Hi there guys,

Ste i like the idea that we have all the characters in the same place, and then follow them in what they do, to see their personal stories. But i think that dealing with a cult will put us writing horror, which is not the main aim.

I'm more for stories of everyday life. The thing i like from this stories is that, when you see them first you think they're happening in the same time, but then you discover that one of this stories was from past. hehe.

Remember the Suicide Anthology i talked with you, sometime ago?? What do you think if we go with that?

Okay then 10 pages.

Alffy - Yes i do plan to do something about, i can't say for sure i will do it all, but i'll try to shoot at least one. My first idea was having different directors from the world each one with its short. Let's see...

Javier - well if Ste has it on his hands, then why not write it. But, i'd like to have all set before we go into writing anything. Do you got any proposition ?

Ian - As i mentioned above, i already talked with Ste about a Suicide Anthology, dealing with suicides in different ways, with different people. Ste knows what I'm talking about here, hehe...

Interesting.

I was actually going to contact Phil in the near future to suggest something like this for the OWC.

I'm a writer/director who is going to be moving into feature film production next year and I've been thinking of ways of creating a relatively easy feature film that I could use as an introduction to the field, to get a feel for the intensity of it all.

One of the ideas I thought of was something along the lines of what you have suggested IE creating a feature made up of smaller parts, so that you can film the parts at separate times and reduce the problems without harming the final product.

A series of short films that are linked either by charcaters or theme that make a whole film.

Films that come to mind are Short Cuts, Gun (another Altman film), Amores Perros and even Pulp Fiction.

One thing I would strongly suggest is that you look to create a singular, focussed feature film out of the stories. A feature film has far more value than a bunch of disparate shorts. The subtle change between several inter-linked stories and  an anthology will raise the chances of getting distribution considerably.

An anthology of films linked by theme by the World's Great Directors is one thing, but a series of shorts from pre-professionals is another, there simply would be no market for it.

Going for the feature option though would probably preclude using different Director's for each film. It would lose focus and each part would look and feel completely different and would be produced to entirely different standards.

The Cult idea is pretty strong as far as something like this goes. It has enough give in it to allow different stories to be told and can resonate with modern audiences at a time when faith seems to be all important. It certainly doesn't mean that it has to go into a horror bent.

You can investigate why people join Cult's, how the leaders manipulate their followers, or indeed how the honest and good leader becomes changed by a more powerful subordinate. We can see how things start off benevolent, but start to stray into dangerous territory etc All major religions at one stage or another could be easily classified as "Cult's". What is the difference between a Cult and a Religion other than size? You can see how different leaders interpret the same texts based on their own perceptions and how that changes the original message over time.

That way you can make it analagous to mainstream religions and layer the strength of meaning.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films A series of short films that are linked either by charcaters or theme that make a whole film.

That's actually one of the main reasons why I like the Soulshadows series.  They're posted separately on here, sure, but if they were blended together with the Tanis parts interlocking them, it would be pretty seamless as a feature.

Although a tad on the long side, each story is vastly different while following the "collector" theme.

decadencefilms@37.com - You made a good point here. If you want you can be part of the project, i'd like that. You named some of movies who inspired me Short Cuts, Amorres Perros and that damn Pulp Fiction hehe

I'm aware of the needs of this project to work, that's why I suggested that the stories to be interlinked with each other and this is the hard part of the project. As i said before one good thing of this structure is that allows each story to play in different time making it more interesting.

I'm thinking about this project as a Amores Perros in structure, with shorter stories.

Another suggestion would be to make an outline with all the stories and a logline and then write them as we go.

Mike - I really thought this to be different from the series here in SS. Let's see how it goes...

As i said in my previous post, I talked to Ste about making an anthology dealing with Suicide, i have made some points, and it could be interesting.

Cheers

P.S: Ste where art thou

Yeah Nik, I had your idea of the suicide anthology in mind.

I think what we need to do, if there is going to be a central location, is for someone to write a synopsis of that part. A brief idea of the characters that we'll be dealing with and then hand a character out to those wanting to get involved.

Another idea I had was a sort of 'Cocoon' scenario. Where certain people for differing reasons have been abducted (but, in a nice way haha) by aliens. They're helping the characters out by taking them to this sort of perfect planet. We could then see the problems that they had and what good they did to warrant the help.

Doesn't have to have sfx. The abduction could just be fade to white, or a bright light that consumes the screen. The planet can just be a beach or something like that.

Anyways, I'm on board. Dying of flu at the minute so very, very bored.

Aliens, please no

I'm more for things that don't have to deal with outer space. Yes, we can make an outline and then proceed into writing.

So what do you think, personally to me the Suicide idea is very interesting, but it might have some complications with the interlinking part.

Let's see what other will think about it.

If you like Suicide and other people like the idea of the Cult...why not combine the two?

They're not exactly mutually exclusive, unfortunately.

The connecting incident could be that the Cult has called for the suicide of its followers, it doesn't have to be at the same place (or even time, maybe the suicides serve some ulterior purpose). EG the Cult believes that once someone has attained spiritual perfection then they should willing take their own life. This way they can show their absolute faith and then pass on into the next stage of life.

That allows you to focus on different characters and their reasons for killing themselves because not everyone has to do it for the same reason. Maybe some are lonely and just want to fit in, maybe some are coerced etc

Or maybe you can show both sides of the story. Follow some charcaters who fall into the darkness and kill themselves and follow others who find the strength to leave the Cult.

Suicide would come across as cliché won't it?  It's a good subject matter that I don't mind but how many times has this been done?

As for cults.

What about creating a new cult and/or using something from the past.  I have read up on Egypt.  And there's alot of dead cults.  We all know them.  Where there was a God for everything.  This goes for Greece, rest of Europe Europe, Asia etc...

Why not bring a few of these cults back into the mainstream and maybe add a sinister twist.  Where followers give their will over to the leader.  I suppose this can elude to suicide or whatever.  But it is sometimes the thought that counts.

In the words of Lucas Buck
"The illusion of free will."


What's your opinion Nik?

The idea behind the suicides was to explore suicide in different ways. I already have an outline. In few words, there's suicide for love, suicide when you have no escape from the soldier following you, which happened in the war in Kosovo. So, i have an outline of all this case of suicides. And i also have a short script called "Suicide Floor".

As for the Cult and suicide together, i see it more as the main theme of one of the stories, but somehow i got it difficult to think that atu it as the motivation for all those suicides.

My idea was to explore even with structure, one of the following ideas of the suicide i thought it could be in reverse

As for the cult, in Europe and Asia... its called Paganism where you believe in many Gods. For example Agamemnon had to sacrifice her daughter so the winds would be in favor of the greeks for their way to Troy. I know many of these stories.

But look if you guys have an idea about a specific thing, just write, then we will try to combine them as we proceed.

Cheers

Back,

I have been thinking, how about exploring the different lives of some people that are going to take a journey on boat ( a big boat). The boat will fall, or get attacked from terrorists something like this.

So we explore the lives of these people and how they got themselves in the boat.

Let me know guys....

Nik

I'm still interested in doing something for this Nik.

I've been reading 'Four Rooms' over the last few days so got me into the mood for a collaboration haha. I think there needs to be a clear premise for this, just so everyone knows where we're going.

I'm not too sure about your boat idea. Is there more to it?

Not sure about the boat idea too.

I understand the concept you're getting at.

How about maintaining the theme of cults.  And to tell a story regarding about an object that passes from one to another over time.  Kind of like passing the baton.

Maybe like a statue that is found on Easter Island, is taken back to Europe, passes through the family, sold in a shop, World War II happens, ends up in America, sold in an auction, robbed from the rich.

Different stories for different folks.

We would have to read each others scripts, and take it forward.

What do you think?

Quoted from NiK Back, I have been thinking, how about exploring the different lives of some people that are going to take a journey on boat ( a big boat). The boat will fall, or get attacked from terrorists something like this. So we explore the lives of these people and how they got themselves in the boat. Let me know guys.... Nik

I like the concept, but having it on a doomed boat makes me think too much of Titanic.

So we start again...

Ste, yea Four rooms is a good example. The idea with the boat came to me as a thought of exploring their lives before something happens that unites them together.

Javier - About the cult, well if we decide for it, i'm okay with it. Your suggestion sounds like the film Red Violin. Let's decide on this purpose.

Ian - We can have them escape not a Titanic thing (i don't like Titanic).

Lets decide on something and get on writing.

Cheers

SH#T,

My idea does sound like Red Violin.  Scrap my idea.