You are making a tmnt live action short what do you put in and what would you leave?

[Logan]

I'd have my short film center around the Turtles' challenge and fight with the Shredder in issue #1. Dialogue would more or less remain the same, except where it doesn't serve the film medium well or is too expository.

[pannoni1]

I would make a live action adaption of "Turtle Tracks", "Enter the Shredder", and "Shredder and Splintered", though I would cut straight to the Turtles' first battle in the sewers, show Splinter and the Turtles' origin, do the April capture, Foot battle, then I would do a variation on "Enter the Shredder" but having Splinter caught by Foot Soldiers and Roadkill Rodneys push the Turtles into the Technodrome. Then the fight with the machines take place, then after the Turtles rescue Splinter, Splinter seeks out the retromtuagen ray gun, but right before he can reach it, Its difficult to cram so much into just That way the movie is still just under 40 minutes (MPAS's cutoff for a short film). However, I'd add Casey Jones into the battle where he ambushes Shredder and allows Splinter to retrieve the mutagen, making him human and allowing the Turtles defeat him and Krang and send a totalled Technodrome into a black hole in Dimension X.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

Although this idea would work better in a TV series, I think it'd be interesting if, just as the turtles are going through a crappy time in their life (their lair was infilitrated, someone they knew had died, something like that) Casey packs up and is scared to death for no reason. When asked, he replies that there's a contract out for him, and that the Purple Dragons are nothing compared to who's coming after him. Then he disappeared for an extended period of time.

So yeah, not much in terms of the turtles, but I feel like Casey's potential as a victim of the Dragons is way underused.

[Turns]

The origin story could be excluded provided that its description explained which TMNT universe the story is supposed to take place in. I think that the 1990 live action was by far the best movie of them all. It had humour and was fun to watch but it was dark enough to take seriously. It is impossible to take TMNT 2, 3, or the next mutation seriously because the entire films feel like one big joke.

That being said I think that making a "sequel" to the first film which considers TMNT 2 and 3 "non-canon" would be the way to go. That way you could retain the darkness and action of the first film and not have to re-iterate the origin story.

As far as story ideas go I think that The City At War story arc and the Triston Jones written Tales of TMNT are both excellent ideas. I also think that Nobody (Nobody's Fool + Shades of Gray) and Leatherhead (Leatherhead and Leatherhead II) story arcs could be fruitful.

[The Stryker]

Good luck making City at War into a SHORT.

[Radion]

Great feedback and bumping this up ideas I landed on follows the plot line of

Japanese style home with a Japanese voice with subtitles, a young woman Kurai enters a room and shadowed is the shredder armour

She delivers a voice over dub to a point which switches to a break in by the foot

Turtles jump in wise cracks and do there thing, an active use of weapons and nunchucks etc actually hitting people and knocking them about, big stunts and big visuals, helped out by Airborn entertainment stunt team and world champion free runner and martial artist Ryan Doyle

Cuts to the voice over shows its a ploy to hunt down splinter and we have a splinter fight scene, round it all off with kurai willing to go to NY and burn down the city if needed for her revenge

Looking at around a 20min short max half action/trailer style which might lend to follow ups and will be investing in animatronics to express the faces well enough to be convincing, realistic date of completion 2015

All feedback welcomed

[Panda_Kahn_fan]

I'd adapt the Original animated miniseries, minus the Neutrino and Baxter eps, and with a less wacky (though still humorous) tone.

[Commenter 42]

Animatronics you say? Sounds expensive. Will you be doing a kickstarter campaign?

[Radion]

Yes very expensive but no not after hand outs just feedback hoping to use this as the springboard for the production design group iv been building

If forgive the dodgy Liverpool accents and bad acting and look at the action here is the current project I'm attached to

http://youtu.be/8BY1pLFO0RQ

Needless to say think they can do justice to the turtles

And here's one of some of Ryan's best bits

http://youtu.be/eEzbZKrBvNA

[Radion]

What is a kickstarter campaign anyways?

[Technogeek29]

If I did a Short Movie only fans and not casuals would be remotely interested. Since it would be about Hamato Yoshi, with at one point shifting focus to Saki ending with him killing Shen and Yoshi.

[Zachatello00]

I think it could be neat to see the "one shots" done in a cool way. The story of Don and Kirby, Mikey and Klunk, Leo and the foot, and Raph meeting Casey.

Still very, very closely to the comic source, and just have fun putting the pages of the book to life.

[Gin Rummy]

I would love to see a film based off the original mirage stuff. Have it really stylized, and black and white like sin city. Make it look lifted right off the pages of the dark and gritty comic.

[Wildcat]

Why is it specifically a short? I know the OP said a live action movie OR short but really the question should be..."If it was up to you what kinda movie (or even series) would you make?" Why bother with a short?

My answer, if I could make my own movie or series and budget wasn't an issue, I would make it live action and have the turtles be adults in their late 20s or early 30s. Have Splinter passed away and focus on their lives dealing with Shredder or a new threat.

Enough being teenagers.

[Radion]

Actually live that idea, idea of a short is that iv worked on an independent feature before and it's a lot of work with cast and crew, iv actually looked into kickstarter, it's actually a great idea and may be coming up with a couple of ideas to make it worth people's while to donate, since I have a production used head and pieces I may offer a 1/1 bust for larger donations and maybe high grade prints of April sketches from the first film for most other donations

Iv been told that most people get a t shirt poster or copy of the film/short for help getting the project off the ground and ideally I'd love to do a screening at a uk comic con then do a US screening before sending out copies

But if all goes well I could totally get on board with doing a 'Ninja turtles series' where splinter is only seen in flash backs and possibly sculpting some kids versions of the suits and showcasing more of the training, could be pretty cool

As for a black and white version........yeah I'm definitely not against the notion, I actually never read the comics but did enjoy the anniversary turtles and what they were all about, interest and success I'd imagine would dictate the direction, plus the short is open ended so can be part of a much larger story

[Sabacooza]

I checked out the "Shinobi Code" trailer and if you could pull off something like that for a TMNT short that would be cool. The TMNT and Splinter could be tricky. Those types of things for a fan film will either make it or break it depending on how good or bad it looks.

[Radion]

Totally agree the face movements need to be approached delicately but s for fighting splinter could be playable if go old school ninja , darkening the room blur of fur and people fall and on the 1on1 fight keep it minimal movement and showing a mastery of technique and balance, assailant making big moves, splinter parrying like neo and critiquing showing a better understanding of form and origins

[shuriken]

I've always liked the way that the TMNT interact with each other in the New toon, Image and 2k3. 5-15 minutes can't do City at war or the first issue justice, c'mon guys, it'll be like trying to film a 2 hour movie of the Bible, you just can't do it justice. I'd like to do maybe one of the comics in the guest artist run of volume one. Turtle dreams, one of the stories from challenges, or Time travails would be fun. Sky Highway would be trippy as hell.
Either something like that or have the guys doing a training exercise in which it just devolves into the guys just having fun. Maybe an exercise of capture the flag with Leo, Mike and Mondo Gecko against Raph Don and Casey that highlights the different ways that they go about capturing said flag with two of their best friends. That would be fun.
Actually a live action short would be way harder to pull off, maybe a CGI or a hand drawn short would be better suited for what I wanna do.

[Radion]

Is there many leather head fans could always convert by hulk build to do a costume for him

[Sabacooza]

That Hulk build could work most definitely but then I'd still get actors short enough to play the TMNT so he looks even bigger yet.