THE ART OF:

PLASTIC &
CHIPS

BY REN BEAUMONT
CONTENTS
• AN IDEA

• A CHARACTER

• A WORLD

• A STORY

• THE CGI VERSION

• AND A MESSAGE
 PLASTIC POLLUTION IS A VERY REAL
ISSUE AFFECTING MARINE LIFE, WHICH
IN TURN AFFECTS ALL OF US. THE IDEA
WAS TO LOOK AT BIODEGRADING AND
PLASTIC. AN IDEA
 IN A FILM BASED AROUND THE OCEAN
POLLUTION, IT MADE SENSE TO HAVE A FISH BE
THE MAIN CHARACTER. FISH... FISH AND

CHARACTER CHIPS...AND CHIPS THE FISH WAS BORN. HE ACTS

AS A TEENAGER WOULD, TO BE RELATABLE AND
EASIER TO TEACH WITH HIS SLIGHT ATTITUDE
AND UNCERTAINTY.
CHIPS HAD TO HAVE A SIMPLE WORLD TO LIVE IN,
SINCE HE IS SUCH A COMPLEX CHARACTER- THE
MAIN IDEA WAS FOR IT TO APPEAR AS A SIMPLE
UNDERWATER WORLD. PLASTIC ELEMENTS WERE
ADDED FOR CHIPS TO INTERACT WITH AND LOOK AT
A WORLD
TO BREAK THE ENVIRONMENT UP.
 A STORY

AN EDUCATIONAL ANIMATED SHORT ENTITLED:

PLASTIC AND CHIPS, ABOUT PLASTIC POLLUTION
TO TEACH GCSE STUDENTS ABOUT HOW PLASTICS DO
NOT BIODEGRADE THROUGH TEACHING THE

EDUCATIONAL BANTER BETWEEN TEENAGE SEA BASS, CHIPS WHY PLASTIC IS SO BAD

THE NARRATOR, AND THE YOUNG AND DANGEROUS TO THE OCEAN.

FISH: CHIPS.
 FADE IN:
EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT- THE OCEAN (ABOVE)
NARRATOR
THE OCEAN. FROM ABOVE, A SEEMINGLY CALM, UNTOUCHED, GENTLE BLANKET OF BLUE WATER, COVERING 71% OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE. BUT WHEN WE DIVE
BELOW,
INT. UNDERWATER SFX: BUBBLING WATER
NARRATOR
THE OCEAN IS TRULY ALIVE, A BUSTLING CITY MADE UP OF MILLIONS OF SPECIES. INCLUDING, THE COMMON SEA BASS. GRACEFUL, SILENT, SWIMMING ALONG
ELEGANTLY IN THE GLISTENING WATER AND-PAN DOWN THROUGH THE SEA TO A SMALL ANTHROPOMORPHIC FISH WALKING ALONG THE SEABED. PAN UP
AND DOWN THE FISH PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO A PLASTIC CHAIN AROUND HIS NECK.[THE WHOLE TIME THEY ARE TALKING, CHIPS IS MOVING ACROSS
THE SCREEN, AS WE FOLLOW HIM]
NARRATOR
(AND) WELL… MAYBE ELEGANT WASN’T THE WORD…
THE FISH TURNS TO LOOK TOWARD THE CAMERA.
CHIPS
EXCUSE ME? YOU SAYIN’ I’M NOT ELEGANT ENOUGH FOR YOU?
NARRATOR
WELL, I DIDN’T MEAN...
CHIPS
WHY ARE YOU DOWN HERE? CAN’T YOU READ THE SIGN?
PAN TO THE ‘NO HUMAN DOCUMENTARIES’ SIGN, AND BACK TO CHIPS.
NARRATOR
I’M TRYING TO EXPLAIN WHAT LIFE IS LIKE IN THE OCEAN.
 CHIPS
LIFE IN THE OCEAN? IT’S PRETTY RAD!
CHIPS DOES A 360 SPIN, ENDING IN A COOL POSE TO SHOW OFF THE HISPLASTIC CHAIN (MADE FROM A SIX-PACK RING).
NARRATOR
ACTUALLY, THIS HERE IS THE PROBLEM.
CHIPS’ PLASTIC CHAIN IS PULLED OFF HIM UPWARDS AND PUT INTO THE ‘SKY’ ABOVE, TO THE RIGHT OF CHIPS. THEN SHOWING THE AUDIENCE STRUCTURE
OF POLYMERS THAT MAKE UP PLASTIC, ZOOMING INTO THE CHAIN.
CHIPS
HEY WHATCHA DOING? GIVE THAT BACK.
CHIPS FLAILS HIS ARMS INTO THE AIR, TRYING TO GRAB BACK HIS NECKLACE.
NARRATOR
THIS IS WHY I’M HERE, CHIPS. THIS IS PLASTIC.
CHIPS
THAT AIN’T NO PLASTIC, THAT’S MY NECKLACE, IT’S BEEN IN THE BASS
FAMILY FOR CENTURIES.
NARRATOR
I’M NOT SURPRISED. IT’S MADE OF POLYMER CHAINS: POLYPROPYLENE.
CHIPS
POLYPROPER...WHO?
NARRATOR
IT’S PLASTIC LIKE THIS THAT IS MADE FROM CONSTRUCTION MONOMERS, THAT MAKE UP POLYMER CHAINS, THAT ARE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BREAK
APART.
VISUALS ON SCREEN, NEXT TO CHIP’S ‘NECKLACE’ OF CHEMICAL FORMULA MADE UP OF CIRCLES. USE THE NECKLACE TO SHOW A ‘STRONG LINK’.
 NARRATOR
THEY ACT AS A CHAIN LINK, BACTERIA WON’T DIGEST IT, AND IT DOESN’T REACT WITH CHEMICALS TO DISINTEGRATE
CHIPS
IF IT’S SO TOUGH, DOES THAT MAKE IT EXPENSIVE? AM I RICH?
NARRATOR
NO, QUITE THE OPPOSITE ACTUALLY. PLASTICS ARE USED IN ALMOST EVERYTHING. 8 MILLION TONS OF IT END UP HERE, IN YOUR HOME EVERY SINGLE YEAR,
KILLING FISH LIKE YOU.
CHIPS
I’VE NEVER SEEN… OR HEARD OF THIS ‘PLASTIC’ JUNK.
CHIPS FOLD HIS ARMS SHAKING HIS HEAD. CHIPS KICKS A PLASTIC BOTTLE ON THE SEABED.
NARRATOR
PLASTIC IS EVERYWHERE AND SADLY... A LOT OF IT GETS SUCKED BACK DOWN INTO YOUR OCEAN HOME, THROUGH THINGS LIKE GYRES AND
DRAINAGE PIPES.
CHIPS WALKS ALONG, SHAKING HIS HEAD IN CONFUSION- LOOKING AT HIS NECKLACE AS HE ARRIVES AT A LARGE PILE OF PLASTIC TRASH, COVERING HIS
SEABED PATH.
CHIPS
W-WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?
NARRATOR
WHAT DID I TELL YOU? THIS IS THE PROBLEM. PLASTIC IS CHEAP AND EASY TO MAKE FROM CRUDE OIL; IT’S USED FOR ALMOST EVERYTHING... FROM A
COMMON TOOTHBRUSH, TO A SINGLE USE CRISP PACKET, AND EVEN IN FOOD LIKE CHEWING GUM...
CHIPS SWIMS UP THE CAMERA READYING HIS FISTS.
CHIPS[TO THE AUDIENCE/NARRATOR]
SO, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT?
 CHIPS PUNCHES THE SCREEN, MAKING IT SHAKE.
NARRATOR
WOAH THERE, I’M TRYING TO HELP YOU.
CHIPS SWIMS BACK AWAY TO THE SEABED.
CHIPS
WELL HOW DO WE FIX THIS?
NARRATOR
IT’S A TEAM EFFORT, CHIPS.
HUMANS NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO FIND OTHER ALTERNATIVES THAT SAFELY BIODEGRADE.
CHIPS
BIO-DE-WHA?
NARRATOR
BIODEGRADE. WHERE THE MATERIAL CAN BREAK DOWN INTO SMALLER PIECES AND BE RECYCLED OR THEY TURN INTO OTHER COMPOUNDS. THIS WOULD
MEAN LESS PLASTIC ENDS UP HERE, IN THE OCEAN, AND MARINE ANIMALS WOULD BE SAFER.
CHIPS
SO PLASTIC DOESN’T BIO -DE..GRAD?
NARRATOR
BIODEGRADE. SOME PLASTICS CAN TAKE 500 YEARS OR MORE TO BIODEGRADE, AND SOME WILL JUST NEVER DISAPPEAR...
CHIPS LOOKS DOWN AT HIS ‘NECKLACE’. HE THEN SWIMS BACK UP THE CAMERA, HANDS ON HIPS.
CHIPS
WELL WE HAVE TO FIX IT THEN.
 NARRATOR
YES, WE DO.
CHIPS...
HOW DO WE DO THAT?
NARRATOR
WELL, ONLY 1% OF PLASTIC WASTE IS ON THE OCEAN SURFACE. SO, WE HAVE TO GET RID OF AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND: START FINDING ALTERNATIVES.
CHIPS TAKES OFF HIS NECKLACE.
NARRATOR
BUT, SADLY, THERE’S A LOT OF INCREDIBLY SMALL BITS OF PLASTIC DOWN HERE CALLED: ‘MICROPLASTICS’ THAT MARINE LIFE END UP SWALLOWING OR
EATING BECAUSE IT’S SO SMALL.
CHIPS SPITS, THINKING SOME OF THE WATER HE BREATHED WAS PLASTIC, THEN SWIMS TO THE SCREEN, HANDING OVER HIS ‘NECKLACE’.
CHIPS
CAN YOU TAKE THESE OUT OF THE OCEAN? I DON’T WANT THEM HERE ANYMORE.
NARRATOR I CAN INDEED. IT’S SMALL, BUT IT’S A GREAT START. WE JUST NEED TO GET EVERYBODY TO SEE THAT PLASTICS ARE NO LONGER THE BEST
MATERIAL FOR THE JOB.
FADE TO CREDITS AND CONCEPT ART.
THE END
THE CGI
A MESSAGE
<PLASTIC IS A
SUBSTANCE THAT THE
EARTH CANNOT DIGEST.>

PLEASE RECYCLE.