In 2012 I made an audio recording of a personal true story that happened in Mexico and many have enjoyed me tell over the years. I then took that audio recording a step further and revisited the locations in the story in September of 2012, started a screenplay version based on the true story and took some still photos of the places and some of the people I'd use if I actually made it into a movie.
I didn't get it completed on that trip, but I was close. So, I recently went back specifically to at least finish the screenplay I'd started. I found it easier to do so in Mexico with actual references and fewer everyday distractions, but I also enjoy spending time in Mexico anyway, so when I wasn't making simple edits to what I'd already written, as well as finishing up the screenplay... I shot some video clips using a small action camera that my wife got me as a Christmas gift.
I really only took the new action cam along because I wanted to play with some slo-motion and time-lapse video, but I figured I'd see if I could make sort of a loose comp/pre-movie trailer of the desert location to get a feel for how it might go with regard to high dust, and very rustic accommodation, etc. I also wanted to see how it'd go getting non-actors to read a bit of text I'd written and doing a few actions in front of the camera.
So, although the resulting video edit isn't really from what I'd actually shoot, I did get what I was after... ie. that given a small crew, a couple actors, a little dough for expenses, and some low-end cinema gear... I might actually be able to pull it off and have something watchable that some might find entertaining.
Now I'm at the point I need to decide if I'm going to let this just remain where it's at, and start something new, or pursue this one I'm calling Chupacabra further along the trail. What I don't know is if this story would actually be interesting to anyone other than me in cinematic format. I also don't know if what I wrote would be compelling enough for others to hold their attention for the length of a movie.
It may very well be something that should just remain an oral story I tell over campfires every now and then.
What I would like is is anyone is interested in reading a PDF of what I wrote, and letting me know if 1. "This story doesn't do much for me, not my thing." OR 2. "I really liked this story and would totally be interested in seeing it come alive on the screen." Letting me know why you like or don't like the story would be nice, but just getting a simple yes or no with regard to your interest would be great. :)
If you've never read a screenplay, they don't read like a book. Its really just some instructions for how the story is told on the screen. There are descriptions of where shots take place, ie. EXT DESERT - DAY means exterior shot in the desert during the day. There are simple character/location descriptions, what the characters say, and necessary props are upper case as well as special shots or music cues.
In short, if you've never read a script before, and even if you have, they're not so easy to follow and a little cryptic unless you're familiar with the format. There are also drug references in the story, so if that sort of thing offends, you might not want to waste your time reading.
If you're familiar with the format AND have an interest in reading what I wrote AND giving me a basic reply soon of whether you'd like to see it on the screen or if it really didn't tickle your fancy, please drop me a message and let me know if you'd like to read the 139-page PDF.
I posted this before, but here it is on Vimeo below and Flickr HERE Again, this is just a concept video made from a little camera that only has wide-angle coverage and has everything in focus from about a foot to infinity. It's not what you would typically make a narrative movie with, but it's what I had with me at the time, and thought it'd be fun to make something to test the location with. Nothing more.
Here's a link to more info I've gathered on trying to do this independently, some location shots, etc., if anyone is interested.
