A few thoughts from one of my film profs.
"No Way To Treat A First Lady - What can I say? I loved it! I could easily see Streep in this roll and see her doing a magnificent job. Although the cast is a little big, as far as names go, I could see much of the cast coming together for this one. I would go see it and so I think many other people as well.
Carter - Jimmy Carter is an interesting man, and would probably make a good topic for a high class TV movie, but I can't see this movie being made. The cast is a little bloated, and the crew seems too ideal to me. I see that it was the first BOTM winner as well as being in the top 5 for Bait of the Year. It is definitely baity but, compared to more recent baits, it doesn't hold up.
Live From New York - Now this is a cast! Again though, it would work better as a mini-series, where the story and characters can be developed properly. PT Anderson was a fantastic choice as director too.
The Arabic Cafe - This would make an absolutely amazing movie. Totally gripping. The synopsis, though short, grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. One of the best baits I have read on the site.
Destiny - Absolutely heart-wrenching. If made, this would be one of those life changing movies that affects everyone who sees it. Brilliant."
I'll be posting the rest when I receive them.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
TRIVIA ON SOME OF MY {Favorite} BAITS
THE WALL
- -Was originally thought of as a gay love story but was revamped into a straight love story when I realized it would be released in the same month as "Silence"
- -Original director choice was Mike Nichols.
--Reese Witherspoon was going to play the female lead until her split with Philipee.
--I still consider this one of my weakest baits in originality.
MIDNIGHT MASS
--Originally had very little to do with the Robin Williams character and centered mostly on the relationship between Winslet and Barnel.
--Williams's character was originally going to be played by Chritopher Walken.
--Original title was "Prey For The Sinners".
--I consider this my strongest bait to date as far as baitiness goes.
SILENCE
--Originally had nothing to do with gay bashing at all and was just about an attack on a child that left him comatose. I decided to make it more about my story and so the gay element was introduced.
--I spent almost two weeks writing this bait while "The Wall" was a rushed bait (written in less than an hour).
--Susan Sarandon was the original female lead.
--Although beloved by most of the baiter, I did no campaigning for this bait because I felt it too personal to try and win awards with.
THE THOUSAND YEAR REICH
--Was the first bait I ever wrote, although "Pretty Young Thing" was published first.
--Stemmed from a theory I heard that essentially said that "If Hitler had won, the jewish people would never had created Israel. The mid-east would never have become so volatile. 9/11 would never had happened". None of us would probably be here either lol.
--This has created a series of "What if" ideas that I have contemplated turning into baits.
THE VAMPIRE LESTAT
--Cillian Murphy was originally cast as Lestat.
--Lestat is a rock star in the book but this plot was removed for the bait.
--I was a little scared to release this bait because of the failure of the broadway musical based on the book.
--The synopsis was not originally written in first person.
DRAGONTOWN
--One of the baits I had the most fun writing.
--Probably had the most extensive "Coming Soon" campaign of any bait ever written; including posters, ads, and several video trailers.
--The only non-english bait I have ever written.
- -Was originally thought of as a gay love story but was revamped into a straight love story when I realized it would be released in the same month as "Silence"
- -Original director choice was Mike Nichols.
--Reese Witherspoon was going to play the female lead until her split with Philipee.
--I still consider this one of my weakest baits in originality.
MIDNIGHT MASS
--Originally had very little to do with the Robin Williams character and centered mostly on the relationship between Winslet and Barnel.
--Williams's character was originally going to be played by Chritopher Walken.
--Original title was "Prey For The Sinners".
--I consider this my strongest bait to date as far as baitiness goes.
SILENCE
--Originally had nothing to do with gay bashing at all and was just about an attack on a child that left him comatose. I decided to make it more about my story and so the gay element was introduced.
--I spent almost two weeks writing this bait while "The Wall" was a rushed bait (written in less than an hour).
--Susan Sarandon was the original female lead.
--Although beloved by most of the baiter, I did no campaigning for this bait because I felt it too personal to try and win awards with.
THE THOUSAND YEAR REICH
--Was the first bait I ever wrote, although "Pretty Young Thing" was published first.
--Stemmed from a theory I heard that essentially said that "If Hitler had won, the jewish people would never had created Israel. The mid-east would never have become so volatile. 9/11 would never had happened". None of us would probably be here either lol.
--This has created a series of "What if" ideas that I have contemplated turning into baits.
THE VAMPIRE LESTAT
--Cillian Murphy was originally cast as Lestat.
--Lestat is a rock star in the book but this plot was removed for the bait.
--I was a little scared to release this bait because of the failure of the broadway musical based on the book.
--The synopsis was not originally written in first person.
DRAGONTOWN
--One of the baits I had the most fun writing.
--Probably had the most extensive "Coming Soon" campaign of any bait ever written; including posters, ads, and several video trailers.
--The only non-english bait I have ever written.
A September Snow
The winter is coming. Or at least it is on my baiting career. I officially begin film school in October and will not be as frequent to Bait an Oscar as I am now. I won't be leaving right away though. I have several baits written already so I won't need to take time to write anymore, except for maybe some revisions on ones I have already written. Here's a preview...
WONDER-BREAD & PIXI STICKS
Tagline: The tarnish of a Silver Spoon
SHORT SUMMARY: The lives of the rich and the young. New York city is full of Trust Fund babies and their addictions. This is the story of only a few.
Starring: Randy Harrison, Jensen Ackles, Cher, Sophia Bush
Directed By: Catherine Hardwicke
THE RED MENACE
SHORT SUMMARY: The story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg; a couple convicted and executed for allegedly being communists.
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Helena Bonham Carter, and Bob Hoskins.
Directed By: Steven Speilberg
WONDER-BREAD & PIXI STICKS
Tagline: The tarnish of a Silver Spoon
SHORT SUMMARY: The lives of the rich and the young. New York city is full of Trust Fund babies and their addictions. This is the story of only a few.
Starring: Randy Harrison, Jensen Ackles, Cher, Sophia Bush
Directed By: Catherine Hardwicke
THE RED MENACE
SHORT SUMMARY: The story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg; a couple convicted and executed for allegedly being communists.
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Helena Bonham Carter, and Bob Hoskins.
Directed By: Steven Speilberg
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Pro Thoughts on Some of my baits Continued.....
INSIDE YOU OUT - Exact quote: "Dark and gripping. Blurring the lines between good and evil worked well with this story. The vice president rape plot may be a little too out there though"
THE AFTER EARTH SERIES - Very, very creative. It's like Star Wars meets the Arthurian Legends. I like the use of words in the stories, especially the brining together of Uranus and Uranium, and Pluto and Plutonium. Very smart. I'm not sure if it would work well as a movie though. Like "Dune", this may be far better fitted to literature or a mini-series. However, still a very creative and interesting story.
DRAGONTOWN - Japanimation at it's finest. Period.
THE VAMPIRE LESTAT - This is a book that should have been made into a movie right after Interview With The Vampire. It's stronger, and far more interesting. Lestat is a character that begs for dramatization. And I think your casting of Myers was dead on. He would perfectly be able to portray Lestat in all his gothic and bratty glory.
OIL - A state-side version of Syriana. I do, however, love the use of real Oil organizations such as the OLM. It would need very strong performances and maybe a different director to get into the Best Picture race, but it could definitely be a contender.
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT - This is the perfect story for Oliver Stone. It would allow him to go back to his roots a little bit but still keep it in the vein of patriotism he had with WTC. This is, however, a one woman show. The lead actress would be up for many awards, and Stone would definitely get a nomination, for either director or screenplay.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA - It is easy to see why these video games have never been adapted to film. They are so rich and creative that it would be nearly impossible to do them justice. Your first attempt was lazy, in my opinion. Your second attempt opened up doors the original never even approached. The poetry gave it a new tone, a better tone. And keeping Link mute was a very wise decision. Gives the character more depth.
THE WITCHING HOUR - There were plans to turn this novel into a mini-series and they fell through because ten hours was not enough to cram in all the story. I wish you had of focused on the most interesting story line, that of Mona Mayfair, and less on Rowan and the others. But, still a good effort. Great casting, especially Uma Thurman. She would really shine in this roll.
THE AFTER EARTH SERIES - Very, very creative. It's like Star Wars meets the Arthurian Legends. I like the use of words in the stories, especially the brining together of Uranus and Uranium, and Pluto and Plutonium. Very smart. I'm not sure if it would work well as a movie though. Like "Dune", this may be far better fitted to literature or a mini-series. However, still a very creative and interesting story.
DRAGONTOWN - Japanimation at it's finest. Period.
THE VAMPIRE LESTAT - This is a book that should have been made into a movie right after Interview With The Vampire. It's stronger, and far more interesting. Lestat is a character that begs for dramatization. And I think your casting of Myers was dead on. He would perfectly be able to portray Lestat in all his gothic and bratty glory.
OIL - A state-side version of Syriana. I do, however, love the use of real Oil organizations such as the OLM. It would need very strong performances and maybe a different director to get into the Best Picture race, but it could definitely be a contender.
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT - This is the perfect story for Oliver Stone. It would allow him to go back to his roots a little bit but still keep it in the vein of patriotism he had with WTC. This is, however, a one woman show. The lead actress would be up for many awards, and Stone would definitely get a nomination, for either director or screenplay.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA - It is easy to see why these video games have never been adapted to film. They are so rich and creative that it would be nearly impossible to do them justice. Your first attempt was lazy, in my opinion. Your second attempt opened up doors the original never even approached. The poetry gave it a new tone, a better tone. And keeping Link mute was a very wise decision. Gives the character more depth.
THE WITCHING HOUR - There were plans to turn this novel into a mini-series and they fell through because ten hours was not enough to cram in all the story. I wish you had of focused on the most interesting story line, that of Mona Mayfair, and less on Rowan and the others. But, still a good effort. Great casting, especially Uma Thurman. She would really shine in this roll.
Pro opinions on some of my baits
Recently, several of my film professors read all my baits and their thoughts on which one would be box office hits, which ones would win oscars, and which ones were just horrible. I thought I would post the consensus here for fun. I'll only list some of the baits though. Here are some from 2006...
THE THOUSAND YEAR REICH - "An oddball. Probably solid box office but the academy might stere away from the 'what if?' concept"
WICKED - "This SHOULD be the frontrunner and win all the big awards but it never would. If 'Wizard of Oz' couldn't do it, I'm afraid this one couldn't either. I could see a win for Menzel though.
DIARY OF A MADMAN - "Great Johnny Depp vehicle. Strong box office from Ozzy's fans but Depp would be the only oscar nomination."
THE APOCALYPSE OF ANGELA REED - "Definitely has box office potential but comparing it to the Exorcist was a little brash."
THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS - Out of left field. One of those big budget bombs.
MIDNIGHT MASS - "This one could win the big five (picture, director, screenplay, actor, actress, and even supporting actor) if it was done well enough. Very strong. I could see this being made with this exact cast."
CRAZY MARY - "Thurman would get a nomination but not win. People would go see it though. A good black comedy."
FORWARD - A good thriller but no oscar potential. Nice twist ending though.
THE WALL - This could go one of two ways. It could be the next Titanic and have to be taken seriously, or it could be another Notebook and be completely ignored. All depends on the overall tone.
SILENCE - Strong. It could come up out of nowhere though. Best Supporting Actor for sure though.
THE THOUSAND YEAR REICH - "An oddball. Probably solid box office but the academy might stere away from the 'what if?' concept"
WICKED - "This SHOULD be the frontrunner and win all the big awards but it never would. If 'Wizard of Oz' couldn't do it, I'm afraid this one couldn't either. I could see a win for Menzel though.
DIARY OF A MADMAN - "Great Johnny Depp vehicle. Strong box office from Ozzy's fans but Depp would be the only oscar nomination."
THE APOCALYPSE OF ANGELA REED - "Definitely has box office potential but comparing it to the Exorcist was a little brash."
THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS - Out of left field. One of those big budget bombs.
MIDNIGHT MASS - "This one could win the big five (picture, director, screenplay, actor, actress, and even supporting actor) if it was done well enough. Very strong. I could see this being made with this exact cast."
CRAZY MARY - "Thurman would get a nomination but not win. People would go see it though. A good black comedy."
FORWARD - A good thriller but no oscar potential. Nice twist ending though.
THE WALL - This could go one of two ways. It could be the next Titanic and have to be taken seriously, or it could be another Notebook and be completely ignored. All depends on the overall tone.
SILENCE - Strong. It could come up out of nowhere though. Best Supporting Actor for sure though.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
"Not Baity Enough"
This is definitely a topic close to me. As a baiter who prides himself on baits that are not usually all that baity, it drives me absolutely insane when a fellow baiter reviews one of my baits with the simple statement "Not baity enough". This drives me crazy for several reasons.
REASON #1: NOT ALL BAITS ARE BAITY! Ok? If every movie in Hollywood was made for the sole purpose of winning Oscars, then Hollywood would become as boring and predictable as half of the "baity" movie is churns out. This also applies for this contest. If every bait written was a Historical Drama, or a Bio-Pic, or one of the other "baity" topics, I would have gotten utterly sick of it after a month or two. Yes, it's true, I wrote "The Wall" so I can't say I'm completely innocent of writing horribly baity projects but, to be honest, i try not to. There are several authors out there (I wont name any names) who I don't think have much fun writing baits because they only go for the Big 8 awards. I've won several creative awards for my baits and I take more pride in those than "The Wall" and it's Best Picture win. And here's a tid bit of hope for people, like me, who write non-baity baits. THREE reviewers reviewed "The Vampire Lestat" with "Not baity" and it was nominated for Bait of the Month. There's some hope for us crazy non-baity authors.
REASON #2: ITS JUST PLAIN RUDE! I don't know if these authors in question think they are better than us non-baity authors but I would like to ask them a question. Do you think our effort isn't worth as much as yours? We put just as much effort into our baits as you do. If not more because it's harder to write a good and creative bait than it is to churn out another "baity" project. I just love how you think you can pass off our efforts as inferior because they're not "baity" enough for your tastes. I have seen the comment "Not baity enough" written by several authors in response to several of my baits, as well as other's, and it pisses me off. Instead of giving the bait the time of day and really giving your thoughts on the story or the cast or whatever. You pass it off with "Not baity enough". WTF! That makes me feel like my hours of work were useless because they didn't turn out an idea that was "baity". MANY movies have won Best Picture that were not concidered baity. "The Lord of the Rings" for example. Fantasy is the death nell of the academy but those movies were just so damn good that the academy had to give in and hand out the big prize. "The Silence of the Lambs" for another. Many people referred to this movie as a slasher movie when it first came out but then it went on to not only win Best Picture, but also Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Thats a pretty damn good slasher movie! And then there's "Pulp Fiction". Who ever would have thought that a little movie with lots of violence, foul language, drugs, some of the most lowlife characters in film history, would get nominated for Best Picture? If Hollywood went by your rule book, it never would have been!
So, what I am trying to say here is: Get off your damn high horse and come down to earth with the rest of us. There are great baits that are "baity" and great baits that are not. But good or bad, baity or not, NO bait deserves to be passed off with a comment like "Not Baity Enough"!
COMING SOON: "Over-used" baits (EX: gay baits)
REASON #1: NOT ALL BAITS ARE BAITY! Ok? If every movie in Hollywood was made for the sole purpose of winning Oscars, then Hollywood would become as boring and predictable as half of the "baity" movie is churns out. This also applies for this contest. If every bait written was a Historical Drama, or a Bio-Pic, or one of the other "baity" topics, I would have gotten utterly sick of it after a month or two. Yes, it's true, I wrote "The Wall" so I can't say I'm completely innocent of writing horribly baity projects but, to be honest, i try not to. There are several authors out there (I wont name any names) who I don't think have much fun writing baits because they only go for the Big 8 awards. I've won several creative awards for my baits and I take more pride in those than "The Wall" and it's Best Picture win. And here's a tid bit of hope for people, like me, who write non-baity baits. THREE reviewers reviewed "The Vampire Lestat" with "Not baity" and it was nominated for Bait of the Month. There's some hope for us crazy non-baity authors.
REASON #2: ITS JUST PLAIN RUDE! I don't know if these authors in question think they are better than us non-baity authors but I would like to ask them a question. Do you think our effort isn't worth as much as yours? We put just as much effort into our baits as you do. If not more because it's harder to write a good and creative bait than it is to churn out another "baity" project. I just love how you think you can pass off our efforts as inferior because they're not "baity" enough for your tastes. I have seen the comment "Not baity enough" written by several authors in response to several of my baits, as well as other's, and it pisses me off. Instead of giving the bait the time of day and really giving your thoughts on the story or the cast or whatever. You pass it off with "Not baity enough". WTF! That makes me feel like my hours of work were useless because they didn't turn out an idea that was "baity". MANY movies have won Best Picture that were not concidered baity. "The Lord of the Rings" for example. Fantasy is the death nell of the academy but those movies were just so damn good that the academy had to give in and hand out the big prize. "The Silence of the Lambs" for another. Many people referred to this movie as a slasher movie when it first came out but then it went on to not only win Best Picture, but also Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Thats a pretty damn good slasher movie! And then there's "Pulp Fiction". Who ever would have thought that a little movie with lots of violence, foul language, drugs, some of the most lowlife characters in film history, would get nominated for Best Picture? If Hollywood went by your rule book, it never would have been!
So, what I am trying to say here is: Get off your damn high horse and come down to earth with the rest of us. There are great baits that are "baity" and great baits that are not. But good or bad, baity or not, NO bait deserves to be passed off with a comment like "Not Baity Enough"!
COMING SOON: "Over-used" baits (EX: gay baits)
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Long Baits and The End of Forever
Based on the reviews from the festival, I can see that my two baits this month ("The Legend of Zelda: The End of Forever" and "The Witching Hour") and going to be heavily panned for length. They are the two longest baits that I have ever written. "The Witching Hour" is long because the book it is based on is actually 1000 pages long. and Zelda2 is long because I wanted to write it in the form of an Epic Poem. It isn't nearly as long as a real epic poem but it serves the purpose. It also let me be very creative with the writing process.
I am glad, however, that most of the reviews did understand the purpose of Zelda2's length and gave it a reprieve as such. I hope everyone else involved in the contest can do so as well. Now here comes a little rant so you should probably stop reading now if your not a fan of long baits...
OK. LONG BAITS.
Everyone who complains about baits being long needs to get over it. Some authors on the site write long baits because its just too hard for them to shorten up the story that they have nurtured. I'm one of them, obviously. Like movies, some baits NEED to be long because, if they weren't, they wouldn't have the depth or the power that they need. Now I know some people will say "Short baits can be powerful too". Damn right they can! But would you take "Gone With The Wind" and cut it down to a nice and manageable 90 minutes? If anyone replied yes to this, I suggest you go watch Norbit again and leave the contest while you're ahead.
Yes, some movies are extremely powerful even though they care short. Some movies would become boring if they're too long, and then there's some three hour long movies that you just want to last longer. I am a huge fan of long baits, if they are well written. I don't long baits that are long and boring. But I absolutely hate it when people simply don't like long baits because they are long. If you can't handle a long bait (one of my two baits this month is 1600 words long) how will you ever handle a 150 page screenplay?
So, as you can see, people complaining about bait length really pisses me off. I wont mention it on the boards, but I'll probably mention it on here again if need be.
NEXT RANT: Peopling simply saying "Not Very Baity" when reviewing a bait!
I am glad, however, that most of the reviews did understand the purpose of Zelda2's length and gave it a reprieve as such. I hope everyone else involved in the contest can do so as well. Now here comes a little rant so you should probably stop reading now if your not a fan of long baits...
OK. LONG BAITS.
Everyone who complains about baits being long needs to get over it. Some authors on the site write long baits because its just too hard for them to shorten up the story that they have nurtured. I'm one of them, obviously. Like movies, some baits NEED to be long because, if they weren't, they wouldn't have the depth or the power that they need. Now I know some people will say "Short baits can be powerful too". Damn right they can! But would you take "Gone With The Wind" and cut it down to a nice and manageable 90 minutes? If anyone replied yes to this, I suggest you go watch Norbit again and leave the contest while you're ahead.
Yes, some movies are extremely powerful even though they care short. Some movies would become boring if they're too long, and then there's some three hour long movies that you just want to last longer. I am a huge fan of long baits, if they are well written. I don't long baits that are long and boring. But I absolutely hate it when people simply don't like long baits because they are long. If you can't handle a long bait (one of my two baits this month is 1600 words long) how will you ever handle a 150 page screenplay?
So, as you can see, people complaining about bait length really pisses me off. I wont mention it on the boards, but I'll probably mention it on here again if need be.
NEXT RANT: Peopling simply saying "Not Very Baity" when reviewing a bait!
My Little Twisted Thoughts
This is my blog!
It is here that I will let you all in on my twisted little thoughts on anything and everything that comes to mind. This could include anything so be warned.
It is here that I will let you all in on my twisted little thoughts on anything and everything that comes to mind. This could include anything so be warned.
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