“Dream Girl”—a feature film with one actor

Well, since the first feature screenplay I had written as the first one I would direct plus produce is now officially on the back burner due to the lack of an actress and an inadequate budget, I thought I would try to write something not so much on the shorter side but the simpler side; It will be written for one actor, me; one location, home, or locations I know I can get access to.

This length of this particular screenplay does not really matter. I am writing it with house money, in a kind of screenplay stream of conscious if that makes any sense; where it ends it ends—but it will have, of course, is a sense of structure. Even television commercials, as short as they are, have a structure.

So, last night while lying in bed Woody Allen-style, I brainstormed, trying to think of a story that would make a great film with only one actor, and this is what I came up with so far:

One night a lonely artist draws the woman of his dreams and heart then hires a private detective to find her, only to discover she is an inmate in a state penitentiary.

I do not have an official title for it yet; I will call it “Dream Girl” for now. This is going to be a no-budget film shot with a Motorola Moto X smart phone, maybe two, if I choose to shoot a scene where Albert, the artist, has a phone conversation or two with Vincent, the detective, on speaker phone, which I think I will. I used the Moto X to shoot the short film “The Honey Moon”. I probably would have used the old JVC Everio which I have used to shoot all my previous short films, but it has malfunctioned to the point where I could no longer improvise with it, which is, I guess, a good thing, since the Moto X can shoot in HD, but truthfully I do not like the idea of using a smart phone—or a tablet, for that matter—to shoot a serious film. Just my opinion.

I lucked out on one location outside of my home. There happens to be a state penitentiary in Hubbard, Ohio, a small town about a twenty-minute drive just northwest of here. I will not be shooting inside the penitentiary, of course, but an exterior shot driving by would be nice.

So, here I go—write “Dream Girl” then shoot it. Simple enough? We will see.

Read Dream Girl screenplay what I have so far.

Visit http://mattjanaconefilms.blogspot.com/
 
Wow that sounds like a pretty cool idea. I'm interested in seeing how it all plays out. Do you think the story would be interesting enough to satisfy a feature length film?

I know Breakfast club was virtually done in one room, but that included at least a handful of interesting characters. With only one and possibly an inanimate voice, I'm not sure you would want to go much past 3 to 5 minutes.
 
Very awesome idea. I like how it is just you. You are making ART. Art is cheap. It is the artist that gives the art value. They don't pay thousands for paint and paper. They don't need other people to help their painting. If you only have a smart phone definitely use that. I too have an idea for a feature film with only one person, me. I will also be cameraman, editor, compositer, etc. I am making my first feature film called 'OverCloud' right now and made friends with people that are (I think it's safe to say) honest and don't flake out. I could esily get help, but I am making my solo movie in the future purely for artistic and ambitious reasons now.

Do not give up! We (non-greedy) filmmakers usually love a challenge. Take the challenge, and I can't wait to see how your one-man feature turns out. Keep us updated!
 
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