Objectives
O1) - build community, joy and art in Portugal, a country that has been powerfully welcoming and inspiring to us O2) - tell a story that allows the viewer to escape whatever game they are playing, or at least decouple themselves from its terms, and instead create their own.
Possible Titles
“The Immortal Game” - Especially if we model the game after the Immortal Game “The Game of Love” “Praiareinas” - If it is a combination of chess and surfing this would be really cool! Very hard to pronounce but also a very cool word 😂
Bilingualism
Another stretch objective is to make this film bilingual. You will see elements in Portuguese throughout the script to reflect this. The ability to make this happen depends on the wealth of our Portuguese casting and crewing.
Possible Cast, Crew, Partners Pool
Daniel Chris Elijah Denitsa (Trained actress and chess player) Leah Bruna Fabia (lives in porto but might be into it!) The Witch at Tejo Bar Other staff and or musicians at/orbiting Tejo bar Kit (she expressed willingness to return to portugal) ChenChen (she did too, and generally is pretty pro travel) Bailey (tough, but she’d be into it - it could work) Tiago - Since he’s from here he could a helpful translator and fixer! Sam B - similar - his parents live in Porto
editors Andrea (elijah’s friend who reads screenplays for fun) Wanu (queer screenwriter I know) DJ Gabrielle from the Sao Juliao surf shop - reference for surfer romance story Josh Alana
Jubilante Other Cultural Spaces (consult Chris’s list of them in Portugal)
Needed cast and crew
director of surf photographer Editor
characters Julianna Daniella Rafa Paula Daniella
Ideas
I1 - Surfing injury - I have a whole story to offer here. Dunno if it’s helpful or not, but it’s interesting - it’s like, a moment when the game gets real. 12 - What if Rafa and Paula are actually con artists, and they use their winnings to fund their artistic lifestyle, not unlike some software engineers.
Elements of Chess
Objective to use a satisfyingly exciting chess game.
Here are a few chess events to include:
- en passant
- castle-ing
- a gambit
The Concept
Life exists on three levels. On the surface, there is a flurry of activity of people acting upon one another. On a level below that, everything is chess. A game begins with every interaction, and ends when someone does or doesn’t get what they want. One level before that is the surreal chess world, where we are players in someone else’s game, orchestrated in accordance with their instructions. The entirety of life is not contained completely on any of these levels.
To exist only on level one is to live in a reactionary world, yet it is also the gateway to the present, the only place where joy can exist. Yet the second world of strategy allows us to pursue greater objectives of happiness and actualization beyond what can be achieved in the present. The last world is a sort of dimension of hell, and yet it is just as real as the others. A question this story will not necessarily be able to answer is whether it is ignorance or knowledge and acceptance of the third world that allows for a player to find peace. In other words, many of us are actually just players in someone else’s game much of the time. Is it fighting or accepting this that leads to peace?
Now surfing. Like chess, surfing contains a wealth of allegory. The waves as passing moments, the love of the waiting itself, the acceptance that the ocean acts on its own schedule. The comparisons are limitless. Where chess has its eyes open to the horrors and intricacies of consciousness, surfing opens up its soul to reality. These two very disciplines are combined in this story as a counterpoint - Chess provides the tools to thrive in a complex world of jobs and people that cannot be totally escaped. Surfing provides a counterpoint, and a promise of joy outside of erudite scheming. Where Chess represents a study in control, Surfing offers the beauty of surrender.
So let’s review. Three levels of reality - physical, strategic, and surreal. Two invitations for how to live life - chess, or surfing.
- It may be worth mentioning that the surfing approach to life only has one, unadulterated reality level - the present. Nothing before, nothing after.
Research
To read screenplay of:
- Point Break (because it’s a surfing movie, and has excellent surfing shots)
- Players (because it has very similar themes)
- Big Fish (because it’s my fav and it weaves together flashbacks intelligently)
- Dinner with Andre (because much of it takes place just at one dinner)
- Inception, too, since it resembles some of the operational elements of this story
To watch:
- La Jetée, because it does so much with so little
Pilot Creation
One of the most challenging part of even just a pilot is that filming takes place in another country that speaks a different language, and that the core crew can’t live in indefinitely (right?). La Jetée shows how a lot can be done with just images.
Characters
The Surfer friends: Julianna Daniella
I understand their chemistry - they are surf friends. I like their story a lot. Because Julianna is a software dev (or something) and Daniella is a flight attendant, they are able to go on longer trips together.
The chess friends: Rafa Paula They are chess friends, and artist musicians. Because they are musicians, they don’t need the escape of surfing to feel alive. In the script so far, Rafa is a musician, and Paula is a copy editor and screenwriter.
Paula is queer, and Rafa is hetero, and they use this dynamic to their advantage as wingwomen / wingmen.
Conceits
C1) Dani is actually uniquely important in that she is the source of “the light”, which gets transferred from her, to Juli, to Rafa, to Paula, and back to her again, in the form of her lust for life and adventure. This is an allusion to my belief that the light you cast into the world does come back to you, so cast as much as you can.
C2) The screenplay that Paula is working on is actually, or is similar to, the very screenplay you are reading now. This gives us Paula a discipline, and it’s definitely interesting, but it may be less novel than it feels. There’s Adaptation (by Charlie Kaufman), Synechdoche New York (Also Kaufman), and @Chris mentioned something else like this as well I am forgetting.
C3) Custom tile sets of Lisbon - we create a set of tiles that represent pieces on the board, and they show up in the backgrounds and in various places.
C4) This idea that “checkmate” has to do with being desired more than the other person. That is how you win the game. By getting them under your control, in a state where they will do anything for you.
C5) A kiss is not a kiss In scene 6, we see Juli explore two potential paths forward. The funny part is that both paths end with a kiss, and ultimately with Juli and Rafa sleeping together. However, the circumstances change the power dynamic of the kiss. Both depictions are shown - one kiss in which Juli takes the kiss from Rafa, and the other in which Rafa takes it from Juli. I think the physical mechanics of this are something like, the loser initiates the kiss. So if Juli wins the game, Rafa kisses her, and if Rafa wins, Juli kisses him.
Stakes
Story can be amplified by raising the stakes. Record notes on how to do this here.
Questions
What is the history of the games of Paula and Rafa?
As written now, Paula asks if they are “playing a game tonight.” What does this mean? They have a repoir as a part of their friendship that suggests that since they are old chess friends, they have a history of using chess as a way to not only view, but to plan out their strategy for life. This is obviously not normal. This might be confusing - the original concept involved a natural unfolding of chess as life, but the way Paula and Rafa talk suggests that they often function this way. What does this mean about them? Are they often able to plan things out in advance this way? Is it a mystical power, or just a language they can speak to one another? It might be simpler to just drop this. The existence of this secret language of chess does two big things for us 1) introduces the metaphor of life as chess early, and it also 2) provides Paula and Rafa a platform in their friendship with which to plan out these schemes. In any case, I certainly like that Paula and Rafa have a very old friendship that is based on chess. That provides a lot of structure.
What is the story of Juli’s Chess history?
To play a real game of chess against Rafa, she’d need to have experience, right? I guess we can maybe just ignore this. Related - so far I’ve written this so that Rafa is a great 1) musician, 2) chess player 3) surfer - who is better at what? I think that they should actually all be equally good at chess - this reinforces the idea that chess is just this way to live in the world. So I think that for surfing, Rafa is actually a beginner. He’s better at chess.
Chris - what was the adaptation movie?
You mentioned a movie that had a heavy recursive adaptation element to it and I forget what it was except that it reminded my of Kaufman’s Adapation.
Reference material
Musical References
A Voz - Gilsons Excellent for a montage
Soma - Smashing Pumpkins Good for disillusionment moment
Song that curly headed pianist played at Fado bar I think this song was about wonder somehow, about escape into the wonder of the mundane.A spooky song.
Inspirations
- War Games: This is a very strange, wonderful yet dark book that reminds of this in two ways - one in the way that life is actually just a fever dream about some sort of game, not the other way around. And the second is the strange interactions between people from different countries who are on vacation.
Big Feeling (Song)
(translated into portuguese?)
hey big feelin
where'd you go
hey big feelin
been feelin low
you musta gone
on the road again
I know you get so goddamn
restless
I moved to new york
sold my car
starting to think i'll always
have this guitar but I
gave the rest up
tryna find you
opened every door
like you told me to
hey big feeling
drop a pin
can't recognize all the
people that you've been
maybe one day I'll
know your name
but hey big feeling
don't you ever stay the same
will I find you
in august on the coast of maine
sunlight coming through the pines
dancing on the waves
I know I will
don't stand still
No secret
that's the source of the thrill
hey big feelin you got me
along for the ride
hey big feeling
always one step behind
hey big feelin
where'd you go
hey big feeling
do you even know
- simple bridge -
Hey big feelin
You got me feelin kinda high
Mind reelin heart racin
Icarus kiss the sky
Will you let me fall
I know you will
Hey big feelin
You never make no deals
(Or promises)Potential endings
[1] Someone else’s game Juli loses her game, but in doing so, preserves Paula and Dani’s games. By being players in those games, Juli and Rafa are able to continue to play, maybe even with each other
[2] Not mutually exclusive against one - we end back on surfing, particular the feelings of piece. I like the moment that Juli gets submerged - she has fallen, but in the world under the waves, she experiences something you cannot by “winning” in chess or in surfing.
Archived
Scene 5
Rafa You pushed me off a good wave the other day
Juli I thought that was you
Rafa I apologize if I you were there first - somehow I didn’t see you.
Juli I think I was. We were on that break for a while. But it’s okay.
Rafa It seemed like a good one
Juli So if surfing is life, what does it mean that we are always chasing the next best thing?
Rafa Like chasing the next best wave?
Juli Yeah
Rafa I think it’s not about the wave. It’s about being out there. And sometimes, it’s about the waves you don’t catch.
a beautiful wave heads towards them
Juli Woah. You should take this one.
Rafa No, you should.
Juli Take it!
Rafa starts paddling. It’s a thing of beauty. He rides it down the line, and woops out when he’s done, he’s euphoric. Juli sees the light in his eyes.
Scene 5b Juli is lying on the beach, exhausted, lying on the sand. Rafa returns with an Acai bowl and a coffee, and they eat together
Juli How long have you been surfing?
Rafa Since I was sixteen. But I think I forgot how much I loved it for a while.
Juli You don’t do it very much anymore?
Rafa No, it’s funny. Work gets in the way, and I check the conditions, and it’s not always good.