Idea for a feature film based on 'Little Susie'

Zakk

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Earlier today i came up with an idea for a motion picture based on Michael's masterpiece 'Little Susie' his songwriting resonates a pain surrounding a young child in a heartbreaking story. This would highlight a new dimension of Michael's incomparable genius, it is something that i am hoping will see the light of day. I have noticed the estate of my idea, and i genuinely believe something should come of this. Is it something you would like to see? are you interested in horror movies? do you believe this would be respectful to Michael's integrity? how would you like the story portrayed?

Notice: absolutely no negativity please.
 
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''Susie was a nice kind and sweet little girl a daughter every parent dreams for. Susie's mother was a drug dealer and her dad was in a mental institution. Susie's sister Anna was the only one who really cared for her and Anna Loved and treated Susie as her daughter than her own sister....and one day Anna walked to the store and was hit by a car and died in a near by hospital Susie cried and didn't know who would take care of her and starved for about 2 days then her mother died of a drug over dose. So Susie was sent to live in the mountains with her Grandfather whom molested and abused her and this 1 day he got drunk left her home alone leaving her to fend for her self allowing some one to come in the home. She went up to play her music box while someone came in to rob money and this man viciously attacked Susie''


''Some believe this to be based on a true story. However, it's been more or less confirmed as a fictional tale. Partly Inspired by Gottfried Helnwein's artwork. Who is famous for his emotional imagery-Especially of children(in fact, Michael used his Lichtkind(Child of Light) painting to depict this song on The History Vol. 1 Booklet).

In this tragic tale, Little Susie took her own life because of gross indifference to her well-being. One by one, her folks passed away. Father abandoned them, leaving mother and grandfather to wither in the grave. Years later, she was grafted into an unloving family. Though she was adopted, they did not take her in. Loneliness seeped it's cold dead fingers upon her tender heart. Until she couldn't bear it much longer. Although it was technically an accident. She subconsciously threw herself down the stairs to escape the pain.''
 
''Somebody killed little Susie
The girl with the tune
Who sings in the daytime at noon
She was there screaming
Beating her voice in her doom
But nobody came to her soon...

A fall down the stairs
Her dress torn
Oh the blood in her hair...
A mystery so sullen in air
She lie there so tenderly
Fashioned so slenderly
Lift her with care,
Oh the blood in her hair...

Everyone came to see
The girl that now is dead
So blind stare the eyes in her head...
And suddenly a voice from the crowd said
This girl lived in vain
Her face bear such agony, such strain...

But only the man from next door
Knew Little Susie and how he cried
As he reached down
To close Susie's eyes...
She lie there so tenderly
Fashioned so slenderly
Lift her with care
Oh the blood in her hair...

It was all for God's sake
For her singing the tune
For someone to feel her despair
To be damned to know hoping is dead and you're doomed
Then to scream out
And nobody's there...

She knew no one cared...

Father left home, poor mother died
Leaving Susie alone
Grandfather's soul too had flown...
No one to care
Just to love her
How much can one bear
Rejecting the needs in her prayers...

Neglection can kill
Like a knife in your soul
Oh it will
Little Susie fought so hard to live...
She lie there so tenderly
Fashioned so slenderly
Lift her with care
So young and so fair''
 
Mmm tbh in it's current format, I'm seeing this as more of a short film than an actual feature film. Also, this isn't really a horror film, more so a drama.
 
Seems a little stretched for a full film imo, and can't really see how it'd be a horror, more of a drama.

That whole abused by the grandfather part doesn't wash with me. Nor does the idea of a small child opting for the idea of suicide. No hint of either of these in the song. Every song is open to interpretation though, but those two ideas are very stretched for me.

Good luck with your idea though.
 
I don't think a full film would be stretching the story at all, i feel like a short film would be too limiting on Michael's creation! the meaning is there, there just has to be a way to make it work.. i think it would be a horror movie.. if anything were to be created out of such a heart aching harmony.
 
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I don't think a full film would be stretching the story at all, i feel like a short film would be too limiting on Michael's creation! the meaning is there, there just has to be a way to make it work.. i think it would be a horror movie.. if anything were to be created out of such a heart aching harmony.

Just because it's a short film does not mean it's 'limiting'. Many stories are told better through the art of short film than through feature film.

Let's say you want to make a feature film based on the lyrics of Little Susie, as you have written above. The feature film needs to be seriously developed and fleshed out immensely, which potentially risks it deviating too much from Little Susie. Obviously, there are a large number of aspects you need to consider when making feature films so here are a very small number of things that need to be considered:

-Subplots. Every proper feature film has at least one subplot, what could be a subplot for this film? Could it risk it potentially deviating too much from the song of Little Susie?

-Shifts in mood. Look at your favourite feature films, there are times when things are working in favour for your protagonist (even when they're the underdog) but many times when things are looking grim against them. You can certainly have your protagonist lose a lot but you need to have her win sometimes.

-Properly developed characters. Now there is far more on this topic that I can write into one post (and I'm certainly not going to - but go have a Google and look around), and in addition obviously you're not going to have a properly fleshed out character this early (many of your favourite feature film characters took months, if not years to flesh out properly). Susie is a character who so far is passive and just lets shit happen to her. Obviously, she is a small child so it's to be expected she doesn't have much control, but I recall one aspect that's almost always found in great characters is that they make decisions. Luke Skywalker decides to run away with Obi-Wan Kenobi and go on the path to become a Jedi Knight, Indiana Jones decides to go after the Lost Ark of the Covenant, Maximus decides to go after the Emperor and avenge his slaughtered family in Gladiator, L.B. Jefferies decides to spy on his dodgy neighbour in Rear Window instead of passively ignoring it and going on with his day-to-day life. In the synopsis you have provided, Little Susie's character doesn't decide anything until the very end. Of course, I'm not expecting you to have written out an entire novel, but she does need to make decisions if she is going to be a successful character. Perhaps she could try to escape her living situation for example? Another decision could be that she is scared of 'the man next door' at first, but then one day she decides to venture out and see him? A decision that overall affects where the story itself is going.

-Monetary aspects How is this film going to make money? The Estate would obviously be looking to make a return on their investment, especially since making a feature film can be quite expensive. You can't just rely on Michael Jackson's name because the song Little Susie is little known outside the fan base (doesn't matter if you own the album, my parents bought the album but they wouldn't have a clue what Little Susie is). Also, depressing films don't tend to necessarily make a lot of money, which is why you'll often find feature films usually end on a high note to make you feel good. There are exceptions of course, Schindler's List for example. That deals with extremely depressing tones and is one absolute masterpiece of a film - easily one of Spielberg's best. But how often do you rush to go see that film? (and even then, it overall ends on a high note. World War II finishes, Schindler saved as many Jews as he could and thanks to him, many thousands of Jewish people are alive today). There is no one right way to make a successful film and there are certainly outliers that defy the odds, but you'll usually notice trends and for good reasons.

-Distributors Further expanding on that last point, the internet has completely revolutionised how people view their films. The Estate would be looking to make their money back on the film and the most obvious way would be to distribute this film to cinemas worldwide through a third party (i.e. one of the bigger studios/distributors). Yes, you can distribute it through the internet but look at the recently released The Interview. That film got far more media attention than this project could hope to get and it just barely made back it's production budget of ~$40 million (that's not including the budget set aside for marketing - you need marketing as well!). Of course, you can make a feature film for faaaar less (Nightcrawler was made on $8.5million) but the likelihood of it attracting anywhere near as much attention as The Interview is small. So, at least right now, you're going to look more at theatrical distribution right? Well this film so far goes against a few typical trends that encourage monetary return so more likely than not, the distributor is going to want changes made to the film that could and probably will deviate it further away from Michael's song.

Those are just a very small number of elements that need to be considered.

This is a few of the reasons why I'm seeing this more of a short film at the moment. The filmmaker will have much more artistic freedom because they don't have to make as much money back, allowing them to stay truer to Michael's song and vision. It would be easier for fans to make this a monetary success too (remember, the Estate is a business). I feel we could keep closer to the song and it's lyrics if we were to keep it a short film in all honesty as it would allow the filmmaker to be more experimental and not necessarily follow tropes seen (or even needed) in feature films. I can recall seeing a 10 minute short film a few years back about a little girl who was shifted from foster home to foster home. Barely remember it but I do remember enjoying it, even if it does finish with her leaving for another foster home and I also remember there was happier moments for the little girl's character too. Despite it's shorter time length, I feel you could tell the story of Little Susie just as effectively and keep closer to Michael's vision.

Also, all the above is assuming the film is based on the song, and not necessarily inspired by it, which would allow for more freedom in regards to what happens during the film. Of course, the great thing about filmmaking is that there is no one right way to do things and that usually, the one way is not always the right way. Many masters of cinema have managed to defy trends and typical expectations and gone on to great success, but it is certainly something that is rare in all honesty.

So yeah. That's some things off the top of my head. Like I said, I obviously am not going to expect you to flesh out something as massive as a feature film, but well, you wanted feedback on the idea anyway so there is some. Both from the artistic and monetary side.

Also, what you have described is not really a horror film, Zakk. It might borrow an element or two from the horror genre, but so far it is definitely leaning more-so towards drama. From Wikipedia:
Wikipedia said:
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, sexuality, poverty, class divisions, violence against women and corruption put the characters in conflict with themselves, others, society and even natural phenomena... ...At the center of a drama is usually a character or characters who are in conflict at a crucial moment in their lives. They often revolve around families; movies like Ordinary People dig under the skin of everyday life to ask big questions and touch on the deepest emotions of normal people. Dramas often, but not always, have tragic or at least painful resolutions and concern the survival of some tragic crisis

Looking at the lyrics, it would've been interesting to see Michael make this into a short film actually.
 
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^^ Wonderful response, i thank you for your input and words regarding this project that i am hoping will come to be. I have come to agree that it could work as a short film, as long as it exudes the entire story of Michael's portrayal and it is respecting to the situation. I still envision it being around 25 minutes, it should be something that when you watch it.. you feel the experience has opened your eyes to the pain that many feel around the world on a daily basis. It has to be something that pulls on your heart, it is has to have the feeling of something that Michael would have created himself. With the right acting, the right scripting and the right setting.. i feel it would be something that many souls can be enlightened by. I just wish the estate cared for his art, in more broader surrounding's.. not just releasing remixes, expose his deeper genius.. that's what he was about.
 
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Just because it's a short film does not mean it's 'limiting'. Many stories are told better through the art of short film than through feature film.

Let's say you want to make a feature film based on the lyrics of Little Susie, as you have written above. The feature film needs to be seriously developed and fleshed out immensely, which potentially risks it deviating too much from Little Susie. Obviously, there are a large number of aspects you need to consider when making feature films so here are a very small number of things that need to be considered:

-Subplots. Every proper feature film has at least one subplot, what could be a subplot for this film? Could it risk it potentially deviating too much from the song of Little Susie?

-Shifts in mood. Look at your favourite feature films, there are times when things are working in favour for your protagonist (even when they're the underdog) but many times when things are looking grim against them. You can certainly have your protagonist lose a lot but you need to have her win sometimes.

-Properly developed characters. Now there is far more on this topic that I can write into one post (and I'm certainly not going to - but go have a Google and look around), and in addition obviously you're not going to have a properly fleshed out character this early (many of your favourite feature film characters took months, if not years to flesh out properly). Susie is a character who so far is passive and just lets shit happen to her. Obviously, she is a small child so it's to be expected she doesn't have much control, but I recall one aspect that's almost always found in great characters is that they make decisions. Luke Skywalker decides to run away with Obi-Wan Kenobi and go on the path to become a Jedi Knight, Indiana Jones decides to go after the Lost Ark of the Covenant, Maximus decides to go after the Emperor and avenge his slaughtered family in Gladiator, L.B. Jefferies decides to spy on his dodgy neighbour in Rear Window instead of passively ignoring it and going on with his day-to-day life. In the synopsis you have provided, Little Susie's character doesn't decide anything until the very end. Of course, I'm not expecting you to have written out an entire novel, but she does need to make decisions if she is going to be a successful character. Perhaps she could try to escape her living situation for example? Another decision could be that she is scared of 'the man next door' at first, but then one day she decides to venture out and see him? A decision that overall affects where the story itself is going.

WOW, indeed what a cool reply that irks my interest!

Indeed, a good story is always build on a plot and a subplot and the 'pitfall' is always what plot gets more lime light hey :blush:

Indeed, 'developed' characters are not made in a day! That is true, it sometimes takes years before you fully know a character.

I do like your 'reasoning' there about Suzie. That is what makes characters plausible and recognizable. They indeed NEED to make decisions for the better or the worse. A story needs action and conflict otherwise it ain't a story hey!
 
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