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A24 Office by Kimoy Studios


Ideas From My Rejected A24 Internship Application


The application asks “What are your favorite sources for nontraditional storytelling?” Here are my extra ideas.


By josie brandmeier


2.2.2022

A few months ago, I applied to A24’s internship program. For those who don’t know, A24 is the production company that has gained cult status among the young and insufferable for its inventive and original storytelling. A24 recently released Zola, a movie adapted from a 2015 Twitter thread, pushing the boundaries of what forms legitimate storytelling can take.

Following the success of Zola, the A24 application asks this question: “WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE SOURCES FOR NONTRADITIONAL STORYTELLING?”

I don’t think I got the job, so in the spirit of abundance, I would like to offer some more of my answers to that prompt. Here are my discarded responses.

An Anonymous 12th Century Poem Etched into the Side of A Petrified Tree:


If we were to find one of these, it could be an incredible movie or miniseries adaptation.


Your friend who takes too long to tell a story: 


Let them finish! We are so used to movies that are well-made. What if we made a story with too many tangents, not enough context, an overwrought run time, and lots of “likes” and “ums?” 


Facebook groups:


Facebook is kind of dead but there is a Renaissance happening in Facebook groups. I have joined a string of hyper-local groups including “Madison, WI Pokemon Go Meet Up” out of sheer curiosity.  Each of those groups are their own ecosystem with their characters, fights in the comment sections, etc. In the “Dane County Community Care” group, somebody once asked, “Has anybody seen anything haunted lately?” That resulted in a comment thread of over 100 responses. Harrowing stuff.

Nice normal people:


My grandma once said, “Whatever happened to movies about nice normal people?” before angrily storming off in the middle of a movie. (The movie in question was James Cameron’s AVATAR.) Maybe she was on to something??
 


Brooklyn bar bathroom graffiti:


The indiscernible etchings on these storied walls are layered with meaning, and if we were to dig deep, I’m sure we could find a strong narrative piece.


Lying:


There are many writers. Rather than finding source material, what if we found some writers to lie about something that happened?


ME!!!
No one has paid me to do storytelling! It would be so innovative!