Dan Olds's Lounge Discussions

Wow are you saying this is a True Story? If so, you should mention somewhere, "based on real events..." (I suppose it is in the Genre section)

@Nathan Yeah. It was all truth. except Lucifer's appearance. My brother was under some other evil influence. In a sect or some occult group of people from, I think, 1998- God knows when it ended. That was an inciting incident for him to act and do all the gross stuff he did. And I thought to myself back in 2010 when I wrote the version of this story for the first time; If he had already destroyed our life, memories and our father's house; I can be "bad" too and write about it. At least, maybe, someday, I would be able to buy another home for me and my mother.

Yes, it says : paranormal/ true story

Estrella Tamez You could see this movie as a combination of Hereditary and the potential prequel to the Amityville Horror ( only without the massive murders at the end). As you can see I am still alive and my mother too. And that bastard of my brother is alive. Only my father is gone.

Fascinating plot, from an actor's point of view this is a very compelling piece. I'd love to lear more.

@Anthony Thank you :)

I think the 90's was the time for faith-based films. Unless, of course, when you say 'faith' you mean just religious belief in general. Then you might have a better chance.

Well done Brad and Amanda! Illuminating - the differences between Faith Friendly and Faith Based, and the potential markets for each. Looking forward to the Production Webinar.

I attended the ICVM (International Christian Visual Media) conference and learned a new term about films that are not faith based but contain faith based elements. I learned the term from Bob Saenz who is a very prolific writer and the term is "Faith Adjacent Films".. Go figure.

Is William Gomes still interested in faith-based and family-friendly screenplays? If so, please send me an email -- zrd9000@aol.com. I am not familiar with the website, have found it a bit time-consuming.

Here is a yearly Faith-based film competition that has been around since 2002. A week to make an 11-minute film based on a verse of the Bible.

https://168film.com/film-project.

They also have a yearly Faith-based Write Of Passage screenwriting competition where participants have a week to write a 12-page screenplay in a week based on a Verse of the Bible with Development Executive help:

https://168film.com/write-of-passage

Shadow, I am a Christian but would definitely appreciate seeing those who are on other journeys.

Interesting concept Dan Olds! Will make them more diverse.

Peter Mahan I like to hear that!

I read the autobiographies of Malala Yousafzai and Salman Rushdie and thoroughly enjoyed them. It's so important to me--and so interesting-- to see the common humanity in every people.

Hi Dan. You may want to enter your projects into the International Christian Film Festival which will be held in May in Orlando, FL - the ICFF is the largest Christian film festival in the world.

@ Kristen , i Liked the idea of pulling down the pants , but wouldn't that be forcing some into an emotion they have not been into , what if opposite sex is wired , she picks a dagger then cut off your D, but any way it all depends on the chracter triats your dealing with , where they are and who they are ,if they are coming on deadly street , of course they will understand that pull over the pant down must match and next thing is tight hag after a couple of good hours of sex after all they mind less of losing the contact , whether it was good , but that's what they do always , but if its this executive woman who makes several calls home to put right a romatic dinner with long time husband every time they have to make love again and on staged show , then i doubt if , she can match the pant down instruction if not pullinng the revolver off your wrist line and shoot you right in the pivot of whole body structure . Merry Xmas if you Believe in Jesus Christ .

Is it logical that the two characters would fall in love? You get to choose who they are, so give them a backstory (explained or not) that makes it logical to you that they would fall in love. It can be as ridiculous as you want, as long it moves you to create the right story. Maybe his friends teased her in high school but he never did – now she’s a hottie and appreciates he was the only one who wasn’t a jerk. Maybe he had a special needs brother and she used to volunteer at the home he lived in. Maybe she meets him after being told by a psychic that she was about to meet the man of her dreams…so she forces the concept herself. I’m not saying to do any of these things specifically, I’m just saying that it has to make sense in your mind before it can make sense in a script. Once you feel it, you can write it much better :) …just my opinion :)

WIthout knowing the particulars, I would work the attraction, but have something(s) that is (are) keeping them apart. For instance, in the script I just finished (set in the 1890s), there's a social class difference that the man (rich) is willing to ignore but the woman (working class) is too keenly aware of at first ... Then circumstances drive the together so they have to ignore them in order to survive ... Make sense?

Good point Rick. My thought is that the romantic film genre has a structure - boy meets girl(1-10), boy has problem with girl falls in love(11-30), boy loses girl-his own fault(31-45), boy gets girl back(46-60), boy loses girl again - her doing(61-75), boy gets girl back. boy loses girl again - outside force(76-90), boy gets girl back(91-95). Boy learns lesson, confronts outside force. Boy girl live happily ever after(96-the end). Why not a structure for other genres?

Substitute "group of people" for "boy" and "horrors" for "girl," and that's pretty much a horror script ... Maybe ... I may be a little glib here, but that's pretty much it ... :) ... I'm working on some historical screenplays, which are a tough sell because of the costuming, sets, and f/x ... Historical has bigger complications ...