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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board    One Week Challenge    The August Challenge  ›  Official August/September 2WC Discussion Thread Moderators: Scar Tissue Films
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  Author    Official August/September 2WC Discussion Thread  (currently 3131 views)
Scar Tissue Films
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 9:54am Report to Moderator
Of The Ancients


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Quoted from MarkItZero
Hm... interesting. Very interesting.

Don't know much about podcasts, at least not this type. I'll check out Homecoming later today, had no idea it started as a podcast. So it's not gonna be like just a narrator telling a story? There will be actual (non-visual) scenes with characters talking, radio broadcasts, etc. Basically we're right there in the middle of events as they're unfolding.

Are you going to give us more story specifics, or are we all collaborating on pretty much everything? For example, if it takes place when the mist first arrives or focuses on years later... is this all up for debate?


One of the things we should do is listen to snatches of the most popular narrative podcasts to see the different ways they tell the story

Some are obvious, like you mention.

Narrator, separated from the story.
Journal style or found footage style where someone is recording  the happenings.
Radio shows.
Drama scenes where people are acting it out in the present tense.

We'll probably have to experiment and get a feel for what works best.

One thought that I had was that instead of a narrator there could be a blind sister character or something that people have to tell what's happening to, so you can explain the images. But that's just a thought.

The idea is that we all discuss possible events, and slowly build an interesting plot out of them. Obviously some things have occurred to me as the idea has ruminated in my head.

There are some things that are sort of obligatory. For instance at some point the people in the city would run out of food and would migrate out to the suburbs in order to go into the countryside, hoping to find food.

So that would be an obvious plot point... Hundreds of thousands of desperate people entering a little town, and basically overrunning all the houses looking for food.

So, yeah. It's all up for debate, but I've got bits and pieces to throw out to get the ball rolling.

As for where it starts.. That's definitely open to debate. We can start right in the thick of it with people already hungry and shouting at a council meeting. We could start as the first wisps of fog start to appear and everything is normal.

From what I've just posted, the former feels like the stronger choice, so far. What do you think?

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Gary in Houston
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 9:56am Report to Moderator
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It sounds very interesting and I’m certainly game for it, but there’s lots of questions to be answered for sure.  I’ll just raise some of them here and maybe you can address:

1.  Formatting. Most of us (maybe all of us, perhaps) have never written for podcasts before.  I’ve listened to podcasts often (S Town perhaps being my favorite), but have never thought about how you would actually write one. Seems all dialogue driven with no action sequences to speak of. Do you have a link to a podcast script that we can review and familiarize ourselves with?

2.  Logistics. This to me is the biggest challenge. Let’s say there are fifteen of us willing to participate.  Someone needs to be the chief cook and bottle washer so that structure can be brought to bear. I would think that person would be you, Rick, so it might be good to hear your thoughts on how this comes to fruition. Let’s take the overall storyline. How is that going to be developed?  You have fifteen creative people with the guidelines to work from are going to have 15 completely different story arcs and characters. You saw how just having a setting in a psychiatrist’s office and a bobble head resulted in a lot of wildly divergent stories. So some order has to be brought to the chaos. Just curious how that would work. Same goes for the writing of actual episodes, editing, etc.

3. Sign off.  Who has final sign off on a script?  Do we all vote on it, or again, do we place that all in the hands of the team lead? I think we just need to make that clear from the outset so that there isn’t any rumblings later.

4. Legal stuff. I’m back with my legal hat on.  If we’re talking about something actually getting produced and put on iTunes and other platforms, there probably should be agreements signed by anyone whose work is used, especially where there is the potential for monetizing the podcast at some point down the road. What if it become popular? What if a second season is to be made?  What if (GASP!) a producer wanted to option it for a television series? Who owns the rights to it? These are things that should be addressed prior to it going into production lest there are any quarrels raised later.

I’m sure there are plenty of other questions but that’s all I have for now.

Gary


Some of my scripts:

Bounty (TV Pilot) -- Top 1% of discoverable screenplays on Coverfly
I'll Be Seeing You (short) - OWC winner
The Gambler (short) - OWC winner
Skip (short) - filmed
Country Road 12 (short) - filmed
The Family Man (short) - filmed
The Journeyers (feature) - optioned

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Scar Tissue Films
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 9:57am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from LC
A very ambitious undertaking...
The difference with this type of challenge is we're not in competition with each other but collaborating as a team.

Just ruminating on a character who's blind in this scenario... Still, if PETA let's those animals loose, maybe not.  

I don't know exactly how this is going to be worked out but I'll wait to hear more.
P.S.  I re-read The Rats & Lair a couple of years ago. Pretty gruesome from memory, but very enjoyable.


Ha. Yes, I feel a blind character would fit this very well.

In a way it would  be less disorientating for them, and like I mentioned above it shows someone else to describe things to her /him.



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FrankM
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 9:58am Report to Moderator
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Is this going to take-your-turns writing episode by episode, or are you planning something more of a group effort on each one?

If it's the first I might have to bow out because I can't write suspense to save my life.

If it's the second, I can dive into the more technical stuff (e.g., how radar, sonar, lidar, flir, etc. deal with fog).


Feature-length scripts:
Who Wants to Be a Princess? (Family)
Glass House (Horror anthology)

TV pilots:
"Kord" (Fantasy)
"Mal Suerte" (Superhero)

Additional scripts are listed here.
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Scar Tissue Films
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 10:04am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from James McClung
This is an interesting challenge. It seems to have been inspired by the current state of the world. Am I correct in that assumption, Rick?

I don't plan on participating; I'm out the game for the foreseeable future. I did want to comment, though, as I'm definitely on the podcast bandwagon atm but haven't been familiar with this side of it up until now. I tend to listen to the big ones (Joe Rogan, etc.), which are not written and have no structure. I think the free form is a large part of the appeal, but I'd be curious as to how the podcasts mentioned above fare within a narrative structure (the closest I've listened to would be Last Podcast on the Left, a true crime podcast). All this to say kudos on being timely and inventive.


Cheers.

I had the idea a while ago and thought about making it a graphic novel, or even a photo comic, but then I got into narrative podcasts quite a bit and saw they were doing well, so I thought it would be good to go that route.

Feel free to just pop in and throw some ideas out, if you like.
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Matthew Taylor
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 10:07am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from Scar Tissue Films


Hi Matthew,

Would be good to have you aboard. Is there anything specifically you want to know?


Just the structure of the challenge - what exactly I will have to do.

As in, will each writer be responsible for a single episode? or are a few writers assigned to collab on an individual episode? are we all just aiming to collab on the first episode with future episodes coming in future challenges?

Can't commit just yet when I'm not sure how much I will need to contribute lol


Feature

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Two steps to writing a good screenplay:
1) Write a bad one
2) Fix it
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Heretic
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 10:08am Report to Moderator
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This is a brilliant idea for a challenge, Rick.

I have the same questions as Gary, above, especially re: contracts/ownership.

On logistics: I feel like this is unlikely to work without a showrunner (which I'm assuming would be Rick). Having a pilot episode, or half, or whatever, to read before we all sit down to actual writing would really help establish a tone for the show and a style for the writing, which I think would be necessary to keep the feel and the characters consistent. It seems to me this would work best with a traditional writer's room approach, ie. that we are all trying to match the showrunner's established voice.
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Scar Tissue Films
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 11:15am Report to Moderator
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Some good questions.

I'm going to have my dinner, then I'll reply.
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Mr. Blonde
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 11:28am Report to Moderator
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What good are choices if they're all bad?

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I think I get what you're going for, Rick, and this sounds like a good bit of fun. A couple notes/questions I feel may be important to ask:

You mentioned the idea of us (the participants, as well as yourself) plotting out the big events that made the world how it is.

You said the world is already covered in fog. How long before?
Do the stories take place chronologically, or is this like World War Z (on the smaller scale you've described) where we get individual stories of alternating time periods?
Did anything else change about the world, besides the fog?
Is there any form of communication (radio, TV, internet)?

I have a story I would really like to tell for this and I think you will enjoy it quite a little bit. Just say the word. =)


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PKCardinal
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 11:38am Report to Moderator
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Very interesting.

The challenge will be having a singular, distinctive voice with so many collaborators.

Even working in a writer's room, you're working off of an initial pilot and bible that establish voice.

Or, are you hoping that each episode has its own distinctive flavor?

Either way, I'm intrigued. Though, I think it will be a real stretch for me creatively.


PaulKWrites.com

60 Feet Under - Low budget, contained thriller/Feature
The Hand of God - Low budget, semi-contained thriller/Feature
Wait Till Next Year - Disney-style family sports comedy/Feature

Many shorts available for production: comedy, thriller, drama, light horror
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Nomad
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 11:58am Report to Moderator
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A few thoughts:

  • There would have to be a trip to Beetham Tower.  Or maybe the story starts in Beetham tower so we already know that the fog is at least 169 meters thick.  The sun sets over Liverpool as an iridescent mist swallows the city.  The residents wake to find a thick fog blocking all light, turning day into night.  Someone's alarm goes off to wake them for work, but it's still "night" since no light can penetrate the fog, at least at this time in the story.  They open their curtains and a milky fog lumbers on the other side of the glass.
  • Send up a drone to see how thick the fog is.  It never comes back.  It catches a glimpse of something in the air that destroys it.
  • Ben Nevis would be another destination to see if there was a way to get above the fog.
  • I would suggest that all air vehicles (planes, helicopters...) are destroyed and come crashing back down in a flaming heap.  Maybe in the future there could be someone who shows up in a helicopter.  Mystery! Why didn't he die in a flaming heap?
  • Hydroponics would be a way to grow food if the sun couldn't penetrate the fog to keep plants alive.
  • There is 1 nuclear power plant in the area, Heysham. As long as it was operating then there would be electricity in the area. Once it goes offline, then we move on to the next chapter.
  • There will be the good, the bad, and the ugly. Good people want to survive and hold on to their humanity. The bad people want to survive and don't care about their humanity. They will survive by any means necessary. The ugly don't care about surviving. They're going to do what they want, take what they want, hurt who they want, and devolve to the most basic of desires. Think 'necrophiliac cannibals'. Who is who? Every time people meet, this is the question they're going to have to ask and find out.
  • HAM radio operators will come in to play somewhere along the way. There has to be some sort of communication at distance.


This is my 2 cents. Or maybe it's 8 cents.

Either way, I'll wait to see what you want to do before I march in any particular direction.


Read my scripts here:
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT 8pg-Drama
THE BRIDGE 8pg-Horror
SCHEISSE 6pg-Horror/Comedy
MADE FOR EACH OTHER-FILMED
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DustinBowcot
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 12:23pm Report to Moderator
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Narrators are cheating!
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FrankM
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 12:29pm Report to Moderator
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Quoted from Nomad
A few thoughts:

  • There would have to be a trip to Beetham Tower.  Or maybe the story starts in Beetham tower so we already know that the fog is at least 169 meters thick.  The sun sets over Liverpool as an iridescent mist swallows the city.  The residents wake to find a thick fog blocking all light, turning day into night.  Someone's alarm goes off to wake them for work, but it's still "night" since no light can penetrate the fog, at least at this time in the story.  They open their curtains and a milky fog lumbers on the other side of the glass.
  • Send up a drone to see how thick the fog is.  It never comes back.  It catches a glimpse of something in the air that destroys it.
  • Ben Nevis would be another destination to see if there was a way to get above the fog.
  • I would suggest that all air vehicles (planes, helicopters...) are destroyed and come crashing back down in a flaming heap.  Maybe in the future there could be someone who shows up in a helicopter.  Mystery! Why didn't he die in a flaming heap?
  • Hydroponics would be a way to grow food if the sun couldn't penetrate the fog to keep plants alive.
  • There is 1 nuclear power plant in the area, Heysham. As long as it was operating then there would be electricity in the area. Once it goes offline, then we move on to the next chapter.
  • There will be the good, the bad, and the ugly. Good people want to survive and hold on to their humanity. The bad people want to survive and don't care about their humanity. They will survive by any means necessary. The ugly don't care about surviving. They're going to do what they want, take what they want, hurt who they want, and devolve to the most basic of desires. Think 'necrophiliac cannibals'. Who is who? Every time people meet, this is the question they're going to have to ask and find out.
  • HAM radio operators will come in to play somewhere along the way. There has to be some sort of communication at distance.


This is my 2 cents. Or maybe it's 8 cents.

Either way, I'll wait to see what you want to do before I march in any particular direction.


These are really good jumping-off points, easily worth the 8 cents

A thought or two...

Some kind of terror in the sky is kinda mandatory because mere fog does not ground aircraft. Make it thick enough, however, and ground vehicles inch along or turn into their own firey heaps.

If we have some idea how far one can see a light through the Fog, it may be possible for someone with a lantern to guide a truck to carry heavy stuff.

The world does have some experience growing plants indoors, but it takes electricity to generate the light.

Mushrooms will probably become a staple food. If the Fog comes with humidity, there's probably a lot more mold, mildew, Trenchfoot, etc.

Whether Fog comes with a side of humidity or not, there's an unanswered question about how it covers everything from woodlands to deserts more-or-less equally.

China is probably the furthest along in weather control technology, if only because they have few qualms about experimenting out in the open over their own ample territory. Attempts to burn off the Fog will probably start there.

Edit: and remember that there’s a secret time machine at Ben Nevis. That could come in handy


Feature-length scripts:
Who Wants to Be a Princess? (Family)
Glass House (Horror anthology)

TV pilots:
"Kord" (Fantasy)
"Mal Suerte" (Superhero)

Additional scripts are listed here.

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FrankM  -  August 23rd, 2019, 1:03pm
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FrankM
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Quoted from DustinBowcot
Narrators are cheating!


"I'm not doing it on purpose. I just have a naturally sonorous voice."


Feature-length scripts:
Who Wants to Be a Princess? (Family)
Glass House (Horror anthology)

TV pilots:
"Kord" (Fantasy)
"Mal Suerte" (Superhero)

Additional scripts are listed here.
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JEStaats
Posted: August 23rd, 2019, 12:43pm Report to Moderator
Old Timer


No sh*t, there I was....

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Like Blondie, I first thought of World War Z (the book, not movie) as a collection of personal accounts rather than a running storyline.

I think I'm in. I already have some thoughts to contribute but I'll wait until we've the greenlight.

Psyched for the challenge and something different!
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