1. Keongxi

    Keongxi Member

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    Will modern day transport hinder the plot?

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Keongxi, May 24, 2022.

    As some of you may already know, I'm planning to write a B-grade martial arts movie script so I posted the other thread asking for a beginning reason on why the hero would kill so many enemies. I've settled on making the hero as some sort of bodyguard escorting an important character. But unlike Samurai or Wuxia stories set in ancient times, buses,trains,cars and subways of the modern world may be a hindrance to the plot since this is not like the past where someone has to escort someone else all the way by foot and can be attacked by threats repeatedly. Will the concept of modern day transport hinder the plot? Unless of course the two have a good reason to avoid the usage of said transport. I also think guns are another hindrance so I may have to work around that.
     
  2. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    Celebrities, important personages and VIP's in general tend to have bodyguards who tag along with them. They dont often take buses or subways, they tend to ride in limos, but that means there's room for several bodyguards. And if someone important were to travel by subway or bus, I imagine they'd still have their bodyguard. Maybe a few so they can surround him or her.
     
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  3. Not the Territory

    Not the Territory Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    What nation is the setting? England or Japan come to mind as places where firearms wouldn't be common place, even in the hands of outlaws.

    Where are they going? The VIP could very well be visiting an underdeveloped area that takes a bit of a hike to get there. As a bonus, things like vehicle sabotage or thick traffic can necessitate travel by foot.
     
  4. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    A story like that can get really fun when a bodyguard is assigned to say a politician's teenage daughter, who is generally rebelious and keeps sneaking away to party with her friends and boyfriends.
     
  5. Bruce Johnson

    Bruce Johnson Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    There's an action movie about to come out called 'Bullet Train' that is heavily martial arts inspired (maybe gun-fu too) and as the name implies, most of it (probably) takes place on a high speed train.
     
  6. SapereAude

    SapereAude Contributor Contributor

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    The biggest hurdle to be overcome, if the story will be set in the United States or in any of most Western countries, will be that "important characters" usually don't travel by bus (unless it's their own, chartered bus), train, or subway. If they are found on such, it's probably a heavily orchestrated photo op, with the vehicle and the stops all pre-planned and orchestrated for publicity.

    Cars for "important characters" are usually limousines, and very possible armored, with a security escort traveling in both a lead car and a trailing car.

    When "important characters" travel by air, if they aren't on their own jet or a chartered jet, they'll fly first class. Their boarding will be pre-planned -- either they'll board before everyone else, or they'll board last (with their security team, of course). They will not be found sitting in the departure lounge with the common riff-raff, waiting for the flight to be called.

    Based on what little I watch of the news, my guess would be that the most opportune times/places to ambush an "important character" would be either when their limousine arrives at an important function where they will be making an appearance (even if only to be seen in the audience -- such as the red carpet arrivals when all the Hollyweird stars arrive for the Academy Awards), or when their plane lands and (if a commercial flight) they are making their way through the airport to where their ground transportation will be picking them up.
     
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2022
  7. Kalisto

    Kalisto Senior Member

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    Short answer, no.

    The long answer is that even with the modern conveniences, trips can still be very, very long. If they are going through terrain that isn't easily accessed by modern technology or just in an area that is politically unstable or doesn't have sufficient infrastructure, they will be seeing the journey taking a rather long time. And, if your bad guys are setting up these delays, even longer.
     
  8. ruskaya

    ruskaya Contributor Contributor

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    There are plenty of extensive rural areas on Earth that have little to no transportation, or without gas station to refuel your vehicle, for instance. If you look around you can find plenty of inspiration. I am not so sure about guns, but I do gather that to hit the target from far away does take some skills, for instance, so I guess it depends on the level of skills your characters possess. But I guess it also depends on what kind of threats attack the MC repeatedly--if those are local and not professional snipers following the MC to the end of the world, then maybe the type of weapons used are varied and not necessarily guns, or simply lose interest in the MC once the MC is out of their business/territory. Just a couple of thoughts.
     
  9. altra

    altra Banned

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    Here is how I look at this. If somebody said to me, I need you to create a movie based on everything you described which I think is a cool genre by the way, this is what I would think about. I like movies in general. I have seen some karate movies and even a couple of the old campy ones. And you described yours as B grade. Of all of the appeal these movies have, I'm not thinking a plotline without a single hole in it was high on that list!
    So, the first thing I would do is not be overly concerned with every detail quite honestly.
    But we aren't creating a farce either, right. I think you have to find the ways modern transportation can be used as a GOOD THING that's going to ADD to your script.

    Take a plane. What can happen on a plane? The bad guys can hijack it. It can be diverted forcibly by other planes maybe. How about bad guys waiting at the place where the plane lands? You can't get away; you must confront them. Something happening at the airport maybe?

    Take a vehicle or a tour bus. How about a roadblock being created? This takes the unworkable action of being cramped in a car out of the car and into the streets. There is a great action sequence in Clear and Present Danger with Harrison Ford where a motorcade of cars or trapped within a small space and attacked with guns from buildings above. Just take the guns out of it.

    Think about a boat. That is a luxury way to travel. There are ways to work with that. Ever seen a good karate fight on a yacht? I haven't either!

    Just find ways for modern technology to ADVANCE the plot.

    Guns are a tough one. Weapons make for a quick death. Not a lot of screen time. I think if somebody would realistically have a gun, let them carry it. It doesn't mean they would even get to use it: sneaking up on them, taking it away from them. If everybody had a gun, I think it takes away from what you want to write and goes from a karate movie to a shootout. So, limit their usage or even take them away. If the characters are interesting, and the dialogue is entertaining, to me a gun here and there won't matter.
     
  10. jpoelma13

    jpoelma13 Member

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    As far as transports go, the evil ninja assassins be waiting at the airport when the plane touches down?
     

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