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I have mentioned in one or two other threads (quite old and burried by now) that I am a prospective filmmaker. I was thinking about shooting and small (budget wise) film with friends a la Clerks (not in actual content but in the conditions of the film).
My problem is that all the ideas I have for storylines aren't very condusive to a low budget. So I'd like to ask anyone here if they have any that are.
Full credit would be given, and if by some small chance the movie turns a profit, I'll give what is due. I'm open to just about anything that could be done with just actors and small town locations (anything in woods would be great- Plenty of good forest locastions as I live in NC).
If you're worried about crappy acting ruining your story, don't. I know quite a few talented people. I posted this here as it's the only place I know that has a bunch of friendly people with a bunch of ideas
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Read through F&F, look for somoene who writes good dialogue.
Clerks could have been an audio tape and been exactly the same film.
My experience in low budget films has actually only been as an actor and the film I was in was made for the cost of the video equipment, props and software. None of the actors were of any name so they didn't get paid squat. Even though I had the lead, I think I had about forty lines or less. Most of it was action and scenic views.
This particular forum tends to house more Fantasy and Science Fiction which are not conducive to low budget.
You also might want to look into screenwriter forums. Script writing and prose are different skills.
I could go through F&F, but it'd be hours of reading through stories and then contacting authors, having most of them say no, etc.
Besides, I'm not just looking for stuff people have developed. If you have an idea that you haven't written down yet for some reason or another, I could still use it.
Kid shows up at a girl's house to take her out for their first date - a high school dance.
Girl is in bathroom still getting ready, she has foil on her hair, having just bleached it.
Father takes boy to living room. and does a standard grilling, respect speech.
Girl takes off foil to find her hair is obnoxious green. FOr the rest of the movie, she is trying to fix her hair, never ruining it further, but not making it better.
The boy and father run out of conversation, father goes up and sees problem with girl and agrees to entertain the boy.
So, we see the father try to entertain the boy through TV, nothing but a football game and the fathers team is losign 70-0 in the first quarter so he can't watch that. Monopoly, just a snippet, both clearly bored. Chess, neither of them really knows how to play so they both make up the rules as they go.
Add other amusing uncomfortable interactions.
Finally girl gives up and throws together an outfit to match her green hair. They get outside to the doorstep at 11:58, just in time for a kiss goodnight. GIrl thanks boy for patience and kisses him.
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The only idea I've ever had for a movie (and I'm sure it's been done before) is about a blocked writer, doing what he can to try and get unblocked.
He tries to incorporate some aspects of his life (bad apartment, recent break-up with a girlfriend who miscarried, friends and parents who just don't get that "writing thing" he does, crummy job, bad boss, and the sometimes maddening thought that he can't write about life if he's never really lived. . .etc), and it might or might not work. I never thought it through that far.
But I do know that at the end, his life is not much better (he doesn't write a book that sells for millions; he doesn't find the woman of his dreams, and he doesn't leave the bad job, nor the crummy apartment), but he's writing again, and for now, that's enough.
Hell, he might even be back with his girlfriend. *shrug*
It's funny that you mention Clerks, because I only ever give the idea any time after I've seen the movie, when I'm temporarily smitten with the idea of moviemaking.
Anyway, it's an idea I think doesn’t suck, and you're welcome to it. Unless you go in a different direction, and then. . . who knows? I might one day find myself smack-dab in the middle of a mid-life crisis, with 35,000 burning a hole in my bank account (how much Clerks cost to produce), and faced with the make-a-movie/buy-a-sports-car crossroads that so many others have come to.
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You could have people find something totally unexpected in the woods while they're on a hike. It could be a brand new car sitting in the middle of a clearing without any evidence of it being driven there. Or maybe a couch. Or a colony of tiny people only three inches tall, complete with their own city. I don't know, just something out of the ordinary. And then you could have reactions, trying to figure out why the object was there, etc.
By the way, I hope this isn't a cliche. It's the first thing that popped to mind when Archer mentioned there were woods nearby. This, and the Blair Witch Project.
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Absolutely no frickin Blair Witch. I want to be a GOOD director...
And don't think of them as woods nearby. Think of them as woods almost everywhere that isn't a lawn or paved...
And don't just think of them as flat, bland woods. We got everything. Even a few natural trenches that could make convincing WWII Ardennes settings (although I'm not sure how many springfileds and uniforms I could get a hold of...).
[This message has been edited by ArCHeR (edited December 04, 2005).]
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