After receiving several very good notes, I went back and did a few rewrites of the script and switched to final draft to fix formatting issues. I have uploaded the first twenty pages with the updates, as well as part of the second act. Everybody here has been extremely helpful, I hope you enjoy this screenplay as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Logline: When a rogue survivor leads resistance-fighters against a murderous dictator who controls what remains of post-apocalyptic Earth, they must face his personal army, bionically-enhanced Un-dead soldiers!
Just click the link above! Ok got it? Good. So anyway I’d love your opinion on the logline as well as the first act and the first pages of act 2. I would like to hear honest opinions, if you like it say so! If you don’t, you can say that as well!
I only ask that both sides be constructive if you do feel like answering. I really appreciate you guys! Thanks!
Wow, that’s all I can say at this point. Its 2013 and its really showing now, this is where it all comes to a head. See back in the heyday of the comic industry nobody wanted to make black superheroes. Now in this new age we are slapped in the face with it everyday. Oh go check out “The avengers!” go check out “The dark knight”! Go check out “Captain America”! Go check out “Green Lantern”. What do all these movies have in common? They are comic book adaptations of superheroes that are all caucasian. Now I’m not talking about the quality of these movies, I’m one of the world’s biggest batman fans, but the fact remains that African Americans do not have many superheroes and the ones that are made are made just because they need a black hero. Giving us original names such as “Black lightning”, “Black panther”, “Bronze tiger”, we get it they’re black…but unfortunately until recently not much else.
The crazy part is THERE ARE GREAT BLACK SUPERHEROES. Unfortunately most of them have only a small following because they have never been promoted. Icon and Static are two of my very favorite heroes, yet no movie of either of them yet. Icon can easily go head to head with superman and in fact did one time punching him through the Justice league watch tower. Static eventually becomes the most powerful hero in the DC universe. Both heroes are great role models. So why haven’t they been given the exposure they deserve? Why am I still hearing “black people can’t be superheroes”?
Now they want us to get excited about “Falcon” being in the new Captain america movie. Yippie…a sidekick who talks to birds, right that’s a real hero…So now that my little rant is over lets get into the facts. The facts are that Dwayne McDuffie is responsible for some of the best (and only original) Black superheroes. Milestone comics did more for African Americans in the comic book industry than any other group ever did. But if you notice after Mr. Mcduffie’s untimely death, all that he did has been slowly reversed, they no longer use John Stewart for the green lantern, many of the black superheroes that were featured prominently in The justice league are gone. Perhaps most disturbing, in the television show batman the brave and the bold which featured team ups with almost every single hero in the dc universe, he didn’t team up with any milestone characters even one time.
Marvel you’re next! Teasing the populace year after year with a black panther movie is a little much don’t you think? I thank you for the first two blade movies an awesome job but most people forget that those movies helped kick off the comics-movie wave. This lack of black superheroes has resulted in there being almost zero black action stars. it translates now to the movie industry.
Wiseguy Industries is working on this. Cain the Conqueror will be the first of many heroes for all races and its not about their race. They will be superheroes of all colors but their colors will not make them. Thank you for your time.
So the film festival was a success! We successfully created a great short film titled “Aphrodite’s Arrow”. Let’s go through the past 48 hours with Team Wiseguy Industries!
Kickoff
Team Wiseguy Industries at the Kickoff
So the kickoff was at on Waverly place. My behind the scenes team got there early and waited around for the drawing where we would receive our genre. My actors were waiting by the phone to hear what we’d be doing. This was everybody’s first time participating in the 48 hour film festival and we were all excited to see what we would create under the pressure. The genre we would randomly pick would be the entire basis of this 4-7 minute movie that we were to write,shoot,edit, and score in 48 hours. They called us by groups and when it was our turn I went up representing the team and drew ROMANCE. Romance? I was hoping for dark comedy or sci-fi and I get romance? Well the good thing about that is romance can also be a dark comedy or sci-fi! So immediately my mind and my co writer’s mind(Dave Carlson) starts racing. We had to stick around because we were still waiting on the prop, line of dialogue, and character that they assign everyone to put in their movie.
The prop ended up being a trophy, the character was Cat or Cam dean, and the line of dialogue was “when do you expect her?” At that point my team and I split ways to get everything in order and do our parts! The race was on!
WRITING
Dave and I immediately went to this tea cafe down the street to set up the laptop and start spit-balling ideas. We came up with several really great ideas and it was pretty hard to narrow them down. Honestly we’ll probably end up shooting at least two of the ideas we came up with. In the end it came down to what would be the best film to shoot for the situation that would still give us the best movie. I believe we made the right choice. Soon the tea cafe closed and we set out looking for another place to write with an outlet because my computer shuts off if its not plugged in. About thirty minutes later we were in a diner cranking out a script. We worked out dialogue and character motivations/archs and finally at exactly 12 o’clock got the script finished, we sent it out to all the actors and set up a call time for 7 the next morning.
THE SHOOT
Time to get into my director’s chair! But like the guy said at the kickoff, “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” I got an email from an actress that said she was sick and couldn’t do it, one of my actors got lost on the way to the shoot, we ended up having to make a few changes to get the first scene shot but honestly I believe it was for the best. However in waiting the first scene ended up taking WAY longer than expected, which would be the case for the rest of the day. One of the actresses had to go to another performance during the day so we left the first location and began setting up in the second. Apparently in my house the a/c decides when it wants to work, and I guess when there’s a house full of bustling film makers with 10000 degree lights, well that just isn’t a good time for it (now its working wonderfully by the way.) So we’re all in there sweating like, oh I don’t know, some animal that sweats a lot and we have to keep wiping the sweat off the actors for the scenes. Then someone doesn’t show up, great, because the other actress has ANOTHER performance so when people don’t show up it REALLY messes with our deadline. However even this we got through but instead of being done at 7 like we were supposed to be, we weren’t done until about 12:00. Right, so now its time to run this out to our editors, composer, and audio guys.
POST
It took me about an hour to get it out there. Everybody in the house had a setup. Music was being composed in one room, video was being edited in another, audio was being modified in a third. We turned in for the night around 2 in the morning and got up again at 7. This was it, the last day, we basically had it in the bag, the music was almost done, the audio was looking good and the video was in the correct order, just a few touches here and there. Well of course we didn’t actually have everything ready until about 6:30. We left the house with the intent on exporting it on the train. When we got on the train however, the Mac had other plans. We couldn’t find the files. So it wouldn’t export. Luckily I brought my dock with me and when we got to the bar we used an outlet to hook it up. We found the files and re-attached them and hit export. Hm interesting the export time says 10 minutes…and so does the official clock well isn’t that a coincidence.
It was now LITERALLY down to the wire. As it exported I paced back and forth, Damon did a chant over the computer.
I kept checking the official time but it was hand and hand. As soon as it said less than a minute on the computer, they began counting down from ten.
FINALLY it was done, we ejected the flash drive and ran it over to the table….at five seconds! After a HUGE sigh of relief we congratulated each other and I sent out the text to the team congratulating them as well on a job well done. We had a few mishaps, mostly people not showing up or calling out last second but all in all it was one of the best experiences of my life. I feel the entire team has grown so much just over these 48 hours. Hopefully we’ll get back together soon to make something great! I’m so thankful for all of the people who joined up with the Wiseguy industries team on this, you’re the best team I could’ve asked for thanks for helping make this dream a reality!
Brian Bell(that’s me!)-Team leader, Director,Writer,Producer
Dave Carlson-Assistant Director,Writer
Douglas Guerra-Director of Photography
Mike Sayre-Composer
Damon Griffin-Editor
Roy Scandela-Actor
Shuiken Chan-Actress
Bill Sullivan-Actor
Samira Gibson-Actor
Jahim Henry-Actor
Fransisco Gregory-Actor
Natalie Harris-Actress
Courtney Harris-Actress
Thanks in advanced for all of you talented, driven people!
If you are in the NYC area check out the screenings! Team Wiseguy Industries will not, I repeat WILL NOT disappoint!
We are in group E which screens June 9th at 6:00 pm
Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, New York, NY 10003
Well its Thursday! I’m currently headed to a meeting to get the rest of the paperwork from everyone. I’ll be updating the blog with pictures from the set over the weekend but I won’t have time for any actual articles and may be to worn out to make any Sunday night for Monday. However the funny pictures are still coming and I will see you guys no later than Tuesday! Wish us luck! Team Wiseguy OUT!
Well the year is now 2013, movies are being made and remade almost literally to death. Fast Furious 6 is coming out, Die Hard came out again, and they are filming the fifth Spiderman movie. Yes we are truly living in the time of the remakes, when producers have become so terrified of the idea of making something original, that they’ve become content to shove last decades crap down our throats. So with all of the movies being made that SHOULDN’T be (yes you Total Recall) lets look at some movies that SHOULD get their first shot at the big screen.
Starting with…
#5 Black Panther
He is the Black Panther, king of a technologically advanced, hidden empire in Africa. One of the most popular black comic book heroes of all time he boasts a P.H.D from Oxford and the ability to lift over 700 pounds. This is a movie that’s been teased for FOREVER. We’ve gotten looks at who could play him, sets they could use, locations they’ve picked. It seems every year there’s some news about it and it never really comes through. I’ve almost given up on it. However the man himself Stan Lee whenever asked what comic book hero he’d like to see made into a movie ALWAYS says the Black Panther and also can not understand why it hasn’t been done.
I agree with him, I mean any chance to create an entire new place should be jumped on by any company if for no other reason than licensing and toy profits. A quick search for Black Panther movie on the internet will show tons of fans willing to support it no matter who makes it(well except for Tyler Perry). Marvel, Disney if you’re out there and you ever come across this blog hear our plea! Please make this movie a reality, it would be nothing short of epic.
#4 Gears of War
Just look at that picture and tell me you wouldn’t want to see Marcus and Delta squad running around on screen Lancering up some grubs! You can’t! Boasting one of the most innovative forms of gameplay Gears of War burst onto the scene November of 2005 to great acclaim. Everything about this game was new right down to the concept and that’s where the movie comes in.
Set 14 years after E day, the day when the locust horde declared war on humans and began killing them. Gears of War is the story of Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, Damon Baird, and Augustus “Cole Train” Cole as members of the COG. The military composed of all the governments on the planet. The story has many twists and turns, from emotional to political. There’s plenty of things to build off of and pull from to make an amazing action movie. The only thing to worry about is casting, as long as hollywood goes for quality over box office drawing names…who am I kidding? Lets just cross our fingers and hope they actually get this one off the cutting room floor, unlike the next one…
#3 Halo
This is another Xbox title…wait am I biased? Maybe I should throw kingdom hearts in here? Just kidding I’m an objective blogger and proud of it! You see Halo is another blockbuster action game. Starring a Spartan with great armor and killer reflexes it was the beginning of a new wave of First person shooters. It completely changed the game and in doing so garnered an entire fan base that will buy basically anything with the spartan logo on it.
The plot is this, the covenant a group of fiercely religious aliens are spreading throughout the world leaving destruction in their path. Earth and the covenant have been battling for years and the covenant has managed to destroy all but one Spartan. That spartan is the Master Chief and he basically wages a one man war against the covenant with temporary team ups with the rest of the marines from time to time.
This is another blockbuster action film that just needs the right push behind it. See Peter Jackson was supposed to make this movie before district nine, but after some arguments dropped out. Now they are bringing it back as a television show click the link for more info on that. I hope that this won’t stop them from making an actual movie.
#2 Luke Cage
Another extremely popular comic book superhero, Luke Cage is a hero for hire and sometimes antihero. He was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. A former friend turned drug dealer planted enough heroin in his apartment to be considered a dealer. This is all because he believes Luke stole his girlfriend. Luke Cage is convicted of the crime and in exchange for parole he underwent different experiments and tests. When a corrupt guard tries to kill Cage by messing with the equipment, his growth accelerates faster than expected and as a result he became super strong and bullet proof. He escapes the prison and goes back to his home in New York and opens a hero for hire business.
This is another movie that has been teased countless times, many actors have grown old while being mentioned for this role. However my favorite still remains Michael Jai White, the man is an amazing martial artist and could definitely bring the grit of the Luke Cage series effectively and believable to the big screen.
I could see this movie being our generations “Maltese Falcon.” With a dynamic character such as Luke Cage you never know what he truly wants. He says he’s in it for the money but he’ll change his mind if the reasoning’s right. Done properly this would be an amazing movie, would love to see it done maybe film noir to give it a great feel and really stand out.
#1 Batman Beyond
Seriously…please? Why hasn’t this been done? I can only assume that they are scared at the actual creativity, time, and effort it would take into actually making this. Terry has become the only other Batman that mainstream audiences really know and embrace as Batman. That’s not easy as even Bruce Wayne only called him Batman once and even then it was under duress.
Terry fought long and hard to be considered a true Batman and he not only succeeded in becoming a great Batman, he became his OWN Batman. One with his own villains, way of operating, and process that truly separated him from Bruce and endeared him to a generation. His attitude as well has his reasoning is totally different from Bruce’s, the writers embraced this fact and were able to recreate a beloved hero in Terry Mcguinness. Nowhere is this difference in character as prevalent as in the last fight with the Joker in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Here he utilizes the difference in character to drive Joker even more nutty and win the fight. Check out the opening sequence for the show and you’ll see just how cool a live action film would look in about five seconds.
This movie would have blade runner style visuals and several different bad guys to choose from. A large new age Gotham, gritty, but advanced. An elderly Bruce Wayne still trying to protect his city any way he knows how. Telling the story of Terry would take a little doing, but the first movie would be great and hopefully by the second we would be able to believe that he is truly a capable batman. Just off visuals alone this should be made into a movie, I mean that intro is amazing to this day. The new take on Gotham after the Nolan trilogy would be a great follow-up to everything that happened in the Dark Knight trilogy. I really hope that this can be made however this is one of the only one’s on this list that I’ve heard nothing solid about. With the Batman series being rebooted to Segway easier into a Justice League movie, my hope for this fan favorite is waning.
Honorable mention-Static Shock
It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t include the only guy who shares the title of my favorite DC hero besides Batman. Static shock came out in 1993 through Milestone Comics. He is the Brainchild of the late great Dwayne McDuffie and as such is an amazingly deep character. Static is a young man who was exposed to chemicals that killed many peoplein an event called the big bang. More people died than survived, but those that did were granted super powers. His power if you didn’t know is Electric generation and manipulation. He’s also extremely intelligent and curious which allows him to use his powers in ways that other electricity wielders never thought of. Most of his recurring villains are the other people who were in the big bang who are called Bang babies which actually gives the rare opportunity to say whoever you wanted was there and make up new villains all the time.
For a film this already has an audience, in 2000 it was made into a successful kids television series. It ran for four years, won a daytime Emmy and put Static on the map causing him to be included on the popular Justice League Unlimited show. It is revealed that he eventually becomes the most powerful superhero in the DC universe. Now just to jump into a feature length live action film might be a little iffy for now, but a DC animated feature would be great to see especially with Phil Lamaar voicing him again. After that I’d love to see a live action movie. Actually Static is so popular that people have started making fan films using his character. So Hollywood take notice!
Well that’s the list! If you have any ideas you feel were left off or just want to discuss the list, feel free to comment below! Thanks for reading!
As you may know Team Wiseguy Industries is now an official team entered into the 48 hour Film Festival thanks to sponsorship by The Home Medical Supply Store. Tonight we had our first official meeting and wow my team is even bigger than I’d thought! All of these talented people will be working to make the best film in 48 hours that they can and we’re all excited and ready to go!
Brian Bell(that’s me!)-Team leader, Director,Writer,Producer
Dave Carlson-Assistant Director,Writer
Douglas Guerra-Director of Photography
Mike Sayre-Composer
Damon Griffin-Chief Editor
Rohan Parikh-Actor
Roy Scandela-Actor
Sally Conners-Actress
Shuiken Chan-Actress
Bill Sullivan-Actor
Samira Gibson-Actor
Jahim Henry-Actor
Fransisco Gregory-Actor
Natalie Harris-Actress
Courtney Harris-Actress
Ruby Shattuck-PA
Ryan Fritzmartin-PA
Thanks in advanced for all of you talented, driven people!
If you are in the NYC area check out the screenings! Team Wiseguy Industries will not, I repeat WILL NOT disappoint!
Premiere Screenings
Date 6/7/13 6/8/13, 6/9/13
Time 6p, 8p, 6p, 8p, 7p
Place Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, New York, NY 10003
It’s official. Wiseguy Industries is in the 48 hour film festival thanks to sponsorship by The Home Medical Supply store!
We look forward to uploading the trailer to this very blog on June 2nd right after we drop off the video to the judges! The next week they will be screening our film and I hope some of my readers in the New York area will attend to see that we can do more than just talk about movies, we can make them, in less than 48 hours!
We have our whole team together from Directors to PAs and everything in between. Amazing actors have signed on, some I’ve worked with before, and others that have been recommended. This will be 48 hours of struggle but at the end I know we will have a film worth watching again and again!
Wiseguy Industries Media 