Sunday Picture Post 37 — Music
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUNDAY PICTURE POST
For The Sunday Picture Post, we 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.
For your screenwriting practice in brevity, in the comments section, using the image above, 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.
SCREENWRITING TIP OF THE DAY: MUSIC
Let music inspire you.
While you write, listen to music that sets the mood for what you are trying to write: romantic, haunting, sad, happy, or disturbing.
Music is also a good source for movie titles, character names, and a springboard for dialog.
Since I rarely post the Sunday Picture Post on Sunday anymore, below is a song that popped in my mind while I was posting this and thinking about how it is actually Friday, or really late on Thursday night, depending on how you consider the time.
“Everyday is like Sunday” is one of countless songs that is a great example for lyrics that could inspire a movie with its evocative imagery, potent feelings, and clever turns of phrase.
Morrissey › Everyday Is Like Sunday (3:36)
Trudging slowly over wet sand
Back to the bench where your clothes were stolen
This is the coastal town
That they forgot to close down
Armageddon – come armageddon!
Come, armageddon! come!
Everyday is like sunday
Everyday is silent and grey
Hide on the promenade
Etch a postcard :
How I dearly wish I was not here
In the seaside town
…that they forgot to bomb
Come, come, come – nuclear bomb
Everyday is like sunday
Everyday is silent and grey
Trudging back over pebbles and sand
And a strange dust lands on your hands
(and on your face…)
(on your face …)
(on your face …)
(on your face …)
Everyday is like sunday
Win yourself a cheap tray
Share some greased tea with me
Everyday is silent and grey
Comments
10 Responses to “Sunday Picture Post 37 — Music”
Got something to say?
Subscribe
-
-
content rss
“Landlocked” Sorry pretty lame title
Scheme
I’m going to talk you into this.
“Yeah, probably haunted by your insecurities ya big puss.” . Kyle picks up mounted deer antlers from the floor and wonders “why the fuck are these on a boat?” His brother Casey forms a frame with his hands and imagines the possibilities. Casey, “we’d have to make up a phrase on urban dictionary to accurately describe the copious amounts of boobies we’ll see when this boat is rockin, a cornucopia of knocks if you will.” Kyle looks at Casey as if he were a huge jackass.
If this sucks, blame it on the alcohol.. still drunk from last night. Also good to see sunday picture post has made it back into the rotation.
I wrote a scene for a feature length movie that’s nowhere close to being completed (I’ve been stuck at a climatic scene and it’s been so long I think I will just reimagine the entire story) but the scene itself I wrote to last as long as an Al Green song that plays in the background… almost like a music video. But certain things are said or done and the music enhances the action… or maybe the action enhances the song. But the scene came to me when I first heard the song and wrote the scene without having a story to put it in. The song is “Simply Beautiful” and the scene involves a guy and girl on a first date. Coincidentally, the story I picked to add this scene to is a movie that feautres Cupid, and two songs that inspired said story are Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” and Andre 3000’s “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Ultimately, I’d plan to write a Cupid trilogy… but I’ve taken a break from the more involved longer projects so I can work on my short story idea. I do get nervous everytime I hear an idea for a modernized Greek/Roman mythology concept.
There is also the song “Payback” by James Brown that has inspired a revenge story. Something on the grundgy/violent side that really isn’t my writing style (I don’t think), but I think as long as the story is really good, I’ll let someone else worry about how it’s presented. What I need to do is rewatch Mel Gibson’s “Payback” to make sure I’m not rewriting the same movie, since that song and that movie are kinda similar.
Lastly, I’m always imagining certain songs as “road trip” songs (like “Magic Carpet Ride”) that have their own going-on-a-journey feel to it. Or maybe movie intro songs. An example of a favorite is “Too Hot to Stop” playing at the beginning of “Superbad” and the movie that started my idolization of Sam Cooke, “Ali.”
Adam — Laughing here. Boy, and there I thought I was the drunk one reading that. I wouldn’t say it sucks; I’d say it is fabulously creative and heckah confusing to a sober person.
t.sterling — I love your ideas. Like me, I think you have a flood of ideas that you could never possibly have the time write. It’s painful, isn’t it? Yes, you, more than anyone, have shared how much music influences you. It’s a magical feeling. Music touches the soul directly, it’s wonderful.
Thanks for coming back gents.
Jaden, I’m thinking your response to my post is funnier then the actual thing. I can’t really get good inspiration from songs, they paint too good of a picture. Yes I see the irony of saying this in a picture post, but I’m better with single words or lines. I wrote a pretty long dialogue based off echolocation and now I have a blind zombie and sea bats.
t.sterling, I would watch a movie inspired by “Happy Valentine’s Day” I did see Idlewild after all.
Adam – Unfortunately, “part 2″ of my Cupid “trilogy” is actually titled “Valentine’s Day” and based on the premise, it’s almost the same thing I envisioned. The only difference is my story would feature Cupid’s character.
But since reading this post, I considered combining a couple ideas I had for one movie: a movie about Cupid that would ultimately be a musical made up of classic R&B songs. Probably easier said than done, so I’d have to find someone who is much better at writing music to help make this dream come true, or have enough money for royalties and permission or whatever.
t.sterling — If I may give you some professional advice, I think you have a great idea here and should write at least a 2 page rough treatment and register it through WGA because as long as it is public here on my site, it is at risk of theft. I can tell you from my stats that hundreds of people per day / thousands per month read this site, including people in Hollywood. I can delete out key words from your comments or, like I say, you should register it, so if nothing else, they ought to pay you something if they do produce it before you ever get around to writing it.
I only post ideas on here that I am pretty sure I will never get around to writing or ideas and scripts that I have already registered. I advise the same.
That’s a great idea and I appreciate and thank you for that information and looking out for me. Usually I’m a bit more cautious sharing my ideas because of that very reason, I think I just got excited and started babbling.
I agree with you Jaden, although, I do crave approval, I blame my mother. The things I put on here I never really consider for actual material, more so to keep me on my toes, which is why we (by we I mean I) need more picture posts.
I apologize this post makes me look like a dumb asshole, but again I blame my mother. Haha, I think Freud could write a series on me.
I blame my mother’s mother. *wink*