Generating Concepts

EXERCISE – Generating Concepts

Experiment with the different ‘ways-in’ to ideas.

Can you think of a fantastic ‘what if’ to base a film on?

Idea First - what if a girl mechanic living in a pirates den fell in love with the cyborg she was mysteriously employed to repair?

what if a detective who is supposed to be cracking down on illegal street racing fell in love with it instead?

Can you think of a unique, odd or engrossing character?

Character First - my core heroes (Caton, Zahara, Moscow). Need idealistic protagonist with hurt past, he/she wants to make the world a better place/fight injustice/seek redemption for what was lost. Strong female core also important. And wiser, older "mentor" can also be a source of comedic relief and gives lesson of not taking life too seriously.

Can you think of a setting which hasn’t been used before, or one which is full of conflict?

Setting First - must be places I'm familiar with and can describe easily (Nevadan wasteland, Silicon Valley, Almaden, Davis, China)

Maybe beginning with a lighthearted adventure story that traverses fantasy world that mirrors these places? Settings can seem good or bad but heroes discover value in every place and culture they visit...after helping them solve crime/injustice/etc.!

Can you think of a theme which resonates with you – maybe even a social issue?

Topic, Theme or Emotion First - societal issues tugging at my heart

• class warfare: human greed, secularism creates fear and mistrust, people are suspicious, cruel and hateful because of fear, a tale of two cities, rich get richer poor left to fight for the scraps
• feminism: its not just gender inequality, its sexual violence and exploitation, its systemic. A generation of broken women and girls in the hands of society and non-present (or even abusive) fathers and male figures
• racism: again it all comes from fear and mistrust of what/who you don't know or understand. people assume and stereotype others, but its all just a shell to protect ourselves & defend our biases. It's systemic & terrible (eg. black woman arrested and sent to psych ward because racist police and drs could not believe a black woman could have a good banking job and pay for her own BMW)

Try to develop a short paragraph idea for a film from a different starting point. Don’t worry about how ‘good’ your ideas are at this stage – the aim is to be freely creative and explore your imagination and story possibilities. 

Robotic limbs are not always necessary if you have all of your arms and legs, but as Silver Pete so wisely recommends, it's really up to you if you want to upgrade matey! Sometimes you get your leg chopped off in a sword fight and sometimes you don't. And it's all a very bloody, painful affair, he allows, but at least you're not stuck with a stinkin' peg for the rest of your life haha! Well at least not since Miss Silver came to Port Wale Blubber that is! She's a prosthetic mechanic you see and a damn good one. Well you know how pirates are...you don't really need to give them a reason to get MORE violent and rowdy than they are, but Miss Silver did just that and got a great laugh out of it too!

Now you see, nobody and I mean nobody makes them quite like her. If you got the gold dubloons for them expensive parts, she can attach anything you can dream of on that new titanium appendage of yours! People sure do stay away from Surly Curly after he replaced his rusty old hook with a 28-inch chainsaw... not that they didn't avoid him before, haha! 

Now the story that I want to tell you is all about our little pirates cove christened Wale Blubber and how we really turned things around. 

Wearing another pair of shoes

Forgiveness is something I really struggle with.  It's easy to extend grace to a good person.  An honest mistake, hurtful words in the heat of the moment, followed by a sincere apology.  It is painful in the moment, but the healing is straightforward and reconciliation is easy.  You accept and move on.  But what about those people who despise you, disregard your feelings and make you feel worthless? They offer no remorse or apology, and they think they are right. And suddenly forgiveness seems impossible.  The angry feelings get knotted inside and the never ending thoughts of doubt -- what did I do wrong? how could they have said/done those things to me? And then the back and forth between feeling bitter and trying to block out the hurtful memory from your mind. But today, I think I felt a slight inkling of the answer.

I have been mad at my dad for a long time.  His love for me is very conditional and I often think he only cares about me when it feels good to care about me, so long as it does not inconvenience or make him feel bad in any way.  When I misbehave or disobey, when things are not the way he wants, suddenly I become a tumor that can be cut away easily.  He pours out his anger as if he is the only one who matters. He cuts me with his words and break connections with physical and emotional distance.  There was no money to give when he was poor, just like there is no love to give when he is angry.  

Today, my mom told me I need to be understanding of him.  Of course, this surprised me to an extent, because she had always been very mad at my dad since their divorce.  An endless back and forth between bitterness and trying to forget.  It was a long journey, but it seems like she was finally able to let go of some of what he did to her.  It seems that the first step to truly forgiving the self-satisfied turds in your life is to put yourself in their shoes.

(According to my mom) My dad grew up very very poor, to the point where he almost never had enough to eat and didn't even have enough money for a pair of shoes in winter.  His feet were always blistered and cold, and he had to fight/take from his own family members to get enough to eat.  Because his parents were weak and sickly, the people in his village would steal and bully his family. In short, he grew up in an environment where sympathy for others and emotions were a luxury he could not afford.  Selfishness in every sense was necessary for survival.  

Now, when I imagine what it must have been like to grow up like that -- a little baby version of my dad not having enough to eat, a skinny child getting out-muscled by his older siblings in a mad scramble for food, and a tiny heart already starting to harden against others.  A shell of selfishness growing around him, his only protection from the harsh world and the people who mistreat him.  I put myself in his shoes today and I could only feel sadness and pity.  And perhaps, an inkling of empathy as well?  

Now I am not saying I forgive him, or that I am okay with the way he treats me.  I may still be far from arriving at that place.  But maybe today I made a stride towards understanding.  The first step of many... towards letting go and forgiveness.  I wore his shoes and it evaporated my anger.  If only just for an afternoon.