a thematic dossier

[Ghostboy]

My suggestion for that: lose the rape. Or if you maintain that plot device, keep it so subdued in the storyline that you really have to be paying attention to pick up on it.

My reason is that, unless you're going to go for some wildly melodramatic piece (Von Trier with the subtlety of Baz Luhrman), you run the risk of becoming very maudlin, contrived, etc., especially when you cram all that courtroom stuff about the rapist getting off, all into a seven page short.

I'd try to internalize the story as much as possible. One route, which has been done before but could still work, is to show her taking the piercing thing to extremes; show her having other piercings, and lots of 'em.

I don't know --that's just my initial gut reaction. I'd say write whatever you want, and then post it here. Three weeks is long enough time to put together a really tight short.

[rustinglass]

Yeah! That's it! lots of piercings. It could be a progressive self-destructing sacramental thing that culminates in the eyeball (that could be the title "eyeball", it even sounds good in portuguese)! I could interview and phtograph my local piercing artist (a very good one), make him my secondary character, and make the girl out of her past (you're right, loose the rape and trial scenes and tell her story in analepse) and out of input that hopefully this guy will give about these type-characters. I'll take some pictures of the piercing parlor for reference.

Awesome, man, thanks! I'm now beginning to believe.

edit: the film could end with a convict staring at the camera- not blinking- and we hear the girl off screen. " Mr convict,pleasure to meet you, the state appointed me as your defence attourney,now, you are accused of shoplifting and........blahblah"
what do ya think?

[rustinglass]

so this is what the thing looks like:


The more I look at this picture the more I am convinced that actual piercing isn't possible... I mean, isn't it a bitch when you get a hair in your eye and can't get it out? imagine having a piece of metal in it!

Still I'll show this picture to an oftamologist and if he mutters the words "piercing is theoritically possible", I'm going with this one because I can't get any other ideas. Believe me I've tried all week.
16 days to deadline.

[ElPandaRoyal]

FUCK!!!!

By the way, this is for that Lisbon film school right? When I thought of applying to that, I had some interesting topics, but I didn't go ahead with my faculty aplication. I just want to warn you that there's this other film school in Faculdade da Beira Inteior and you should apply for it as well, just in case. It's a new school and I heard it's great.

[rustinglass]

Thanks for the tip. The thing is that that I already have a flat I can stay in in Lisbon and I want to move to Lisbon. If I can't get in I'll become a computer electrotecnic engineer or sum shit (acho que consigo entrar no técnico).

Now what do you think about the idea? I mean besides "FUCK!!!!!!"

[mogwai]

(acho que consigo entrar no técnico).

be a electronic engineer and get a fine job. then you can write scripts and have a steady job.

[ElPandaRoyal]

Thanks for the tip. The thing is that that I already have a flat I can stay in in Lisbon and I want to move to Lisbon. If I can't get in I'll become a computer electrotecnic engineer or sum shit (acho que consigo entrar no técnico).

Now what do you think about the idea? I mean besides "FUCK!!!!!!"

I also ave a flat there, but it seems that this year is too late for me to apply to that school (I'm going to a fine one so no problem). I think the idea might work, but I'm with Ghostboy here and I'd try to internalize it as much as you could. Piercing can be great as a metaphor. However, I myself would choose the "coffee" theme 'cause I'm working on this short right now which coincidently has a lot to do with "coffee and what happens around it"  

But I think you can come up with something interesting. Just write a lot and explore every ideia you come up with and you'll nail it. Portuguese cinema needs new blood urgently

[rustinglass]

I also thought of a story about a coffeeshop and people that work in it and people that have breakfast there and accidents death life and whathavu's and coffee as being an omnipresent character that sees all and does all, brings people together...like god. But to make that work, I need a lot of characters and relations between them and that's just too much for a five page text.

Portuguese cinema needs new blood urgently

When my friends tell me that I'm crazy and that "Manuel de Oliveira and Fernando Lopes etc. are the ones who get all the cash..." I say "c'mon! they will die soon enough and someone's got to be there to replace them!"
Doesn't it make you sick that Portugal has hired directors from brazil and spain to make some -not all- of the Euro2004 comercials...ITS STUPID AND IT SHOUDN'T FUCKING HAPPEN!!!! We have so many young talented directors and they call these bigshots from other countries.

[ElPandaRoyal]

Portuguese cinema needs new blood urgently

When my friends tell me that I'm crazy and that "Manuel de Oliveira and Fernando Lopes etc. are the ones who get all the cash..." I say "c'mon! they will die soon enough and someone's got to be there to replace them!"
Doesn't it make you sick that Portugal has hired directors from brazil and spain to make some -not all- of the Euro2004 comercials...ITS STUPID AND IT SHOUDN'T FUCKING HAPPEN!!!! We have so many young talented directors and they call these bigshots from other countries.

Completely agree. I hate it when they get foreign directors to do what could easily be done by portuguese ones. We just don't seem to trust our talents when it comes to the artistic areas. As for the old-school ones, I think we need more financing the movies. We kind of need an independent cinema "industry" or else no one will get their films done. Since this is your topic, i'll leave you with a site from a production company that can be an important one for our future cinema: www.filmesdamente.com (others can check it out as well, of course, but it's all in portuguese)

[rustinglass]

Well what do you know.... I guess people can learn to live with a foreign object in their eye. Take a look a this fucker: eyelid piercing

[Pubrick]

how rebellious.. in a conformist sort of way.

[mogwai]

how rebellious.. in a conformist sort of way.

JHAHAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! AW MAN.... you're sof ucking funny. pubrick, you da meaan man... i love you, bro. brotha. brother. brothel......  aw shoit. i'm. otuta her.e

[rustinglass]

you're funner drunk

[rustinglass]

Shit, mogwai, why did you delete that hilarious post? is saying"long live FC Porto" such a burden for you?

Anyway, I started writing the story today. I think I'm dropping the whole rape idea because I know virtually noyhing about rape victims so who am I to say that they would engage in self mutilation? is fascination a good enough reason for this sucking in to the piercing culture?
Is it a good idea that she narrates the story? I think it would help the readers to understand this fascination. I could write it in first person. I'll use my own research as reference as the protagonist searches for a unique manner in which to ornament her eyeball.

Am I doing good?

[Ghostboy]

is fascination a good enough reason for this sucking in to the piercing culture?

Yes.

Is it a good idea that she narrates the story? I think it would help the readers to understand this fascination. I could write it in first person. I'll use my own research as reference as the protagonist searches for a unique manner in which to ornament her eyeball.

It all sounds like a great approach. Looking forward to reading it, if you deem it post-able here.