I hear ya, Mike. However, not everyone has to afford the flight. Only six do. That percentage sounds fair. Also, some may take a train, bus, car. For example, in real life you live, I'm not sure exactly, maybe the northwest? The Dakotas? PeterLake lives near/outside Chicago. I live in Detroit. If we wanted to get to Kentucky (which I think makes a great setting, btw, you might take a train to Chicago, meet PeterLake, drive to Detroit, and we all road trip down to Kentucky. That makes things interesting. So three characters already know each other and the other three don't until we all get there. (Is it just me, or is this starting to sound like a real life good idea? Road trip?!)
What thinkin'? I like the funeral. I by know means pretend to know anything about the real JP, but he seems elusive and not particulary prone to hosting huge parties or shindigs. I think this is more fitting. Maybe (this may be what Trask was saying) some of us want to attend the funeral to pay our respects. Maybe the woman with whom he was corresponding wants to visit because she's heartbroken that they never met. Maybe, for added comic relief, one person wants to come to meet his competition and is actually a little glad that now he may be the most honor-rolled contributor. Dark grin. Maybe one or two only really want a chance to meet JP, and think he may be there due to the person's work relationship with him. Maybe we all meet for the first time at the funeral/wake (btw, there has to be booze there, so I'm down with wake). Or maybe we all arrange to stay at the same inn and meet the night before, planning to show up separately and discreetly at the wake, out of respect for the widow's dislike of PE.
That way, the elusive JP continues. I'm too tired to be cogent right now.
Night,
M.I.
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Ok, I'm warming a bit to the idea (I've been having trouble keeping up with all the different ideas coming in different directions as the semester started yesterday).
ReplyDeleteI only bring up the idea of believability because I've some-what gone through similar situations in real life, where someone I've known and liked online has died. In those cases, maybe one or two of the people in the same city visited or sent flowers, but that's about it.
But, a road-trip does sound interesting. I'd have to rethink my character a bit for that . . . at least their job.
What time of year are we thinking about?
Willie, Wednesday AM. Pardon Mr. Practical coming in before we even get started, but the big problem of a realistic big event ( like a Peterman Picnic/Festivalor a Ball) is getting it done on film in a big way.
ReplyDeleteI know this is a chicken -egg thing, but if we produce a screenplay that requires too many big deals, it goes nowhere. I think some of the fantasies can be big, but they are fantasies, with blurry edges. I think the meeting event is the unlikely funeral, with all of the decision making over whether or not to go.
We COULD have some event that postpones a PetermanFest beyond the frame of the film and at the same time allows the characters to get to the funeral- which allows some of them the sweet promise of meeting again. I am just tossing ideas.
Especially since unknown, unresolved marital status prohibits a massive pairing off, I like the idea of an odd number of Eyesters at the funeral. And I think at least one of them has to pretty much be there without adequate advance warning. Don't a lot of people in Ohio work just across the river in Louisville? How far is Louisville from Lexington? Tow of the women ( or two of the people) can definitely egg each other on.
Borrowing from Gosford Park, we make the characters the names of their authors for a moment. Trask is the dead guy. MissIve and Kindlee discuss via some other method that they both want to go. Money is no object to Kindlee. Peter actually takes one leg of the trip with MissIve. Olivia comes because she is 175 miles away- just far enough to have to spend the night, though she hadn't planned to. The other guy (Mike)doesn't plan to, but some trick allows him- I don't know, he wins $500 on the lottery, he sells a short story that was inspired by Katz, something.
So, some meet at the funeral and some meet to GO to the funeral.
How about this?
standing in hotel hallway
Peter: So we definitely shouldn't spend the night.
Ive: Probably definitely. I'm beat and as much as I love you, I love my husband. I'll see you in the morning.
Peter: See you, then, goodnight.
(Coming down the hall)Olivia. Hey guys, where you going? I have just spent the last two hours with Katz's mama and I need a drink.
Peter and Olivia walk off into the sunset.
Final scene: The blog
I think the time of year has to be cold enough for coats- maybe not 30 degrees, but certainly 55 or 60.