((Claire Monaghan continued from We Have a Hulk. Your Argument is Invalid))
Okay, is this enough for the story?
Claire was lying on one of the benches in the Student Center, lying on her back and resting her head on her backpack. It was lunch time, and Claire decided to spend her time in the Student Center. Having already wolfed down her sandwich and iced coffee, she decided to use the time to work on the plans for her next film, Corral. She was still in the planning stages of the film, and figured the time would be better if she tried to work on plot details. She held a notebook in her hands and looked over the notes she made.
Characters: Helen, Charlie, Rhoda, Eli, Donna, Allen, Bryan, and Melanie.
Story: Helen returns from the Peace Corps to a small party on her family farm. Bringing her friend Melanie, she reconnects with her mother (Rhoda), stepfather (Charlie), brother (Eli), future sister-in-law (Donna), uncle (Allen), and cousin (Bryan). While there, Rhoda mentions how the farm is in danger of being foreclosed, calling it an obstruction of justice. Everyone at the party has wild ideas on whether to sell or not, and the nature of fairness and justice. This brings to light issues with their relationships and how they all feel.
Claire looked at the outline she had. For some reason she felt it was a little weak. She and Jessica originally planned this as a thriller, but it sounded like a boring family drama.
Perhaps I need some stakes. It would be silly if there was suddenly a serial killer in the midst, especially since it would mean that a lot of the characters would have the same motivation. Melanie doesn't even have motive to kill them. Perhaps someone is trying to frame them for killing so they can get the farm. Okay, hierarchy. Let's see how this would play out in inheritance terms.
Claire began to sketch a family tree on the paper. Once completed, she looked over the diagram.
"Well, either I make this a family issue, or I seriously tweak it," she muttered to herself. "Better plan character stuff first."
Claire began to write again, hoping she could figure out how everyone in the cast worked before she wrote their story.
Adapting The Orchid Thief
((Gray Emerson continued from After the Battle))
Gray walked into the Student Center while dabbing at his elbow with a piece of toilet paper that was becoming more and more red. He'd been trying to grind down a rail he'd found, but had ended up bailing and gashing his elbow on the edge of one of the stairs. He was fairly sure it was the same set of stairs he had tried to jump down on Halloween, but he couldn't be sure. But if it was the same set of stairs they were really kicking his ass. He'd decided to spend the rest of lunch in the Student Center because he was much less likely to hurt himself in it and because he wanted to hang out with someone and there were always people in the Student Center. Gray hadn't eaten in the Cafeteria at lunch since he had started the food fight and he thought that it was for the best. He wasn't 100% sure the whole incident had blown over but he doubted it had. So until it had he was avoiding the cafeteria.
He couldn't see anyone he knew at first but as he moved closer to one of the benches he spotted Claire Monaghan lying across it. Gray had known Claire since they had been children as she was one of a group of friends that had all grown up together. It was funny how they had all ended up going to Aurora, but at the same time it made sense since they all practically lived on the same block. So it only made sense they all ended up at the same school.
Claire was one of the louder personalities of the group but it wasn't a bad thing, since she was interesting and fun and wasn't obnoxious. Her main interest was film making and she always seemed to be either writing, filming or editing something. It was an interesting hobby but Gray preferred to watch movies and just enjoy them and he had a feeling that once you started to make movies you also started to dissect every other movie you watched. She also offered her film making expertise to other students and friends, as long as they paid for the costs. Gray had always thought about asking her to help him make a demo tape so he could send it off to sponsors, but he always ended up forgetting about it. Plus he was regularly involved in competitions anyway, so it wasn't urgent. Claire hadn't spotted him so he moved up to the back of the bench before greeting her.
"Hey Claire, what you up too?"
Gray walked into the Student Center while dabbing at his elbow with a piece of toilet paper that was becoming more and more red. He'd been trying to grind down a rail he'd found, but had ended up bailing and gashing his elbow on the edge of one of the stairs. He was fairly sure it was the same set of stairs he had tried to jump down on Halloween, but he couldn't be sure. But if it was the same set of stairs they were really kicking his ass. He'd decided to spend the rest of lunch in the Student Center because he was much less likely to hurt himself in it and because he wanted to hang out with someone and there were always people in the Student Center. Gray hadn't eaten in the Cafeteria at lunch since he had started the food fight and he thought that it was for the best. He wasn't 100% sure the whole incident had blown over but he doubted it had. So until it had he was avoiding the cafeteria.
He couldn't see anyone he knew at first but as he moved closer to one of the benches he spotted Claire Monaghan lying across it. Gray had known Claire since they had been children as she was one of a group of friends that had all grown up together. It was funny how they had all ended up going to Aurora, but at the same time it made sense since they all practically lived on the same block. So it only made sense they all ended up at the same school.
Claire was one of the louder personalities of the group but it wasn't a bad thing, since she was interesting and fun and wasn't obnoxious. Her main interest was film making and she always seemed to be either writing, filming or editing something. It was an interesting hobby but Gray preferred to watch movies and just enjoy them and he had a feeling that once you started to make movies you also started to dissect every other movie you watched. She also offered her film making expertise to other students and friends, as long as they paid for the costs. Gray had always thought about asking her to help him make a demo tape so he could send it off to sponsors, but he always ended up forgetting about it. Plus he was regularly involved in competitions anyway, so it wasn't urgent. Claire hadn't spotted him so he moved up to the back of the bench before greeting her.
"Hey Claire, what you up too?"
Okay, if I am going to do a family story, what are some really good family stories? Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Umineko, House of the Spirits, One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Host. Now, how do I make a story on a farm like those? Jeez, I might have to go the surreal route. Perhaps there is an injustice at the farm, and it causes everyone to go mad. That might-
Hey Claire, what you up too?
"Huh?"
Claire turned and saw Gray approaching her. She smirked. Gray was a good friend of hers, one she had known for years. He lived a life of danger, at least as dangerous as skateboarding could be, and Claire thought it was pretty cool.
"Oh, hey Gray"
Claire lifted her back off the bench and quickly turned her body to face Gray.
"Not much. Just felt like relaxing on my lunch break. Get away from the big crowds, maybe get some ideas for my next screenplay."
That's when Claire realized that Gray was choosing to eat lunch outside the cafeteria like her. She wasn't in the cafeteria the day of the food fight (she was lying on a Student Center bench reading for English class), but she saw enough of the fallout to know what happened. Adonis Asshole had to hit on Rachael from newspaper club, and the intervention of Kyran and Gray led to some blood and spilled milk. Now Kyran and Asshole wouldn't be going to Prom, and she heard Gray had to clean the entire athletic fields as punishment.
Still, she was assuming he was avoiding the cafeteria. He could have his own reasons, and she ought to react casually.
"How's it going?"
Hey Claire, what you up too?
"Huh?"
Claire turned and saw Gray approaching her. She smirked. Gray was a good friend of hers, one she had known for years. He lived a life of danger, at least as dangerous as skateboarding could be, and Claire thought it was pretty cool.
"Oh, hey Gray"
Claire lifted her back off the bench and quickly turned her body to face Gray.
"Not much. Just felt like relaxing on my lunch break. Get away from the big crowds, maybe get some ideas for my next screenplay."
That's when Claire realized that Gray was choosing to eat lunch outside the cafeteria like her. She wasn't in the cafeteria the day of the food fight (she was lying on a Student Center bench reading for English class), but she saw enough of the fallout to know what happened. Adonis Asshole had to hit on Rachael from newspaper club, and the intervention of Kyran and Gray led to some blood and spilled milk. Now Kyran and Asshole wouldn't be going to Prom, and she heard Gray had to clean the entire athletic fields as punishment.
Still, she was assuming he was avoiding the cafeteria. He could have his own reasons, and she ought to react casually.
"How's it going?"
It was good to have friends that you could just start talking to and it would feel like no time had passed since the last conversation you had with them. That was what it felt like whenever Gray talked to one of his old friends, since they had all grown up together they were almost like another family in some respects. They all looked out for one another because they'd been there for each other through everything. That was why Gray found it funny that they'd all ended up at Aurora, nothing seemed to be able to separate them. Then again they did all practically live on the same block so it only made sense to go to Aurora.
Claire returned his greeting and then explained that she was in the Student Center so that she could relax and escape from the big crowds of the cafeteria. It made sense since it was impossible to relax in the cafeteria since there was always a big crowd and that meant it was always incredibly noisy, there was also the potential for some drama to happen at any time. Gray had found that one out first hand. He couldn't imagine trying to do anything creative in the cafeteria, it just didn't seem like the right place to do anything requiring imagination; it was probably better than the math hall though.
Claire mentioned that she was thinking of ideas for her a screenplay, she always seemed to be doing that but then Gray always seemed to be doing something related to skateboarding or snowboarding so he was in no position to comment. She was passionate though and that was something Gray related to easily. Passion for his hobbies was all Gray had, since you'd never get better at them without practice and the learning process involved in skateboarding was a painful one. You only get better by doing tricks you found challenging, but that also meant you risked bailing and that was always where injuries occurred. Everyone had probably seen a video on the internet of someone attempting a big jump only to slam into the concrete; or the more popular videos of people attempting to grind rails only to fall on them. 9 out of 10 times it could be attributed to someone not properly knowing what they were doing or attempting a trick they'd never be able to complete. It happened all the time because anyone who wanted to be a professional skateboarder made demo tapes of them doing cool tricks and landing big jumps. The idea being you sent the tape to a sponsor to impress them with your skill and then they in turn would agree to sponsor you, however people always seemed to forget that sponsor's liked to sponsor winners. It was cool if someone could do an impressive trick like a Christ Air but if they weren't winning competitions the sponsors wouldn't want to spend money on them. That was why Gray's demo tape was out of date, at least that was the excuse he used.
Claire then asked him how it was going. "Not too bad. I did bail earlier though." Gray said, holding up his elbow to show what he meant. He dropped his bag next to the bench and climbed over the back of it to sit down. "I'm avoiding the cafeteria though. I don't think the staff have forgiven me yet. Not that I blame them." Gray didn't think about the food fight too much. It was more what had happened at the end of the day that had bothered him most. He hadn't told anyone though; he preferred to keep it to himself. No one else needed to know what Andi had said and he didn't want to bog anyone down with his problems, it wasn't fair on them. "Anyway, what's the screenplay about?" He asked as he opened his bag and tried to locate the sausage roll and Pepsi he had bought when he was off campus. He knew whatever Claire had been thinking about was bound to be interesting, that was why he liked talking to her; she always had something interesting to say.
Claire returned his greeting and then explained that she was in the Student Center so that she could relax and escape from the big crowds of the cafeteria. It made sense since it was impossible to relax in the cafeteria since there was always a big crowd and that meant it was always incredibly noisy, there was also the potential for some drama to happen at any time. Gray had found that one out first hand. He couldn't imagine trying to do anything creative in the cafeteria, it just didn't seem like the right place to do anything requiring imagination; it was probably better than the math hall though.
Claire mentioned that she was thinking of ideas for her a screenplay, she always seemed to be doing that but then Gray always seemed to be doing something related to skateboarding or snowboarding so he was in no position to comment. She was passionate though and that was something Gray related to easily. Passion for his hobbies was all Gray had, since you'd never get better at them without practice and the learning process involved in skateboarding was a painful one. You only get better by doing tricks you found challenging, but that also meant you risked bailing and that was always where injuries occurred. Everyone had probably seen a video on the internet of someone attempting a big jump only to slam into the concrete; or the more popular videos of people attempting to grind rails only to fall on them. 9 out of 10 times it could be attributed to someone not properly knowing what they were doing or attempting a trick they'd never be able to complete. It happened all the time because anyone who wanted to be a professional skateboarder made demo tapes of them doing cool tricks and landing big jumps. The idea being you sent the tape to a sponsor to impress them with your skill and then they in turn would agree to sponsor you, however people always seemed to forget that sponsor's liked to sponsor winners. It was cool if someone could do an impressive trick like a Christ Air but if they weren't winning competitions the sponsors wouldn't want to spend money on them. That was why Gray's demo tape was out of date, at least that was the excuse he used.
Claire then asked him how it was going. "Not too bad. I did bail earlier though." Gray said, holding up his elbow to show what he meant. He dropped his bag next to the bench and climbed over the back of it to sit down. "I'm avoiding the cafeteria though. I don't think the staff have forgiven me yet. Not that I blame them." Gray didn't think about the food fight too much. It was more what had happened at the end of the day that had bothered him most. He hadn't told anyone though; he preferred to keep it to himself. No one else needed to know what Andi had said and he didn't want to bog anyone down with his problems, it wasn't fair on them. "Anyway, what's the screenplay about?" He asked as he opened his bag and tried to locate the sausage roll and Pepsi he had bought when he was off campus. He knew whatever Claire had been thinking about was bound to be interesting, that was why he liked talking to her; she always had something interesting to say.
Not too bad. I did bail earlier though.
Gray held his elbow up to Claire. Claire winced a bit. Although she had known Gray for years and was accustomed to seeing him take a tumble on his skateboard, she still had trouble looking at the wounds every now and then. He was always able to get back up and brush it off, which was always a good thing. It at least meant he hadn't died yet.
Gray sat down on the bench next to her. Just as Claire suspected, he was avoiding the cafeteria. He probably earned the scorn of the entire janitorial staff and needed to steer clear of them for a while. Most likely, his yearbook picture graced a dartboard in the supply closet, so he might as well take a break in the student center with her.
He then asked about the screenplay. Claire let out a nervous laugh.
"Well, it's not much of a screenplay yet. I'm still in some rough stages, but I have an idea of what kind of film I want to make. I can at least give you an idea of what Jessica and I have come up with."
Claire began to flip through the papers in her hand.
"Okay, so the film is set entirely in a southwestern corral. There are a bunch of characters gathered there, I still haven't decided why. I'm trying to make it a thriller of some sort, and with a theme of the failings of justice. So, yeah, what can you make of that?"
Gray held his elbow up to Claire. Claire winced a bit. Although she had known Gray for years and was accustomed to seeing him take a tumble on his skateboard, she still had trouble looking at the wounds every now and then. He was always able to get back up and brush it off, which was always a good thing. It at least meant he hadn't died yet.
Gray sat down on the bench next to her. Just as Claire suspected, he was avoiding the cafeteria. He probably earned the scorn of the entire janitorial staff and needed to steer clear of them for a while. Most likely, his yearbook picture graced a dartboard in the supply closet, so he might as well take a break in the student center with her.
He then asked about the screenplay. Claire let out a nervous laugh.
"Well, it's not much of a screenplay yet. I'm still in some rough stages, but I have an idea of what kind of film I want to make. I can at least give you an idea of what Jessica and I have come up with."
Claire began to flip through the papers in her hand.
"Okay, so the film is set entirely in a southwestern corral. There are a bunch of characters gathered there, I still haven't decided why. I'm trying to make it a thriller of some sort, and with a theme of the failings of justice. So, yeah, what can you make of that?"
Claire explained to Gray how the screenplay she had mentioned wasn't actually a screenplay, more an idea she had been toying with. She only had a basic idea of what she wanted. Gray didn't know whether that was a bad thing or not but he thought it was alright to not be 100% sure when you were only thinking of ideas. From what Claire had told him, he knew she wanted it to be a thriller and have a theme of failing justice. Gray didn't exactly consider himself the most creative person when it came to things like books or movies; if you gave him a skateboard and told him to link a couple of tricks together over some ramps and a railing he was sure he'd be able to do it and make it look good. He didn't feel the same about movies, but since Claire was his friend he felt like he needed to try and give her some ideas. If she didn't like them that was fine by him, if she ended up using it that was fine too.
Gray didn't think too much about what Claire had told him. If he did he felt he'd start thinking of other movies that had been about a similar theme. Then again Gray had never examined a movie before to see what its theme was or what message it was trying to convey. He knew many movies that had messages in them, but they were never something he went looking for when he watched a movie. He preferred just watching a movie to enjoy himself and turn of his brain but he knew people who liked to analysis the messages and themes of movies. One of them was Claire for example; it was just something Gray himself never really did.
He adjusted his beanie before speaking. "How about something valuable to the family has been stolen and they all start to suspect each other, or one of the family members is murdered...and they all start to suspect each other. Those are pretty similar actually." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Um...The family could be isolated from the outside world by a storm and someone's been murdered. So they all suspect each other. They try waiting for the storm to break, and become more paranoid and try to find out who committed the murder." When Gray thought about them, his ideas sucked, for a start it was the same idea repeated twice. That wasn't helpful by itself. "Maybe they start out with good intentions but end up tearing the family apart. I dunno I'm not that good at this." At least he'd given one good idea. Now it was just up to Claire to try and make sense of what he'd said.
Gray didn't think too much about what Claire had told him. If he did he felt he'd start thinking of other movies that had been about a similar theme. Then again Gray had never examined a movie before to see what its theme was or what message it was trying to convey. He knew many movies that had messages in them, but they were never something he went looking for when he watched a movie. He preferred just watching a movie to enjoy himself and turn of his brain but he knew people who liked to analysis the messages and themes of movies. One of them was Claire for example; it was just something Gray himself never really did.
He adjusted his beanie before speaking. "How about something valuable to the family has been stolen and they all start to suspect each other, or one of the family members is murdered...and they all start to suspect each other. Those are pretty similar actually." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Um...The family could be isolated from the outside world by a storm and someone's been murdered. So they all suspect each other. They try waiting for the storm to break, and become more paranoid and try to find out who committed the murder." When Gray thought about them, his ideas sucked, for a start it was the same idea repeated twice. That wasn't helpful by itself. "Maybe they start out with good intentions but end up tearing the family apart. I dunno I'm not that good at this." At least he'd given one good idea. Now it was just up to Claire to try and make sense of what he'd said.
Claire listened as Gray voiced his ideas. In her opinion, they were pretty obvious choices. Most of his ideas sounded like Agatha Christie stories, particularly And Then There Were None, what with his discussion of storms trapping them and the family members becoming more paranoid as they all begin to die. Claire didn't blame Gray for leaping towards those ideas though. Christie did create most of the tropes that are associated with thrillers and mysteries, so it would be obvious that he might throw the plot contrived hurricane as an idea.
"Well, those are nice," Claire began, "although I feel they are a bit tired, like every mystery writer tries to do these kinds of stories. I'm all for deconstruction though. Perhaps the justice failing is that one family member got off a for a crime, although some family members still think he or she is guilty. Perhaps the drama comes from a sort of schism erupting and destroying the family."
Claire began to write some notes on her paper.
"Ooh, maybe the side that thinks the criminal member should be in jail tries to plan a crime in order to frame him to go to prison. Maybe they find a person on the other side to kill, one who the criminal would likely kill. Maybe we see two sides, one side the side of the family that is fine with the criminal being back and trying to get their lives back in order, and the other side that is planning a crime."
Claire patted Gray on the shoulder.
"Gray Emerson, you might have just helped me figure out how I'm going to write this."
"Well, those are nice," Claire began, "although I feel they are a bit tired, like every mystery writer tries to do these kinds of stories. I'm all for deconstruction though. Perhaps the justice failing is that one family member got off a for a crime, although some family members still think he or she is guilty. Perhaps the drama comes from a sort of schism erupting and destroying the family."
Claire began to write some notes on her paper.
"Ooh, maybe the side that thinks the criminal member should be in jail tries to plan a crime in order to frame him to go to prison. Maybe they find a person on the other side to kill, one who the criminal would likely kill. Maybe we see two sides, one side the side of the family that is fine with the criminal being back and trying to get their lives back in order, and the other side that is planning a crime."
Claire patted Gray on the shoulder.
"Gray Emerson, you might have just helped me figure out how I'm going to write this."
Claire patiently listened to his idea and then it was up to her to get something she could work with out of it when he was finished. If anyone could get something out of what Gray had said it would have been Claire. She had a good mind for ideas. She seemed to be able to take a couple of words and make a fully-fledged story out of it. Gray didn't know how she managed to do it but he assumed it was something to do with the amount of movies she watched, it probably helped that she must have seen many different ways of doing a similar movie.
Claire started her response by complimenting the ideas Gray had given before then explaining how the ideas were overused within the style of story she was trying to tell. It would've made sense if she didn't want to use any of Gray's ideas but then she said something about a deconstruction and then she was off brainstorming ideas. If Gray hadn't known Claire for so long he probably would've had a hard time keeping up, because the ideas were pouring out of her. It was funny how Claire was able to do that. She'd taken an old idea and put a new spin on it. At least as far a Gray was concerned she'd put a new spin on it. He didn't know enough movies to properly judge if it was an original idea, but he hadn't seen a movie with a similar storyline. It definitely fit the theme she had mentioned and it could easily be a thriller.
Claire then patted him on the shoulder and said how he may have helped her figure out how she was going to write the screenplay. It felt good to have helped a friend, even if it wasn't something major he had helped Claire with. He pulled the Pepsi can out of his bag and opened it before taking a sip. He thought about how easy it had been for Claire to ask his help, granted it wasn't exactly that big a deal but he'd needed a new demo tape for a while and Claire loved to make movies. Gray decided to man up and ask Claire if she could help him.
"Hey Claire, I was wondering if you'd be able to help me make a demo tape." 'Cause my current one is really out of date and I suck at filming things." Well he'd thrown it out. Now he just had to wait and see what her response would be.
Claire started her response by complimenting the ideas Gray had given before then explaining how the ideas were overused within the style of story she was trying to tell. It would've made sense if she didn't want to use any of Gray's ideas but then she said something about a deconstruction and then she was off brainstorming ideas. If Gray hadn't known Claire for so long he probably would've had a hard time keeping up, because the ideas were pouring out of her. It was funny how Claire was able to do that. She'd taken an old idea and put a new spin on it. At least as far a Gray was concerned she'd put a new spin on it. He didn't know enough movies to properly judge if it was an original idea, but he hadn't seen a movie with a similar storyline. It definitely fit the theme she had mentioned and it could easily be a thriller.
Claire then patted him on the shoulder and said how he may have helped her figure out how she was going to write the screenplay. It felt good to have helped a friend, even if it wasn't something major he had helped Claire with. He pulled the Pepsi can out of his bag and opened it before taking a sip. He thought about how easy it had been for Claire to ask his help, granted it wasn't exactly that big a deal but he'd needed a new demo tape for a while and Claire loved to make movies. Gray decided to man up and ask Claire if she could help him.
"Hey Claire, I was wondering if you'd be able to help me make a demo tape." 'Cause my current one is really out of date and I suck at filming things." Well he'd thrown it out. Now he just had to wait and see what her response would be.
It was amazing. Now that Gray had led to this new idea, Claire could feel the possibilities flood into her mind. She began to scribble on her paper, trying to figure out how best to plan it out.
For starters, the sides. Rhoda could be the "criminal", since then Allen and Bryan could be on the "kill her side" and have motive. Helen, Charlie, and Eli could be on Rhoda's side, unaware of what they are planning. Donna could work as the first victim, since they could claim Rhoda doesn't want her son to marry this woman. Melanie could be made to work with Allen and Bryan as well, just so she has a part. Or Melanie is now a family member who wants Rhoda in jail.
"Yeah, I can work with this," she mentioned to Gray.
Gray took a sip from his Pepsi.
Hey Claire, I was wondering if you'd be able to help me make a demo tape.
Claire paused in her writing.
"A demo tape? That's a video skaters make to try and get sponsors, right?"
She tapped her pen against her chin.
"I should be able to do that. I won't charge you for it since you are my friend, but I'm sure I can do something. I haven't done anything action-y in a while, and this can allow for some awesome work with editing and video effects."
"So, any ideas for it?"
For starters, the sides. Rhoda could be the "criminal", since then Allen and Bryan could be on the "kill her side" and have motive. Helen, Charlie, and Eli could be on Rhoda's side, unaware of what they are planning. Donna could work as the first victim, since they could claim Rhoda doesn't want her son to marry this woman. Melanie could be made to work with Allen and Bryan as well, just so she has a part. Or Melanie is now a family member who wants Rhoda in jail.
"Yeah, I can work with this," she mentioned to Gray.
Gray took a sip from his Pepsi.
Hey Claire, I was wondering if you'd be able to help me make a demo tape.
Claire paused in her writing.
"A demo tape? That's a video skaters make to try and get sponsors, right?"
She tapped her pen against her chin.
"I should be able to do that. I won't charge you for it since you are my friend, but I'm sure I can do something. I haven't done anything action-y in a while, and this can allow for some awesome work with editing and video effects."
"So, any ideas for it?"
Claire questioned what a demo tape was but Gray figured it was probably a rhetorical question. He glanced over at Claire to see what her reaction to his question was, she tapping her pen on her chin and seemed to be thinking about it. Then she gave him her answer.
"I should be able to do that. I won't charge you for it since you are my friend, but I'm sure I can do something. I haven't done anything action-y in a while, and this can allow for some awesome work with editing and video effects."
All in all it went better than expected, she wasn't going to charge him for it, although Gray still thought he would at least buy her something to eat or just give her some money anyway, it didn't seem right having a friend do it all for him for nothing. His job was easiest, just land the tricks consistently so that Claire could get the shots. Claire was the one who'd have to film it, sort out the shots, edit it together, and add effects. Granted it was a hobby of Claire's and she liked doing it, but it still it probably took a lot of time. Then she asked him if he had any ideas, Gray didn't really want to say he'd asked without having any ideas, so he quickly thought up something based on what some other skaters had been talking about.
"Well Jefferson Park re-opened a couple of months ago. We could head down there, I know there's a good spot to get some footage of grinds and I think there's a couple of verts there." Gray then realised he didn't remember how far away Jefferson Park actually was from where they lived...that had the potential to be an issue. Gray didn't dwell on it though. "Then we can just get some footage from around town, I know some good places. I just need some time to get something looking like a plan together."
That was good enough for ideas, a trip to a proper skate park would be essential though, that way Gray would be able to show he was able to perform in both environments. Plus it would stop the demo tape just being grind, after grind, after grind, after grind. After all there was only so much you could do with a set of stairs.
"I should be able to do that. I won't charge you for it since you are my friend, but I'm sure I can do something. I haven't done anything action-y in a while, and this can allow for some awesome work with editing and video effects."
All in all it went better than expected, she wasn't going to charge him for it, although Gray still thought he would at least buy her something to eat or just give her some money anyway, it didn't seem right having a friend do it all for him for nothing. His job was easiest, just land the tricks consistently so that Claire could get the shots. Claire was the one who'd have to film it, sort out the shots, edit it together, and add effects. Granted it was a hobby of Claire's and she liked doing it, but it still it probably took a lot of time. Then she asked him if he had any ideas, Gray didn't really want to say he'd asked without having any ideas, so he quickly thought up something based on what some other skaters had been talking about.
"Well Jefferson Park re-opened a couple of months ago. We could head down there, I know there's a good spot to get some footage of grinds and I think there's a couple of verts there." Gray then realised he didn't remember how far away Jefferson Park actually was from where they lived...that had the potential to be an issue. Gray didn't dwell on it though. "Then we can just get some footage from around town, I know some good places. I just need some time to get something looking like a plan together."
That was good enough for ideas, a trip to a proper skate park would be essential though, that way Gray would be able to show he was able to perform in both environments. Plus it would stop the demo tape just being grind, after grind, after grind, after grind. After all there was only so much you could do with a set of stairs.
Claire listened as Gray began to describe ideas he had for the demo tape. For the most part, he seemed to have rough ideas on the type of stunts he wanted to do. Claire didn't know a whole lot about skateboarding, but she figured that all he really wanted was to show his ability to grind and do tricks on ramps and half pipes.
Overall, it sounded like they would just have to move around Seattle and film Gray doing different types of stunts.
"Alright, this sounds easy to do. Part of me feels like we should add something creative to it. I mean, I can do some creative stuff with music and editing, but perhaps it should be more than just footage of you skating around."
"For example, I'm guessing an extreme athlete needs some kind of character to stand out and develop a fan base. Perhaps we should include narration detailing who you are and why you skate. We could probably record something like that and lay it over the footage."
"How is this all sounding? I feel like I might be viewing this as outside the demo tape criteria."
Overall, it sounded like they would just have to move around Seattle and film Gray doing different types of stunts.
"Alright, this sounds easy to do. Part of me feels like we should add something creative to it. I mean, I can do some creative stuff with music and editing, but perhaps it should be more than just footage of you skating around."
"For example, I'm guessing an extreme athlete needs some kind of character to stand out and develop a fan base. Perhaps we should include narration detailing who you are and why you skate. We could probably record something like that and lay it over the footage."
"How is this all sounding? I feel like I might be viewing this as outside the demo tape criteria."
Claire listened patiently as Gray explained his ideas for what he wanted to do in the demo tape. He didn't really put much thought into anything he did, especially when it involved Skateboarding. He found the more he thought about what he was going to do the less likely he was to succeed. He just found that the more he thought about it the more he thought about what could go wrong, and then it would stop him fully committing to the trick and that was when he was most likely to bail. But if he just went for the trick he'd be able to land it. Of course there were some exceptions, especially when he was attempting something new. There was the always the potential for bails there, but that's what came with improving and Gray was able to deal with it. He'd already been hit by a car and destroyed one leg; there wasn't much above that in terms of pain.
Claire then began pitching more ideas. She said it sounded like it was easy to do, which was something Gray expected, it wasn't like there were actors that needed to be directed or props that needed to be bought. It was just Claire filming Gray riding a skateboard. There wasn't much work involved in that part of the demo tape that was for sure.
Then Claire mentioned having more than just Gray skating, she mentioned a narration saying who Gray was and why he skated. Gray hadn't thought about doing anything like it for the demo tape and it seemed like an interesting idea. Claire was right in that it would give the sponsors an idea of who he was, but he'd never seen it done before and it seemed risky. The idea reminded him of the Nitro Circus movies in a way. Except they approached showing the personalities of the people involved differently, although they could still be considered demo tapes in a way.
"It sounds interesting. Don't want to overdo it though. We could put some clips of me after doing tricks, like reacting to it or something, similar to Nitro Circus. If you know what that is." The more Gray thought about it the more it seemed like a good idea, he knew Claire could produce something that was good from the footage and he knew he'd be able to land the tricks. The only thing was getting the balance on the explanation of who Gray was as a person right, but apart from that it seemed good on paper.
Claire then began pitching more ideas. She said it sounded like it was easy to do, which was something Gray expected, it wasn't like there were actors that needed to be directed or props that needed to be bought. It was just Claire filming Gray riding a skateboard. There wasn't much work involved in that part of the demo tape that was for sure.
Then Claire mentioned having more than just Gray skating, she mentioned a narration saying who Gray was and why he skated. Gray hadn't thought about doing anything like it for the demo tape and it seemed like an interesting idea. Claire was right in that it would give the sponsors an idea of who he was, but he'd never seen it done before and it seemed risky. The idea reminded him of the Nitro Circus movies in a way. Except they approached showing the personalities of the people involved differently, although they could still be considered demo tapes in a way.
"It sounds interesting. Don't want to overdo it though. We could put some clips of me after doing tricks, like reacting to it or something, similar to Nitro Circus. If you know what that is." The more Gray thought about it the more it seemed like a good idea, he knew Claire could produce something that was good from the footage and he knew he'd be able to land the tricks. The only thing was getting the balance on the explanation of who Gray was as a person right, but apart from that it seemed good on paper.
Claire listened as Gray revealed his thoughts on the idea of adding character and narration to the video. He liked the idea, but was worried about it being too risky and not what the sponsors were looking for. Claire could understand. She mostly knew what demo tapes were by definition, so if she missed some basic ideas of it, she could see how that might be an issue.
Gray brought up an idea of filming his reactions to stunts. Claire nodded her head.
"Yeah, reactions might be good to include."
Claire put her pen on a blank notebook page.
"Okay, let me put some ideas out. First, we start with an introduction. We do something kind of artsy, like you staring at a rail with an intense look on your face, like you're thinking 'I'm going to grind the hell out of this'. We cut to a closeup, you introduce yourself 'Hi, I'm Gray Emerson, yadda yadda', then we cut to a montage of stunts and tricks. In some shots, we possibly work in some reactions. Maybe you nail a grind, and then you high five someone like Sean, or Alex, or whoever is with us that day, if anyone else joins us. Or you just do a cheering pose, like in Rocky. Then we have some other narrative statement, followed by a few more stunts, then one really good trick to end it all on."
"In between all of that, we can do some really neat visual effects and music. I bet we can play around with speed. For example, you're on a half-pipe, and we film you beginning to go down it really slowly, then we speed up and get a really awesome trick. I've got more than one camera, and so I'm sure we can get multiple angles in one take, then do some crazy edits. Kind of like what Lars von Trier did with the dance numbers in Dancer in the Dark."
"For music, I have a few good ideas for tracks we can use. There's a track called 'Clubbed to Death' that is pretty awesome, and I think the intro part of the song might be good for some opening narration. After that, we can change to something else, like an instrumental of a rock song or something. If you have any music ideas, let me know."
Claire looked up from her paper and turned to Gray.
"Sorry if this sounds like a lot. When I'm forced to think objectively, I get really excited about what I'm doing. So, thoughts? Objections? Ideas?"
Claire grinned. This was pretty fun to think about.
Gray brought up an idea of filming his reactions to stunts. Claire nodded her head.
"Yeah, reactions might be good to include."
Claire put her pen on a blank notebook page.
"Okay, let me put some ideas out. First, we start with an introduction. We do something kind of artsy, like you staring at a rail with an intense look on your face, like you're thinking 'I'm going to grind the hell out of this'. We cut to a closeup, you introduce yourself 'Hi, I'm Gray Emerson, yadda yadda', then we cut to a montage of stunts and tricks. In some shots, we possibly work in some reactions. Maybe you nail a grind, and then you high five someone like Sean, or Alex, or whoever is with us that day, if anyone else joins us. Or you just do a cheering pose, like in Rocky. Then we have some other narrative statement, followed by a few more stunts, then one really good trick to end it all on."
"In between all of that, we can do some really neat visual effects and music. I bet we can play around with speed. For example, you're on a half-pipe, and we film you beginning to go down it really slowly, then we speed up and get a really awesome trick. I've got more than one camera, and so I'm sure we can get multiple angles in one take, then do some crazy edits. Kind of like what Lars von Trier did with the dance numbers in Dancer in the Dark."
"For music, I have a few good ideas for tracks we can use. There's a track called 'Clubbed to Death' that is pretty awesome, and I think the intro part of the song might be good for some opening narration. After that, we can change to something else, like an instrumental of a rock song or something. If you have any music ideas, let me know."
Claire looked up from her paper and turned to Gray.
"Sorry if this sounds like a lot. When I'm forced to think objectively, I get really excited about what I'm doing. So, thoughts? Objections? Ideas?"
Claire grinned. This was pretty fun to think about.
Claire thought his idea of including reactions was a good one, so that was something. Then she started to offer up more detailed ideas of her own. Gray listened intently and thought about everything she was saying. He liked some of the ideas but he was wary of others. Some of them seemed more dramatic then they needed to be though, or maybe that was just the first idea Claire gave for the opening about him staring down a rail. That seemed to be overly dramatic for what a demo tape was. Gray thought about having the video fade in to a close up of a rail and then he appears in shot by actually grinding the rail. It played the idea over in his head and it seemed like it would work. Of course he'd have to ask Claire what she thought. Maybe she'd be able to freeze the image and edit his name in over the top. Gray stored the thoughts away for when Claire had finished talking. It wouldn't do any good to just think about ideas; he'd have to tell them to Claire.
The idea for speed that Claire had sounded cool, although Gray didn't know what movie or he guessed director Claire had given as an example so he just nodded his head. He liked the idea for speed though, it would make the video more interesting than just him doing trick after trick; plus it made it look like he cared more which was always good.
Gray was pretty sure he had heard 'Clubbed to Death' before; he had heard someone say it was the song from The Matrix. Gray had a few ideas for music that could be used in the demo tape. Most of it was Punk or Rock which was good since that was what Claire was looking for. So he had that covered. If they truly wanted to capture who he was as a person as well the song would have to be one by Rise Against, since they were his favourite band after all. Plus he had some good songs in mind.
"That was a lot of ideas." Gray rubbed his neck as he absorbed everything Claire had said. She was certainly getting excited about filming the demo tape that was for sure. "Ok, I was thinking for the opening. Instead of having me stare at a rail we could start with a close up of a rail, and then I just go past while grinding the rail. Then it could be frozen, and my name displayed...or something. The slow-mo and speed up ideas sound cool though; and I have a few good ideas for songs we could use." The more he talked about the demo tape the better Gray felt about it. They had a lot of good ideas and he knew Claire would be able to put it all together. Gray had high hopes for the demo tape now which was funny considering his initial thoughts about having a demo tape when he walked in.
The idea for speed that Claire had sounded cool, although Gray didn't know what movie or he guessed director Claire had given as an example so he just nodded his head. He liked the idea for speed though, it would make the video more interesting than just him doing trick after trick; plus it made it look like he cared more which was always good.
Gray was pretty sure he had heard 'Clubbed to Death' before; he had heard someone say it was the song from The Matrix. Gray had a few ideas for music that could be used in the demo tape. Most of it was Punk or Rock which was good since that was what Claire was looking for. So he had that covered. If they truly wanted to capture who he was as a person as well the song would have to be one by Rise Against, since they were his favourite band after all. Plus he had some good songs in mind.
"That was a lot of ideas." Gray rubbed his neck as he absorbed everything Claire had said. She was certainly getting excited about filming the demo tape that was for sure. "Ok, I was thinking for the opening. Instead of having me stare at a rail we could start with a close up of a rail, and then I just go past while grinding the rail. Then it could be frozen, and my name displayed...or something. The slow-mo and speed up ideas sound cool though; and I have a few good ideas for songs we could use." The more he talked about the demo tape the better Gray felt about it. They had a lot of good ideas and he knew Claire would be able to put it all together. Gray had high hopes for the demo tape now which was funny considering his initial thoughts about having a demo tape when he walked in.
Claire listened to Gray's thoughts. He seemed pretty cool with everything except for her idea of the opening. He did have an idea that fit in with the playing of speed in clips.
"Yeah, I can see that."
Claire tapped her pen against her chin.
"Hold on, I got an idea for the intro."
Claire began to draw some rough sketches in her notebook. Normally, when storyboarding, Claire would use some storyboards she printed off the web. Since she didn't have any at school, she had to deal with uneven squares and very rushed images. After drawing a few pictures, Claire showed Gray the five images on paper.
"Okay, so here's how it goes," she said, pointing the pen at the first square, "Shot 1: we fade in and show a close-up of a rail in Centennial Park or wherever we start. We don't have any music playing, so all you hear are the sounds of the area."
"Then," Claire said as she pointed to the next square, "in Shot 2, we see a skateboard land on the rail. In Shot 3, we cut to a different angle, and a wider shot, showing you going down the rail."
"Then, In Shot 4, we present a more horizontal angle of you launching off the rail. Before we go to Shot 5, we have the film freeze. Suddenly, your name appears on screen. Did you ever see Inglourious Basterds? Well, there's a part where they introduce a character named Hugo Stiglitz. Unlike the other character introductions, his name was shown in huge yellow letters with a black border, and took up most of the screen. I'm sure I can find a font or style that's very similar in some fashion.
"We play a short music sting, then, in Shot 5, we have you land and do a cheer. After that, we go to montage mode, play some appropriate music, and build the rest of the tape on the ideas we've established."
"So that's at least one idea for the intro. Thoughts?"
"Yeah, I can see that."
Claire tapped her pen against her chin.
"Hold on, I got an idea for the intro."
Claire began to draw some rough sketches in her notebook. Normally, when storyboarding, Claire would use some storyboards she printed off the web. Since she didn't have any at school, she had to deal with uneven squares and very rushed images. After drawing a few pictures, Claire showed Gray the five images on paper.
"Okay, so here's how it goes," she said, pointing the pen at the first square, "Shot 1: we fade in and show a close-up of a rail in Centennial Park or wherever we start. We don't have any music playing, so all you hear are the sounds of the area."
"Then," Claire said as she pointed to the next square, "in Shot 2, we see a skateboard land on the rail. In Shot 3, we cut to a different angle, and a wider shot, showing you going down the rail."
"Then, In Shot 4, we present a more horizontal angle of you launching off the rail. Before we go to Shot 5, we have the film freeze. Suddenly, your name appears on screen. Did you ever see Inglourious Basterds? Well, there's a part where they introduce a character named Hugo Stiglitz. Unlike the other character introductions, his name was shown in huge yellow letters with a black border, and took up most of the screen. I'm sure I can find a font or style that's very similar in some fashion.
"We play a short music sting, then, in Shot 5, we have you land and do a cheer. After that, we go to montage mode, play some appropriate music, and build the rest of the tape on the ideas we've established."
"So that's at least one idea for the intro. Thoughts?"