Monday, March 28, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
New Story
As you continue to break stories, keep in mind that you can work with a couple of different storylines and have them dovetail at the end to create a comedic twist.
Here are the makings of a story that incorporates several elements that we discussed in class.
Let's fill this out and turn this into a great story.
______________________________________________________
Walter’s divorce is finalized. He’s completely depressed.
He listens to a karaoke tape of himself.
He finds a bottle of sleeping pills in Amanda’s bathroom.
Amanda comes home and hears a karaoke recording of Walter singing, “This’ll be the day that I die. This’ll be the day that I die" - (from "American Pie").
Amanda wants Walter to turn down the music. She gets no response.
She finds him in the bathtub, eyes closed, and sees an bottle of sleeping pills next to the tub.
She thinks he's trying to commit suicide.
Trying to save Walter's life, Amanda calls 9-1-1.
Walter is rushed to the hospital.
They pump his stomach.
Walter wakes up and finds himself in the ER.
He was just asleep.
He took one sleeping pill. The bottle was empty because there was only one pill left.
Doctors find out he doesn't have a prescription for the pills. He says he got it from Amanda.
But she doesn't have a prescription either. It's Sherry's prescription. But Amanda has been calling in the refills from a bottle Sherry left in the medicine cabinet.
When Walter lost his job, he lost his health insurance.
At the hospital, he’s handed a bill for $12,000.
He took a nap, and it cost him 12 grand.
He's completely pissed at Amanda.
Here are the makings of a story that incorporates several elements that we discussed in class.
Let's fill this out and turn this into a great story.
______________________________________________________
Walter’s divorce is finalized. He’s completely depressed.
He listens to a karaoke tape of himself.
He finds a bottle of sleeping pills in Amanda’s bathroom.
Amanda comes home and hears a karaoke recording of Walter singing, “This’ll be the day that I die. This’ll be the day that I die" - (from "American Pie").
Amanda wants Walter to turn down the music. She gets no response.
She finds him in the bathtub, eyes closed, and sees an bottle of sleeping pills next to the tub.
She thinks he's trying to commit suicide.
Trying to save Walter's life, Amanda calls 9-1-1.
Walter is rushed to the hospital.
They pump his stomach.
Walter wakes up and finds himself in the ER.
He was just asleep.
He took one sleeping pill. The bottle was empty because there was only one pill left.
Doctors find out he doesn't have a prescription for the pills. He says he got it from Amanda.
But she doesn't have a prescription either. It's Sherry's prescription. But Amanda has been calling in the refills from a bottle Sherry left in the medicine cabinet.
When Walter lost his job, he lost his health insurance.
At the hospital, he’s handed a bill for $12,000.
He took a nap, and it cost him 12 grand.
He's completely pissed at Amanda.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Walter and Dirk story
Take the elements we talked about and continue to flesh out the story until we have a well worked out, detailed outline.
Walter, the F.O. (First Officer) gets together with Dirk, the captain he flew with.
Dirk is Walter's hero. Dirk tolerates Walter.
Amanda tries to fix Walter up with women to help him move on after his wife, Betty, filed for divorce.
Walter commiserates with Dirk, drinking at the bar.
Dirk tells Walter he got another job – flying corporate.
Walter, desperate to get back to work, asks Dirk to help him get a job.
Amanda’s friend shows up at bar. She's gorgeous.
Walter is pissed that his time with Dirk has been interrupted.
He told Amanda he wasn't ready to start dating. He's still grieving.
Dirk perks up when he sees Amanda's friend.
He tells Walter he needs a place to crash.
Amanda sees that Walter brings Dirk home instead of the girl. Amanda is pissed.
Dirk now plays it like he's Walter’s best friend - but it's just to be around the girls, not Walter.
After Walter keeps pushing Dirk to help him get a job, Dirk finally explodes, revealing that he doesn't have a job.
(His ego wouldn't let him admit to anyone that he wasn't working.)
Dirk winds up with the girl Amanda tried fixing Walter up with.
The girl’s father owns a huge company.
Dirk gets a corporate flying job through the girl.
Amanda was trying to help Walter, but her efforts wind up helping Dirk instead.
Walter loses the job opportunity and his hero.
Again, Walter is pissed at Amanda for breaking up another one of his relationships.
Walter, the F.O. (First Officer) gets together with Dirk, the captain he flew with.
Dirk is Walter's hero. Dirk tolerates Walter.
Amanda tries to fix Walter up with women to help him move on after his wife, Betty, filed for divorce.
Walter commiserates with Dirk, drinking at the bar.
Dirk tells Walter he got another job – flying corporate.
Walter, desperate to get back to work, asks Dirk to help him get a job.
Amanda’s friend shows up at bar. She's gorgeous.
Walter is pissed that his time with Dirk has been interrupted.
He told Amanda he wasn't ready to start dating. He's still grieving.
Dirk perks up when he sees Amanda's friend.
He tells Walter he needs a place to crash.
Amanda sees that Walter brings Dirk home instead of the girl. Amanda is pissed.
Dirk now plays it like he's Walter’s best friend - but it's just to be around the girls, not Walter.
After Walter keeps pushing Dirk to help him get a job, Dirk finally explodes, revealing that he doesn't have a job.
(His ego wouldn't let him admit to anyone that he wasn't working.)
Dirk winds up with the girl Amanda tried fixing Walter up with.
The girl’s father owns a huge company.
Dirk gets a corporate flying job through the girl.
Amanda was trying to help Walter, but her efforts wind up helping Dirk instead.
Walter loses the job opportunity and his hero.
Again, Walter is pissed at Amanda for breaking up another one of his relationships.
How To Submit Your Scripts
After you write a draft, email it to everyone in the class.
That way, instead of printing 15 copies, each student can print out their own copy.
When you send your script to me, email it AND bring in a hard copy to class.
Make sure you have a title page. Give your webisode a title and include what draft it is and the date.
That way, instead of printing 15 copies, each student can print out their own copy.
When you send your script to me, email it AND bring in a hard copy to class.
Make sure you have a title page. Give your webisode a title and include what draft it is and the date.
Tamaira Witherspoon & George Mowbray - Story Ideas
Copy & Paste the ideas you first submitted ... as well as any new story ideas.
Danielle Weintraub & Evan Jones
Copy & Paste the ideas you first submitted ... as well as any new story ideas.
Edward Pisari & Christina Kishbaugh - Story Ideas
Copy & Paste the ideas you first submitted ... as well as any new story ideas.
Nathan Tamayo & Josh Rivera - Story Ideas
Copy & Paste the ideas you first submitted ... as well as any new story ideas.
Gabriel Rodriguez & Robert Willett - Story Ideas
Copy & Paste the ideas you first submitted ... as well as any new story ideas.
Lauren Stenmoe & David Lynam - Story Ideas
Copy & Paste the ideas you first submitted ... as well as any new ideas.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Pilot
Good work tonight.
This is where we're at so far. Continue to break the rest of the story. Bounce ideas off each other.
PILOT EPISODE
WALTER enters the apartment, on his cell phone with his wife, Betty, who kicked him out of the house and wants a divorce. While he gets ready for bed, Walter lets Betty know how desperately he wants to save the marriage. (Establish through attitude that they’re childhood sweethearts.) But Betty’s not interested in reconciling. Walter has spent more time in the air than he has at home, and she's tired of it. For all the time he’s away, she might as well be single. She says goodbye.
Walter tries to go to sleep, but his mind is racing. This isn’t how his life was supposed to turn out. He turns off the light.
OVER BLACK, SUPERIMPOSE: 11:35pm
From the crack under the bedroom door, we see the light go on, and through the door, we hear Walter’s plea as he’s back on the phone, imploring his wife to let him come home. Again, she ends the call.
OVER BLACK, SUPERIMPOSE: 2:07am
Again from under the door, we see the light go on. Through the door, we hear Walter make another plea to Betty to let him come home.
SUPERIMPOSE: 5:15am
Traces of light peer through the curtains. The apartment is quiet…when AMANDA enters, wearing a little black dress, holding a bottle of champagne, clearly drunk from a night of partying in Miami.
She kicks off her stilettos, heads into the bedroom and gets in bed…when she sees Walter in her bed. Surprised by his presence, she starts beating on him, defending herself. (Perhaps she knows martial arts.)
It’s revealed that they’re roommates, but they’ve never met. Amanda lets Walter know that he's in her room. He wasn’t expecting her to be in town. Even so, he has no business being there. She kicks Walter out and sends him to his bedroom.
We see Walter’s bedroom. It’s the size of a broom closet. He’s clearly not happy about it. He hears his cell phone ring. He looks for it, then realizes It’s in Amanda’s room. He goes back to the room, but the door is locked. He knocks on the door, asking Amanda to let him in.
Inside the bedroom, Amanda is passed out on the bed, with Walter’s cell phone ringing next to her.
The next morning, Amanda opens her bedroom door, hung over. Walter is asleep in his boxer shorts, just outside Amanda’s door. She steps over him, heads to the kitchen, and attempts to sober up – either with coffee or hair of the dog.
Amanda heads into the bathroom and brings her drink with her. The sound of the shower being turned on Walter wakes up. He goes back into Amanda’s bedroom, sees that his cell phone is dead, is pissed at Amanda, and locks to door to get some sleep.
Amanda gets out of the shower and heads to her bedroom...but the door is locked, and Walter won’t let her in.
Amanda goes into Walter’s room and throws his suitcase with all his clothes out the window. On the street below, the suitcase either hits a car or Walter’s wife, Betty.
Betty knocks on the apartment door. When the door opens, she sees Walter is in boxer shorts…Amanda is in a towel. Betty takes it the wrong way. She thinks Walter and Amanda are having an affair. Now there’s no chance for reconciliation.
Walter and Amanda are stuck with each other.
This is where we're at so far. Continue to break the rest of the story. Bounce ideas off each other.
PILOT EPISODE
WALTER enters the apartment, on his cell phone with his wife, Betty, who kicked him out of the house and wants a divorce. While he gets ready for bed, Walter lets Betty know how desperately he wants to save the marriage. (Establish through attitude that they’re childhood sweethearts.) But Betty’s not interested in reconciling. Walter has spent more time in the air than he has at home, and she's tired of it. For all the time he’s away, she might as well be single. She says goodbye.
Walter tries to go to sleep, but his mind is racing. This isn’t how his life was supposed to turn out. He turns off the light.
OVER BLACK, SUPERIMPOSE: 11:35pm
From the crack under the bedroom door, we see the light go on, and through the door, we hear Walter’s plea as he’s back on the phone, imploring his wife to let him come home. Again, she ends the call.
OVER BLACK, SUPERIMPOSE: 2:07am
Again from under the door, we see the light go on. Through the door, we hear Walter make another plea to Betty to let him come home.
SUPERIMPOSE: 5:15am
Traces of light peer through the curtains. The apartment is quiet…when AMANDA enters, wearing a little black dress, holding a bottle of champagne, clearly drunk from a night of partying in Miami.
She kicks off her stilettos, heads into the bedroom and gets in bed…when she sees Walter in her bed. Surprised by his presence, she starts beating on him, defending herself. (Perhaps she knows martial arts.)
It’s revealed that they’re roommates, but they’ve never met. Amanda lets Walter know that he's in her room. He wasn’t expecting her to be in town. Even so, he has no business being there. She kicks Walter out and sends him to his bedroom.
We see Walter’s bedroom. It’s the size of a broom closet. He’s clearly not happy about it. He hears his cell phone ring. He looks for it, then realizes It’s in Amanda’s room. He goes back to the room, but the door is locked. He knocks on the door, asking Amanda to let him in.
Inside the bedroom, Amanda is passed out on the bed, with Walter’s cell phone ringing next to her.
The next morning, Amanda opens her bedroom door, hung over. Walter is asleep in his boxer shorts, just outside Amanda’s door. She steps over him, heads to the kitchen, and attempts to sober up – either with coffee or hair of the dog.
Amanda heads into the bathroom and brings her drink with her. The sound of the shower being turned on Walter wakes up. He goes back into Amanda’s bedroom, sees that his cell phone is dead, is pissed at Amanda, and locks to door to get some sleep.
Amanda gets out of the shower and heads to her bedroom...but the door is locked, and Walter won’t let her in.
Amanda goes into Walter’s room and throws his suitcase with all his clothes out the window. On the street below, the suitcase either hits a car or Walter’s wife, Betty.
Betty knocks on the apartment door. When the door opens, she sees Walter is in boxer shorts…Amanda is in a towel. Betty takes it the wrong way. She thinks Walter and Amanda are having an affair. Now there’s no chance for reconciliation.
Walter and Amanda are stuck with each other.
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