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Need Rap/street slang in screenplay

It's kinda embarrassing question. Along with my Sci-Fi story, I'm writing a screenplay about a rap singer. I don't live in US, and I don't know people from there, so nobody can help me with the Afro-american slang. And that's important. I know a few things of course, but there's a black character who talks much, so I need him to be like a real guy from the hood. Where can I get slang idioms or something like that? I wanna make it real.
 
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What is he going to do, hold the iPhone in front of the mic when he raps live? He would be lambasted, and rightly so.

He doesn't need to do that. The iPhone is in his pocket. He just raps live. The device is in his throat. It's not seen either.

There are lots of plug-ins and audio suite softwares that can be used to modify/alter a voice. There are simple pitch change plug-ins, and there are some decent formant plug-ins as well. I've used voice formant to turn a bunch of guys into little kids, and turn a light voice into Darth Vader. I can also make bad singers and rappers sound great by comping (taking multiple performances and using just the best parts), tight editing, speed adjustments (slow the track down when recording the vox, then speed the vox back up for the original track so the rap at lightning speed), tighten up loose harmonies, etc. with Vocalign, and, of course, do pitch correction with AutoTune.

Ok, but all those softwares alter the voice after it has been recorded. They actually work with audio tracks. But in my story, the idea is that he can rap live with whatever voice he chooses. It's like a filter. The protagonists raps live all the time. He doesn't need those softwares.

Inarius, what if your main character has only done albums, and when he finally has to perform live, either he can't hide the voice alteration mechanism or it stops working midway through the performance?
It happens two times. The first one is because the low battery problem. The second is because the developer of the device (it was stolen from him), uses the same App from his laptop to alter the protagonist's voice in the middle of the performance

I don't think Inarius' iPhone emits the sound of the singer. I think it just activates the "voice module" in the rapper's throat. In other words, When the rapper with the childish voice sings, as long as he has his iPhone nearby, the words that come out of his mouth are tough and raw ...like a hardcore rapper's voice.
Yes! Exactly!

P.S. which begs the question ...can't a laptop computer do the same thing?
Here I have to reveal another spoiler. After the incident with the battery, the protagonist realized that iPhone simply can't sustain it, so they needed something more powerful. They started using a laptop, and the battery problem was gone.

However, towards the 3rd Act of the movie, the developer of the device is using his laptop to hack the laptop of the protagonist's friend. After shutting down the latter's laptop, he takes control of the device and starts altering the protagonist's voice during the performance, thus exposing his cheating.
 
However, towards the 3rd Act of the movie, the developer of the device is using his laptop to hack the laptop of the protagonist's friend. After shutting down the latter's laptop, he takes control of the device and starts altering the protagonist's voice during the performance, thus exposing his cheating.

...Well, shit! Ya know what? ........You're starting to win me over now. That sounds hilarious!

-Birdman
 
cheeseandachallenge, ok there is one :) But the're kids. That's what they were supposed to do. Nobody expects kids to sound hardcore and brutal. To my opinion, they were meant to be hilarious :)

And now imagine a guy of 20+, who looks like an adult (maybe less beard), opens his mouth... and sounds like a child. And if that's not enough, he uses that childish voice to say things that adults say! It's like if you put a Transformer in a movie about Ancient Greece, and that Transformer would speak like Zeus...

I'm genuinely puzzled why you don't just take the simple, rational approach, which is to give the (prototype, for use in the lab only perhaps) device a finite power source, regardless of whether the app is running on an iPhone or a laptop or whatever.

1) - Too much derail to Sc-Fi.

2) - I don't really understand what you mean. The gadget that is put into the throat has a power source? The guy will have a battery in his throat? :)
 
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1) - Too much derail to Sc-Fi.

2) - I don't really understand what you mean. The gadget that is put into the throat has a power source? The guy will have a battery in his throat? :)

The battery can be a small button cell one

Regarding the derailing into sci fi, I feel the iPhone idea has a lot of stuff to explain, leading to more explanation and exposition.. But you do have a nice idea in the developer hacking the program. You could show him using the iPhone to set his voice/change some settings or whatever to help explain why the app is needed to control it?
 
Regarding the derailing into sci fi, I feel the iPhone idea has a lot of stuff to explain, leading to more explanation and exposition.. But you do have a nice idea in the developer hacking the program. You could show him using the iPhone to set his voice/change some settings or whatever to help explain why the app is needed to control it?

What do you suggest instead of iPhone then?
 
1) - Too much derail to Sc-Fi.

2) - I don't really understand what you mean. The gadget that is put into the throat has a power source? The guy will have a battery in his throat? :)

It's not really sci-fi though. Have you seen how small batteries are these days? You get those little button cell ones, which are probably not too useful in this scenario, but I have a video camera the size of a packet of gum that can record for a couple of hours on one charge. Batteries are small, and getting smaller and more powerful all the time. And I don't see why a small device with a battery is any weirder or more sci-fi than a small device without a battery when the device in question is being put in someone's throat :)

This does not preclude having a mobile app to control it, and obviously that's necessary for the hacking scenes. The whole setup just makes more sense if the potentially failing battery is in the device (which is a prototype) than on an iPhone (for which you can easily buy peripherals to extend the battery life hugely... and the rapper would be a fool for not having a lot of those on hand = potential plot hole).
 
Ok, you win, guys :). So the bottom line is:
The device has a small battery inside of it.
The device is controlled by iPhone App.
The device is a prototype, so it fails sometimes.
Ok.

This problem should be solved at the end of part 1 of act 2, as the minor problem, because his main problem is the guiltiness about getting the admiration he doesn't deserve.
 
Do you seriously expect Eminem to crawl out on stage when he's 70 years old and bust out a killer rendition of "Ass Like That?"

He already addressed that issue.

"I'll be the only person in the nursing home flirting
Pinching nurses asses when I'm jacking off with Jergens
And I'm jerking but this whole bag of Viagra isn't working"

:D
 
1. Rap is mainstream and independent of race, ethnicity or country. Since the rapper is white, this is really not an issue about language but about punctuating the lyrics. For example, Epic Rap Battles (www.epicrapbattlesofhistory.com) are a comical use of the musical format. As Alcove Audio tried to emphasize, rap comes in many "flavuhs". If you are selling this you don't need to create lyrics. A producer can hire a musician to create that. You can if you feel comfortable doing so, then go ahead.
Code:
                        JARED
           So here's my newest
           song.

Jared raps, gesturing and body moving as his friend's head
bobs with the rhythm.
If you're putting the lyrics in your script, it's usually good to show that it is sung by listing the title and putting the lyrics in italics.
Code:
                        JARED
           So here's my newest
           song.
               ["Dollaz"]
           [I]Yo, lis'un, gonna tell ya straight,
           elaborate/ no big exec will be a
           cryin' when your lyin'/ face down
           in the street a dyin'/ ...[/I]

Jared raps, gesturing and body moving as his friend's head
bobs with the rhythm.
Rap is here to stay, though that doesn't mean it won't evolve.

2. I think if you introduce how the protagonist comes to have the device along with its shortcomings to the audience, it's a non-issue. Science fiction is about plausibility without necessarily explaining details. The details of how a "transporter" worked in Star Trek were only vaguely suggested. It's a convenient plot device. When it fails, it's a plot device. You just need to outline what the expectations of its behavior is for the audience.
Code:
James looks about anxiously as he sets the briefcase on the
bed.

Jared watches him.  His eyes narrow and he studies James.

                                JARED
            Is it gonna explode?  Your pacing
            is making me seasick.

                                JAMES
            This isn't supposed to leave the
            lab.  I was talking.

                                JARED
            To that hot brunette?

James smiles and shrugs.

                                JAMES
             Long story short, the lab got locked.
             I had no choice but to bring home
             the V.R.P.

                                JARED
             V.R.P.?  Virtual Reality Portal?  

James opens it up and pulls out something that looks like
braces.

                                JAMES
              Vocal Redux Peripheral.  It links to a
              phone app to replace a vocoder.  The
              prototype uses vocal impulses and
              comes  with programmable voices.  

James pops it in his mouth.  He pulls out his phone and
fiddles with an app.

                                 JAMES
                       (Darth Vader voice)
              Jared.  I am your Fah-ther!

Jared smiles and shakes his head.

James pulls it out and puts it back in the suitcase.

                                 JAMES
              I'll just be happy when it's back in the
              lab.  If they knew I had this, I'd be in
              deep shit.  Totally experimental.

James heads into the kitchen.

Jared turns back to work on his lyrics.  He pauses and
glances back at the bed.


3. Lots of science fiction seems less relevant 10-20 years after the fact. That's no reason to not include it. It doesn't change the relevance of the story. I'd say go for it.

4. It's very hard to sell shorts. And I don't think you have enough of a story to make a feature to be honest. I don't see anyone buying it in the US. Use the language that will be appropriate for your actors. If you're filming with a Hebrew or Russian speaking group, use that language. That doesn't mean you can't use rap. I think the ethnicity of the music producer and his friend can be dependent on the actors available.

As for scriptwriting, the conventions were created for English scripts. It can be adapted. Use the the margins mirrored in Hebrew. And instead of caps, use bold. Since you are already producing/co-directing another film, follow what you're doing.

Again, I wouldn't put a lot of attention into the lyrics at this point. They aren't the focus. The story of the misuse of a stolen technology should be the focus. Good luck.
 
He already addressed that issue.

"I'll be the only person in the nursing home flirting
Pinching nurses asses when I'm jacking off with Jergens
And I'm jerking but this whole bag of Viagra isn't working"

:D

not only that but i downloaded some Christina Aguilera audio on mp3.. and i found out that she gave eminem VD

Yes.. there is only one VD in my book. and it ain't valentines day
 
It's very hard to sell shorts. And I don't think you have enough of a story to make a feature to be honest. I don't see anyone buying it in the US. Use the language that will be appropriate for your actors. If you're filming with a Hebrew or Russian speaking group, use that language. That doesn't mean you can't use rap. I think the ethnicity of the music producer and his friend can be dependent on the actors available.
It's a full-length script, not a short. At first I'll try to sell it to US. If nobody buys, I'll try to film it myself, or write about Israeli characters. But selling a script to Russia or Israel... Well... Israeli move like snails. I'm gonna get old when they finish producing something. Russia is not an option, because rappers in this country can do very well without a producer. If someone gets rejected by many producers, he can record albums with his friends and become famous in YouTube. Then, if they're really good, producers will contact them themselves.

As for scriptwriting, the conventions were created for English scripts. It can be adapted. Use the the margins mirrored in Hebrew. And instead of caps, use bold. Since you are already producing/co-directing another film, follow what you're doing.
These conventions are for any latinic or cyrillic languages, not only for English.

Gave Eminem VoxDrop?
:lol::lol::lol:
 
If you are looking to sell the screenplay I would be very concerned about incorporating the I-Phone. I can only imagine the cost of using Apple's brand especially with such an important role in the film. It seems like it would be a huge turn off to anyone reading the screenplay.
 
If you are looking to sell the screenplay I would be very concerned about incorporating the I-Phone. I can only imagine the cost of using Apple's brand especially with such an important role in the film. It seems like it would be a huge turn off to anyone reading the screenplay.

...If Inarius' movie is going to be seen by millions of people, then maybe Apple would WANT their iPhone being "advertised" in his movie?

Birdman
 
...And here I was questioning him being declared a "musical genius". What was I thinking?

-Birdman
I don't like eminem, and I don't like a lot of the misogyny and other issues related with hip hop. But I do like hip hop (to clarify, rap isn't a genre, it's a style of vocal delivery). Not being able to relate to lyrical content doesn't determine his talent, though. A lot of musical "geniuses" write pretty lyrically empty songs (and as much as I don't like him, Eminem has a lot more depth than a lot of artists - that doesn't mean every song has to be deep).

You don't have to like it, and I don't personally, but there is more there than you might realise. I held similar dismissive views until I started actually listening to hip hop a few years ago.

Also, the lyric is about him becoming another burnt out star that ages before his time (the line prior is It's funny; cause at the rate I'm going, when I'm 30), due to drugs and the generally vicious life of fame.
 
I don't like eminem, and I don't like a lot of the misogyny and other issues related with hip hop.

I'm not a fan of him either (I don't mind some of his earlier work), but in his defense, I believe he's speaking from his many alter-egos, poking fun at misogynists and other types of people, satirizing (American) culture and the absurdity and strangeness of society.

You don't have to like it, and I don't personally, but there is more there than you might realise. I held similar dismissive views until I started actually listening to hip hop a few years ago.

Yup. I've dismissed certain things I've had little knowledge of in the past. Hip-hop seems to be a common genre dismissed too often, unfortunately.
 
If you are looking to sell the screenplay I would be very concerned about incorporating the I-Phone. I can only imagine the cost of using Apple's brand especially with such an important role in the film. It seems like it would be a huge turn off to anyone reading the screenplay.

...If Inarius' movie is going to be seen by millions of people, then maybe Apple would WANT their iPhone being "advertised" in his movie?

It can be Galaxy, Nokia or whatever... it doesn't matter. The bottom line - it needs any kind of cellphone.
 
I have another question. It's more regarding laws. Can someone be arrested for stealing and using a product, which is still not officially allowed yet, and was rather a homemade than a lab product?
 
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