Monday, April 9, 2012

A "Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files" Parody VIdeo Proposal

[IMPORTANT: Unless you're willing to travel to LA I'm only looking for Los Angeles residents to help out with this. Just to be clear this is in no way a professional venture. I'm just a screenwriter. I don't have any filming resources. I just thought it would be fun to make a comedic Youtube video. There won't be a budget for this video. If you wanna help you'll being doing it for FREE. It should be a lot of FUN though.]

[Note: If you're a professional filmmaker and can't help out but have any advice for me please post it in the comments below. I'd really appreciate it.]

First off, if you haven't seen "Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files" the first 2 seasons are available on Netflix Instantly and it airs on Syfy.

Wikipedia's synopsis:
"The show follows a team of investigators, led by former FBI agent Ben Hansen, who review various photographs and viral videos (mainly from the internet) of alleged paranormal activity." If a particular piece of evidence is deemed intriguing enough to warrant further investigation, they set out to recreate and explain the sighting."

"The show has been described as Mythbusters meets Destination Truth."

So it's a reality show... which means it's ripe for parody!

Concept: The basic idea for my parody is that instead of the cast of the show being "professional" and "open-minded" they're a bunch of lazy jerks. Also they're idea of paranormal videos is drastically different from the real show. Any video they find on the Internet/Youtube that's a little bit unusual warrants their attention. (For example: Cats playing Pianos or the "Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama" video) After they watch a video like "a cat playing a piano" they attempt to reenact it. After doing a really half-assed job of it they come to the conclusion that's it's paranormal. When they do find a video that's actually "paranormal" they meet the person who filmed it and instead of being objective immediately accuse them of being a liar and faking it.

Filming: Most of the filming would take place in my apartments' living room. If filming outside becomes necessary my apartment complex's courtyard could be used. If getting a hold of a traditional camera isn't viable iPhones (I don't have one) could be used. If iPhones were used it would make the characters seem even more lazy and unprofessional which could be funny.

Casting: 6 actors would be ideal but it could still work with 5 or 4 actors. Being well versed in improv would be very important. It'll be semi scripted to keep things on track but the actors will generally be free to do and say what they think fits the scene.

As of right now I'm only thinking of this as a single video but I'd be open to making more. I generally only want people who have experience in filmmaking to help make this but that's not a requirement as long as you are willing to actually help and not goof off too much. Also you have to be able to work with other people well and help establish a safe friendly environment. I'll be open to creative ideas as long they fit with the concept. I want this to be a creative group effort and not a dictatorship. If you can't help but know of someone who you think can and would want to please share this post with them.

If you're interested in helping out please leave a comment below.
Things I need to know in your comment:
1. Leave your name
2a. Tell me how you can specifically help out (if you don't have experience tell me how you think you could help)
2b. If you're an actor and you have a Youtube video showcasing your abilities please share it.
3. A way I can contact you directly (email or Twitter | no phone #s)
4. Any questions you might have about any of this. (Only if you have questions obviously.)