Great to hear that Kristen is about to get her feet wet, taking the plunge by directing her very first full length feature film. I was hoping she would star in her feature directorial debut or at least do a cameo--but not to worry as I have big plans for her to be front and center--being the lead actor and director of the film I wrote the screenplay for. But this may require a bit more funding--I'm guessing in the $40 million range.
I wrote in such a way, that if for some reason, such a price tag is out of the question, the storyline could remain largely intact and the film could be made for a lot less, as it is not dependent on costly special effects and especially if I were to reduce the script to a predominantly talking heads flick. Case in point: If Ex Machina and eXistenZ were made with a budget of $15 million, not adjusted for inflation, this amount would certainly suffice.
But of course I wanted to create a story of epic proportions, though not costing as much as some of my fave science fiction films such as Inception, Minority Report, The Matrix, Blade Runner, Star Wars: A New Hope, Total Recall, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence. It should be possible to tell a great sci-fi story and create a believable fantasy world at a fraction of the cost. Think (not adjusted for inflation): Lucy ($40 million), Gattaca ($36 million), Looper ($30 million), Strange Days ($42 million), Dark City ($27 million), and Pan's Labyrinth ($19 million).
I set out to create a story world similar to that of The Matrix, but it ended up resembling the plot and recurring themes found in films like Blade Runner 2049 and Elysium, although not quite as futuristic, as my story supposedly takes place in the not so distant future. But I also made sure it has the feel of an indie, focusing mostly on the individual lives the actors will portray and a topic the major Hollywood studios won't touch with a ten-foot pole, as it's a case study of where we are, where we're heading and most importantly, the end game.
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Ron2011 (908)
3 years ago
I set out to create a story world similar to that of The Matrix, but it ended up resembling the plot and recurring themes found in films like Blade Runner 2049 and Elysium, although not quite as futuristic, as my story supposedly takes place in the not so distant future. But I also made sure it has the feel of an indie, focusing mostly on the individual lives the actors will portray and a topic the major Hollywood studios won't touch with a ten-foot pole, as it's a case study of where we are, where we're heading and most importantly, the end game.
LL, It really sounds like you put a lot of thought and effort into your screenplay, going for more than I had assumed from your talk about it earlier. I really like your idea of a futuristic story, along the lines of Blade Runner 2049 and Elysium as those were quite unique and original stories in a dystopian or otherwise imaginative future society. I think that kind of story line is usually well received.
Is the writing done or mostly done? And how do you go about getting funding?
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LLOwens (983)
3 years ago
I finally completed the screenplay, Ron and recently copyrighted it with the U.S. Copyright Office/Library of Congress. As far as securing funding if this project is ever greenlit, hopefully a potential director and producer will find it.
My job is to contact Kristen or whomever else might be interested in using the script to base a film upon. Russell Brand would be a good alternate choice as he is extremely vocal about several topics being explored in my screenplay on his immensely popular YouTube channel, which currently has 4.34 million subscribers.
When I mentioned those two films I was primarily talking about the backdrop and type of world the main character will be living in. In my opinion, the story goes much deeper than these films, especially at the moral and spiritual level.
I'm still working on my query letter to send out to Kristen or her agent, but so far it goes something like this:
The Philanthropist
Dear Ms. Agent:
Jobina has it all: beauty, brains, good health, a loving family and friends, along with fame and fortune. Her story is set in the not-too-distant future where in stark contrast many have very little as inequality runs rampant. For this reason, it is her mission in life as a philanthropist to use her considerable influence and wealth to help change society for the better. But little does Jobina know that there are powerful forces lurking behind the scenes, both human and otherworldly who engage in a tug-of-war to compete for her allegiance, both sides wanting her to represent their interests—whether it is her becoming the leader of a nation or the last of the chosen ones.
Jobina experiences a reversal of fortune as she comes face to face with death while the future of the world hangs in the balance. She’s a pawn in the ultimate battle of good versus evil. She is tested to her very core—losing everything she holds dear via betrayal and death. But she reemerges victorious as a result—going from riches to rags and back to riches. She will undergo radical change in her station in life once more, this time allowing her to make a difference of epic proportions.
But in the end, reality sets in as this was all part of a full dive virtual reality simulation which Jobina unknowingly took part in. Like deja vu, some of the things now happening in the present occurred in the VR simulation, making one wonder how much of it will transpire in real life. Scary indeed as some of the incidents which happened during the simulation involve some of the most terrifying events imaginable. But on the flip side, Jobina also experienced heaven on earth. So how does it end when virtual reality and reality become indistinguishable in the mind of the protagonist--as a dystopia or a utopia?
This screenplay was written specifically for Kristen Stewart as I took into consideration her penchant for choosing certain genre roles and character archetypes she excels at portraying. I believe this script has something for everyone: action, adventure, drama, suspense, fantasy, horror, epic, thriller, comedy, and romance. Please let me know it you or Ms. Stewart is interested in obtaining a copy of the script. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read this.
Sincerely,
LL Owens
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Ron2011 (908)
3 years ago
Congrats on finishing the screen play and getting a Copyright on it. That's all pretty big, you know your stuff and really getting into things.
I understand that you were just giving examples of other movies but the overall idea struck me as a popular one. Dystopian, futuristic or stories about uplifting society's forgotten people are all popular. Elysium has something similar, the haves vs the have nots, but also different than your outline in general. The story reads like something Kristen could be interested in as she's done several dystopian or futuristic films, Equals coming to mind. Or other actors since as I said, it seems this kind of theme has been popular for quite some time.
I like your summary outline. It'll be interesting to see how things develop, studio, director, cast. That said, of course I realize that it can be quite difficult to get a film going.
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LLOwens (983)
3 years ago
I like your summary outline. It'll be interesting to see how things develop, studio, director, cast. That said, of course I realize that it can be quite difficult to get a film going.
I wish I could divulge more--what I've mentioned about my script is barely scratching the surface of what the film is really about--but because it takes up to 6 months (3 months average) for the copyright to be formally registered with the U.S. Copyright Office of the Library of Congress, I'll keep most of the details under wraps.
But then again, a film usually takes much longer than 3-6 months to produce, so I shouldn't really be worried about someone ripping off the entirety of my screenplay verbatim, for by then it will be legally protected.
Anyhow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Ron, and hopefully one day this script sees the light of day and made into a film.
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