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**EDIT: Pardon the weird formatting. It’s almost impossible to post to tumblr without something going completely wrong in the text.**
My third Screenwriting Prompt. I gave myself approximately 30 minutes for this one. (If you notice the lack of a second one on this here blog—it was really, really bad. Normally, I’d still post it— but it was embarrassingly bad.)
Anyway, io9 prompted this from the above image. So this is what appeared. If you read it, I hope you enjoy. :)
Int. Kenmouth Family Dining Room - evening
MARTHA, a 52 year old woman places plates and silverware, wrapped in green napkins, for dinner.
She calls out to the KITCHEN.
MARTHA
Kevin, dear? Is dinner almost done?
KEVIN
…Just a moment.
Martha places the third and final napkin on the table—between the other two.
KEVIN enters, carrying a covered platter of food.
KEVIN
Where’s Christopher?
He places the food on the table.
MARTHA
Oh you know him, he’s just up in his room playing with that globe of his.
KEVIN
Our little geographer. Christopher! Dinner’s ready!
They both sit down at the table.
Christopher (O.S.)
You don’t have to yell, I can hear.
CHRISTOPHER enters. He’s tall, slender, and unmistakably green. He has large, black eyes. Definitely an alien.
He sits down between Martha and Kevin. He eyes the platter.
CHRISTOPHER
So—meatloaf?
MARTHA
Refer to your father appropriately.
CHRISTOPHER
No, Mom—are we having meatloaf?
MARTHA
Oh…
KEVIN
No, green bean casserole.
CHRISTOPHER
Thanks, Meatloaf.
MARTHA
Christopher!
KEVIN
It’s okay, dear. Slender here can either behave or not eat tonight.
CHRISTOPHER
So what if I’m slender!? It’s your fault!
MARTHA
Pardon?
CHRISTOPHER
We’re learning about deoxyribonucleic acids and the passing of traits in Biology in school.
MARTHA
…Human Biology?
CHRISTOPHER
Duh, Mother. The biology of pigs isn’t really relevant, is it?
KEVIN
Oh I don’t know about that. Back in my day we’d—
CHRISTOPHER
Anyway, Mrs. Frogbreath says that we all carry traits from our parents. So, then, I’m only skinny because you and Meatloaf carry skinny traits.
Kevin and Martha exchange glances.
CHRISTOPHER
Were you both skinny when you were my age?
Kevin and Martha exchange glances again.
KEVIN
Well, son, you see your Mother and I—we’ve—
MARTHA
—Been this size just about our whole lives! It’s what made me fall in love with your father. Two sides of the same healthy coin, we were.And then we had you and everything has been just—absolutely hunky-dory ever since—!
Kevin stands up. Determinedly stopping Martha.
KEVIN
Honey!
Martha stops speaking. She shrinks in her seat.
CHRISTOPHER
Is something, like, the matter?
Martha remains silent.
CHRISTOPHER
Dad?
Kevin sits back in his seat.
KEVIN
Son, there’s something that your Mother and I have been wanting to tell you. For some time now.
Martha mouths the question, “Now?” to Kevin.
KEVIN
Yes, honey. I think now is the right time to tell you.
CHRISTOPHER
Oh my god! I’m adopted, aren’t I?
MARTHA
Yes! Honey, yes you are! But it’s okay, because your Dad and I love you so much. And it’s good that you know now, so that way you, too, can feel unconditional love for us—
KEVIN
—There’s more.
MARTHA
Don’t you think that adoption is a big enough bomb to drop today!?
Christopher spews acid all over his plate.
The trio all glance at the plate before Christopher continues to eat it.
KEVIN
Christopher. Have you ever wondered why your mother and I don’t…do that on our food before we eat it?
CHRISTOPHER
Why? I always assumed you liked your dry cooking?
KEVIN
…Letting that one slide. Well, son, it’s because your Mom and me—we—aren’t like you.
CHRISTOPHER
What do you mean?
MARTHA
Oh dear…
CHRISTOPHER
Mom?
MARTHA
I didn’t want to hide this from you, sweetheart.
KEVIN
You’re an—
Silence.
KEVIN
—You remember last month when we went stargazing?
MARTHA
YOU’RE AN ALIEN!
Silence. Kevin glares at Martha.
MARTHA
I’m so sorry. I couldn’t handle the suspense.
Tears begin to well in Christopher’s eyes.
CHRISTOPHER
You too, Mom?
MARTHA
What do you mean?
Christopher stands up from the table.
CHRISTOPHER
It’s bad enough that all the kids at school call me alien! Now you too!
He rushes to the staircase.
CHRISTOPHER
I HATE YOU! YOU’RE NOT MY REAL PARENTS AND I HATE YOU!
Christopher’s footsteps echo until they finally conclude with a door slam.
After a few moments—
KEVIN
—That could have gone better.
MARTHA
I’m sorry. I really thought blurting it out was gonna work better than another lengthy anecdote.
KEVIN
I had a much better one planned this time.
MARTHA
Anything would be better than, “Your Mom and I are like Meatloaf. You’re more like lettuce.”
Kevin sighs. He picks up his fork and takes a bite of the green bean casserole.
KEVIN
Try again next week?
THE END.
29 ways to stay creative. (Bet they had a creative block trying to come up with number 30.)
(Source: thesunmanager, via wilwheaton)
Oz: The Great and Powerful
Not that I don’t appreciate special effects, but with all the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad things that Oz: The Great and Powerful did (beyond being neither great nor powerful) it did one thing correctly—The China Girl.
I credit much of her believability to her being a marionette and having a solid base in reality (unlike the VAST majority of the film). I don’t understand why puppetry, make-up, and visual effects have taken such a backseat to special effects in this day and age.
Before Oz: The Mediocre and Unfulfilling, my largest gripe was the Mother in Mama. CG just about ruined that—character. In fact, the test footage of the real people who inspired the character was far creepier than any footage in the film. Why not use prosthetics and only switch to CGI for the shots that can’t be accomplished otherwise. Isn’t that the basis of special effects anyway?
It’s like in writing, only use a voice over if there is no—absolutely NO other way—to get specific information across to the viewer.
Call me old-fashioned, call me wrong. Just don’t call Oz: The Great and Powerful and good, strong film to my face.
Edit: I’m very sorry for some mistakes I’ve made in this post (And flattered, entirely because VFX messaged me the corrections. Thank you!) The little China Doll was completely CG. The marionette doll was an on-set reference, but the performance was never used. My gripes with the story and performances aside, if it weren’t for the animators, lighters and compositors at Sony Imageworks this film would have no ground to stand on. Their work was fantastic, and I apologize for sounding unappreciative of their hard work. God knows that so many other people treat them poorly, they certainly don’t need the audience against them.
With all that said, and again—no disrespect to the technicians at work—I firmly believe that having the on-set reference of the marionette helped bring to life the character. In the same way that Motion Capture has helped so many other timeless characters come to life.
I acknowledge the hard work that goes into creating a world almost entirely out of thin air. I just, personally, prefer to see additions and alterations to our very own. I think that makes for more engaging filmmaking. The technicians who do this are no more or less capable than the ones who make entire worlds in my eyes. They’re just the ones I’d feel like taking out on a date.
As a point of reference, before I finish this edit, in the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the river in which Arwen summons the horses in not one, but two rivers spliced together with the help of computer animation (the precise term, I do not know). In reality, these two rivers are separated by miles of land—homes, fields, etc. It’s such a little change and yet, it really helps to identify that river as Middle Earth-ian.
This, for me, is why I love cinema.
A photography (or, potentially, videography) assignment for today.
To take photos of different paths, roads, walkways, etc. Southern Oregon is filled with so many different areas to walk. So what’s stopping someone like myself, or unlike myself, to document these in some way.
It sounds like a fun little event to me. So, that being said, Imma go on and do it. Just try and stop me. I dare you. LET’S DO THIS.
…Also, goodnight. :)
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