Thursday 17 January 2013

Adaption: Using Other Short Poem and Story Ideas as Source Material

Since it was very much agreed that I try to branch out to new ideas regarding other short, classical stories and to use the less obvious, well-known ones, I thought to research other, more obscure authors and writers in search of interesting stories to adapt. Alan recommended for me to look up on a few writers including Edgar Allan Poe and Isaac Asimov. I found a -lot- of interesting works by Poe. Here are a few which I had attempted to adapt.


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Idea number 1:
“The Gold Bug” (Possible Adapted Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Steampunk/)

Set in the 1800s, The Gold Bug is a high seas pirate adventure which is set on Sullivan's Island and begins with the main protagonist, William Legrand, who was recently bitten by a golden bug. His servant, named Jupiter, seeks out the aid of an unknown narrator because he fears that he is losing Legrand to insanity. However, he takes Jupiter and the narrator along on an adventure in search of the buried treasure of Captain Kidd. The story is told from the narrator's point of view.

Adapted: Possibly a steampunk/sci-fi universe similar to Disney's “Treasure Planet”. Anthropomorphic people as a universal norm instead of Secret of Nimh-style talking animals among humans.

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Idea number 2:
-”Masque of the Red Death” (Possible Adapted Genre: Modern/Sci-Fi)

This short story is set in the middle ages and follows a Prince named Prince Prospero in the midst of “The Red Death”, a strange plague that kills off a large portion of his kingdom's population. Because of this, he retreats to his castle with a select few royalty and knights. However, a stranger in the guise of a Red Death victim finds his way into the castle, too, and confronts the Prince after leaving a trail of dead nobles.

Adapted: Modern/Scifi themed universe. Post-apocalyptic world where most of Earth's population has been wiped out by a man-made plague. Only the select elite few such as Prime-Ministers, Presidents, Politicians and the insanely rich have been selected to stay in a sterile fortress to hide from the plague. A few survivors fight through a desolate world to confront them in their fortress. Anthropomorphic people as a universal 
norm.

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Idea number 3:
-The Haunted Palace (Possible Adapted Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Modern)

This short poem depicts an ancient palace which was once ruled by a long-dead king. The king was afraid for his own safety and his castle from forces of evil, but the castle eventually succumbs to this evil and the royal family that inhabits it are killed and their spirits are turned into phantoms.

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Idea number 4:
-Eldorado (Possible Adapted Genre: Fantasy/Steampunk/Adventure

This is another short poem by Edgar Allan Poe, inspired by the California Gold Rush, which tells the story of the legendary city of El Dorado and interprets the journey of a knight on an adventure in search of the legendary city. Eventually, after growing old, he finds a stranger or 'Pilgrim Shadow' as described in the poem who shows him the way through the “Valley of Shadow”.

Adapted: Anthropomorphic talking animals, much like the Secret of Nimh who have adapted their technology from stolen items from the human world they inhabit. The main hero discovers the map to their version of El Dorado: a secret hidden, vast treasure vault in South America in which animals have adapted into a city made of gold.

4 comments:

  1. I like the sound of the Red Death...

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  2. Hey Tom :)

    Survey time again! See link...


    http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/fao-cgaa-years-1-2-uca-student-survey.html

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So, Tom, which of these ideas are you most drawn towards? It would good to see some research, influence maps etc...

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  4. 4 strong story ideas here. Are you planning an environment or a character or a mix of the two? Because I think that would make a difference to which story you should choose.

    ReplyDelete