The most frequently asked question about Remnants is some variation of “what’s going on?”  Sometimes it’s directed at a particular character:  ”What is she doing?”  Sometimes it’s directed towards the unforeseeable future:  ”What’s going to happen next?”  Sometimes it’s directed at a particular event:  ”What does that mean?”

All I can say to those questions is, I know the answers but I’m not telling you.

Yet.

We’re pushing forward with this story.  On Friday, August 13th, we’re going to shoot the next chapter.  It’ll be a single episode story arc involving some new faces as well as one familiar, returning face.  It’ll bridge a bit of the gap between Season 1 and Season 2, setting up multiple story arcs that we’ll be exploring with the next 10 episodes.  And all that can be said about those 10 episodes is that they’ll be bigger, longer, and feature many more characters.  Because ultimately, Season 1′s relationship to the overall story is the same relationship your little toe has with the rest of your body.

So here’s to the future.  Hopefully it’ll be a bit brighter than the one we’re exploring in Remnants.

Some time between purchasing our house and moving into it, my wife (hencforth referred to as “Kelly”) surprised me by turning one of the walls of my office into a chalkboard. She did it out of the kindness of her heart. She looked at me, said, “I have an idea,” and the next day I had a chalkboard. She had to sand the wall smooth and before covering it with chalkboard paint, but in the end, I had a wall I could write on and not get in trouble for (something I’ve wanted since the age of 2).

I use the chalkboard to sort out ideas. If I have something that I’m not sure about, I write it on the wall. Sometimes giving an idea a tangible presence is all that it takes to prove its worth; some ideas boldly stand out against the dark wall, others just whimper there, waiting to be erased.

I use the chalkboard to keep my timelines straight. Season 1 of Remnants, for example, takes place over the course of about 8 days. It’s nice to be able to see that. It’s nice to be able to step back and look at the timeline of events. Being able to see that helps me keep the story rooted in reality — how fast should this story take place? How much time is needed to get from Point A to Point B? Can I rearrange the events a little bit and fill in the some of the gaps to give the overall story a better flow? (more…)

Tags: Justin | Justin North | Kelly | Scott | Season 2 | Writing Process

I am assembling the Writers’ Room.

The idea is this: Create a writing group not unlike Lewis and Tolkien’s Inklings. But instead of just reading and critiquing each other’s writings, I would like for us to make each other’s writings.

The project at hand is Remnants. I would like for you to come on as a writer for Season 2. I had an outline for it, but after viewing the episodes of Season 1, I would like to chuck that outline out the window and (more or less) start over from scratch (but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water, there were some good ideas in there).

Together we would flesh out the world of Remnants, write the outlines for each of the episodes and then we would divvy up the episodes, each of us writing a certain allotment.

After Season 2 was/is completed, we could either move on to Season 3 or to other projects. If you have a series idea, pitch it to the group and we can see what we can make of it. If you have a short film idea, a music video idea, or maybe a story that could be told in three five minute chunks, pitch it to the group and then we, together, make that happen.

That is my dream for the Libertas Picture Company. We keep doing what we love through blood, sweat, and tears until someone wises up pays us to do what we love.

So, what say you?

Tags: Libertas Picture Company | Writers' room

I’ve only seen the rough edits of two episodes and already I’ve begun outlining Season 2 — okay, that’s an understatement. Last night, I completed the outline for Season 2. It’s subject to change and it will most certainly be fleshed out, but it’s there, on cyber paper, ready to go.

It’s such an interesting thing plotting out a second series of adventures for characters you’ve already played with. Season 1 is by no means a complete story, yet I spent so much time crafting Season 1 that it feels like I’ve already told Derek and Annie’s story and it’s time for me to find new characters to explore and new stories to tell. So now I get to sit down, reassess the characters, the journey they went on, and get to plot out the next part of their journey. (more…)

Tags: Derek Fisher | Evan Johnson | Hero | Outline | Remnants | Season 2