Friday, February 13, 2009

Just In Times For Valentines Day

Self-Aware Screenplay Character Movie

The writer, Aaron, must write a screenplay in order to pass his class. The teacher tells him that what he's done before isn't really impressive and frankly, Aaron needs to do something amazing in order to pass this class. The class is made out of children and when he says this they all laugh and point at him. He writes it about a girl in order to stretch himself as a writer.
There is a friend, Kevin who he keeps telling talking to about the writing process. They are in the same class. Kevin is a much better student. Kevin is much more knowledgeable about screen writing and helps Aaron out whenever he can but he's a little bit pompous than the av-er-age person. Something that Aaron has grown to resent and ignore at times.

Kevin will play our sense of reason. Anytime Aaron does anything great he chimes in a tells him to keep it up. When he doesn't Kevin tells him so but with a sense of self-righteousness.

So this protagonist Aaron creates a female protagonist, Abbie.

Kevin chimes in and says that every great screenplay needs a great protagonist. Tell's Aaron that Satoshi Kon doesn't even start writing a screenplay unless he has a cast of great characters.

When Aaron is writing for her he's just describing her and setting up her character. He describers her very poetically, and beautifully. However, wherever she goes, she has to repeat things and sometimes settings change, this demonstrates that he's writing on the fly. Kevin asks, when you give this to the director students where are they gonna film these scenes. Aaron says that he thought places around school would be great.

Abbie is now self aware what she is and where she can find Aaron. She randomly shows up at his door to his surprise.

I have in my mind a scene where he opens his door and she's waiting for him. She asks to come in and he says, "I can't I'm working." She replies, "I know."
And he gives a confused look.
She explains who she is and how he made her and she says that she wants to be the best character ever. No other movie character has ever really gotten this chance before and she's going to take advantage of it.

Aaron calls Kevin immediately and explains what just took place. Kevin says that all great screen writers have gone through this and this shows that he's really connected the script. He's very happy for him. He then exclaims that this has happened to himself many times. During this talk amongst colleagues Aaron explains how amazing this feels. He's created a life that is self aware. Also the fact that she is so inspiring is very attractive to him. It's now insinuated that he's fallen in love with his own creation. He makes more characteristics for her that flush out her personality including situations that she must live though. All of this is demonstrated in the form of a montage.

He tries to put her at a party and he writes that it's very crowded to show that she's the life of the party no matter how awkward the party might be. (Note: Everyone else it holding clear cups and she's holding a red cup.) At this party she generates someone who she's attracted to. (The camera quick pans to him and he's also holding a red plastic cup)

He deletes the character. And realizes that he didn't write that. He writes the scene he wants it to be but Abbie shows up at his door to talk to him. This time he welcomes her inside but she doesn't really feel like coming in. She's still excited to be in his script but she feels like he's going in a different direction. She wants this to be a romance or at least a romantic comedy. He explains that he doesn't have a concrete direction he wants the film to go in but he has several ideas. He tell's her about this dart board he's made that has a bunch of directions of where the film can go but all of this is a lie. He just wants to make this a film about her and him. He takes her romance idea however.

He starts writing again. He puts a character very similar to himself into the film. She realizes what he's doing and she blows him off. He tries again, with the same idea, and it doesn't work.

He then makes her fall in love with the actual screenwriter.
She's hypnotized into doing this and his heart just isn't in it. Kevin chimes in and talks about these stories where things don't really work out. How every time he manipulated a girl he felt horrible afterward. Every time he looks at her he's tortured by the fact that he's forced her into this.

She snaps her out of this. She becomes her old self and she knows what he's done. She leaves.

Now he can't write.
He thinks that Abbie was his best character and nothing he'll be able to do will be able to top her. He's lost the passion he got from his muse to write. He turns something into his teacher (how about people that never meet but they're in love with one another) and he says it's worse thing that he's ever written. He's going to have to repeat the class.

One night Abbie shows up with a script in her hands. One that she wrote. About a friend who bet away all of her friends earnings for him, this completely destroys her trust. She doesn't know how to end it and she suggests a collaboration. He sits down with her and apologizes. She doesn't want to hear it.

He suggests a happy ending.
She says, could you give these characters a happy ending knowing what the other one did?
"I don't know."
He gives it back.
She gives it back to him and just asks for him to read the script one more time.

End of the film

This could be my opener.

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