show, actors, singers, musicians, scientists,
politicians, and business leaders will come to visit and encourage kids and
their families to enjoy amazing scientific stories.
The series…
will provide an entertaining blend of information,
music and humor – a mix between National
Geographic Explorer, Entertainment Tonight and MTV.
There is a strong push towards educational programming in television. OFE’s contemporary
music, pop culture references, exciting digital effects, Interactive Website
and the fun added to the documentary segments will provide education in a captivating
format that will entice our viewers and keep them tuned in.
OFE will be content-heavy but
never boring.
Our target audience…
is Elementary
and Middle School students and
their families. Adults (with or without families) will enjoy
OUR FASCINATING EARTH as much as
youngsters.
Children, tweens and young teens today have large
amounts of disposable income so they are a prime target for advertisers.
Parents appreciate the sponsors of quality
programming and encourage their children to buy their products.
Cross Promotion tie-ins…
possibilities are remarkable. The Seff’s materials are currently in
hundreds of American classrooms providing curriculum on elementary, secondary
and even college levels. Also, their
regular column and science strip runs in major newspapers around the
country.
The books will be available for sale on the Website.
Videotapes, CDs or DVDs of Our Fascinating Earth episodes or of similar segments re-edited by
subject could help fill the real need in classrooms nationwide for curriculum
enhancing materials.
There are also many opportunities to develop games,
toys and other merchandise based on the series.
The format…
will present 2 or 3 major stories per show, wrapped
and narrated and packaged with information-filled bumpers, music and contact
addresses for further information.
We will invite celebrity guests from all areas of
entertainment, sports and science.
There will be hyperlinks to the Website for viewers
with interactive TV and referrals to the site for those who don’t.
The style…
will vary from mysterious and moody to down-right
funny depending on the material.
Dynamic digital effects will provide the necessary,
contemporary images to hold the attention of young viewers. Music montages will play an important role,
as will the accessibility and intelligence of the writing.
Show Topics
TORNADOES
HURRICANES
UNDERSEA VOLCANOES
EARTHQUAKES
BURIAL RIGHTS & FINDS
PYRAMID & CAVE PAINTING
ANIMAL COMMUNICATION
AVALANCHES
OCEANS & TIDES
ICEBERGS
SEAS
ANIMAL FAMILIES
RAINFOREST MEDICINE
GLACIERS
INSECTS
METEORS
ECLIPSES
BATS
UNDISCOVERED SPECIES
CAVEMEN
SMELLY ANIMALS
MAGICAL DESERT
ANIMAL COMMUNICATION
GIANT PEOPLE
MIRAGES
SOLAR PHENOMENON
POISONOUS CREATURES
THUNDER & LIGHTNING
PESTILENCE
OLDEST LIVING THINGS
SPACE PHENOMENON NEARBY
MASS MIGRATIONS
ANCIENT FOOD
MEAT EATING PLANTS
QUEST FOR FIRE
WEIRD WEATHER
WATER
DINOSAURS
ANIMAL MATING HABITS
MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES
SHARKS
CAMOUFLAGE
FOOTPRINTS
SCAVENGERS
SECRETS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
ICE AGES (PAST & FUTURE)
ANCIENT MEDICINE
ENDANGERED SPECIES
TSUNAMIS
GLACIERS
HUMAN MIGRATIONS
LUMINESCENT CREATURES
Additional
ideas
Video contests
We’ll invite students to send in their science
experiments and explanations on videotape and vie for prizes. These prizes will range from books from
the OFE series to trips to Space
Camp or archaeological digs.
WEB Site
An
Internet address (already in development at fascinatingearth.tv ) filled with
interactive activities and exciting information about OFE facts, figures and
personalities.
CD-ROM / DVD - Interactive disks, each focused on a particular discipline (i.e.
archeology, paleontology, astronomy, meteorology, etc.) would allow our
audience to increase their knowledge and enhance their schoolwork on their own
time.
Eyewitness reports
We’ll invite (through pre-production on-line
searches) eyewitness reports of science fact and phenomenon.
The development team is
headed by Bunnie and Norman Strassner of Strassner Entertainment Group, LLC and
includes Phillip and Nancy Seff as consultants and Producers Brian Seff and Bud
Leonard.
Our animation team is the
highly regarded Pixel Kitchen of Boulder, Colorado and Wyndham Hannaway &
Associates.
And
Kevin Ryan of Yellowjacket
Productions
Special thanks to Gary
Grossman and Robb Weller at Weller/Grossman Productions