group project: individual vignettes

Setting: An abandoned and post apocalyptic urban environment, a.k.a. most likely my house/block at say 4 or 5 am in the morning. Specifically, the film will take place mostly in a dim basement with a group of the last people left in the city (Brooklyn).

            I envision a group of three to five people gathered in the dank basement trying to weather out the storm above as the end of civilization fast approaches. The city has been abandoned and the only individuals left are those who have ignored the evacuation notices and military announcements. These somewhat misguided New Yorkers believe they can survive the end of the world simply by hiding in a poorly ventilated basement (perhaps a subway stop?) Claustrophobia begins to set and close in on the group and tempers flare as the clock ticks down to the end of things. I have a number of ideas of conflicts that could arise in such a tense environment and I will list a few of what I think to be the most gripping (but perhaps most cliché) ones:

1. Outsider tries to enter the group looking for safety from the world above. This could lead into a story line similar to that in “the thing” as the outsider could bring in some sort of containment from above, exposing the refugees to the apocalypse above.
   
   1. The outsider could be the devil or some other demonic figure in disguise in a final attempt to bring further souls with him before final judgment. It is important to note that it need not actually be the devil, but simply someone who believes they are. 
   2. On the other hand, the outsider could be a man/woman of god who is looking to save the souls still left in the city. Concerned with only religious salvation this outsider could take the “law” into their own hands trying to usher the refugees to the New Jerusalem.
2. The whole apocalypse is a farce leading in chaos, think Y2K riots, etc. The irony is that because Americans are so obsessed with the idea of apocalypse they end up killing each other and causing a secular apocalypse anyway as society crumbles under the weight of human chaos and anger. Only the basement group survives.
3. The final idea involves a corollary of the second idea. That is, there isn’t an apocalypse but instead of only those in the basement surviving, it is only them who perish. A gun or someone weapon will be in the room as some short of protection against the evil forces that threaten the group from the outside. This could incorporate the apocalyptic American views of the Christian right and affiliated organizations like the NRA. In any case, this weapon, meant for the protection of the group will set off a chain reaction resulting in the deaths of all those involved.

Ideally this would be a dark comedy but it mostly depends if I can pull it off or not (I question the comedic part now), I’d be perfectly okay with this being a serious and dramatic piece. The tricky part will be making it believable but I can probably pull it off given the environment I’ve chosen.  I also plan to write an apocalyptic and satirical song for the end credits, that is if my musical talent allows for it.

Hey everyone,

I really liked all the movie idea's and see correlations between all that could enable us to string them together so that they were really in sync and flowed great.

I would like to write and film a historically fictitious and satirical narrative about Dec 23, 2012 as the approaching day of the Apocalypse. It would also incorporate Dan's idea of extremism vs. Fundamentalism since the detetiorating global condition has caused the rise of two candidates who are both of these, and at opposite ends of the spectrum. Many religions and theories predict this specific day as the “end of the world” and while the movie will briefly reference some of them in passing, (probably humorously by a comedic paranoid supporting character) this by no means will be the focus of the film. Instead, Dec 23, 2012 will be represented as a day of change in global conscience, though never directly referred to as that, as it will conclude months before that date is ever reached, leaving the viewer to assume a new course for the world described as so desolate by the main characters.  

The main character will be a young intellectual struggling to get by, as everyone is, due to a four-year global depression. War and poverty are rampant, and the need for cooperation and assistance amongst the everyday people of the world is more evident now then ever, with knowledge and ideas rapidly spreading through the Internet and blogging. The U.S. stands at the verge of Fascist and Fundamentalist take over as the people look for security, but out of the electoral primaries arises this new, young, eloquent, and defiant voice. Pretty much all the plot will be brought out through dialogue and character interaction at a number of locations, with the final scène being the main character crossing the Brooklyn bridge at early morning, with the sun rising in the back - symbolizing the dawn of a new age or consciousness. 

Sorry to be chiming in late, but I would definitely suggest that you plan separate proposals for short videos. Smaller projects in smaller groups will be more coherent, critically focused, and manageable. If you want to combine them into a larger thematic video cycle, it would probably be better to do that once you're working on your own projects and you know what you've got.

I'm thinking of Kurasawa's Dreams cycle. The short films that comprise it have a common aesthetic and a common thematic focus on life, death, war, the natural and the supernatural. Though the stories are very different in terms of setting and subject, they're bound by a pervasive mood and visual style. In so short a time it might be too much for us to plan a cycle of shorts with an aesthetic as unified as that, but at least you've picked up on the common apocalyptic thematics pertaining to gender/sex & mass death/personal death. Perhaps a small cycle focusing on those?

Also, I've noticed that the tendency of all your proposals--movies and lolcats alike--is towards the humorous. Perhaps you should be thinking about what exactly is so funny about apocalyptic thought as you've studied it so far. Is there a way to make that a controlling idea in the composition of your projects?

So:

1. Who's doing a movie?

2. Shouldn't we have a group proposal?

--
Dan
dblondel@hunter.cuny.edu

Sounds like a good idea.

This is just a little idea that I conjured up

Project description: The project will be a parody on the growing political divisions between the labeled Christian right “Jesus land”, and the liberal left “Babylonia.” The country will be split according to the 2004 electoral map, and the two countries would be locked in a life or death struggle, to decide the outcome and possible future of America. Each country believes that they are morally just, and the two opposing sides will use all possible weapons in their arsenal in order to vanquish the opposing faction. The nation of Jesus land, believes that the defeat of Babylonia, would bring about the resurrection of Jesus and the aforementioned 1,000 years of peace. The theocratic leaders of Jesus land base their government around the teachings of Michael Bray, their idealized spiritual leader. The nation of Babylonia is ideologically opposed to theocracy, and has created a European style socialist utopian government, centered on New York and California. The nation of Babylonia has created a ruling class of movie stars such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The film would take place, as the forces of Jesus land approach the so called home of “Sodom and Gomorrah” New York City. The forces of Jesus land, give the residents of New York City, one of two options, either convert to The Church of Bray and hand over all their “abortionist” hierarchy, or face judgment before Michael Bray’s City of God. The movie will take place, within the war room of the opposing sides, as the nation of Babylonia weighs all their options.    

That seems like a great idea, a modern day amazon class of women; while the men sound like they are acting out Maragaret Atwood's Handmaiden's tale.

Project description: the Project will be a short video exploring the role of the gender binary in apocalyptic thought. It will analyze the consequences of a society where people are forced into gender rolls which are defined by submission and domination, and the effects of those inflexible rolls on both the oppressed and the agents of that oppression. It will also examine the way in which apocalyptic thought perpetuates the oppression and offers no real liberation for all people, but rather singles out a group of people and offers their death as the only way the apocalyptic war can end.

Rough Summary of video: the movie will envision decades into an ongoing war between men and women. The movie will more than likely not include battle scenes, but rather the situation and lifestyle of each individual camp.

the video will first explore the men's camp. we find out that men are losing the battle because they are having trouble capturing women for procreation and perpetuation of their mancount. the numbers had been relatively even throughout the war until the women had destroyed the men's major cloning facility two decades earlier. obvious that their defeat is imminant, the atmosphere of the camp is extremely tense as the male soldiers drink alcohol and discuss the "biological" and morally subversive subjugation men could endure "if" the women win the war. they intelligibly discuss the chaos that has ensued since the war began (although none had been around when it began) and the complete destruction of the world that will arise "if" the women win the war.  the men's envisioned destruction is not one brought by a God, but it is more ideologically monistic: the chaos ensued by the subjugation of men will emenate throughout the world and cause it to spiral into atrophy. The men thus hold a liberation worldview of not only themselves but the world in general, and will even include some women (insert jargon here for women who ONLY breed and do not fight). we find this hope for the future of "natural order" in the respect the men have for the environment (I'll figure out how thats conveyed later). However, we see the perpetuation of the gender hierarchy within the men's camp itself, where men are broken up into 3 different castes. 1 caste is made to lead, another to fight, and another to work. the men's scene ends with the realization that the women are incredibly near and the battle is almost over. The soldiers sacrifice their lives and go off to "fight and die honorably," the leaders commit suicide and order the workers to do the same, although it is unclear whether the workers do commit suicide or run away.

In the womens camp, the "elders" discuss the  final battle that is to take place later that night. the women's discussion of beauracratic issues allows us to understand the society and ideology of the women's camp. we first find out that for many decades the "foremothers" had grown hopeless of their "liberation" from the "millions of years" of subjugation by men. they discuss the disposal of men who had been captured and used for procreation (insert jargon here) with little or no regard for the environment (I'll figure something out), the new methods in which the warrior class of women (jargon jargon) can deal with the birthing class (jargon) of women's anger that their "men babies" (male babies) are being "disposed of."  the elders are split on their decision of what to do with the birthing mothers. some elders are in favor of "birth mother anger" because it "creates more warrior baby girls," others are afraid that the mothers themselves will become warriors and cause them to  "desert their contribution to 'the liberation' and detriment our final battle." the obvious gender binary, even within the sex itself, becomes very apparent. the last subject in discussion is the warrior womens tendency to acquire infections of the flesh after removing their breasts (graphic, I know but a great allusion to greek mythology). at the end of the scene the women receive word from the major general about the destruction of the men's camp and the coming of "the liberation"

its just a draft, but please respond. comments? criticisms?

        Im trying to figure out where this joint project is going, are we making one large two page proposal, or seperate proposals. Right now I currently working on my section, but I am trying to figure out how we plan on uniting the various suggestions.