The Dice Man

Best Cop show on YouTube

2009-02-17T00:23:00.000-08:00

It took a while but I've finally finished - part 2 - of the DIE Chronicles graphic novel. And even if I say so myself, it's awesome - despite being lots of hard work to put together by myself.

I think the addition of voices would really add to the experience of a show in this format, so if you know any (or are a) talented VO actor(s) who can record their voice on their own computer and do a great North American accent - let me know.

The novel has developed it's own format, YouTubers and visitors to this blog help shape the story line. It's turned into a Cop Thriller/Horror and the story outline for episode one follows the escape of a copy-cat serial killer called Andrew Mundi. Mundi has escaped for the sole purpose of killing the six people who contributed to his demise before returning to prison to take a lethal dose.

Each of his victims will be off'd according to the roll of Mundi's imaginary die, which appears stigmata-like on the palm of his hand. The only person that can stop Mundi is the intuitive Detective Q, who is also on the list, as he was the arresting officer who brought Mundi to justice.

So far, other characters include a super sharp and logical thinking lap-dancer called Violet whose strange kinship with Q leads to the most unusual crime fighting duo since Monk. Not forgetting William, the jealous career cop who thinks Q is as bad as the scum he puts away.

Here's part 2;

Look forward to suggestions for the next installment.

We just got featured!

2009-01-12T02:02:00.000-08:00

After three months of hard grind we just got another break!

YouTube has decided to feature the graphic novel spin-off, which means loads of hits and a big audience. To prove it we've got 11,000+ hits in just one day.

So in response I've written the next instalment based on the roll. Check out the group for more info on the roll. http://uk.youtube.com/group/diechronicles

Here you go;

Dark, moody office. A shadowy figure is sleeping off a major hang-over at his desk.

The door bursts open and scrawny looking DI pokes his head round.

SCRAWNY
Hey Q! Your wife's... sorry ex-wife's on line 2 she wants to know if you can take the kids this weekend. Think she's plannin' a trip to Florida with somebody called Barry?

Q hardly lifts his head.

Q
I'm busy!

SCRAWNY
Ok..
(Closing door)
Oh. Yeah and that killer you put away. He's out!

Q
(More interested, to urgent)
Which one?... Don't tell me it's Mundi isn't it!

CUT TO:

COLORADO STATE PENN

Q stands with the Boss of the penn a portly man with a limp. All around them is the devastation of Mundis escape. As the Boss talks we see flashes of the escape as it happened. Spread across the video screens.

BOSS
13 men... I've never lost a man in twenty years and today I lose 13.

Q
Try to concentrate! Ok. Show me what happened!

Layed over various video clips from the screens - re-wound and played back.

BOSS
As soon as the flap goes down something hits the guard in the face...

BOSS
...The second guard enters with his gun drawn... standard procedure. A shots fired and Mundi gets out...

BOSS
...He kills 8 guards on his way out until he finds the laundry van.

Q
The van... mates of Mundi?

BOSS
We don't know... he get's in the back and the van smashes right through the gates killing 3 more.

Q
Ok. Thanks.

BOSS
Don't thank me, we should have put him down a long time ago... and now he's out there!

Sorry about the lack of proper script formatting but it doesn't work on the blog. I'm sure you get the idea. So comment away and if you like it I'll make it over the next couple of weeks.

Keep rollin!

The future of DIE!

2008-12-10T00:43:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it 'DIE' is the movie title. Cashing in on a little of the SAW action.

With the screenplay firmly established and financing set to be secured in the states, I've turned my attention back to the blog.

The DIE spin-off graphic novel (this is not the movie)

This is where we get back to being creative as a group. This animatic novel will be created in the same way that we originally started writing the screenplay, but then abandoned because the dice told us too (damn dice!). Examples of what I mean can be seen in earlier posts and here's the prelogue, created by myself.

So the idea is that our villian Andrew Mundi is a copy-cat killer of Z from the film. He's off'd a bunch of his class-mates in the states and is now on death row... My idea is he manages to rip a few heads-off and escape in order to kill the people that put him inside. A little six-sided revenge!

So what happens next? That's what I want to know... please post your suggestions here. As usual everyone gets a credit and the final animatic will be played in cinemas at the end of the movie.

Also...

Our community here at The Dice Man blog is growing by the day so here's a little action plan for those who are interested in the dice world.

Background

Dice world is more than just a concept, book or a movie, it's a community. George Cockcroft's dice adventure began life as a subject for one of his university lectures before becoming a cult classic novel. The concept behind the book captured imaginations and a large fan base... what sets The Dice Man apart from other cult classics is interactivity. Communities of rollers still exist today. The book was re-released in 1992 and found it's place on the top sellers-list, sixteen years has passed and it's time to bring the concept to the next generation.

Bloggers

The Dice Man blog - in the spirit of the 'dice concept' challenges the readers to get involved and experiment with 'dice culture'. It's a portal to the world we are creating with the movie DIE and beyond. Each week readers are invited to interact with the community, the film and the challenges of dice culture. Interactive game, graphic novel web series, competitions, web-cams, dice mania and community projects will all be incorporated into the blog as the community and world we create grows.

Interactive game

Flash animated 3D dice, much like the magic eight ball or sex dice. If you can't make a decision then let the dice make it for you. The game will also be packaged as a widget for Facebook and other social networking sites.

Graphic novel web series

A spin-off series of dice related stories brought to life using the latest animated effects made popular by movies such as Persepolis and the I Am Legend series. Readers are encouraged to participate in developing the story for the web series that will play on video social networking sites such as YouTube and as a DVD extra for the movie.

Competitions

Win a day on set. Win props from the movie. Win signed movie stills... just a few of the prizes on offer.

Web cams

Live 24/7 feeds from the set of the movie. Bloggers can watch the action or lack of and then comment from the blog. See how a movie is really made!

Dice mania

Photos, videos, music and art from the community of dicers. Readers upload their dice related content to inspire others to do something dicey.

Community projects

'The dice challenge' - small communities of dicers around the world will get together once a month for a 'roll and tell'. This could include rolling dice to decide on helping out with community projects and raise funding 'roll and raise'. Investors can roll to find the level of investment and the community will roll to pick a project.

Keep rollin!

Teaser!

2008-12-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

We have a first draft.... infact we have a second draft! Thanks to the scribe John Stanley we have an excellent script. Here's a taste;

FADE IN:

INT. UEL PSYCHOLOGY DEPT (LUKE'S TUTORIAL ROOM) - DAY

POV: close-up antiquated die on a wooden plinth with a glass dome over it.

LUKE (O.C.)

Now as some of you will know: this was presented to me by my last Faculty as a leaving present...

POV SWITCH: LUKE is standing behind his desk almost silhouetted against the bright summer sunshine outside.

LUKE

Someone, somewhere seemed to think it was a token of good luck which given the history of dice usage through the ages is something of a curious point of view.

O.C. There is the sound of a door opening. LUKE looks towards the sound.

POV SWITCH: CORIN enters, flustered with an apologetic look upon his face.

CORIN

I'm really sorry, Professor...

POV SWITCH: seated in an arc before LUKE'S desk are STUART, GINNY, KAYLA, Z, ADAM and ROHINI: there is an empty chair on the end.

LUKE

(straight in, deadpan)

...apologies unnecessary Mister Hargreaves: as a matter of fact your timing is just perfect:

CORIN looks puzzled as LUKE addresses the others.

LUKE

One empty chair, one tardy young man: so: what are the chances he'll take the empty seat available rather than pull one from the stack over there and sit quietly alone at the back?

That depends...

CORIN remains standing uncertain how best to proceed.

LUKE

Mister...

Z: just Z...

LUKE

...indeed...depends on what would you say?

ROHINI

On the kind of person he is.

LUKE

Quite possibly right, Miss Chowdra: and if he was the kind of person to leave everything to chance?

STUART

Then he'd be an idiot...

LUKE

(straight in, sudden)

Ssshhh!

Every one starts.

LUKE

(whispers)

Did anybody else hear that?

There is momentary bemusement for all concerned.

ADAM

(tentative)

Hear what?

LUKE

The sound...of several million devotees of "The Dice Man" drawing in their collective breaths at such a blunt castigation of their creed as that just supplied here by one Mister Stuart Hopkins: soon to be Graduate of this Parish.

STUART

I...

LUKE

(straight in)

Too late: Mister Hopkins the damage is done.

(to CORIN)

Mister Hargreaves: would you be so kind as to lift this glass dome and take the die in your hand.

CORIN puts his rucksack down, frowns to himself and does as he is told.

LUKE

Now: let us say you have three options...to sit there, take a new chair or remain standing...

STUART

What about just leaving?

LUKE

...that's also a possibility...

KAYLA

...or sitting on the floor?

LUKE

...and again: or simply do something not listed...so, Mister Hargreaves? Would you be so kind as to roll the die?

CORIN cautiously shakes the die and rolls it onto the desk. It's a four.

LUKE

It's been a pleasure seeing you, Mister Hargreaves: good day.

CORIN

(frowning)

But I don't want to leave.

LUKE

But the die says you must...and if you were "The Dice Man" then you would have little choice having turned your life over completely to decisions made rolling the dice.

(impressed)

Fuck...seriously?

LUKE

Unpleasant profanity aside, Mister...

...Z, just Z...

LUKE

...indeed, then yes: completely serious...

LUKE picks up a copy of "The Dice Man" by Luke Rhinehardt from his desk and tosses it towards Z: Z catches it and looks at the cover with interest.

LUKE

(sighs)

...times were every University Student in the known world had their copy or so it seemed: how many gave it a try as a lifestyle? Who knows...but if you're looking for a direct way into Chaos Theory, there are worse ways to try and live your life.

STUART

Yeah sure: if you fancy bringing society crashing down around your ears.

ADAM

What's so great about society?

STUART

(sarcastic)

Eh...it kind of keeps order for a start: I mean who the Hell wants to live in chaos?

Whose order are we talking about?

ROHINI

Sounds like control...

...exactly...

GINNIE

...but there have to be limits, right? Good and evil, right and wrong...

ADAM

...but who decides?

STUART

...that's why we elect democratic Governments.

LUKE cannot disguise his amusement as there is general disbelief directed towards STUART at this.

STUART

Well isn't it?

GINNIE

In an ideal world, then yeah: of course.

STUART

Thank you.

How about you Professor? What do you reckon?

LUKE

Me?

All eyes turn to LUKE as he looks thoughtfully out at the day beyond the window for a moment.

LUKE

Ancient Civilisations: Egyptians, Greeks, Romans...all used to fear Chaos...blamed Demons and Gods for it whenever it struck. Some even believed that night time was the result of an ongoing battle between the Gods of Order and the Gods of Chaos that resolved itself in Chaos's defeat with each new sunrise...

LUKE pauses for a moment and then looks back into the room around the expectant faces.

LUKE

Personally?

(smiles enigmatically)

I've always loathed the idea of Order...

Z, ROHINI and ADAM express vindication.

LUKE

(quelling the noise)

But...why take my word for anything? Take a trip with "The Dice Man" there and see where it takes you.

STUART and GINNIE exchange glances.

LUKE

Oh and eh...Mister Hargreaves? Feel free to sit anywhere you wish.

This provides amusement for all as CORIN sits down in the empty chair beside ROHINI, somewhat embarrassed.

DISSOLVE TO:

That's all I can show for now... sorry it's difficult to keep the formatting.

More revelations in the next post.

Location shots for Dice Man horror movie

2008-11-18T02:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some location shots I took over the weekend. These were taken just after midday so you can see the sun rarely shines here.

And here's a shameless teaser...

Stay tuned next week for an exciting new update to the project and more chances for you to get involved.

Pornstars wanted!

2008-11-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

Following closely behind the stilhettoes of Jenna Jameson, we are looking for top rate pornstars who are willing to keep their clothes on (for the most part) in our psychological horror movie.

If you're a pornstar (or can recommend a good one) preferably with an English accent, but all nationalities are welcome, then apply now! Either apply by email to thediceman@geekfabrique.com or comment here on the blog with a link to your best work ;)

Please no spam only serious applicants or comments. Thanks

Main vs Impact Characters

2008-11-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Firstly, thank you Christopher Foster for the following comment:

"Hey. Have you figured out a way around your 'Don't make the movie' suggestion? Because I've had an idea that may help.

Start a new movie with the exact same premise under a different name (basically just change the name).

That way you're not making that movie anymore. Whether you choose to discount all suggestions so far or keep them on board regardless is your call."

I was hoping someone was going to help me figure this one out. Well done Christopher, let's scrap the previous attempt (holding on to some of the best parts) and start again. That way we don't make that particular movie!

I've been receiving a lot of great advice from industry pros and potential investors. I'm going to take a bit more control over the story for a while and create the film that I was originally inspired to make. That's not to say that we can't continue to vote and roll to get some answers! In fact here's the roll to find our Main and Impact characters.

That means Stuart is our Main character and Z is our impact character (evil MoFo). This actually works really nicely! Check out this brief synopsis based on those characters taking the lead.

It's the last holiday, before the final exams for the psych students of UEL and there is trepidation in the air as the students are faced with the realities of leaving university with large debts. In particular one student named Z, the group's careless ring leader, is feeling unfulfilled by his uni experience. He convinces his gang of seven to embark on the ultimate final adventure before they are suffocated by the constraints society will place on them when they leave Uni for good. The most sceptical of the gang is Stuart Morgan, a foster child from North London who's over zealous nature makes him the least popular member of the group.

With a pocket full of dice and heads full of ideals the group head to a secluded house in the French Alps for a week of alternative living. The experiment soon turns to chaos as gender roles are reversed and right becomes wrong. Something or someone is manipulating the group, as one by one they lose all inhibitions and fight for their lives under the new status quo. Z has turned from careless Mr. Popular to the King of Nihilism and is dutifully followed by the crazed members of the team, who he now protects like children. Stuart remains sceptical which is mostly due to his jealous hatred for Z, he discovers that Z has been feeding potentially lethal doses of psychotic medication to the team.

Stuart has no choice but try to convince the group that Z is crazy and is posioning them. Stuart fights to survive and having finally overpowered Z he force feeds him enough psychotic drugs to floor an ox. But Z fueled by amphetamines, energy drinks and pure rage finally kills Stuart before finishing himself off. All that's left standing of their "eutopian" society is a secluded house in the French Alps.

Ok, that's a very rough work in progress. Stay tuned as we make this into a full story and eventually a screenplay.

Keep on rollin!

2008-11-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

I feel it's time to let the dice make some decisions. Forgive me for sounding political but let's get back to basics. Who, if anyone, is our main character? If we are to follow the structural guidelines of the movie making world we need a main character (protagonist) and an influential or impact character (antagonist). Let's look at an example of this in a contemporary movie.

'30 Days of Night' - I thought this was one scary movie, I had to accompany my wife to the bathroom and stand watch for two days after we watched this film.

WARNING - SPOILER ALERT - skip the bold text if you haven't seen the movie.

Main Character - Sheriff Oleson played by Josh Hartnett

Impact Character - Marlow played by Danny Huston

If you've seen this movie you might think Melissa George is the impact character, but the impact character in Horror movies is usually the villian and can be described as the character who has the most impact on the main character. Think about it... Josh and Melissa are in love even though their relationship is over, they spend most of the beginning of the movie trying to avoid each other. It's not until the actions of Marlow and Josh's bid to save Melissa, that they realise how precious their moments together are.

Ok, let's do this;

1. K, is the main character, Ludmilla is the impact character

2. Ludmilla, is the main character, K is the impact character

3. Ginnie is the main character, Stuart is the impact character

4. Mature student is the main character, The Twins are the impact characters

5. Roll separatley to find out who the main character and impact characters are

Main: 1-K, 2-Ludmilla, 3-Ginnie, 4-Stuart, 5-Twins, 6-Mature Student

Impact: 1-K, 2-Ludmilla, 3-Ginnie, 4-Stuart, 5-Twins, 6-Mature Student

6. There is no main character, they all share the role to a greater or lesser extent.

I'll roll the dice on the stroke of midnight two days from now. Keep posted!

Confused? Here's how this works.

2008-11-02T04:19:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that many of you might be confused as to how this blog works. Especially those who only follow by email and don't receive all the comments. Unfortunately, I'm using Goggle's Blogger for this blog and it's not well designed for this purpose.

If you've been following the action so far and not read the comments then it might seem as if we've jumped through the process.

Here's a very quick summary;

I came up with the inital film synopsis -> You guys voted for insanity theme -> We decided to include drugs in the movie -> Should we follow a sturcture? No votes -> One voter suggested we let the readers decide how to restrict the movie -> The readers came up with story ideas rather than restrictions -> I rolled the dice to see which options we should go with -> The dice said 'All' -> I decided to try and structure all the ideas into a plot.

If this doesn't explain, then start here... http://gagdirectors.blogspot.com/2008/10/dice-man-cometh.html

So, as experiments go I think it's been very successful so far. We have a great deal of interest in the movie.

Shall I;

A. Keep developing the first story draft to the end.

B. Re-work the story opening according to Allin's excellent comments (see below)

Comment by Allin @ http://www.wibbell.co.uk on the last post.

"Ok, Good. It's shaping up nicely..."

"Don't try to fill it with too many BIG IDEAS or the film will very quickly get lost, overcomplicated and confusing to watch."

"You're making a psych horror for the teen market. So strip out anything irrelevant. Take them out now before they get written too much into the core and you get bound by them.

I suggest:

- Lose the helicopter sounds. It's irrelevant.

- Lose the ECT equipment. (How contrived is that?)

- Lose the fact the twins are sleeping with each other. That's a whole other complex issue and to do it justice will take half the film. I cannot stress strongly enough that if you keep this idea you will lose the film. IT HAS TO GO!! Just having a pair of twins who dislike each other (needs a reason) is enough. Keep it simple - this is for the teen market, so bickering siblings are something the audience can identify with. As the story grows this can grow to hate and manifest in violence. But incest? You should lay off that one completely!

Another thought:

There's many strong reasons why every succesfull slasher film follows the strict formula of 7 teens in a desolate abandoned location being picked off one by one. Trust me on this: There should be 7!

Only really amateur slasher films with stories that get stuck or don't pan out will have 6 or 8 characters.

Check it out with your own DVD collection. Every slasher film (that works) has 7.

Get rid of one of your 8.

I look forward to seeing how it shapes up.

All the best,

Allin Kempthorne"

Giving it the full treatment!

2008-10-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, not quite a full treatment, no point in posting 50 pages of film treatment on a blog. So here's the abridged version for starters. Don't forget this is based on the comments received so far on this site - if you don't like something, speak up and we'll discuss the options.

Just like to give a special mention to Joe Mama for inspiring me to knuckle down and write this, honestly I was unaffected by your comment, didn't phase me in the least. If I'm ever in LA we should meet up and go out for a drink or a long walk off a short pier. I'll be right behind you!

Sorry I digress...

Here's the jumping in point, don't forget this is only a first stabb and the first time I've written something openly like this in such a rough form. It makes me nervous to think it may be shot down in flames before it's had a chance to breath and mature. Well here goes;

Eight students - Meet them

Take it for granted that everyone is either a classic beauty or unconventionally attractive. This is a horror/thriller for the teen market, you want to sleep with these people despite the fact that some of them are up their own behinds. They are Psych students! Nothing against psych students, in fact I would love to hear from you if you are one, my wife was one.

Stuart, self-confessed son of a rich man (total lie!) and all round playboy, you gotta love his energy though.

Ginnie, back stabbing bitch with a super quick tongue, she's funny but you'll love to hate her.

K, he's one of those people who has denounced his parents and his name, he's just known as 'K'. Annoying.

Ludmilla, Russian exchange student who is blind in one eye/partially sighted. Boys quite often sit on her blind side just to stare at her chest.

Twins, non-identical brother and sister, one's a psych student the other hates psycho-babble... seem to hate each other but are actually sleeping together.

Mature student, he is an ex-model who has decided to re-educate because well lets face it, he can't model any more.

Final student... you decide.

If you think any of these sound stereo-typical don't forget we're going to strip down all these layers and reveal the primitives within. Plus any character will sound stereo-typical when condensed into one sentence. Ok, enough being defensive! On with the story.

Our students all attend some polytechnic in the UK and we start in the lecture theatre. K is filming the lecture as usual (best way to keep notes), plus he's become a little obsessed using his camera. Its rumoured he films himself and posts it on youtube. The lecture is the last before winter break and Luke the lecturer is telling the students that to really understand psychosis they need to push their own inner boundaries. The group breaks and Luke chucks a book - The Dice Man - at K.

Fast forward to the journey to France.

Six of the team are in K's VW Camper van, they constantly talk psycho-babble or sing along to rock songs, flirt and take the piss out of each. Ludmilla seems quiet. Stuart and Ginnie are following in Stuarts Dad's flash car, actually it's stolen Stuarts Dad died two years ago. On the Euro-tunnel the girl twin heads-off to the toilet on her own, when she comes back she's is completely freaked out by a man in a joker mask. She tells the crowd who have mixed reactions and try to analyse her irrational fear, Stuart teases her about having an imaginary sex friend and accuses it of being "just a rape fantasy".

K and male twin have shared the driving so K has almost finished reading The Dice Man. Ginnie has been banging on about having an alternative experience and testing their inner boundaries... so to impress her K suggests The Dice Man method of leaving decision to the roll of the dice. It's a split decision with some sceptics.

The team hit France and paranoia sets in, they constantly hear the sound of helicopters above the car and van, but can't see anything (ala. Goodfellas). A roadside stop and K, catches Stuart and Ginnie at it... He's jealous. Ginnie comes up to him later and hands him a die, which suggests she had rolled to decide to sleep with Stuart.

Night time and the team are finally winding up the mountain roads after an exhausting drive. They can't wait to get to the house, which when they arrive is cold, dark and in the middle of nowhere. Ludmilla seems the most freaked out, she blames it on not being able to see in new surroundings.

We've reached plot point one, which could be described as the new world order... It's at this point that we define a new world and the characters have to deal with being out of their comfort zone.

K with the help of Ginnie, manages to convince the team that whilst in the house and for the rest of the trip they should live by the dice. He appeals to their sense of adventure and inquisitive Psych nature. Eventually all agree, some a little reluctantly. They throw to see who sleeps where and some have to share beds. The process is broken by Ludmilla who has found a shallow grave in the garden, whilst having a cigarette outside. While arguing that it's just someone's dead dog, the corner of a dress reveals more. They roll the dice and are forced by the first major dice decision to dig up the grave. It's the body of a headless girl and the lack of rigour mortice/fresh blood suggests that the body hasn't been there long. Ludmilla loses it the most and runs off into the woods... Male twin follows.

An argument breaks out over what to do with the body. Stuart suggests they roll for it. Eventually it seems like the dice are the only way to resolve the issue and becomes the best option. You decide what happens here!

Ok we need to build on the story and the characters emotional state as we get to what's known as the midway point. The midway point is where the whole plot turns on it's head. So look out for it. Here goes.

Some group members decide it's time to break open the alcohol (who can blame them, I would). Whiskey, champagne, wine, beer... roll the dice. Inhibitions and tongues start to relax, the shocked group members (apart from K, twin male and Ludmilla, who are absent) are dealing with the situation as only Psych students know best, they talk about it.

Meanwhile, our absentees are in the woods (night-vision on), through the trees we see Ludmilla who doesn't notice a man in a jokers mask coming up on her blind side as she squats at the bottom of a tree, shivering. What ensues is a horrific rape scene between said joker and Ludmilla, all the time filmed by mysterious POV cameraman....

Does he roll the dice to decide to save her, watch, join in or get help?

I've just realised that this has turned into a very long post... I'm sure the MTV generation has already tuned out. Perhaps we should split this up. I'll continue in a couple of days, in the meantime keep commenting and discuss the sketchy parts. I realise some of you aren't going to like it much so please be constructive with your criticism.

Additional ideas;

Once they reach the house it never gets light again.

In basement of the house they students find ECT equipment and decide its a good idea to shock people into telling the truth.

The dice games reach a pinnacle when the female twin eats her dead brother, who she's secretly in love with.

The dice tells two of the group to behave like rabid dogs and they never break character even seeming to have dog like strength and agility, as they pray on the weak members of the team.

Happy Halloween!

Six is all - The Dice Man inspired movie is rollin!

2008-10-28T05:20:00.000-07:00

So here it is and just to prove it, I filmed the roll, although (as my wife pointed out after the fact) not technically a roll.... sorry about that! I thought about doing it again but that wouldn't be fair.

Well that's certainly opened things up a bit!!

Here's a list of the pieces which we now have to build a puzzle from;

● Eight students looking for the ultimate alternative experience decide to lock themselves away in a house for a week in the French Alps, with a bagful of drugs and furtive imaginations. On the drive over, one of them reads The Dice Man and convinces the other students that the ultimate alternative experience would be to adopt his rules for the rest of the week and leave their descisions to a chance roll of the die (think Russian Roulette but with dice). What starts as a fun experiment soon becomes as serious as life and death. Their alternative experience becomes a struggle for survival as all boundaries are crossed and some take to the amoral lifestyle like it's second nature.

● The actors film each other with hand held cameras.

● Smoothly carjack a vehicle to get to the house.

● One cast member is raped and beaten by a man wearing a 'Joker' mask just yards from the house.

● One member finds a magic mushroom field.

● Another finds a recently-dug shallow grave of a headless young girl.

● Constant mysterious dead-of-night helicopter landings and take-offs, lit up through dense fog, can be heard from over a hill.

● A subterranean tunnel is found under the Aga - a tunnel which smells unbearbly rancid.

● One of the characters speaks no English. Another idea is one of the characters could be deaf or mute. I like the idea of a character not being able to speak English. Perhaps a Japanese or French student? That would add some conflict and interest as well.

● One of the characters isn't real (existing only in the mind of one of the others - an imaginary friend/nemesis)

● One character spends the entire main story of the film alone and away from the others, dicing by himself.

● you don't do a script at all - just bring a dice and let the actors suggest 6 options of the story as you film them and let the dice decide the direction of the film

● don't make the movie - must have a negative option

● each person is a character from a movie chosen by the dice

● they end up finding out the dice is a fake dice controlled by one of the members of the group

● they encounter a zen master

● start filming today

That's quite a list and some controversial options.... Start filming today and don't make the movie. These two are really the most challenging. How do I start filming today and not make the movie. Well you could say that I've already starting filming... I filmed the dice roll/shake :)

If I don't make the movie, then how can I also adhere to the other whims of the dice? I'm going to need some help here!

Digital feature film inspired by a book and created by a blog!

2008-10-25T06:17:00.001-07:00

Forgive the title, but the more blog savy I become the more I understand the need to optimise certain aspects to entice more readers.

So what happened?

We were going along at a fine old pace... questions... voting and then this last week... One vote! Plenty of great comments but only one vote! Please advise me as to why you felt uninspired to vote this time. It's important to keep the momentum going, so I just got to know. Maybe, it's a bit slow with only one post a week. I've been told by other bloggers to keep posting regularly, so let's give it a go. We'll call this round rapid-fire. Thanks to ABW for the great suggestion and in response we'll alter the format slightly.

"6 options to further expand and detail the options in A) and B) and then roll." - ABW

In fact let's make it simple, I say we restrict the actors and film by imposing some Dogma style rules to this already challenging project.

And in response to another great comment from Warren, I'm going to let you guys come up with the restrictions. Here's my example - No conversation for the first 30 mins of the movie. Give me six options by Monday night and I'll roll the dice to see which one is the winner. I'll announce the winner on Tuesday and hit you with another quick round of questions. By the end of the week we'll have a more solid story, well that's the plan!

So there it is! The film is in your hands people so get commenting.

And the winner is!

2008-10-21T06:17:00.001-07:00

Thank you for all your comments and votes... Despite a strong anti-drugs policy at the beginning of the week, the 'caners' came through to level it out. So to tip the scales I've decided that the last comment by 'Info' was in favour of drugs. How this fits into the storyline is yet to be decided so stay tuned.

Being new to blogging I've decided to do a bit of research to see if I'm adhering to the rules... If there are any! It seems a good idea to repeat the purpose of your blog every now again for new subscribers. So follow this link to check out the original post http://gagdirectors.blogspot.com/2008/10/dice-man-cometh.html lazy!! ;)

Ok, shake off those hallucinagenic blues and let's dive into the structure, or lack of.

So here's a question for inspiring writers... Did the Blair Witch Project have a recongnisable structure? If not, did it suffer because it lacked a decent beginning, middle and end. Discuss and debate ;)

I can't help but notice the similarities between this project and the films by the Dogme 95 collective http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogme95. I once had the privelage of attending a screening of a short film where Lars Von Trier (The founder of Dogme 95) challenged his mentor to make a short film where no shot was longer than 5 secs. The effect was spell-binding and by restricitng the filmmakers toolset he'd actually given him a new set of brushes to paint with. It was liberating!

So how do we liberate our story...

A. We will work out a tight structure from beginning to end?

B. We will impose restrictions upon our actors and film. ie. No conversation for the first 30 mins of the movie.

C. We let the movie and the dice decide where it will go.

This is the riskiest topic so far and I feel the control of this movie slipping from my hands and into yours. It's unnerving to hand over so much control, but I must as part of the experiment.

In my personal opinion 'C' has been done before by a French Director check out the trailer here http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=01E-VzrdNbw . So I don't want to cover old ground. But ultimately you must decide.

Just say no?

2008-10-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks again for all your comments, everybody has been incredibly positive (tempting fate!)... Which leads me to believe this project is worthwhile.

Interestingly, you've come up with your own question this time. So without further ado let's put it to the vote.

Should drugs be a part of this movie;

A. All the participants take hallucinogenic drugs, which starts a psychotic episode.

B. One member of the team secretly takes drugs and doesn't tell anyone else.

C. Nobody has any drugs because it might cheapen the insanity theme.

If we're dealing with sanity/insanity as a theme to completely ignore the effect that drugs can have on the mind might be misrepresentative. Personally, I think it would be a bit strange if eight students went away on a trip without any drugs. Although they are crossing from UK to France so it's possible. There's always an abundance of magic mushrooms in the woods around the old farm house.

I'll post some pictures to give you an idea of the location.

Finally, on the subject of drugs... I would like to know your thoughts about treating psychosis with antipsychotic medication and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Does anyone have experience researching this? If so, I would love to hear from you!

Are lunatics just a mis-understood minority?

2008-10-13T00:35:00.000-07:00

"In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane" Oscar Wilde

"Insanity in individuals is something rare, but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule." Friedrich Nietzsche

"Only the insane have strength enough to survive. Only the survivors determine what is sane." unknown source

As you can probably guess the majority have voted for 'A'. 'C' received a couple of nods and 'B'... well 'B' saw tumbleweed!

I'm excited that the voting went so well, everybody got into the spirit of things. A big thank you to all those who have commented so far, I appreciate your participation. If we keep the momentum going we might actually make this movie!!

Please remember to pass it on!

I had the great privilege to receive an email from George Cockcroft AKA Luke Rhinehart, author of "The Dice Man", both offering his support and voting on our blog!!!! In his words... "Great idea, Geek! Go for it!". He said that he would be following the blog and would make the odd comment - so keep posted!

I feel I just need to make it clear that this movie is inspired by the book and not based on or an adaption of... I would like the next generation of movie goers to learn a little about the ideas in the book, but in a contemporary genre that will appeal to the MTV generation. Plus this is a no/lo budget film which means it has to be made using what I have available... no Lear Jets, no huge crowd scenes, no Angelina Jolie. Just a bunch of students looking for an alternative experience in a house in the French Alps.

Perhaps some of the students are psych students?

In a couple of days I'll post the next set of choices for voting. In the meantime, I'd like to hear more of your comments on the theme of the movie.

Don't be shy... speak up!

Let's kick this off!

2008-10-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

So far there's only twelve of you who have actually subscribed... Don't fear, at this stage we want to take it easy, find our feet so to speak. The best way to get more subscribers is to recommend people.

So if you think you know somebody that might be interested...

In the meantime, expect to see more PR on social networks as I use the (deep reverberating voice) POWER OF VIRAL MARKETING to promote this project:) If you would like to see the press-release or link to the up-coming viral video then send me an email.

ENOUGH PLUGGING and on with the show!

I've actually had some great responses already (unfortunately not in the comments for all to read) and a great initial topic to put to the vote.

Anthony suggested that the 'life and death' theme wasn't a strong enough issue for the film to

explore and felt it would be better to deal with sanity/insanity. So this is the moment we find out if the blog is going to work....

Should the thematic issue of the film be;

A. Is insanity born or bred? Are we all capable of moments/actions of insanity? Are modern psychiatric techniques effective? Do drugs induce insanity? What is the link between sanity and morality?

B. Is the survival instinct stronger than love? Do we respect morality or survival? Is any cause worth dying for?

C. Is the society we live in the right way forward? Are we denying our basic instincts? If we give up our individuality, right of choice and ego are we truly free?

To vote on the theme you would like to see the movie follow then please email me thediceman@geekfabrique.com. Thanks we appreciate your involvement.

I'm sure all of the above will be included in the film at some point, but what we need to decide here is what the main theme will be. The theme is the topic the film explores the most from every angle and might even suggest an answer although you should see all view points.

Here's another plot summary of the book from Wikipedia to inspire you;

"The book tells the story of a psychiatrist named Luke Rhinehart who, feeling bored and unfulfilled in life, starts making decisions about what to do based on a roll of a die. Along the way, there is sex, rape, murder, "dice parties", breakouts by psychiatric patients, and various corporate and governmental machines being put into a spin. There is also a description of the cult that starts to develop around the man, and the psychological research he initiates, such as the "F*&! without Fear for Fun and Profit" program."

The Dice Man Cometh!

2008-10-04T03:37:00.000-07:00

This blog is about to be dedicated to a whole new style of conceptual filmmaking.

A little about me....

I won't bore you, I am a digital filmmaker who has written and directed 8 short films.

A lot about this project...

Inspired by the cult book The Dice Man by George Cockroft under the pseudonym Luke Rhinehart. If you're a big fan of Catch 22 and American Physco, you'll love it! Here's a quote from Amazon;

"Inspired by an intriguing happenstance, Rhinehart one day makes a decision. He lists half a dozen options then rolls the die to decide which one he should follow. The result pushes his boundaries and opens up a new set of experiences. Bit by bit, he hands his life over to decisions made by roll of the die. The result is a hilarious, amoral rampage of a novel as he infects others with his ideas and injects a pattern of chaos into the chaotic order of his urbane, successful world."

So here's the pitch...

Eight students looking for the ultimate alternative experience decide to lock themselves away in a house for a week in the French Alps, with a bagful of drugs and furtive imaginations. On the drive over, one of them reads The Dice Man and convinces the other students that the ultimate alternative experience would be to adopt his rules for the rest of the week and leave their descisions to a chance roll of the die (think Russian Roulette but with dice). What starts as a fun experiment soon becomes as serious as life and death. Their alternative experience becomes a struggle for survival as all boundaries are crossed and some take to the amoral lifestyle like it's second nature. Will any of them make it back alive?

And finally here's the concept....

'Will any of them make it back alive' is one of many questions that we will explore on this blog.

This blog will literally write, cast, fund and direct the movie.

Well that's the idea, it's an experiment, much like the movie. Each week I'll post a question or series of questions, subscribers get to vote or comment and at the end of the next week we'll announce the answer. Sound good?

Over time we'll develop the script and then we'll move onto the casting. Post casting clips here, everyone votes etc. So you see where this is going. Then all the proceeds made from advertising and donations will fund the final production. If we only make twenty quid then it'll be a very short movie with my camerawork ;)

So let the games begin...

Next week I'll post the first list of questions, in the meantime, let me know what you think.