The opposite of Phenomenon: with John Travolta (1996) log line is an amiable, small town Everyman is inexplicably transformed into a genius with telekinetic powers. New log line = An amiable small town college student is inexplicably transformed into an amnesiac with the power to heal physical and emotional problems. Is this ethical?
Screenwriting : Morning thought for a movie : by Dillon Mcpheresome
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There are some excellent possible implications to this. Can you use this person as a tool to heal mankind, or do you risk alienating him by doing so? Can his powers be turned an entirely different way? People's desperate desire to find peace with themselves combined with an increasingly lightning paced culture could combine to drive this guy over the edge - leading to little regard for his own sanity. There are a lot of different ways you could play this. I love the potential places you could go with this idea. Good luck with it, if you choose to write it!
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For me, the more interesting twist would be to REALLY do the opposite of Phenomenon. A genius with telekinetic powers and the ability to heal people inexplicably loses those powers and must return to life just being ordinary in a small town, but when his own child falls sick (or someone he cares about), he must try to find ways to get his powers back before it's too late.
Add the conflict to the logline. What do we hope happens to this college student? What do we fear will happen? I assume it would be a logline in the vain of: A college student with the ability to heal all physical and emotional problems flees from the Government to lead a happy life.
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So here you have three paths. -The adapting: A town or civilisation adapting to this individual and how that unfolds. -The sprint: Said individual trying to get his powers back after an accident. -Hide and Seek: Said inidividual flees because bad men want to use him. And there are probably many more. You could even fit them all into one film. And there are plenty of other options. What if he gathered his own following through wandering and healing, like Jesus? It's such a good log line that you could go in any direction you wanted with it.
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It's the same story, I don't think you have changed enough. Plus, there is a film with that story in existence. I think Danny wimped out, I'd go full opposite: An ahole big city CEO is transformed into a complete idiot with no control at all over his body (including bladder) and must still try to run his company.
Ethical? How is anyone going to see the simlarities?
Ha, sure Bill, if ya wanna go all Jim Carrey comedy with it...
It's WALL STREET meets DUMB & DUMBER!