When I initially put together the guts of the Urban Numina feature film script, I essentially dug out my first drafts for the series and combined them together, with the intent of using it as a skeleton to build the film script around, then tighten up once the first draft was completed.
As those who have watched the series know, the story opens with an argument between Mel and Andrea. However this In Media Res felt too abrupt in the final product. So I spent some time thinking about how I wanted the film to begin.
Taking the idea that this is about three pairings that get disrupted by the arrival of Deus, I decided that the film should begin with a brief introduction to the three "relationships" at the core of the film.
We open with Rhys and Devon on a lunch date that quickly goes wrong due to Rhys' somewhat lax and sleazy nature and sets up Devon's personality as someone we want to root for.
After that, I introduce Andrea at work. This is a side of Andrea's personality never seen in the series. She gets to be shown in a much stronger light as a woman who doesn't suffer fools gladly and stands up for herself. Upon seeing this, we are introduced to Carey and see the odd couple dynamic between Andrea and Carey.
Finally we see Mel in her element - sitting at home working on assignments. She is interrupted by Jenna's arrival, and we get a first hand glimpse at the animosity that Mel has towards Jenna.
From the point, the relationships are established, and we then have the fateful arrival of "the vase/pot" that will change the course of the flatmates' lives.
One thing I have been toying around with is a short treatment of the indie film that these relationships are about in the event that no gods show up. The point of the exercise is to help get a better bead on how things would have played out in a normal situation. It also allows me to figure out what things Deus can do to disrupt the flow of the narrative.
With these rewrites, I can then take scenes from the original scripts that work and insert them into the storyline as required.
Today I have completed 25% of the rewrites, which pretty much also covers Act One where the scene is set. Traditionally the largest portion of the film is Act Two where things get out of hand. That will begin this evening. :)
Don't forget - voting is still on for funding. Keep the votes coming in! The current count is 191! Moving up the ranks slowly by surely! Keep telling your friends about the film!
Conan
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