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Got the idea, need help!

A

AustraLiamAid

My idea is this- 2 guys who are in lovely Australian bushland. I start the piece with them apart, in their own area, and they eventually cross each others path. In this world, you can wield your own energy and will it to effect the environment. The two guys are playing round, chasing each other around this land, using their energy to "fight". One example that I've thought of involves one of the guys running through the bush, trying to locate the other, and he runs past a big tree that the other is crouched behind. As he passes the other, the other stomps his feet to the ground creating a sub bass explosion and the energy he creates launches the unaware runner sideways, and into the air. I'm thinking he'll twist and stablise mid air and land on his feet, but yeah thats the sorta fantasical approach I want to take. Another idea is using a coo-ee that echoes in the distance. THen a second coo-ee happens but it happens in the distance in the complete opposite direction.

I've got a few more but I'm getting stuck as to what sort of fun they can have using their "powers". So I was wondering if you guys could help with a couple of scene ideas.

As for the ending, the two guys meet at this path that leads to the most exquisite creek, multible waterfall, delightfully green area, where they both see themselves, sitting cross legged, with their eyes closed facing eachother. THey fade away and the cross legged ones open their eyes. The idea is that they were astrally projecting themselves around the bush, as a sort of game or challenge.

I'm really excited about this project, my property has the best locations. Massive rock cliffs and huge trees.

I hope this sparks some ideas, because I'm getting stuck! Looking forward to hearing from you. Peace.
 
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I know, but it will be a short piece that never fails to visually treat the viewer. And I think the final scene, which will be shot to be so perfectly lovely, will wrap up the concept nicely, before the viewer even realises there wasn't a "story". I like it's ambiguity. My viewers won't need names or diologue or life situations. Just the one situation that is happening at the time. Thanks for your imput! Any ideas for how they might use their energy?
 
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It's a cool idea, a bit like the film Push.

I hope you're good at special effects, because it sounds tricky!

It's difficult to offer advice without knowing how long you want the film to be or what the purpose of it is. If it is just a short film made in order to showcase the possibilities of a bigger film using this sort of bio-energetic force then you could just have the chase sequence. If you want something longer which works as a stand alone project then you'll need to develop several different components of the storyline- all of which people here can help brainstorm.

But I think it would be best to furnish us with more detail before people can deliver to you the olive branch of ideas...
 
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Yeah I did think of Push, but I like to think of mine as a more natural, spiritual, dreamlike, even more realistic approach to the idea. But I'm sorry I've given all that I have really. They will be constantly dissapearing and reappearing, and the sky is the limit really.
 
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Yer, ok, I get/like the idea, especially if it's kind of dreamlike (I'm imagining a combination of Inception's reverse gravity scene, the filmmaking style of Zach Snyder and the Australian bush).

The key things to mention here are: Length? Intention?
 
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Ok I dunno if your into Psy Trance, but theres this one Lost Keys song called, This World which is this magical dreamlike piece that goes for a bout 6 minutes. Ideally, the piece would start, the song would start and finish as the two astrally projected selves arrive back at their host bodies. My intention is to create a fun, playful world, where nothing matters, and the main aim is to use your exceptually vast and powerful mind to play with oneself. So it's one energy "trick" after another until they return "home".
 
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So you're more looking for ideas for 'energy tricks' than storylines?

- Both are running towards each other really fast, about a metre apart. As they pass their forward momentum energy crashes together and they clothesline each other :D

- The same sort of thing with the running except they both push against each other and go flying in opposite directions.

- Running through some water pushing it apart (like the red sea).

- The same sort of thing with the water except using it to swim on land, a bit like the Ice Man from The Incredibles.

I dunno, the possibilities are almost endless.
 
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Lol 6 mins would seem a lit shorter if yall threw me some ideas :D I really dont think it will be that long at all, more like 3 minutes, but the piece is only as long as the amount of encounters they experience. At this rate it's looking like a 1-2 minute piece which is two quick- I mean if you were astrally projecting yourself around the bush you'd wanna hang for longer than a minute.
 
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ok, opening scene, we follow this dude running in a forest (or past trees) and he stops behind this tree, he's breathing heavy and looks around tree like hes being chased, then we see this other guy (bad guy?) with his hands together like hes praying, hes chanting something under his breath, then he put his palm on a tree in front of him and chant something getting louder, cut to the other guy (good guy) breathing heavy and looking for bad guy (still behind tree) and bad guy yells out Booyaclat!!!! and Push"ish" effect where his energy blast goes into tree and good guy gets slamed (like energy punched) from his tree and goes flying, hes on the floor and bad guy comes landing from the sky as if super jumped.

then they could have some kind of wind battle, pushing the currents and stuff.

I love kung fu movies by the way..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2rpiIiaUvc&playnext=1&list=PL3B6A26AEF60C604F&index=34
one of my favorites
 
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Interesting idea!

I agree with Cracker Funk regarding story. Even on a short-short, it's going to be the key for your film being memorable.

The realist in me says this will be very difficult to pull off. It's easy to move static objects around the air via CG but people are way more difficult.

Have you given thought to how you'll do this?

Making them realistic in full 3D is tricky because of skin shading and clothing. Lots of big-budget movies don't even get it right.

I would probably opt for an approach whereby the actors are harnessed/rigged up, "flown", photographed in front of a green screen... fan going (to whip loose clothing around for the effect of moving through the air at high speed), etc. (Bear in mind, the full motions don't have to be done, as they can be carefully manipulated later in post.)

...then key them out, remove rigging, etc. and have them applied to clean backplates. Here's where you'll want to apply camera motion to not only add "energy" to the overall shot, but to help conceal and blend things together.

I say apply camera motion... but what I really mean is you'll have a clean backplate in which you shoot - anticipating the action (This whole thing would need to be very clear in your mind, visually. Storyboarding would be a good idea.) So you're moving the camera around based on how the actors will be moving through it later. Then you track this plate.

To make it easier to manage, I suggest shooting from one point where you have no real parallax/depth in play. (In SynthEyes, this is called a tripod shot, though it can still be hand-held... just no walking around.)

If you shoot it this way, you can conceivably track it in After Effects, AND adding the elements (given that they are 2D "planes" with no actual depth) is much simpler.

I have seen some very impressive stuff done in AE alone, so I know this is possible, but it will be tricky.

For something as intensive as this, keeping it really short will be a huge morale booster for you.

All that said, I admire your enthusiasm and ultimately I say GO FOR IT!
 
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Thanks for the idea Vat, I like it :) and Frank, this will be a real grass roots so I dont think I will be using ANYTHING you suggested :D I know it might look kinda ameturish but I have confidence in my editing ability to pull off likable sequences. Thanks for your help!
 
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