-Guest Contributor J. William-
I’m not a political scientist. I identify as a conservative in that I enjoy killing criminals and not babies, but I am not polarized to the right so far that I feel guilty telling you I, like about 70% of America, think George Bush is a moron. But recently, it has occurred to me that he may in fact be the most brilliant president in recent history.
Before I get into what he may be, I want to insist upon what Bush is not. George Bush is not the second Abe Lincoln. During the Civil War, Lincoln’s approval sank to tremendous lows, fueled by his unpopular policies which supported a war the country wanted to end. Lincoln used his speech at the Gettysburg dedication to invigorate a weary nation and is now regarded as one of the greatest presidents. This will not happen to you George. Sorry buddy. In the public’s eye, this war just isn’t accomplishing very much; except contributing to the decline of the American Dollar.
Jackpot.
As a native of Detroit, I’ve been able to watch the local economy slowly dwindle as more and more people lose their auto industry based job to foreign workers. Foreign workers are simply cheaper to employ. As time has gone on, other industries go the way of cars, and close production plants in America because we are just too damn expensive. Without even getting into a debate over socialism and the American sense of entitlement, it is sufficient to say that something needs to change. Over several years, the market has been in decline, commodity prices have been dropping and most dramatic, our currency has been significantly devalued.
Even the Euro is more valuable than the dollar.
According to news reports, the Federal Reserve Board has been doing something, but as an average American, I haven’t felt relief from their ivory tower. In the last few months I haven’t heard a peep from them. The government gave contributing Americans several hundred dollars to stimulate spending and jumpstart the economy. I don’t think that really made a difference. Not only is this money a transfer payment, but many people just used it to pay off existing debt, which wouldn’t contribute to new growth.
And that really seems like about all the government has done. In my, and a lot of people I know (including some very educated individuals), opinion the powers that be are just letting the economy slide. But this may not be a bad thing, as many Americans believe.
This country lost hundreds of thousands of jobs to cheaper foreign labor. However, countries like China and India are experiencing fast growth in their standards of living. Soon, workers there will demand higher wages. With the American dollar on the decline, it will become cheaper to produce goods back in America. Globalization is cyclical and given enough time, we will see foreign money pour into the American economy.
This is almost a certainty. In the Detroit area, foreign competitor Mazda has opened a production plant south of the city, and other large foreign companies have started to set up shop across the country. The biggest question to me though is if this was intentional? Is the future prospects of the American economy the result of careful crafting by the Bush administration. Surely they wouldn’t be able to tell us a plan as radical as purposely devaluing out currency. Is the rising foreign debt the best financial instrument for getting our economy back on track? Is George Bush, a Harvard MBA, a true genius? I don’t care if he is or isn’t, I will just be happy when I feel more confident in our financial stability as a nation.
-J. William
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Screenplay of the Week: The 40-Year Old Virgin
Written by Judd Apatow and Steve Carell
http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/40_year_old_virgin.pdf
With thoughts of “Pineapple Express” coming soon, I thought it appropriate to go over one of the first monster hits from the Apatow machine. The “40-Year Old Virgin” worked as an introduction to how humor would be played out in years to come. It is a formula that Apatow and associates have been following since this film. While not a bad formula, this movie looks more derivative in hindsight then it did at first glance.
Upon first viewing I really liked the movie. I thought that the main characters (specifically Andy and Trish) were well developed and the audience could and would feel for both parties. A virgin and a single mom are two characters that just ask for the sympathy of the crowd. The writers managed to wind these two characters together in a very believable manner and never strayed from the focus on the values of each character. Andy’s tragic flaw of being a virgin is also a strong point for how the story was written. Coming in to the movie, everyone knew the premise of the movie. They all knew what to expect in the form of a couple jokes. What almost no one could predict was that the virgin aspect was never really put on a shelf and made to look at. This virgin-ness was simply a feature to this deeper character. I truly believe that this movie would have still worked whether Andy was a virgin or not. Only a few times did jokes stem directly from this fact. Andy could just have easily been a simple, kind, caring dork that had lost his virginity earlier in life. This helps add a layer to the entire film (something that “Pineapple Express” struggled with, but more on this tomorrow…). Thankfully the writers stayed away from many easy jokes and actually tried harder on the other parts of the characters to develop humor.
Where most of the Apatow films score really strongly are the side characters. Most of the off the cuff jokes and, as a result, the biggest laughs come from the smaller characters. “Virgin” sets the stage for the characters to come in future films. Andy’s co-workers at the electronic store provide a good mix of serious moments and comic relief. These characters allow Andy and Trish to have a more serious, meaningful relationship without worrying about constant laughs. Add in the various odd balls we meet on the journey to sex and Andy never actually needs to be funny (thankfully he is due to the perfect role for Carell, see his next few movies, not the same…). For an example of Apatow characters going wrong, just look at another of his hits, “Knocked Up”. Loved the movie, loved the side characters, but as a writer and notice that the side characters in this film are seriously side characters simply along for the ride to provide comic relief. Get rid of these characters and the story would go on.
“Virgin” loses a few points for winding down and becoming quite a formulaic screenplay. After watching more and more Apatows, it is clear that the formula exists. Just throw a normal guy into a problematic situation, give them a strong supporting comedy cast, sprinkle in a small amount of touching moments, stick to easily followed and expected main story lines and you’ve got yourself a hit!
I really did enjoy this film and its screenplay. It is arguably the Apatows greatest hit up to this point. Hard to argue the writing and the jokes are clever and original. This was the turning point in many careers with Apatow, Rogen, Carell to name a few. Simply because other films are borrowing the formula should not take away from the enjoyment of a good screenplay.
Please click the link above to read the full copy.
-GR McBride
http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/40_year_old_virgin.pdf
With thoughts of “Pineapple Express” coming soon, I thought it appropriate to go over one of the first monster hits from the Apatow machine. The “40-Year Old Virgin” worked as an introduction to how humor would be played out in years to come. It is a formula that Apatow and associates have been following since this film. While not a bad formula, this movie looks more derivative in hindsight then it did at first glance.
Upon first viewing I really liked the movie. I thought that the main characters (specifically Andy and Trish) were well developed and the audience could and would feel for both parties. A virgin and a single mom are two characters that just ask for the sympathy of the crowd. The writers managed to wind these two characters together in a very believable manner and never strayed from the focus on the values of each character. Andy’s tragic flaw of being a virgin is also a strong point for how the story was written. Coming in to the movie, everyone knew the premise of the movie. They all knew what to expect in the form of a couple jokes. What almost no one could predict was that the virgin aspect was never really put on a shelf and made to look at. This virgin-ness was simply a feature to this deeper character. I truly believe that this movie would have still worked whether Andy was a virgin or not. Only a few times did jokes stem directly from this fact. Andy could just have easily been a simple, kind, caring dork that had lost his virginity earlier in life. This helps add a layer to the entire film (something that “Pineapple Express” struggled with, but more on this tomorrow…). Thankfully the writers stayed away from many easy jokes and actually tried harder on the other parts of the characters to develop humor.
Where most of the Apatow films score really strongly are the side characters. Most of the off the cuff jokes and, as a result, the biggest laughs come from the smaller characters. “Virgin” sets the stage for the characters to come in future films. Andy’s co-workers at the electronic store provide a good mix of serious moments and comic relief. These characters allow Andy and Trish to have a more serious, meaningful relationship without worrying about constant laughs. Add in the various odd balls we meet on the journey to sex and Andy never actually needs to be funny (thankfully he is due to the perfect role for Carell, see his next few movies, not the same…). For an example of Apatow characters going wrong, just look at another of his hits, “Knocked Up”. Loved the movie, loved the side characters, but as a writer and notice that the side characters in this film are seriously side characters simply along for the ride to provide comic relief. Get rid of these characters and the story would go on.
“Virgin” loses a few points for winding down and becoming quite a formulaic screenplay. After watching more and more Apatows, it is clear that the formula exists. Just throw a normal guy into a problematic situation, give them a strong supporting comedy cast, sprinkle in a small amount of touching moments, stick to easily followed and expected main story lines and you’ve got yourself a hit!
I really did enjoy this film and its screenplay. It is arguably the Apatows greatest hit up to this point. Hard to argue the writing and the jokes are clever and original. This was the turning point in many careers with Apatow, Rogen, Carell to name a few. Simply because other films are borrowing the formula should not take away from the enjoyment of a good screenplay.
Please click the link above to read the full copy.
-GR McBride
Update
If you look at the top right corner you will see the first issue that is going to be put to a deciding vote. After looking through the comments and reading through the emails, we have narrowed the topic of the project screenplay to four outstanding ideas. As a reminder the only thing that is set is the genre; this screenplay will be a comedy, so keep this in mind when voting. Also notice a few changes and additions to the site. We now have our logo to greet the page, the latest movie news is conveniently located on the sidebar, the films that are currently in theaters are featured in a slideshow in the upper right corner and finally some videos will be airing for your entertainment on the sidebar to the right.
As a request, please continue to comment, email and, now in addition, Digg the page. If you find anything interesting please don’t keep to yourselves, this is a sharing community. Hell you can even act anonymously. So why not?
Moving on to the important issue of the week: the discussion topic!
This week will focus on the main characters of the movie. We will be trying to decide the amount and gender of the characters this week. Your choices will be:
5 characters (all men)
5 characters (4 men, 1 woman)
5 characters (3 men, 2 women)
5 characters (3 women, 3 men)
5 characters (4 women, 1 man)
5 characters (all women)
4 characters (all men)
4 characters (3 men, 1 woman)
4 characters (2 men, 2 women)
4 characters (3 women, 1 man)
4 characters (all women)
3 characters (all men)
3 characters (2 men, 1 women)
3 characters (2 women, 1 man)
3 characters (all women)
The task this week will not be to create the poll question, but rather to debate and convince others to vote in one direction or another. Keep the good ideas coming!
-GR McBride
As a request, please continue to comment, email and, now in addition, Digg the page. If you find anything interesting please don’t keep to yourselves, this is a sharing community. Hell you can even act anonymously. So why not?
Moving on to the important issue of the week: the discussion topic!
This week will focus on the main characters of the movie. We will be trying to decide the amount and gender of the characters this week. Your choices will be:
5 characters (all men)
5 characters (4 men, 1 woman)
5 characters (3 men, 2 women)
5 characters (3 women, 3 men)
5 characters (4 women, 1 man)
5 characters (all women)
4 characters (all men)
4 characters (3 men, 1 woman)
4 characters (2 men, 2 women)
4 characters (3 women, 1 man)
4 characters (all women)
3 characters (all men)
3 characters (2 men, 1 women)
3 characters (2 women, 1 man)
3 characters (all women)
The task this week will not be to create the poll question, but rather to debate and convince others to vote in one direction or another. Keep the good ideas coming!
-GR McBride
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Dark Knight's Appeal
-Guest Contributor J. William-
I’m not even going to worry about spoiling the movie for anyone reading since, according to box office reports, the English speaking world has seen this movie an average of three times over. But to be honest, this is not so much about the film as it is about why we love Batman, or my opinion anyway.
I’m also not going to bore anyone lucky enough to stumble on this site with a boring rant about how much I love the symbolism or the idea of white juxtaposed with black, good juxtaposed to evil, and how these representations in the movie tell us that good and evil, right and wrong, are always an ambiguous shade of grey.
I want to talk about the human element to the movie. The actors did an excellent job, and I while I regret deeply that we must now preface his name with ‘the late’ I hope those who appreciate his craft take solace that Heath Ledger plied himself so successfully; and I want to start with something the Joker said in the film.
While Batman is ‘interrogating’ Joker in the MCU, he says “For a minute there I thought you really were Dent,” he’s talking about when Batman dove out a window to save Rachel Dawes. But what is interesting to me is the way Joker says you really were Dent. The connotation is slight, I realize that, but think about it. Joker says what Katie Holmes’ Rachel said at the end of Begins: Batman is the real man. The Joker is trying to find the mask Batman hides behind. Now, for all you batman fans, I’m not telling you anything new. But I propose this to you: this is truly the reason that people enjoy the Batman franchise.
I am guilty of this too, but whenever fans start to argue about why Batman is superior to any of the other superhero, it inevitably comes out that “he’s just an ordinary guy.” Well not really. He’s a billionaire. He has resources and technology that no ordinary person could get their hands on. And he has a hell of a support staff. Just because Bruce Wayne isn’t from another planet, nor was he zapped with radioactive whatever, he is in no way an ordinary man.
The Bruce Wayne/Batman phenomenon illustrates something that everyone does, but won’t admit to: we wear masks. Surely at some point in your life someone has told you to “be yourself,” or “just act natural,” and I would guess that when the majority of you think about whom you really are, you’re left wanting. Is there anything wrong with this? I don’t know.
I am not a professional. I have more questions than answers, though the fact that I have some of the answers does make me more credible than most psychiatrists; maybe. Whether we live our lives as Batman or Bruce Wayne is irrelevant. To that end, a person may have more than a few masks. But it is my belief that this is the real attraction to Batman. By showing audiences that it is okay to find ambiguous escape from identity, we subconsciously feel better about ourselves. Whoever we really may be.
-J. William
(Special thanks to our guest contributor, J. William)
I’m not even going to worry about spoiling the movie for anyone reading since, according to box office reports, the English speaking world has seen this movie an average of three times over. But to be honest, this is not so much about the film as it is about why we love Batman, or my opinion anyway.
I’m also not going to bore anyone lucky enough to stumble on this site with a boring rant about how much I love the symbolism or the idea of white juxtaposed with black, good juxtaposed to evil, and how these representations in the movie tell us that good and evil, right and wrong, are always an ambiguous shade of grey.
I want to talk about the human element to the movie. The actors did an excellent job, and I while I regret deeply that we must now preface his name with ‘the late’ I hope those who appreciate his craft take solace that Heath Ledger plied himself so successfully; and I want to start with something the Joker said in the film.
While Batman is ‘interrogating’ Joker in the MCU, he says “For a minute there I thought you really were Dent,” he’s talking about when Batman dove out a window to save Rachel Dawes. But what is interesting to me is the way Joker says you really were Dent. The connotation is slight, I realize that, but think about it. Joker says what Katie Holmes’ Rachel said at the end of Begins: Batman is the real man. The Joker is trying to find the mask Batman hides behind. Now, for all you batman fans, I’m not telling you anything new. But I propose this to you: this is truly the reason that people enjoy the Batman franchise.
I am guilty of this too, but whenever fans start to argue about why Batman is superior to any of the other superhero, it inevitably comes out that “he’s just an ordinary guy.” Well not really. He’s a billionaire. He has resources and technology that no ordinary person could get their hands on. And he has a hell of a support staff. Just because Bruce Wayne isn’t from another planet, nor was he zapped with radioactive whatever, he is in no way an ordinary man.
The Bruce Wayne/Batman phenomenon illustrates something that everyone does, but won’t admit to: we wear masks. Surely at some point in your life someone has told you to “be yourself,” or “just act natural,” and I would guess that when the majority of you think about whom you really are, you’re left wanting. Is there anything wrong with this? I don’t know.
I am not a professional. I have more questions than answers, though the fact that I have some of the answers does make me more credible than most psychiatrists; maybe. Whether we live our lives as Batman or Bruce Wayne is irrelevant. To that end, a person may have more than a few masks. But it is my belief that this is the real attraction to Batman. By showing audiences that it is okay to find ambiguous escape from identity, we subconsciously feel better about ourselves. Whoever we really may be.
-J. William
(Special thanks to our guest contributor, J. William)
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
August 6th
One of the most important aspects of screenplay development is a respect for the past, present and future of films.
As shown yesterday in the “Screenplay of the Week”, wikiscreenplay will be tackling the screenplays of yesteryear. We will also dive into the “NetFlix Pick-o-the-Week” which will highlight older films that you should take the time to put on your NetFlix Queue. As for the present, we will try to have reviews for the most current blockbusters in theaters at the moment. Finally, for those of you in search of the latest knowledge and gossip, we will be hitting you with opening week previews, trailers and the hottest news from the films you want to see.
While it is important to see and take in as many movies as possible, try to think about the screenplays while you watch. It is a much different experience and, in my opinion, more rewarding. We at wikiscreenplay will always put the screenplay spin on our articles because that is what sets our site apart. We are trying to put together the first collaborative worldwide screenplay, therefore, the more people who understand the art of screenplay writing the better.
Quick reviews of the blockbusters this summer which appeared before the creation of wikiscreenplay:
Wall-E: Another classic in the long line from the masters at Pixar
When to see: when you want to smile for an hour and a half; when you want to take in the great visuals that keep improving; when you want to understand how Pixar can write a story with only a few talking characters but still give a multitude of layers
When not to see: when you don’t want to be bombarded with a health and green agenda; when you can’t stand another sappy Pixar film with a predictable story
The Dark Knight: the best of the newest wave of super hero flicks
When to see: when you want to be truly impressed by an individual acting performance in Heath Ledger; when you want a darker breed of super hero story; when you want to experience what a great director can do without much CGI
When not to see: when you don’t have around three hours for a movie; when you want to escape the ugliness of the world
Hancock: an interesting idea that becomes to involved in itself
When to see: when you want to see Will Smith doing his Mr. Fourth of July thing
When not to see: when you don’t want a story to twist and turn in no apparent direction for an hour and a half; when you don’t want to be unimpressed with visual effects; when you want a good premise of a film to be wasted
Wanted: pure adrenaline and head shots….now is that good or bad?
When to see: when you want to get right down to business and see some awesome weapons and action scenes; when you want to see good looking representatives of both sexes (Jolie and McAvoy); when you want to hear Morgan Freeman dropping F-bombs
When not to see: when you don’t want to see 25 straight head shots (I know these guys are elite assassins, but really headshots every time?); when you want more dialogue to push forward a worthwhile story.
As shown yesterday in the “Screenplay of the Week”, wikiscreenplay will be tackling the screenplays of yesteryear. We will also dive into the “NetFlix Pick-o-the-Week” which will highlight older films that you should take the time to put on your NetFlix Queue. As for the present, we will try to have reviews for the most current blockbusters in theaters at the moment. Finally, for those of you in search of the latest knowledge and gossip, we will be hitting you with opening week previews, trailers and the hottest news from the films you want to see.
While it is important to see and take in as many movies as possible, try to think about the screenplays while you watch. It is a much different experience and, in my opinion, more rewarding. We at wikiscreenplay will always put the screenplay spin on our articles because that is what sets our site apart. We are trying to put together the first collaborative worldwide screenplay, therefore, the more people who understand the art of screenplay writing the better.
Quick reviews of the blockbusters this summer which appeared before the creation of wikiscreenplay:
Wall-E: Another classic in the long line from the masters at Pixar
When to see: when you want to smile for an hour and a half; when you want to take in the great visuals that keep improving; when you want to understand how Pixar can write a story with only a few talking characters but still give a multitude of layers
When not to see: when you don’t want to be bombarded with a health and green agenda; when you can’t stand another sappy Pixar film with a predictable story
The Dark Knight: the best of the newest wave of super hero flicks
When to see: when you want to be truly impressed by an individual acting performance in Heath Ledger; when you want a darker breed of super hero story; when you want to experience what a great director can do without much CGI
When not to see: when you don’t have around three hours for a movie; when you want to escape the ugliness of the world
Hancock: an interesting idea that becomes to involved in itself
When to see: when you want to see Will Smith doing his Mr. Fourth of July thing
When not to see: when you don’t want a story to twist and turn in no apparent direction for an hour and a half; when you don’t want to be unimpressed with visual effects; when you want a good premise of a film to be wasted
Wanted: pure adrenaline and head shots….now is that good or bad?
When to see: when you want to get right down to business and see some awesome weapons and action scenes; when you want to see good looking representatives of both sexes (Jolie and McAvoy); when you want to hear Morgan Freeman dropping F-bombs
When not to see: when you don’t want to see 25 straight head shots (I know these guys are elite assassins, but really headshots every time?); when you want more dialogue to push forward a worthwhile story.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Screenplay of the Week
"LIAR LIAR"
Written 1996
by Tom Shadyac and Mike Binder
http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/liarliar.pdf
To start off the first of many new features here at wikiscreenplay we have the “Screenplay of the Week”. Each week a full movie screenplay will be posted with a brief synopsis of why its important to read and understand.
This week, as the first installment, we will be looking at on of the many comedies during the 1990’s that starred Jim Carrey. Carrey will always hold a special place in my heart thanks to his dominance of my childhood comedy memory; Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Dumb & Dumber. These three films shaped my humor as a kid are still among my favorite comedies. With this said I picked Liar Liar as an example of the type of comedy that will not work anymore in today’s box office.
I hope you do take the time to actually read the full screenplay because this can really give a better impression of the filmmakers abilities to turn the written word into a true experience. The transition from screenplay to the big screen is an amazing and intricate task. By not only seeing the film but reading through the screenplay one can really get a sense for whether the screenplay simply could not fail, whether the screenplay was garbage and saved purely by the actors and directors, or whether both sides failed. This process is a major reason for why I got into reading (and writing) screenplays and I know believe to have a better understanding of who in Hollywood are the true stars.
As for Liar Liar, its almost as formulaic a screenplay as possible. Take the protagonist, develop his/her defining flaw, introduce a situation that plays off this flaw and brings the protagonist down to his lowest point, have protagonist face and overcome the flaw. Happy ending for everyone! This is all we expected from comedies, for the most part, up until around the start of the new millennium. All people needed was to feel good during the movie, laugh a few times every 10 minutes or so, and maybe most importantly have a big name starring.
This is Liar Liar. Read the screenplay and you will quickly come to realize that there is really nothing to it. Dad lies and disappoints his some, loses ability to lie (he is a lawyer so let the awkward moments commence!), play off this for some cheap laughs, and then have Dad redeem himself in the end. So what saved Liar Liar from getting slammed at the box office. Two words: Jim Carrey. He single handedly saves the film by being his prototypical physical comedian. The scenes where he is actually physically struggling not to lie are the films best.
So people got what they wanted in 1996 and were happy. Now look at the newest batch of comedies. The most successful ones were centered on relative no names who could be slotted in to well written screenplays and had true on screen chemistry. Superbad, Saving Sarah Marshal, Juno, 40-Year Old Virgin; all of these films brought people in with stories not big names. Movie goes now need a joke every few seconds to be entertained. Slow periods kill the audience.
Keep this in mind when sending in ideas for the project. Let’s get off on the right foot with a premise that will be able to spawn a great story. The jokes will come, I assure you. There are too many funny people in this world to not get an abundance of one liners and site gags. Learn from the past and adapt our story to the new order of comedy.
Written 1996
by Tom Shadyac and Mike Binder
http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/liarliar.pdf
To start off the first of many new features here at wikiscreenplay we have the “Screenplay of the Week”. Each week a full movie screenplay will be posted with a brief synopsis of why its important to read and understand.
This week, as the first installment, we will be looking at on of the many comedies during the 1990’s that starred Jim Carrey. Carrey will always hold a special place in my heart thanks to his dominance of my childhood comedy memory; Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Dumb & Dumber. These three films shaped my humor as a kid are still among my favorite comedies. With this said I picked Liar Liar as an example of the type of comedy that will not work anymore in today’s box office.
I hope you do take the time to actually read the full screenplay because this can really give a better impression of the filmmakers abilities to turn the written word into a true experience. The transition from screenplay to the big screen is an amazing and intricate task. By not only seeing the film but reading through the screenplay one can really get a sense for whether the screenplay simply could not fail, whether the screenplay was garbage and saved purely by the actors and directors, or whether both sides failed. This process is a major reason for why I got into reading (and writing) screenplays and I know believe to have a better understanding of who in Hollywood are the true stars.
As for Liar Liar, its almost as formulaic a screenplay as possible. Take the protagonist, develop his/her defining flaw, introduce a situation that plays off this flaw and brings the protagonist down to his lowest point, have protagonist face and overcome the flaw. Happy ending for everyone! This is all we expected from comedies, for the most part, up until around the start of the new millennium. All people needed was to feel good during the movie, laugh a few times every 10 minutes or so, and maybe most importantly have a big name starring.
This is Liar Liar. Read the screenplay and you will quickly come to realize that there is really nothing to it. Dad lies and disappoints his some, loses ability to lie (he is a lawyer so let the awkward moments commence!), play off this for some cheap laughs, and then have Dad redeem himself in the end. So what saved Liar Liar from getting slammed at the box office. Two words: Jim Carrey. He single handedly saves the film by being his prototypical physical comedian. The scenes where he is actually physically struggling not to lie are the films best.
So people got what they wanted in 1996 and were happy. Now look at the newest batch of comedies. The most successful ones were centered on relative no names who could be slotted in to well written screenplays and had true on screen chemistry. Superbad, Saving Sarah Marshal, Juno, 40-Year Old Virgin; all of these films brought people in with stories not big names. Movie goes now need a joke every few seconds to be entertained. Slow periods kill the audience.
Keep this in mind when sending in ideas for the project. Let’s get off on the right foot with a premise that will be able to spawn a great story. The jokes will come, I assure you. There are too many funny people in this world to not get an abundance of one liners and site gags. Learn from the past and adapt our story to the new order of comedy.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Day 2 Update
First off thanks to everyone who has contributed so far, I didn't expect any comments to come until a few weeks in so this is an inspiring turn of events. Again thank you all and don't forget to spread the word!
Quick update today:
Quick update today:
- Added a few links to sites that have either been a help to me in my own personal screenplay writing or just enjoy visiting. Take a minute to check the sites out, they are all excellent.
- If you ever miss what the discussion topic is for the current period just check the upper right corner and it will be listed. Then just add your comments to any of the posts.
- Feel free to suggest other sites that might be of interest to those visiting the site. I love trying out new sites and seeing what they have to offer
What to look forward to:
- More in-depth details to how the project will work
- More weekly features (I won't say what they are officially, just check back and you will be entertained)
- More links to other great sites
- Added elements to the site
- More, more, more everything. There will be new content everyday so be sure to check back
As always your feedback is crucial so please do not hesitate to let me know what you like, dislike or are indifferent about in terms of the project, the site, myself, whatever.
Thanks
GRM
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Let's Get Started!
With this being the grand opening of this experiment, there will be two weeks between begining of the posted question and the voting stage.
The first step towards our screenplay:
Where and on whom should the story be centered, both in terms of a city and a group?
For example -
Firefighters from New York
Clock makers from Switzerland
Football players from Houston
The possibilities are endless.
Let's get those ideas flowing! Please post a comment or email. And remember the more people involved the better this will be, so tell everyone you can about wikiscreenplay!
The first step towards our screenplay:
Where and on whom should the story be centered, both in terms of a city and a group?
For example -
Firefighters from New York
Clock makers from Switzerland
Football players from Houston
The possibilities are endless.
Let's get those ideas flowing! Please post a comment or email. And remember the more people involved the better this will be, so tell everyone you can about wikiscreenplay!
Welcome to wikiScreenPlay!
Thank you for visiting this ambitious project.
Wiki's have been revolutionizing the way we do everything from learning to organizing to buying. One area that has seen little involvement from wiki's is in the entertainment sector...which makes no sense! We are the one's who are watching, listening and reading what is mass produced. Why can't we have more say in the actual product? This is where wikiScreenPlay comes in. Throughout the next few months we will be able to see what will happen if society is able to collaborate on a project. As the first attempt we are going to be working on a comedy.
How will this work:
Every Monday a different question will be posed to the public. Such as "Which character should have a love interest?" or "What would be a good way to poke fun at this character?" and all the way up to "Which character should turn on his friends?" There will then be open discussions, comments and emails to discuss the best possible answers to the questions. After this collaboration the best alternatives will be placed to a vote on each Friday morning. The entire weekend will be open for voting and on Sunday night the direction which the screenplay will be headed is decided.
In the end the entire skeleton of the screenplay will be set. All that will be left is the putting of pen to paper. The public will then get a final review of the finished screenplay with a chance to send in possible edits or changes. Once there is a majority whom feel comfortable with the finalized product, we will begin our attempt to find a production studio to actual film our movie! Hopefully by then there will be a large amount of press over this new media process and studios will be anxious to see how a box office crowd would flock to a movie that they wrote.
Imagine being able to sit in the theater and tell your friends and family that the joke that they just laughed at was written by you. Or gloating to everyone after the movie is finished that you had supplied the ending. These are possibilities once we all come together and show what the world can do!
Wiki's have been revolutionizing the way we do everything from learning to organizing to buying. One area that has seen little involvement from wiki's is in the entertainment sector...which makes no sense! We are the one's who are watching, listening and reading what is mass produced. Why can't we have more say in the actual product? This is where wikiScreenPlay comes in. Throughout the next few months we will be able to see what will happen if society is able to collaborate on a project. As the first attempt we are going to be working on a comedy.
How will this work:
Every Monday a different question will be posed to the public. Such as "Which character should have a love interest?" or "What would be a good way to poke fun at this character?" and all the way up to "Which character should turn on his friends?" There will then be open discussions, comments and emails to discuss the best possible answers to the questions. After this collaboration the best alternatives will be placed to a vote on each Friday morning. The entire weekend will be open for voting and on Sunday night the direction which the screenplay will be headed is decided.
In the end the entire skeleton of the screenplay will be set. All that will be left is the putting of pen to paper. The public will then get a final review of the finished screenplay with a chance to send in possible edits or changes. Once there is a majority whom feel comfortable with the finalized product, we will begin our attempt to find a production studio to actual film our movie! Hopefully by then there will be a large amount of press over this new media process and studios will be anxious to see how a box office crowd would flock to a movie that they wrote.
Imagine being able to sit in the theater and tell your friends and family that the joke that they just laughed at was written by you. Or gloating to everyone after the movie is finished that you had supplied the ending. These are possibilities once we all come together and show what the world can do!
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