Okay, it's been over a month since I did one of these. Sorry about that. Let's get caught up and then keep going, because believe it or not, I wasn't quite done yet. If you want to get caught up in what's going on in this extended "treatment" of a found footage horror film, you can read up on it.
WHERE WE LEFT OFF: The current parish priest in Garretsburg explained how his predecessor was basically nuts in believing there was a cult in the woods. But then Father Anderson shows up at their motel. He starts to tell them about what's happening, when he has a coughing fit and keels over. At the same time, the footage started to break down, going awash in noise and static.
WHERE WE PICK UP:
The camera cuts to a shot of a police car and an ambulance in the motel parking lot. We see the legs of a bunch of people in uniform, along with some EMTs pushing a stretcher into their vehicle.
We can overhear a little bit of the conversation between the cops and the college students:
"So what were you doing when Anderson had this . . . fit?" a deputy asks.
"Just talking to him," Staci said.
"For this 'project' of yours?" another asks.
"Yes," Staci admits, but her voice is hesitant.
"Did you happen to catch the conversation on camera?"
Staci starts to answer, but Ray jumps in, "No, Leon couldn't get the camera started. Then, when Father Anderson had his fit, he dropped it."
A foot steps down in front of the camera, blocking the lens.
The camera then cuts to Leon turning it on again. He faces the camera and explains the situation: "So the cops just left with Father Anderson's body. The EMTs are thinking he had some sort of stroke or a heart attack or something."
"Why'd you lie to them about the camera?" Staci asks off-camera.
Leon swings the camera around to show Staci, Bethany, and Ray in the motel room. Ray is up and pacing.
"Don't you realize what would have happened if we told them we had it on?" Ray asks. "They would have confiscated the camera immediately and we'd have lost everything. Then they probably would have run us out of town. But now they think that we don't have any evidence of what happened."
"'What happened?'" Bethany asks. "You think they murdered him?"
Ray nods. "Of course. Isn't it obvious? He comes back in town to finally talk about what happened with the kid, and next thing you know, he's dead. A little too convenient, don't you think?"
Bethany rises and starts packing her things. "Then that's it. I'm out of here. I don't want to stay here any longer."
"I agree with Bethany," Leon said. "A school project is one thing, but I didn't sign on to investigate a murder!"
Ray turned around. "Now hold on. Let's not chicken out yet! This is just starting to get interesting."
"Don't you get it, Ray?" Bethany's voice is almost a hysterical shriek. "If they killed the father, they could kill us next!"
"Besides, with Father Anderson gone, what else do we have?" Leon asks.
"Not gonna happen, babe. We're fine. Look, let's at least check the camera's footage and see if there's anything that might explain what happened. The least we can do is turn over the footage to the FBI, right?"
Everyone looks to Staci. She turns to Leon. "Dump the footage. Let's see what we have."
So what do they have? We'll find out next week. (I promise!)
Showing posts with label silliness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label silliness. Show all posts
Friday, June 07, 2013
Friday, May 03, 2013
FFF Part VII --- A Dead End?
WHERE WE LEFT OFF: Staci and Leon struck out when they tried to interview the locals. Ray, surprisingly, uncovered a pattern: approximately every three years, someone goes missing from town. The disappearances are explained different ways. Not only that, but the local Catholic priest resigned after one of the disappearances. He claimed they were the work of a cult in the nearby woods. The gang decided to interview the local priest to find out what happened.
WHERE WE PICK UP:
The next morning, Staci, Leon, Bethany, and Ray head over to the local Catholic parish and ask to speak with the priest. Eventually a middle-aged man who introduces himself as Father Collins comes out. He seems friendly if a bit wary when he sees the camera. Staci quickly explains that they're shooting a documentary, that they have all of the permits, and they just had a few questions for him. Would he mind sitting down and chatting with them? Father Collins seems unsure, but he agrees.
The camera cuts to the interior of the church. Father Collins is seated in one of the pews and facing the camera. Staci is apparently standing just off screen. Father Collins asks where Ray and Bethany had gone. Staci assures him that they'll be respectful (although her tone makes it sound as if she isn't so sure).
They chat for a while, getting his background. He's been in Garretsburg for the last ten years since the former priest resigned. Staci immediately broaches the subject:
"We understand that the former priest resigned because a little boy went missing?"
Father Collins holds up a hand. "Now hold on. I know that it's become acceptable to assume that we priests are always involved in nefarious plots against little kids, but Father Anderson had nothing to do with his disappearance. He simply became overwhelmed and suffered a mental breakdown."
"No, we understand that. But didn't he claim that there was some sort of cult out in the woods?" Staci asks.
Father Collins snorts. "Ridiculous. Like I said, I've been here ten years and I haven't seen any evidence of a cult."
"So why did Father Anderson think there was one here?"
"Because of the little boy. His name was Tyler Engler and he belonged to our parish. Father Anderson was very close to the Engler family and he took the disappearance hard. When the sheriff ran out of leads, Father Anderson started his own 'investigation.' His only theory was the so-called cult."
"What evidence did he have?" Staci asks.
Father Collins laughs. "''Evidence' is too generous. 'Conjecture' and 'guesses' is even too strong. He spotted what he thought was a pattern and ran with it. Before too long, he was so worked up he just . . . snapped. Listen, I don't know what this school project is you're working on, but if it has anything to do with Father Anderson, you're only going to wind up disappointed."
The camera cuts to Staci and Leon waiting out in the parking lot afterwards. Ray and Bethany jog up to the car.
"Where were you two?" Staci demands. "If you two snuck off to---"
"Hey, come on, give us some credit," Ray says. "While you two were playing nice with Father Collins, we did some digging on our own. I distracted the parish secretary and Bethany found Father Anderson's contact number. Why ask his replacement when you can ask the real deal?"
Staci squeals and hugs Ray. But their celebration is cut short when Leon notices the sheriff's car parked down the block. They can't see if someone's in the front seat or not, but Leon suggests they get out of there.
The camera switches back on late at night in the motel room. Someone is pounding on the door. Staci turns to Leon and asks if he knows what's going on. The camera drops onto the bed (still pointed at the door, of course). Leon creeps over to the door and opens it.
Standing outside is a bedraggled looking middle-aged man. He seems twitchy and a little off. Leon demands to know who he is.
"What do you mean? You called me!" the man says.
Staci creeps around Leon. "Father Anderson?"
The man nods. "Who else? So are you here to reveal the truth? Is someone finally going to listen to me?"
"Come in," Staci says. She then pounds on the wall.
A second later, Ray and Bethany come into the room. Leon retrieves the camera and gets it pointed at Father Anderson.
"So what can you tell us about this 'cult?'" Staci asks.
Father Anderson collapses onto the bed and coughs. "I hear doubt in your voice, young lady. But I had to come anyway. For Tyler. His disappearance is my fault."
"Why do you say that?" Staci asks.
"Because I ignored the signs around me. Because I didn't pay attention to the evil that's boiling right under the surface." He coughs again.
"Let's jettison the poetry, okay?" Ray says.
Bethany elbows him.
"I don't blame anyone for being skeptical, but Garretsburg has been poisoned for a long time and no one knows." Another long cough. "No one but me."
"Why? What's going on here?" Staci asks.
"Do you know about the pattern?" Father Anderson asks.
"1,008 days," Ray says.
Father Anderson nods. "Three lunar years. Precisely. And the pattern is about to restart soon. That's why I came back when you called. That's why..."
He breaks down in a coughing fit. As he does, the footage goes blurry and begins to break down. It stutters and skips, odd screeching noises cutting through the frantic sounds of Staci and Leon. It's hard to tell what's happening exactly, but it looks as though Father Anderson is having some sort of seizure. He collapses off the bed before the footage goes to static and then nothing.
So what happened? You'll have to wait until next week to find out for sure!
WHERE WE PICK UP:
The next morning, Staci, Leon, Bethany, and Ray head over to the local Catholic parish and ask to speak with the priest. Eventually a middle-aged man who introduces himself as Father Collins comes out. He seems friendly if a bit wary when he sees the camera. Staci quickly explains that they're shooting a documentary, that they have all of the permits, and they just had a few questions for him. Would he mind sitting down and chatting with them? Father Collins seems unsure, but he agrees.
The camera cuts to the interior of the church. Father Collins is seated in one of the pews and facing the camera. Staci is apparently standing just off screen. Father Collins asks where Ray and Bethany had gone. Staci assures him that they'll be respectful (although her tone makes it sound as if she isn't so sure).
They chat for a while, getting his background. He's been in Garretsburg for the last ten years since the former priest resigned. Staci immediately broaches the subject:
"We understand that the former priest resigned because a little boy went missing?"
Father Collins holds up a hand. "Now hold on. I know that it's become acceptable to assume that we priests are always involved in nefarious plots against little kids, but Father Anderson had nothing to do with his disappearance. He simply became overwhelmed and suffered a mental breakdown."
"No, we understand that. But didn't he claim that there was some sort of cult out in the woods?" Staci asks.
Father Collins snorts. "Ridiculous. Like I said, I've been here ten years and I haven't seen any evidence of a cult."
"So why did Father Anderson think there was one here?"
"Because of the little boy. His name was Tyler Engler and he belonged to our parish. Father Anderson was very close to the Engler family and he took the disappearance hard. When the sheriff ran out of leads, Father Anderson started his own 'investigation.' His only theory was the so-called cult."
"What evidence did he have?" Staci asks.
Father Collins laughs. "''Evidence' is too generous. 'Conjecture' and 'guesses' is even too strong. He spotted what he thought was a pattern and ran with it. Before too long, he was so worked up he just . . . snapped. Listen, I don't know what this school project is you're working on, but if it has anything to do with Father Anderson, you're only going to wind up disappointed."
The camera cuts to Staci and Leon waiting out in the parking lot afterwards. Ray and Bethany jog up to the car.
"Where were you two?" Staci demands. "If you two snuck off to---"
"Hey, come on, give us some credit," Ray says. "While you two were playing nice with Father Collins, we did some digging on our own. I distracted the parish secretary and Bethany found Father Anderson's contact number. Why ask his replacement when you can ask the real deal?"
Staci squeals and hugs Ray. But their celebration is cut short when Leon notices the sheriff's car parked down the block. They can't see if someone's in the front seat or not, but Leon suggests they get out of there.
The camera switches back on late at night in the motel room. Someone is pounding on the door. Staci turns to Leon and asks if he knows what's going on. The camera drops onto the bed (still pointed at the door, of course). Leon creeps over to the door and opens it.
Standing outside is a bedraggled looking middle-aged man. He seems twitchy and a little off. Leon demands to know who he is.
"What do you mean? You called me!" the man says.
Staci creeps around Leon. "Father Anderson?"
The man nods. "Who else? So are you here to reveal the truth? Is someone finally going to listen to me?"
"Come in," Staci says. She then pounds on the wall.
A second later, Ray and Bethany come into the room. Leon retrieves the camera and gets it pointed at Father Anderson.
"So what can you tell us about this 'cult?'" Staci asks.
Father Anderson collapses onto the bed and coughs. "I hear doubt in your voice, young lady. But I had to come anyway. For Tyler. His disappearance is my fault."
"Why do you say that?" Staci asks.
"Because I ignored the signs around me. Because I didn't pay attention to the evil that's boiling right under the surface." He coughs again.
"Let's jettison the poetry, okay?" Ray says.
Bethany elbows him.
"I don't blame anyone for being skeptical, but Garretsburg has been poisoned for a long time and no one knows." Another long cough. "No one but me."
"Why? What's going on here?" Staci asks.
"Do you know about the pattern?" Father Anderson asks.
"1,008 days," Ray says.
Father Anderson nods. "Three lunar years. Precisely. And the pattern is about to restart soon. That's why I came back when you called. That's why..."
He breaks down in a coughing fit. As he does, the footage goes blurry and begins to break down. It stutters and skips, odd screeching noises cutting through the frantic sounds of Staci and Leon. It's hard to tell what's happening exactly, but it looks as though Father Anderson is having some sort of seizure. He collapses off the bed before the footage goes to static and then nothing.
So what happened? You'll have to wait until next week to find out for sure!
Friday, April 26, 2013
FFF Part VI --- Digging Deeper
WHERE WE LEFT OFF: Staci and crew checked out the site where Lisa's house once stood and found very little except for an odd little rag doll. They're yelled at by the sheriff and they interview the mayor. Now it's time to hunker down in the library and do some research.
WHERE WE PICK UP:
The gang arrives at the library. They try to enter with the camera running, but the head librarian stops them and orders Leon and his camera to stay out. Staci seems perturbed by this, but she comes up with a plan: Ray and Bethany will go into the library and do some digging. In the meantime, Staci and Leon will go out into the town and shoot more footage, maybe conduct some interviews with the locals. Ray and Bethany agree to this. When Ray seems particularly eager to get Bethany alone, Staci has to remind her that they're here to work. Bethany agrees, but she giggles and Ray pulls her into the library.
Staci looks at Leon (or the camera, as it were) and apologizes. "I'll work on her, I promise."
The footage cuts to the small park and playground that Veronica was at. Staci and Leon interview several of the local citizens, mostly young mothers at the park with their kids, about life in Garretsburg. Almost all of them have glowing things to say about the town, about how friendly it is, how they all pull together when they have to. When Staci presses them about the mayor, the interviewees seem to get a bit more nervous. They're still all smiles, but they don't appear happy to talk to them anymore.
Eventually, they return to the hotel to see what Ray and Bethany have found.
It turns out that Ray actually did some of the work himself and found some items of interest. He dug through the old newspapers and found out that over the last fifteen years or so, Garretsburg has had a string of odd disappearances. Every three years or so, someone goes missing in town.
"Why do you suppose no one outside of Garretsburg has noticed?" Staci asks.
"Because they're not all the same," Ray says. "In one case, it was a teenage girl and the sheriff claimed that she ran away from home. Before that, a local farmer was supposedly murdered by a man passing through town. Before that, a little boy went walking through the woods and never came back."
"So why do you think they're connected?" Leon asks from behind the camera (and it's obvious he's not happy).
"Because like I said, there's a pattern. These happen every three years or so. More specifically, there's a period of 1,008 days between each disappearance."
There's a long pause. "1,008 days? You figured that out?" Leon asks.
Bethany ruffs Ray's hair. "What can I say? My baby has a head for numbers."
Ray looks ready to pounce on Bethany right there, but Staci stops them. "Did you guys find anything else?"
"One thing. After the little boy disappeared, the local Catholic priest resigned from his parish. He claimed that there was some sort of cult that meets in the nearby woods and they're the ones responsible for the disappearance. Later on, the diocese claimed he had to leave due to 'mental exhaustion,' and since then, it looks like people have decided it was his fault the boy disappeared. But I don't know. Think it's worth going over to the church to check it out?"
Staci smiles. "I think that's our next step."
And that's where we're going to break for this week, folks. Come back next time. Trust me, you won't want to miss it.
WHERE WE PICK UP:
The gang arrives at the library. They try to enter with the camera running, but the head librarian stops them and orders Leon and his camera to stay out. Staci seems perturbed by this, but she comes up with a plan: Ray and Bethany will go into the library and do some digging. In the meantime, Staci and Leon will go out into the town and shoot more footage, maybe conduct some interviews with the locals. Ray and Bethany agree to this. When Ray seems particularly eager to get Bethany alone, Staci has to remind her that they're here to work. Bethany agrees, but she giggles and Ray pulls her into the library.
Staci looks at Leon (or the camera, as it were) and apologizes. "I'll work on her, I promise."
The footage cuts to the small park and playground that Veronica was at. Staci and Leon interview several of the local citizens, mostly young mothers at the park with their kids, about life in Garretsburg. Almost all of them have glowing things to say about the town, about how friendly it is, how they all pull together when they have to. When Staci presses them about the mayor, the interviewees seem to get a bit more nervous. They're still all smiles, but they don't appear happy to talk to them anymore.
Eventually, they return to the hotel to see what Ray and Bethany have found.
It turns out that Ray actually did some of the work himself and found some items of interest. He dug through the old newspapers and found out that over the last fifteen years or so, Garretsburg has had a string of odd disappearances. Every three years or so, someone goes missing in town.
"Why do you suppose no one outside of Garretsburg has noticed?" Staci asks.
"Because they're not all the same," Ray says. "In one case, it was a teenage girl and the sheriff claimed that she ran away from home. Before that, a local farmer was supposedly murdered by a man passing through town. Before that, a little boy went walking through the woods and never came back."
"So why do you think they're connected?" Leon asks from behind the camera (and it's obvious he's not happy).
"Because like I said, there's a pattern. These happen every three years or so. More specifically, there's a period of 1,008 days between each disappearance."
There's a long pause. "1,008 days? You figured that out?" Leon asks.
Bethany ruffs Ray's hair. "What can I say? My baby has a head for numbers."
Ray looks ready to pounce on Bethany right there, but Staci stops them. "Did you guys find anything else?"
"One thing. After the little boy disappeared, the local Catholic priest resigned from his parish. He claimed that there was some sort of cult that meets in the nearby woods and they're the ones responsible for the disappearance. Later on, the diocese claimed he had to leave due to 'mental exhaustion,' and since then, it looks like people have decided it was his fault the boy disappeared. But I don't know. Think it's worth going over to the church to check it out?"
Staci smiles. "I think that's our next step."
And that's where we're going to break for this week, folks. Come back next time. Trust me, you won't want to miss it.
Friday, April 19, 2013
FFF Part V --- Exploring Garretsburg
WHERE WE LEFT OFF: Staci and Leon have been joined by Bethany and her jerk of a boyfriend, Ray. They've driven from their college to Garretsburg and checked into a motel.
WHERE WE PICK UP:
The next morning, the crew goes back to the vacant lot where Lisa's house once stood. Bethany whines about why they're there, filming an empty lot for no apparent reason. Leon replies that they're getting B-roll footage for Lisa's interview. He pans the camera across the field. There isn't much to see, mostly just dying grass. We see Staci and Bethany kicking through the grass. Then Ray shouts that he's found something. Tucked into some scraggly bushes is a strange ragdoll, looking like it was made out of a black towel and tied together to make arms and legs. Ray wonders out loud if it's a clue. Leon snorts and says it's unlikely.
"What are you kids doing?" a voice shouts.
The camera turns to reveal a sheriff's car parked next to the lot. An older gentleman, maybe in his late fifties, is leaning out of the window.
"We're filming a documentary," Staci said.
"You got a permit for that, right?" It's clear that the sheriff knows that they don't. "You go down to City Hall and get one, got it?"
The camera shuts off, only to turn on again in City Hall. Staci motions for Leon to keep quiet and they wait outside a door. We can hear snippets of an argument through the door, someone saying something about how "they won't find anything, don't worry."
Then the Mayor exits the room. He too is an older gentleman in his late 50s and almost appears to be "everyone's grandpa." He seems a bit surprised to see the students and the camera, but he plasters on a smile and thanks them for coming. He says he's already started the work on drawing up the permits and if they have any questions, they can come by and talk to him.
Staci brings up what happened to Lisa's house. The Mayor is still all smiles and replies that it was clearly an unfortunate accident, one that caused Lisa's dad to overreact. They go down to the clerk's window and get the permits. The Mayor agrees to meet with Staci and Leon the next day for an interview.
The footage cuts to that interview. The Mayor is seated behind his desk. Pictures of Garretsburg hang on the wall behind him. Staci asks questions about the property outside of town, the election, and the fire. The Mayor explains that the property is owned by the city and the person who donated it stipulated that the city had to hold on to it. That's why they couldn't sell it to Lisa's dad. As for the rumors of a rigged election, the Mayor denied any wrongdoing. He suggested that Lisa's dad was simply paranoid and jumping at everything. The fire was a tragic event but coincidental to it all.
Once the interview is over, he ushers Staci and Leon out of his office. Leon asks what they'll do next. Staci looks upset. She stares at the Mayor's office door and says, "He's lying. I know he is. C'mon, let's get the others and head to the library for some research."
So what will they find? Tune in next week to find out!
WHERE WE PICK UP:
The next morning, the crew goes back to the vacant lot where Lisa's house once stood. Bethany whines about why they're there, filming an empty lot for no apparent reason. Leon replies that they're getting B-roll footage for Lisa's interview. He pans the camera across the field. There isn't much to see, mostly just dying grass. We see Staci and Bethany kicking through the grass. Then Ray shouts that he's found something. Tucked into some scraggly bushes is a strange ragdoll, looking like it was made out of a black towel and tied together to make arms and legs. Ray wonders out loud if it's a clue. Leon snorts and says it's unlikely.
"What are you kids doing?" a voice shouts.
The camera turns to reveal a sheriff's car parked next to the lot. An older gentleman, maybe in his late fifties, is leaning out of the window.
"We're filming a documentary," Staci said.
"You got a permit for that, right?" It's clear that the sheriff knows that they don't. "You go down to City Hall and get one, got it?"
The camera shuts off, only to turn on again in City Hall. Staci motions for Leon to keep quiet and they wait outside a door. We can hear snippets of an argument through the door, someone saying something about how "they won't find anything, don't worry."
Then the Mayor exits the room. He too is an older gentleman in his late 50s and almost appears to be "everyone's grandpa." He seems a bit surprised to see the students and the camera, but he plasters on a smile and thanks them for coming. He says he's already started the work on drawing up the permits and if they have any questions, they can come by and talk to him.
Staci brings up what happened to Lisa's house. The Mayor is still all smiles and replies that it was clearly an unfortunate accident, one that caused Lisa's dad to overreact. They go down to the clerk's window and get the permits. The Mayor agrees to meet with Staci and Leon the next day for an interview.
The footage cuts to that interview. The Mayor is seated behind his desk. Pictures of Garretsburg hang on the wall behind him. Staci asks questions about the property outside of town, the election, and the fire. The Mayor explains that the property is owned by the city and the person who donated it stipulated that the city had to hold on to it. That's why they couldn't sell it to Lisa's dad. As for the rumors of a rigged election, the Mayor denied any wrongdoing. He suggested that Lisa's dad was simply paranoid and jumping at everything. The fire was a tragic event but coincidental to it all.
Once the interview is over, he ushers Staci and Leon out of his office. Leon asks what they'll do next. Staci looks upset. She stares at the Mayor's office door and says, "He's lying. I know he is. C'mon, let's get the others and head to the library for some research."
So what will they find? Tune in next week to find out!
Friday, April 05, 2013
FFF Part IV --- Meet the Crew
If you're not sure what's going on, you can catch up on what's been happening in this found footage horror film I'm writing by reading the previous entries. Just a warning: they are in reverse order. Sorry.
WHERE WE LEFT OFF: Staci, a journalism student, has convinced her friend Leon to shoot a documentary about apparent political corruption in a small town called Garretsburg. They interviewed a girl named Lisa who lived in this town. Her dad ran for mayor and, when he started asking too many questions, their house caught on fire and burned to the ground.
WHERE WE PICK UP:
Leon has already turned on his camera and is filming Staci packing their stuff in the back of the van. He makes some comments about them going off on their grand adventure that causes Staci to smile and roll her eyes. Leon then looks around the parking lot.
"So where's Bethany? She is coming, right?" he asks.
"Don't worry about it. She said she needed some time away from campus, and she seemed really excited when I talked to her about it last night. I'm sure she'll be here any minute. Relax!" Staci says.
Sure enough, Bethany arrives. Bethany is a cute girl, dressed nicely, and has a bag slung over her shoulder. She smiles at Staci but then scowls at the camera. "Is that thing going to be going the whole time we're gone?"
"Well, not always, but we are filming a documentary," Leon says.
Bethany interrupts him. "Because I"m really hoping for some privacy while we're gone."
Staci frowns. "Why?"
Bethany looks over her shoulder and a guy walks up to her and puts his arm around her waist. "I asked Ray to come with us."
The camera droops in Leon's hand. It shifts as he turns to face Staci. "Staci, a word."
They go off to one side. "I thought you said that Bethany broke up with Ray," Leon says.
"I thought she did too!" Staci replies. "Last I heard, anyway. They must have gotten back together yesterday or something."
Someone walks up to them. Leon angles the camera to reveal that it's Bethany. She fixes Leon with a toxic look and turns to Staci. "Look, Ray and I need this time away from campus. I want to rekindle the romance, y'know?"
"This isn't a vacation, Bethany," Staci says. "We're going to be doing some serious work while we're gone."
"Oh, I get that, but we're not going to be working the whole time, right? There will be some time for fun. That's what I'm hoping for. Ray won't get in the way of your little film thing, don't worry."
"We going or not?" Ray shouts.
Leon turns to see Ray toss his bag into the back of the van, along with Bethany's bag.
"I guess so," Leon says, his voice bitter.
Bethany scoots over to Ray and throws her arms around him.
"Look, I know this isn't what I promised," Staci said. "But look at it this way: Ray's a complete tool. Now Bethany can get to know you better and see what a great guy you are. Then you'll be there for her when things go south again."
"Great, so I can reserve my spot in the friend zone, huh?"
"C'mon, let's go."
The camera cuts to shots of the van driving along the highway, past farm fields and clumps of trees. Then it jump cuts to footage of Garretsburg, little snippets of sites we've already seen: the park, city hall. At one point, the van slows to a crawl next to a vacant lot. Staci reveals that this was where Lisa's house stood before the fire. There's no evidence that it was ever there. Leon wonders if they should go check out the property Lisa's dad wanted to buy. Staci decides not to because it's getting late.
Instead, they pull into the motel parking lot and Staci goes in to get their rooms. Leon and Ray have one, Staci and Bethany another. Leon puts his stuff in his room, only to hear a knock at the door. It's Staci. She's apparently been chased out of her room and needs a place to crash. Leon offers the other bed. Staci suggests they shut off the camera for the night, because their investigation starts in the morning.
So there we go. We have our four intrepid (and ultimately doomed) college kids. I'm trying to be a bit better about describing how I visualized a lot of this. As always, let me know what you think.
WHERE WE LEFT OFF: Staci, a journalism student, has convinced her friend Leon to shoot a documentary about apparent political corruption in a small town called Garretsburg. They interviewed a girl named Lisa who lived in this town. Her dad ran for mayor and, when he started asking too many questions, their house caught on fire and burned to the ground.
WHERE WE PICK UP:
Leon has already turned on his camera and is filming Staci packing their stuff in the back of the van. He makes some comments about them going off on their grand adventure that causes Staci to smile and roll her eyes. Leon then looks around the parking lot.
"So where's Bethany? She is coming, right?" he asks.
"Don't worry about it. She said she needed some time away from campus, and she seemed really excited when I talked to her about it last night. I'm sure she'll be here any minute. Relax!" Staci says.
Sure enough, Bethany arrives. Bethany is a cute girl, dressed nicely, and has a bag slung over her shoulder. She smiles at Staci but then scowls at the camera. "Is that thing going to be going the whole time we're gone?"
"Well, not always, but we are filming a documentary," Leon says.
Bethany interrupts him. "Because I"m really hoping for some privacy while we're gone."
Staci frowns. "Why?"
Bethany looks over her shoulder and a guy walks up to her and puts his arm around her waist. "I asked Ray to come with us."
The camera droops in Leon's hand. It shifts as he turns to face Staci. "Staci, a word."
They go off to one side. "I thought you said that Bethany broke up with Ray," Leon says.
"I thought she did too!" Staci replies. "Last I heard, anyway. They must have gotten back together yesterday or something."
Someone walks up to them. Leon angles the camera to reveal that it's Bethany. She fixes Leon with a toxic look and turns to Staci. "Look, Ray and I need this time away from campus. I want to rekindle the romance, y'know?"
"This isn't a vacation, Bethany," Staci says. "We're going to be doing some serious work while we're gone."
"Oh, I get that, but we're not going to be working the whole time, right? There will be some time for fun. That's what I'm hoping for. Ray won't get in the way of your little film thing, don't worry."
"We going or not?" Ray shouts.
Leon turns to see Ray toss his bag into the back of the van, along with Bethany's bag.
"I guess so," Leon says, his voice bitter.
Bethany scoots over to Ray and throws her arms around him.
"Look, I know this isn't what I promised," Staci said. "But look at it this way: Ray's a complete tool. Now Bethany can get to know you better and see what a great guy you are. Then you'll be there for her when things go south again."
"Great, so I can reserve my spot in the friend zone, huh?"
"C'mon, let's go."
The camera cuts to shots of the van driving along the highway, past farm fields and clumps of trees. Then it jump cuts to footage of Garretsburg, little snippets of sites we've already seen: the park, city hall. At one point, the van slows to a crawl next to a vacant lot. Staci reveals that this was where Lisa's house stood before the fire. There's no evidence that it was ever there. Leon wonders if they should go check out the property Lisa's dad wanted to buy. Staci decides not to because it's getting late.
Instead, they pull into the motel parking lot and Staci goes in to get their rooms. Leon and Ray have one, Staci and Bethany another. Leon puts his stuff in his room, only to hear a knock at the door. It's Staci. She's apparently been chased out of her room and needs a place to crash. Leon offers the other bed. Staci suggests they shut off the camera for the night, because their investigation starts in the morning.
So there we go. We have our four intrepid (and ultimately doomed) college kids. I'm trying to be a bit better about describing how I visualized a lot of this. As always, let me know what you think.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
DLC Quest
If you're a gamer, you're probably painfully aware of the fact that the video game industry has adopted the practice of overusing DLC, which is short for downloadable content. You buy the base game, and then, either on the day the game releases, or scattered throughout the following months, the developers add content to the game, allowing you to run new missions or get new weapons or stuff like that. For example, in Mass Effect 3, we have the following DLC packs that have been released (some for free, some for up to $15 a pop):
Regardless, the inclusion of DLC has a lot of players steamed. And where there's anger, comedy quickly follows. Enter Going Loud Studios' DLC Quest where everything is DLC.
You start as an 8-bit character. You have no animation, no sound, and you can only move to the right. As you move, you collect coins in the game and meet up with a shopkeeper, one who will sell you the DLC necessary to rescue a kidnapped princess. So you buy the ability to move in every direction. You buy the ability to double-jump. You buy everything you need to actually play the game as microtransactions. And along the way, there are ridiculous jokes about current gaming trends, other popular game titles (such as my beloved Mass Effect games), and even more DLC.
When I bought the game on Steam, it also came with an expansion called "Live Freemium or Die." All told, playing the whole game took me about two hours. It's not a lot of time, but I was laughing out loud through most of it.
If you're a gamer and you're not happy with the current trajectory of gaming when it comes to DLC, this is a good game to check out. And hey, it's only like three bucks. Not a bad deal!
- Alternate Appearance Pack 1
- Leviathan
- Extended Cut
- Reckoning
- Citadel
- Groundside Resistance Pack
- Omega
- Firefight Pack
- Retaliation
- Earth
- Rebellion
- Resurgence
- From Ashes
Regardless, the inclusion of DLC has a lot of players steamed. And where there's anger, comedy quickly follows. Enter Going Loud Studios' DLC Quest where everything is DLC.You start as an 8-bit character. You have no animation, no sound, and you can only move to the right. As you move, you collect coins in the game and meet up with a shopkeeper, one who will sell you the DLC necessary to rescue a kidnapped princess. So you buy the ability to move in every direction. You buy the ability to double-jump. You buy everything you need to actually play the game as microtransactions. And along the way, there are ridiculous jokes about current gaming trends, other popular game titles (such as my beloved Mass Effect games), and even more DLC.
When I bought the game on Steam, it also came with an expansion called "Live Freemium or Die." All told, playing the whole game took me about two hours. It's not a lot of time, but I was laughing out loud through most of it.
If you're a gamer and you're not happy with the current trajectory of gaming when it comes to DLC, this is a good game to check out. And hey, it's only like three bucks. Not a bad deal!
Friday, March 29, 2013
FFF Part III -- Something's Rotten in Garretsburg
Professor Veronica Weathers, after being told by the police that they couldn't investigate the disappearance of four college students without further evidence, headed to their last known location. In the little town of Garretsburg, she couldn't find anyone who would admit to seeing them, but she did find an empty suitcase in the local motel's dumpster. She also found a camera bag in the woods with a tag on it, identifying it as belonging to one of the students.
Veronica is back in her office and wants to document what she's found. She shows the camera she found, along with the portable hard drive. She reveals that there were dozens of videos taken around the time that Staci called her cell phone with her frantic voice mail. Veronica has uploaded all of the files onto the department server and she's going to start going through them...
We cut to the first entry and get our first look at Staci Fowler. She's around 20 years old, perky and nice looking. She's seated on a couch in a dorm room, one that obviously belongs to a guy. She smiles at the camera and teases someone she calls Leon about finally getting it working. Leon, who remains off camera, mocks her back.
"At least now I can get to work on my film studies final project," he says. "But now I have to come up with something to actually film." He zooms in on Staci. "Wanna make movies with me?"
Staci smirks but then says, "Actually, I have an idea about that. You know I have that big journalism project coming up, right? Why don't we team up and do a documentary?"
Leon makes a fake snoring sound. Staci picks up a pillow and throws it at Leon.
"Seriously, though, a documentary on what? Isn't your project supposed to be about politics?"
Staci nods. "Exactly. There's this girl in my econ class. The other day, she was telling me about some crazy stuff that happened in this town she lived in a while back. It sounded like the perfect thing to investigate. What do you say?"
"I don't know," Leon says. "I mean, yeah, I'm supposed to put together a movie, but a documentary? That sounds like a lot of work."
"Oh," Staci says. "That's too bad. Because you know, I asked Bethany to help us on the project and she seemed excited. Just think. The two of you would probably have to spend some time alone together."
"Oh, come on! That's not fighting fair, and you know it!"
Staci smiles. "So what do you say?"
Leon sighs. "Fine. What do we do first?"
"Let's go interview the girl from my econ class and get the story from her."
The footage cuts to another college-aged girl. We catch our first glimpse of Leon as he clips a microphone to her her shirt. Leon is also twenty years old, a little on the pudgy side and definitely average as far as looks are concerned. He then steps around behind the camera again.
Staci's voice comes from off camera. "Okay, Lisa, we're just going to talk about that story you told me in econ, okay?"
Lisa takes a deep breath and nods. She then starts to tell her story, with Staci interjecting questions from time to time:
"Several years ago, my family moved to this little town called Garretsburg. It seemed like a nice enough place at first, very friendly. You know, typical small town.
"My dad, he's an avid hiker and he couldn't find any trails or anything nearby. But there was this large wooded property right outside of town. It was a couple of acres with some old rundown buildings in it. Dad thought that it would be perfect as a park. He had some money my gram left him, so he tried to track down the owners to see if they'd be willing to sell it.
"The weird thing is, no on in town seemed to know who the land belonged to. They all knew about it, but whenever Dad would ask about it, he got what he called the royal run-around. He finally found out that the land belonged to the city. He offered to buy it, but the mayor wouldn't even talk to him. When he tried to track down the records about the land, he found out that they had disappeared. Not only that, but the mayor was becoming really rude to him.
"So when the next election came around, Dad decided to run for mayor. But that wasn't easy. He said it was like everyone in city hall was against him. They lost his paperwork three different times. His lawn signs kept disappearing. The town newspaper kept misspelling his name.
"Then, when the election was held, the old mayor won in a landslide, which Dad thought was fishy. Sure, he knew he had an uphill battle, but based on what the newspaper reported, it sounded like no one voted for him at all. Dad thought maybe the election was rigged, and so he started making noise about contacting the state's Attorney General's office. That's when the sheriff stopped by and 'suggested' that Dad take it easy.
"Two nights later, our house burned down. Strange thing is, none of the smoke alarms went off. Dad took it as a sign that we should just forget about it and get out of town.
"So there you go. That's my story."
The camera swings around to Staci. "Sounds like there's something rotten in Garretsburg. I think we should go find out what."
Keep the comments coming. I know this was another "wall of text" scene, but it will get better. I hope. LOL!
Veronica is back in her office and wants to document what she's found. She shows the camera she found, along with the portable hard drive. She reveals that there were dozens of videos taken around the time that Staci called her cell phone with her frantic voice mail. Veronica has uploaded all of the files onto the department server and she's going to start going through them...
We cut to the first entry and get our first look at Staci Fowler. She's around 20 years old, perky and nice looking. She's seated on a couch in a dorm room, one that obviously belongs to a guy. She smiles at the camera and teases someone she calls Leon about finally getting it working. Leon, who remains off camera, mocks her back.
"At least now I can get to work on my film studies final project," he says. "But now I have to come up with something to actually film." He zooms in on Staci. "Wanna make movies with me?"
Staci smirks but then says, "Actually, I have an idea about that. You know I have that big journalism project coming up, right? Why don't we team up and do a documentary?"
Leon makes a fake snoring sound. Staci picks up a pillow and throws it at Leon.
"Seriously, though, a documentary on what? Isn't your project supposed to be about politics?"
Staci nods. "Exactly. There's this girl in my econ class. The other day, she was telling me about some crazy stuff that happened in this town she lived in a while back. It sounded like the perfect thing to investigate. What do you say?"
"I don't know," Leon says. "I mean, yeah, I'm supposed to put together a movie, but a documentary? That sounds like a lot of work."
"Oh," Staci says. "That's too bad. Because you know, I asked Bethany to help us on the project and she seemed excited. Just think. The two of you would probably have to spend some time alone together."
"Oh, come on! That's not fighting fair, and you know it!"
Staci smiles. "So what do you say?"
Leon sighs. "Fine. What do we do first?"
"Let's go interview the girl from my econ class and get the story from her."
The footage cuts to another college-aged girl. We catch our first glimpse of Leon as he clips a microphone to her her shirt. Leon is also twenty years old, a little on the pudgy side and definitely average as far as looks are concerned. He then steps around behind the camera again.
Staci's voice comes from off camera. "Okay, Lisa, we're just going to talk about that story you told me in econ, okay?"
Lisa takes a deep breath and nods. She then starts to tell her story, with Staci interjecting questions from time to time:
"Several years ago, my family moved to this little town called Garretsburg. It seemed like a nice enough place at first, very friendly. You know, typical small town.
"My dad, he's an avid hiker and he couldn't find any trails or anything nearby. But there was this large wooded property right outside of town. It was a couple of acres with some old rundown buildings in it. Dad thought that it would be perfect as a park. He had some money my gram left him, so he tried to track down the owners to see if they'd be willing to sell it.
"The weird thing is, no on in town seemed to know who the land belonged to. They all knew about it, but whenever Dad would ask about it, he got what he called the royal run-around. He finally found out that the land belonged to the city. He offered to buy it, but the mayor wouldn't even talk to him. When he tried to track down the records about the land, he found out that they had disappeared. Not only that, but the mayor was becoming really rude to him.
"So when the next election came around, Dad decided to run for mayor. But that wasn't easy. He said it was like everyone in city hall was against him. They lost his paperwork three different times. His lawn signs kept disappearing. The town newspaper kept misspelling his name.
"Then, when the election was held, the old mayor won in a landslide, which Dad thought was fishy. Sure, he knew he had an uphill battle, but based on what the newspaper reported, it sounded like no one voted for him at all. Dad thought maybe the election was rigged, and so he started making noise about contacting the state's Attorney General's office. That's when the sheriff stopped by and 'suggested' that Dad take it easy.
"Two nights later, our house burned down. Strange thing is, none of the smoke alarms went off. Dad took it as a sign that we should just forget about it and get out of town.
"So there you go. That's my story."
The camera swings around to Staci. "Sounds like there's something rotten in Garretsburg. I think we should go find out what."
Keep the comments coming. I know this was another "wall of text" scene, but it will get better. I hope. LOL!
Friday, March 22, 2013
FFF Part II -- Retracing Staci's Steps
When we left off last, Professor Veronica Weathers had received a frantic voicemail message from one of her students, Staci Fowler. Staci had been on the trail of some sort of expose when she and several of her friends disappeared. The message made it sound like Staci was being hunted by someone in a town called Garretsburg.
We pick up with Veronica driving in her car. She has her video camera going on her dashboard. She explains that she tried calling the police to let them know what she had heard. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a dead end. The police contacted their counterparts in Garretsburg and were told that everything was fine. Without further evidence, they couldn't do anything.
So now, Veronica took it upon herself to dig up that evidence. She's heading to Garretsburg with a camera of her own to see what she can find. Maybe she'll be able to find something that will get the police to act.
Next we see small snippets of her arrival in Garretsburg. It's a small town, a population of about 4,000. There are deep woods outside the town, a brick church near the downtown, a few pleasant parks. There's only one motel to speak of. Veronica goes there first. While filming, she goes to the front desk with a picture of Staci. She asks the attendant if Staci stayed at the motel. The clerk barely glances at the picture but informs Veronica that no one has stayed at the motel recently. Veronica presses the clerk, but she insists that Veronica leave.
Veronica does, but she goes around to the back of the motel and finds a dumpster. She sets the camera aside and sifts through some of the trash. She quickly finds what she's looking for, namely a bag with a tag that has Staci's name on it. The contents of the bag are missing.
Vernoica sets out with her camera into Garretsburg. She shows Staci's picture to some folks in the local diner and asks if they've seen Staci or her friends. Everyone claims to have not seen them, but there's an underlying tension to the townsfolk. It's clear that they don't appreciate this outsider asking questions. When Veronica goes out to a local park to ask some of the mothers gathered at the playground, she spots the sheriff's car parked a block away and it's clear that she's being watched.
Most of the mothers at the playground ignore her, but one little boy seems ready to help. He claims to have seen Staci and her friends and says that they got themselves into trouble. When Veronica asks where they went, the boy claims to not know but says that if she goes out of town and finds the "bad place," she might find what she's looking for. One of the mom's shouts and the boy runs away, along with the rest of the kids.
Veronica gets in her car and drives to the edge of town in the direction the boy pointed. She finds a dense woods and goes in, wondering aloud how she's going to find this "bad place." But then, she spots something in the underbrush. She brushes away some dirt and dead leaves and discovers it's a camera bag. The tag marks it as belonging to Leon Johnson, one of the missing college students. She opens it and discovers that the videocamera is in there, along with a portable hard drive. She pulls it out of the ground and gets back in her car. She drops the camera on the dash, revealing that the sheriff is right behind her. She throws her car into drive and roars away. The sheriff follows her for a while until she manages to lose him on the freeway. She wonders what she'll find when she gets the camera back to her office.
So what will she find? Come back next Friday to see what Leon's camera reveals.
Oh, and thanks for the comments! I like the fact that people are thinking about how this could be filmed best. I'll be honest, I really don't think this will ever get put on film. I don't have the technical know-how to do so. But I'll be even more honest and say that I briefly considered starting something on Kickstarter. LOL!
We pick up with Veronica driving in her car. She has her video camera going on her dashboard. She explains that she tried calling the police to let them know what she had heard. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a dead end. The police contacted their counterparts in Garretsburg and were told that everything was fine. Without further evidence, they couldn't do anything.
So now, Veronica took it upon herself to dig up that evidence. She's heading to Garretsburg with a camera of her own to see what she can find. Maybe she'll be able to find something that will get the police to act.
Next we see small snippets of her arrival in Garretsburg. It's a small town, a population of about 4,000. There are deep woods outside the town, a brick church near the downtown, a few pleasant parks. There's only one motel to speak of. Veronica goes there first. While filming, she goes to the front desk with a picture of Staci. She asks the attendant if Staci stayed at the motel. The clerk barely glances at the picture but informs Veronica that no one has stayed at the motel recently. Veronica presses the clerk, but she insists that Veronica leave.
Veronica does, but she goes around to the back of the motel and finds a dumpster. She sets the camera aside and sifts through some of the trash. She quickly finds what she's looking for, namely a bag with a tag that has Staci's name on it. The contents of the bag are missing.
Vernoica sets out with her camera into Garretsburg. She shows Staci's picture to some folks in the local diner and asks if they've seen Staci or her friends. Everyone claims to have not seen them, but there's an underlying tension to the townsfolk. It's clear that they don't appreciate this outsider asking questions. When Veronica goes out to a local park to ask some of the mothers gathered at the playground, she spots the sheriff's car parked a block away and it's clear that she's being watched.
Most of the mothers at the playground ignore her, but one little boy seems ready to help. He claims to have seen Staci and her friends and says that they got themselves into trouble. When Veronica asks where they went, the boy claims to not know but says that if she goes out of town and finds the "bad place," she might find what she's looking for. One of the mom's shouts and the boy runs away, along with the rest of the kids.
Veronica gets in her car and drives to the edge of town in the direction the boy pointed. She finds a dense woods and goes in, wondering aloud how she's going to find this "bad place." But then, she spots something in the underbrush. She brushes away some dirt and dead leaves and discovers it's a camera bag. The tag marks it as belonging to Leon Johnson, one of the missing college students. She opens it and discovers that the videocamera is in there, along with a portable hard drive. She pulls it out of the ground and gets back in her car. She drops the camera on the dash, revealing that the sheriff is right behind her. She throws her car into drive and roars away. The sheriff follows her for a while until she manages to lose him on the freeway. She wonders what she'll find when she gets the camera back to her office.
So what will she find? Come back next Friday to see what Leon's camera reveals.
Oh, and thanks for the comments! I like the fact that people are thinking about how this could be filmed best. I'll be honest, I really don't think this will ever get put on film. I don't have the technical know-how to do so. But I'll be even more honest and say that I briefly considered starting something on Kickstarter. LOL!
Friday, March 15, 2013
FFF Part 1 -- Staci's Gone Missing
Time to start writing my really bad found footage horror movie. I don't have a title for this. I have no idea where this is going. I don't know how long this series might last. But that's not going to stop me.
So let's get started!
Our untitled movie opens with news footage talking about how a professor and four students have gone missing from New Belton University. Professor Howard Erickson holds a press conference, explaining that he thinks his colleague, journalism professor Veronica Weathers, and the students were victims of foul play. He claims that he has evidence of this. When the local police chief is asked about this evidence, he dismisses it as a hoax.
Cut to an interview with Professor Erickson. He explains that he received an odd e-mail one evening from Weathers, claiming that she had uploaded some video footage into the department server and that it had to do with four New Belton students who had missed classes for several days. Erickson said he retrieved the footage and it disturbed him enough that he called the police. Now that the police have dismissed his concerns, he's put the footage together as best he could and now he's releasing it to the public in hopes that someone will be able to shed some light on what happened.
We cut to an image of Veronica Weathers. She's a nice looking middle aged woman. She's obviously set up a camera to record herself talking. She explains that she's a journalism professor at New Belton. She goes on to talk about how she's concerned about one of her students, a young lady named Staci Fowler. Staci is a promising student with aspirations for being a political reporter. Several weeks ago, Staci approached Weathers, asking for advice on how to do a big expose. Staci didn't go into details at the time, but she claimed to be on the trail of a story that could help make her mark before she's even graduated from college. Weathers says that she humored Staci at the time but thought that her student was exaggerating.
Then Staci and three of her friends left campus. Several days later, Weathers received an ominous voice mail message from Staci. Weathers pulls out her phone and plays the message for the camera.
At first, we don't hear anything, just rustling and what might be heavy breathing. But then, we hear the gasps and sobs of a young woman crying. "Dr. Weathers? It's Staci. We went to Garretsburg anyway, and now . . . I don't know what happened. Cynthia is dead and . . ." A burst of static drowns out her words. When they come back, she's crying harder. "We should never have come here. The sheriff is in on it." Another burst of static. "He's after me now and I don't know if---"
The line goes dead. Weathers explains that she looked it up on the map. Garretsburg is a small community to the north of New Belton, so she's planning on going up there to see what she can find out.
Want to know what Weathers finds in Garretsburg? Come back next week to see. And if you like what you're reading, be sure to let folks know what I'm up to. The more the merrier.
So let's get started!
Our untitled movie opens with news footage talking about how a professor and four students have gone missing from New Belton University. Professor Howard Erickson holds a press conference, explaining that he thinks his colleague, journalism professor Veronica Weathers, and the students were victims of foul play. He claims that he has evidence of this. When the local police chief is asked about this evidence, he dismisses it as a hoax.
Cut to an interview with Professor Erickson. He explains that he received an odd e-mail one evening from Weathers, claiming that she had uploaded some video footage into the department server and that it had to do with four New Belton students who had missed classes for several days. Erickson said he retrieved the footage and it disturbed him enough that he called the police. Now that the police have dismissed his concerns, he's put the footage together as best he could and now he's releasing it to the public in hopes that someone will be able to shed some light on what happened.
We cut to an image of Veronica Weathers. She's a nice looking middle aged woman. She's obviously set up a camera to record herself talking. She explains that she's a journalism professor at New Belton. She goes on to talk about how she's concerned about one of her students, a young lady named Staci Fowler. Staci is a promising student with aspirations for being a political reporter. Several weeks ago, Staci approached Weathers, asking for advice on how to do a big expose. Staci didn't go into details at the time, but she claimed to be on the trail of a story that could help make her mark before she's even graduated from college. Weathers says that she humored Staci at the time but thought that her student was exaggerating.
Then Staci and three of her friends left campus. Several days later, Weathers received an ominous voice mail message from Staci. Weathers pulls out her phone and plays the message for the camera.
At first, we don't hear anything, just rustling and what might be heavy breathing. But then, we hear the gasps and sobs of a young woman crying. "Dr. Weathers? It's Staci. We went to Garretsburg anyway, and now . . . I don't know what happened. Cynthia is dead and . . ." A burst of static drowns out her words. When they come back, she's crying harder. "We should never have come here. The sheriff is in on it." Another burst of static. "He's after me now and I don't know if---"
The line goes dead. Weathers explains that she looked it up on the map. Garretsburg is a small community to the north of New Belton, so she's planning on going up there to see what she can find out.
Want to know what Weathers finds in Garretsburg? Come back next week to see. And if you like what you're reading, be sure to let folks know what I'm up to. The more the merrier.
Friday, March 08, 2013
Freaky Fun Friday
This past Tuesday, I made a promise on my Facebook author page. To wit:
Well, I kept my promise about resurrecting Wordcount Wednesdays, so now I have one more promise to keep. Welcome to Freaky Fun Friday, a miniseries that will officially start next Friday and continue until . . . well, until I run out of what I want to do with it. I have no idea how this is going to work.
Maybe I should back up and explain what I'm up to here.
When I was in college, I tried my hand at writing screenplays. I wrote a grand total of three. One was a knock off of The Boys from Brazil, where a creepy cult cloned their dead founder not once but twice (and the second time, turned her into a girl. Don't ask. It made sense at the time). The second was a mash up of "Romeo and Juliet" and Enemy Mine (out of the three, this one is the one I'm still proud of). The third was an abysmal romantic "comedy" about an angel sent to date a guy and make him more of a catch for women. Seriously.
Anyway, I eventually returned to the world of "serious literature," i.e. stories of superheroes fighting zombies, because I figured I didn't know the first thing about selling a screenplay, let alone filming one. But that doesn't mean that my brain has given up on coming up with movie ideas.
It happens every now and then. Not often, but recently, I've been beset by ideas for a new movie.
More specifically, a horror movie.
This really surprises me. I'm not a fan of horror usually. I'm a little squeamish when it comes to slasher stuff. But I do make an exception for a certain kind of horror movie: found footage movies.
I don't know why, but for some reason, I love movies that pretend to be footage from real events. My younger brother and I once had a great deal of fun dissecting a made-for-TV movie called Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County. I'm probably one of the few people who actually enjoyed The Blair Witch Project, even if the ending did make it impossible for me to enter my own basement for a week. I've watched the Paranormal Activity movies and I especially loved Trollhunter (seriously, go watch that movie now!) and Chronicle (which, granted, wasn't a horror movie).
Anyway, the point is, for the past couple of weeks, I've had the idea for a found footage horror movie rattling around in my brain. And here's the thing, folks. While I've written three screenplays, I have no idea how to write a found footage one. Even if I did, I still don't have any idea how to produce it (although I'll admit I briefly toyed with the idea of taking it to Kickstarter to see what would happen). But I can't seem to exorcise this idea.
So that's what I'm doing. Over the next few weeks, on Fridays, I'll be telling you the story of this found footage idea. A lot of it is extremely rough. Big chunks of it are completely nonexistent right now. I've got a beginning, some scraps of stuff for the middle, and an ending. But I need to share this so it'll leave me alone.
Buckle in, folks. I can't promise that it'll be scary, but I'm willing to bet it might be a little fun. See you next week for the first installment of this still untitled found footage horror film.
Well, I kept my promise about resurrecting Wordcount Wednesdays, so now I have one more promise to keep. Welcome to Freaky Fun Friday, a miniseries that will officially start next Friday and continue until . . . well, until I run out of what I want to do with it. I have no idea how this is going to work.
Maybe I should back up and explain what I'm up to here.
When I was in college, I tried my hand at writing screenplays. I wrote a grand total of three. One was a knock off of The Boys from Brazil, where a creepy cult cloned their dead founder not once but twice (and the second time, turned her into a girl. Don't ask. It made sense at the time). The second was a mash up of "Romeo and Juliet" and Enemy Mine (out of the three, this one is the one I'm still proud of). The third was an abysmal romantic "comedy" about an angel sent to date a guy and make him more of a catch for women. Seriously.
Anyway, I eventually returned to the world of "serious literature," i.e. stories of superheroes fighting zombies, because I figured I didn't know the first thing about selling a screenplay, let alone filming one. But that doesn't mean that my brain has given up on coming up with movie ideas.
It happens every now and then. Not often, but recently, I've been beset by ideas for a new movie.
More specifically, a horror movie.
This really surprises me. I'm not a fan of horror usually. I'm a little squeamish when it comes to slasher stuff. But I do make an exception for a certain kind of horror movie: found footage movies.
I don't know why, but for some reason, I love movies that pretend to be footage from real events. My younger brother and I once had a great deal of fun dissecting a made-for-TV movie called Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County. I'm probably one of the few people who actually enjoyed The Blair Witch Project, even if the ending did make it impossible for me to enter my own basement for a week. I've watched the Paranormal Activity movies and I especially loved Trollhunter (seriously, go watch that movie now!) and Chronicle (which, granted, wasn't a horror movie).
Anyway, the point is, for the past couple of weeks, I've had the idea for a found footage horror movie rattling around in my brain. And here's the thing, folks. While I've written three screenplays, I have no idea how to write a found footage one. Even if I did, I still don't have any idea how to produce it (although I'll admit I briefly toyed with the idea of taking it to Kickstarter to see what would happen). But I can't seem to exorcise this idea.
So that's what I'm doing. Over the next few weeks, on Fridays, I'll be telling you the story of this found footage idea. A lot of it is extremely rough. Big chunks of it are completely nonexistent right now. I've got a beginning, some scraps of stuff for the middle, and an ending. But I need to share this so it'll leave me alone.
Buckle in, folks. I can't promise that it'll be scary, but I'm willing to bet it might be a little fun. See you next week for the first installment of this still untitled found footage horror film.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Let's Cast Failstate!
One of the funny things that's happened since Failstate was published was that a rumor somehow got started that I had a movie deal in the works. I'm not sure how that got started, but several people (who don't know each other) have asked me about it. I suspect it might have something to do with the starred review that Publishers Weekly gave me back when the novel first released. The last lines of that review were:
Anyway. Earlier today, I spotted a blog post by author Rachel Coker (of whom I am intensely jealous; she was first published when she was 16. Although, come to think of it, the stuff that I was writing when I was 16 was garbage, so it's probably better I waited an additional 20 years to figure out what I was doing). Rachel mused about who she would cast in a movie adaptation of her book. I haven't read Interrupted yet (although it is in one of my to-be-read baskets and high on the list), so I can't comment on her choices one way or the other. But that got me to thinking.
What if, by some bizarre stroke of divine intervention, someone did want to make a big budget version of Failstate? Who would I want to play the roles?
And the more I thought about it, the more I realized . . . I have no idea.
Seriously. I suppose part of the problem is that I'm not up on teenage actors (or actors who can pass for teenagers). Or it could be a fault of my writing craft.
But still, it's fun to dream, so I'm inviting you to dream with me. Let's cast a hypothetical Failstate movie! If you've read the books, who do you think should play the characters?
Before we get started, let's establish one quick rule: the people you cast have to be actors who can play the role today. No "time machine" casting. As awesome as it would be to go back in time so we can cast a teenage Nathan Fillion as Failstate, the laws of physics blah blah blah.
So who do you see in those roles? Let me know!
Otte has a TV show full of sequel possibilities; here’s hoping.And maybe that got twisted into "John has a movie deal in the works?" I don't know. That'd be awesome, but it hasn't happened yet. Hollywood, if you want to talk movie or TV deal, call me! Or my agent, actually.
Anyway. Earlier today, I spotted a blog post by author Rachel Coker (of whom I am intensely jealous; she was first published when she was 16. Although, come to think of it, the stuff that I was writing when I was 16 was garbage, so it's probably better I waited an additional 20 years to figure out what I was doing). Rachel mused about who she would cast in a movie adaptation of her book. I haven't read Interrupted yet (although it is in one of my to-be-read baskets and high on the list), so I can't comment on her choices one way or the other. But that got me to thinking.
What if, by some bizarre stroke of divine intervention, someone did want to make a big budget version of Failstate? Who would I want to play the roles?
And the more I thought about it, the more I realized . . . I have no idea.
Seriously. I suppose part of the problem is that I'm not up on teenage actors (or actors who can pass for teenagers). Or it could be a fault of my writing craft.
But still, it's fun to dream, so I'm inviting you to dream with me. Let's cast a hypothetical Failstate movie! If you've read the books, who do you think should play the characters?
Before we get started, let's establish one quick rule: the people you cast have to be actors who can play the role today. No "time machine" casting. As awesome as it would be to go back in time so we can cast a teenage Nathan Fillion as Failstate, the laws of physics blah blah blah.
So who do you see in those roles? Let me know!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tip Tagged Tuesday
Rather than give you guys another tip, I'm taking a break (like I suggested last week). Instead, I've been tagged by Fred Warren in some sort of blog-hopping question thing. Here are the rules:
1. Ginger, or Mary Ann? (For the ladies: Archie, or Jughead?)
Ginger, although when I told my wife my answer, she was surprised. I have no idea why. But if I have to choose, I'd pick Ginger.
2. Justify your existence in fifty words or less.
I am a baptized child of God. There. I did it in five words.
3. Name your favorite Doctor.
The holographic one. Wait, we're not talking about Star Trek, are we? I've never watched Doctor Who.
4. Share one item from your bucket list.
Take special trips with my sons. A few years ago, my wife and I were in Australia and we met a father and son duo who had been taking special vacations together for years. Their goal was to hit every continent. While I'm not that ambitious, I'd like to at least take one trip with each of my boys, just the two of us.
5. If your writing was a dessert, what sort of dessert would it be?
I have no idea. A good one?
6. State your position on extraterrestrial life, sasquatch, or Atlantis. Your choice.
My position on extraterrestrial life is this: there's nothing in Scripture that precludes alien life and the universe is a vast place. There could easily be alien life out there. As for Bigfoot and Atlantis, no way.
7. Name an author you simultaneously admire and detest. If you can provide a rationale, so much the better.
Dan Brown. I admire the fact that he somehow managed to sneak onto the bestseller list. I detest him because his craft is weak and his "research" is non-existent.
8. What most inspires you to write?
My wife. At least, that's what she tells me. In reality, it's because a story will take up residence in my brain and won't get out. Plus, I've always wanted to be an author for as long as I can remember.
9. Name the entree of your last restaurant meal.
Fast food or otherwise? If not fast food, then a dozen mild Buffalo wings and a regular order of "Buffalo Chips." Not that kind. Gross.
10. Offer a memorable quote from one of your novels, short stories, essays, or blog posts.
Boy, that's a tough question. What's memorable for me won't necessarily be one for readers. And nothing is leaping immediately to mind. Sorry.
11. What’s the next book on your “to read” list?
Cinder by Marissa Meyer.
Okay, so now I'm supposed to pick . . . seven other bloggers? Really? No way. Instead, I'm going to do like Fred and only pick three: Jill Williamson, Christian Miles, and Jacob Parker.
And eleven more questions? My goodness. Let's see here:
1) What is your name?
2) What is your quest?
3) What is your favorite color?
4) What one writer would you want to "sit at the feet of," either living or dead?
5) What unusual writing habits have you developed over your career?
6) Star Wars or Star Trek?
7) If you could include on fictional character you didn't create in a story, who would it be and why?
8) What was the last book that you read simply for enjoyment?
9) Who is your favorite musician?
10) What's the next movie you're looking forward to seeing/
11) Be honest: did you recognize the first three questions?
The Tag rules: 1. You must post the rules! 2. Answer the questions and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged. 3. Tag seven (because it’s a magical number) people and link to them. 4. Let them know you’ve tagged them.So here we go. The eleven questions that Fred asked me:
1. Ginger, or Mary Ann? (For the ladies: Archie, or Jughead?)
Ginger, although when I told my wife my answer, she was surprised. I have no idea why. But if I have to choose, I'd pick Ginger.
2. Justify your existence in fifty words or less.
I am a baptized child of God. There. I did it in five words.
3. Name your favorite Doctor.
The holographic one. Wait, we're not talking about Star Trek, are we? I've never watched Doctor Who.
4. Share one item from your bucket list.
Take special trips with my sons. A few years ago, my wife and I were in Australia and we met a father and son duo who had been taking special vacations together for years. Their goal was to hit every continent. While I'm not that ambitious, I'd like to at least take one trip with each of my boys, just the two of us.
5. If your writing was a dessert, what sort of dessert would it be?
I have no idea. A good one?
6. State your position on extraterrestrial life, sasquatch, or Atlantis. Your choice.
My position on extraterrestrial life is this: there's nothing in Scripture that precludes alien life and the universe is a vast place. There could easily be alien life out there. As for Bigfoot and Atlantis, no way.
7. Name an author you simultaneously admire and detest. If you can provide a rationale, so much the better.
Dan Brown. I admire the fact that he somehow managed to sneak onto the bestseller list. I detest him because his craft is weak and his "research" is non-existent.
8. What most inspires you to write?
My wife. At least, that's what she tells me. In reality, it's because a story will take up residence in my brain and won't get out. Plus, I've always wanted to be an author for as long as I can remember.
9. Name the entree of your last restaurant meal.
Fast food or otherwise? If not fast food, then a dozen mild Buffalo wings and a regular order of "Buffalo Chips." Not that kind. Gross.
10. Offer a memorable quote from one of your novels, short stories, essays, or blog posts.
Boy, that's a tough question. What's memorable for me won't necessarily be one for readers. And nothing is leaping immediately to mind. Sorry.
11. What’s the next book on your “to read” list?
Cinder by Marissa Meyer.
Okay, so now I'm supposed to pick . . . seven other bloggers? Really? No way. Instead, I'm going to do like Fred and only pick three: Jill Williamson, Christian Miles, and Jacob Parker.
And eleven more questions? My goodness. Let's see here:
1) What is your name?
2) What is your quest?
3) What is your favorite color?
4) What one writer would you want to "sit at the feet of," either living or dead?
5) What unusual writing habits have you developed over your career?
6) Star Wars or Star Trek?
7) If you could include on fictional character you didn't create in a story, who would it be and why?
8) What was the last book that you read simply for enjoyment?
9) Who is your favorite musician?
10) What's the next movie you're looking forward to seeing/
11) Be honest: did you recognize the first three questions?
Friday, February 17, 2012
Friday, December 23, 2011
Merry Sith-mas?
Okay, so maybe I should be a little more pious on the day before Christmas Eve, but I just can't help myself.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday, December 09, 2011
Cello Wars
You may have seen this floating around the Internet recently, but it's worth sharing anyway.
Friday, November 04, 2011
It's a miracle I survived my childhood . . .
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
I Write Like . . .
I just saw a link to a webpage that allows you to cut-and-paste something you wrote into a text box. Using some sort of computer voodoo, the website then determines what famous writer you write like.
So I decided I should test this out. I took the first chapter of Failstate, my debut, soon-to-be-published novel, and this is what I got:
Huh. I've never read Chuck, but I have heard of him.
So I decided to see if this would vary at all if I submitted text from a different story. So I dusted off the first chapter of Numb, my Christian space opera/espionage thriller. And this is what I got from that:
Um, wow.
So you tell me? Good thing that my style varied so much between two books? Or evidence of a lack of consistent voice on my part?
So I decided I should test this out. I took the first chapter of Failstate, my debut, soon-to-be-published novel, and this is what I got:
Huh. I've never read Chuck, but I have heard of him.
So I decided to see if this would vary at all if I submitted text from a different story. So I dusted off the first chapter of Numb, my Christian space opera/espionage thriller. And this is what I got from that:
Um, wow.
So you tell me? Good thing that my style varied so much between two books? Or evidence of a lack of consistent voice on my part?
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Air Pistol vs. Coke Can
This is pretty cool:
Best part? These guys have made more video like this one. Be sure to check them out.
Best part? These guys have made more video like this one. Be sure to check them out.
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