Ok - my exam is over so now I can concentrate on this. Here is where I am at if anyone is interested

Title: 42.2

Genre: Horror/Sci-fi

World History (pre-movie):
The year 2050 - Earth is covered in electrical storms grounding all flights indefinitely. Global travel now takes weeks instead of hours.
To combat this, a gravity train is built connecting Europe to Australia reducing travel time between the two continents to 42.2 minutes.
On its debut journey carrying 150 passengers, the train arrives in Australia with only one survivor. The others have either killed each other or killed themselves.
The survivor recounts that the gravity train passes directly through Hell and drove everyone to madness.
The gravity train still operates (mainly unmanned cargo) but is still open to passengers if they choose to - strangely, not many people take that option.

Logline: When an absent mother learns of her daughter's imminent death, she decides to be by her side. But to get there in time, she must travel to Hell and back on the controversial gravity train.

Quoted from Matthew Taylor Ok - my exam is over so now I can concentrate on this. Here is where I am at if anyone is interested Title: 42.2 Genre: Horror/Sci-fi World History (pre-movie): The year 2050 - Earth is covered in electrical storms grounding all flights indefinitely. Global travel now takes weeks instead of hours. To combat this, a gravity train is built connecting Europe to Australia reducing travel time between the two continents to 42.2 minutes. On its debut journey carrying 150 passengers, the train arrives in Australia with only one survivor. The others have either killed each other or killed themselves. The survivor recounts that the gravity train passes directly through Hell and drove everyone to madness. The gravity train still operates (mainly unmanned cargo) but is still open to passengers if they choose to - strangely, not many people take that option. Logline: When an absent mother learns of her daughter's imminent death, she decides to be by her side. But to get there in time, she must travel to Hell and back on the controversial gravity train.

Sounds a bit pooh, mate. I like the first story the best - the first passengers. Who were they? It reminds me of Titanic.

I thought of the first dialogue exchange for my script last night, and edited it more this morning. There will be some actions to break up the lengthy dialogue of the lawyer in the actual script.

LAWYER:
It has been agreed upon by both parties that I now refer you to past noted instances in which your ancestors chose to convey information, be it through written text or speech, to anyone concerning this ancient pact, besides the opposite birth-giver of their first-born. Or myself and those I represent. Family member: Lucinda Falclair. Date of injury: seventeen-o-seven. Injury sustained: combustion of left hand. Family member: Vincent Falclair. Died: seventeen-o-eight. Cause of death: suffocation by swallowing of his tongue. Family member: Rosie Saunters. Died: nineteen-ninety-five. Cause of death: blood-loss by loss of teeth and jaw.

THERESA:
That's enough! How dare you say such things! You get out of here! You crazy bastard!

Quoted from DustinBowcot I like the first story the best - the first passengers. Who were they? It reminds me of Titanic.

I think the same! Why not just put the protag on the first train?

Hmm re Matthew’s story - I’m seeing a lot of good in the way he wrote it. A mother makes a decision to board a plane of death to understand what happened to her kid.

That takes guts and makes her interesting. And I would be curious to know what happens since it’s partly a mystery - the way they die part, and partly a horror - I’ll be in anticipation of the woman’s death and horrific events that are about to happen.

I’d go with the second ride.

Quoted from Hank THERESA: That's enough! How dare you say such things! You get out of here! You crazy bastard!

I can see her wearing some nice loungerie when she says that.

Quoted from DustinBowcot Sounds a bit pooh, mate. I like the first story the best - the first passengers. Who were they? It reminds me of Titanic.

I think "a bit pooh" might be all I've got in the locker, to be honest, lol

Quoted from Heretic I think the same! Why not just put the protag on the first train?

Three reasons went through my head when making this decision.

1) The plot I've gone with means the protag needs to get to the other side of the world quickly. I would expect the maiden voyage of something like the theoretical gravity train would be booked up for a while (overthinking?)

2) Hell itself attacks the train's passengers. Uses their fears, doubts, regrets, history to drive them to madness. For the protag, this is the regret of being a shit mother and the stuff she has already done to her daughter, fear of being like her own mother (which, at the moment, she is) blah blah blah.... anyway, this is what she needs to overcome to survive and come out the other side a changed person.
Anyway, one of her saving graces is, that she got on that train when her daughter needed her knowing that it goes through Hell and is dangerous.
If she got on the first train, she would just have thought she was taking a simple 40-minute train, and coincidentally, bad stuff happens. wouldn't have been the same sacrifice.

3) I wanted to give the journey an instant feeling of foreboding. I.E the audience already knows the train is dangerous and scary before she gets on - A bit like already knowing the house is haunted before the unsuspecting family move in.

Whether any of those reasons are good enough, I have no idea. I honestly have no clue what I am doing.

The survivor from the first journey is also on her train - he plays a major role in the movie, and that first journey is kind of replayed in this journey (through Hell's attacks of fears/regrets)

Quoted from khamanna I can see her wearing some nice loungerie when she says that.

Lol The reason she's so upset is because she witnessed that happen to her Aunt Rosie when she was only four years old. Then everyone in her family convinced her it never happened.

As Heretic suggested, it's possible to merge the second story into the first. Sounds a bit silly, to me, that people have already died, yet the train still runs cargo, yet this woman decides to go on the train.

I think you're trying to place melodrama into horror and I don't think it quite works.

Quoted from Matthew Taylor I think "a bit pooh" might be all I've got in the locker, to be honest, lol Three reasons went through my head when making this decision. 1) The plot I've gone with means the protag needs to get to the other side of the world quickly. I would expect the maiden voyage of something like the theoretical gravity train would be booked up for a while (overthinking?) 2) Hell itself attacks the train's passengers. Uses their fears, doubts, regrets, history to drive them to madness. For the protag, this is the regret of being a shit mother and the stuff she has already done to her daughter, fear of being like her own mother (which, at the moment, she is) blah blah blah.... anyway, this is what she needs to overcome to survive and come out the other side a changed person. Anyway, one of her saving graces is, that she got on that train when her daughter needed her knowing that it goes through Hell and is dangerous. If she got on the first train, she would just have thought she was taking a simple 40-minute train, and coincidentally, bad stuff happens. wouldn't have been the same sacrifice. 3) I wanted to give the journey an instant feeling of foreboding. I.E the audience already knows the train is dangerous and scary before she gets on - A bit like already knowing the house is haunted before the unsuspecting family move in. Whether any of those reasons are good enough, I have no idea. I honestly have no clue what I am doing. The survivor from the first journey is also on her train - he plays a major role in the movie, and that first journey is kind of replayed in this journey (through Hell's attacks of fears/regrets)

It could be even more interesting if it was not a mother but a friend who’s blamed for the death of the girl because that friend suggested the train ride in the first place and then bailed out of going.
Also I’m with Dustin here - humans shouldn’t be allowed to take that ride ever. Let’s say she sneaks in. And Let’s say the parents of the dead girl payed the survivor to take the ride again and sneaked him in as well.
Disregard if you will, just talking out loud here. But I agree with the melodrama part - mother/daughter makes it melodramatic and thus a bit cliche.

Quoted from eldave1 Not in this - but to me the litmus test would be a) a seminal life event (e.g., divorce, bankruptcy, jilted, engagement, etc.) that TRIGGERS the story - sets events in motion. My view anyway.

That's what a smart person would have done.

Quoted from LC Anyway, no biggie. I think most people get the idea.

We got ideas. This thing is moving along. The train is moving. It has no brakes and I don't know where it's going... but we're moving!!

Get on this train, Libby! It's not too late.

Quoted from Matthew Taylor World History (pre-movie): The year 2050 - Earth is covered in electrical storms grounding all flights indefinitely. Global travel now takes weeks instead of hours. To combat this, a gravity train is built connecting Europe to Australia reducing travel time between the two continents to 42.2 minutes. On its debut journey carrying 150 passengers, the train arrives in Australia with only one survivor. The others have either killed each other or killed themselves. The survivor recounts that the gravity train passes directly through Hell and drove everyone to madness. The gravity train still operates (mainly unmanned cargo) but is still open to passengers if they choose to - strangely, not many people take that option. Logline: When an absent mother learns of her daughter's imminent death, she decides to be by her side. But to get there in time, she must travel to Hell and back on the controversial gravity train.

I also like the idea of just putting her on the first voyage of this potentially ill-fated trip. It sort of vaguely reminds me of Snowpiercer. You could set up this twisted, dark world and do some cool things with it.

Quoted from Matthew Taylor Ok - my exam is over so now I can concentrate on this. Here is where I am at if anyone is interested Title: 42.2 Genre: Horror/Sci-fi World History (pre-movie): The year 2050 - Earth is covered in electrical storms grounding all flights indefinitely. Global travel now takes weeks instead of hours. To combat this, a gravity train is built connecting Europe to Australia reducing travel time between the two continents to 42.2 minutes. On its debut journey carrying 150 passengers, the train arrives in Australia with only one survivor. The others have either killed each other or killed themselves. The survivor recounts that the gravity train passes directly through Hell and drove everyone to madness. The gravity train still operates (mainly unmanned cargo) but is still open to passengers if they choose to - strangely, not many people take that option. Logline: When an absent mother learns of her daughter's imminent death, she decides to be by her side. But to get there in time, she must travel to Hell and back on the controversial gravity train.

Just spit-balling

First - Love the concept of gravity trains. BUT - I'm thinking it should be "anti-gravity" trains.

Quoted Text The year 2050 - Earth is covered in electrical storms grounding all flights indefinitely. Global travel now takes weeks instead of hours.

Okay - conceptually fine - but ships make the journey in days, not weeks. Cruise ship from LA to Hawaii - 4 days - from US to Europe, 3.5 days.  You'll need to address that.


So, for me, I'd rather have that mother on the first journey of that train -the one where all hell literally breaks loose -  she has a fear of speed - doesn't fly, drive - etc - but it's her daughter  - so she has to get there.

I'd be attempted to add a ticking time bomb - like - her daughter isn't dying - but she needs a kidney transplant or she will within XX days and the mother is the only living match - urgency she has to get there withing xx days.

Just my spit balling - I do like the core idea in this

Quoted from Matthew Taylor Ok - my exam is over so now I can concentrate on this. Here is where I am at if anyone is interested Title: 42.2 Genre: Horror/Sci-fi World History (pre-movie): The year 2050 - Earth is covered in electrical storms grounding all flights indefinitely. Global travel now takes weeks instead of hours. To combat this, a gravity train is built connecting Europe to Australia reducing travel time between the two continents to 42.2 minutes. On its debut journey carrying 150 passengers, the train arrives in Australia with only one survivor. The others have either killed each other or killed themselves. The survivor recounts that the gravity train passes directly through Hell and drove everyone to madness. The gravity train still operates (mainly unmanned cargo) but is still open to passengers if they choose to - strangely, not many people take that option. Logline: When an absent mother learns of her daughter's imminent death, she decides to be by her side. But to get there in time, she must travel to Hell and back on the controversial gravity train.

Hey Matt, interesting concept you've come up with. Seems like you put a lot of thought into it. You gonna explain how the gravity train opened a portal to Hell?

I'm with Dustin and Dave, in that I think the story about the first group of 150 passengers is far more interesting. Maybe you can switch it up a bit, and have the absent mother character be on that initial train ride?

Either way, sounds cool to me. Can't wait to see what you do with it.