The Merchant of Menace
Neer ShelterSingularity
After his aunt dies, a notoriously obnoxious lawyer will inherit 100 million dollars on the condition that he gets 5000 new friends on facebook within a week without using a computer. Or loose the money to a rival lawyer in charge of her estate.
Share
Very socially relevant. I like the idea and theme. Good stuff. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for that good idea about the different time zone connection.
Thanks for that good idea about the different time zone connection.
Technical details aside, I LOVE this concept. It’s a little like BREWSTER’S MILLIONS but tuned to the tech side of present day.
The story is about PEOPLE. What he needs is 10,000 PEOPLE (maybe more) to friend/follow him on Facebook within X days. The nasty rival lawyer, motivated by 100 million dollars, would be sure to audit the results to eliminate individual people who friended more than once via avatars. Some “friends” will be deducted. Cinematic brinkmanship will have the audit whittle away so the tally is short one or two or five people. All seems lost. Dejection. Despair. The victory party is cancelled. This is all being broadcast live, right? ‘Cause everyone wants to win $100 million, right?
But wait! The brilliant girl friend/boy friend/nerd friend suddenly asks if the Will specified the time zone! In Hawaii there is still a half hour (or five minutes) until the deadline (local time). Will your Hero get a little aloha and win? No need to use the phone or computer when you have a TV station on uplink.
Potential for exotic connection to Tahiti, or Adak Alaska–they are in the same time zone as Hawaii. Maybe the obnoxious hero had some childhood or young adult connection–favorable connection–with Adak. Folks at the end of the earth in Adak still remember him (her) fondly.
There are sometimes a few people on Midway Island which is another hour west of Hawaii. ‘Cause ya know, you’ll still be one friend short when Hawaii hits midnight…
The Will of an eccentric Alaskan aunt grants 100 million dollars to her nephew (niece), a despised Chicago lawyer, but only if he (she) can collect 50 thousand friends on Facebook by midnight in two weeks without personally using any telephone or computer. The Will did not specify WHERE that midnight occurs.
I like the potential for this story. Good luck!
Technical details aside, I LOVE this concept. It’s a little like BREWSTER’S MILLIONS but tuned to the tech side of present day.
The story is about PEOPLE. What he needs is 10,000 PEOPLE (maybe more) to friend/follow him on Facebook within X days. The nasty rival lawyer, motivated by 100 million dollars, would be sure to audit the results to eliminate individual people who friended more than once via avatars. Some “friends” will be deducted. Cinematic brinkmanship will have the audit whittle away so the tally is short one or two or five people. All seems lost. Dejection. Despair. The victory party is cancelled. This is all being broadcast live, right? ‘Cause everyone wants to win $100 million, right?
But wait! The brilliant girl friend/boy friend/nerd friend suddenly asks if the Will specified the time zone! In Hawaii there is still a half hour (or five minutes) until the deadline (local time). Will your Hero get a little aloha and win? No need to use the phone or computer when you have a TV station on uplink.
Potential for exotic connection to Tahiti, or Adak Alaska–they are in the same time zone as Hawaii. Maybe the obnoxious hero had some childhood or young adult connection–favorable connection–with Adak. Folks at the end of the earth in Adak still remember him (her) fondly.
There are sometimes a few people on Midway Island which is another hour west of Hawaii. ‘Cause ya know, you’ll still be one friend short when Hawaii hits midnight…
The Will of an eccentric Alaskan aunt grants 100 million dollars to her nephew (niece), a despised Chicago lawyer, but only if he (she) can collect 50 thousand friends on Facebook by midnight in two weeks without personally using any telephone or computer. The Will did not specify WHERE that midnight occurs.
I like the potential for this story. Good luck!
Thanks for the replies guys here is an adjusted version:
Without using a computer or his phone a notoriously obnoxious lawyer will inherit 100 million dollars from his eccentric aunt. On the bizarre condition that he gets 10000 new Facebook followers within a month from pre existing accounts. Or loose the money to a rival lawyer in charge of her estate.
Only not sure if this works as a logline.
Cheers,
Thanks for the replies guys here is an adjusted version:
Without using a computer or his phone a notoriously obnoxious lawyer will inherit 100 million dollars from his eccentric aunt. On the bizarre condition that he gets 10000 new Facebook followers within a month from pre existing accounts. Or loose the money to a rival lawyer in charge of her estate.
Only not sure if this works as a logline.
Cheers,
Any one determined enough could get 5,000 facebook friends. A combination of friend requesting thousands of people, paying for friends and creating bogus accounts would work in no time.
Any one determined enough could get 5,000 facebook friends. A combination of friend requesting thousands of people, paying for friends and creating bogus accounts would work in no time.
Seems to me that racking up numbers on Facebook is a rather dubious measure of friendship. What the jerk needs is a few face-to-face friends, not 5,000 friends on Facebook.
Seems to me that racking up numbers on Facebook is a rather dubious measure of friendship. What the jerk needs is a few face-to-face friends, not 5,000 friends on Facebook.
As now the last of his family line his aunt wanted him to stop being self centered. So with the help of her lawyer (younger and therefor tech savvy) she wrote a clause into her will that forces him to prove he has changed with the numeric proof of face book friends by a certain date.
Frankly I don’t think a week is enough and instead of friends it should be followers to allow for a larger number and flexibility in reasons to connect with him.
She knew that he couldn’t achieve this without pursuing acts of generosity and kindness or else people would un friend or un follow him after he either convinces or pays them.
Do you think this needs clarification in the logline?
Cheers.
As now the last of his family line his aunt wanted him to stop being self centered. So with the help of her lawyer (younger and therefor tech savvy) she wrote a clause into her will that forces him to prove he has changed with the numeric proof of face book friends by a certain date.
Frankly I don’t think a week is enough and instead of friends it should be followers to allow for a larger number and flexibility in reasons to connect with him.
She knew that he couldn’t achieve this without pursuing acts of generosity and kindness or else people would un friend or un follow him after he either convinces or pays them.
Do you think this needs clarification in the logline?
Cheers.
I don’t understand this “get 5000 likes and you’ll get 100 million dollars” clause. Is that written into his aunt’s will? Why would she put such a bizarre catch on his inheritance? How old, and by extension, how tech savvy was his aunt – and why did this matter to her?
I don’t understand this “get 5000 likes and you’ll get 100 million dollars” clause. Is that written into his aunt’s will? Why would she put such a bizarre catch on his inheritance? How old, and by extension, how tech savvy was his aunt – and why did this matter to her?