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need me an idea

W

wheatgrinder

Help me gen up an idea...

I want to write and make a short (5 - 7 mins)

inspirational
supernatural
period about 1800's ( I have access to a pioneer museum indoor location, as well as wagons, coaches etc. no actual horses though, too much of a pain)
I have an ensemble cast of younger attractive people (18 - 22 year olds ), with plenty of stage experience working together. All musically talented too!
Northwest winter coming on, so wet an rainy is the outside world..

let the log lines flow..
 
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It’s an interesting mix of what you have to work with and are looking to do. Musically inclined and theater savvy is really nice though.

My 1st thought that I'll just throw out there to get the ball rolling is they are ghosts of the period that chose to frequent the museum, because the outside world has become a place they don’t care for.

Maybe there is A Lord of the flies/ Witch Trials kind of element where they cast someone out, someone that is trying to express “But time has moved on, it’s a whole new world of wonders out there!” and win some over of the group or change the close mindedness of the group.

I’m not sure just what thematic parallels to our time and social scenarios I’m trying to suss out, but something is there.

I can imagine some kind of camp fire song, something with the sarcastic fun yet social edge of like America from West Side Story, but Pioneer ghosts in simple acoustic guitar campfire style going back and forth on past vs present as far as haunting.

I also like the idea of the kind of toys come to life in the workshop after hours thing, where there could be a night watchman (If you have night access), and the ghosts scatter, or try as they might they just can't scare this guy off. (Some sub plot thing maybe.)


-Thanks-
 
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Buddy,
Iv discovered that I work BETTER when I have limitations... at least in the mind game space. Seems to me that the big open world of possibility gives me the willies, so I like making clever little boxes for my self to hide in.
 
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I like the time traveling angle..

Maybe they are getting ready to take the sick sister to see the doctor in town, a 2 day ride
they pack up the wagons, and spend the last night praying and playing hymns.. and what not.. in the warm home before the hardships of the road..

they step out in the morning.. and..

WHHHHHAAAA an 18 wheeler comes flying by on the highway, they run back to find the house LOCKED with a sign.. "Museum Closed for the winter"

They get to town, sisters is saved by modern medicine.. they are accepted and loved by the small town..

Im hitting the positive inspirational angle hard.
 
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There's also something to be said for a good brainstorming session. The basic premise for "Antihero" came out of one particularly boring night at work, waiting tables. I told my co-worker friends that I needed a basic concept for a feature film. I threw down a couple constraints -- needs to be shot in Richmond, on a nothing budget, with college-aged actors. We just threw ideas at each other, in between kissing people's butts for money. Most of the ideas were stupid, but even the stupid ideas would usually lead somewhere, giving someone a thought for something else. By the end of the shift, I had it -- superhero origin story, in which a petty-thief discovers a psychic power, first using it for his own benefit, before finally using it for good.

I like some of Buddy's first thoughts on this. I'm gonna bounce a couple ideas through my head, while I do some dishes.
 
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I agree on brainstorming. I believe firmly that you have to be able to open your mind and throw things on the table fearlessly. It’s not about the 300 “dumb” things, it’s about how each one of those things was a step closer to the 301st idea that is golden. When I conceptualize on paper in word association form, the stupidity that pours out is epic, but I’ve learned it’s all part of the process.

I always think about how awesome it must be for writers on shows to round table brainstorm.

-Thanks-
 
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I like the sick sister angle. It could throw a nice wrench in the gears and act as an urgency factor.

The time travel element works too, but It feels lacking something in the fish out of water area.
Take it a step deeper somehow. (They are related to or ARE the town founders or something.)

-Thanks-
 
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yup.. same wavelength buddy..
and they should go back to the past.. the townspeople never the wiser, ceptin maybe the the daughter of the sick sister, who is an old lady in town, and grew up hearing "stories" and remembered to be do some critical thing to help them get back..
 
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oh oh oh..

the sister doesn't go\come to the future, only the siblings.. who, in the final reveal are indeed ghosts, as they have already succumbed to the "fever" that is wracking the sister .. who doesn't know they are dead, 'cause the fever is making her hallucinate. Only when she recovers does she go out and weep at their graves.. or something like that..
 
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OKay I read the other posts...I think you should read Six Characters in Search of an Author Its a play by Luigi Pirandello. I think this will help you lay out the idea you seem to be going with in the above posts.
 
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Haha. I'm so glad you got that reference. Wasn't sure if it was clear enough.

Anyway, wheat, please allow me to be the voice of dissent for one moment. Are you sure this has to be so serious? Just my opinion -- I think low-budget shorts benefit from not taking themselves too seriously. You just did your first 48HFP. Think about the videos that got the best positive reactions from the audience. Most of them were pretty silly, no?

At this level, I think there's something to be said for just being silly. And that doesn't mean you can't have awesome production value. I assume you've seen sonnyboo's short about the relationship card? It's great. But let's be honest -- the concept is kinda silly, and it's pretty much a skit. But it's a really well-done skit, one that is really fun to watch.

Usually, when I see a low-budget short that is supposed to be dramatic/serious, it ends up being unintentionally funny. That's not to say that there aren't exceptions, but to me, they seem to be few and far between.

So, all that being said, I think Murdock's silly musical idea is worth considering. Maybe not that particular idea, specifically, but in general, maybe these silly ideas can lead somewhere great.
 
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