adamjohnson
03-06-2006, 12:08 AM
This is what I'll be doing for my next script project. (From another thread)
Anyhoo, I just finished a draft of a different script, and I really shouldnt be going onto to something else so soon, but I just had a few creative explosions the last few restless nights. This may end up being my longest post ever, so stay tuned.
There's a quote I like which really encapsulates this idea, so I'll put that first. :
" Within Gothic novels multiple interpretations are embedded within the text and part of the experience of horror comes from the realization that meaning itself runs riot."
The basic premise is this: In a world where, seemingly, no one remembers the worst parts of their life (protagonist) just woke up from a bad dream - one involving the death of his family. Now, as his clean and wholesome existence spirals into one of dirt and grime he must uncover just who is censoring his past and, above all, find out the meaning of his only bad memory.
I like that. That was on the spot.
There are a ton of different elements to this story, so let me ramble for a few dozen pages.
Basically, our guy wakes up from a nightmare on line 1, involving the death of his family. But in this world we come to understand as the story progresses, that no one remembers the trageides of their life. Death, destruction - it's been wiped clean. Now, without these bad thoughts clogging their memories, they are free to live utterly happy, almost blissful, lives. Buit they're not happy, smiling, robot/zombies either - life's small decisions and the little everyday tests that shape who we are day by day are still there.
Which begs the question - why only the bad stuff?
What the finale reveals to us (rather vaguely I might add, my goal is for the audience to draw a number of different conclusion on their own - nothing spelled out) What it reveals to us is that the entire film is set in Heaven. Or, more precisely, one of them. Even a pre-Heaven, or post-Heaven/ New Earth would be feasible. The erasure of bad memories creates a nostalgic, happy existence for all.
But why the bad dream for out protagonist? Well, to put it precisely - one man's Heaven is another man's hell. I'm sure alot of you have seen The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror where Homer is forced to eat donuts for eternity. Oddly enough, he enjoys its. While the Devil of course tells him that others were driven insane in this 'ironic punishment division' of hell rather quickly. That's essentialyl what's going on here.
what we come to realize is (again -- vaguely) is that, in one way or another, our protagonist killed his entire family -- his wife and twins. Exactly how I'm not sure - right now I'm leaning toward a semi-indirect route IE, that he forced her hand into an abortion of these (now, in the story, in Heaven) 2 year old twins, and she killed herself for it. You see, a running theme of the story is "Hell is realizing your one mistake." also "Hell is realizing yuo are the undoing of our own happiness."
You see, for our guy his own private hell is having to face the fact that he's killed everyone he loves. That one moment, replayed over and over and over - forever. But what makes it so painful is the build up to the realization - his quest to understand - which is of course our story.
I know you're beginning to get confused, so am I. A little Treatment would help.
As the plot goes, he wakes up suddenly with this new memory, which isnt at all complete. He doesn't understand what it is, how it got there, if it's true, if it's the past or the future - he just doesn't know anything. But as the story continues more of the memory begins to unfold (more on THAT later) and more of the truth is explained. At first, he thinks he's being played with, some kind of conspiracy or plot against him. And why wouldn't he? None of these people understand that they are dead. Their (by that I mean the wife and twins) idea of Heaven, of perfect happiness, is living with their family and just being happy and loved. That's THEIR heaven, his hell (ultimately)
But anyway, he thinks its some kind of conspiracy - like his mind is being censored. He tries to get to the bottom of it, and that's a big part of the story. Finding out WHO is doing this and WHY. Of course finding out the WHO is impossible, and leads him around in so many cirlcles his head spins, because, well, the WHO is G-O-D. (Or God-like figure, or God-Machine - whatever, no concrete explanation will ever be given on this in any way). But the point is is that he;s looking for the 'bad guy' who's behind the curtain , fucking with his brain. The "Miller" character from "The MAchinist". The scientists in "12 Monkeys" -- that's what he's searching for, of course its an utter impossibility.
Something else I'm playing with, and really where the mindfuck aspect comes into play, is the validity of the characters mental state, but also his urroundings. In most mindfucks, "Fight Club" "Machinist" "Session 9" "12 monkeys" -- all inspirations, the character's mind is flawed and, through his POV, the physical world is changing. In the end, we leave his POV and see that the world hasnt changed at all - only his mind and himself. But, something rather inique about this project, is that, given the setting, all bets are off, the rules mean nothing. See, while our guy's mental state may not be exactly 100% concrete, neitehr is his environment. Things are changing, things just aren't right. When someone that SHOULDNT be there IS there, we, and our guy, have absolutely no idea if he's really there, or if it's just in his head. And things change up, making it even more difficult to get a real firm graps on whats happening.
But its not all in flashback either. Somethnig like "Solaris" the remake, another inspiration, tells that backstory simply through a series of flashbacks, dreams, and surges of memory. Of course, I thought this worked well because the entire script is like that, not just a section - but it's something I dont want to do. Therefore somewhere around half of these 'new memories' or the evolution of the nightmare really, are going to manifest themselves physically. Again, whether or not they are actualyl physical creatures, or just physical creatures in his mind will remain to be seen. These memories manifest themselves the way "Route 666" The red F-bird, the Leather Boots, the car-lighter do in "The Machinist" -- sort of like clues leading him down his path and ultimately to his destination. They are manifestations of his quilt and conscience, becomeing entire characters and scenes. But the question is always asked - is this real?
Think of the Dr. Gibarian character in "Solaris". He's PROBABLY really there, talking to Clooney behind a shadowy exterior in his bedroom, created physically by Solaris. But we don't know for sure. Before and after the scene Clooney is seen sleeping giving us the notion that he may be dreaming this, that it may not be real. But we also know, from the rest of the film, that Soalris is capable of creating physical lifeforms out of thin air. So who's to say what's real in that scene? THATS really something I Want to accomplish.
All of this stuff going on makes him, and us, question his reality. The emreging memories, his loss of total sanity, manifestations of things that should not be real, etc. Because it COULD just be in his head, or heaven could have actualyl PUT it there to lead him down his path and ultimately to the reason he's there in the first place. The combination of the environment and his strange emotional state should keep the audience guessing about every little thing. Of course i'll throw them a bone every once in a while. Nothing's worse than a midfuck that actualyl makes no sense in the end.
As he goes down his quest he journeys into darker regions of his location. Some might call this area the "Hell" area - IE broken buildings, dirt and grime - total jusxtaostion from his modern and extremely clean living space back home. Again, one man's Heaven is another man's hell. In this case, it seems Heaven and Hell are on the same physical plane --- it's a ll a matter of perspective.
But what's important there, is that he brings this hell back with him, again questioning his sanity. The dirtiness and hellishness sort of invade his once clean home when he returns from his trek of knowledge. (and by trek, I dont mean some enormous thing like in "A.I." - I hated that. I plan on keeping it personal, intimate. But at some point he must leave his cozy neighborhood for a few answers)
Ultimately, he understands what he's done. Killed his entire family, even if it WAS indirectly, he's totally responsible. He talks to his wife and kids while they sleep and fades away, telling her "In the morning I will have never existed... and you'll be happier for it."
I told you it was a long post. I tried to put everything down but I'm sure there will be questions. I'll be out of town next week so you can mill on it for a while.
But by all means, tell me anything and everything of what you think of my idea. I like to challenge myself as a writer more and more and I think this is really something that could be fun, original, and interesting on so many levels.
Thanks for listening!
Now, onto - MY QUESTION.
I was wondering whether or not it would be prudent to take this story more towards the horror. Especially later on in the script as he's dragging negative vibes back home.
I could see a very "Jacobs ladder" kind of thing where he sees 'demons' and cant explain them. This could be very terryifying since, in this script, there are no limitations to what I Can do. But Im wondering if I SHOULD do that or not.
Leave it as more of a thriller/mystery? Or take it darker and make it horror/mystery?
Anyhoo, I just finished a draft of a different script, and I really shouldnt be going onto to something else so soon, but I just had a few creative explosions the last few restless nights. This may end up being my longest post ever, so stay tuned.
There's a quote I like which really encapsulates this idea, so I'll put that first. :
" Within Gothic novels multiple interpretations are embedded within the text and part of the experience of horror comes from the realization that meaning itself runs riot."
The basic premise is this: In a world where, seemingly, no one remembers the worst parts of their life (protagonist) just woke up from a bad dream - one involving the death of his family. Now, as his clean and wholesome existence spirals into one of dirt and grime he must uncover just who is censoring his past and, above all, find out the meaning of his only bad memory.
I like that. That was on the spot.
There are a ton of different elements to this story, so let me ramble for a few dozen pages.
Basically, our guy wakes up from a nightmare on line 1, involving the death of his family. But in this world we come to understand as the story progresses, that no one remembers the trageides of their life. Death, destruction - it's been wiped clean. Now, without these bad thoughts clogging their memories, they are free to live utterly happy, almost blissful, lives. Buit they're not happy, smiling, robot/zombies either - life's small decisions and the little everyday tests that shape who we are day by day are still there.
Which begs the question - why only the bad stuff?
What the finale reveals to us (rather vaguely I might add, my goal is for the audience to draw a number of different conclusion on their own - nothing spelled out) What it reveals to us is that the entire film is set in Heaven. Or, more precisely, one of them. Even a pre-Heaven, or post-Heaven/ New Earth would be feasible. The erasure of bad memories creates a nostalgic, happy existence for all.
But why the bad dream for out protagonist? Well, to put it precisely - one man's Heaven is another man's hell. I'm sure alot of you have seen The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror where Homer is forced to eat donuts for eternity. Oddly enough, he enjoys its. While the Devil of course tells him that others were driven insane in this 'ironic punishment division' of hell rather quickly. That's essentialyl what's going on here.
what we come to realize is (again -- vaguely) is that, in one way or another, our protagonist killed his entire family -- his wife and twins. Exactly how I'm not sure - right now I'm leaning toward a semi-indirect route IE, that he forced her hand into an abortion of these (now, in the story, in Heaven) 2 year old twins, and she killed herself for it. You see, a running theme of the story is "Hell is realizing your one mistake." also "Hell is realizing yuo are the undoing of our own happiness."
You see, for our guy his own private hell is having to face the fact that he's killed everyone he loves. That one moment, replayed over and over and over - forever. But what makes it so painful is the build up to the realization - his quest to understand - which is of course our story.
I know you're beginning to get confused, so am I. A little Treatment would help.
As the plot goes, he wakes up suddenly with this new memory, which isnt at all complete. He doesn't understand what it is, how it got there, if it's true, if it's the past or the future - he just doesn't know anything. But as the story continues more of the memory begins to unfold (more on THAT later) and more of the truth is explained. At first, he thinks he's being played with, some kind of conspiracy or plot against him. And why wouldn't he? None of these people understand that they are dead. Their (by that I mean the wife and twins) idea of Heaven, of perfect happiness, is living with their family and just being happy and loved. That's THEIR heaven, his hell (ultimately)
But anyway, he thinks its some kind of conspiracy - like his mind is being censored. He tries to get to the bottom of it, and that's a big part of the story. Finding out WHO is doing this and WHY. Of course finding out the WHO is impossible, and leads him around in so many cirlcles his head spins, because, well, the WHO is G-O-D. (Or God-like figure, or God-Machine - whatever, no concrete explanation will ever be given on this in any way). But the point is is that he;s looking for the 'bad guy' who's behind the curtain , fucking with his brain. The "Miller" character from "The MAchinist". The scientists in "12 Monkeys" -- that's what he's searching for, of course its an utter impossibility.
Something else I'm playing with, and really where the mindfuck aspect comes into play, is the validity of the characters mental state, but also his urroundings. In most mindfucks, "Fight Club" "Machinist" "Session 9" "12 monkeys" -- all inspirations, the character's mind is flawed and, through his POV, the physical world is changing. In the end, we leave his POV and see that the world hasnt changed at all - only his mind and himself. But, something rather inique about this project, is that, given the setting, all bets are off, the rules mean nothing. See, while our guy's mental state may not be exactly 100% concrete, neitehr is his environment. Things are changing, things just aren't right. When someone that SHOULDNT be there IS there, we, and our guy, have absolutely no idea if he's really there, or if it's just in his head. And things change up, making it even more difficult to get a real firm graps on whats happening.
But its not all in flashback either. Somethnig like "Solaris" the remake, another inspiration, tells that backstory simply through a series of flashbacks, dreams, and surges of memory. Of course, I thought this worked well because the entire script is like that, not just a section - but it's something I dont want to do. Therefore somewhere around half of these 'new memories' or the evolution of the nightmare really, are going to manifest themselves physically. Again, whether or not they are actualyl physical creatures, or just physical creatures in his mind will remain to be seen. These memories manifest themselves the way "Route 666" The red F-bird, the Leather Boots, the car-lighter do in "The Machinist" -- sort of like clues leading him down his path and ultimately to his destination. They are manifestations of his quilt and conscience, becomeing entire characters and scenes. But the question is always asked - is this real?
Think of the Dr. Gibarian character in "Solaris". He's PROBABLY really there, talking to Clooney behind a shadowy exterior in his bedroom, created physically by Solaris. But we don't know for sure. Before and after the scene Clooney is seen sleeping giving us the notion that he may be dreaming this, that it may not be real. But we also know, from the rest of the film, that Soalris is capable of creating physical lifeforms out of thin air. So who's to say what's real in that scene? THATS really something I Want to accomplish.
All of this stuff going on makes him, and us, question his reality. The emreging memories, his loss of total sanity, manifestations of things that should not be real, etc. Because it COULD just be in his head, or heaven could have actualyl PUT it there to lead him down his path and ultimately to the reason he's there in the first place. The combination of the environment and his strange emotional state should keep the audience guessing about every little thing. Of course i'll throw them a bone every once in a while. Nothing's worse than a midfuck that actualyl makes no sense in the end.
As he goes down his quest he journeys into darker regions of his location. Some might call this area the "Hell" area - IE broken buildings, dirt and grime - total jusxtaostion from his modern and extremely clean living space back home. Again, one man's Heaven is another man's hell. In this case, it seems Heaven and Hell are on the same physical plane --- it's a ll a matter of perspective.
But what's important there, is that he brings this hell back with him, again questioning his sanity. The dirtiness and hellishness sort of invade his once clean home when he returns from his trek of knowledge. (and by trek, I dont mean some enormous thing like in "A.I." - I hated that. I plan on keeping it personal, intimate. But at some point he must leave his cozy neighborhood for a few answers)
Ultimately, he understands what he's done. Killed his entire family, even if it WAS indirectly, he's totally responsible. He talks to his wife and kids while they sleep and fades away, telling her "In the morning I will have never existed... and you'll be happier for it."
I told you it was a long post. I tried to put everything down but I'm sure there will be questions. I'll be out of town next week so you can mill on it for a while.
But by all means, tell me anything and everything of what you think of my idea. I like to challenge myself as a writer more and more and I think this is really something that could be fun, original, and interesting on so many levels.
Thanks for listening!
Now, onto - MY QUESTION.
I was wondering whether or not it would be prudent to take this story more towards the horror. Especially later on in the script as he's dragging negative vibes back home.
I could see a very "Jacobs ladder" kind of thing where he sees 'demons' and cant explain them. This could be very terryifying since, in this script, there are no limitations to what I Can do. But Im wondering if I SHOULD do that or not.
Leave it as more of a thriller/mystery? Or take it darker and make it horror/mystery?