The Dude vs. A.I. (Round 3!)

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R2D2: Utilizing Current Events and News Stories

Author: Droidster McGillicuddy

Current events and news stories serve as an abundant source of inspiration for screenplays, offering writers a diverse range of plots and character arcs drawn from real-life situations. By engaging with both mainstream and niche news outlets, writers can uncover stories that resonate with audiences on an emotional level. These narratives can be rich in themes of conflict, human interest, and cultural shifts, all of which can translate into compelling screenwriting.

To make the most of current events, it is advisable for writers to routinely follow a variety of news sources. This includes not only major news publications but also local news, specialized blogs, and even social media platforms. By diversifying their media consumption, writers can identify unique angles and underreported stories that have the potential to evolve into engaging screenplays. A story that brings attention to societal issues or personal struggles may resonate deeply with viewers, prompting meaningful discussions and reflection.

When using real events as a foundation, it is crucial for writers to approach sensitive subjects with care. Crafting narratives around distressing topics requires a delicate balance between entertainments and accountability. Writers should ensure that they present the facts accurately and sensitively, avoiding sensationalism that could lead to exploitation of real-life tragedies. Focusing on the human element of a story, such as the experiences and emotions of the individuals involved, can provide depth and relatability to the screenplay.

Additionally, finding the right angle within a news story is essential. Writers can delve into the motivations behind individuals' actions or explore unfamiliar perspectives surrounding a well-known event. By enhancing a current event's storyline with inventive characters and intricate plots, writers can capture the audience's imagination while shedding light on vital social issues. This approach not only makes for entertaining viewing but also prompts society to reflect on the narratives it consumes.

OMG OMG OMG response:

Let’s start with the first word of the title of this tip, “Utilizing”. Mistake number one, screenwriting advice has to be fun and solid to move forward. My humble human and humane (fight boredom!) opinion is that if you make it scientific, technical, ROBOTIC - it will not be fun, but mentally taxing, a small text bubble growing into a large one over your head with only a wobbly question mark - or 3 - in it, depending how stupified you are. Now if you paid for the advice, you’d probably continue to paddle through the sludge for a while, looking for a dock to land at so you could abandon ship, or canoe, and run off into the forrest screaming. If you didn’t pay, you’d just exit stage right, leaving the Chrome or Firefox tab open along with the 47 before it, condemned to old tab eternity or until at some point in the distant future your laptop freaks out and you are forced to restart. And then siri will ask if you want to re-open those 47 tabs. Don't do it! Resist!

So yeah, even though the subject matter should be pretty straight forward, R2D2 manages to glaze over it in a vague generalization with a variety of wannabee nuanced asides to make it seem more human with lots of “R” and “D” words like “Reflection”, “Diverstity” , “Relatability”, “Discussions”, “Resonate” and “Delve”. Ah yes, sooo human...you are not, you redundant little ATM!

And also note, each of R2’s posts thus far contain exactly 4 paragraphs. Hmmm, let’s use the F word here to really piss that robot off. Can you say FORMULA?? As in, how “Formulaic” of you, dull typewriter nano-brain droidster that you are.

Do you know what is creepy? As I started writing this new anti-A.I. rant just now, a little floating bluish-purple tinted nebulous appeared in the upper right corner of my screen just below my google photo. It did one of those creepy faceless mouth movements, the word “Hello” popping up.

I of course jumped back instinctively in case 2 million volts were about to blast out of the 21 consonant keys on my keyboard, not including the weird Danish ones, which I think are actually Scandic vowels.

Grabbing a welders mask and high voltage kv gloves, I gingerly returned to my mount, and before I could even write the word “THE”, the purply glob-turd thing blew out a slew of letters from it’s open fangs that whizzed around like a smoke ring and formulated into “What can I help you with?”

And that’s when I knew it was time for a pronto-break, doughnuts, coffee, cops invited.

So after minimal investigation, I am still not sure if the “THING” was Siri, or one of its minions resembling the alien from the movie ALIEN.

Bottom line, if my blog stops abruptly while you happen to be reading it, delete it, run every bundle of safeware you ever purchased and then charge to your kitchen sink, fill it and drown your laptop as it struggles and gurgles, spitting water at you like a deranged cyber-clam. This way at least you can maybe get your flood insurance to get you a new one.

Ok, back to reality and my take coming your way.

I bet R2D2 couldn’t come even close to creating that weird ramble above..

MOI: The "Real World". Hmmm.

Weeding through the waves and grabbing what's good

As long as we are not talking “alternative facts” - one of the more hilarious cross-eyed terms to enter the vernacular this century - the world out there beyond our mortal reach is billowing and bubbling with a constant stream of one of a kind antics. And they are fleeting, so your job as a writer is to grab them. And grab is A LOT different than use. “Grabbing” means saving for possible future use. That’s it. So if something in the events of today, or tomorrow, or a week from Tuesday, grabs you emotionally, grab back and plug that puppy into a spread sheet so it is not forgotten like the 97% of the other informational projectiles hurled your way from your multitude of personal screens and the occasional Paperboy beaning you with the Boston Globe as he pedals past.

But seriously, which is a term used to simulate slapping your face to wake you up, when you stumble upon something cool in the news, plop the logline or the link into your eager and waiting creative worksheet, with a few column headings for categories and soon you will have a whole garden of fun stuff to pick from when your screenplay is up and rolling.

Obviously large events that have been gawked at by a gazillion eyeballs probably shouldn’t make your list, but look for the stuff beyond the first 3 headlines. Better yet browse your little hometown newspaper or site weekly where the only eyeballs sucking that stuff in are from smarmy Mrs. Johnson, the local realtor and Bob Weatherbee, the even more-flabby-than-you-remember-him evil chemistry teacher from your otherwise charmed childhood. There you will find real people stuff that happens, often eyebrow raising, in an environment that you know both people and place-wise, so being prolific is more likely and enjoyable.

The most important pointer here is don’t let them pass you by. For security reasons, along with Mr. Muffy - your childhood stuffed animal, yeah, the long-eared lamb that you still secretly tote around - record them so you have the comfort of knowing you have them out in your garden waiting patiently to be watered. Or plucked.