Hi there. I'm a film student at the University of Southern California. Soon, I will be directing a series of short films on subjects of my choosing. I'm soliciting ideas for these films. The only constraints are as follows:
•There is no dialog (not silent, just no dialog)
•The films must be five minutes long.
If I like your idea, you'll see it made with the latest equipment (35mm film lenses, so it'll have the "hyperreal" visual style of feature films) and SAG actors (read: the pros), as well as the resources of USC behind it. It could also be shown on the big screen at film festivals or on television. You will, of course, receive a credit on the film and a copy of the finished work.
Post a comment or send me an email briefly laying out the beginning, middle, and ending of the story you have in mind. I look forward to hearing from you.
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
Out of ideas?
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
I was in a student film at USC. I was not a SAG actor. Maybe that's why my friend is an editor now.
I feel so ashamed.
How about a film in which the actor finally gets his SAG card? After taking on a series of demeaning "acting" gigs (of which being "the pickle" at a vendor booth at the State Fair was considered the highlight), he has his first big break in a student film. Wherein he is dressed as a giant foam-rubber asparagus bent on man's destruction! <eek>
Or...you could just have a mall kiosk fall in love with one of the anchor retail establishments. Each day, it sends her more and more elaborate gifts from its stock. Each night, after the mall closes, it inches its way over to where her East entrance is. Jilted, the little kiosk takes to stalking the big store. Rolling back and forth in front of her display windows. Leaving suggestive messages like "Tuesday, TOTAL BLOWOUT" or "INVENTORY REDUCTION! EVERYTHING MUST GO!" Things escalate. One morning, he's not there in front of the store, but the clothing that WAS in the big store's display window is strewn all over the mall...outside the store! Did he get in? What's going on? Duh, dunh dunhhh... The little kiosk is now living on the streets (it was inevitably, he never sold anything). He's got one wheel in the gutter. He gets befriended by a kindly street food vendor, who turns him into a coffee bar. He gets his self-respect back. One day, he's parked in front of the big store. But she's gone out of business. Now, she's been converted to a DMV driver license station...or maybe a flea market. He still loves her. He ends the night outside, and he keeps trying to go to her. She opens her door, but he stops short. He's chained to a light pole.
Or... Have someone playing chess with DEATH on a rocky shoreline, except...when you zoom in, it's really just two guys rolling d20 and playing D&D
Posted by AutumnFire (Member # 7320) on :
Hey, what's wrong with being an editor? Under the right circumstances, that can be a fantastic job! Thanks for the ideas.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
lol.
It's been a great gig for him. I just figured every film school graduate wants to be Spielberg.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
I remember hearing from my stage management class that it's not that hard to get a SAG card, compared to joining Equity or the like.
Posted by AutumnFire (Member # 7320) on :
Haha. Me, I'd love to be a director, but I don't want to be Spielberg.
TL: Partly, yes. :-) But more importantly, I want to get outside what I know. My ideas will have a tendency to skew towards my experiences, this is an opportunity for me to choose a starting point outside that.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Deconstructionist superhero comic book parody.
Posted by AutumnFire (Member # 7320) on :
Teshi, yes it is, the initiation is extremely convoluted. Have any story ideas?
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
that sounds the exact description of certain pornographic films, not that I am suggesting it, its just a possibility.
Posted by Leroy (Member # 9533) on :
Two kids buying school supplies find love over the last pack of crayola.