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Writing and storyboarding

Created at July 11, 2009
Created by David Jansson
Deadline Not set
Shots given 5
Wreckupations Director, Film Editor, Producer, Writer
Reference media

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Gert-Jan Van de Voorde I'm in
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(null) What style?
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David Jansson About writing for this movie
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Description

I have now organized the story up to scene 13, but I need help to get even further

Specifically, the help I need is to put the notes in the documents in an order that makes the story coherent in a way that works with the film medium I have chosen and then flesh it all out. I basically need help with organizing the notes into a textual storyboard.

Structure and complexity:
Much of my inspiration has come from written Space Opera by authors like Alastair Reynolds and Charles Stross and the anthology The new space opera. While I don't dare say that I want it to be as good as those I want to get as close as I can. To the point, don't expect this to be structured like Star wars.

If you try to write scenes for this movie please do it bearing in mind the medium and it's strengths and limitations. As this task description is getting way too long, read more about this here: http://www.wreckamovie.com/shots/show/4330

The story concept
An alien arrives after FTL communication has been discovered, Earth send out two people to explore the Open galactic net. Two humans with different backgrounds living in a market economy capitalist Earth society meets a fully functioning Open Source/creative commons society.

This story is supposed to be an entry into the debate between creative commons interests and capitalistic interests that goes on today. (See http://www.iptegrity.com/ for example.)

Story setting
The strongest culture of the galaxy is a near anarchic system of share alike culture and traditions of creative commons technology. The representative sent is a member of the collector tribe. Individuals and beings who travel the galaxy, driven by curiosity to learn all they can and collect new technology which they then share at big reunions, where memories as well as technology are shared with each other. They often take these missions as their curious nature compels them to do so.

The galactic society detailed
Based on an Open Source model reminiscent of the Internet. It has a democratically elected "ruling body". The elected are not considered a ruling body however, they are more regarded as coordinators, employed to safeguard society. Their main task is to choose and coordinate arbiters. Arbiters are chosen based on their experience of multiple cultures and need to be itinerant in nature. An arbiter can only act as an arbiter in a specific area once and not in a place that the arbiter has visited before.

Please give me your ideas of how to explore this society in the flow of the movie.

For more information, see the documents attached to this task.

Cast of characters:

Main charachters

The Alien:
Explorer, collector, curious. Comes to earth on its own behalf, but helps introduce the galactic society as is the custom of galactic society to let any individual take such an initiative. Androgynous. The creature will be human in the sense that it is driven by the same things. In this movie curiousity and love is treated as universal concepts. The Alien has humour as seen in one scene where the human man asks the alien "What gender are you?" and The Alien rogueishly answers "Does it matter?" The Aliens role in the story can be described as a guide and protector with consoling emapathy. When Earth turn to full dictatorship in the absence of our protoganists The Alien has no qualms about helping our two humans try to save humanity from upsetting the wrong powerfull alien.

The chosen to join the Alien to learn about the galaxy:

The man:
Chosen by the government. When the alien picks the woman not from the Reality show contestants but from the street he is chosen mainly for his skills in manipulation and seduction rather than Xenopology, which would otherwise be the logical choice. He is hollywood handsome and charismatic. His attempts to seduce the woman gradually turns into a desperate seeking for attention and comfort as he is struck by culture shock from the realisation of how the Open Galactic Net works. A form of society he has been told would inevtably collapse in on itself. Compassion is an important part of why the open galactic net works, something most of humanity long since lost their faith in. He is, like most men, a cynic, and as a cynic has problems dealing with the fact of the pointlessness of a cynical view of life. To take the edge off the alien gives him access to the Earth history that the ship recorded on its approach. But learning about how Earth once had a democratic movement and an open international net that was a lot closer to real democracy than the theater of his contemporary Earth doesn't make him less confused.

The woman:
Chosen by the alien, who realizes that the representative of the government is unlikely to understand or handle the shape of intergalactic culture in the open galactic net. She i considered to be a deviant by her peers, chosing not to see the beauty surgeon despite being slightly overweight and thus standing out from the epitome of beauty as defined by the entertainment industry. Her grandfather was part of the Open source "movement". She is intelligent and strong willed, and as all intelligent and strong willed individuals in a rigid society she has this nagging feeling that there must be more to existence than everyday life of Earth society. She has few friends and works as a billboard designer. As would be expected she is doubtfull about embarking on a journey that although only a short time will pass for her near the speed of light will mean that a hundred years have passed when she returns. Goaded by her grandfather to seize the moment she eventually accepts.

Other important characters

Earthgov: (In the process to be refined, see http://www.wreckamovie.com/tasks/show/854 )
Conservative, firm believers in the concept of market economy and that they know what is best for all. The most influential, although unofficial, member is the minister of entertainment. His job is to make sure that society accepts what Earthgov deems to be best for them, though Earthgov doesn't really understand that he does it through subterfuge, lies or manipulation. When reports of the Open galactic net starts to trickle in it is the minister of entertainment that compels Earthgov to believe that the Open galactic is something to fear and that there is a need to organize against it.
And somewhere in the subtext you begin to wonder what really scares them, if it is a society where everyone is free to take any information they please, or if it is a society where anyone willingly gives and shares, making any rigid power structure obsolete.

The wrong Alien to upset:
For this/these creatures humanity is a gnat, although a gnat with potential to grow. When Earthgov sends a fleet for the closest stargates to either contact an empire outside the galactic net for allies or if this fails close access from the open Galactic net automated exterminators will meet them. They are of the fire and forget variety, and extermination will be total, unless our protoganists can pursuade them that they will deal with the problem in a less, distanced, manner.


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David Jansson November 13, 2009 12:35 Production Leader 1 Thumb-up
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About writing for this movie

First; it's going to use Kinetic Typography, so that I don't have to worry about finding voice actors. (Plus, it's a fun concept that I want to expand upon and try to make work in a longer presentation.) See example of kinetic typography: http://johnnylee.net/kt/video/sky2.mov This kind of changes the flow the dialogue needs to have. There need to be time outs in the words in the right places that allows the viewer to focus on the imagery.

Second; it's an animation. Doing animation takes time, and so far I am the only artist on the project. Scenes need to be planned to minimize the amount of angles and movements used but still retain enough presence that the cheapness isn't obvious. See footer 1. (I am afraid that the scene you have written isn't important enough to warrant the kind planning and work that it would need to pull off.)

Third; you can utilize the new possibilities that this form of presentation offers, there aren't just limitations. The words of the storytelling doesn't have to have to be tied to the dialogue as rigidly as with voice actors. Also, you can steer the eyes of the viewer with the text. You can let the text play, blur and frustrate the viewer. You can move it in a way that makes the viewer uneasy. You can give glimpses of text to induce the viewer into a sense of instability or something lurking behind the corner and then let the text settle down and stabilize them with a sense of relief when the crisis is over. You can flood them with text to make them feel the overwhelming vastness of the information flow of the open galactic net. You can let the text come gently close to the viewer, and give them a sense of love and peace. You can make the text ephermal to indicate a fleeting thought. And so on.

Footer 1: Watch some Old School Anime, the Japanese were masters at getting a lot of drama and movement out of a minimum of static drawings, but that phenomenon was more common before computers made tweening a bit easier. I thought about using Cygwin for tweening, but there is always a choise between complex character designs and easy tweening. I want the more complex character design option plus that I don't have the time to learn how to use a vector animation program like cygwin. When I learned Blender I had a lot of free time.

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Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 30, 2009 13:51 1 Thumb-up
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Possible Part 2

Refernece for the eart society:
the movie fatherland, more like the piece starting at 1:26 about Berlin. It's not the best movie I've ever seen but it can fit very nicely as reference.

Now your question. efore I can answere completely I should need to know when the alien arrives. Propably it'll usefull to introduce the alien before the shots of the 'perfect' world. Then we show what the gov wants to show him: the perfect world.
Then the reality show we meet the hero and when it's finished when he is watching outside at the clean streets whith the seemingly happy civilians he sees our female hero he wants to have to, he does this because he doesn't trust the Earthgov, because a perfect world like theirs doesn't exist. He picks her because she doesn't look that happy. she is more making an efford to look happy. He is lucky with her: she tells him about the bad side of the society. after a hesitation because the Earthgov has spies everywhere.
It's better that we then see the bad side like we have seen the good side. That was the chat with her. Next we can have the alien explaining his choice.
That would make the story go smoothly.

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Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 22, 2009 17:59 2 Thumb-ups
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Possible

First the intro about the new signals ((title)) and a report of the SETI professor to his superior he brings the report himself put in scene and the people notice that he was the one introducing the new signals in the voice over.
That's the beginning. Then we let another voice over (a woman now or main character) explain what has changed in the world. ((I was thinking of showing the new governemental institutions and offices)))
We can let her introduce the eathsociety and gov from her point of view and let her explain why there is an Eathgov. She doesn't introduce herself.
The arrival and announcement of his arrival. The arrival is with much grandeur and show. (for two reasons: impress the alians and the Earthlings themselves and to get something new on the screen. Infact they got their inspiration in the great nazi shows at their parteitagen) Now this could suit perfectly if we change the the idea of the gandad scene: he could notice the similarities between the two and say the same thing it would glue the two scenes together.
The we can really introduce our female character and her grandfather using the voice overs to let the viewers know who the critique was in the beginning. After that we can go looking at the screen for the reality show which is announced on screen in the backround, few sarcastic comments of the grandad are welcome, so we don't have to look all the time at a stupit realityshow.
Hope that's helpfull

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David Jansson July 30, 2009 10:10 Flag

Do you have any thoughts about what scene might follow directly after the montage of images from Earth society? Should I jump directly to the reality show thing where our hero gets chosen or do I need something inbetween?

While writing this I got the thought that maybe the Alien sees the woman scuttle by the reality show spectacle on the way to work. And then the next scene is either a scene where the Alien speaks to Earthgov about it's choise or directly to the scene where the woman meets the alien.

Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 23, 2009 12:28 Flag

I hoped it was helpfull and it was.

David Jansson July 23, 2009 11:55 Flag

I don't think that will achieve what I am trying to do. I don't think you need to explain the critique like that. I definitely don't want to make the point that early in the movie. The movie should serve as a background for the point, an argument for the point if you will. So I have decided to go for a montage of images of Earth society, displaying the beautiful people of the city and then the cast out "mutants" in the wastelands beyond. A low tech society which will be portrayed as happier than the beautiful people in the city, though fortified against the raids of the city police who are basically just to keep up the preconceptions of the castouts as evil mutants. No explaining text. I have updated the organized document, the scene with the grandfather is fully fleshed out now, I think.

Though I must say that your ideas were very useful in getting my own mind started. It helped me define what I really wanted as I was forced to think about the differences between that and what you wrote. If you don't mind that might I only use your ideas in that way please keep it up.

Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 22, 2009 20:43 Flag

Then it will be a script over or something

Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 22, 2009 20:41 Flag

oh yeah I forgot that.

David Jansson July 22, 2009 19:31 Flag

I need to read your suggestions through with more focus. I just need to point out that there will be no voice over. This will be a kind of modern silent movie utilizing Kinetic Typography. Example: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/kt/video/sky2.mov

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Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 11, 2009 14:45 2 Thumb-ups
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I'm in

It seems fun to me, I'll try to be helpfull.

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David Jansson July 22, 2009 14:13 Flag

I tried to work on the Organized document. But I am not sure about the chronological order. It needs to flow well, and make sense.

The unorganised notes are there, but it feels like there are some key scenes missing. Where do we go, after the scene at with the woman and her grandfather. Cut to what? Directly to the Reality show scene that they have set up for the Alien to choose one of their vapid candidates? It just that it feels like the story goes too quickly. Maybe some montage of Earth society?

Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 22, 2009 14:02 Flag

Where are you having a writers block?

Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 22, 2009 13:45 Flag

I'll look at it. now.

David Jansson July 22, 2009 12:26 Flag

Are you still in? I have a writers block...

Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 14, 2009 20:49 Flag

Great, I'll look at it in two days or tommorow

David Jansson July 14, 2009 14:13 Flag

I have started organising. The result so far is in english and in a file called Handling Organiserad at the same adress as the address to the other documents that I sent you.

Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 11, 2009 20:10 Flag

I can be patient if it is necessary

David Jansson July 11, 2009 19:16 Flag

I will send you the link so you can have a look. Just need to enter and translate a few of the notes. Some got written in Swedish.

Might not happen tonight...

Gert-Jan Van de Voorde July 11, 2009 15:21 Flag

I have two things to tell:
1) I've added me to your DeviantArt-watchers (I'm SkyinOd there)
2) I've always been in awe with creating undemocratic political systems and I've always been in to time. It is hard to put one thing somewhere and invent how it get further from there on but I've done it before. Plus I like the story.

David Jansson July 11, 2009 15:05 Flag

I should have written this in the task description, and will once I am finished with this reply. But I would like a small presentation of why you think you are the right guy to help me with this. Please see the further information I am about to add.

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(null) July 11, 2009 23:20 2 Thumb-ups
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What style?

What kind of narrative style are you aiming for here?

For example the original Star Wars films had lots of comedy and a general swashbuckling feel, while something like the new Battlestar Galactica is a lot more serious and sober.

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David Jansson July 14, 2009 14:13 Flag

I have started organising. The result so far is in english and in a file called Handling Organiserad at the same adress as the address to the other documents that I sent you.

David Jansson July 12, 2009 00:30 Flag

Yes I can.

(null) July 11, 2009 23:54 Flag

Can you send the link through this site's messaging system?

David Jansson July 11, 2009 23:29 Flag

I am aiming for a narrative style that does its best to not simplify the concepts.

I can send you too the link with the story documents, what you are asking me is a part of what I want help figuring out.

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