Film Interpretation Contest (FIC)

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Actor
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Post by Actor »

I have the entire script in my head. I don't think I need to write in down. It will be 100% silent except for the score.

You know what Chaplin said. "All I need to make a movie is a camera, a girl and a cop!"
johnnhud
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Post by johnnhud »

Is your story simple? Or complicated?

Mine seems to be getting more and more complicated all the time. But I have a tendency to over complicate things. Are you keeping it simple? Or making it complex?
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Post by fogo »

After days of anguish, my new motto, keep it simple and let the critics discover the compliexities.....

Fogo
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Post by Dr_Strangelove »

that comment reminds of how often symbolism is discovered after a movie has been made.
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Post by fogo »

what was the meaning of placing an 'i' (or was it an eye) in the middle of complexities?
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Post by Actor »

johnnhud wrote:Is your story simple? Or complicated?
Story? There has to be a story? :o

Just kidding. :twisted:

The story is simple. I figure to just shoot a lot of film and piece it together in the editing room, er, I mean in the computer. :roll:
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Post by paul »

johnnhud wrote:Is your story simple? Or complicated?

Mine seems to be getting more and more complicated all the time. But I have a tendency to over complicate things. Are you keeping it simple? Or making it complex?
"Progressive complication" isn't that what there should be in a script, according to Robert Mckee? I just finished the other script. Although some friends still will have to read/comment it. It's quite dialogue based, but with lot's of possibilities for editing and variation of images and sound. My biggest fear is always that it will look like a soap movie. But I think I handled that danger quite well

I think for a less then five minutes short you will have to know right a way in the beginning who's who and what the problem is and you can not put in too much complications. But I think generaly it is good to overdoo things in the beginning. Afterwards you can always leave things out. For the proces of writing I think it is good to overdooo things in the beginning.

Ah well, my two cents, the next script is going to be my second..

Good luck.

BTW.. I thought Nigel would be in too with his HD cam?

Paul
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Post by HTTK »

Have a meeting Saturday with my team. Good to hear others are working away at there projects too. 8)
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Post by richard p. t. »

My idea/script is comming along now too. I had hoped to try to avoid dialogue altogether, but that's how its looking at the moment. Thinking about the plot framework provided, there really are 4 'moments' to the structure: waiting for (or prior to) meeting, meeting, exposition of the 'unsaid' and then the 3rd person's arrival with its 'inversion' (the twist).
This 'twist' at the end is the risky part with regards the balance and weight of the overall film. I found it useful when planning my idea to work from this twist sdrawkcab. A 'twist' ending can easily overpower the values of the body of the film, resulting in an over-emphasis of the basic structure (form) over the substance of the film. Then you might be left with just a gag (not that humour isn't sometimes the most serious of all - but the risk is just emphasising a 'funny' structure). Having a 'twist' ending that was nonetheless complementary to a theme was where I found the challenge in the set outline.
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Post by paul »

[.... there really are 4 'moments' to the structure: waiting for (or prior to) meeting, meeting, ...
Richard[/quote]

Why waiting for a meeting. I think that starting in the middle of a meeting, or after that, is a far more dynamic start. I think it is important to think dramatically first. If people are talking, of course it is self evident they have met somewhere before. You do not have to show that. Of course in some cases it might be necessary, if the meeting is something very special in case of your story. Otherwise it is not important. I don't know your story of course. And maybe I misunderstood your theory all together. So I could be wrong.

Best regards,

Paul
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Post by johnnhud »

I finished my screen play last night. It has more dialogue than I would have liked. I'm not very good at writing dialogue. I agree that with only 5 minutes to work with, you had best get to the point pretty quickly. My story starts out with some establishing shots and a voiceover to tell the audience all that it needs to know before I even introduce the main characters.

Don't forget that your Title can go a long ways to telling people what your story is about. If you title your film "Bubba goes to camp" people are going to know before they even watch it that some guy named "Bubba" is going to be going to some type of camp. However if you name your film something more cryptic like "Camp" then you are going to have to waste time in your film introducing "Bubba" and to explain that he is going to camp. Whereas before, it was all explained in the title.

Personally I like titles that explain a little about the movie.



Now the next step. Finding actors………
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Post by richard p. t. »

paul wrote:[.... If people are talking, of course it is self evident they have met somewhere before.
Quite true. Just trying to cash-out the structure as given, not so much a prescription on what ought to be included. Its all good. :D
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Post by johnnhud »

Let's see now... 5 minute short. So that means that if I am shooting at 24 fps than I will use two carts. Of couse that would also mean all in camera editing (chalenging) so I'm looking at shooting 6 carts for 15 minutes of footage. That's a 3/1 ratio I beleive.

For those who are going to be recording audio, how do you plan on doing that?
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Post by HTTK »

Quick update about my project, had a good meeting Saturday. Story/script is done and casting is underway. Going to audition actors Tuesday for the film. Then trying to figure out a time everyone can come together and shoot this. :) Fun so far! :D
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Post by Dr_Strangelove »

Finally there is a first draft of the script.

Right now we're looking for locations to shoot the film
and actors to star in it.

Its starting to get interesting... 8)

/Jan
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