All screenplays on the simplyscripts.com and simplyscripts.net domain are copyrighted to their respective authors. All rights reserved. This screenplaymay not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
I advocate planning your films three deep: First film promotes the upcoming second film, second film promotes the upcoming third film, by the time the third film comes out I hope you're already planning on films four, five and six.*
* Honestly, this makes selling a film series box set album MUCH easier, anyway. Most of the value comes not from the film itself (get over yourselves) but from the included DVD/BR extras such as interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. You seriously gotta plan ahead waaaaaay further than you'd normally think.
... I wonder what elements would make for a "marketable" Direct-To-Video tentpole series.
Horror seems the most obvious genre, followed by thriller and crime - if we're attempting to be cost effective, meaning action and adventure are sorta tough. But some of these $1m films might be able to swing it effectively. Miiiiight.
But how does the design of the overall architecture of the series go?
#1 Story #2 Sequel/Return of #3 Origin/Genesis/Beginings #4 Rebirth #5 Beyond... #6 Jump the Shark!
Anyone here consider a stab at designing a tent pole series?
Logged
DustinBowcot
Posted: November 15th, 2013, 2:36pm
Guest User
Right now anything with zombies is highly marketable. I've got four kids and any time they see zombies, it's like... ZOMBIES!!! Look dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad...
I suppose though that any formula that has worked before will do so again. It just has to be executed well, both in the script and on film. I think that getting the formula right is probably the easy part. The hard bit comes in getting the right actors, cameramen, director, etc, etc.
Who are you going to get the money from? When you say marketable do you mean to executives?
Exec's look at business plans, numbers. So you have to go with something you KNOW will make a profit for them. keep investors happy and they will always want to invest in you.
Personally, I'd hit zombies. but come up with a new way of doing it. I actually have a couple or even three ideas on how to do it differently. My third idea is more of a body-snatching (invasion of the body snatchers) concept, but it kinda fits too.
Just check out the stats. What sells the most and is most cost effective? Horror. What type of horror sells well right now? Zombies. What's next? It could be body-snatching. I've got a mega cool idea on how to do that too as I actually wrote a short story on it twenty years ago.
You need to create a horror "icon" who has three very distinctive traits (probably two in DTV) and cannot die, for whichever reason the writer chooses.
Right now anything with zombies is highly marketable. Yep. I think vampires took a real hit with the 'Twilight' saga, and Tim Burton didn't do them any favors, either.
Who are you going to get the money from? When you say marketable do you mean to executives? Primarily those people that keep coming to InkTip looking for films to produce in the $200k - $1m range.
You need to create a horror "icon" who has three very distinctive traits (probably two in DTV) and cannot die, for whichever reason the writer chooses.
Hey, what kind of "traits" did you have in mind?[/color]
I wrote one of those in Scream For Me. It's a story that can be made into infinite number of sequels. It's really about a a "Death Mask" that is possessed. So each story is about the person who has the mask in his/her possession at the time...I just haven't found anyone that is interested in the script yet.
#1 Story #2 Sequel/Return of #3 Origin/Genesis/Beginings #4 Rebirth #5 Beyond... #6 Jump the Shark!
[quote=RayW]
It is a worthy question but one that is usually doomed to fail. Why? Because, it doesn't come from the past, from what has happened, but rather from what we don't expect.
If i were trying to get a series, tent pole or whatever you call it, i wouldn't look at convention, i would look at consistency. Eg james bond, Dr Who, Indiana Jones - the aim to fight evil, baddies.
Ok, we have hunger games 2 coming out, twilight with its three but i would be more harry potter growing up to a man on a mission.
So the first has to set up the hero, with layers to make interesting, but after that they just do what they do....with the added love interest etc
what do you think ray, and give us some dancing fella's
The Elevator Most Belonging To Alice - Semi Final Bluecat, Runner Up Nashville Inner Journey - Page Awards Finalist - Bluecat semi final Grieving Spell - winner - London Film Awards. Third - Honolulu Ultimate Weapon - Fresh Voices - second place IMDb link... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7062725/?ref_=tt_ov_wr
Only one person has the mask in each script. In the first one, it's a young family man. The story ends with a cop taking the mask so it's suggested the cop will be the next "victim".
Gotta give a cool weapon (chainsaw, machete, butcher knife, razor glove are all out of the equation). I'm thinking going back to basics: something like a hatchet.
Then you need a character gimmick. You could try the pure evil route, but Michael Myers already took that one. I'm almost thinking someone who can change physical appearance at will, but while you're adding the paranoia factor, you're losing the horror factor (they should always look the same). Hard to say on that one.
Finally: why can't they die? I like to try to avoid magic whenever possible, but it's impossible when trying to explain that they can't be killed. Freddy and Jason are already dead. Michael (maybe) is the devil and won't stay dead. I'm thinking either being the devil incarnate or making a deal with the devil, but you have too much backstory with the latter. Unsure.
Gotta give a cool weapon (chainsaw, machete, butcher knife, razor glove are all out of the equation). I'm thinking going back to basics: something like a hatchet. .
Have you seen Hatchet, Hatchet II, and Hatchet III?
Have you seen Hatchet, Hatchet II, and Hatchet III?
Nope, but I'm aware of their existence. However, I know that I don't know what the killer's name was any of them. In other words, the hatchet is ripe for the taking because it hasn't become symbolic with the villain, like the other weapons had. =)
Note the number of low budget inevitable direct-to-video productions sought.
Again, the idea is exploit torrent film piracy by planning any first film (written by ourselves) to be a tent pole starter of a series. First film promotes the second film, which promotes the third, etc. x 6. When your ripped-off film gets illegally distributed it promotes your next work! (Take THAT, you f#ckin' f#ckers!)
This allows an eventual box-set series to be sold and your residuals to possibly keep rolling in long after that first payout.
And I strongly advise steering waaaaay clear of anything smacking of (unprofitable) "drama", and try to tone it down to PG-13, too.
Sorry, didn't read too much of this convo, but both Ray and Dustin were right. Zombies are a pretty big hit, but in my opinion no one has been able to do them right for a while. I think the 28 days later and 28 weeks Later were the last decent "horror zombie" additions. And Dead Snow was great also.
I think instead of trying to do something original with them, such as comedy zombies that Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland already did, or romance like Warm Bodies...someone should just make a good/fun horror zombie movie, like the Dawn of the Dead remake. George A Romero tries too hard for social commentary now and it's annoying.
But indie zombie movies haven't done well in a long while.
Ray is right about the ghosts but the problem is I feel like that genre will die down soon in the next year or two. All of the scares are getting old.
Saw was a great franchise idea that was pretty original. There's also the Wrong Turn franchise, and stuff like Texas Chainsaw (the new one was fucking horrendous).
Home invasion seems to always fair well. Satanist and satanic rituals might become big again as well.
ALSO, stoner comedy is always a genre with a DTV fanbase.
A bad writer, trying to become decent...
Thank you for all who put up with my work and try and help me improve.
Pages: 1, 
Author
> Planning A DTV Tentpole
Logged
Locked Board