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Youth Market Week ??: Inspiration

So for our last class we’ve been tasked with coming up with a pitch for the sequel to Wall E.

In light of this we’re meant to discuss the thought process that occurred around our pitch, and our way to inspiration in general. For me, that is a really hard thing to explain.

Normally, I think of things in one of two ways.

The first is the simplest way which I think happens to most people at some point in their lives. You see something, experience something, hear something, or adversely DO NOT see, experience or here something and that immediately springs in to mind as an idea for a story. It can literally be something as small as being cold and wishing heaters could turn on by themselves (the original inspiration for a story I wrote in Year 3 called ‘The Evil Heater’) or something bigger and more literal, like your first love or your parents getting divorced. These are stories which you feel you need to tell because they have been a part of something that has happened to you. No matter how embellished or warped they become when you actually put them on paper, it is the central idea that stems from something you’ve experienced.

On the other hand, there is the other way of thinking of things - when it is a necessity to have an idea. This is a whole different ball game and the situation in which I found myself when brainstorming an idea for the second Wall E. Sometimes a writer has to sit down and think of something to write because it is imperative that they do in that situation. You have an assignment due, or a pitch to deliver, or an episode to write. It’s not a natural and unpredictable flow of inspiration - it’s a necessary one. These ideas are the hardest to mine, as often you will roll through hundreds of possibilities in your head which end up usually being plots to other movies or tv shows you’ve heard before. I find, by connecting yourself to the world of the story, and the characters and their motivations, you can often find what would be the most honest and true plot to deliver. It’s difficult, but I think it’s like any muscle, the more story you’re forced to create the better you are at creating it.

#screenwriting #vca

Youth Market Week Five: Freaks and Geeks

In choosing my favourite scene for Freaks and Geeks I was struggling. I haven’t seen every episode of the show, and those episodes I have seen didn’t have one sequence that leaped out at me as the one that defines the show (for me, at least).

I went back and watched a few iconic scenes from some of the episodes (Lindsay calling Eli a retard, her egging her brother by accident etc.) but nothing was really jumping out at me.

Then I started watching the next episode in the season I was yet to watch. And I figured it out straight away, for me what makes the strongest impression - is the intro.

It seems like a weird thing to find definitive of the series, but I just love it.

For a lot of teen shows, the intro is SO important. The OC’s use of ‘California’ has that song literally imprinted into my brain - and it tells me exactly what the show is about every time. Gossip Girl’s “And who am I? That’s one secret I’ll never tell. You know you love me... XOXO, Gossip Girl” comes up in general conversation way too much. I’m fairly certain it was my ringtone at one point. And the Freaks and Geeks intro is no exception to this memorable rule.

Using Joan Jett’s ‘Bad Reputation’ is the ultimate genius. That song gets stuck in your head like no other. It’s also entirely telling of the show. Everyone’s concern throughout so much of it - and a major concern of mine in high school - was how my reputation was perceived. Are they cool? Are they a nerd? Are they a rebel? It’s all so important as a teenager.

Introducing each character in their school photo scenario is funny but also really relatable. We see how they act towards that forced situation, which for some reason became a circumstance in which the cool kids could prove their rebelliousness by not smiling, or pulling a funny face, or having a weird hairstyle. Like honestly, who cares? (We did, though). To me that is something showing how in touch Paul Feig and Judd Apatow were with youth, they remembered the little things.

Most of all the intro is fun. It’s punchy and upbeat and kind of dorky which is what Freaks and Geeks brings home in the end. No one’s really that cool. Because at the end of the day everyone has to pose for their photo in high school.

#screenwriting #youth market #vca

vintagesaltbackup

Fight Club (dir. David Fincher, 1999)

Youth Market Week Four: Animation

Your thoughts on animation. What works for you, what doesn’t, its merits and drawbacks.

Since I was around 10 I’ve been super selective about the animation I watch. I think it’s because I was really invested in live action TV Shows really early (Lizzie McGuire and That’s So Raven were both obsessions before I turned 8, then came Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zac and Cody when I was around 10 and I never really looked back). So from that point animation sat on the back burner, I would only watch it if there was nothing else on so I think it made me stop appreciating it.

BUT if I did take the time to watch it, I was usually hooked, which was quite interesting. The three shows that I immediately loved were Kim Possible, Phineas and Ferb and The Simpsons. Thinking about these three particularly it makes sense why I liked them - they still dealt with themes that I was processing in live action, they just had a fun jingle at the start and the characters weren’t real people.

Putting that into a context of merits and drawbacks, particularly for me as a young girl, I can identify a couple of things that really worked and really didn’t.

The stuff that worked was these shows were quite often very funny, and funny in a wry way that I wasn’t used to (live action Disney tends to be the most overt, obvious humour on the planet). I genuinely think exposure to the Simpsons and Phineas and Ferb (along with Summer Heights High at a much too early age) helped to shape my sense of humour. They also offered a world that dealt with what I wanted to watch (”the firsts” as Meaghan would call it) while dressing it in something that could have a really high concept premise so the entertainment value was always there.

What deterred me from animation first and foremost was the fact it was animation. Most girls around 10 start to become attached to the idea of celebrities, recognising stars and being excited about seeing them on TV. Hilary Duff was my life for the better part of three years. I bought all her clothes, watched all her movies countless times, had all her albums - she was my hero. There’s none of that kind of connection in an animation, the only time you get something similar is when you find out one of your favourite Disney stars voices one of the characters (Ashley Tisdale voiced the big sister in Phineas and Ferb). The other downside to animation is that it’s not cool by that point. No one wants to admit they like cartoons when you’re in Year 5 and trying to be the most grown up legend. It’s for kids, or for dumb boys. Not cool, older seeming girls. Now that I’ve got over that I froth animation.

#animation #youth market #vca #screenwriting

Youth Market Week Three: First Ep Outline

I’m sorry that I put episode outlines together in such a hard to read way. It has to be written in a way I can understand and that’s just the unfortunate way my brain works. I also use the but and therefore method to make sure there’s actually tension, so that’s why that whole thing is going on.

Oh and I changed my idea. It’s now an animation aimed for around 6-10 year olds with 2x15 minute eps....

A children’s comedy, THE DEMON DOT, follows Jake, a typical Aussie 8 year old boy, and his friend from the underworld, Mort, as they try to live up to the task the devil has given them - wrangle the Demon Dot.

The Teacher

Mort and Jake sit next to each other looking at the demon dot in their maths workbook, they’re trying to figure out a place to store it so it doesn’t run away when they’re not looking. BUT Mrs Winkle sees them playing with it and thinks it’s a lolly THEREFORE she swallows it so they’re not distracted.

The boys are horrified and try to warn Miss Winkle BUT the bell sounds for recess and she disappears to a staff meeting THEREFORE they realise they have to go to the staff room to tell her before it’s too late.

It takes a lot of courage to knock on the staff room door BUT when they do Miss Winkle answers, her whole body has gone a weird shade of pink and she talks with a strange voice. THEREFORE Mort and Jake realise it’s too late to warn her, the demon dot has already possessed her. Her head does a 360 spin.

Back in class Miss Winkle is going crazy and scaring all the students. Jake and Mort are trying to calm her down BUT the demon dot has gone into full psycho mode, completely possessing Miss Winkle so she is scuttling along the roof. THEREFORE the boys try to run at her to squeeze the demon dot out, but she just sets her desk on fire so they can’t get close and the door on fire so they can’t leave.

They are feeling defeated while Miss Winkle continues to wreak havoc in the Year 3 classroom BUT the teacher next door knocks on the door asking to borrow a white board marker THEREFORE Miss Winkle goes back to being calm because the demon dot controls her.

The kids think it’s over BUT as soon as the teacher leaves she goes back to being psycho. THEREFORE Mort and Jake enlist the other kids in the class to hatch a plan, they have to throw her in the pool because the demon dot is scared of water.

Miss Winkle is trying to snap at the fish in the fish tank without touching the water BUT is surrounded by a ring of fire to protect herself. THEREFORE the most athletic kids backflip over the fire and wrap her in a tennis court net, restraining her while the other kids run in.

Miss Winkle writhes in the net while the kids all pick her up BUT she keeps setting fires to block them. THEREFORE Jake picks up the fish tank and thrusts her hands into it - making them unable to start fires.

The kids march through the school with a shrieking Miss Winkle on their shoulders.

The kids throw her in the swimming pool and after a huge bubbling steaming commotion the normal Miss Winkle emerges from the pool, wet and confused. BUT the demon dot tries to make a break for it, exhausted from being in the water it tries to swim into the vent THEREFORE Mort catches it with the pool cleaning net just before it can swim away. The boys put it in a little glass tube.

The Underwear

Jake and Mort are getting changed for house netball. They’re about to leave BUT Mort needs to borrow undies from Jake because he just split his down the middle. THEREFORE Mort stashes his old undies with the giant “MORT” written on the waist band in his locker.

The boys go to leave BUT Mort makes sure his locker is locked extra tight because the demon dot is inside THEREFORE they’re satisfied it can’t get out and they can leave.

Jake and Mort arrive at house netball BUT they’re playing a girls team THEREFORE making them think they’re going to win easily.

Meanwhile, Mort’s locker starts to shake and the lock undoes itself from inside. Mort’s underwear pop out, now pink, because they’ve been possessed by the demon dot.

The boys team line up to start netball and BUT see the girls team are all way taller than them. THEREFORE they freak out.

The underwear are running across the school, they jump into a sandpit where preps are playing and they all start crying because it is whisking sand up. BUT one of the teachers (Mr McKee) sees the name on the band and THEREFORE goes on the hunt for Mort by chasing the underwear.

The boys start playing netball thinking they might be able to win BUT the girls are a thousand times better than them THEREFORE they’re being completely thrashed

The underwear launches itself into a Year 4 art class, splashing paint everywhere BUT Mr McKee hot on it’s tail orders the other teacher (Mrs. Seafoam) to follow the underwear THEREFORE leading to a full scale chase.

It’s half time at netball and the boys are exhausted BUT the girls show no signs that they’ve moved a single step THEREFORE making the boys dread getting up for the next half even more

The underwear takes the stage at assembly, wrapping itself around the principles (Mrs Carmody’s) head. BUT Mr McKee and Mrs Seafoam are still running after it and take the stage too, getting in a full wrestling match with the underwear as it escapes Mrs Carmody’s head and continues to run off THEREFORE causing Mrs Carmody to order everyone to chase the underwear.

The boys are continuing to get thrashed in netball BUT see a huge stampede coming for them THEREFORE pausing the game and giving them a minute to breathe

The underwear is charging for the netball court with the huge crowd behind them

As they gets closer it becomes clear the stampede is chasing something, Mort’s underwear! BUT it is possessed by the demon dot THEREFORE launching Mort and Jake into full action mode

The underwear gets to the court and Mort and Jake try to grab it BUT all of the boys are too slow and can’t catch it THEREFORE the girls team stop it in it’s tracks by launching the ball to land perfectly right on it.

The ball hits the underwear causing the demon dot to fly out. The boys quickly get to the dot and grab it before anyone can see. The stampede, led by the principle tell Mort to get some new underwear.

#youth market #vca

Youth Market Week Two: Youth TV and Culture

Meaghan asked us what threw an angle on youth culture after her lecture on Friday. For me the sentence she said that resonated the most was “adults don’t get it”. I feel like I spend half my life telling my mum that the reason she doesn’t like something is that she doesn’t get it. Coming to the end of being a teenager I’m kind of relieved I won’t have to say that anymore, but kind of terrified that soon someone is going to be telling me that I don’t get it.

I won’t lie, I’m obsessed with being completely aware of what’s going on in pop culture 24/7. I pride myself in being able to relate to every single meme on the internet and know it’s origin. I don’t want to be of an age where I don’t get it anymore. That’s why youth culture, particularly teenage culture, is so important to me. I’m so involved and so connected to that part of the world that I never want to lose it. So I think writing about it will be pretty beneficial for me.

Another thing I picked up on and found really interesting was when Meaghan spoke about what European markets look for in Australian TV. I have a sort of weird experience with this through my mum, I remember her specifically tailoring a TV show pitch to the European market by making it extremely ‘beachy’ (set on the Gold Coast, young people in bathers running along the sand all the time). And it worked like a charm, particularly funding wise. It’s funny to think that if an idea is turned around to be appealing to a certain market it can be so much more profitable.

#youth market #vca #screenwriting

nobrashfestivity

Keika Hasegawa, Chrysanthemums, 1893, Wood Block Prints

Youth Market Week One: Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

First exercise... a very short pitch for a very half baked idea:

A new teen comedy, CREW, follows Jess (16) as she strives to make it to the intermediate firsts rowing team while navigating the intense politics and crazy girls dedicated to this seemingly prestigious sport.

Second exercise, the Marcia thing:

(to preface this my drawing is of a monsters head with spider legs wielding a gun and knife with words like ‘strength’ and ‘fight’ written around it)

Marcia is 8, described by most as a massive tomboy with an overactive imagination. She gets in trouble at school for being too physical but at the same time teachers love her for her creativity and quick wit. A gifted kid with a mind that goes a little too deep for her age.

#screenwriting #vca #youth market