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Epic setting, now whats the story?

W

wheatgrinder

I have this epic setting that I want to set a small personal story into..

Setting:

100 years ago, strange powerful benevolent beings came from "elsewhere" and gave the human race the opportunity to transcended the physical world.

To each is offered immortality and limitless opportunity for experience, a resurrection to a perfect life.

To partake of this gift one must only recite the proper incantation and instantly you are translated to the new plane, leaving only a thin chalky dust behind.

At first millions "joined" the "Angels" but over the years fewer and fewer have chosen to translate, opting for uniqueness and tangible reality over the presumed mingling of conciseness in the Angles contrived realm.

..... what next?

Some ideas I had for stories in the above setting..

... Now, a young woman must chose between following the "moderate religion" of her parents or the love of a young radical zealot, or another path all together.

or

... Now, one man does not believe what is written about that event 100 years ago, he take a journey of discovery and what he learns will change everything forever.

or

... ????
 
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What's the worst thing that could happen in this epic setting? Assuming you wanna work off a 3act structure foundation.

Figure out the worst part, then solution, then how the protagonist(s) arrived there.
 
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An idea might be to do something along the lines of a story bible except make a character journal from the perspective of the characters you want to be involved in the overall story, not that you have to show the character writing in the journal but just to wrap your head around what you want to happen based on what you've come up with from the character's perspective. That way you might be able to come up with events to incorporate.
 
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You could make it a derivative of 'The Worlds End' where humanity fights/argues for the RIGHT to decide to join or not when the benevolent beings state the portal will be cutoff due to diminishing usage.
 
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I can't help with the story but here are my thoughts so far on what you wrote.

You've definitely set up a lot of backstory/world creation to fit into a 'small personal story.' That can be really hard to convey. If it were me I would read a bunch of sci-fi short stories to see how they managed to fit the 'world setup' into a short narrative.

You're probably going to have to use a bit of exposition. A 'Counselor Troi,' if you will. Maybe an outsider comes to the planet for the first time and everything needs to be explained to him/her/it. I know exposition is frowned upon, but personally, I think it's ok to break that 'rule' once you know what you are doing.
 
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some good comments, thanks all.

Dready, I get your point. Does seem too big an idea to be small story.

My thinking is that the back story it its entirety does not necessarily need to be made known to the reader, so long as the big strokes are conveyed by the end of the telling. Perhaps the personal story arc reveals this background to the reader without lecturing them.

For example, I have a vision of a opening scene that sorta set the stage for what is "normal"
The reader can see that people can "pray for translation" and when they are turned into a pile of ash its not all the remarkable to the characters around them.
 
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I like it! Definitely a promising setting. And you could do a lot, short or feature (maybe a series of shorts, exploring facets of this would be best). Brainstorming, the first few ideas that come to mind:

- a couple, one decides they want to translate, the other does not. They still love each other, but how do they come to terms with their different desires? Do they choose a path together or apart?
- what REALLY happens to translated people? Can they contact people who aren't, or do they even want to? You could tell a story of someone trying to get in touch and explore those questions. Were the Angels telling the truth, or were they lying?
- what happens when someone is translated against their will? Can someone be forced to say the words? Opportunity for a tense thriller/kidnapping sort of story there.
- can someone come back from translation? Lots of turns there, from a surreal post-translation perspective, to someone trying to bring someone back (shades of your Power Up short there, so you might not want to tread the same ground twice)
- what remains? what if all the great thinkers, doctors, scientists and engineers translate? How do you cope in a world with great technology, but no control over it? How do you run a power plant when no one remains who knows how to maintain it?

Great premise! Can't wait to see what you do with it! As an aside, have you read Warren Ellis' comic Transmetropolitan? There's an issue dealing with a woman whose boyfriend joins a transhumanist order that transfer their consciousness to a cloud of nanites. A lot of interesting perspectives on the pros and cons of transhumanism; your idea made me think of that.
 
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JoshL,
Iv been on a Peter F. Hamilton kick lately which accounts for the root of this idea. The concept of "going post physical" is covered by a several writers, but I wanted to bring the obvious religious overtones to it.

The kidnapping \ force angle is interesting one I hadn't considered. Perhaps there is an cultural understanding that the technology is fool proof, that nobody could be "forced" to say the words because its not just the words, the mind must also "believe" .. the kidnappers could use a form of "cult" reprogramming to force people to "translate" .. the fun will be in discovering why they do this!
 
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I'm going to play devils advocate here and say, what's the aim? If it's to sell, then I would craft a story that would be less expensive to film. It's very tough selling screenplays these days and your idea sounds interesting but very expensive to film. Religion/radical zealot storylines can be a very tough sell at the box office.

You could write it as a writing sample though. Not to sell, simply to showcase your screenwriting skills.

Or just write it for the joy of penning a screenplay.

Obviously if you want to film it yourself, I would pick something on a lesser scale, much easier to film.
 
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Just wanted to toss out two films that came to mind, while reading your post. Maybe get some ideas from 'em:

1) Logan's Run - I'm sure you prolly saw this back in the day. The promise of Carousel, etc.

2) The Quatermass Conclusion (aka Quatermass IV) - British mini-series with Prof. Quatermass, in a dystopian near-future where a new-age movement is growing with the youth (similar to the flower-power movement).

They share a few common themes, while differing greatly, in what lies beyond in that promised land.

.
 
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Thanks ZenSteve, of course I know Logan's Run! Ill check out the other reference.

IndiePaul,
Im looking for this years "summer" short film project. I will shoot this myself, etc.
This is not my first time to the rodeo, so I get your points about scale. Budget about $1k.

In my internal vision, which Iv not done very good job of conveying as of yet, I see this as very simple movie in execution. That's why I want it very personal. Defining the mood and using the tools I have available to convey that mood to the viewer will be a challenge, but I think its a challenge of "less" not more. First in defining the mood is to establish the "setting" and context so that I can use that to inform the rest of the writing. I believe that If I can "internalize" this universe, keeping in mind the key feel of the place\time, what ever story I write will "fit" that universe..

doh, that all sounds very meta,Ill add some more practical ideas after a short break..lol
 
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Maybe the main character finds out from some of the "officials" of the process of sending people to this alternate reality that the people who say the words aren't transferred to a different dimension, but are sent to live as slaves of the more advanced "angel" race. So it's the main character's job to try to expose the angel's plot to the general population and find a way to close the gap between the two worlds before the "angels" can force a mass transfer to their world.
 
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A few thoughts; What if the "angels" were a one shot deal in the not too distant past and most of the world have written off the incident as "a mysterious disappearance" along the lines of Roanoke? A small, cult-like, religious order sprang up after the "transition" and prepares for the day the "angels" return. The story centers on one character who begins to have strange dreams that are visitations across the veil from an ancestor. The ancestor warns that the "deal" given by the "angels" was a ruse and the "paradise" isn't. The ancestor further warns that the angels need more workers for their home world and will be returning to recruit more humans. The MC tries to warn people about the bogus deal but nobody believes him/her. You MC then goes on a quest (physical/mental/emotional) to find a way to reverse the transcendence and free the enslaved ancestors. You could do a lot with a little along this story line. The visions can be shown as a series of flashes during the MC's sleep. You would never have to show the "angel" home world and all of the exposition needed can come from the MC trying to warn the general populace. Naturally, the religious order tries to stop/silence the MC.
 
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What if someone willingly transcending only to find his/herself unfulfilled. It would be interesting if they were giving the impression that they could return to their previous reality if they chose but no one has ever wanted to return. Then of course things with the Angels are more complex/corrupt than they appear on the surface.

Instead of being forced to transcend they are forced to stay and have a clear goal of trying to break free. I also think it would be cool if there is no precedence of breaking free so we don't know if they actually could. Their physical body did dissolve into dust so the audience could worry that they may not be able to reach that goal.
 
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Everyone has interesting ideas. I especially liked Josh's list. His idea #1 was about the first thing that came to my mind, as well, trying to think of something very personal and within a 1K budget.

The film could be essentially a conversation between a couple about whether to go through with it. For example, the film starts with them making love or having just finished making love, and one says to the other, "You know, we'll never be able to do that again...", which starts the conversation of second guessing.

Or to keep sex out of it, maybe they've been sitting at the dining table in the early morning light sipping coffee together and just enjoying each other's company, very prosaic, but lovely. Whatever. Maybe they have to walk or drive to the "launch" site, or ceremonial site. By the time they get there, one or both of them can't go through with it.

To go another route with a little more conflict, you could blend such a scenario with Josh's #3 (#1 + part of #3), but still keep it a familial drama. What if the couple are parents with one, two, or three kids? What if parents want and expect their whole family to go together? Perhaps as with other things, it's not up to minors to decide for themselves. But, in any case, perhaps at the end, when the rest of the family is translating, their teenage daughter (or older daughter, if everyone is older, whichever age) stays behind.

Or, what if it's one of the older parents of one member of the couple who refuses to go? To add tension to that scenario, you could add Josh's #5. What if most everyone is going because the world being left behind to those who stay is going to be a mess, dangerous, because things are being left to go to pot. There won't be anymore 911 assistance, for instance. It might get very rough, very ugly for people who stay behind. It's going to be law of the jungle time. But, no, Dad still won't go. [Edit] Maybe Mom passed some time before, and he has no interest in translating to somewhere where Mom can no longer join him. He'd rather join her in the grave, even if that means losing, possibly, the only chance at immortality.

And whichever scenario, clearly, you could make it a meditation on whether, if you actually have the choice, do you choose the immortality they're selling, or is there reason to stick with mortality? Or, as you've already said, I think, is there reason for some to choose to remain corporeal versus incorporeal? Maybe the "angels" have been completely honest and, in the interest of full disclosure, they've made it perfectly clear that the price of immortality (and perhaps enlightenment, knowledge, communion with the Divine?) is the loss of an emotional life, attachments, feelings, desire, passion, etc. Perhaps, though, they've assured humankind that, once they have "ascended to a higher state of being" (I think to imply something like that in Stargate), they will not miss those old, human qualities.
 
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Thanks all for your detailed responses. GREAT HELP.

Ill be incorporating many of these ideas, but dont expect credit,... :)

Iv decided that it will be fun to do a few vignettes in this setting. Ill try and have the totality of the the mini-stories have enough detail for the viewer to make the necessary connections to derive the epic background, if not, Ill just do an expository narration\text at the opening..

As always this will be my most ambitious project to date. Gotta keep pushing my personal boundaries.

Do note that the new Johnny Depp movie is sorta touching on these same ideas... but thats cool..
 
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Just a quick thought... you say your setting is "100 years ago," but do recall that 100 years ago the world was very much preoccupied with a little thing called World War I... although it did start in July 1914, so I guess if your story starts literally in early 1914, you are (just barely) ahead of the start of it.

I'm just thinking that it would be weird to show a world in 1914 (if the war had started that is) that did not acknowledge the war and instead was concerned with the sci-fi elements your story contains.

Something to think about regarding setting.
 
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sorry, the 100 years ago was from the stand point of the future in which this takes place.. lol

Plus, I made it more recent, like only 50 years ago.

Think of it like this .. If the angels came TODAY then the setting for my story is 50 years in the future.
 
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