Writing a screenplay...

[idNut]

Basically I'm writing a screenplay about a wealthy, good-looking, intelligent young man who has a bright future but crumbles at the meaninglessness of life. It closely parallels my life aside from the three adjectives named above. Well it ends in suicide but no one really cares about his death but rather all he gave up material wise. I think it's a good representation of the world nowadays and how materialistic the world is and such. Unfortunately it is really starting to sound like American Psycho but my protagonist doesn't kill anyone but himself. It's aimed to be a brooding, sad and thoughtful film. Does this sound like any movie you've seen? It probably has been done before in some shape or form. I think it sounds a lot like a musician's life but I'm trying to steer clear of that. The point of the movie is to slow people down and realize the gloom of life. It's almost like my revenge on people that if I can write this perfectly and get it across to the point that people understand it, I will have accomplished my goal.

Me and my friend will probably start shooting it this summer since we got a good deal of good actors and actresses from his acting class. It'll be the second picture from our movie production company, Veracity Pictures. (Give me your opinion on the name) So in essence I make this thread in search for opinions on the story. I realize it sounds typical but it's next to impossible to come up with something original on a very small budget spare The Blair Witch Project.

 

[agnitrate]

Originally posted by: idNut

Unfortunately it is really starting to sound like American Psycho...

Did I just hear 'unfortunately' and 'American Psycho' in the same sentence? :Q :Q American Psycho rules!
Really though, yours doesn't sound like AP too much. AP has an entirely different plot twist and is entirely separate. Plus, AP is actually a dark comedy.

Does this sound like any movie you've seen?

No, but it sounds very interesting depending upon the interpretation you take on it.

The most important part is that you have fun while doing it Sounds like a really cool idea!

-silver

 

[idNut]

Originally posted by: agnitrate

Originally posted by: idNut

Unfortunately it is really starting to sound like American Psycho...

Did I just hear 'unfortunately' and 'American Psycho' in the same sentence? :Q :Q American Psycho rules!
Really though, yours doesn't sound like AP too much. AP has an entirely different plot twist and is entirely separate. Plus, AP is actually a dark comedy.

Does this sound like any movie you've seen?

No, but it sounds very interesting depending upon the interpretation you take on it.

The most important part is that you have fun while doing it Sounds like a really cool idea!

-silver

Thank God the first reply wasn't negative. I was expecting "You suck" and "That's a horrible idea" for the first reply. I appreciate your opinion.

And yes, I'm a hardcore American Psycho fan but I don't want to rip it off.

 

[BeauJangles]

I assume you've seen PI and Requiem for A Dream? Although neither have the same story, they have elements of your idea. Sounds excellent, any movie that makes me think is always appreciated.

Also, I think your production name is good


good luck and keep us updated

 

[agnitrate]

Originally posted by: idNut

And yes, I'm a hardcore American Psycho fan but I don't want to rip it off.

I think you're safe. Unless you start showing your character killing homeless people, you're out of the woods

-silver

[edit] good God, I can't quote properly today [/edit]

 

[idNut]

PI as in 3.14? I've heard so many raves about Requiem but haven't got around to seeing it. According to this forum and many friends, it's the response that I and mostly any writer/director would like to get out of an audience.

 

[agnitrate]

Originally posted by: idNut
PI as in 3.14? I've heard so many raves about Requiem but haven't got around to seeing it. According to this forum and many friends, it's the response that I and mostly any writer/director would like to get out of an audience.

:Q :Q :Q :Q

You haven't seen Pi or Requiem? GO RENT THEM NOW!

Fantastic direction. Pi was probably Darren Aronofsky's peak. From the little I know about you, I can tell you that you will LOVE Pi.

-silver

 

[stormbv]

That sounds like a very interesting idea for a movie. I've seen a lot of movies, and I think it would only be similar to other movies only if the character ruined his life with drugs.

Veracity is a great word, too!

 

[kami]

Sounds very interesting, what is your budget like? Or are you just shooting this on consumer-grade DV or something to save costs?

Me and some friends have been working on a film for a couple years now. We finally begin filming in June. Our budget is around $75,000-$85,000 and most of it is provided free through connections that we worked hard to get and people we know (use of equipment). We're shooting it on professional DV (24p, that new Panasonic camera that runs about $4k. its gorgeous...shoots at 24 frames/sec!) Also we've got a connection with Alliance Atlantis (canadian distributor) who says they'll distribute it if they like it.

We've had a couple casting calls so far, got some good people (with experience nonetheless). The movie is a thriller/horror. Never posted it on AT before because people never take us seriously, it's not worth the headache of seeing people put you down. It's gonna be big and been a labor of love. We don't even care if we break even in the end or not, the journey's been fun but it's only half over!

So first of all, I admire your courage for posting on here. You're sure to be railed by a few idiots. Don't let them get you down...cause if you have the determination you can go pretty far. Good luck!

 

[idNut]

Originally posted by: kami
Sounds very interesting, what is your budget like? Or are you just shooting this on consumer-grade DV or something to save costs?

Me and some friends have been working on a film for a couple years now. We finally begin filming in June. Our budget is around $75,000-$85,000 and most of it is provided free through connections that we worked hard to get and people we know (use of equipment). We're shooting it on professional DV (24p, that new Panasonic camera that runs about $4k. its gorgeous...shoots at 24 frames/sec!) Also we've got a connection with Alliance Atlantis (canadian distributor) who says they'll distribute it if they like it.

We've had a couple casting calls so far, got some good people (with experience nonetheless). The movie is a thriller/horror. Never posted it on AT before because people never take us seriously, it's not worth the headache of seeing people put you down. It's gonna be big and been a labor of love. We don't even care if we break even in the end or not, the journey's been fun but it's only half over!

So first of all, I admire your courage for posting on here. You're sure to be railed by a few idiots. Don't let them get you down...cause if you have the determination you can go pretty far. Good luck!

Our budget is extremely low but he has two very nice Sony MiniDV cameras with a barrage of editing equipment and sound equipment. Take a look at the site I made for his editing company, www.jonmerkel.com. His father is a DJ at a radio station and he is dedicated to making his son a director. I'm the only person his son has been able to relate to film wise around here so I'm kind of hitching a free ride gaining experience with high-end equipment and software. So the initial budget isn't big at all since me and him don't even have jobs. He's busy all the time and I think I'm too emotionally unstable to hold one. But anyway your movie sounds promising even though I know only the silhouette of it. I'm a horror movie buff so I'm always all ears and eyes to new horror flicks.

 

[stormbv]

Sometimes I want to move to a big city and give acting a shot, but I don't think I could handle the inevitable failure.

 

[idNut]

^

 

[agnitrate]

I still like the idea

-silver

 

[pulse8]

I realize it sounds typical but it's next to impossible to come up with something original on a very small budget spare The Blair Witch Project.

I like the idea, but you have to realize that usually the lower your budget is, the more creative and clever you must be. It's very hard to make a DV based drama without getting very creative with the way you're telling your story. You can't just shoot it like you would a regular film because it will most likely just end up looking like a feature length soap opera.

The bigger your budget gets, the less creative you need to be with how you're telling your story. Which is why a lot of very large budgeted movies end up having a horrible story.

Fantastic direction.

He tends to overdirect, IMO. He's usually got a lot of style in his films, but the characters tend to be sterile.

 

[DanJ]

Originally posted by: agnitrate
Fantastic direction. Pi was probably Darren Aronofsky's peak. From the little I know about you, I can tell you that you will LOVE Pi.

LoL...man it was his first movie! Can't say a guy is at his peak when he's made but one film. Pi was a great movie indeed, but I felt Requiem was more powerful; Aronofsky's a crazy genius though so don't say he peaked on his first film

 

[iamme]

idNut, when you're done, compress it w/ DivX and be sure to post if here

We'll critique the hell out of it

 

[idNut]

Originally posted by: pulse8

I realize it sounds typical but it's next to impossible to come up with something original on a very small budget spare The Blair Witch Project.

I like the idea, but you have to realize that usually the lower your budget is, the more creative and clever you must be. It's very hard to make a DV based drama without getting very creative with the way you're telling your story. You can't just shoot it like you would a regular film because it will most likely just end up looking like a feature length soap opera.

The bigger your budget gets, the less creative you need to be with how you're telling your story. Which is why a lot of very large budgeted movies end up having a horrible story.

Fantastic direction.

He tends to overdirect, IMO. He's usually got a lot of style in his films, but the characters tend to be sterile.

This is good advice. I've noticed what you're saying about DV based cameras. He claims he can slow the framerate down to 24fps with all his editing equipment along with some other nifty programs including Avid which is what he's been learning. I do realize the look of the film is vital to how serious the audience takes the movie which is why I'm working closely to see it does look as close as possible to a Panavision camera. (Yea right)

But you're right about the lower the budget the more creative you gotta be. I'm going to elaborate on the script a little more. I plan on making it about an hour and twenty minutes so we can call it our first, serious film.

He plans to have it available on DVD and hopefully in 5.1 surround sound if we're up to mixing it. His dad has all the equipment in his studio which is an excellent opportunity for me to exploit.

 

[pulse8]

Getting the framerate down to 24fps does nothing for you if your final product is going to be video and most film filters I've seen just make it look like grainy video.

When I say that you need to be creative, I mean that you need to use the format to your advantage. With The Blair Witch project, they did just that. They found a way to make their low budget and having only DV cameras work because it worked for the story for the footage to be shot that way.

Basically, you need to make the film in a way that the viewer accepts the lower quality or understands that it couldn't have been shot any other way.

 

[idNut]

Originally posted by: pulse8
Getting the framerate down to 24fps does nothing for you if your final product is going to be video and most film filters I've seen just make it look like grainy video.

When I say that you need to be creative, I mean that you need to use the format to your advantage. With The Blair Witch project, they did just that. They found a way to make their low budget and having only DV cameras work because it worked for the story for the footage to be shot that way.

Basically, you need to make the film in a way that the viewer accepts the lower quality or understands that it couldn't have been shot any other way.

What would you suggest? He is very close-minded to any other camera than Sony that isn't MiniDV. I told him I'd like it shot in film but he totally rejected that saying it'd be too hard to edit and other reasons. I'm sure it would be difficult to edit but the ending product would be much more rich.

 

[pulse8]

Editing it is not the problem.

Paying for the stock, developing the film and the transfer to video is what's going to kill it for the project. It's a much more complicated and expensive process. You could shoot on 8mm, which could give you good results and would be cheaper to do, but still expensive for guys without a lot of money.

Just consider your budget and that you're shooting on video when you're writing the script and use the video to your advantage.

I don't know the whole specifics of the story, so I can't give any real suggestions on how to incorporate it into the story, but if you want to send me part of the script, or some kind of treatment, I can maybe give you some better advice on it.

 

[Lonyo]

Maybe you could do it like the film is the guys video diary? You could have a dude sitting in front of the camera, talking about his day, and then do "flashbacks" to the events that he talks about, that way, not having a Hollywood camera would just make it more "real".
And if you have some stuff, make the footage like that of a bystander on a home video camera, so it seems like there's a more real aspect to it?

Just ideas about working with what you have, hope it turns out well, be sure to get your distributer to do international shipping.
Oh, one more thing, you suck (someone had to say it)

 

[idNut]

Originally posted by: pulse8
Editing it is not the problem.

Paying for the stock, developing the film and the transfer to video is what's going to kill it for the project. It's a much more complicated and expensive process. You could shoot on 8mm, which could give you good results and would be cheaper to do, but still expensive for guys without a lot of money.

Just consider your budget and that you're shooting on video when you're writing the script and use the video to your advantage.

I don't know the whole specifics of the story, so I can't give any real suggestions on how to incorporate it into the story, but if you want to send me part of the script, or some kind of treatment, I can maybe give you some better advice on it.

I'm also going to have to look at a DAT, right? Then we'd have to cue the sound up and all other technical difficulties. I'd like to pursue that route for the reason of learning how to use something like that but I don't think I have the money. I say I because I know he wouldn't support the idea at all which makes me wonder if maybe I should just get my own camera and be the director/writer and make it my own movie.

 

[idNut]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
Maybe you could do it like the film is the guys video diary? You could have a dude sitting in front of the camera, talking about his day, and then do "flashbacks" to the events that he talks about, that way, not having a Hollywood camera would just make it more "real".
And if you have some stuff, make the footage like that of a bystander on a home video camera, so it seems like there's a more real aspect to it?

I was just thinking about doing this. I think it's a great idea but it will take some talent in writing and acting.

 

[pulse8]

Right. If you shot on film, you'd have to take sound on a DAT machine and then sync the film to it.

If this is your second film, and you're unemployed, I would suggest to stay on DV. Shooting on film will only end up costing a large amount of money that you don't have and probably aren't prepared for.

Unless you're really really happy with the script and feel it deserves to be shot on film. If that were the case, I'd put the script away for a while until you have the experience and the money to really do it justice.

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: idNut

Originally posted by: Lonyo
Maybe you could do it like the film is the guys video diary? You could have a dude sitting in front of the camera, talking about his day, and then do "flashbacks" to the events that he talks about, that way, not having a Hollywood camera would just make it more "real".
And if you have some stuff, make the footage like that of a bystander on a home video camera, so it seems like there's a more real aspect to it?

I was just thinking about doing this. I think it's a great idea but it will take some talent in writing and acting.

Which is partly where you'd come in. If you're really passionate about making this film, you should be prepared to work on the script for a few years if it needs it.

It sounds like a long time to write a script, but some of the best are written over a long span of time and are rewritten a dozen times over.

Alternatively, I know that Mark Romanek, writer/director of One Hour Photo, has had a script he's been trying to sell for 10+ years, but hasn't been able to do so. It was a script he was really passionate about, but he was just never able to get it off the ground with the studios.