Sunday Picture Post 23 / Extraordinary
For The Sunday Picture Post, we are going to flip upside-down the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Thousands of words are great if you are writing a novel, but if you are writing a screenplay, you need to do the opposite and be as concise as possible.
Each Sunday I will post a picture. For your screenwriting practice in brevity, in the comments section, please post one or all of the following:
- A title for this movie
- 1 word describing the theme, mood, or scene
- 1 sentence to describe the scene
- A pitch to sell the entire movie
The more colorful and creative you are, the better! Use any genre.
A good screenwriter is laconic, using a few words to say a lot.
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SCREENWRITING TIP OF THE DAY: EXTRAORDINARY
A good and simple creative writing tip I have heard about how to write an epic story is this:
Tell a story about an ordinary person living an extraordinary life, or an extraordinary person living an ordinary life, but never an ordinary person living an ordinary life.
Can you think of some examples of each type of these movies?
Superhero movies are usually extraordinary people trying to live ordinary lives, like The Incredibles or Spiderman.
Bruce Almighty and Indiana Jones are examples of ordinary guys living extraordinary lives; Bruce is a reporter who acquires the power of God and Jones is a archaeological professor who goes on adventures.
Comedy tends to be about ordinary people living ordinary lives, one-liners and ironic jokes provide relief through laughter about one’s own ordinary life, like Bridget Jone’s Diary or The Office TV show. Stories about ordinary people in ordinary settings are best received by television audiences, where people can laugh away the day’s hardships on a regular basis with familiar friendly faces and recurring TV shows on which they can count.
For great timeless tales and better chances at selling your script to Hollywood there must be something extraordinary about the story.
P.S. Oops! I forgot to add above, for an epic, you can also write about an extraordinary person living an extraordinary life.
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7 Responses to “Sunday Picture Post 23 / Extraordinary”
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Jaden,
Nice picture.
Okay, this kind of reminds me of my first novel.
Title: The Kayak King
Bruce is a reknowned outdoorsman. He starts dating a woman, Bonnie. They have a tumutuous relationship. Bonnie is the smarter of the pair. Bruce finds out that Bonny has a lot of money and somehow gets her to sign a prenup before they get married. Of course we don’t know this until the movie unwinds.
Bruce knows where there are black bears that seem to enjoy humans. A little too much. Well, it could be Grizzlies, too, but it depends on the area in the US that the movie takes place. Anyway, he figures out a full proof way to get rid of Bonnie and cash in on her money.
Bruce comes back in his red kayak after the bear(s) have eaten Bonnie. Hmmm. Very symbolic.
Yes, I know I have a slant towards the morbid. The dark side of humanity fascinates me. What I like about the dark is that there is always something light. You just have to catch it.
Ellen — Rrrrr, grizzly. Vicious and thorough concept, good. You are not the only one who likes the dark side; it is a hugely selling market.
Title: Kayaking for Bronze
Topic: Resolution
Middle-aged man comes back to the small New England town where grew up, visiting his ailing father on his waterfront home.
It’s an awkward visit. The son and father never really got along. We see flashbacks, where the father was an absusive domineering S.O.B. Which is why the son eventually left in the first place.
But now the Dad is dying, and the once powerful man is weak and feeble. He’s trying to gain peace with his son, who wants nothing to do with him.
Something terrible happened 30 years ago, which changed the son’s life, which he’ll never forgive his father for.
Will the Father and Son make peace? Or will the father die, before the two resolve their differences? What happened 30 years ago….?
Friar — Good strong drama to which almost everyone can relate, a story to help the viewer cope with their own similar situation.
“The Other Side of The River”
1 word: discovery
Two cousins at a family are about to discover what’s down the river early one morning.
Two cousins who lead very different and quietly competetive lives, meet at an annual family reunion. They grew up the best of friends, but drifted apart as both had different interests and goals in life. Both are in their mid-twenties, with the youngest (by a year or so) being the more aggressive, and seemingly the most successful. The elder is more passive, and content with life.
As kids, they always wondered what was beyond the river, and what was on the other side. Years later, they embark on a river ride to discovery and soul searching, as they talk about each other’s lives, pasts, secrets and pains which sparks emotions between the two as they go further into unknown territory.
t.sterling — Ooooooh, that’s a good one! Mysterious and intriguing.
I’m happy with everyone’s ideas on this image, an image I wasn’t sure would work, but really liked.
Hi there *waves* we seem to have stumbled on each other via EntreCard. Great site. I like this pic in particular. Will be sure to bookmark you and make a return visit.
Amy G.