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A different kind of topic...

DiamondDust

DiamondDust

Hall of Fame
May 1, 2003
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Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States
www.dsmithimages.com
This topic is a little different than most, but give it a chance...

I'm currently a Film Studies major at Alabama, and I hope to parlay that into a successful career as a screenwriter.

I'm posting this to get a little feedback from the Alabama faithful on a couple of things I've done...

The one I'm working on now is in the vein of Ghostbusters as it involves a group of cryptozoologists, who manage to stumble upon evidence Bigfoot is real. The catch, however, is they have to keep it hidden so a trophy hunter doesn't claim the animal as a prize.

The others that I have that are worth showing are:

1. A super-hero story that puts the gods of Greek mythology in present time and in battle with each other.

2. A high school story about a week long prank war/cold war set between two close rival schools during the week before their big game. (This one is close to my heart as it is based on true events that happened between Pinson Valley and Erwin high schools circa fall 1998)

Now, I pose the question to you all... would you find these entertaining?

Be honest because I'd like to get feedback from a board not populated by people wanting to be in the film business.
 
You heve to go with the mythology theme. As you can tell by my username, I get into mythology a lot. And by the way, you have to throw me in there too. I'm half mortal, half god.

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"Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana... The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two, but can't remember what they are." --Matt Lauer on NBC's Today show, August 22.
 
LOL...well, imagine this:

Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Herakles, Hephaestus, Hermes, Poseidon, and 3 Cyclopes vs. Hades, Hera, Hades, Aphrodite, Deimos, Phobos, Eris, a couple of Gorgons, the Minotaur, and army of the dead...

And this happens to be a fight over Hebe and the Cup of Immortality with a little Persephone and Demeter thrown in for good measure
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Trade Aphrodite for Hermes, and Hephaestus. You also need to throw in Thesius to have a rematch w/ the Minotaur.
PS: Side one is stacked, throw in Dionysis to side two with Hades. You must consider Aeneas as the referee.

Oh and remember, Icarus is not a T-shirt from a swan song. Don't pay attention to that last comment.

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"Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana... The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two, but can't remember what they are." --Matt Lauer on NBC's Today show, August 22.
 
Just a little side-note of what the gods do on Earth:

-Zeus: Federal judge
-Athena: College Professor, with Nike as her assistant
-Herakles: Action star
-Apollo and Artemis: Self-made wildlife rangers
-Hera: "Wealthy" divorcee
-Poseidon: Rancher in Hawaii
-Hephaestus: Owner of a major factory with the Cyclopes working for him
-Hermes: Con man/pick pocket in Las Vegas
-Aphrodite: Full-time seductress
-Demeter and Persephone: Farmers
-Hades: Nothing since he can't visit Earth
 
First off...What is the target audience you are aiming for, if any?? I like the greek god story, but like the HS war one better in the sense of overall entertainment and which one would do better in a box office type setting...

Sorry but I am probably one of those people you don't want feed back from bc I want to do something in the business...TCF major right here, BUT not sure in what exact aspect yet...lol

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"The best way to predict the future is to create it." -Divine Bradley
 
A little advice for both of you TCF majors, from someone who once had the same aspirations as you (I've had a complete change in direction since graduating in '01).

First: Go to Books a Million TODAY and get "Story" by Robert McKee. Read it, then read it again.

Second: Next spring, take Dr. George Wolfe's EN 409/609, Writing for Film. It's a difficult class to get into--he generally limits the class to 10 people (6 grads, 5 undergrads, or 5 & 5 if you're lucky). If you can't get in for next spring, take it in spring '06. Contact him early in the fall, so hopefully you can get on his list.

I imagine you've both taken TCF 215 (?), Glenda's screenwriting class. That one's good for structure and becoming familiar with the process--but you need something that comes from a creative writing standpoint. EN 409 was the best class I took at Alabama. You'll learn a great deal--and you'll write an entire script in one semester. Dr. Wolfe recommends that you already have at least an idea, if not a working draft already, when you start the class.

If y'all know anything about mythology, then you should know about archetypes. Your characters must be archetypal rather than stereotypes. McKee will explain this much better than I ever could. My rambling point is this: A great film begins with a great story. Without good story, we are wasting our time. If y'all want feedback or critique on anything you've written, please email it to me and I'll gladly give you some commentary.

Oh, and DiamondDust, I like the high school story idea. It's good to do something that's close to your heart. The Bigfoot one sounds interesting too...but I'd rather see a short treatment than a 2-sentence synopsis.

Good luck, guys!
 
The Greek mythology film would be neat, but I'm afraid it would sail over most peoples' heads.
The high school rivalry movie has a lot more potential, IMHO. Of course, I am biased. I've seen Dazed and Confused something like 50 times. That movie is the gold standard. Funny, but not contrived funny. Linklater gets laughs under the radar instead of over the top. He also depicts the awkwardness of teenagers perfectly.
I was a TCF major for a while in the early 90's, but it seemed like UA was cutting a lot of those classes. It's good to see the program is up and running.

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"There are few talents more richly rewarded with both wealth and power, in countries around the world, than the ability to convince backward people that their problems are caused by other people who are more advanced."

Thomas Sowell
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by bwdial:
The Greek mythology film would be neat, but I'm afraid it would sail over most peoples' heads.
The high school rivalry movie has a lot more potential, IMHO. Of course, I am biased. I've seen Dazed and Confused something like 50 times. That movie is the gold standard. Funny, but not contrived funny. Linklater gets laughs under the radar instead of over the top. He also depicts the awkwardness of teenagers perfectly.
I was a TCF major for a while in the early 90's, but it seemed like UA was cutting a lot of those classes. It's good to see the program is up and running.

</font>
Click to expand...

Dude, you're my new best friend...Dazed is my FAVORITE movie of all time, and a huge inspiration. The high school movie is told from the perspective of only one school(Palmer Valley), leaving the other school(Innsbrooke) faceless. It allows for the Palmer Valley students to make up their own conceptions of Innsbrooke.

DMaguire: I won't be able to take Dr. Wolfe's class, but I've had quite a bit of instruction on the craft. I've been reading as much as I can since my junior year in high school. I took Glenda's class(It's actually 315 I think), and she's helped me out of class as well. I'm about to finish the current wave of revisions to the Bigfoot script, and then I'm going to touch up the football one and the Greek one. I'll send you copies if you like.

Thanks all for the feedback...I'll keep you posted on the progress.
 
I think you should take all three stories, mix them together, throw in a little romance, a few laughs, and a couple of tears, and BAM!!! You have a WINNA'!
 
Yep. There are almost 3000 signatures. A director's cut DVD would be most awesome.
I am a member of The Moontower, which is a D&C group on Yahoo. The membership there is about 600. Terry Mross (Coach Conrad) and a guy who was the publicist are members too, and they give some really cool insight.
 
The first one sounds frighteningly like "Harry and the Hendersons" or that movie where the biologist find the dinosaur in the Congo and protect it from a big time game hunter. Been done, didn't work well.

The mythology one sounds interesting, but also brings forth images of Xena and Hercules tv shows. To be done right would probably require a huge budget. Not likely for a fledgling screenwriter.

The high school angle is probably the best bet. It is something you know well (first hand experience is better than "book learning") It is a genre that does well e.g. Dazed and Confused, Hollywood Knights, or American Graffitti for that matter. It doesn't require a huge budget and is aimed at tbe target audience that spends the most on movies. Go for it! Good luck! We will say we knew you when!
 
Bamalaw, thanks for the feedback. I've gotten quite a few "Harry and the Hendersons" comments about the Bigfoot one, but I'm confident it's no where near that story. I do remember, however, the film about the dinosaur in the Congo. I was actually going to make that the setting until I decided on Bigfoot and Mt. Rainier National Forest. However, I don't think there will be much similarity with the Congo story.

Believe me, I myself had visions of Hercules and Xena running through my head when I was writing "The Olympians". I didn't take a "campy" approach with the story. If you want a comparison, think of the two X-Men films. You're right about the budget...it would be huge. However, a screenwriter usually doesn't have to worry about that, unless they are making the film themselves. If it did get sold, it would be up to the studio to determine what stays or goes. As long as I'm paid, well, I can't complain
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I'll have to send you a copy of "Football America" after I touch it up a bit. I have a feeling that if it did get made(BIG if), it would play well here in the south.
 
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