SAFE SOCIETY
episode 1
by CHRIS SHIMOJIMA
© 2023 One Ocean Productions. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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INTRO TITLE SOUNDS: "Safe Society"
being whispered in a chorus of
quick anxious voices, overlapping,
starting quiet, then growing to
fill our ears.... until abruptly
cutting off.
Silence.
Then out of it, a subtle musical
tone....
Again, the same thing, but now more
static-y....
Again, but the static jumps more,
like we're trying to tune in to the
right frequency.
Picking up pace.
Soon, it seems a voice is peeking
through.....
NARRATOR
Hell----? pfffszzpssszsss....
We lose it amidst a wave of
static.....
When the wave fades, it becomes
much clearer:
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
Hello? Can you -- Hello.... Can
you understand? Can you
hear?........
Yeah, I think so? Yeah, that's
better.
Now the static is gone, leaving
just a harmonic resonance,
accompanying a CULTURED, GENTLE,
OPTIMISTIC VOICE, NPR-STYLE -- OUR
NARRATOR:
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
We'll stay on this frequency. And
so you're aware, we'll be working
to reach you in other languages
also.
MUSIC: cultural, optimistic
background pop -- the INTRO/OUTRO
THEME
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
This is Journey to Tomorrow, with a
special focus on the Safe Society.
If you're a new listener, what you
should know is we cover its annual
symposium, which honors individuals
central to recent progress. That
progress... where do we start? The
past year has seen a monumental
step toward greater inclusiveness.
And the further consolidation of
the energy industry into Safe
Society's reputable green
companies. And the food industry's
awakening to the benefits of Safe
Society's sustainable partners.
All in all, it's the invigorated
understanding that such collective
goals redirect companies to an
altogether better value system,
transcending profit.
(smiling, gentle sarcasm)
It's almost as if this organization
has a vision, wouldn't you say?
Today on the show, we're beginning
to spend time with the story of M,
whose pronouns are he, him, and
his. Perhaps he needs no
introduction. But you don't
necessarily know how he ended up on
this path, and that story is one of
mindfulness, and ultimately hope.
So let's go back. How do we
determine when exactly someone's
awakening begins?
FLASH-REWIND, like hyper-channel
surfing, backwards in time, through
gibberish media voices, back to:
EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE / BACKYARD - DAY
Birds chirping. A distant dog
barking. Distant kids playing. A
soccer ball, being kicked and
dribbled, closer to us.
NARRATOR
Depends what we mean, and any
psychologist knows it's multi
faceted. But one key influence
seems to be his remarkable father --
DAD
(distant)
M?
YOUNG M (8) calls back.
YOUNG M
Yeah?
NARRATOR
-- a businessman, speaker,
activist, who without realizing,
was in many ways a previous decade
ally, before Safe Society's current
formation.
Footsteps.... slowing down and
deepening as they get closer. The
bird chirps become a distant
echo... focusing our attention on
just this spot.
Dad's voice is relaxed, but slow
and careful... something important
to say:
DAD
What do we do in this household?
YOUNG M
We care about everyone's feelings.
DAD
Do that with others, always.
Listen to them.
NARRATOR
What he would do was bring his hand
to his son's forehead, and tap it
with his thumb --
Tap tap
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
-- more a ritual than any customary
parental lesson.
DAD
Let every detail leave an
impression. So you are in tune.
YOUNG M
Let every detail leave an
impression. So I am in tune.
DAD
Then they will look up to you.
Because you think with your heart.
YOUNG M
Then they will look up to me.
Because I think with my heart.
Dad wants a different tone.
DAD
Because you think with your heart.
YOUNG M
Because I think with my heart.
All sounds stop.
NARRATOR
And let us just pause a second.
His father was an influential
figure in his field, having learned
the power of persuasion. It meant
tapping into the depths of his
goodness, and confidently
transmitting it.
Sounds resume. Dad's voice sounds
different. Speaking with HEART and
INTENT. Filtered with an EXTRA
DEEP RESONANCE.
DAD
Because you think with your heart.
Sounds stop again.
NARRATOR
M's eyelids would sometimes flutter
when he absorbed the persuasive
voice. We are like putty at that
age, which is why good influence
needs to starts early... steering
us into the habit of staying open
and sensitive.
Sounds resume. M, with mature
confidence now:
YOUNG M
Because I think with my heart.
Dad chuckles gently -- approving.
The sound of ruffling M's hair.
Background sounds fade back up,
bringing us back to reality.
DAD
Oo! Got it! Haha!
The soccer ball is kicked around
again. M laughs. Their footsteps,
running through the grass, gets
more distant.
MUSIC: 90s-style needledrop --
groovy, uplifting, longing
INT. CONFERENCE CENTER / AUDITORIUM - DAY
Applause.
Dad's voice IN A HANDHELD MIC:
DAD
Thank you. Thank you.
Applause fades as everyone settles.
DAD (CONT'D)
So, Paul Vollinger has generously
let me moderate, so we can discuss
the changing times. The hopeful
1990s. I wanna start by summing it
up. Let's consider everything
happening... and everything that is
on the precipice of happening.
Like channel-surfing, we quickly
skip through
ARCHIVAL AUDIO SNIPPETS - STATIC IN BETWEEN
/// fragments of 1990s prosperity.
/// Bill Clinton at a PRESIDENTIAL
RALLY.
BILL CLINTON
If I am your President, homosexuals
will no longer be considered
security risks.
Applause.
/// NEWS REPORT: ANCHOR saying
Clinton is elected president.
/// Clinton giving celebratory
words in ELECTION NIGHT
SPEECH.
/// NEWS REPORT: ANCHOR announcing
end of Apartheid
/// A CLASSROOM.
A projector clicks. The
TEACHER asks STUDENTS:
TEACHER
And this?
STUDENTS
Nelson Mandela!
We can tell Young M is here,
as we're closer to his voice
than the others.
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM)
Groundbreaking social consciousness
is all around. Entering our minds.
/// KURT COBAIN INTERVIEW.
The INTERVIEWER introducing:
INTERVIEWER
... here with Kurt Cobain of
Nirvana...
Kurt Cobain speaking out
against sexism and rape.
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM)
The willingness to question the
status quo.
/// NEWS REPORT: ANCHOR saying
Nirvana is topping Billboard
chart.
/// MUSIC STORE.
Young M and a CHILDHOOD
FRIEND, wrestling over
headphones.
YOUNG M
Lemme hear!
CHILDHOOD FRIEND
No, gimme it!
The headphones come close -- a
NIRVANA TRACK becomes fuller in our
ears:
NIRVANA TRACK
Never met a wise man, if so it's a
woman
YOUNG M
Whoa.
CHILDHOOD FRIEND
He's awesome. My brother says he's
so cool.
/// STREET.
SELF-HELP GROUP MEMBER waves
flyers.
SELF-HELP GROUP MEMBER
Self-help meet-up! Come join!
YOUNG M
Mom, what's that?
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM)
Everyone sees new ways. The Church
can't give the answer any more.
Maybe that's left some in darkness--
/// SELF-HELP GROUP MEMBERS in a
MEETING ROOM take turns:
SELF-HELP GROUP MEMBERS
/// I'm lonely.
/// I don't know where I belong.
/// I don't feel I have purpose.
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM)
-- but darkness is needed to see
the light.
A mash-up of their overlapping
voices, consoling each other
and giving advice.
/// NEWS REPORT: ANCHOR mentioning
MILLION MAN MARCH -- Black men
uniting in D.C., promoting
togetherness, standing against
racism.
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM) (CONT'D)
They've learned that matters are in
their own hands. That they have
agency to create meaning.
/// NEWS REPORT: ANCHOR mentioning
Stanford Law speech code,
banning speech intended to
insult.
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM) (CONT'D)
And knowing words and deeds can
impact meaning, they're becoming
thoughtful.
/// Voices of HAPPY KIDS / PARENTS
laughing / playing / having
fun
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM) (CONT'D)
Parents are saying no to the stiff
methods of their parents, choosing
instead to nurture their kids' self
esteem.
/// Voices of a SCHOOL COUNSELOR
and KIDS in a meeting / class.
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM) (CONT'D)
Saying you need help is no longer
taboo. In fact, helping others
gives us new common goals.
/// Voices fade out, so we're more
present with Dad in the
CONFERENCE CENTER /
AUDITORIUM.
DAD (CONT'D)
Parents out there -- show of hands
- how many of you think present-day
schools are as divided into cliques
as they were back in your day?
Right -- they're not.
/// INTERVIEWS with KIDS saying
acceptance is important. (Or
all together chanting some
phrase about acceptance)
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM) (CONT'D)
Every day, this country grows more
aware. Kids now enforce the idea
that bigotry sucks. Kids are free
to be unique.
/// AUDIO MONTAGE of PC start-up
sounds.
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM) (CONT'D)
And with new tools becoming so
common, truly flattening the
playing field for the first time...
/// NEWS REPORT: ANCHOR talking
about Princess Diana (or
someone fictional)
ANCHOR
... arrived at the AIDS ward and
helped administer. She grew up
with so little, but because of the
bigness of her heart, she shifts
our perception.
DAD (IN AUDITORIUM)
-- anyone can one day change the
world.
and INTERVIEW with LOCAL KID
LOCAL KID
I wanna be like her.
NARRATOR
That, of course, was Princess
Diana.
And M heard this, and everything
else, and absorbed it like a sponge
-- because his father wired into
him the value of listening.
/// QUICK AUDIO JUMBLE / RECAP of
all this ARCHIVAL MATERIAL
just heard.
Young M repeats some of what
he hears.
/// CONFERENCE CENTER / AUDITORIUM
DAD
If we make enough realize that,
realize they can change the
world... Look how far we've already
come... Imagine what more is
possible.
Applause. Young M, shouting
over:
YOUNG M
YEAH DAD! YOU'RE DOING GOOD!
LOBBY
The door cracks open, and we hear
into the auditorium an EVENT HOST
speaking IN A MIC:
EVENT HOST
... 10 minute short break, and
we'll resume at that point with a
conversation on...
We MOVE AWAY from the auditorium
sounds, following skipping
footsteps.... passing BUSINESS
PEOPLE and VISITORS busy with their
own affairs.
Young M is humming and singing to
himself -- maybe the Nirvana song /
lyrics
His skipping stops.
Buttons on a vending machine are
pushed.
A soda can is dispensed and picked
up.
Young M stops singing.
YOUNG M
Oh. Hey, I like your hood.
(beat)
Hey, I'm M. What's your name?
FARAH (10) talks shy
FARAH
Farah.
YOUNG M
Farah, why do you wear the hood?
FARAH
This is not a hood. It's for true
humility and trust before God.
YOUNG M
(wary of her response)
Coooool. Is that what you feel?
FARAH
(clearly hanging her head)
Yes, I feel that.
YOUNG M
But maybe you'll wear something
else if your family didn't teach
you that.
FARAH
My mom is right. She's my mom.
YOUNG M
What if I talk to her? I can help.
No response. Just footsteps,
quickly walking away.
YOUNG M (CONT'D)
Huh. Fine.
AUDITORIUM
DAD
We are back. And what I wanna jump
right into, Paul, is, what if M-T
R.... could be younger?
The vertical organization... a
little exclusionary. Think about
the benefits of being more
democratic. All employees having
more agenda.
PAUL VOLLINGER
(also in a mic)
That's very true.
DAD
New ideas come from them. If you
support them, support their values,
take a stand with them...
PAUL VOLLINGER
(wondering where this is
going)
Right. How?
DAD
We're all reeling at the acquittal
of those four policemen. Rodney
King is permanently damaged.
YOUNG M
(whispering, sipping soda)
Psst. Go, Dad!
DAD
What if M-T-R uses its megaphone to
--
PAUL VOLLINGER
(shuffling in seat / mic
rustle)
Well -- well, it could look like a
marketing ploy for more business.
DAD
It is. But it can also be genuine.
M-T-R is made of humans that
reacted to these events. Isn't it
believable for a company to be a
representation of its people? If
not on this, then on the carbon
emission issue. On something.
PAUL VOLLINGER
(firm)
Look, these stances are not an
overwhelming majority. It's not
the role of a business to become a
place of bias.
MUSIC: suddenly becoming sparse.
Sighs and "ugh"s from the audience.
Even a few "boo"s
PAUL VOLLINGER (CONT'D)
Next topic. Your charm has no sway
on me, my friend!
Dad laughs along, but is clearly
thrown for a beat. He tries to
jump topics, stuttering...
YOUNG M
(whispering)
Don't worry. My dad will win.
ATTENDEE 1
(whispering back)
What?
YOUNG M
That's my dad, and he will win.
ATTENDEE 1
Oh, I dunno. They're moving on.
YOUNG M
No. My dad said times are
changing. Just wait. Just wait.
He said there is progress now.
Wait.
ATTENDEE 1 (CONT'D)
Okay.
Ha, okay.
MUSIC: an upsetting swell,
transitioning the scene to
LATER
A crowd of mingling voices.
IN ONE OF OUR EARS, we hear
DISAPPOINTED WOMAN having a convo,
lamenting the state of things.
Young M takes a deep breath, lets
it out. Rubs his hands together.
Disappointed Woman MOVES TO THE
CENTER and FADES UP as we approach.
YOUNG M
Hi, I'm M. What's your name?
DISAPPOINTED WOMAN
Hi there. Emily.
YOUNG M
Emily, will you join me if I start
a charity to help Rodney King?
DISAPPOINTED WOMAN
Oh my goodness! Yes, young man,
but look how tough it still is to
make change. When your generation
gets older, maybe then we can at
least fight back.
YOUNG M
(deep breath)
We will.
MUSIC: a more positive swell this
time
CUT TO
Young M approaching RUFUS.
YOUNG M (CONT'D)
Hi, what's your name?
RUFUS
Rufus.
YOUNG M
Rufus, I like your name. I like
your "Save the Rainforests" button.
I've been thinking about the
rainforests, and I wanted to run
some ideas by you.
RUFUS
Oh??
MUSIC: another positive swell
CUT TO
Young M with Dad and GYORGY
DAD
Gyorgy, this is my son, M.
YOUNG M
Gyorgy, it's very nice to meet you.
I like your shoes, Gyorgy. What
you said in your talk about cows
and methane made sense.
GYORGY
I thought no one could understand
my accent! Thank you!
Dad and Gyorgy continue to chat.
NARRATOR
And as the father and Gyorgy
(exaggerated accent) continued to
chat, the father secretly ruffled
the boy's hair, as he often did to
show approval. It was always just
the encouragement M needed,
specifically now to keep looking
around, and listening, even with
the odds against them. In
everything, in school, sport,
extracurricular, M just could not
stop being hopeful and motivated.
MUSIC: the positive swells become a
continuous, hopeful vamp...
Mingling attendee voices CIRCLE
AROUND OUR EARS. Pieces stand out:
ATTENDEE 2
...posture says so much about
people.
It ECHOES in our ears. Young M
echoes too, to himself,
internalizing:
YOUNG M
Posture says so much about people.
ATTENDEE 3
...colorful sneakers on men are so
cool now.
YOUNG M
Colorful sneakers on men are so
cool now. Oh no. Dad?
Dad, why didn't you let me bring my
sneakers?
ATTENDEE 4
I don't shake hands. Others could
have a weak immune system.
YOUNG M
I... Dad, I shook hands... um....
The voices start to OVERLAP......
more and more....
... an anxious flurry...
MUSIC: turning sour and
shrieking... a tease that there's
something distressing under all
this.......
Young M's breathing gets heavier.
Faster.
VOICES NOW BLARING, DISTORTING... A
MENACING GROWL... CRESCENDO-ING --
And then thankfully it cuts
off...... replaced by:
MUSIC: groovy, uplifting 90s
needledrop returns, continuing
through the next few minutes (maybe
a more modern cover now)
FLASH-FORWARD, like hyper-channel
surfing, forwards in time, through
gibberish media voices.
NARRATOR
Fast-forward 33 years. Through
successful stints at a number of
culturally conscious companies...
CONFERENCE CENTER 2 / AUDITORIUM 2 - DAY
Applause.
NARRATOR
...and during which time he was
often on stage, similar to how his
father once was -- except the suit
and tie became hoodie, sweats, and
kicks.
Now, as his own large vision formed
in his mind, M was ready to become
his own CEO. Oh, but even after so
much time, here was someone that
stuck to all his lessons.
A few laughs in the audience.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
You can't see, but the Moderator
held out his open hand for a shake,
and M, with integrity, offered a
fist instead.
FADE TO
M's voice, exuding casual charm,
but also intense focus. IN A
HANDHELD MIC:
M
...so not only will we deliver to
your door 100 percent plant-based,
organic dishes from our kitchen or
from local participating
restaurants.... What's truly
revolutionary is that we enrich
your order with a concoction
personalized to your microbiome.
MODERATOR
That's where the stool samples come
in.
M
That's the shit.
Laughs from the audience.
M (CONT'D)
And thanks to our partnership with
Transiview, AI helps us better
understand your desires, and to
study your real world and online
behaviors, which can all affect
your physiology. The result is
personalized food, as I mentioned,
made to feel even better to your
taste buds. Condiments, for
different personality types.
And our service, down to things you
might think would be insignificant
but actually make a difference,
like personalized messages and
packaging material. All of this
helps you appreciate us, hopefully,
but more importantly, it will --
this is a simplification -- but it
will reshape your mind to vibe on
the same frequencies as the plant
based life. And wanting to help
the environment, because there's an
overlap.
MODERATOR
And how does that work? Is it
boosting certain hormones to --
M
A deeper molecular change. So we
ain't kidding, everyone: it changes
your mind.
Silence from the audience, except a
few confused "huh"s..... which then
grow in quantity and volume -- a
loud murmuring -- a
buzzing............
MUSIC: INTRO/OUTRO THEME
NARRATOR
Next episode, we'll hear more on
M's company, Rooting4U, and glimpse
its cutting-edge product in action.