Quoted from Gary in Houston I think the idea scenario is for us to have a storyline in place, at least for the first two or three episodes.  Makes it easier for people then to write if they know they need to color somewhat inside the lines, but with the flexibility to experiment with something if they think it will work and can advocate it to the rest of the group. Then after we finish the first three scripts and see how the stories are developing, continue with the next set of storylines for three more episodes.  The point being is that if you try to Plan too far down the road, with a bunch of people trying to all contribute in various capacities, it gets to be a bit of a jumble. At 5000 words and roughly 200 words per page (your mileage my vary) you’re talking about anywhere from 25 to 30 pages per episode. So maybe you break it up to 3 writers per episode so the writers aren’t overwhelmed and the rest of us can then edit and pick apart the scripts. ALSO VERY IMPORTANT:  As we’re working on each episode, make sure each episode has its own separate thread on the board so we can easily keep track of things like edit changes, comments, and so on. I don’t mind building an excel spreadsheet that keeps track of everyone participating, what the assignments are for each episode, deadlines, and so on. Gary

Noted.

The spreadsheet sounds like a good idea.

Quoted from Nomad I wasn't imagining that there wouldn't be anything in the fog, but I guess there doesn't have to be.   In fact if there isn't anything in the fog, and it's just fog, then that's where some hysteria could set in and people see things in the fog that aren't there. It'll drive some people mad that there's a lot of fog for no reason. I hear people screaming at the fog now.

I think it's honestly creepier without. Remember the Twilight Zone episode "I Am the Night -- Color Me Black"? They sort of explain it, but ultimately, it's just pitch black all the time. Having nothing in the darkness allows for you to believe there could be anything in it. Even when there aren't.

Quoted from Nomad I wasn't imagining that there wouldn't be anything in the fog, but I guess there doesn't have to be.   In fact if there isn't anything in the fog, and it's just fog, then that's where some hysteria could set in and people see things in the fog that aren't there. It'll drive some people mad that there's a lot of fog for no reason. I hear people screaming at the fog now.

Yes, this was the way I was imagining it.

A kind of collective hysteria brought on by seeing things swirling in the fog.

Hearing things and imaginations running wild.

Rumours and hearsay causing paranoia.

A kind of mania brought on by the sensory deprivation of the endless fog.

OK. I think I'll start constructing the chronology.


Should we do it here, or on a separate thread  as a kind of reference?

Quoted from Mr. Blonde I think it's honestly creepier without. Remember the Twilight Zone episode "I Am the Night -- Color Me Black"? They sort of explain it, but ultimately, it's just pitch black all the time. Having nothing in the darkness allows for you to believe there could be anything in it. Even when there aren't.

Agreed. The mind can create far worse horrors than real life.

I do like the idea of people thinking they see something in the fog.

Again though, I'm just brainstorming.

I'll help out with whatever I can in whatever direction Scar Tissue Films chooses to go.

Going the with good, bad, and ugly mentioned earlier, one of the bits of infrastructure that out to be relatively robust is rail transport. Once things get to the point where most driving is unsafe, trains can still do their thing (splattering the occasional deer in the process).

At least until the Bad figure derailing a train could set up their group for life, then everyone else suffers. Can be the nexus of an episode, but leaves a permanent change in the world... rail security becomes a major issue sucking resources from elsewhere. (Historically, a couple successful Union sabotage teams diverted a disproportionate amount of Confederate manpower).

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films OK. I think I'll start constructing the chronology. Should we do it here, or on a separate thread  as a kind of reference?

Separate thread definitely.

Two things, there was an episode in the first season of “The Crown” of the actual fog that blanketed London for four days in December 1952.  You can watch that to see how that was handled. Also it might raise the question: would it be more terrifying if this happened in the past where technology wasn’t so advanced, or in the future where advanced technology is rendered obsolete?

Also, every time I think about this fog I think about the “smoke monster” from “Lost”.  Does the fog have any sort of anthropomorphic capabilities? Or is the fog just a fog?

Is there definitely NOTHING in the fog? I think it'd be better to leave that unanswered. Yeah, these people are probably crazy and just seeing stuff... But maybe, just maybe, there is something there.

Quoted from Zack Is there definitely NOTHING in the fog? I think it'd be better to leave that unanswered. Yeah, these people are probably crazy and just seeing stuff... But maybe, just maybe, there is something there.

That's why you don't say, definitively. Because there always could be.

Had a chance to listen for a few minutes to one of these podcasts (Homecoming) and was surprised how close it is to a regular tv show. Starts with two people talking in a therapist office, then goes to a coffee shop, then a phone conversation. They've got ambient noise and other things to clue you in to where you are.

Wouldn't it be easier to focus on one family going through these events? Or a very small community of people. They're holed up in their home, everyone is terrified, not sure it's safe to venture out. We could thread it all together with scenes of the family arguing/planning, radio reports, characters reading diary entries aloud, conversations with increasingly unhinged neighbors, etc.

Not saying a chronicle of the whole world's reaction with lots of different storylines (World War Z) wouldn't work, it just might get unfocused, especially in a collaborative effort.

Quoted from MarkItZero Wouldn't it be easier to focus on one family going through these events? Or a very small community of people. They're holed up in their home, everyone is terrified, not sure it's safe to venture out. We could thread it all together with scenes of the family arguing/planning, radio reports, characters reading diary entries aloud, conversations with increasingly unhinged neighbors, etc. Not saying a chronicle of the whole world's reaction with lots of different storylines (World War Z) wouldn't work, it just might get unfocused, especially in a collaborative effort.

Doing both is certainly doable. 30 minutes is a lot of time. You could spend several segments with the same group of people, even time-jumping with them, if you wanted, in one segment. More than that, if people enjoy it, tell even more of their story. Lots of possibilities, before anything is made concrete.

Yes, I think it should be left unanswered and mysterious.

We don't show anything that reveals definitively that there IS something in the fog, but there's no way to prove that there isn't, either.


In this day and age there are still Witches, Druids, people trying to raise demons in rituals. There are a huge number of people who believe in ghosts, poltergeists, vampires even.

People who try to talk to the dead, or believe they can talk to the dead.

People see patterns in things, believe in astrology, Ouija boards etc

There are then numerous people with recognised conditions whose perceptions are altered. Who hear things, hallucinate etc

The point being that if this were to happen, large numbers of people would see things in the fog, they'd come to believe there were spirits in the fog, the fog was alive etc and convince others of it.

As an example, a man can be going silently crazy from being stuck in the fog. He's sitting watching the swirling mist, he starts to believe he can see some special pattern, some special message just for him. Then a stag walks out from the fog and stands looking at him.

To his mind the stag is a Spirit animal, anointing him.

From a rational point of view, it's just a stag walking in the fog. But from his perspective it's something profound and supernatural.

Too many cooks here for my liking.

I suggest that we split into smaller groups and tackle certain charcaters' experiences within this fog world separately.

Rather than concentrating on one survivor, we are then free to explore different groups. Not only that, but the writing will be kept fresh as different writers will have written different episodes. Later, we can figure out how to help the survivors converge toward a single aim.

Wow, this is very ambitious, but not really my cup of tea. I'm going to sit this one out.

I'll be watching with interest from the sidelines and I'll try to read as much as I can.

Good luck to all who take part.