vitaluminosa
Active member
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Unique/Special/Interesting Romance
- Thread starter vitaluminosa
- Start date
chromeboy007
Well-known member
short or feature?
EJ Pennypacker
Well-known member
While it is advisable to think of your project from the outsider/casual filmgoer's perspective - the main goal to have them not think BORING - is to have an excellent concept/premise/set-up.
Your synopsis (which reads more like a half-logline) really doesn't do your idea justice. You need to fill it out somewhat and get that HOOK that makes people think - COOL, I WANNA SEE THIS.
EJ
Your synopsis (which reads more like a half-logline) really doesn't do your idea justice. You need to fill it out somewhat and get that HOOK that makes people think - COOL, I WANNA SEE THIS.
EJ
EJ Pennypacker
Well-known member
Think outside the box. That's my two cents.
EJ
EJ
Hey Vita, I know exactly what you mean. I love watching a good loves story where there are no melodramatic and overly sentimental understones. Just make sure you don't make the same common pitfalls as the other "romance" writers. Instead of looking to other movies and things on television for inspiration, look to everyday life. In my favorite movies, there are no sex scenes, no hot, steamy "movie passion". There is so much that goes into a script - I won't even attempt to give you tips and such. And even then, I wouldn't attempt to help because I am far from being qualified to give advice to anyone. But this is what I try and say to myself: Keep it simple. Keep a simple premise and work with it.
Edit:
As you probably already know, you can work with the most mundane premise. Pay careful attention to detail and don't go overboard with the melodrama and sentimentality, you will get your story more "raw".
Edit again:
Your premise is good by the way. I like it. However, as with any premise, it can go either way. But I can imagine that you will put some sensitivity, observation, subtleties, and details into your script. Good luck!
Edit:
As you probably already know, you can work with the most mundane premise. Pay careful attention to detail and don't go overboard with the melodrama and sentimentality, you will get your story more "raw".
Edit again:
Your premise is good by the way. I like it. However, as with any premise, it can go either way. But I can imagine that you will put some sensitivity, observation, subtleties, and details into your script. Good luck!
bfischinger
Well-known member
You could also go for a romatic comdey...
Chris Stearns
Well-known member
You need a conflict. The guy has difficulty expressing himself but he's a musician, stagefright could come into play here. What style of music are we talking about here(what are their shared taste)?
MalcolmOng
Veteran
I like anything comedy.
Anyway alot of people say 'think outside the box'. But that however is kinda hard to do without going so outside that the premise becomes absurd. Hunchback of notre dame marrying paris hilton. Quite the out of box premise that's really stretching the fabric of believability.
I believe that short films should be just that - short. I prefer short films that represent events over a short period of time, rather than stuff which are basically mini features. For instance, a romantic movie would consist of guy meet girl, guy like girl, girl like guy, they flirt a bit here and there, then they eventually fall in love happily ever after. I prefer shorts that try not to do so much in the sense that maybe it concentrates on a dinner date, etc. Just a really really macro view on something, coz for 15 minutes you really don't have much time to spare. At all. (15 minutes i guess is the standard longest time allowed for a short film category. I believe the best shorts dont go beyond 10 mins.)
So my guess is that with your premise, you'll need something really unique to attract the audience. I'll guess you'll want to focus on...'the chase'.
Anyway alot of people say 'think outside the box'. But that however is kinda hard to do without going so outside that the premise becomes absurd. Hunchback of notre dame marrying paris hilton. Quite the out of box premise that's really stretching the fabric of believability.
I believe that short films should be just that - short. I prefer short films that represent events over a short period of time, rather than stuff which are basically mini features. For instance, a romantic movie would consist of guy meet girl, guy like girl, girl like guy, they flirt a bit here and there, then they eventually fall in love happily ever after. I prefer shorts that try not to do so much in the sense that maybe it concentrates on a dinner date, etc. Just a really really macro view on something, coz for 15 minutes you really don't have much time to spare. At all. (15 minutes i guess is the standard longest time allowed for a short film category. I believe the best shorts dont go beyond 10 mins.)
So my guess is that with your premise, you'll need something really unique to attract the audience. I'll guess you'll want to focus on...'the chase'.
chromeboy007
Well-known member
hmm.... you might want to consider personifying the music, like they did in True Romance with Elvis giving Christian Slater advice.
"A man who has difficulty expressing himself seeks wisdom in his music when he falls for a girl who shares the same musical taste."
I see nothing here that makes me care. There needs to be some conflict... why not have him meet a girl who is passionate about music too (which is great for him)... but she likes the exact opposite style? They are drawn to each others musical passions... but hate each others personal tastes? At the end, they overcome, somehow, and accept each other's music -- bringing more enrichment than they had previously thought possible.
I mean, there could be some humor in a guy who loves goth and a girl who loves country -- both falling in love, working through hating each other's music -- and then creating the "perfect" mix album together! I don't know... it's not my genre anyway... I don't typically like romance movies.
I see nothing here that makes me care. There needs to be some conflict... why not have him meet a girl who is passionate about music too (which is great for him)... but she likes the exact opposite style? They are drawn to each others musical passions... but hate each others personal tastes? At the end, they overcome, somehow, and accept each other's music -- bringing more enrichment than they had previously thought possible.
I mean, there could be some humor in a guy who loves goth and a girl who loves country -- both falling in love, working through hating each other's music -- and then creating the "perfect" mix album together! I don't know... it's not my genre anyway... I don't typically like romance movies.
chromeboy007
Well-known member
telebay said:
Actually, I like the premise. That's not the whole film you know. I have an idea and the whole thing is in my head already.
arhartman
Well-known member
the question you need to ask yourself with that premise is:
1) Why them?
2) What will make the audiences want to watch a movie about that?
give them something more. why does she like that style of movie? what is the conflict? what will keep the film moving?
you've got something, build and go for it. We've all got to start somewhere with a story.
1) Why them?
2) What will make the audiences want to watch a movie about that?
give them something more. why does she like that style of movie? what is the conflict? what will keep the film moving?
you've got something, build and go for it. We've all got to start somewhere with a story.
Off the top of my head...
maybe he suffers from an accute anxiety, phobia?
Her father thinks musicians are scum (his wife had an affair with one)....thus tries to pull them apart - romeo and juliet style?
She is blind, deaf, quadraplegic. Ohh his father rammed her car which left her qudraplegic, her family subsequently hates his family.
She suffers from acute depression so at times she spins out of control.
His grandfather was tortured and killed by the Japanese during WW2. His father subsequently hates Japanese. Shes Japanese. Or/
His father was tortured by the NVA during the vietnam conflict, his buddies were slain in front of him. He hates vietnamese. Shes vietnamese.
His father almost drowned whilst taking a bath when he was a boy. He hates bathes. Her family make baths... sorry bad joke I know. Anyway.........
All within your framework of course....... anyway just some instant thoughts I had. Your initial post you state you dont want overly dramatic, but thats why people see movies, read books etc etc.
maybe he suffers from an accute anxiety, phobia?
Her father thinks musicians are scum (his wife had an affair with one)....thus tries to pull them apart - romeo and juliet style?
She is blind, deaf, quadraplegic. Ohh his father rammed her car which left her qudraplegic, her family subsequently hates his family.
She suffers from acute depression so at times she spins out of control.
His grandfather was tortured and killed by the Japanese during WW2. His father subsequently hates Japanese. Shes Japanese. Or/
His father was tortured by the NVA during the vietnam conflict, his buddies were slain in front of him. He hates vietnamese. Shes vietnamese.
His father almost drowned whilst taking a bath when he was a boy. He hates bathes. Her family make baths... sorry bad joke I know. Anyway.........
All within your framework of course....... anyway just some instant thoughts I had. Your initial post you state you dont want overly dramatic, but thats why people see movies, read books etc etc.
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jade8472 said:
The story is the basis for anything...... good acting with poor dialogue = crap movie just my opinion though.
volcano
Carbonite Member
I am sorry but main theme is not ROMANCE. Read your sentence: A man SEEKS WISDOM. That is the theme, so any 'love story' in this short wiil serve as a sub-plot.
Therefore my suggestion would be: Have him(protaganist) develop a sexual relation with MUSIC. (Maybe through an instrument?) Funny as it sounds, watch the RED VIOLIN to have an idea...
MalcolmOng
Veteran
I'm not sure if i'm understanding you correctly but it seems as if you're sayng that the guy should have sex with his guitar(or wahtever instrument he plays). Definitely unique...But...
MalcolmOng
Veteran
Ah. I read you now. Just got a tad confused when you used 'sexual relation with MUSIC(through an instrument).'
I have little rules for myself with regards writing.
'Either tell a story no-one has told, or tell a story people might recognise in a completely new way. '
The other is to repeatedly ask myself 'why make this film?'
Don't set out to write a genre piece just because you like romances. Find a premise that intrigues you and let it gestate for a while. Don't ever attempt to remake Love Story, because you won't outdo it.
For example, I liked the idea of a relationship based on the intitial meeting between my boy and girl being one of extremely heightened drama, and so that evolved for me into a guy robbing a convenience store falling for one of the checkout girls mid-robbery.
Ben
'Either tell a story no-one has told, or tell a story people might recognise in a completely new way. '
The other is to repeatedly ask myself 'why make this film?'
Don't set out to write a genre piece just because you like romances. Find a premise that intrigues you and let it gestate for a while. Don't ever attempt to remake Love Story, because you won't outdo it.
For example, I liked the idea of a relationship based on the intitial meeting between my boy and girl being one of extremely heightened drama, and so that evolved for me into a guy robbing a convenience store falling for one of the checkout girls mid-robbery.
Ben