[Yavicleus]

So, I'm thinking of writing a dark comedy set in post Peak Oil, post crash, post die-off (not total) America.

Basic plot: an old insane preacher living in rural America, named Reverend Smith. He lives in an old motorhome that is parked in the parking lot of an abandoned WalMart. He lives off some crops he grows there locally, brews mead, ran out of bullets long ago, spends his time drunk and preaching a twisted form of the gospel. He serves as the local 'crazed' religious figure. (somebody's got to play the priest, and in times of perril people have often turned to religion)

In comes a young Muslim kid of about 20 something, Ali Abdulla. The Reverend takes in Ali, when in reality it is Ali who is helping to keep the Reverend out of trouble. One day the Reverend wakes up thinking he has been given a mission from God to preach to all mankind, so they set out across the countryside.

I figure I'll have them visit a hippie co-op, a corporate neo-feudal farm, a few small towns, and eventually a small city (or what's left of it). I figure it will be a sort of drunken post peak oil Don Quixote story.

My plan is to make it dark but funny, and try to put in enough bits about peak oil and where America when wrong that it might just wake a few people up.

I've written a few books before, but never was lucky enough to get published. I figure I've got one last shot before things get so bad that being an author isn't possible anymore.

Anyways, I'll keep everybody informed when this gets serious.

Any suggestions? Comments?

[Petro]

This idea for your story sounds great. Remember, if you are creating for art's sake, then disregard, otherwise here's some advice.

Books are a business. Yes, I know. This fact hurts. I've never been published, but have written much. Publishable stories require the following:

Original story line: (which as stated you seem to have)
Sympathetic Main character(s): (check)
Defined, Major complication(s):(uncertain about this aspect, bums are a bit passe nowadays[been overdone])
Minor Complications:(yet to be determined yet this trip across USA post PO has alot of potential - be careful though Mad Max has been done, and done, and done...)
Resolution:(this is the bitch)

Good luck, can't wait to read what you come up with (free of course haha)

Petro

[Tyler_JC]

Great idea!

I have a few suggestions:

1. Include a town of doomers with no hope and no future. This town is falling apart and its social organization is lacking. Everyone is miserable and it shows. Many of them still live in the SUVs and McMansions that were built decades ago. This town is the symbol of Suburbia, dying and in disarray.

2. You might want to turn that neo-fuedal corporate farm into a share-cropper plantation. Each person slaves away in the fields to survive while a lucky few enjoy the results.

3. Give the hippie-commune a windmill or two. And maybe electricity.

4. Include lots of rusting car shells and empty factories.

just my 2 cents...

[Phil]

I've been wanting to do a movie in this vein, a realistic fiction, called simply "Dieoff." This movie would employ all of the concepts and situations that are discussed here at PO.com.

My advice is to lose the religious nut in favor of a more rational main character(s). Some of us are, after all, sick and [deleted] tired of peoples' idiotic superstitions (religion.) I'm also sick of seeing religion glorified in movies, as if it's just fine and dandy to believe the most ridiculous garbage without evidence.

You could probably have your main characters stumble onto a group of morons who have turned to blind faith in childish mythologies to cope with the hard times, and have the movie illustrate the folly of such thinking and behavior.

My movie would, in the end, make the case for controlled culling of all the [deleted], excess human trash; in order to pave the way for a rational and intelligent, comfortable, sustainable society.

*[deleted]*

[Edited for content SPG]

[Petro]

I would love the opportunity to participate (help write), a script....but damn phil you agenda is too unrealistic. You talk about getting rid of that which you are sick of, but guess what? This is what, (use history), is exactly what you might expect. Maybe a compromise could produce a viable script? When you consider something like 85% of the world's population believe in some form of religion then it quickly becomes unrealistic to expect PO survivors would not represent, at least be present.

[Ludi]

make the case for controlled culling of all the dumbass, excess human trash

That's not a very original idea, and entirely repulsive.

[Phil]

No, Ludi, it's not an original idea. That might be because it doesn't take a genius to figure out that overpopulation of not just humans, but dumb humans, is the root cause of most of the world's ills.

Where people like Hitler have erred was in their methodology (and ideology) for deciding who was slaughtered. I would use much more enlightened and thoughtful criteria to ensure only undesirable genetic stock (about 90% of the population) are destroyed. Intelligence would be the most important consideration.

From my vantage, it's either my way or crash and burn for planet Earth.

[Petro]

/blink lol

[Phil]

Maybe the plotline could feature an evil genius "Dr. Phil" (played by myself) intent on eradicating the world of the low IQ scum that have permeated the landscape since the fossil fuel age began and allowed such imbeciles to flourish.

The clueless, feel-good heroine (played by Ludi) is determined to stop Dr. Phil's ambitions of a sustainable society, so that the billions of stupid humans can continue on their path of ruining all of the world's water, air, and soils.

[Petro]

naw...that whole angsty finger pointing thing died last decade. but you know a revival might be in order...I mean heh fascism is back in vogue...could be a hit.

[k_semler]

Go for it! I just have one request, make sure any grammatical errors are fixed prior to publication. Misuse of apostrophes, commas, semi colons, and the words: A, An, Accept, Except, It's, Its, Meat, Meet, Loose, Lose, Too, To, Your, and You're really drag down a publication which is otherwise very interesting. Yes, you may be an an amature author, but this does not mean that your writings must be in improper English. If a person is concious about these simple errors, the quality of even rough drafts will improve greatly.

[Petro]

dont be stupid....hire an editor ><

[Ludi]

Phil, you are one sick puppy if you really believe what you're saying.

Of course *you* aren't one of the 90% - you're special!

Pardon me for vomiting.

Hmm, clueless, am I? Heh.

[Keith_McClary]

Mad Max has been done

Strangely, Mad Max never ran out of gas.

[Phil]

I think it's the perfect time to do a Mad Max-type film, like my "Dieoff." If it were done on the scale of big Hollywood films like "The Day After Tomorrow", I think it would be a blockbuster.

The story would be set in ~2020 and revolve around a cerebral character or group in the midst of global upheaval. It would tell the story of peak oil, resource depletion, and overshoot & collapse on a micro and macro level. The movie would warn the viewer of coming events and present the dilemmas we face both individually and globally.

So let's put together a screenplay and send it to Hollywood. Maybe we can get Spielberg or Stone to direct.

[ozkrenske]

Keith 'Strangely, Mad Max never ran out of gas.'

Interestingly enough the 3 movies (possible fourth on the way) are set after a major resource war (which terminates after a limited nuke exchange destroys the planetary economy). The first is set 3-6 months after the war, the next after another year then the final one has a 5 year gap. The first one sees police defending fuel supplies with lethal force and suppressing long distance travel (for varied unmentioned reasons). The second sees max scavenging fuel himself from smashed up vehicles and taking payment in fuel. The third has him using camels to pull a wagon.

I actually visited the water works in fitzroy/altona (melbourne) that was used as the backdrop for all the police station/hall of justice scenes only a few weeks back. Quite surreal really having primary scenes of the film that epitomizes the loss of cheap energy being filmed within sight of the Altona refinery precinct.

By the way the motor show (and the Prix) was on while I was there. If I can, I am so buying a peugot 6litre to the 100km next time I buy a new car (who am I kidding I have never bought a new car and am not about to anytime soon). Mind you the peugot guys said they would probably be able to drop the economy rating to 3-4 litres when their new diesel hybrid comes out. Astounding especially with GM and Ford being almost next door (seperated by the smart car exhibit) and failing completely to display or even answer questions with regard to economy ratings.

[Yavicleus]

Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback.

And don't worry, there will be no mad max like car chases, or mass hordes of roaming road warriors. What I'm going to aim for is to show the US as a 'burnt out 3rd world country' where the power is still on in a few places, and only the rich have moving vehicles.

This is still in the very early planning stages, but I appreciate the feedback.

[Yavicleus]

My advice is to lose the religious nut in favor of a more rational main character(s). Some of us are, after all, sick and fucking tired of peoples' idiotic superstitions (religion.) I'm also sick of seeing religion glorified in movies, as if it's just fine and dandy to believe the most ridiculous garbage without evidence.

Sorry, can't loose the religious nut as the main character. The story just wouldn't work. Besides, his religious beliefs are supposted to be part of the humor and the message of the story at the same time.

And trust me, I can pull off funny from that perspective. My point is not to make the religious views of the Reverend like the religions of today, but rather, he will be a spouting his own crazed interpritation. Think of say...Hunter Thompson if he had been a preacher, in Post Peak Oil America, and you'll start to get close to the character I'm building here.

But thanks none the less. I might have my 'Reverend' square off with some more traditional religious types that are still waiting for the rapture that never happened. I'm sure I could get some comedic material out of that.

[Kaminyu]

So, I'm thinking of writing a dark comedy set in post Peak Oil, post crash, post die-off (not total) America.

Basic plot: an old insane preacher living in rural America, named Reverend Smith. He lives in an old motorhome that is parked in the parking lot of an abandoned WalMart. He lives off some crops he grows there locally, brews mead, ran out of bullets long ago, spends his time drunk and preaching a twisted form of the gospel. He serves as the local 'crazed' religious figure. (somebody's got to play the priest, and in times of perril people have often turned to religion)

In comes a young Muslim kid of about 20 something, Ali Abdulla. The Reverend takes in Ali, when in reality it is Ali who is helping to keep the Reverend out of trouble. One day the Reverend wakes up thinking he has been given a mission from God to preach to all mankind, so they set out across the countryside.

I figure I'll have them visit a hippie co-op, a corporate neo-feudal farm, a few small towns, and eventually a small city (or what's left of it). I figure it will be a sort of drunken post peak oil Don Quixote story.

My plan is to make it dark but funny, and try to put in enough bits about peak oil and where America when wrong that it might just wake a few people up.

I've written a few books before, but never was lucky enough to get published. I figure I've got one last shot before things get so bad that being an author isn't possible anymore.

Anyways, I'll keep everybody informed when this gets serious.

Any suggestions? Comments?

It sounds like an interesting story. But, I would avoid trying to make it like other "post-apocalyptic"-type stories.

[DomusAlbion]

I think it's the perfect time to do a Mad Max-type film, like my "Dieoff." If it were done on the scale of big Hollywood films like "The Day After Tomorrow", I think it would be a blockbuster.

The Day After Tomorrow was a disaster movie all right. As a movie it was one of the greatest disasters I've ever seen. Special effects can not save a poor script.