Friday, May 20, 2005

"Mr. Rigamarole", "Grounds for Coffee", or "Untitled"

I've written aproximately 30 first draft scripts for my cartoon strip. But I don't have a title for it yet.

Here's one as an example:

“COACH” – HUNGRY HUNGRY SCREENWRITER · script · 1 page(s)
By Glenn Magas (writer) & Dwight Adonay (art)
glenn@squint.tv, DWAdonay@msn.com

“ALARM CLOCK” (four panels)

Panel 1. ECU of Jacob staring right at us.

CAP: 6:30 AM

SFX: SNORING "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

Panel 2. TWO SHOT of a four year old boy staring at his dad who is sound asleep and snoring loudly.

SFX: SNORING "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

Panel 3. One of Dad’s eyes open. He notices the boy staring patiently at him.

Panel 4. The dad, puzzled, opens both his eyes to a very frustrated look of his son.

BOY: ARE YOU DONE SLEEPING BECAUSE I CAN’T HEAR THE TV.
I want to stay away from 'writer' type titles like "Epiphany" or "Writer's Block" or "Denoument" or "Hungry Hungry Screenwriter" (temporary name).

Also some very typical names came up like "Slice of Life" or "Life in a Box". Both are exactly that, and the latter is also a pun being life in a 'cartoon box'.

I've always liked the word "Rigamarole" but the definition is more appropriate for "Seinfeld". But I am really considering it as the title to the strip. Possibly, "Mr. Rigamarole".
rig·ma·role n.
Pronunciation Key (rgm-rl) also rig·a·ma·role (--m-rl)
1. Confused, rambling, or incoherent discourse; nonsense.
2. A complicated, petty set of procedures. (Dictionary.com)
Other ideas for the title are:
"Exposition"
"Subtext"
"On the Nose"
"One million conversations about one thing"
"One conversation about a million things"
"Zen and the Art of Nothing"
"Boogie Nights"
"Inciting Incidents"

And one I really like: "Grounds for Coffee" - a play on words where "Grounds" means:
"The foundation for an argument, a belief, or an action; a basis. Often used in the plural." (Dictionary.com)
And of course "Grounds" as in coffee 'grounds'.

The artwork is coming along. Here's a sample of the dad character.

(Larger)

We're going with the 'Retro' cartooning with a personal touch. The reactions of the characters are so key its so important to get the characters just right.

Here's an initial test for a four panel strip. Characters aren't "Retro" in this one.

(Larger)

Hopefully we can finalize the characters this weekend, then I can start editing the scripts, then we can go into full blown production!

2 comments:

Hez said...

I like grouds for coffee. It's clever.

Glenn Magas said...

Thanks! I kinda like that one too!