Fake reality

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  • Fake reality

    Hi guys,

    I want to write a 'questioning reality' film but I'm worried that such an exercise is pointless because

    a) it'll seem like a Matrix ripoff

    b) the "what is real" zeitgeist that existed in the 90s isn't really around anymore.

    Anyone have an opinion on this? Has anyone completed a script like this recently or pitched this idea and had a great/adverse reaction?

    Do tell.

    Thanks.
    Last edited by Tochirta; 12-21-2010, 11:58 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Fake reality

    it's called a mockumentary style
    you might have seen: this is spinal tap, best in show, or borat
    i think it would be a difficult sale and something only a smaller independent company would look at.
    or you might have to make it yourself.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Fake reality

      ^no no, I mean something along the lines of The 13th Floor, Dark City, The One, etc. Parallel universes with action movies and such.

      I know Fringe is using parallel universes but does a concept like that have legs in feature film land?

      I'm just wondering if others' thoughts are on this.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Fake reality

        Maybe not exactly what you're looking for but a new angle might be not what is or is not real, but when reality started. Ever get that feeling that the universe didn't begin until after you were born? Or that people don't exist once they leave your sight.

        Might have been done before (since I haven't seen all the ones you've listed) but a flick about about the universe really depending on one person's consciousness might be interesting.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Fake reality

          I think the issue is that MATRIX are some pretty big shoes - you need to make sure you are different enough that no one thinks of your story and THE MATRIX in the same thought.

          No one thinks STRANGER THAN FICTION is like THE MATRIX.

          - Bill
          Free Script Tips:
          http://www.scriptsecrets.net

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Fake reality

            Originally posted by wcmartell View Post
            I think the issue is that MATRIX are some pretty big shoes - you need to make sure you are different enough that no one thinks of your story and THE MATRIX in the same thought.

            No one thinks STRANGER THAN FICTION is like THE MATRIX.

            - Bill
            but Stranger than Fiction is not an action movie. The moment you add action (guns, fu) people think "Matrix." That's the issue. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing at this stage.

            Ultimately, your advice to go left-field with it is a good one.

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            • #7
              Re: Fake reality

              ^not really. I finished a spec recently and I'm now running down a list of ideas to decide what to tackle next

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              • #8
                Re: Fake reality

                The One and Golden Compass are both action films that deal with parallel universes, I don't remember people saying either is a ripoff of the Matrix (but I might be wrong about "The One")

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                • #9
                  Re: Fake reality

                  Originally posted by Slappynipsy View Post
                  The One and Golden Compass are both action films that deal with parallel universes, I don't remember people saying either is a ripoff of the Matrix (but I might be wrong about "The One")
                  hey, good suggestion on the Golden Compass. for some reason, I never saw that movie. I will change that asap.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Fake reality

                    There was a film this past summer that largely took place in a false reality, dreams I think. Starred Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and another fairly big-name actor. I think it did pretty well at the box office.

                    I recently caught Vanilla Sky on cable. It still holds up well.

                    I wouldn't worry at all about seeming like a copycat or thinking that this concept has been played out -- there is definitely still a market for a good alternate reality story, and there always will be.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Fake reality

                      Come up with a good enough concept and you can write whatever you want.

                      Just don't copy anything.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Fake reality

                        Have you seen Black Swan? That movie also plays with what is real and what isn't. I left the movie thinking WTF? And not in a good way.

                        A friend was asking me about it. Would I recommend it? I cannot. Some like it, and it's being thought of for awards, but when people can't tell what's supposed to be real and what isn't, you can count on losing a portion of the potential audience for that reason alone.

                        He asked whether I thought it would all be clear if I were to watch it again. I said I doubt it. And I didn't like it enough to want to try. Sometimes there is ambiguity in a movie, but the filmmaker seems very on top of what the audience should be feeling and thinking and believing at every given moment, the way a good magician should be. Then when they switch things on you, or reveal what's what, it's satisfying. Other times, it just seems like sloppy work. There's no real way to tell what's supposed to be real and what isn't. It's like a detective movie that messes up the clues so you feel cheated. This is a hazard of movies that play with reality. It's hard to get it right.

                        Then my friend asked whether he could at least take his little girl to see Black Swan for the ballet, and that was a HELL no. It's full of graphic sex and scary violence. It's part art film, part horror movie. That's quite a thing to pull off, and it didn't work too well for me.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Fake reality

                          Originally posted by Joaneasley View Post
                          Have you seen Black Swan? That movie also plays with what is real and what isn't. I left the movie thinking WTF? And not in a good way.

                          A friend was asking me about it. Would I recommend it? I cannot. Some like it, and it's being thought of for awards, but when people can't tell what's supposed to be real and what isn't, you can count on losing a portion of the potential audience for that reason alone.

                          He asked whether I thought it would all be clear if I were to watch it again. I said I doubt it. And I didn't like it enough to want to try. Sometimes there is ambiguity in a movie, but the filmmaker seems very on top of what the audience should be feeling and thinking and believing at every given moment, the way a good magician should be. Then when they switch things on you, or reveal what's what, it's satisfying. Other times, it just seems like sloppy work. There's no real way to tell what's supposed to be real and what isn't. It's like a detective movie that messes up the clues so you feel cheated. This is a hazard of movies that play with reality. It's hard to get it right.

                          Then my friend asked whether he could at least take his little girl to see Black Swan for the ballet, and that was a HELL no. It's full of graphic sex and scary violence. It's part art film, part horror movie. That's quite a thing to pull off, and it didn't work too well for me.
                          Not sure if A lot of people have seen it but it reminded me a lot of Jacob's Ladder. I was waiting for the twist ending where we find out she actually died in 'Nam.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Fake reality

                            Originally posted by Slappynipsy View Post
                            Not sure if A lot of people have seen it but it reminded me a lot of Jacob's Ladder. I was waiting for the twist ending where we find out she actually died in 'Nam.
                            Yeah, Black Swan is a weird one where who the hell knows what was real. Some reviews I have read just seem to think it was played straight and is as seen on screen. I personally believe it all is a fake reality all played out in the head of the Mother who herself was the older ballet dancer who got pushed out by the young dancer before losing her child. To me Nina is her fantasy and nothing more.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Fake reality

                              I like your theory. Your theory could explain everything nicely, but you did the work of inventing a coherent explanation after the fact. If the filmmakers had a coherent theory guiding them beforehand, I don't think they did an effective job of communicating it.

                              Originally posted by Murphy View Post
                              Yeah, Black Swan is a weird one where who the hell knows what was real. Some reviews I have read just seem to think it was played straight and is as seen on screen. I personally believe it all is a fake reality all played out in the head of the Mother who herself was the older ballet dancer who got pushed out by the young dancer before losing her child. To me Nina is her fantasy and nothing more.

                              Comment

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