Sixty Scenes Exercize #1
Thanks to the positive response from this thread and the encouragement of kithlyara, I feel confident we can do this experiment.
I'm going to present a premise and a few main characters here, and the first scene description as a reply. Then you as readers will add on the subsequent scene descriptions as replies.
THE RULES ()
1) Don't be boring. (Well, that is Rule #1 in Storytelling, isn't it? :) )
2) You are not limited to one sentence in describing your scene, but brevity and clarity are the main thrusts of this project. There is no need to get into specific dialogue or action direction as such.
3) My hope is to have the treatment process done in ONE THREAD, with the next scene description posted as a reply to the previous one. Now, I know from experience that some writers are faster on the draw than others. If a scene is followed by DUAL replies, then if the second one is roughly the same as the first one, it should be ignored and the continuity stay with the earlier entry...but if the second scene is completely different and takes the story in a new direction, then I see no problem with having an alternate continuity. In fact, there can be ways to exploit such things. Theoretical example: "Detective James learns from the DNA lab that the homeless man is in fact Van Smid, so he goes to the school to find Marigold and tell her the news. NOTE: Continuity from here returns to original scene #37." If an alternate continuity is started, all subsequent scenes must have an A after the scene number. If a third continuity is started, the scene number must be followed by B, and so on for additional alternate continuities. But I want to stress that it's preferable to try to keep to one continuity, or two if necessary.
4) You are not limited to contributing just one scene in this story treatment...but the same writer is not allowed to post two scenes in a row.
5) We want to keep traditional story pacing. Scene #15 or #16 should be the start of Act II and scene #45 or #46 should be the start of Act III. What happens in the Act II/Act III transition (scenes #45~#46) should reflect what happens at both the Act I/Act II transition (scenes #15~#16) and at the story midpoint (around scenes #29~#31). The story should end with scene #60.
6) An example of the format:
HEADER: Scene #0
BODY of the REPLY: The FBI and Interpol spell out the legal hazards and penalties that await those who break Copyright law through illegal sale or distribution of this movie.
7) Keep to the main concept of the premise. Subplots can be fun and add greatly to a movie, but they can also derail a good narrative sweep.
8) You are free (and it is going to be necessary) to add your own characters. But remember that the scope of the movie is going to concentrate on the main characters.
9) Have fun and play nice.
If it turns out I need to add more rules I will.
WORKING TITLE: "When the Balloon Goes Up"
GENRE: Screwball Romantic Comedy
STORY PREMISE: When two single adults who had never met before get viciously insulted by the bride and groom at a wedding reception, the two join forces, find the newlyweds at a swank resort town and launch a prank war on them to ruin their honeymoon fun.
MAIN CHARACTERS: BLAKE, childhood buddy of the groom, but estranged after the two wound up attending rival high schools. DONNA, fast friend of the bride but not valued enough by her to be invited to the bridal shower. SUZY, the bride. PHILIP, the groom.
PS: I'd hoped to make the first reply, but couldn't because my post was right before my bedtime and I couldn't stay up to wait for its emergence through the moderation process. Not my fault, not the group's nor the mods' fault, and certainly not rebeccaclark's fault...in fact, I'm happy that rebeccaclark took the initiative to start the plot rolling.
I'm going to present a premise and a few main characters here, and the first scene description as a reply. Then you as readers will add on the subsequent scene descriptions as replies.
THE RULES ()
1) Don't be boring. (Well, that is Rule #1 in Storytelling, isn't it? :) )
2) You are not limited to one sentence in describing your scene, but brevity and clarity are the main thrusts of this project. There is no need to get into specific dialogue or action direction as such.
3) My hope is to have the treatment process done in ONE THREAD, with the next scene description posted as a reply to the previous one. Now, I know from experience that some writers are faster on the draw than others. If a scene is followed by DUAL replies, then if the second one is roughly the same as the first one, it should be ignored and the continuity stay with the earlier entry...but if the second scene is completely different and takes the story in a new direction, then I see no problem with having an alternate continuity. In fact, there can be ways to exploit such things. Theoretical example: "Detective James learns from the DNA lab that the homeless man is in fact Van Smid, so he goes to the school to find Marigold and tell her the news. NOTE: Continuity from here returns to original scene #37." If an alternate continuity is started, all subsequent scenes must have an A after the scene number. If a third continuity is started, the scene number must be followed by B, and so on for additional alternate continuities. But I want to stress that it's preferable to try to keep to one continuity, or two if necessary.
4) You are not limited to contributing just one scene in this story treatment...but the same writer is not allowed to post two scenes in a row.
5) We want to keep traditional story pacing. Scene #15 or #16 should be the start of Act II and scene #45 or #46 should be the start of Act III. What happens in the Act II/Act III transition (scenes #45~#46) should reflect what happens at both the Act I/Act II transition (scenes #15~#16) and at the story midpoint (around scenes #29~#31). The story should end with scene #60.
6) An example of the format:
HEADER: Scene #0
BODY of the REPLY: The FBI and Interpol spell out the legal hazards and penalties that await those who break Copyright law through illegal sale or distribution of this movie.
7) Keep to the main concept of the premise. Subplots can be fun and add greatly to a movie, but they can also derail a good narrative sweep.
8) You are free (and it is going to be necessary) to add your own characters. But remember that the scope of the movie is going to concentrate on the main characters.
9) Have fun and play nice.
If it turns out I need to add more rules I will.
WORKING TITLE: "When the Balloon Goes Up"
GENRE: Screwball Romantic Comedy
STORY PREMISE: When two single adults who had never met before get viciously insulted by the bride and groom at a wedding reception, the two join forces, find the newlyweds at a swank resort town and launch a prank war on them to ruin their honeymoon fun.
MAIN CHARACTERS: BLAKE, childhood buddy of the groom, but estranged after the two wound up attending rival high schools. DONNA, fast friend of the bride but not valued enough by her to be invited to the bridal shower. SUZY, the bride. PHILIP, the groom.
PS: I'd hoped to make the first reply, but couldn't because my post was right before my bedtime and I couldn't stay up to wait for its emergence through the moderation process. Not my fault, not the group's nor the mods' fault, and certainly not rebeccaclark's fault...in fact, I'm happy that rebeccaclark took the initiative to start the plot rolling.