M.A.R.

Logline: Robots always complete their tasks

 Plot Description: The year is 2077 and humanity has fallen, turning the
world into an apocalyptic wasteland. All that remains are the structures and
machines that humanity built, left in ruins except for one M.A.R.C unit. The
unit is mysteriously reactivated and, following his programming, leaves his
standby station to complete his task of cleaning the city town square. As
M.A.R.C begins its cleaning, it picks up a strange signal from outside the
city. Thus M.A.R.C begins a new mission to find the course of this strange
signal, traveling the barren wasteland that Earth has become. While
traveling the wasteland, M.A.R.C crosses a strange individual known only
as the Wanderer. With the Wanderer’s guidance and knowledge of the
wasteland, the two stay together to travel the wasteland in search of the
signal’s source.

Character: M.A.R.C
 M.A.R.C is the main character of the story, with M.A.R.C standing for
Mechanical Automatic Robot Cleaner. He has a human-like body features
like two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head (resembling a camera so no
facial features). M.A.R.C’s body is thin made of steel, wires, and other
electronics. A screen is in his chest that shows an emoji-like face to show
the robot's emotions, as M.A.R.C doesn’t speak and only makes small
beeps or chirps. While M.A.R.C is a robot and primarily follows his
instructions and programming, he does show some amount of sentience
through the emotions of the chest screen face and its actions in the story.

Character: The Wanderer

 A mysterious person covered in clothes and robes, wearing a strange
mask. He holds a walking stick made of scarp, though he rarely uses it, as
a show of his advanced age. Little is known about this character, other than
he is one of the few remaining humans left alive on Earth. The Wanderer is
a sort of guide for M.A.R.C, willing to assist the robot on its mission to find
the source of the strange signal. He rides atop a four legged robot, covered
in rust and carrying bags of scrap and junk left in the wasteland.

Episodes
Episode 1: The Reactivated
Episode begins out in space, with the Earth being put into focus. The camera
slowly gets closer to Earth, eventually going into Earth’s atmosphere revealing the
barren wasteland that it has become. The following scenes show what remains of
human infrastructure, with steel buildings in ruins, trashs flowing with the wind, and
various robots left to rust. After establishing the setting, the camera stops and focuses
on a town hall and a strange looking pod at its entrance. Once the camera zooms in on
the pod, it makes a strange buzzing sound then opens to reveal our protagonist,
M.A.R.C. A few scenes later after M.A.R.C has done some diagnostic tests, he leaves
the pod and grabs a nearby broom and begins sweeping the entrance of the town hall.
After some time M.A.R.C freezes and turns his head to look down a street that leads out
of the city. The camera slowly zooms in on him as a strange signal can be heard, he
makes gestures as if the signal is calling to him. M.A.R.C then regains control and
continues his sweeping until he looks back in the direction where the signal came from.
The scene ends abruptly as when M.A.R.C turns his the second time the signal gets
louder and louder until the screen immediately turns black, ending the episode.

Episode 2: The Wanderer

Episode begins with M.A.R.C walking alongside a broken and cracked road. It is
presumed he has left the city from the last episode and is looking for the source of the
signal. As he’s walking, the camera makes wide shots revealing the abandoned and
wrecked vehicles on the road and overhanging signs scraped and covered in trash. A
large robot (the size of a building) can be seen fallen over, being left to rust and
deteriorate over time. The camera begins to focus back on M.A.R.C again when a
mechanical walking sound can be heard. The camera turns in the direction M.A.R.C is
facing to reveal a four legged robot carrying what appears to be a human. Once the
mysterious character reaches M.A.R.C, he stops to turn and look at the robot. The two
stare at each other until the mysterious character finally asks why M.A.R.C is traveling
outside of a city where he is programmed to stay and clean. M.A.R.C responds by
putting an image of the signal on his chest screen, playing the strange signal, and
pointing to the direction it is coming from. The mysterious man looks in that direction
and turns back to M.A.R.C with curiosity. The man, taking an interest in M.A.R.C, then
says to follow him and that M.A.R.C can call him the Wanderer, M.A.R.C tilts his head in
confusion as he can’t speak. The duo set off across the wasteland together as the
scene fades to end the episode.

Episode 3: The Shelter

M.A.R.C and the Wanderer begin the episode traveling together on a flat, desert
like plain. They walk past ruined buildings and rusting machines until the both spot a
town in the direction they are heading. They make their way towards the edge of the
town, showing that the buildings are made of scrap and wood. This was a town built by
survivors like the Wanderer looking for shelter. As both enter the scrap town, M.A.R.C
begins looking around while the Wanderer scavenges a pile of rubble nearby. There are
no humans here, however there are many signs that there was. As M.A.R.C begins
looking at the exterior of one of the scrap homes he stops as the camera turns to reveal
he is looking at a giant footprint. The Wanderer notices that M.A.R.C sees something
and comes to take a look. They both see more giant footprints leading in the direction of
the signal. The Wanderer tries to explain that going any further would be dangerous, but
M.A.R.C ignores him and begins following the signal. After a long sigh, the Wanderer
begins to follow M.A.R.C with the camera zooming out to reveal they are heading
towards large rock formations before the screen fades black, ending the episode.
 M.A.R.C Episode 1: The Reactivated

written by

Hunter Magee

EXT. SPACE

Stars shine brightly, with more coming into view as the camera
tilts down. Camera stops once a planet is in the center of the
screen, revealing Earth as brown and lifeless. Camera zooms in on
Earth, going through the clouds in the atmosphere.

EXT. EARTH'S SURFACE - CONTINUOUS

Reveals Earth is a barren wasteland with no vegetation or life.

In the distance are buildings, getting closer as camera zooms in.
Buildings are tall, steel skyscrapers covered in rust, some
fallen over or collapsed. After passing a building, the camera
now looks at an abandoned freeway in disrepair. Rusting and
broken down vehicles cover the freeway, leading the camera to a
town hall of sorts.

EXT. TOWN HALL - DAY

At ground level, camera looks up at the exterior of the town hall

before focusing on a deactivated robot outside the front steps.
The building is ruined, with trash littered around the place.

FADE IN:

A pod sits outside the front doors of the town hall, labeled
M.A.R.C. Camera slowly zooms in before the pod starts producing
high pitched sounds. Pod begins to light up then abruptly stops,
opening up to reveal a human like robot. M.A.R.C steps out of the
pod and it shuts behind him. He stands there for a moment,
turning his head and arms slowly as his joints crack. The screen
in his chest lights up, saying: "M.A.R.C Unit 1701 (Mechanized
Automatic Robotic Cleaner)" before a smiling face appears.
M.A.R.C after regaining control over his body grabs a broom
laying beside him and begins to sweep the area around him. Camera
zooms out.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN HALL - AFTERNOON

M.A.R.C is seen sweeping the steps leading up towards the town

hall. The screen on his chest displays a face making a sigh of
relief instead of a smiling face as he stops cleaning the stairs.
As he begins to head up the steps he freezes. His chest screen
cracks as it now displays a curious face.
M.A.R.C turns and faces in the direction of a street with an
overhanging sign that says: "City Exit". He pauses as the camera
slowly zooms in on him as a strange signal gets louder and
louder. M.A.R.C abruptly gains control over himself and the noise
of the signal is gone. His chest screen turns back to a smiling
face as M.A.R.C turns to head back up the town hall stairs. Just
as his foot is about to touch the first step, M.A.R.C pauses. He
turns his head back to the "City Exit" sign as the sound of the
signal returns, this time quietly as the scene ends abruptly.

The End

Storyboard