Idea Mill: News of the Wierd to get Those Creative Juices Flowing
Working in a news station, I'm always seeing the strangest real-life stuff that you couldn't possibly make up. Much of this is wonderful screenplay fodder, and I think more of it needs to brought to the attention of filmmakers. Truth, as the adage goes, is stranger than fiction, and who knows what actual accounts will give birth to a great story somewhere. I hope these ideas will inspire you.
64 Year-Old Bullet to the Head
A Chinese grandmother complaining of a headache was found to have a bullet lodged in her brain dating back to 1943! Shot during WWII, she was unware of the injury after quickly healing. An x-ray (pictured) revealed the obvious source of the pain: a rusty bullet. This scenario reminds me of Phenomenon, where John Travolta had powers due to brain cancer, or The Simpsons episode where a crayon pushed up Homer's nose as a child is what made him stupid all these years. What if the bullet was no bullet at all, but a time capsule of some sort? What if the "bullet" was self-inflicted, damaging the memory of what happened in the first place? Maybe the projectile was some sort of metallic parasite that only resembled a bullet...
Mummified Body Found in Spanish Home
Here's what every new homeowner wants to find when moving in: a six year-old corpse! The woman had stopped making payments on her house, which was then repossessed by the bank, but never checked out. After being sold at auction, the new owner found a little more than just a house was now his. This story brings up a lot of character questions. Why had no one reported this poor woman as missing? She was estranged from her children, but were they that unfeeling (or was she that horrible) that no communication was even attempted? I think this works more as a character drama, but the setup sure sounds like something from The Silence of the Lambs or Se7en.
I was a Teenage Coroner
Amanda Barnett, age 18, has become the youngest deputy coroner in the state of Indiana. Inspired by her dad, the county coroner, and the show CSI, Barnett scored a 97 on the state certification test. Still in high school, she plans to attend college to become a forensic nurse examiner. This story needs no alteration to translate into a script of some sort. Follow Amanda on her many grisly adventures solving crimes while looking trendy! Attach someone like Emma Roberts, and you've got the perfect TV show pitch. A dark comedy angle would be even better, but that idea would probably never work on the tube. An indie flick, however...
For a good up-to-date list of weird news, check frequently on the urban legend verification site, snopes.com. There is so much idea gold on that page, you'll be sure to have something to write about if you didn't already. Just be prepared to get lost for a few hours.
64 Year-Old Bullet to the Head
A Chinese grandmother complaining of a headache was found to have a bullet lodged in her brain dating back to 1943! Shot during WWII, she was unware of the injury after quickly healing. An x-ray (pictured) revealed the obvious source of the pain: a rusty bullet. This scenario reminds me of Phenomenon, where John Travolta had powers due to brain cancer, or The Simpsons episode where a crayon pushed up Homer's nose as a child is what made him stupid all these years. What if the bullet was no bullet at all, but a time capsule of some sort? What if the "bullet" was self-inflicted, damaging the memory of what happened in the first place? Maybe the projectile was some sort of metallic parasite that only resembled a bullet...Mummified Body Found in Spanish Home
Here's what every new homeowner wants to find when moving in: a six year-old corpse! The woman had stopped making payments on her house, which was then repossessed by the bank, but never checked out. After being sold at auction, the new owner found a little more than just a house was now his. This story brings up a lot of character questions. Why had no one reported this poor woman as missing? She was estranged from her children, but were they that unfeeling (or was she that horrible) that no communication was even attempted? I think this works more as a character drama, but the setup sure sounds like something from The Silence of the Lambs or Se7en.I was a Teenage Coroner
Amanda Barnett, age 18, has become the youngest deputy coroner in the state of Indiana. Inspired by her dad, the county coroner, and the show CSI, Barnett scored a 97 on the state certification test. Still in high school, she plans to attend college to become a forensic nurse examiner. This story needs no alteration to translate into a script of some sort. Follow Amanda on her many grisly adventures solving crimes while looking trendy! Attach someone like Emma Roberts, and you've got the perfect TV show pitch. A dark comedy angle would be even better, but that idea would probably never work on the tube. An indie flick, however...For a good up-to-date list of weird news, check frequently on the urban legend verification site, snopes.com. There is so much idea gold on that page, you'll be sure to have something to write about if you didn't already. Just be prepared to get lost for a few hours.
Comments
Awesome post!