Big O Movie Idea
| Jim Starluck |
02-03-2004 11:26 PM |
I was very bored the other night and pulled out my Season 1 DVDs...was intending to watch the whole season straight through, but I got interrupted at the start of Electric City...but that's not the point.
I think that, if a Big O movie were to be made (assuming it's still Anime and not live-action), then the writers could take the scripts from Act 1 and Act 2, splice them together, extend some scenes, add on others, and have a workable feature film.
I mean, think about it...you have plenty of action sequences between the two episodes, TWO giant robot battles, and it's a fairly straightforward plot. Unlike the REST of the series, which relies heavily on stuff you saw in previous episodes and would be difficult to transfer to film.
Opinions?
| A Clockwork Tomato |
02-03-2004 11:36 PM |
Concept is good, but two episodes is under 50 minutes of total air time. If we added ELECTRIC CITY, MISSING CAT, and BECK COMES BACK (in addition to Acts 1 and 2), we would have a Dorothy-centric movie which also introduces Angel properly (otherwise, her presence in MISSING CAT would be anomalous).
Five episodes at about 22 minutes per episode is 110 minutes of running time.
If you didn't want Angel, take out ELECTRIC CITY and MISSING CAT and substitute BRING BACK MY GHOST and A LEGACY OF AMADEUS. But Angel is hard to avoid, and trying to do so makes too many good epiosodes off-limits.
| evanASF27 |
02-03-2004 11:38 PM |
Movie you want a movie?! HERE YOU GO! *slams a huge script in front of them*
Combine "Twisted Memories" through "The Show Must Go On" and THERE is your movie. Individually they are all TO BE CONTINUED...so they fit together nicely
| Jim Starluck |
02-04-2004 12:03 AM |
| quote: |
Originally posted by A Clockwork Tomato
Concept is good, but two episodes is under 50 minutes of total air time. If we added ELECTRIC CITY, MISSING CAT, and BECK COMES BACK (in addition to Acts 1 and 2), we would have a Dorothy-centric movie which also introduces Angel properly (otherwise, her presence in MISSING CAT would be anomalous). |
Like I said, the scriptwriters would have to add in some stuff...maybe the movie STARTS with Soldano hiring Roger, like the story in the manga did. I just love the atmosphere in the first two episodes...somehow feels very different than the rest of the series.
I dunno...maybe it's because I never really got to watch those two until they re-played the 1st Season on Cartoon Network prior to Season 2...*shrugs*
| quote: |
Five episodes at about 22 minutes per episode is 110 minutes of running time.
If you didn't want Angel, take out ELECTRIC CITY and MISSING CAT and substitute BRING BACK MY GHOST and A LEGACY OF AMADEUS. But Angel is hard to avoid, and trying to do so makes too many good epiosodes off-limits. |
Problem there is that, watching it in the theater, it would really FEEL like four (the first two episodes go together) seperate storylines strung together. With just ROGER THE NEGOTIATOR and DOROTHY, DOROTHY, you have a reasonable story arc with plenty of good sequences.
| quote: |
Originally posted by evanASF27
Movie you want a movie?! HERE YOU GO! *slams a huge script in front of them*
Combine "Twisted Memories" through "The Show Must Go On" and THERE is your movie. Individually they are all TO BE CONTINUED...so they fit together nicely
|
Except that unless you've watched the rest of the series, you have no idea who any of the characters are or what's going on. Would be very confusing to a non-fan, and a feature film can't cater to JUST the Big O fanbase. As large as that is, it wouldn't turn much of a profit...if it broke even in the first place.
| Lady Tesser |
02-04-2004 07:06 AM |
Actually, Jim, the first two episodes made as a movie - with a little bit of background filler, more stuff about Soldano-Wayneright-Beck-Dorothy - would make an excellent springboard movie that is accessible to the general public. It'll whet their appetite for the series as well to find out what happens after Dorothy starts working for Roger.
This has brilliant potential.
| StevieV019 |
02-04-2004 07:36 AM |
| quote: |
| Actually, Jim, the first two episodes made as a movie - with a little bit of background filler, more stuff about Soldano-Wayneright-Beck-Dorothy - would make an excellent springboard movie that is accessible to the general public. |
I can definitely agree with the above statement. It will attract new fans to the series, or at least has the potential too. Which is a good idea.
Based upon personal preference though, I wouldnt really go see it or buy it. I do have the first season on DVD, and picking it up or watching it wouldnt necessarily make sense. Id prefer to have something that explained the past, before episode 1. It could still lend itself to the "big screen" or just released as a movie to DVD. Either way, I feel that if done right, it could encourage new interest in the series. If they'd take the characters and intro from the first two episodes and added all new content, but didnt merge them together and pawn it off as a movie, then Id be open to seeing it.
| BigPrime |
02-04-2004 10:07 AM |
I hear you on this, Jim. It's probably the only way to make a movie out of Big O. Starting it any other way would be too confusing. You could always work Alex Rosewater and Angel in somehow (I get visions of Rosewater watching Big O smash Dorothy 1 from his view-screen with Angel standing behind him as his secretary).
A sequel could introduce Schwarzwald and basically combine and extend Acts 4 & 12.
| knight_errant00 |
02-04-2004 12:24 PM |
You need a mix of stories from the show to make a movie.
Remember, a movie is a different animal than a TV series or serial, so it would be a more involved task than just splicing scripts from a bunch of episodes together and filming it. Plot points would need to be changed,and characters added, changed, and re-assigned as themes developed for a self-contained two-hour story.
Still,
If you wanted to make a standalone movie, I'd probably lift large sections of eps 1-2, 20, 23-26, filling in backstory as needed.
But
If you wanted to try to sell it to a studio with the idea of having a sequel all ready and waiting ('cuz them guys loves the sequels), then
Big O: The Movie I: I'd build the story around elements from eps 1-2, 4, 7, 9, 12 . . . you'd have underground and undersea mysteries, Beck introducing the idea of the value of Dorothy's memories, the overarching idea of lost memories and hidden Megadeuses, and Schwarzwald as the villain, with a big, cool Big Duo fight.
Big O: The Movie II: I'd build the story from eps 15, 19, 20, 23-26 . . . Dorothy will be popular after the first film, so we focus a bit more on androids here, but again using them as a vehicle to explore memories as Roger seeks to unravale Alex Rosewater's plot. You get Alan Gabriel as the chief henchmen (like in a Bond movie), Beck back again, and Alex/Big Fau as the big threat in the story.
At least, that's how *I'd* do it . . .
| Lady Tesser |
02-04-2004 01:54 PM |
Creating a whole new script and animation would be the best was to go. Trying to splice scenes and episodes together would not work. They barely got away with it in 'Robotech' (according to my husband, they failed miserably). And the stuff that Sandy Frank did with 'Time of the Apes' and 'Fugitive Alien' should not be mentioned in polite company.
| Silv3rKnigh1 |
02-04-2004 02:03 PM |
NONONONONO
episodes 1-big duo fight could be movie 1
then movie two is up till Leviathan
then 3 is till the end
| <\:/> |
02-04-2004 02:20 PM |
Actually I believe that Big O could be a very good live action film if done correctly (and with A TON of CG). As long as the filmmakers followed the animated version fairly strictly, like an animated storyboard, they could preserve the style of Big O and draw in the audience that fears animated movies.
I think it would be good anyway...
| evanASF27 |
02-04-2004 02:56 PM |
| BigPrime |
02-04-2004 07:19 PM |
| quote: |
Originally posted by knight123
NONONONONO
episodes 1-big duo fight could be movie 1
then movie two is up till Leviathan
then 3 is till the end |
So you'd make one movie to cover 12 episodes worth of story? That'd be incredibly difficult. Now, of course there's a lot of stuff that could be just left out of the movie (Eugene, Bonnie Fraser, etc.), but just putting both the Beck stories and Shwarzwald's in the same movie would be tough. As an introductory movie, I'd focus mainly on Beck, with just a hint of Rosewater. Michael Seebach could get a mention or something, foreshadowing for a possible sequel the way Spiderman did. It's easier to tell Beck's story than any other, and you could gradually hint at what happened 40 years ago, Memories, Paradigm Corp. and all sorts of other things without getting
too complicated at first.
You could easily get the Acts 1&2 story to extend to 2 hours with some creative addition of scenes (say, flashbacks to Soldano hiring Roger and stuff like that), extending the two battles with Dorothy 1 a bit and adding in some stuff with Paradigm Corp and the Military Police. That'd be more than enough for one movie.
Any second movie (assuming the first did well) could focus on Schwarzwald and Paradigm Corp. I don't know if you could fit both the Archetype and Big Duo into one movie and keep the pacing, but you could adapt the story well enough, I think.
| Zopwx2 |
02-04-2004 08:59 PM |
It would have to work like this. They'd have to cut alot, and try to make it so people would understand. The movie doesn't have to be scene by scene like the show, you can and will change dialouge, make up new scenes, lose scenes, extend mega battles...
It would use up episodes 1,2,4,10,12,13 as main stuff. All other important elements from other episodes would be worked in. All side stories need to be cut. But remember to keep the essential characters
Roger, dor, schwarz, beck, alex gordon, angel, etc.
I would make it so that Schwarzwald would appear to be the villian througout the movie. And the climax would be o vs. duo.
But once the fight is over, schwarz's motives come into question..... was he really the bad guy?, ep 13 stuff ensues, audience thought it was over but it wasnt. OMG! tomatoes, gordon, metropolis, 3 foreign megas, chromebuster. to be continued.....
| Silv3rKnigh1 |
02-04-2004 10:57 PM |
| quote: |
Originally posted by BigPrime
| quote: |
Originally posted by knight123
NONONONONO
episodes 1-big duo fight could be movie 1
then movie two is up till Leviathan
then 3 is till the end |
So you'd make one movie to cover 12 episodes worth of story? That'd be incredibly difficult. Now, of course there's a lot of stuff that could be just left out of the movie (Eugene, Bonnie Fraser, etc.), but just putting both the Beck stories and Shwarzwald's in the same movie would be tough. As an introductory movie, I'd focus mainly on Beck, with just a hint of Rosewater. Michael Seebach could get a mention or something, foreshadowing for a possible sequel the way Spiderman did. It's easier to tell Beck's story than any other, and you could gradually hint at what happened 40 years ago, Memories, Paradigm Corp. and all sorts of other things without getting too complicated at first.
You could easily get the Acts 1&2 story to extend to 2 hours with some creative addition of scenes (say, flashbacks to Soldano hiring Roger and stuff like that), extending the two battles with Dorothy 1 a bit and adding in some stuff with Paradigm Corp and the Military Police. That'd be more than enough for one movie.
Any second movie (assuming the first did well) could focus on Schwarzwald and Paradigm Corp. I don't know if you could fit both the Archetype and Big Duo into one movie and keep the pacing, but you could adapt the story well enough, I think. |
aww no man noooooo
Act 1 and 2 is too short u will doom the movie to dullness , u have to atleast go thru episode 5 minimum
I agree tho 1-12 is too many villans
| BigPrime |
02-05-2004 10:22 AM |
Remember, I'm not talking about just slapping the first two Acts together, I'm talking about re-telling the entire story and adding quite a bit of material into it. The average movie is 90 minutes to two hours. Now, time wise, the first five episodes is about that much time, you're right, but it's also no less than 4 distinct storylines taking place over several weeks or even months. Trying to tell a coherent story telling the arrival of Dorothy, the Electric City story, introducing Schwarzwald AND Bonnie Frazer's story would be nigh impossible. Especially if you're trying to attract an audience outside of pre-existing Big O fans (which any adaptation movie HAS to do in order to succeed).
There's a simple rule in life that everyone should live by (and no, it's not wear black), it's KISS: keep it simple, stupid. Don't over-complicate things right from the start. Introduce the characters, give hints to the bigger story, but start out with the simplest story that you can and work from there later. There's a lot of possible background that could be added into the Act 1&2 storyline. There's probably even enough room to start off with a brief story from the manga before Dorothy arrived (she was introduced in the third story of the manga) so that you can get a feel for Roger. And it's always possible to work Paradigm Corp., Alex Rosewater and Angel into the story somehow, even if it's more a cameo than anything else.
Schwarzwald's a big villain. He deserves his own movie. It'd be an incredible disservice (for both crispy and the greatest villain) to just lump he and Beck into the same film.
| StevieV019 |
02-05-2004 11:21 AM |
| quote: |
| Remember, I'm not talking about just slapping the first two Acts together, I'm talking about re-telling the entire story and adding quite a bit of material into it. The average movie is 90 minutes to two hours |
Well...if you can get that much content together, perhaps it may work...but from my experience...anime movies havent been as long as live action movies. Live action movies run around 90 minutes to 2 hours....but my experience with anime movies are that they run usually around 50-65 minutes....75 minutes at the most. Yes, there are exceptions to this time frame...but finding enough content, and making it original for 90-120 minutes could be difficult, especially for an anime....
| C.R Foxhound |
02-05-2004 11:28 AM |
it could be 90 minutes who knows
but a big o movie would have to be something from season 2, since season had some many standalone eps, they could do it like Knockin' on heaven's door, you know, something between the eps but
i dunno, unless you really change how things are, it might not be possible
| Hanyou |
02-05-2004 12:26 PM |
No. I don't think a Big O movie should be that short.
It should be a minimum of 2 hours and thirty minutes. If it's cut together right, it will hold the audience's interest.
I see no reason to needlessly shorten the length of a Big O movie jsut because it's anime.
| StevieV019 |
02-05-2004 12:51 PM |
| quote: |
No. I don't think a Big O movie should be that short
It should be a minimum of 2 hours and thirty minutes. If it's cut together right, it will hold the audience's interest.
I see no reason to needlessly shorten the length of a Big O movie jsut because it's anime.
|

I dont think the movie should be that short either, nor should it be shortened because its anime. From my experience, GENERALLY most anime movies end up being that length ...what Im saying though is this: Can a Big O movie contain enough original content to last the full 2 and a half hours you are requesting? To be honest, I dont think so...at least not in a movie...at that point, you'd have to do some editing and splicing of previous content, which I wouldnt want to have happen.
Also...asking for a new audience (which Im mainly focusing on) to sit through 2+ hours; it will be hard to keep them hooked for that long a period of time. I can certainly sit through that length of time...Im already a fan so there's no problem.