Author's note:
UPDATE: 9/17/2010.
I'll keep updating this first chapter since everyone lands here first anyway when you click the link. This makes updating/commentary more convenient.
So after much deliberation, I have decided on a mini-series format. Each Episode will have roughly 4-5 Acts including the cold open for each episode. I have found that adapting the screenplay layout to the limited word processor here in ffnet gives me a serious headache. I can understand why some readers would not wish to read this simply for the layout alone, but I felt that I had to keep to the discipline of proper layout (at least when I do this in Word) to help me hone my skills.
I have learned there is a difference between a shooting script and the first draft script, and I pretty much seesawed between the 2 approaches, mostly because I wanted as much as possible to give a visual sense of what kind of action is taking place. This of course means that I have to struggle with camera views, and I sort of gave up on the whole thing by Act I. I essentially have my own Producer Spouse looking over my shot choices, and I have to argue that I'm not writing for the cinematographer. I have also learned that though I've plotted out 6 episodes, the scene breakdown is what kills me and keeps me from updating. I've constantly been rearranging scenes between episodes and am quite tempted to cut out some. I've also figured out that I'm horrible at action dialogue (another reason for delay), so I've had to take special care on this and hopefully it doesn't sound too stupid. and yes i'm dreading the fight choreography.
All scenes currently published have been updated to identify the "actors" playing the original fic roles. (this is my dream, in my head some of them had been cast already)
Daphne - a circa-The Island Scarlett Johansson. She was cast in Lost in Translation when she was 19 and in The Island at 21 and no one had any problem with her dicking around with men 20 years older than her. Given that Ellen Page is 22 when she was shooting the movie, ScarJo is deliberately cast opposite Ellen Page here because they are sexually diametric opposites onscreen. Seriously, if Ellen Page had a wider built and bigger boobs, the discussion around the Ariadne character would have been completely different. I had originally thought of casting Blake Lively, but ScarJo at least has a wide acting range. And Blake is too tall. Although this is set X years after the movie Inception (you'll find out when you read through), both women would pretty much look similar in age at this point though the character of Ariadne should be some years older than Daphne.
Seiber - Jesper Christensen. See Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace for reference.
Black - Mark Sheppard. His voice is a character alone, which is why he is perfect for Mr. Black. He's Romo Lampkin, BSG for reference. But he was also in Leverage.
Brunette Man - Michael Trucco. He just has to be in here. Full stop. Because he is delicious to look at (according to some women). He is the anti-Lee, the anti-Castle and now the anti-something.
So this is a spec script. So far as I know (as I don't read much stuff in the A/A ship except those that came really recommended), there hasn't been any fics that attempt to screenplay.
I was originally working on a 2 part sequel to the movie, with the presumption that Dom Cobb didn't wake up in the end which would be "movie length". I originally wanted to give novel treatments to both, but as I kept getting caught up with the details and the backgrounds and multiple viewings of clips and interviews (yes I'm a pointwoman apparently) i ended up losing my thread mostly because i'm getting information in canon that conflicts with where i want the story to go. I know that AU is fine, and considering that the fandom is still debating what exactly is canon I know I shouldn't be that bothered, but that's the kind of writer I am I guess. I need to FEEL that I'm writing something true.
I have always said to anyone who would listen (sorry if I bore you all) that Inception would have made a great TV series, with the BSG/Caprica treatment from SyFy channel. In case any of you have never seen these series, everything they do is both big scale and intimate and grounded in a realism that makes robots and viper ships dogfighting in space feel so REAL. Nolan has always intimated that that was what he wanted Inception to feel like, that it was so real you can't tell if you're dreaming or not. I have been toying with the idea of being a showrunner for the show (I know presumptive me), and that is where I stop dreaming. A standard American show needs 13 episodes and then maybe a back 9 ep order. Japanese shows can do fine with 10-11 episodes (less filler that way). Looking through my A arc and B arc, I don't know if I have enough material for a Japanese 10 ep, let alone an American 13 ep. This is why TV usually isn't written by one person, but by a team of writers under a showrunner. At best, I think I may have enough for maybe 3-4 90 minute episodes so I might actually be building up to a mini-series. Or I could just go back to the original plan and write this out as a really long movie.
Or I could just nix the whole screenplay idea and go back to novelization. But it wouldn't be an easy read, I realize that if I novelize this it would be peppered with jargon and well, a dry tone. My favorite writers are not exactly the most popular ones. Please let me know what you guys think, if this format works with you guys, and if you're interested in investing time to wait for something longer or not. Or if anyone is interested in making this TV, I'm looking for a writing partner (because real life is getting crazy). I'm pimping the Inception Trope Forum, so we can discuss it there. I love reviews, but I also think it would be great to actually discuss things out in the open in the fandom and the fora is a great place for that.
If played out, the Cold Open should run between 5-7 minutes, depending on the editor/director.