Movie Plotz
Movie Plotz Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal
To create Hollywood's next hottest screenplay.
Setup
Shuffle the Movie Plotz cards and place them within reach of the group. The youngest player will go first by 'Making a Sentence'.
Making a Sentence
The first player must create a very simple sentence that tells a very simple story. There must be at least a subject (WHO), a verb (ACTION) and an object (WHAT).
Here are some varied examples:
- Fred found an apple.
- The Butler opened the door.
- Larry became ill.
- The dog bit the cat.
- Sarah married Bob.
- The Beatles recorded an album.
The quality and complexity of these sentences will vary. That's fine. Movie Plotz is about trying to 'work with what you have' and that sometimes means less than perfect beginnings. Having said that, try to keep that first sentence simple!
After the starting sentence is announced, play begins in a clockwise order.
Turns
On their turn, each player must draw a random card from the deck, read it but DON'T reveal it.
The card will indicate a modification that the player must make to the existing story so far.
The player must think about it, and announce the modified story.
Players should explain the new story like a 'Movie Pitch' (think of a roomful of Hollywood Producers who are considering paying big bucks for the idea).
Example A:
- Starting sentence: Fred found an apple.
- Card reads: Make the subject of the story More Important.
- Story becomes: King Frederico found an apple.
Example B:
- Starting sentence: Fred found an apple.
- Card reads: Make the subject more Action-Packed.
- Story becomes: Fred broke into an Egyptian tomb to find an apple.
Cards are revealed and discarded once used.
As play proceeds, the story continues to be modified.
Players must do their best to remember the previous story elements and modify the story as the cards direct.
End of Game
The screenplay is complete when all cards are used. As a group, players should then name the movie as a group.
Then shuffle and start on the next big film!
Strategy and Tips
As the story becomes more complex and convoluted, try to continually 'streamline' the way you tell the story. Do not lose any of the elements in the story, but try to make it easy to remember by wording things easier. Sometimes combining elements helps, or playing with the order of the storytelling. The challenge: keep everything in the story but constantly work to make the Pitch short. No one likes a long, meandering pitch.
As you are playing Movie Plotz, remember that you are trying to make a simple idea 'better' and (hopefully) more lucrative as far as movie ticket sales are concerned. You are creating a Movie Pitch. (imagine there is a million dollar movie budget waiting for your team if Hollywood producers really like the finished idea)
Pitch Battle
Play with 2 teams (minimum 4 players plus a Judge.)
The group divides into 2 teams of at least 2 players each. One team elects to 'brainstorm' first.
The other team (the Challenging Team) is responsible for choosing which cards are given to the Brainstormers. All cards must be used, but the Challengers get to decide which cards are used in which order.
After all cards are used, the Brainstormers finish their final Pitch and present it to the Judge, then the teams reverse roles.
Both teams gets to present their final Pitches to the Judge (along with a title).
The judge awards the winning team with 100 million dollars to start filming their screenplay.