Rob P. Steals Christmas (film)

***Rob P. Steals Christmas*** (sometimes referred to as *Channel -12 Presents: Rob P. Steals Christmas*) is a short comedy film released as a Christmas special for season 2 of Channel -12 News. The film was released on December 17th, 2021 on the OBP YouTube channel as well as broadcast at Abbey Park High School. The short stars Callum Armstrong, reprising his role as Rob P. Steal from the previous Rob Steal Solutions segment. It follows Rob as he finds the true meaning of Christmas.

## Plot

**WARNING: The following section contains spoilers. Read on at your own risk.**

The short opens with what appears to be a child walking in on Rob P. Steal robbing their home. After forcing them to stay, Rob explains he has 'hired' (kidnapped) a British man to read a new book he wrote, "Rob P. Steal Xmas". The short then transitions to telling the story of the book, with the British man as a narrator. The entire storybook portion is told in rhyme, much like a Dr. Seuss story.

The story begins as Rob is mid-conversation with his lawyer, Neil Alibastor, who informs him that he must cease all his criminal activites to avoid legal prosecution. The conversation gets heated, leading to Neil hanging up on Rob, who then laments that the season is ruined.

Rob then realizes that to save the holiday season, he must commit a grand heist on Christmas Eve. He gets to work constructing a sleigh, then ponders where he should pull his plan off. He decides on New York City, since he believes the rich Wall Street workers will have much for the taking. He then rides his newly built sleigh to New York and breaks into the homes of Wall Street bankers, stealing both their possessions and their companies' money.

After his heist is complete, the next morning, Rob is astounded and angered that no one is reacting or even aware of his grand scheme. In a rage, he storms into a banking company and breaks into the C.E.O.'s office, kidnapping him. Demanding that the C.E.O. explain why no one cares about their lost money, he then explains to Rob that because of the immense size and wealth disparity of the banking companies, even Rob's grand heist "barely made a dent" in the grand scheme of things. This fills Rob with glee and causes his heart to grow, realizing that he, too, could be a corporate fat cat and gain fame and wealth stealing from others. He happily shouts a holiday greeting to the city, before having a heart attack and collapsing. The narrator concludes that "if your heart grows three sizes, you'll most likely die". Rob then wakes up in a hospital, and is astounded at his $8,000 medical bill.

After the book is finished, Rob thanks the British man and reaffirms the lesson that greed is a positive thing. He then advertises his services and reveals that the home he is in isn't his, and he restrained the homeowners with ribbon. He wishes the audience a happy holidays, ending the short.

## Project Background

Like all *Channel -12 News* segments, the segment was created as part of a Communications Technology course at the crew's school. The crew wanted to create an extended Christmas special, leading Callum Armstrong to write the script, which the crew filmed at Abbey Park High School as well as Jailen Modi's home. The film was then edited together by Oliver Beckwith with help from Jailen Modi.

## Full Credits

### People

**Callum Armstrong -** As Rob P. Steal and Neil Alibastor, writer, director

**Oliver Beckwith -** As Big Bank C.E.O., director, editor

**Elliot Evans -** As Narrator

**Jailen Modi -** Extra, director, editor

**Santiago Sanz -** Extra

### Music

* **"Twelve Days of Christmas (Piano)" -** Played during the opening scene when Rob introduces himself. (PHianonize)
* **"Festive Lobby Music" -** Played during the scene in which Rob speaks to Neil over the phone. (Fortnite)
* **"Cheermeister Vote" -** Played during the scene in which Rob comes up with an idea to commit a grand robbery. (James Horner)
* **"Stealing Christmas" -** Played during the sleigh-building montage up until when Rob arrives in New York City. (Danny Elfman)
* **"You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch (Karaoke Version)" -** Played during Rob's robbery montage. (Party Tyme Karaoke)
* **"Bad Award" -** Played during the scene in which Rob discovers no one is reacting to his heist. (James Horner)
* **"Tree Burn / It's Gonna Blow" -** Played during the scene in which Rob storms the Big Bank Business Co. building. (James Horner)
* **"Somewhere In My Memory" -** Played during the scene in which Rob confronts the Big Bank C.E.O. and finds his true calling. (John Williams)
* **"The Christmas Song (Karaoke Version)" -** Played during the final scene when Rob wraps up the story. (Party Tyme Karaoke)

## Trivia

* At nearly 10 minutes of runtime, *Rob P. Steals Christmas* is one of the longest O.B.P. projects.