Flying Sea Serpents

Postwar Steampunk Cinema

Verne

Wells

ac Doyle

Stevenson
Burroughs

Harryhausen

Disney

-Got It

+Watched It

multcolib

+ 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1954 Verne & Disney (1868)

+ Around the World in Eighty Days '56 Verne (1872)

+ Journey to the Center of the Earth '59 Verne (1880)

+ The Lost World '60 Doyle (Un-watchable Updated Tripe)

+ Mysterious Island '61 Verne & Harryhausen (1865)

+ In Search of the Castaways '62 Verne & Disney (1838 < x < 1870?)

+ First Men in the Moon '64 Wells & Harryhausen (1899)

+ Captain Nemo and the Underwater City '69 Verne (no later than 1865)

Ancillary Adventure

-Treasure Island 50 S&D

-King and I 56 Mus.

+ 7th Voyage of Sinbad 58 H

+ Jason and the Argonauts 63 H

+ Mary Poppins '64 Disney Mus. (1910)

CCBB 68 Mus.
+ Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines '65 (1910)

Movie Madness

Kidnapped 60 S&D

+ Master of the World '61 Verne (1868)

Valley of the Dragons 61

Up to His Ears 64 French
+ War-Gods of the Deep '65 Poe (1903)

Rocket to the Moon (Those Fantastic Flying Fools) 67 V

>Half a Sixpence 68 Mus. (Un-watchable)

+ Land/People that Time Forgot 75 B

+ At the Earth's Core 76 B

Empire of the Ants 77 W

Time After Time 79 W

Son of Sinbad 55 VHS-only

Magic Voyage of Sinbad 62

>Captain Sinbad 63 (Un-watchable)

+ Golden Voyage of Sinbad 73 H

+ Sinbad & the Eye of the Tiger 77 H

Note: Year in parentheses is year in which film supposedly takes place, according to internal evidence in the film itself.

The Final Act/Episode/Issue: Quest

Sky-Pirate Venusian Amazon Aviatrix-Warriors from Fun & Games
Giant Angel Blue Men of the Martian Hills from BGCI/AIL/DNotS
Mariner of the Valley from BI3/now STC/HS
Champ, Avatar of Tell'ur GtT/DD
Ant-Men Called the Moon Folk HS/DD/New Plan!

Acts IIa & b/Eps. 2 & 3/Issues 2 & 3: Adventure/Journey

Nemo/Robur Tsiolkovsky Spheres Break Into II
Inhabited System (Zuhura, Bahram, extinct Moon Folk, lost planets, rogue moons) B-Story
Sky-Pirate Venusian Amazon Aviatrix-Warriors Fun & Games
Giant Angel Blue Men of the Martian Hills BGCI/AIL/DNotS
Mariner of the Valley BI3

Act I/Ep 1/Ish 1: Action

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting I Home
Take It Up a Notch: Wuxia Swordplay I Work
Take It Up Another Notch: Fossilpunk Monster-Maker I Play
Giants I Home
Fabulous Beasts I Work
Giant Fabulous Beasts I Play
Prehistoric Giant Extinct Monsters Catalyst
Biblical Proof of UFOs Debate
Nemo/Robur Tsiolkovsky Spheres Break Into II

Five By Fives: Early Pre-Draft

The Team: Silver Arm, Golden Lion, Agent Lee, Bamboo Dancer, Inspector Yi

Fake Fatal Five: Nemo, Robur, the Traveler, the Wild Man, the Empress

Final Fatal Five: the Traveler, the Wild Man, Abraxia, Victrix, the Promethean

Final Faithful Five: Frankenstein, Silver Arm, Agent Lee, Bamboo Dancer, MMDM

Probably Dies: Golden Lion, the Empress, Kaddej Kh'arzh, Inspector Yi, Robur/Nemo

New Mook Escalation

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting I Home
Take It Up a Notch: Wuxia Swordplay I Work
Take It Up Another Notch: Fossilpunk Monster-Maker I Play
Giants I Home
Fabulous Beasts I Work
Giant Fabulous Beasts I Play
Prehistoric Giant Extinct Monsters Catalyst
Biblical Proof of UFOs Debate
Nemo/Robur Tsiolkovsky Spheres Break Into II
Inhabited System (Zuhura, Bahram, extinct Moon Folk, lost planets, rogue moons) B-Story
Sky-Pirate Venusian Amazon Aviatrix-Warriors Fun & Games
Giant Angel Blue Men of the Martian Hills BGCI/AIL/DNotS
Mariner of the Valley BI3/STC/HS
Champ, Avatar of Tell'ur GtT/DD
Ant-Men Called the Moon Folk HS/DD/New Plan!

Percy's Words: Mood, Character

Mother Mary

FU: Logline Mad Lib

On the verge of [Stasis-Death], a [Flawed Protagonist] [breaks into 2], but when [the Midpoint happens], [he] must learn [The Theme] before [All Is Lost].

After a century of ridicule and infamy, on the verge of finally realizing his lifelong ambition, an arrogant and paranoid bio-engineering genius discovers that he is being manipulated into creating a super-weapon for a secretive cabal seemingly bent on world domination. But when he makes a deal with their leader in order to discover his true enemies, he realizes that he must learn humility and relearn trust before triple-crossing dimension-hopping man-eating hivemind aliens enslave and devour all sentient beings in the entire solar system!

Homage to Blake Snyder

Inspiration

It Is What It Is

Heal Thyself

Preach

Bro

Word

One Weird Note

The Promethean IS The Traveler. This is revealed to us in Act II.

Also, the actor who plays The Wild Man also plays The High King. Further, we never see The Wild Man and The High King in the same place at the same time. We're not sure if they are dopplegangers or brothers from alien mothers.

StC: FU (WIP)

FRANKENSTEIN SAVES THE CAT

Opening Image – A visual that represents the struggle & tone of the story. A sepia print of Frankenstein’s essential loneliness, before the adventure begins, perhaps a cameo or silhouette of Elizabeth, perhaps the grave of his dead cat, perhaps Victor, sitting alone, holding the cameo, at the grave of his dead cat, and finding a wild kitten there, among the weeds, which he saves and feeds, which follows him.

Set-up – Expand on the “before” snapshot. Present Frankenstein’s world as it is, and what is missing in not only his life, but in the lives of The Team as well. Split scene showing Frankenstein's life as it is and as shown to The Team in a tent on daguerreotype prints and with a magic lantern projector. We get the sense of The Team as a sort of NCIS core crew: a Gibbs leader, a Dinozzo lancer, a McGee smart guy, a Cait/Ziva/Bishop/Borin/Mann/EJ strong gal, and an Abby/Ducky/Palmer mascot/comic relief/infodump character. Too stubborn, too silly, book-smart, works-too-hard, absent-minded kook. Silver Arm, Golden Lion, Inspector Lee, Bamboo Dancer, Inspector Yi.

Theme Stated (happens during the Set-up) – During the set-up, Frankenstein's life as we are shown it reveals that the insertion of the team into their various roles has already happened, as have events such as Silver Arm and Golden Lion accidentally meeting Frankenstein and the Army of Giants, Yi and Lee acting as double agents to bring intel and info to Frankenstein, Bamboo Dancer trying to learn about the Promethean from Mad Monk Drunk Monkey, etc. Trust? Duty? Compassion? Love? Survival? Perhaps we even see that the briefing is being conducted by some surprise character. Victor himself? Victrix? MMDM?

Catalyst – Frankenstein's network finally locates Nemo, and as fate would have it, Robur as well, for the elusive undersea recluse appears to be tracking the even more elusive master aviator to an uncharted location in the South Seas, made up of mysterious islands and strange cloud formations.

Debate – But Frankenstein has already achieved his goal of longevity. Why should his risk his life now, just to satisfy his curiosity? What sort of dangers might he be exposing himself to? Why not continue his studies and prolong his life indefinitely? Who knows what he has yet to learn? Perhaps his finest achievements still lie ahead?

Break Into Two (Choosing Act Two) – Frankenstein decides to give up his quiet life creating kaiju in the countryside, and decamps with his entourage, only to find that he has fallen victim to a trap, and Nemo and Robur, working together, attempt to capture him, and learn his secrets. Frankenstein and some members of The Team are captured, others pursue, while still others observe. We pull back on several layers of intrigue.

B Story – Frankenstein learns that there are indeed a number of reclusive, eccentric geniuses like himself, who have formed a secret society which has been plotting against him. This society includes Robur, Nemo, the Time Traveller, the Wild Man and a woman who claims to be the Empress of the Amazons of Zuhura, the World Men Call Venus.

The Promise of the Premise – This is the fun part of the story. From the undersea city where Frankenstein and his cohorts were taken after their capture, they are taken to the mysterious island, and then to the cloud city for transport to Venus's Moon, for further interrogation, but we see that members of The Team wanted to achieve this result all along. Frankenstein himself is transported directly to the Imperial Mothership, a guest of the Empress. Here, she shows him several kaiju of her own design, and they talk about the monstrous megafauna of the solar community. She tells him the Legend of the Lost Giant Angels of the World Men Call Mars, and of the megakaiju called the Mariner of the Valley.

Midpoint – Empress Hadazsp tell Frankenstein of the plot by the Giant Angels to destroy evidence of the Cloud City, of the innovations of Nemo and Robur, to suppress information of their silent invasion, and their plan to use megakaiju against the people of both Earth and Venus. Frankenstein agrees to use his monsters to save both worlds, and to help develop more for their shared effort. He might even learn some longevity tricks from her, who knows? He thinks she likes him. His cohorts escape capture only to find he has agreed to work with Nemo, Robur, the Traveler, the Wild Man and the Empress.

Bad Guys Close In – Frankenstein thinks that the Empress is playing him, as she showers the same attention on Nemo and Robur. He finds himself a rival among cuckolds, for she seems to prefer the Traveler or the Wild Man anyway. Meanwhile, he has developed his most amazing feats of monster-building yet, and given and got many secrets of the forbidden arts, yet he feels he has been betrayed and that enemies are all around him. As the Giant Angels begin their campaign, he discovers he really has been betrayed.

All is Lost – Frankenstein's monsters are no match for the Giant Angels, and neither are the Sky-Pirates of Zuhura, the Tsiolkovsky Spheres of Nemo and Robur, the martial skills of The Team, or Frankenstein's Army of Giants, and he finds his temporary allies have abandoned him, his lover was using him, and that his enemies were working together to gain his knowledge and his secrets.

Dark Night of the Soul – With his greatest creations destroyed, betrayed by the first woman he ever loved in a hundred years and her secret lover, his beloved Army of Giants wiped out, The Team decimated, his friends proving to be triple agents, and his bitterest enemy in possession of his darkest secrets, he wonders why he should go on.

Break Into Three (Choosing Act Three) – Betrayed by her only daughter as Frankenstein was betrayed by his, Empress Hadazsp tells Frankenstein of another way to defeat the Giant Angels: If they can get past or defeat the Mariner of the Valley, the great beast guards yet another gateway, one which links to the Lost World of the Moon Folk, the so-called Ant-Men of the Phantom Planet. They were ancient allies of the Sky-Pirates of Venus before being cast back to their own dimension by the Traveler and the Wild Man, working with the High King of the Giant Angels. Perhaps only the Moon-Folk can save them now, if they can be found. The Final Fatal Five was revealed to be the Traveler, the Wild Man, Princess Abraxia, Victrix Odenwald and possibly Mad Monk Drunk Monkey.

Finale – This time Frankenstein must trust someone, even though he trusts no-one, and for good reason. He decides to trust Hadazsp once again, and asks the remaining members of the team to do so as well. He summons up the greatest megakaiju of his career and goes toe-to-toe with the High King and his pet monster, while the Team fights against the Traveler and the Wild Man to reach the Gate of the God Machine.

Final Image – Although suffering terrible tragedy, Frankenstein and at least one of his colleagues manage to survive the final betrayal that lay within releasing the Moon Folk from their cursed gift and ancient transgression against interplanetary taboo. Perhaps among the ruins of the final battle, Victor finds the cat, which has followed him for the entire movie. We see him walk away, with his one friend and his cat.

THE END

StC: Inevitably

THE BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET (aka BS2)

Opening Image – A visual that represents the struggle & tone of the story. A snapshot of the main character’s problem, before the adventure begins.

Set-up – Expand on the “before” snapshot. Present the main character’s world as it is, and what is missing in their life.

Theme Stated (happens during the Set-up) – What your story is about; the message, the truth. Usually, it is spoken to the main character or in their presence, but they don’t understand the truth…not until they have some personal experience and context to support it.

Catalyst – The moment where life as it is changes. It is the telegram, the act of catching your loved-one cheating, allowing a monster onboard the ship, meeting the true love of your life, etc. The “before” world is no more, change is underway.

Debate – But change is scary and for a moment, or a brief number of moments, the main character doubts the journey they must take. Can I face this challenge? Do I have what it takes? Should I go at all? It is the last chance for the hero to chicken out.

Break Into Two (Choosing Act Two) – The main character makes a choice and the journey begins. We leave the “Thesis” world and enter the upside-down, opposite world of Act Two.

B Story – This is when there’s a discussion about the Theme – the nugget of truth. Usually, this discussion is between the main character and the love interest. So, the B Story is usually called the “love story”.

The Promise of the Premise – This is the fun part of the story. This is when Craig Thompson’s relationship with Raina blooms, when Indiana Jones tries to beat the Nazis to the Lost Ark, when the detective finds the most clues and dodges the most bullets. This is when the main character explores the new world and the audience is entertained by the premise they have been promised.

Midpoint – Dependent upon the story, this moment is when everything is “great” or everything is “awful”. The main character either gets everything they think they want (“great”) or doesn’t get what they think they want at all (“awful”). But not everything we think we want is what we actually need in the end.

Bad Guys Close In – Doubt, jealousy, fear, foes both physical and emotional regroup to defeat the main character’s goal, and the main character’s “great”/“awful” situation disintegrates.

All is Lost – The opposite moment from the Midpoint: “awful”/“great”. The moment that the main character realizes they’ve lost everything they gained, or everything they now have has no meaning. The initial goal now looks even more impossible than before. And here, something or someone dies. It can be physical or emotional, but the death of something old makes way for something new to be born.

Dark Night of the Soul – The main character hits bottom, and wallows in hopelessness. The Why hast thou forsaken me, Lord? moment. Mourning the loss of what has “died” – the dream, the goal, the mentor character, the love of your life, etc. But, you must fall completely before you can pick yourself back up and try again.

Break Into Three (Choosing Act Three) – Thanks to a fresh idea, new inspiration, or last-minute Thematic advice from the B Story (usually the love interest), the main character chooses to try again.

Finale – This time around, the main character incorporates the Theme – the nugget of truth that now makes sense to them – into their fight for the goal because they have experience from the A Story and context from the B Story. Act Three is about Synthesis!

Final Image – opposite of Opening Image, proving, visually, that a change has occurred within the character.

THE END

Locales Update

Foshan

Guangzhou

Hong Kong

Tokyo

Somewhere in the South, probably Yunnan near Assam and Siam

Somewhere in the West, probably Sichuan near Xinjiang

Somewhere in East Turkestan, or West of Mongolia

San Francisco

Vladivostok

Shanghai

London

Somewhere Out West

Mysterious Islands in the South Seas

The Cloud City

The Flying Island

Great Marsh of Zuhura

Valley of the Last Mariner

Rule #10

#10: Pull apart the stories you like.

What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

1) That afternoon light. Late fall, early winter. Long nights, with short days that seem like twilight all day long, from forenoon to dusk. That slanting light. Peering in through the trees, over the crest of the hill, through the shutters, slanting in through carved woodwork panels; in the lawless forest, the hallowed grove, the wayside inn, the big restaurant, the bandit villa, the fortified mansion with ponds and bridges, the tea-house, the quiet valley, the mountain fastnesses, the trackless wastes, the fabled cities. That Shaw Brothers light. That Hammer Horror light. That pale, weak, wan, wintry, low-angled, melancholy, dutiful, honorable, loving, "wasting-daylight", suitable for horror and kung fu, for sacrifice and dying.

2) Adventure. Action. Honor. Duty. Love. Sacrifice. Redemption. Character. Purpose.

2a) Meaning?

3) That 50s/60s/70s steampunk-meets-ironjunk retro style, a la the old Wild, Wild West TV show, and those Stevenson/Doyle/Verne/Wells/Burroughs/Kipling movies, like Treasure Island, Kidnapped, The Lost World, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Son/Daughter of Dr. Jekyll, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Master of the World, War-Gods of the Sea, The Mysterious Island, From the Earth to the Moon, Rocket to the Moon, Valley of the Dragons, In Search of the Castaways, Captain Nemo and the Underwater City, The Light at the End of the World, The Amazing Captain Nemo, Up to His Ears, The War of the Worlds, First Men in the Moon, Half a Sixpence, Food of the Gods, Empire of the Ants, The Shape of Things to Come, Time After Time, Tarzan, the Ape Man, At the Earth's Core, The Land/People That Time Forgot and others. Major releases from Disney, Paramount, Columbia, MGM, Warner, American International, FVI, United Artists and others, these films form a genre unto themselves, Postwar Steampunk Adventure Cinema. Mary Poppins. Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. A Study in Terror. The Hound of the Baskervilles. Around the World in Eighty Days. Hello Dolly. King of the Khyber Rifles. The King and I. The Man Who Would Be King. Kim. The Jungle Book.  I, Monster. The Adventures of Mr. Toad.

3a) Uncharted Islands. Lost Worlds. Hollow Earth. Beastly Transformations. Forbidden Science. Undersea Cities. Hidden Civilizations. Monstrous Megafauna. Eccentric Geniuses. Ironclad Airships. Subversive Submersibles. Colonial Imperialism. Industrial Killingry. Interplanetary Intrigue. Moon Folk. Martian Monsters. Prince Dakkar AKA Nemo. Robur of the Skies. The Time Traveller. Ant Men. Strange Coasts. Lost Worlds. Hollow Earth. Hidden Civilizations. Monstrous Megafauna. Solar Community. Interplanetary Intrigue. Swept Away. Exotic Places. Victorian Nostalgia. Action Adventure. Road Movie. Hero's Journey. Buddy Picture. Love Story. Science Fantasy. Steampunk Superspy. Sword and Sandal/Planet/Blaster. Wild Man.

Rule #4

Once upon a time there was a man who liked to make monsters.

Every day, he searched for other eccentric geniuses, like himself.

One day, he discovered one.

Because of that, he discovered an entire secret society of eccentric geniuses.

Because of that, he discovered an even greater plot, to take over the world.

Until finally he discovered within that plot the ultimate betrayal of the human race.

Free Advice

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling

#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.

#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.

#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.

#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.

#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.

#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.

#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.

#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.

#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?

#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?

#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.