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.
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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.
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I think this is a good place for Walter's OCD to really come out strong. From Amanda's POV his behavior is getting stranger as the OCD really comes out. The more his life seems to unravel the more it comes out as the only way he has to feel in control. So he's emptied the pill bottles into a monthly pill organizer making Amanda think he took all the pills as the bottle is empty.
ReplyDeleteThat's good, David! What if he even asked Amanda if he could take the sleeping pills, but she was drunk (or had taken one herself and woke up the next morning in such a haze she never wanted them again) so she didn't remember telling him he could have the bottle. He sorted them into the organizer because they are his now, but like you said, Amanda thinks he's chugged the bottle.
ReplyDeleteTo really keep him passed out, maybe a part of his OCD is everything has to be in even numbers, so instead of taking one, he takes two and is just out cold.
And if they pumped his stomach for an overdose, they would have to keep him on a mandatory 72-hour psych hold (a 5150), meaning he'll have three more days in the hospital to add onto that crazy bill. And don't they have to then release you into the custody of a responsible adult as well? They may not let Amanda take him home, what if Betty has to come to release him from the psych ward, adding insult to injury?
It would be very hard for Amanda to come back from that. Maybe the next episode could be about the crazy stunts Amanda pulls to earn quick money to pay for Walter's hospital bill?
ha! so im on a plane right now.. feeling spired. I like that Walter would be stuck in the hospital for 3 more days, and that Amanda could try to sneak him out and maybe put in a fake name to skip out on the bill. maybe they could just always find ways of cheating their way through bills and stuff. because i feel that if we bog them down with bills and money that could get tiring but if they always went around it and maybe showed at the end of the series the exact amount they skipped out on could be cute.
ReplyDeletealso for the mix tape, i had this idea that amanda gets walter high and then says "we will make our own song" and there is this montage of time lapsed hours of them playing on instruments next door at a neighbors or a bar with a stage, and then amanda wakes up and goes to her phone to see a video of their "so called" song playing only to find that they stayed in the apartment and used kitchen appliances to beat to a made a tune and it was maybe 6 min. long when they had thought they were these amazing rock stars while high.
also what if walter doesnt "OD" on sleeping pills, he could take a whole bottle of like midol, which CAN cause huge anxiety/panic attacks and that sequence could be really funny if Walter is flipping out over midol thinking he is going to die.
Too funny you all!! My only concern is production value and being able to get this shot. It might have higher stakes if we keep it all in the apartment. The higher the stakes the more fun we could have. What would happen while Amanda waits for the paramedics to arrive. Some things she does to try and revive him, shower, trying to get him up, flashing him, etc. Then Walter wakes up just as we hear sirens and he finds out what Amanda has done and they really freak out.
ReplyDeleteEveryone!! Please check out Lauren and David's story ideas for a couple of episode outlines and give feedback or add to the outline. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes, everyone please do check it out! David has posted very impressive story outlines and it would be great to get even more ideas in the pool. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point too, David, about production in a hospital setting. Let's definitely play around with ideas of setting it in the apartment like you talked about. Or doing before and after in the apartment. Might get expositional, but it could help the idea of making it easier to shoot.