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> Screenplay Fodder: News That Should Inspire!

Man dismembered and cooked after sex games
http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120125-40333.html

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ACT I: Provocative proposal for a lurid invitation made.
ACT II, Part I: The table is set, the guests c... come together, the game goes...
ACT II, Part II: ... awry. And then it goes very, very, very wrong before the descent into abomination.
ACT III: Desperation and capitulation opens the door to discovery and scrutiny.




Wellspring of source material: http://www.dailyrotten.com/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/weird-news/

http://www.chron.com/news/bizarre/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/archives/weird/

http://www.sfgate.com/weird/

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=NEWS20

http://www.fark.com/

http://www.newsoftheweird.com/archive/index.html
 
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Update is... Their both skeletonized out to the one minute mark on one and five minute mark on the other, and I'm just waiting for the magic juice to start flowing when I can attribute some character to my main characters.

The first one is supposed to be a lo indie budget ($50 to $150k), ensemble cast attrition, creature feature - but until I develop a better sense of how to market and distribute a DIY feature I'm not inclined to pound this out page by page until then.

The second is clearly over my producer/director head with a relative low budget by studio standards: Easy $10 to $30M, (and "Yes", I've done enough homework to have a pretty good idea of what it would take to execute this one.) I probably should pound this out first and start peddling it. Sigh... But that's some real work itself.
Script agents aren't the same as real estate agents, you know.


For me generating a plot and story is a piece of cake.
But finding the right character for my characters is a bear, and characters are what really carry the story.

I just went on a Nic Cage DVD three-fer festival with my daughter:
Season of the Witch: 5/10 hum-drum disposable show. If you see it - yay. If not - you ain't missing anything.
The Wicker Man: 2/10 complete cr@p. I had to apologize to my daughter for repeatedly complaining about how stupid the story was, mostly due to the stupidity of the character.
Matchstick Men: 9.5/10 should see film. Just delightful story and execution by everyone, cast & crew.

It's not the budget: $40M, $40M, ?? (looks like c.$30M)
It's not the actor: Nicolas Cage
It could be the director, but likely it's the writer because I've seen too many films that were just stupid that the producer and director should have changed what the writer wrote, but didn't, and an otherwise salvageable film consequently sucked.
Maybe the writer/directors DID change what was written, but I've also read too many produced scripts to know that many of the niggling changes didn't affect the character of the characters, often just their situations and actions, changes in roles/lines, and or consolidation of characters.
 
EFFFFF MEEEEE!!!

It was sad.

I wonder if actors know just how cr@ppy a film is going to turn out when they read the script, or see who's directing it, or during production when the dailies come in, or is it just a cr@pshoot until darn near the final edit?

Nic had to have been just doing this one for a paycheck.
The character was just really, really stupid.
 
Matchstick Men: 9.5/10 should see film. Just delightful story and execution by everyone, cast & crew.

Loved that movie, great story and twists - tier one acting.

You may also like Nic Cage's Next. It's no where near as good as Matchstick Men but the concept is excellent and the film very enjoyable.

IMDB - Next
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435705/

Also really liked: Lord of War, Kick-Ass, Face/Off, Con Air, The Rock and Leaving Las Vegas.
 
New Book on Pig-Man Sheds Light on Legend
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/25/lee-brickley-pig-man_n_3654175.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

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ACT I: Military scientists and officers stand over pig-man hybrid strapped to exam table. Disturbance outside.
ACT II, Part I: Soldiers engage hikers exploring the remote forest around secret lab.
ACT II, Part II: Pig-man escapes, hikers witness, hikers shot and wounded/killed. Scientist - "We can't move at this time." Officer - "We need a cover for this operation."
ACT III: Family member begins investigation into missing sister/brother in the region.
 
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I think Nic Cage CLEARLY knew how awful that Wicker Man remake was while he was making it...he was way too over the top for him to not get it. That's why I love him...when he's doing crap, he makes sure it's entertaining crap!

....well, for certain values of entertainment anyway.
 
Dr. Conrad Murray: I Used to Hold Michael Jackson's Penis! Nightly!
http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2...-used-to-hold-michael-jacksons-penis-nightly/
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ACT I: Super-wealthy super freak begs family, friends, and others to hold his penis, doctor finally agrees.
ACT II, Part I: It's deformed, it's minuscule, the catheritizations are a challenge.
ACT II, Part II: A task of charity becomes a regular event of mixed torture and excitement!
ACT III: Disgusted with the monster he's become, the doctor passive-aggressively allows super-freak to acquire a stash of lethal self-ending narcotics.
 
Dangerous Diet Trend: The Cotton Ball Diet
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/dangerous-diet-trend-cotton-ball-diet/story?id=20942888
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ACT I: Three aesthetically competitive teen girls are turned onto several variations of the pica craze.
ACT II, Part I: The doable goal lifts their spirits! Initial results are promising! Elation over new fashion buys!
ACT II, Part II: Mistaking appreciation of confidence as appearance, girls have conflicts with new boyfriends. Bezoars lead to hospitalizations.
ACT III: Surgeons precede psychiatrists as the girls learn about repercussions. Therapy works for two of them, the third kills herself.
 
Mexico plans how to safely box up recovered cobalt
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...66067a-5d6b-11e3-8d24-31c016b976b2_story.html
411
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ACT I: Timelines collide when common vehicle thieves carjack a temp driver's truck with medical nuclear payload.
ACT II, Part I: The successful thieves go about their business as the bound driver weighs his own options: run or tell?
ACT II, Part II: Others find the driver, he tells, law enforcement is alerted, but by now the thieves have already exposed themselves to the deadly cargo.
ACT III: Thieves freak out as they listen to news reports on the truck's radio, try to ditch the vehicle, and escape the vehicle but not a most unpleasant death.
 
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Mexico plans how to safely box up recovered cobalt
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...66067a-5d6b-11e3-8d24-31c016b976b2_story.html
411349
20130320TwoConstraintThreeActStructure-2013-CompactforShortStories_zpsa18d6760.png


ACT I: Timelines collide when common vehicle thieves carjack a temp driver's truck with medical nuclear payload.
ACT II, Part I: The successful thieves go about their business as the bound driver weighs his own options: run or tell?
ACT II, Part II: Others find the driver, he tells, law enforcement is alerted, but by now the thieves have already exposed themselves to the deadly cargo.
ACT III: Thieves freak out as they listen to news reports on the truck's radio, try to ditch the vehicle, and escape the vehicle but not a most unpleasant death.


Oh my gosh! I saw that on the news too. Isn't that an amazing and a troubling story?
 
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Nevada Couple and 4 Children Still Missing in Sub-zero, Snowy Conditions

http://guardianlv.com/2013/12/nevad...n-still-missing-in-sub-zero-snowy-conditions/
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ACT I: A family of adults and four small children depart for a short "true" wilderness hiking adventure moments before an unusual storm's path is updated.
ACT II, Part I: Multiple opportunities are missed for current weather forecasts and to return home. Inevitably, delightful light snow turns to...
ACT II, Part II: ... heavy snow turns to flash blizzard sending their vehicle off the road and rolling over into the (cliché) ravine. Then the cold begins to wear away at them.
ACT III: Adult debate over what was best for the children comes down to a denial of instincts and beliefs to an unexplainable conclusion.



P.S. Don't worry. They were found safe and sound.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/us-usa-nevada-missing-idUSBRE9B912G20131211
 

Alleged 'revenge porn' site operator arrested in California

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/12/10/alleged-revenge-porn-site-operator-arrested-in-california/
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ACT I: When a hot relationship goes cold a ridiculously bitter man stews over the best way to seek revenge on the woman "who made him this way."
ACT II, Part I: Armed with a hard drive gorged with intimate content he launches a revenge porn site, then seeks fellow "burnt men." A friend suggests a way to make money from an alternate site.
ACT II, Part II: When the money starts rolling in he gains a "new family", followed by the screams of complaints and the interest of law enforcement.
ACT III: Investigations lead to legal protests and maneuvering, but to no avail, and his new family is stripped away.
 
NY drug addict who ran cancer scam pleads guilty
http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...e631d8-62cd-11e3-af0d-4bb80d704888_story.html
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ACT I: Heroin junkie's benefactor dies of binge overdose, failing at theft & pawn, she decides to scam the hood.
ACT II, Part I: Feeble attempt out of the way, her shtick's effectiveness increases with its complexity.
ACT II, Part II: A withdrawal between "maintenance" highs threatens the gig, but a triumphant community cash score leads to a monster H binge.
ACT III: A missed appointment with a do-gooder leads to the unraveling of the entire affair, her arrest, then conviction. Prologue: She gets "hooked up" in the slam. Ha!
 
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Rayw I find your Act descriptions more interesting than the news story, you should write some of these into screenplays :D
Well... THAT's what drama is all about! :yes::)

The "interesting" part for a movie-minded news hound like myself is to find a news story that does not travel along a single trajectory without highs or lows or is just a point and grunt "look at this" sort of thing.



Another exercise is to read over the NYTimes top 20 most emailed/viewed/blogged/searched/tweeted and think of a story for each of those. "Last 7 Days" oughtta render the more "grain from chaff" option.
http://www.nytimes.com/most-popular-emailed

1. Snacking Your Way to Better Health
Evidence for the health benefits of nuts has been accumulating since the early 1990s, and frequent consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases.
DRAMEDY - Researcher's intense investigation into the longevity benefits of consuming various nuts alienates his family, but as they die off and his cult "nut" following grows a new family emerges.

2. Who Says Math Has to Be Boring?
It’s time to overhaul the way math and science are taught.
INSPIRATIONAL POLITICAL DRAMA - Core group of educators, disgusted with counterproductive curriculum foisted upon them, fight against corporate and governmental machines exponentially greater than they are.

3. Sex as Exercise
Do intimate acts count as working out?
DRAMEDY - Researchers hatch the idea, craft the grant proposal, secure funding, conduct the interviews, and send their test group on their merry way to see if indeed sex qualifies as exercise. What could possibly go wrong?

4. 36 Hours in Kauai, Hawaii
You could fill a weekend simply staring slack-jawed at this island’s natural beauty. But Kauai’s appeal stretches far beyond those arresting views.
DRAMEDY - Given thirty-six hours to live as a terminal illness is about to definitively conclude a life, a couple discovers much more about each other and themselves as their Kauai bucket list gets checked off.

5. After Setbacks, Online Courses Are Rethought
Large-scale online courses, hailed as a way to democratize higher education, have so far been plagued by very high attrition rates.
COMEDY - Old school bricks and sticks and new school MOOG professors compete for university department funding as the university leadership itself questions if it's in a "transitional stage".

6.The Case for Filth
The only possible solution to the gender divide on housework is for everyone to do a lot less of it.
COMEDY - A hipster couple obsessed with perfection seek the professional guidance of multiple marriage counselors over the division of housework. The dog will be fine.

7. Exercise as Potent Medicine
Exercise can be as effective as many frequently prescribed drugs in treating some of the leading killers, including heart disease and diabetes, a new study suggests.
DRAMEDY - A hypocritical self-medicating physician advises and promotes exercise to his patients as his own health comes to a crossroads where it's his decision to practice what he preaches.

8. Why the Dutch Love Black Pete
In the Netherlands, the Black Pete debate underscores how deep lies the fear of losing identity.
COMEDY - Black Pete goes to Parliament to defend his right to even exist in the modern society which insists he is no longer "good".

9. Amsterdam Has a Deal for Alcoholics: Work Paid in Beer
Under a government-funded program denounced by conservative politicians, the city of tolerance is giving alcoholics street-cleaning jobs and paying them partly in beer.
COMEDY - HAIL! to the bums with brooms getting beer as they sweep the city streets of more trash than just along the curb.

10. The Path to Happy Employment, Contact by Contact on LinkedIn
LinkedIn, the networking site for professionals, can raise your profile and help you find a new job, but only if it is used properly.
INSPIRATIONAL COMEDY - Old dog on the new job market learns that business lunches are going the way of the dinosaur, and his personal life sees favorable changes for the better as he chooses to accept this new fangled computer gibberish.

11. Wall Street Mothers, Stay-Home Fathers
For growing numbers of women on Wall Street, stay-at-home husbands are enabling them to compete at work with new intensity.
COMEDY - Generations collide when holiday out of town parents-in-law get snowed in for an extended stay with their house-husband son-in-law while the daughter/wife is trapped at her workplace.

12. Obama Gets Real
With a big inequality speech, the president is finally sounding like the progressive many of his supporters thought they were backing in 2008.
POLITICAL SATIRE - A reporter wades through a "typical day of insanity" with the POTUS dealing competing approaches to ongoing White House, mass media, and public perception issues.

13. More Helpful Fatty Acids Found in Organic Milk
The research was met with a mixed reaction, as there is disagreement among scientists about whether omega-6 fatty acids are harmful.
HORROR - Competing scientists sabotage more than each other's test results releasing lethal mutations, both human and non, into the community.

14. Why a Brisk Walk Is Better
If you are walking to improve your health, it’s time to stop strolling and pick up the pace, reports Gretchen Reynolds in this week’s Phys Ed column.
ROMANTIC COMEDY - A sport walker and her orthopedic surgeon become romantically involved as her injuries force a decision between her new love life or spirit.

15. Beneath Malta’s Beauty, a Tangled History
The Mediterranean island-nation of Malta couples a tranquil, movie-set surface with an astoundingly rich past.
FANTASY ROMANCE - Lovers walk and talk along the streets of Malta recounting tales of past lives and foretelling future ones.

16. Why Machiavelli Still Matters
‘The Prince’ teaches that there are no friends in politics.
POLITICAL THRILLER - A Congressional aide to a rising star Congresswoman uncovers a crime of potentially devastating proportions forcing her to decide between destroying the faith of millions of girls, the economic livelihood of a city, or her own morality.

17. The 10 Best Books of 2013
The year’s best books, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review.
COMEDY - Perfectly aware of the financial and social implications, bookworms and cyber geeks battle it out over a range of issues in a no-holds-barred fight to publish by deadline what books must be included and excluded from this year's "10 Best Books List."

18. Baffling 400,000-Year-Old Clue to Human Origins
DNA from a fossil in Spain most closely matches another extinct human lineage, Denisovans, whose remains have been found thousands of miles away in Siberia.
SCI FI FANATSY - Slip back into prehistoric time to discover how the body of one proto-human traveled three thousand miles with (or without) the help of ancient aliens.

19. Scholarship and Politics: The Case of Noam Chomsky
Dropping in on a three-part master class taught by a master, and witnessing thought of the highest order.
DRAMEDY ROMANCE - Perceptions of self, family, and life reverse, buckle, and bend for a group of high school humanities students assigned to debate the three parts of a speech by Noam Chomsky.

20. Thinking for the Future
What modes of thought will be most valuable in a future economy defined by machine intelligence?
SCIENCE FICTION ACTION ADVENTURE - A crossroads of rights and responsibilities culminates between human and A.I. machines as the 22nd century dawns impacting the fate of billions of "existences" and the threat of extinction for millions.

Anyone can do this activity anytime they want.
Just start thinking about things in a storytelling way.


Placeholder: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...de6084-637b-11e3-a373-0f9f2d1c2b61_story.html
 
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