"24" Fan Film Pointers??

Hey guys. My friends and I are thinking of putting together a "24"/Real-Time fan film. Besides the obvious stuff (lots of cameras, staged phone calls, etc) what pointers do you guys have? Should I take the time to write a screenplay, or just scenes on notecards with a map-out of lines? Also, what do you guys think would be needed in post production? Any thoughts, tips, or ideas would be welcomed.

 

Writing a screenplay would be a good start.

 

There was a 24 parody made a while back I did some effects work on, out in Australia.

 

The more planning you put into the film, the more potential the film has to be good.

Put a lot of thought into it, you'll be surprised with the results.

-Vaportrail

 

Also you might want to get a few guns to use (not real, of course) and some fake limbs if this a 24 type movie.

 

[hijack]

Along those lines, does anyone know where to find realistic looking fake guns that aren't plastic/airsoft?

[/hijack]


Having never seen 24, I can't give any specific advice, but I'm pretty darn sure they don't improvise their lines based on note cards. I'd say you're going to need a very clearly written screenplay in order to properly manage everything that's happening in the real time setting.

 

If you are going for "24" style...planning planning planning. The thing that makes the show is the time format and the story. When you know that something is going to happen in 5 minutes, they build it up each minute leading up to the event. The story (in my opinion) should be fast paced and easy to follow. Yes there are twists and turns, but try not to miss the target of what your end result really should be.

Second, continuity is key. If you are filming over several days/weeks. Keep a digital photo record of your characters each time you shoot. That way when you move from one scene to the next (although in the timeframe it may only be a few minutes, but in reality you may have had to wait several days to shoot) you wont miss anything important (props in the room as well as position (watch if you have clocks on the walls) clothes that the characters are wearing, etc.

 

Since 24 is, by definition, 24 hours worth of story (as good as...), I would've thought a fan film would be - erm, ambitious to say the least.

Does it need to be about Jack Bauer and co? Or is it just a thriller type story set in the same 'universe'? If the latter, ditch the '24' tag and references and make it an original film rather than a fan film.

 

Continuity is key. Make a timeline on paper and then insert all of your events to make sure that they flow and that you always have something to cut to. You don't want gaps of a few minutes where there's nothing happening.

 

Not working for CTU at an age younger than 25 would be a good start.

Sorry but I am just not going to believe a bunch of teenagers leading the fight against terrorism. In retrospect i actually have no idea how old you are so this post may be redundant.

Style plays a big role in the series as well so you need to capture the way they film shots. Timing is also going to play a big part, conveying to the audience that multiple things are happening at the same time.

Good luck though.

 

I've officially mapped out the first three hours. I pretty much made a huge database of what happens in every location during the time period, minute by minute. The screenplay for the first hour is completely done, and I'm starting on the second hour.

To answer some of the questions, I WON'T be using any teenagers except a few, because it goes along with the plot (the president's daughter is kidnapped). I have a full cast of fully adult characters.

All of the cast members work in a nearby business office help being run by my mom. Everyone there is obsessed with 24, and they offered to let me use the office and their twelve (yes, TWELVE) Gl-1's for some "CTU" scenes. The President is going to be played by my acting teacher at my high school (I'm a senior).

Also, the story doesn't follow the storyline of 24 other than having a CTU and the whole "real-time" persona. Which leads me to one of my questions: Is CTU an actual branch of the CIA? If not, I'll more than likely give it a new name and make the whole thing original.

Props wise, we're about 50% set. My friends and I are avid airsofters, so that takes care of "stunt" guns. My family also has it's share of small arms and rifles (my dad is an avid hunter/marksman).

Locations seems to be the main problem. Other than CTU, I don't have any idea where to shoot.

 

If not, I'll more than likely give it a new name and make the whole thing original.

That'd be my recommendation. Just make up a mythical security agency. They can do the same thing as Bauer and co, just under a different moniker. And you could keep it real time, just don't use the same style as 24. ie. Different formatting for split screens; maybe use real footage of a clock that's part of the given set to convey the time, rather than cutting to the digital readout from the show; etc...

 

hmm....I had just planned on using a different font and sound for "The Clock", but I never thought about using a real one.

 

Dude,

I see no problem in using CTU, must be more than one branch in the states right? I think they had a london office in series 3, am I right on that?

I say as long as it is based in a different city, no problem! I wouldn't bother changing the font or the camera style. That would be like Star Wars without lightsabres or an opening crawl.

Looking forward to seeing what you put together.

 

Yeah there's like...tons of CTU's.

CTU Los Angelos

CTU San Fransisco

CTU New Orleans

CTU Washington D.C.

Just to name a few mentioned on the show. There's probably one in every major city.

 

Well, if it's a "24" fanfilm, I think you should make that clear and NOT try to do something "original".

As for the "real time" aspect, I think the original series cheated a lot, so I wouldn't be that worried about it.

 

so...is it, or is it not legal for me to use CTU for an original series??

 

As for the "real time" aspect, I think the original series cheated a lot, so I wouldn't be that worried about it.

Cheated? How so?

I'd be interested in seeing a fanfilm, of any sort, done in real-time. That consists of more than people beating on each other wih lightsabers for five minutes or some such.

 

Just don't do it like freakin' Timecode.

 

As for the "real time" aspect, I think the original series cheated a lot, so I wouldn't be that worried about it.

Cheated? How so?

Oh, come on, in many situations what was happening was not really in "real time". Especially things that happened inside cars and traffic, for example. I think there were "jumps" ahead in time as "normal" films do. I like the series, btw, it's extremely well made and interesting, but I never bought the "real time" part of it.

 

I watched Season 1 on DVD not long ago. I think most of it is in real time. Not quite all of it perhaps, there are a few places where some small actions, such as walking down stairs or getting into a car, seem like they may be slightly off. However, most of it seemed to fit within the correct amounts of time.

My hat is off to the people who write that show, it must be a dickens of a task to write like that.

 

Does anyone have the link to that Split Screen tutorial in AE? Also, I need an explosion for the opening scene, should I CG it, or use a model? It seems to me models would look more realistic, and would be more acceptable...

 

*bump*

 

split screening in after effects is about the easiest thing to do aside from importing footage into the project....