We won My Rode Reel | The Film Look

This week Rich asks for your help on his script and talk about winning my Rode Reel.

🎧 Listen to our Podcast!

📞 The Socials

[AdamOpie]

Yes show us all that lovely kit when it arrives!

[knoptop]

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing ALL that you DO!

[bentleycreative]

You should be proud of the prizes you won, show 'em off guys, and CONGRATULATIONS!

[mercermacwilliamhughes]

Yesss Yesss, Unboxing please!!
I was shortlisted for the Young FIlmmaker at my Rode Reel in 2016, but never had luck since. Always very jealous of all that gear!!

[NotAnEnglishman]

Of course we want to see what you've won!
Brag away lads!

[reelrene]

I think that's a great logline! You've got my 12 bucks.

Also, I would love to see an unboxing video. Curious to see what you guys got!

[IonutNecula]

Congratulations once again! Would love to see what gear you won and how it will improve your videos and film even more!

[sparkyandeliza]

Also would love to see the unboxing video!

[HackMyControlSystem]

Well deserved. Have you submitted to any other film fests? We were fortunate to get selected for one in New York, which took the sting out of defeat. Enjoy the gear!

[Iamz]

1. I've found that the best thing to do when you have trouble with a feature script is to take a break. Leave it for a month or so. Write down any ideas you have, then come back to it refreshed and ready with new ideas to inject into your story. If you run into more road blocks, then just rinse and repeat.

2. Let's see that sweet, sweet unboxing video!

[sparkyandeliza]

I have Save The Cat! - Great book! That's also what happened with our feature, we started writing it as a short film in 2011 and it escalated into a feature film! Congrats on winning My Rode Reel by the way!

I actually would see your film based on the log line! Because I can so relate to having all this debt from uni :)

One thing I found that helped us write our feature is a book called 'Something Startling Happens: The 120 Story Beats Every Writer Needs to Know'

I love this book because it blocks out each minute of the film in a way where it keeps you on track and keeping the film gripping from start to finish, I will put a few examples up:

Minute 1: Grab The Audiences Attention / Minute 2: Build the Tension / Minute 3 (The Ratchet): Not Only that, but now... / Minute 4: (Up Another Notch) If you thought that was bad... / Minute 5: Something extraordinary or astonishing happens,

This really helped us! Hope this helps in some way, will try and think of more ideas too :)

[sachinmore]

Loved the concept of the feature would love if you show some deadly insane planning for the heist and some car chase scene that would be cool to watch just my thoughts and congrats on your win

[jumpingfrog]

Since I watched the Asylum groove. I'm hooked to your channel.
Your log line sounds intriguing and
I'm starting to imagine some scenes already.
My 2 bit input:
Failed teenage students talking about robbing bank in coffee shop sounds too obvious that they are immature which might work for the plot.
Couple of other things like philosophy, metaphors, capitalism the struggle of the students. Police tracking them down without any effort.
I don't know something like comedy/dramedy turned into tragedy

[asianjared]

Rich, I'm interested. I remember you talking about this a couple years ago on the channel. I think the logline is a bit vague, but is very intriguing since I am a college student as well lol. I think your logline needs a "but", it needs something that's going to be there conflict. You got your character(s), their goal, but what's their conflict? (other than the police, I guess). Hopefully that'll help! I hope to find an idea soon and begin on a feature, but I got a short written, so yeah!

[bacnic]

Sounds like "going in style" by Zach Braff here's the logline: Desperate to pay the bills and come through for their loved ones, three lifelong pals risk it all by embarking on a daring bid to knock off the very bank that absconded with their money.
If you want it to make it different I think you've got to add trouble, raise the stakes... Not just college debt, like one has a dear one that's ill, you've got to put love into it. Baby driver has the relationship father&son between ansel and the old man that gets you. Or maybe they are doing it for a friend that because of the bank died of something like starvation or for not being able to get health care but in the end, after the heist they discover that he faked his death to avoid to pay the bank. You're welcome 😉

[lukemontgomery]

RAISE THE STAKES! why is the debt so crippling? What intense motivation drives the guys to rob the bank? What might happen if they don’t besides debt and despair?

[ToastedSynapseGaming]

It's gonna be great whatever you decide to do! Get some Baby Driver editing in there ;)
This also means that you write and Direct it to be fast-paced so make everything around that (dialogue, actions, etc).
And for other stuff, I don't know, maybe a Twist, maybe they discover that the bank manager is a former collage colleague or professor. And, similar to Reservoir Dogs you can have each of the characters with different personalities. One of them doesn't care that it's their Colleague/Professor, let him suffer, One of them deeply cares about this person, etc.
Just throwing ideas out there. Hope it helps.
Oh, just thought of this before sending the comment (if you also want a little comedic inclination):
"One woman that was kneeling in front of the robbers looks up and hears Robber1's voice
WOMAN
Daniel? Is that you? I thought you were at work!
ROBBER1/DANIEL
Mom?!"

[NatesFilmTutorials]

On first hearing, it seems a bit vague. Maybe you can hint at how they will go about achieving their goal. Do they have a friend that can hack into the system? Or are they going to steal money over a long period of time, while they work at the bank? What are the stakes? What happens if they don’t achieve their goal? It seems like a good idea though. I just started an outline for a feature..

[AlexanderBennettVideo]

Besides beat sheeting it to death, my advice (not that I’ve had any success...yet) for you at your stage is to... leave it :D go write something else. I just finished my second feature screenplay, and with hindsite I’ve gone back to my first screenplay and BOY do I have fresh eyes for what I want it to be and how far it currently is from it... I think having left it means I’m actually able to move forward rather than going in circles.
Also the log line sounded interesting, but told me nothing of theme. I think theme and subtext is king, if you can nail that down then the plot becomes a vehicle for it.

[EvanHarter]

The logline intrigues me as a viewer of your content; BUT Blake Snyder also says, about loglines, is that there needs to be some irony in it. Them being exploited by the bank and seeking justice sounds evolutionary and not revolutionary in terms of irony. Maybe one of the dudes works at the bank, and his family depends on the income that provides. Maybe he doesn't know the other three are sneaking around plotting to rob the bank but they maintain their friendship with him and extract info from him. Of course, the story could have growth in there I'm not seeing, it just isn't in your logline. Hope that was constructive versus destructive!