RMM Summer Shorts: LUNCHBOX

[mboas]

Something we've been discussing in the Writers Group is a way to tie together this year's summer shorts.

We've already established that we, as a group, can write and produce more than half a dozen shorts in a summer. What if each short contained a linking element? The pieces could be joined together into what I'm calling a MOSAIC FILM.

This anthology format has been used in films such as 20 Bucks, The Red Violin, and Robert Rodriguez' Shorts.

This idea will be totally opt-in. If you'd like to do Summer Shorts, but not take part in the Lunchbox series, that's allowed.


LINKING DEVICE

Our proposed linking device: a lunchbox. Like a briefcase or suitcase, it can contain any number of props, serve as a MacGuffin, or simply be used for a single plot point. Unlike a briefcase, a lunchbox can have personality. It's a more unusual focus for a story, so it may be more interesting.


TRANSITIONS

We could have a literal, linear transition, where the lunchbox is handed off. Maybe the box is left somewhere and it is found by another character. This requires work on behalf of the writers and commitment from the directors.

Or maybe there doesn't have to be a physical hand-off between the stories. It can be more abstract than that.

Begin and end each short with a close-up of the lunchbox in whatever environment. Then we move to the next piece, where a lunchbox also plays a part.

A variety of methods can be used for the link -- match cut, dissolve, or animated segment (a la Monty Python).

The style of transition -- linear or abstract -- will have to be worked out before shooting.


THE LOOK OF THE LUNCHBOX

We'll be purchasing several identical red lunchboxes of the same type. We'll need to modify them to have a non-licensed personality (no Spider-Man pictures, for example).

In our Writers Group meetings, our working idea is the "Mad Monster" lunchbox. It's basically an invented cartoon character from the 1960s.


THEME

Aside from a visual linking element, writers could agree on a thematic connection to the stories. For example: different aspects of love, happiness, fun, friendship. Or how about the 7 deadly sins, or just vices in general?


WHAT DO YOU THINK?

If you're a writer or director who would like to take part, post here on the forum, come to our Writers Group or Team Captain meetings, or write to me. I'll be acting as story editor on the project.

Mike Boas
mike(AT)animatusstudio.com