Friday, August 31, 2007

Possible movie version of Genesis album, part 4

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Screenplay draft (part four)

Camera fades in to Rael waking up to find himself in a Subway Station. He is drowsy and disoriented with his surroundings at first. He makes his way to the stairs and up and out of the station, in to the light of morning New York City rush hour. He passes one of his spray can tags reading “Rael Imperial Aerosol Kid” on the way out. As the city noises flood to his ears, he smiles and realizes that his bizarre dream is over.

Cut to Rael in his room, his sisters playing noisily in another part of the apartment. He sits pondering the experience of the morning. He falls asleep.

Rael wakes again to the sound of his mother calling everyone to dinner. Cut to the table where he sits with the din of his siblings. Rael is still lost in his musings, distracted and depressed. His mother is upset, distant and quiet. Camera stays on Rael. Thinking his mother is worried about him, says “I’m all right, Ma…..Don’t worry, okay?” He reaches out to her and caresses the side of her head. His mother looks momentarily confused, but shrugs it off.

Cut to Rael walking at dusk. A voice calls from down the street. He turns to see his gang running with nervous energy. Rael’s mood is reserved, glad to be home but not necessarily glad to start back in to his old life. A friend appears beside him and asks casually, “Where were you, man?” After a pause, Rael answers simply, “On Broadway”. They continue walking and watch his gang enter an empty lot.

Cut to a building that the gang is about to Tag. They’re shaking their Spray-paint cans and boisterously chatting. In the background a boombox plays “Back In NYC”. Suddenly a rival gang appears in a car, and they jump out and approach ready to fight (instrumental version of “Back in NYC” bursts in).

Rael’s gang walks all over the rivals, each member brutally punching them until they fall and don’t get up again. Several onlookers are horrified and some run for help. The rival gang defeated, their driver peels out and drives off. Rael’s gang victorious, they raise their voices in celebration and run for it as sirens are heard approaching.

Rael leaves his friend and begins his walk home. As he continues on he seems unaware that he is cuddling a sleeping porcupine in his arms (cue “Hairless Heart”).

Cut to Rael sleeping. He dreams that his heart is removed, then shaved clean, and replaced back inside his chest. He wakes up suddenly, and then clutches at his chest, seemingly relieved to still feel a beating heart. He rolls out of bed and takes to the late night streets once again.

Adult Birthday Parties Can Be Fun, Too!


We attended our friend Heather's birthday party tonight. I let Liam stay up a little later than normal. Heather's daughter Emma is more Thea's age but she really loves Liam. She especially likes to tickle him, and he doesn't mind that attention. In a few years he'll probably be all, "ew, gross, a girl touched me!" Emma has a new baby sister too. Olivia is just about a month old. She's very cute, and hairless, and when her Dad makes her dance she looks like a cute little bridge troll....you know, the hairless kind of bridge troll. : - ) We had pizza and pulled pork sandwiches. And I had some adult conversation. It was a good evening.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Possible movie version of Genesis album, part 3

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Screenplay draft (part three)

Rael walks through a tunnel in the rock. There isn’t any light so he gropes the wall to keep him on his feet. He comes to an entrance (exit?) in the cave wall from which a light is emitting. He steps through to find a middle aged woman at a desk. Behind her is a huge warehouse. Confused, Rael asks timidly, “where am I?” The woman looks up, smiles, and starts in to her sales-pitch-like explanation:

"This is the Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging, those you are about to see are all in for servicing, except for a small quantity of our new product, in the second gallery. It is all the stock required to cover the existing arrangements of the enterprise. Different batches are distributed to area operators, and there are plenty of opportunities for the large investor. They stretch from the costly care-conditioned to the most reasonable mal-nutritioned. We find here that everyone's looks become them. Except for the low market mal-nutritioned, each is provided with a guarantee for a successful birth and trouble free infancy. There is however only a small amount of variable choice potential - not too far from the mean differential. You see, the roof has predetermined the limits of action of any group of packages, but individuals may move off the path if their diversions are counter-balanced by others.”

A whistle is heard while the saleslady is still speaking. (the organ intro to “The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging” starts). The woman finishes her spiel, sits down, then after a pause says:

“It’s the last great adventure left to mankind"

(then the band version of the song continues) Rael walks out in to the warehouse and notices the stock is large rectangular boxes, with plastic window fronts, stacked to the ceiling on high racks. Rael continues moving along, looking about him with interest, and awe. He notices that all the boxes are full of human dolls of various ethnicities, each with distinctive clothing marking them as having different vocations. The dolls in boxes are motionless, while lining the walls of the warehouse are other sets, or displays, with working models. (“everyone’s a sales representative”…) The boxes all have numbers at the outside top, and prices marked in red, and the dolls themselves have slogans on their shirts describing their occupations.

Rael is suddenly shocked to see his brother in a set depicting his gang spray painting a Subway Car (his brother is #9). Surprised by the sight of his brother, and still cautiously confused, Rael slowly backs up, but loses his footing and falls on his back. While there he notices something odd about the ceiling. There is a giant mural of a Lamb on it with a variable message calendar inset showing the dates of distribution for the dolls. (For instance: “Number 9; 29 September 1974”) He quickly gets up looking confused and horrified, and decides to leave the place. He makes his way quickly to the exit looking back to be sure he isn’t followed. The camera follows him in to the darkness of the exit. (The music ends and is cross faded with the sounds of the subway).

Bonding Time with Liam

Liam and I hung out while Mom and Thea had a little vacation.
We went to Ikea for dinner on Thursday after daycare.



It's fun to play at Ikea.



Liam got a fishy.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Possible movie version of Genesis album, part 2

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Screenplay draft (part two)

Camera moves slowly down from above Rael, wrapped completely in his cocoon, as he lies on the ground. (An edited version of “Cuckoo Cucoon” plays [without the words], just the backing instruments with the flute solo as the centerpiece). The camera zooms inside the wool and we see Rael’s face. He is comfortable, at peace. Camera moves out and once again the white wool fills the screen.

Camera moves slowly down to where Rael’s heart would be (as the strains of “In The Cage” begin). The shot moves in to his beating heart, and then down from his chest to his stomach, which is illuminated from within with a strong yellow glow (“I got sunshine in my stomach”). The entire screen fades to yellow. Then there’s a partial fade-in, over the yellow, of Rael’s face as he falls in to slumber (“but I can’t keep me from creeping sleep”). Back to yellow as the organ arpeggio gets louder. The yellow glow becomes a yellow line as the camera begins tracking the line along a gigantic web of lines which form a grid in space. Stars dot the far distance, and each intersection of lines is brighter. As the camera tracks past the intersections, objects sweep past from above. Quick edits flash of Rael’s cocoon melting away as a droplets fall from the cave ceiling on to the wool.. (“Rockface moves to press my skin…”) Rael is finally freed of the wool only to find that rock formations have developed all around him. He’s wearing his same street clothing only the entire outfit is white.

The scene starts oscillating from Cave to Cage in time with the music, slowly at first. He walks toward the bars, but then confused, Rael shrinks back to the ground in the fetal position and holds his stomach. (“If I keep self-control”) Cut back to the yellow lines. It becomes clear that the objects at the intersections are cages/caves, all oscillating. Streaming past the camera as it tracks down the lines are the flat images seen before (in “Fly on a Windshield”).

(“Stalactites, Stalagmites…”) Rael is standing again and, the scene oscillating very fast now, he can no longer shake the bars which are trapping him. He can’t stand up for long as another wave of sickness passes through him. The oscillating begins slowing and Rael sees a bright light shining from outside the cage. He is able to stand and notices the other cages. He looks to the bright light nearest to him and as the scene stops oscillating he sees a figure reaching out of the cage just like he is doing. Suddenly huge screens appear around Rael’s cage and block out his view of the outside. Rael reels and falls to the ground as images of his life flash on the screens, as though his eyes have been cameras and have recorded everything he’s seen. Scenes of violence and vandalism flash around him. The scenes flow backwards in time, regressing in relation to Rael’s age. He reviews his trouble making all the way back to his troubled childhood.

He stands transfixed, rooted to the ground, not able to look away. Then as quickly as it started the screens disappear and Rael again sees the outside space and network of cages. He looks again to the figure in the next cage and suddenly thinks he recognizes him, although his back is turned to Rael. The figure’s head slowly turns toward Rael. The camera shot is too far to make out features, but it is implied that Rael sees and knows the face, his brother John (as sung in the song lyric). Rael is panic stricken and clutches the bars. He shouts “Help!”, but John merely looks at him, without expression. Rael cries out “John please help me!” but still with no reply or sign of recognition from John. Rael becomes visibly shaken with frustration. John turns and walks away. Rael looks around to see that his own cage has become a cave again and is still solid on all sides. Resigned, he steps toward the opposite side, just in time for the oscillating of the cave/cage scene to start again. Inside cave, the water from the ceiling is almost pouring. The oscillating quickens and Rael falls to his knees and then to the floor, feeling sick again from the ultra-motion of the oscillation. He clutches his head in agony, balling up again in a fetal position. With eyes closed, Rael doesn’t see that the cage/cave starts to dissolve along with the whole network.

He straightens his body out, opens his eyes (tight close up slowly pulling out), and then his body slowly begins revolving. The revolutions speed up until his body is just a blur. (The main music fades and the outro music cross-fades) The spinning scene fades and we see Rael lying in the cave amidst the torn white wool all around him. His clothes are no longer white. In broken slow motion edits, we see Rael wake up, then dizzily and groggily stand up and stagger out of the cave. Fade to black.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Possible movie version of Genesis album, part 1

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Screenplay draft (part one)

Black Screen – A fly is heard…buzzing.
(Piano arpeggios fade in - intro to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway)
Fade from black to white screen - textured white - Lamb’s wool - A fly lands on the wool, and then flies away.

Black titles: “some company” presents

Then: A “some other company’s” production of

Then (As the whole band slams in): “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

The title frame fades to a fast moving overhead shot, moving Uptown on Broadway in Manhattan, NYC. It’s early morning, barely predawn. The shot speeds along in fast motion (…and the Lamb…), the city getting lighter toward dawn, (…lies down…) then the shot stops (“…on Broadway”) on the entrance/exit of the Broadway Subway stop. We see Rael coming forth, in real time.

He walks haughtily along, plodding through the sidewalk crowds. The lyrics of the title song describe scenes we glimpse in quick cutaway shots – (“Movie palace is now undone”) Wide angle shot of Theatre from the street (“the all night watchmen have had their fun”) Men exiting the Theatre – subliminally the Lamb is laying in every cutaway shot. (“Nighttimes flyers feel their pains, drug store take down the chains…”) Cabs rush by in a blur, roll-up metal store fronts open…..the shots riff on the cutaways but always come back to Rael. The mood of the music changes as Rael notices the Lamb for the first time, across the street (“The lamb seems right out of place…”). He wonders if anyone else notices, but he’s mostly just amused by its presence.

(“somehow it’s lying there brings a stillness to the air”) The city scene now seems to be tinted and the action is slowing, but Rael is left in real time. The only hint is that his eyes are blinking fast. Captivated, Rael keeps looking on. He walks out in to the street as the scene slows and he’s able to walk between the creeping cars. Suddenly the scene catches back up to Rael, now standing in the middle of traffic, and continues it’s fast pace. Cutaways continue to punctuate the scene. (“Suzanne tired her work all done”) We see Suzanne drive by in her expensive auto looking tired but still dressed up from her night’s work. (“Cabman’s velvet glove sounds the horn”) A cab driver honks and looks irritated that Rael is standing amid the traffic. (“Wonder Women you can draw your blind…”) an attractive business woman looks at Rael, and then quickly looks away when she thinks he sees her. (“I’m not your kind I’m Rael”) Close up of Rael’s face, still transfixed. (“and the Lamb lies down…on Broadway”) The camera finally pans over Rael’s shoulder and moves up and away from him, taking in the Theatre front and the slow moving street scene. The lamb is now gone from the scene. (“They say the lights are always bright on Broadway”) Fade to black while the camera still pulls away.

The music changes to the opening guitar/keyboard intro to “Fly on a Windshield”, [without the words]. Fade in to Rael still standing in the street, facing Times Square. Traffic is moving normally around Rael. He has noticed a large cloud descending on Times Square and then moving in a solid mass toward him. Tentatively at first, he begins to turn and run away from the storm. As he runs, a wind begins to blow against him, and a film of dust starts collecting on his body, slowing his progress until he’s perfectly still. No one else notices and no one pays attention to him. The Wall of Death crashes in to Rael and he is hurled in to a seeming vortex of images spiraling around him. The images slow down and soon Rael can make them out as they pass slowly by. Film Treasures from bygone years; Celebrities of Comedy, Politics, Philosophy, Music and more, all glorified by Television and the Motion Picture, parade by Rael. He doesn’t notice as wool winds around his legs and begins moving up his body, wrapping him in a cucoon. The Vortex of images comes to an end, and Rael is lying in a tunnel, wrapped up “to go”. The only sound is water drops.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

i don't blog enough

I want to blog more. I actively wish i had more time to spend writing and exercising my brain. But i don't. i'm going to have to start organizing my time so that i can post something at least once a week if not every few days. Isn't that interesting?