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Author Topic: Need ideas for a fan film  (Read 6832 times)
Taegin Roan
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Lord of the Force


« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2017, 05:30:54 AM »

So I think the problem with all of my stories is that I don't have a theme. The story itself, no problem. Realistic battles/fight scenes, easy. Characters and backstories, I do it all the time. Themes, (what's a theme)? I know what they are, I just cannot think of them.
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"I am the Outcast's Shadow" - Taegin Roan
"Confronting fear is the Destiny of a Jedi" - Luke Skywalker
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala

Taegin Roan
Knight Commander
*

Force Alignment: 2066
Posts: 6245


Lord of the Force


« Reply #16 on: January 30, 2017, 01:12:21 AM »

So after watching TFA last night, I was basically given permission to do have a lightsaber battle, so that gives me a little bit more to work with.
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"I am the Outcast's Shadow" - Taegin Roan
"Confronting fear is the Destiny of a Jedi" - Luke Skywalker
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala

Darth Knox
Knight Commander
OVER 9000!!
*********

Force Alignment: -1913
Posts: 11751


(Dark points only) Do not hesitate. Show no mercy


« Reply #17 on: January 30, 2017, 01:13:27 AM »

So after watching TFA last night, I was basically given permission to do have a lightsaber battle, so that gives me a little bit more to work with.
"Given permission"? Who by? Why did you need permission? And was that the first time you've seen TFA?
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Taegin Roan
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Force Alignment: 2066
Posts: 6245


Lord of the Force


« Reply #18 on: January 31, 2017, 04:08:24 AM »

"Given permission"? Who by? Why did you need permission? And was that the first time you've seen TFA?

Well, I didn't really need permission, but my brother doesn't have the knowledge or experience to do the VFX for a Lightsaber battle. But he said he really wanted to film a lightsaber fight, so I said I would put one in. No it was not the first time I have seen TFA, we were watching it again. He hasn't watched any SW movies other than R1 since last year, so he hadn't seen any saber fights recently, but once he saw Rey and Kylo's fight, he decided that he wanted to film one.
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"I am the Outcast's Shadow" - Taegin Roan
"Confronting fear is the Destiny of a Jedi" - Luke Skywalker
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala

Darth Knox
Knight Commander
OVER 9000!!
*********

Force Alignment: -1913
Posts: 11751


(Dark points only) Do not hesitate. Show no mercy


« Reply #19 on: January 31, 2017, 04:11:06 AM »

Well, I didn't really need permission, but my brother doesn't have the knowledge or experience to do the VFX for a Lightsaber battle. But he said he really wanted to film a lightsaber fight, so I said I would put one in. No it was not the first time I have seen TFA, we were watching it again. He hasn't watched any SW movies other than R1 since last year, so he hadn't seen any saber fights recently, but once he saw Rey and Kylo's fight, he decided that he wanted to film one.
If you need someone to do VFX for your lightsaber fight you can check local film schools. Always plenty of students willing to work cheap/for free on things. Win for you, as you get the effects you need, win for them as they get to practice their skills and have something to put on their reel
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Taegin Roan
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Force Alignment: 2066
Posts: 6245


Lord of the Force


« Reply #20 on: January 31, 2017, 04:18:09 AM »

If you need someone to do VFX for your lightsaber fight you can check local film schools. Always plenty of students willing to work cheap/for free on things. Win for you, as you get the effects you need, win for them as they get to practice their skills and have something to put on their reel

That's true, but since we both kinda want to learn it anyways, we figured we could just try it. Also, the only film school around here is at the University, I don't think the students there would want to spend their time helping us for no money. Especially when they can make no money by not doing anything, or working on their own projects. I do like the idea though.
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"I am the Outcast's Shadow" - Taegin Roan
"Confronting fear is the Destiny of a Jedi" - Luke Skywalker
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala

Darth Knox
Knight Commander
OVER 9000!!
*********

Force Alignment: -1913
Posts: 11751


(Dark points only) Do not hesitate. Show no mercy


« Reply #21 on: January 31, 2017, 04:20:48 AM »

That's true, but since we both kinda want to learn it anyways, we figured we could just try it. Also, the only film school around here is at the University, I don't think the students there would want to spend their time helping us for no money. Especially when they can make no money by not doing anything, or working on their own projects. I do like the idea though.
1- don't ask, don't get. If you ask and people say no, you are no worse off. If you ask and they say yes....
2- there are lots of great channels on youtube about rotoscoping and how the software you need works. Many tutorials all over the place so plenty of places where you and your bro can learn what you need
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Taegin Roan
Knight Commander
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Force Alignment: 2066
Posts: 6245


Lord of the Force


« Reply #22 on: January 31, 2017, 04:23:20 AM »

Yes, I have been watching some videos on VFX recently, and I am pretty sure I could figure it out. One of my favorite ones (partly because I really want to do it) is one on doing the Quicksilver effect. I like superspeed. Grin
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"I am the Outcast's Shadow" - Taegin Roan
"Confronting fear is the Destiny of a Jedi" - Luke Skywalker
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala

Darth Knox
Knight Commander
OVER 9000!!
*********

Force Alignment: -1913
Posts: 11751


(Dark points only) Do not hesitate. Show no mercy


« Reply #23 on: January 31, 2017, 04:26:24 AM »

Yes, I have been watching some videos on VFX recently, and I am pretty sure I could figure it out. One of my favorite ones (partly because I really want to do it) is one on doing the Quicksilver effect. I like superspeed. Grin
any fav channels?
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Taegin Roan
Knight Commander
*

Force Alignment: 2066
Posts: 6245


Lord of the Force


« Reply #24 on: January 31, 2017, 04:32:43 AM »

any fav channels?

So far I have only watched them from one of the channels that you posted, I don't remember which one though. But so far I have liked it.
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"I am the Outcast's Shadow" - Taegin Roan
"Confronting fear is the Destiny of a Jedi" - Luke Skywalker
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala

Taegin Roan
Knight Commander
*

Force Alignment: 2066
Posts: 6245


Lord of the Force


« Reply #25 on: February 24, 2017, 07:17:33 AM »

Okay, so here is what I have so far. I may change it slightly, but I want some input. What do you think? What could I do to make it go better, and have more of a story feel? What do you recommend be changed? (And don't say let the bad guy win)

-------------

Two Jedi Knights and a Padawan are on a forested planet. The Apprentice is having problems dealing with his/her fear of pain and loss. The Knight that the Padawan is apprenticed to has tried to counsel him/her, but to no avail. While on this mission, the other Knight goes off to do some tracking, and maybe find where they are headed. The master and apprentice are setting up the camp, and then they begin to some saber training.

While they are fighting, a Sith finds them and so they run in the general direction of the other Knight. The Sith doesn’t give up, so they continue running, but eventually the Knight/master decides that the Padawan must go find the other Knight, and that the Knight/master would stay behind to keep the Sith off the Apprentice’s tail. While they are fighting, the Padawan runs off in search of the other Knight. Eventually he/she finds him, but only because the Sith has already found him and killed him (this may be he/she finds him, and they return together to fight the Sith).

With the return, the Apprentice finds that his/her master is still alive, but is wounded, and most likely will not survive if the Sith is not defeated. The Apprentice fights the Sith, and wins, but he/she did it by some un-Jedi like ways. After the Sith is defeated, the Padawan attends to the master, and heals him/her. Through this whole mission, the Apprentice comes to terms with pain, suffering and loss, and everything ends perfectly. Other than the fact that the Padawan just used some questionable means to defeat the Sith.

-------------

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"I am the Outcast's Shadow" - Taegin Roan
"Confronting fear is the Destiny of a Jedi" - Luke Skywalker
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala

Darth Knox
Knight Commander
OVER 9000!!
*********

Force Alignment: -1913
Posts: 11751


(Dark points only) Do not hesitate. Show no mercy


« Reply #26 on: February 24, 2017, 07:29:28 AM »

Off the top of my head, really quickly, here are some questions that immediately popped into my head:

- Why are the Jedi and Padawan on the forest planet? What is their mission?
- What is the cause of the Padawan's fear of pain and loss?
- Why is the Sith there?
- How did the Sith find them?
- IMO, it would make more sense while the Master is fighting the Sith for him to instruct the Padawan to find the other Jedi, rather than him running away with Padawan
- How did the Sith find/kill the other Jedi?
- Exactly what did the Padawan do to defeat the Sith? Did the Master not help at all?
- Did they end up completing their mission?
- "Perfect" endings are always a little far fetched

You have an interesting basic premise, but it needs to be more focussed and structured.

Also, I'm not sure if you know what a logline is (it's up to three sentences that tells anybody the exact premise of your film).

For instance, here is the logline by Bitter Script Reader for the movie Die Hard: A New York cop tries to save his estranged wife from terrorists who have taken an L.A. office building hostage on Christmas Eve.

With that in mind, what would the logline for your movie be? By giving some thought to the logline, that may help you focus the story as a whole, being concise where you need to be and expanding where appropriate.
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Taegin Roan
Knight Commander
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Force Alignment: 2066
Posts: 6245


Lord of the Force


« Reply #27 on: February 24, 2017, 07:49:29 AM »

So right now I am mostly trying to get a semi-detailed outline of the whole story before I get into all the major details. But these questions will definitely help me to get started fleshing everything out.

For starters
- Because I have an abundance of forest for locations. I'm not sure of the mission yet.

- Again, I'm not sure yet, but it will probably have something to do with having lost a close friend, or family member.

- Because it will make it so I can put a cool fight scene in there. I also need a bad guy.

- This may have something to do with the mission, and why they were sent there, but not sure on details yet.

- They were both running because they were trying to find the other Jedi, so they could all face the Sith together. But since they couldn't find him quick enough, and the Sith was getting to close, the Master decided to stay behind and buy the Apprentice some more time.

- Again, not sure on this one, and that is why I also put in that maybe the Padawan does find the other Jedi.

- I'm thinking the Padawan tapped into the DS somehow. Not sure in which way yet, but that will come with a little bit more study and thinking about everything. Yes, the Master did help, but by the time the Padawan returned time, he was already wounded and decommissioned.

- Because the Sith will somehow end up being the mission, they will have completed the mission.

- Everything is going to end perfectly, but I haven't thought of how to end it yet.


Everything is still subject to change, but this way I am thinking I will be able to keep it fairly low budget, and I wont need many actors. I am by no means done working on this, and it is really just a rough draft of the rough draft of the script. So everything will probably change somehow. I am still kinda going with the mental battle thing, but sort of in a different way.
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"I am the Outcast's Shadow" - Taegin Roan
"Confronting fear is the Destiny of a Jedi" - Luke Skywalker
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala

Darth Knox
Knight Commander
OVER 9000!!
*********

Force Alignment: -1913
Posts: 11751


(Dark points only) Do not hesitate. Show no mercy


« Reply #28 on: February 24, 2017, 08:55:27 AM »

Before I say anything further, can I just say the points I've raised do not require an answer from you. They are just food for thought that might help you when you're writing. Just areas I've highlighted that I think need to be addressed in order to have a coherent flowing narrative. However, this is not to say I'm an expert on the matter (because I'm not). Just offering constructive feedback.

For starters
- Because I have an abundance of forest for locations. I'm not sure of the mission yet.
A High percentage of fan films take place in forests, because it's a location that most people have easy access to that simulates an alien planet. However, my question was directed at the story, not the real world. There should always be a reason for the people to be where they are (a mission, they crashed, they're hiding etc)

- Again, I'm not sure yet, but it will probably have something to do with having lost a close friend, or family member.
Just be mindful not to copy anything that has been done before (losing a family member is basically Anakin's story, so maybe a close friend who was also a padawan might be a better idea).

- Because it will make it so I can put a cool fight scene in there. I also need a bad guy.
Obviously. But is he there by coincidence? Was he sent to thwart their mission? Is he after the same macguffin as they are?

- They were both running because they were trying to find the other Jedi, so they could all face the Sith together. But since they couldn't find him quick enough, and the Sith was getting to close, the Master decided to stay behind and buy the Apprentice some more time.
Would a Jedi Knight run away from a Sith just to get back-up? It seems (to me) to be very out of character for what we know of the Jedi. If he had started to fight and then realised he couldn't beat the Sith without back-up that would play better. But, again, this is just my opinion.

- Because the Sith will somehow end up being the mission, they will have completed the mission.
So there were two missions? That sound confusing

- Everything is going to end perfectly, but I haven't thought of how to end it yet.
Fair enough
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Taegin Roan
Knight Commander
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Force Alignment: 2066
Posts: 6245


Lord of the Force


« Reply #29 on: April 18, 2017, 11:04:36 PM »

Alright, so I have started to figure out the characters a little more, but I have not worked much on the story itself much. Here is what I have for the characters so far. Once again, any thoughts/ideas/suggestions are welcome.


Characters:

Jedi Master
Firm but kind. Has a sense of humor, but his jokes don’t always come out like they are supposed too, and they are kind of mean/drastic. Also has problems communicating in the way he wants to. Is a good teacher, but since he cannot explain things very well, teaches mostly through showing. Has a close affinity to the Force, but tends to rely more on lightsaber skills more than the Force.

Jedi Knight
Jolly, but often takes things too seriously. Thinks he/she has a sense of humor, but it is not really there, and gets offended extremely easily. Very strong connection to the Force, and is in a state of constant meditation even while he/she is active.

Jedi Apprentice
Kind, but reserved. Once aroused he/she is very argumentative. Is often scared, but doesn’t know why. Cannot overcome his/her fear of pain and suffering. Saw his/her parents die by pirates, and then the Jedi who had come seeking him/her out killed them and brought to the Jedi temple, but was still haunted by their deaths, and feels responsible for their deaths. Has lead an easy life at the temple, and is highly skilled with a lightsaber. Due to fear of pain/suffering, his/her connection with the Force is weak.

Sith
Evil, powerful, relentless. Fast, agile, strong. Overconfident.
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"I am the Outcast's Shadow" - Taegin Roan
"Confronting fear is the Destiny of a Jedi" - Luke Skywalker
"So this is how liberty dies: with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala

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