For Other Professionals
The Exquisite Prompt Write It, Film It Video Contest
Lemony Snicket
The Inspiration
Given that the author of A Series of Unfortunate Events is prone to spreading deliberate misinformation, we regret that we cannot vouch for any details about Lemony Snicket (if that is in fact his real name). We were able to gather some semi-reliable information on a "Daniel Handler" (if that is in fact his real name), who has claimed on various occasions to be Lemony Snicket's "representative" or even Snicket himself.
Daniel Handler is the author of three books for adults. In addition to his writing, Handler purports to be an accomplished accordion player. The name Daniel Handler is credited on The Magnetic Field's album "69 Love Songs." Always interested in music, before he took up the accordion, Handler was a soprano with the San Francisco Boys Chorus.
Mr. Handler also professes to "love it when things go badly" and tries to discipline himself to be undisciplined. Hence, we suspect he does indeed have something to do with Mr. Snicket's chronicling of the misadventures of the Baudelaire orphans.
The Prompt
A cliff-hanger is a part of a story that leaves the reader in suspense about what will happen next. Its purpose is to encourage the reader to continue reading by leaving a character in a perilous situation — a phrase which means the character is in danger. The main characters in A Series of Unfortunate Events and in The Exquisite Corpse Adventure are often faced with threats and danger and it is exciting to wonder about how or if they will survive.
Fill us with wonder and worry! We want you to develop a story about character that is having a particularly nice day and is walking to the park to meet a friend. What could possibly go wrong? Something does! These things leave you or the friend in terrible danger. Show us the happy beginning, develop suspense, give us action and danger, but don't give us a happy ending — or any ending at all — just leave us hanging. (You can give a little clue as to what might happen so we don't stay up worrying all night.) We'll be waiting for your silent film entry on the edge of our seats!
Write It
For a movie without spoken dialogue, there is a whole lot of writing to do. You'll need a script and probably storyboards to help map out your cliffhanger. Written information inserted between scenes and elsewhere — called intertitles — can include what characters are thinking or saying, identify the location or scene, and help move the story along.
The written work we want you to submit for this prompt is a movie poster. You can use photos or illustrations. The poster should have a single, clear message and really grab our attention. You'll also want to include credits to your cast and crew on the poster. You can also include a rating for your film and any quotes from reviewers. It can be any size you like — whatever is easiest to submit as a pdf or graphics file.
Submit your silent film poster.
Film It
Think about shooting in black and white to give your film an authentic silent movie look. Since there is no dialogue in a silent movie, your actors will need exaggerated make up and lots of dramatic gestures to get their points across. Props and other visual devices will also help you tell your story silently.
Silent movies aren't totally silent either. Music, either recorded or played live in theaters, accompanied the moving screen images in silent films. You'll need music too. You'll want to select appropriate tunes that help mark the action or identify characters, such as fast-paced "chase music" for action scenes or something evil and threatening if a villain appears. Remember, you must have permission and give credit for any music you use.
Upload your silent film.
Resources
- Cliffhangers! Annotated List of Suggested Read Alouds and Independent Reads
- Write a Cliffhanger
- Silent Movie: The Great Peanut Butter Peril (video)
- Silent Movie: The Perils of Pauline (1914) (video)
- Silent Movie: The Great Train Robbery (video)
- Silent Movie (highlights): Alice in Wonderland (1903) (video)
- Royalty Free Music: Genre: Silent Film Score
- Posteritati: Examples of Silent Movie Posters
More about Lemony Snicket
- Official Lemony Snicket website
- Lemony Snicket: Interview
- Snicket Caught on Tape (video)
- Interview with Daniel Handler
- A Conversation with Daniel Handler (video)
- The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, Episode 12: The Shadowy Abyss of Our Own Fates
- Educator Resources for The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, Episode 12
