FIC: Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe, Notes
masterpost | art | mix
one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven | notes
First, many thanks to the mods at startrekbigbang for all their amazing work.
starsandgraces sent me the mix for this story about a month ago and I've been listening to it nonstop since then. Never, when I signed up for this, did I think that an actual song would be written. I'm honored and humbled, and when I think of the opening sequence of That Which Remains I'll always have Ano's theme in my head. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
affectingly, omg, thank you for making me a part of your process, and having such fantastic and fun ideas that suited the story so well.
So many thanks to ali_wildgoose, who brainstormed the idea with me and was a fantastic beta all around, including providing key technical assistance from her other life as a filmmaker. kitsune13 and lillijulianne were other sets of eyes on the story as a whole, and rawles and kittyjimjams helped with early chapters.
Thanks to everyone at jim_and_bones for the massive, massive encouragement, especially the word wars and just the general chatter, and reassuring me that yes, people do still read stories with happy endings. I'd gush more about the place, but really you should just join and find out for yourself.
The title of this story is from the Okkervil River song, "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe." The chapter titles and opening quotes are from "Michael Hague's Screenplay Mastery" or as McCoy put it, one of those hacky books about screenwriting. My percentages and story beats probably don't precisely align with those proscribed by Mr. Hague.
All of the titles of television shows or movies within the story are TOS episode titles with the exception of Three to Tango. All people in the film industry that appear are characters within the TOS universe, as are nearly all the people referenced. Company names are also TOS references (with the exception of Disney, of course). Jean-Luc Picard, Beverly Crusher, Geordi LaForge, Data, Worf, Tasha Yar, Miles O'Brien, Will Riker, and Deanna Troi are all from TNG. As a general rule, the names of characters referenced-the characters in Three to Tango, That Which Remains, and the various Bibi Besch movies-are references to actors who have appeared in Star Trek. (The exception is Gaila's B&C character Drusillia, a reference to a character within that TOS episode.)
All bands and songs named and referenced are real. In Part 7, Kirk quotes "Passenger Seat" and McCoy references "Brothers in a Hotel Bed" both by Death Cab for Cutie. Kirk dances to "Toxic" by Britney Spears. In Part 3, Kirk and MCoy quote "Big Spender" and refer to "Rich Man's Frug" both from the show Sweet Charity, music and lyrics by Kander and Ebb.
Real World Parallels: Note that I started planning out this story in the late summer of 2009. And I swear, I didn't realize the extended reference I was making to Alias with the Bibi Besch movies until some time last week.
Nero was always intended to be a James Cameron-esque director. Kobyashi Maru is a Titanic that failed. Narada is more like an Australia that succeeded, though that film was directed by Baz Lurhmann.
Kirk is an amalgam of McG and Quentin Tarantino. Jonathan Archer is a slightly older Steven Soderburgh and The Naked Time a reference to sex, lies and videotape.
Scotty scouting locations and unknowingly finding McCoy's actual house was taken from the pre-pro events of Enchanted April, where the scouts stumbled on the very Italian villa that the book's author was staying in when she wrote the novel. Also like That Which Survives, Enchanted April was a last-minute addition to the London Film Festival after another film dropped out, and went on to be the most talked about film at the festival that year.
McCoy's pie chart of repetitious press junket questions was taken from a tweet by Jason Reitman during his press for Up in the Air. The budget for That Which Survives was based on the budgets for Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker.
Now here's where things get weird. I had already planned out the end of the story where That Which Survives wins the Oscar, and written the references to a super low budget for Kirk's film while Nero's was huge and making a lot of money. So imagine my amazement when the (admittedly classic) plot I'd laid out started happening, between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. The two films started haunting this story, to the extent that when I asked Ali for technical assistance on the conversation Kirk, Sulu and Scotty would have about whether to use digital video for That Which Survives, she gave me two scenarios, and later told me that the one I chose, which appears in the story, was what director Kathryn Bigelow had used for The Hurt Locker. And not only did The Hurt Locker win best original screenplay, director, and picture, but Kathryn Bigelow is said to be romantically involved with screenwriter Mark Boal.
one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven | notes
First, many thanks to the mods at startrekbigbang for all their amazing work.
starsandgraces sent me the mix for this story about a month ago and I've been listening to it nonstop since then. Never, when I signed up for this, did I think that an actual song would be written. I'm honored and humbled, and when I think of the opening sequence of That Which Remains I'll always have Ano's theme in my head. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
affectingly, omg, thank you for making me a part of your process, and having such fantastic and fun ideas that suited the story so well.
So many thanks to ali_wildgoose, who brainstormed the idea with me and was a fantastic beta all around, including providing key technical assistance from her other life as a filmmaker. kitsune13 and lillijulianne were other sets of eyes on the story as a whole, and rawles and kittyjimjams helped with early chapters.
Thanks to everyone at jim_and_bones for the massive, massive encouragement, especially the word wars and just the general chatter, and reassuring me that yes, people do still read stories with happy endings. I'd gush more about the place, but really you should just join and find out for yourself.
The title of this story is from the Okkervil River song, "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe." The chapter titles and opening quotes are from "Michael Hague's Screenplay Mastery" or as McCoy put it, one of those hacky books about screenwriting. My percentages and story beats probably don't precisely align with those proscribed by Mr. Hague.
All of the titles of television shows or movies within the story are TOS episode titles with the exception of Three to Tango. All people in the film industry that appear are characters within the TOS universe, as are nearly all the people referenced. Company names are also TOS references (with the exception of Disney, of course). Jean-Luc Picard, Beverly Crusher, Geordi LaForge, Data, Worf, Tasha Yar, Miles O'Brien, Will Riker, and Deanna Troi are all from TNG. As a general rule, the names of characters referenced-the characters in Three to Tango, That Which Remains, and the various Bibi Besch movies-are references to actors who have appeared in Star Trek. (The exception is Gaila's B&C character Drusillia, a reference to a character within that TOS episode.)
All bands and songs named and referenced are real. In Part 7, Kirk quotes "Passenger Seat" and McCoy references "Brothers in a Hotel Bed" both by Death Cab for Cutie. Kirk dances to "Toxic" by Britney Spears. In Part 3, Kirk and MCoy quote "Big Spender" and refer to "Rich Man's Frug" both from the show Sweet Charity, music and lyrics by Kander and Ebb.
Real World Parallels: Note that I started planning out this story in the late summer of 2009. And I swear, I didn't realize the extended reference I was making to Alias with the Bibi Besch movies until some time last week.
Nero was always intended to be a James Cameron-esque director. Kobyashi Maru is a Titanic that failed. Narada is more like an Australia that succeeded, though that film was directed by Baz Lurhmann.
Kirk is an amalgam of McG and Quentin Tarantino. Jonathan Archer is a slightly older Steven Soderburgh and The Naked Time a reference to sex, lies and videotape.
Scotty scouting locations and unknowingly finding McCoy's actual house was taken from the pre-pro events of Enchanted April, where the scouts stumbled on the very Italian villa that the book's author was staying in when she wrote the novel. Also like That Which Survives, Enchanted April was a last-minute addition to the London Film Festival after another film dropped out, and went on to be the most talked about film at the festival that year.
McCoy's pie chart of repetitious press junket questions was taken from a tweet by Jason Reitman during his press for Up in the Air. The budget for That Which Survives was based on the budgets for Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker.
Now here's where things get weird. I had already planned out the end of the story where That Which Survives wins the Oscar, and written the references to a super low budget for Kirk's film while Nero's was huge and making a lot of money. So imagine my amazement when the (admittedly classic) plot I'd laid out started happening, between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. The two films started haunting this story, to the extent that when I asked Ali for technical assistance on the conversation Kirk, Sulu and Scotty would have about whether to use digital video for That Which Survives, she gave me two scenarios, and later told me that the one I chose, which appears in the story, was what director Kathryn Bigelow had used for The Hurt Locker. And not only did The Hurt Locker win best original screenplay, director, and picture, but Kathryn Bigelow is said to be romantically involved with screenwriter Mark Boal.