Okay, I was told it was fine for me to post this here, even though it's as contemporary/modern as it gets.

Lens Cap is a screenplay that I plan to write for this coming Script Frenzy in April. But what I need right now are people to help me hash out some of the difficult details.

Here's my logline for now:

Title: Lens Cap
Genre: Drama
Logline: An insecure teenage girl helps an old friend complete his film after he is blinded in an accident.

This story is going to explore the relationship between these two as they work together on a seemingly impossible project. One of the main points a friend and I talked about when we first started discussing the concept was that this was a great field to show a non-romantic guy-girl friendship at its best, but then to bring in all the doubts and such that go with that.

I have a few things I need to really work out before I can write.

1. I need a realistic way for the blind guy to lose his sight. Preferably, he should be able to have some kind of medical procedure to restore it, because I have an awwww-that's-so-sweet ending that depends on him getting his sight back. Any medical gurus here that can help me?

2. I need to figure out if the visual project in question that the girl is helping to complete has to be a film.

2b. If it is a film, I need to figure out if it's a short film or not.

2c. If it's not a film, I need to figure out what it is instead.

So. Ask me questions about the story. Give me advice on those questions. Please?

Ok, I'm not sure if this can apply to humans (but I don't see why it wouldn't), but I've heard of dogs having some kind of malfunction where the veins that nourish the retina are blocked, and the doctors used a virus to carry the proper gene to the mutation, and 'infect' the mutation with it, thereby fixing the mutation...it needs checking out, but I think it could apply to humans... (oh, man, I just remembered he has to lose his sight, but in this case he'd be born without it...but maybe there is something similar that can happen after you're born. Maybe it could be some kind of virus that blinds you, and they haven't made an antidote yet (or is that too sci-fi)?



My guess is that it has to be something visual...so maybe it's a documentary (still a film, but different depending on what he's documenting, if it's something he's passionate about, that would add to his resolve to finish it)?

Hope this helps!

This sounds awesome! I'd watch it.

As for your first thing, I know that a person can have a corneal transplant to restore vision. I don't know what the conditions for this have to be.

As for the second, I think it would be best for it to be a film. If it were something like a painting, then it really would be impossible for someone else to do it. (In my opinion.)

One of the issues they would struggle with is control and trust. He might have trouble relinquishing some of his control over the project and trusting her to get it right.

Thanks for the thoughts, both of you!

I've named the main characters now. Amber and Eric.

It's pretty firmly cemented in my mind right now that the film being made by the characters is a short film. What that's about... I have yet to discover.

Aemi, you're going where I'm going with the control and trust issues. There's a lot of emotion and conflict that I can draw from for this story, which is great!

Do you have any kind of reference on the corneal transplant? I did some digging a few days ago and discovered a recently developed method of putting stem cells on contact lenses to re-grow damaged nerves. Seems like my best option at the moment.

Is it too cliché to make a plot point be that Amber wants to help Eric finish his film so he can try to enter into a festival and win some prize money that will allow him to pay for the eye treatment? It seems logical to me, but I wonder if it's too logical.

I like this idea, Jordan.


That seems to make sense to me. It could be a film he was passionate about before, but this makes it even more so.

I like that idea as well.

Also, maybe the film is about something he cares about... something he noticed going on in his town, then decided to help change it.

The best reference I have for the corneal transplant is Wikipedia.

That's a good idea.

Can't believe I didn't see this. I've been eagerly anticipating this story.

So, I already chatted with you a bit on this. If you want more help on the medical part, do let me know. As for the project, I agree that a film seems like your best option, and a short film seems optimal, for young people to be doing. As for the subject, it's hard for me to say, without knowing more detail about the story.

I also don't think it would be too corny or cliche to have them get the prize money to pay for his eye surgery.

And I already told you this, but I'm thrilled to pieces that you are making a simple, pure guy/girl friendship a focus. We need more of that.

*will keep an eye on thread now*

Yes, me too! (I dislike those books and movie that say the opposite.) I'm very interested to see the outcome of this one day!

Me too!

Glad to see so many people excited about this idea! Y'all can cheer me on when I most assuredly will get stuck in April.

We will do so!