How do you write them in to the script?
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Question about alternate endings...
- Thread starter WYG1Productions
- Start date
How about just a little more information.
A script written in hope you will sell it?
A script that you will be producing and directing?
A script written in hope you will sell it?
A script that you will be producing and directing?
Well, I will be producing, directing, and acting in the project, yes.
But I'd still like to know the official or professional way to do it.
Thanks..
Funny.
I was just poking around this very subject yesterday.
Here's what I got:
A - Complete Victory
STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES, KARATE KID, TOY STORYs, SALT, EASY A, INCEPTION, KUNG FU PANDA, CARS, LETHAL WEAPONs.
Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! The protags get everything they were shooting for with winning their Final Challenge.
B - Acceptable Alternative
ROCKY, ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, AVATAR, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK.
The protags don't get exactly what they want, but are happy with the alternate option they end up with.
Lose the big prize, but get the girl or credit for trying sort of thing.
C - Pyrrhic Victory
BLACK SWAN, FIGHT CLUB, GLADIATOR, CASINO ROYALE, THE CONSTANT GARDNER, BOOK OF ELI, SPLICE, SKYLINE, DARK KNIGHT, 127 HOURS.
Yeah, the protag got what he wanted, but at such a steep cost you gotta question was it really worth it?
These tend to be rather martyrdom focused.
In Complete Victory & Acceptable Alternative plots pretty much most all the protags come out alive. In Pyrric Victories you lose some or all of the good guys along with the bad guys.
D - Dark Ending
RESERVOIR DOGS, FARGO, SHUTTLE, CABIN FEVER, MONSTERS, NEVER LET ME GO, OPEN WATER.
Everyone f#cking dies. There's no real [expletive] point.
At the end of them you tend to think "Well, that was f#cked up" despite a few chuckles, maybe.
E - The Twist Ending
PLANET OF THE APES, FALLEN
Just when you think you got it figured out - surPRISE!
F - The Summation
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
The conclusion is some convergence of all the little clues sprinkled throughout the story.
This is kinduva kissin' cousin to The Twist Ending.
I was just poking around this very subject yesterday.
Here's what I got:
A - Complete Victory
STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES, KARATE KID, TOY STORYs, SALT, EASY A, INCEPTION, KUNG FU PANDA, CARS, LETHAL WEAPONs.
Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! The protags get everything they were shooting for with winning their Final Challenge.
B - Acceptable Alternative
ROCKY, ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, AVATAR, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK.
The protags don't get exactly what they want, but are happy with the alternate option they end up with.
Lose the big prize, but get the girl or credit for trying sort of thing.
C - Pyrrhic Victory
BLACK SWAN, FIGHT CLUB, GLADIATOR, CASINO ROYALE, THE CONSTANT GARDNER, BOOK OF ELI, SPLICE, SKYLINE, DARK KNIGHT, 127 HOURS.
Yeah, the protag got what he wanted, but at such a steep cost you gotta question was it really worth it?
These tend to be rather martyrdom focused.
In Complete Victory & Acceptable Alternative plots pretty much most all the protags come out alive. In Pyrric Victories you lose some or all of the good guys along with the bad guys.
D - Dark Ending
RESERVOIR DOGS, FARGO, SHUTTLE, CABIN FEVER, MONSTERS, NEVER LET ME GO, OPEN WATER.
Everyone f#cking dies. There's no real [expletive] point.
At the end of them you tend to think "Well, that was f#cked up" despite a few chuckles, maybe.
E - The Twist Ending
PLANET OF THE APES, FALLEN
Just when you think you got it figured out - surPRISE!
F - The Summation
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
The conclusion is some convergence of all the little clues sprinkled throughout the story.
This is kinduva kissin' cousin to The Twist Ending.
There is no "professional" way to do this. When you see an
alternate ending on a DVD what has happened is the original
ending did not test well so another ending was written and
shot. Or the original written ending was changed before shooting
started - then after testing the finished film that ending didn't
work so the original ending was shot. Writers do not write
alternate endings into their scripts.
If you - as the writer/producer/director - want to write and
shoot two different endings you can write the alternate ending
and attach it to the end of the script after the main ending. If
you want, after you type "The End" you can type, "Alternate
Ending" and then the scenes.
In this case, what ever you decide will be fine. As long as you,
the writer/producer/director/actor, understand what you mean.
alternate ending on a DVD what has happened is the original
ending did not test well so another ending was written and
shot. Or the original written ending was changed before shooting
started - then after testing the finished film that ending didn't
work so the original ending was shot. Writers do not write
alternate endings into their scripts.
If you - as the writer/producer/director - want to write and
shoot two different endings you can write the alternate ending
and attach it to the end of the script after the main ending. If
you want, after you type "The End" you can type, "Alternate
Ending" and then the scenes.
In this case, what ever you decide will be fine. As long as you,
the writer/producer/director/actor, understand what you mean.
Excellent, thanks.
Yeah, we have tooled around with the idea of several different endings and we decided we'd like to go ahead and shoot each one, which got me to thinkin.....
Thanks for the info!
What are you doing an alternate ending for? Just curious.. I would do what Murder(took the liberty with a nickname) suggested. If you're producing it yourself and aren't seeking legit hollywood backing, then there's no real way. I thknk most movies that have an alternate ending only do so because either writer or director weren't satisfied with the original and did a little editing. Bourne Identity has an alternate ending sparked by 9-11.
It's an interesting question. All the answers to this point have assumed a linear story. There are storylines where you have multiple endings if it is in a serious, semi-serious, or fantastic vein.
With the movie like CLUE based on the game, the "clues" were generic enough up to the point that you wanted to identify the murderer. Then a specific segment kicked in about 2/3 of the way through. So audiences could experience three different endings. And theaters three times the profit.
I'm not sure of an exact way, but this is how I might script it:
Many videogames will create multiple end sequences. In a way, this raps into the fantastic vein as well. For example a "recurrent time loop" where different endings play out until the final ending is found. These tend to go back and forth in time in a non-linear fashion. (Star Trek, Back to the Future, Butterfly Effect, etc.) Most of the use a CUT TO: or FADE THRU BLACK TO: to jump back to an original scene which is rewritten in the screenplay since minor difference will play out. It also helps you track the timing.
As Directorik pointed out, most alternate endings are based on audience focus groups. Some are based on editing decisions to accomodate length and/or ratings, not so much alternate as "Director's cut". In these cases, the script alteration is usually just appended pages to the script, a script revision. They aren't necessarily planned in advance.
Sounds like a fun shoot.
With the movie like CLUE based on the game, the "clues" were generic enough up to the point that you wanted to identify the murderer. Then a specific segment kicked in about 2/3 of the way through. So audiences could experience three different endings. And theaters three times the profit.
I'm not sure of an exact way, but this is how I might script it:
Code:
... rest of script up to juncture ...
START ALTERNATE ENDINGS: <-- as with a series of shots
ALTERNATE ENDING #1 <-- used as a slugline
.... script
CUT TO WRAP-UP:
ALTERNATE ENDING #2
.... script
CUT TO WRAP-UP:
ALTERNATE ENDING #3
.... script
END OF ALTERNATE ENDINGS:
FINAL WRAP-UP (if needed)Many videogames will create multiple end sequences. In a way, this raps into the fantastic vein as well. For example a "recurrent time loop" where different endings play out until the final ending is found. These tend to go back and forth in time in a non-linear fashion. (Star Trek, Back to the Future, Butterfly Effect, etc.) Most of the use a CUT TO: or FADE THRU BLACK TO: to jump back to an original scene which is rewritten in the screenplay since minor difference will play out. It also helps you track the timing.
As Directorik pointed out, most alternate endings are based on audience focus groups. Some are based on editing decisions to accomodate length and/or ratings, not so much alternate as "Director's cut". In these cases, the script alteration is usually just appended pages to the script, a script revision. They aren't necessarily planned in advance.
Sounds like a fun shoot.