misc Screenwriting writing game - One Paragraph

[Dean Jay]

If anyone wants a break from the norm in writing, there is a game that is played called the Songwriting game, and I think it would be pretty awesome to do here with screenwriting. The concept is a group of people are given a word, and they write a song but in this case the start of a story (one paragraph) based on that word. And they compare/look at later

Might not work with screenwriting but would love to see some structure and creativity in writing if anyone has the time! Even if just one replies I think it would be pretty awesome and very helpful to me!

The word: Heavy

 

[Unknown Screenwriter]

Kind of like a writing prompt... Cool. I'm currently writing a book of fiction and your word caused me to write this:

He leaned back in the depression of the sand. The rain was heavy... So heavy it felt like little ball bearings hitting him on his head, arms, and glove-protected hands. The more it rained, the more he pressed his back into the sandy wetness. The more he disappeared, the more he became part of the landscape. That was good because they'd be along anytime now and he had to be ready. Ready and hidden. It didn't matter that his legs, ass, and back were freezing. That was the job. You had to detach from feeling both physical and mental.

*EDIT: Damn... I might actually USE this. LOL.

 

[Jkds]

Heavy dumbbells oscillate in the air like a metronome. This man is a machine. Valerie has taken some shit in his life, and the MUSCLEHEAD he's noticed eyeing him has just entered his bad books.

MUSCLEHEAD
You done?

VALERIE
Fuck off!

MUSCLHEAD
Hahaha. Think you're a big man? Seen more meat on a chicken wing!

Muscleahead LAUGHS. Valerie pauses. Sighs. He stands up. He gestures the barbell to him.

VALERIE
You think you can manage this?

Musclehead scoffs, swaggers up to Valeire and puffs his chest.

MUSCLEHEAD
What, you think that's heavy?

Valerie swings a roundhouse arm with the barbell into MUSCLEHEAD'S temple. He hits the floor limp.

VALERIE
Pretty heavy.

 

[Constantin]

THE GROUPIE


Three heavy metal heads kneel around a painted red pentagram wearing ceremonial robes. Within the dark and empty hall, five candles housed inside crystal skulls rest along the star's points. The flickering flames produce eerie shadows against satanic images plastered around the stage.

In the middle of the star lies a crimson guitar, shimmering ... glossy.

The sound of slow echoing footsteps breaks the silence. SOUL CRUSHER, the band's lead guitarist enters the stage wearing his flashy heavy metal duds. His face is full of scary piercings. A portable amplifier in his hand.

SOUL CRUSHER
Is it ready?

The drummer, MARTYR peeks up from behind his hood.

MARTYR
You tell us.

SOUL CRUSHER looks at the guitar and places the amplifier next to it. He picks up the wet guitar and plugs a cable into it. The other end is
inserted into the amplifier. A menacing hum grows louder as the volume is set to its maximum setting.

SOUL CRUSHER proceeds to play an impressive HEAVY METAL solo. The guitar is impossibly loud and distorted.

He stops playing a few seconds in and looks at the guitar. He puts it back exactly where he found it. He removes a cloth from his back pocket and wipes his hands, staining it.

SOUL CRUSHER
It's not ready.

The three band members look at each other. Soul Crusher walks away, his back to the other band members.

SOUL CRUSHER
Find another...

 

[sfoster]

Heavy?!? Theres that word again!!

Is there something wrong in the future with the earths magnetic pull?

 

[Dean Jay]

Writer's Block? Try Getting Competitive

Bob Schneider, a songwriter from Texas, has challenged fellow musicians to a game for 12 years: Every Friday, a closed email group submits a new song of the week.

www.npr.org

 

[Constantin]

So funny how we can get our inspiration for story from anyplace. I was watching a YouTube documentary about a 15 year old kid in England who disappeared and I thought of the excerpt I wrote above for some reason.

In the real case, this kid was a happy, clean cut kid from a Christian background, yet was into heavy metal and mysteriously took a train to London. He was never heard from again and nobody knows why he never told anyone where he was going. The police still have no details about what actually happened but internet sleuths were quick to offer some interesting ideas.

One in particular caught my attention. Someone suggested that perhaps the kid went to London to see one of his favorite rock bands without telling his parents, choosing to be punished afterwards, rather than miss the show.

So that's where some ideas sprang to my mind...

The idea I had was for a satanic cult (headed by lead singer of a heavy metal band) to lure young fans for sacrifice (through their various outlets such as local record shops or whatever). The sacrifices would be a way to appease Satan, in return for fame and fortune (kind of like a deal with the devil thing -- A different sort of take on Robert Johnson but you get the idea), and one way they trapped their victims was to offer kids back stage tickets to see the show (along with a parent).

They would select those clean cut kids whose parents would disapprove of the band and wouldn't allow their kid to go, but because the kids idolized the bands, they would go anyway without telling the parents.

Those offering the tickets might even plant the idea that it was worth not telling anyone about it and just allow themselves to be grounded for a week if they could see their idols for one night -- it was worth it.

My imagination went wild and I concocted a slew of interesting characters, including a corrupt cop who solves the murders of the kids that have been sacrificed and gone missing but careful to divert the blame elsewhere while establishing credibility as a talented investigator and moves up the ranks to detective, protecting the cult even further... An owner of a local record shop that would befriend the various young customers, hoping to lure a small number of them in the trap.

The protagonist would be the young boy's genius brother (sort of a modern day Encyclopedia Brown) who solves the case and exposes the cult. I mean these are just some rough ideas but really does demonstrate how the germ of an idea can come from just about anywhere

 

[Constantin]

I started the first page of the script opening up with the same ritual as before ...

============= The Trap =============
At a local record shop that Jacob frequents and is good friends with the owner there, there is a raffle... back stage tickets to see INNER SANCTUM after the show happening in two weeks in London!

The boy tries to enter the raffle but is told he is under age and must be accompanied by an adult. He lies and tells them he will go with his dad. Samuel, his older brother who is with him in the store, tells him "dad won't let you go, Jacob. You know that. Don't waste your time and let's go home!"

A scuffle between the brothers gets the attention of a suspicious man who listens in on the conversation within earshot. Samuel leaves, Jacob enters his name in the contest. As he writes down his info on the form, the owner looks at the suspicious man who continues to stare. The man slightly nods to him as to say "hi". The owner looks away, he appears not to trust the man and looks back at Jacob who finishes entering the information.

Jacob leaves. The suspicious man walks up to the owner of the shop and asks to enter the contest too.

What ends up happening is Jacob loses the contest but the suspicious man wins. At the drawing, the man comments that he wants to sell the extra ticket back to the store as he is going alone, but the owner refuses to take it. Jacob offers to buy it. The store owner interrupts. "Jacob, go home. You're too young to go alone."

The man walks out... Jacob follows the man out the store and this is how the abduction trap works. The reader is unaware that the record shop is in on the whole trap as is INNER SANCTUM!. The man says he doesn't want any trouble and resists selling the ticket to the boy, knowing the boy cannot go in alone. Since the boy also needs an adult to accompany him, they make up some deal involving secrecy or whatever as the man doesn't want to risk being disqualified from seeing the band backstage etc etc.

This is just a rough idea but the trap is laid somewhat this way. The rest of the story involves the boy disappearing just as in the real case. His brother Samuel, a sort of young "Encyclopedia Brown Child Detective" follows the clues and exposes the criminals. I have not decided yet whether Jacob is killed or saved by his brother.