I am creating a Trailer from the Character Profiles. I need to experience the Character Profile Interviews in a collage. Then I will resume the individual interview blogs For those of you who have yet to peruse the site, please navigate. I need your input.
THE DEN
AN INVITATION TO THE WORLD TO HELP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PARANORMAL FEATURE FILM SCRIPT
“THE DEN” Premise
I want The Den to be a surreal plot that conflicts unlikely characters both as hostages and captors who, in the end, will resolve, maybe, a construct for global peace.
THE “UNLIKELY CHARACTERS” – Meet the Cast:
I have researched with a certain reverence and fictionalized actual blogged and published accounts of a myriad of peace aid workers. For hostages, I chose 7 African American peace aid workers, 1 White mercenary and 1 White Documentarian and put them together in The Den.
Why the term “unlikely”? I took poetic license and created a posse of 9 hostages, 7 of which are African American. I mean, when was the last time you heard of an African American hostage?! We know that is not the international profile of a hostage no matter what the circumstances, unless they are very rich and/or famous. And even then, when was the last time you heard of any? And when was the last time you found two African women as warden and interrogator in a hostage community?
THE SETTING
The film begins on the hostages 45th day of captivity. Their warden; an African-Euro-American named, “Vana”. Their captor; an AFrian-Euro-American named, “Alitash”.
THE STORY
Nine Hostages are held somewhere in Africa. A Mercenary, Documentary Filmmaker, Griot, Medical Aid Worker, Diplomatic Courier, Refugee Resettlement Aid Worker, Infrastructure Aid Worker, War Correspondent and Traveller. Vana is their warden. Alitash is their interrogator. This is how far I have gotten. The script is in development.
I have decided to “interview” each character. The questions I select offers me the opportunity to have my characters negotiate their part, their say in how my plot will evolve. It’s a process that forces me to listen, discover their voices and have details revealed to me by the characters that guarantees authenticity and will never allow me to shove words in their mouths nor contrive behaviors that are merely plot driven.
The things they show and tell me, it’s really like magic.
YOUR HELP – View taped interviews and comment.
In the weeks to come, under the “Character Profiles” page, video blogs will accumulate of each character being interviewed. I have chosen this method of “interviewing” the characters in order to develop their profiles and to help guide me in the writing of the script. They are not meant to be part of the script. They are more of a consciousness exchange between me, the storyteller, and the hostages, the ones who journey.
Via the taped interviews I am sharing my plot ideas and possible progressions. I invite you to comment and share your thoughts and ideas. For, you see, the character profiles and the story outline . . .this is how far I have gotten.
Writing of the script will be through discovery and revelation via reader comments/feelings about the answers given by each character. I still need to know how this accord-thing that will be forged. What does Alitash have in mind for this group? Do the interrogations subsume death threats and torture?
How do I … responsibly … harness and proliferate the many, many innuendos and still wind up with a cohesive film?
GETTING STARTED (If you are joining my blog mid-stream, view the “Readers Guide” page to jumpstart yourself.)
1. VIEW “The Filmmakers Notes In Shorts” and tell me what you think.
2. READ and comment on the posts to follow under CHARACTER PROFILE SHORTS for each of the 7 questions posed to the 11 hostages. Every few days I will launch a new post that will include a character per question. Keep Up.
3. ALSO feel free to visit all the pages on the site for background.
So, get to crackin’ and be my muse.
DOWN THE ROAD
I welcome, thoughts, ideas, and, yes, development. Beyond input of readers I also welcome potential producers and financiers to join me in the making of The Den from script to screen.
Check out one of my premises in the short below.
The rest of my premises are on the FILMMAKER THOUGHTS IN SHORTS page.
The Den 