Retired

Resolutions

Now is the time to put your New Years resolutions into effect. Don't tell anyone, just get started.

A year ago, I started to change by choosing to eat a certain way. Ever since then I've been growing as a person and I don't plan on stopping.

You can do it.

Untitled Chef Project and Roundtable

Two screenplays in one week. Not bad. Two specs scripts as well, yet to be made.

Untitled Chef Project - Steven Knight, he of The Detectives writing fame, brings us a story of American/French chef who tries to sort his life out. How? By disappearing after a drug bender in his restaurant in Paris and reappearing as clean and sober in London. What I like about it is the fact that the protagonist is horrible to other people. There is reason,  but it is a twisted, selfish one. Quite a fun third act as well.

Roundtable - by Brian K. Vaughan, he of Runaways comic writing fame. Four modern Knights of the British Realm must unite to fight ancient evil. Who better to defend us than, a Richard Branson surrogate, a faded athlete, a scientist and Sir My Cocaine. It didn't grab me too much, but who am I to judge a script that was sold. Plus, no one pushes the pram a lot. 

A couple of apps that are worth checking out: Blinkist for reading summaries of non fiction books. The other is called Focus@will, a productivity app that plays music that improves your concentration as you work. I just used it for two hours with a five minute break in between.

Little Miss Pac Rim

Two more scripts in two weeks.

Little Miss Sunshine (shooting script) - KISS. That is the best thing to take away from this script, it is brilliantly simple. I'll keep reading this script over and over.

Pacific Rim (Early Draft) - I prefer the film and this draft was solely written by Travis Beacham. When I saw the film, I enjoyed it a lot for what it was. It was fun. This script has the beginnings of what will become the script. What I took away from this was that the apparent collaboration after this draft and how it improved it. Making some good into something great.

As for my writing: the script reading has helped me to approach screenwriting with another mindset and I managed to write a four page scene during lunch. It was not amazing, but a start. I'll print out my first six pages tonight and work on improving them before pressing forward. The biggest focus I have at the moment is how does it look of the screen and how would people react to seeing thse moments.

I'll probably read another script this week as it is helping me with my approach to writing.

Good times.

At The Mountains of Madness

Hello,

Happy new year and all that.

Not quite sure what to say, aside from the fact that I am finally lifting weights again (after being a sloth) and just read a second screenplay of the year.

The first was Vlad by Charlie Hunnam. I am by no means a reviewer, but I decided to track a draft down after listening to him on the Nerdist Podcast. The greatest part of the script by Hunnam is the air of the situations, he makes you feel the characters reactions and it struck me as something that should not be taboo.

Let me explain. In university, one of our lecturers was focused on writing so well that a director could not take credit for your work. I don't agree with this, it should be about making the film the best it can be. Perhaps it feels like overstepping your boundaries as a writer. I can see parallels with Hunnams approach that focuses on the actors behaviour.

It left me with a questions: do you worry about writing other people's roles to their annoyance?

I think it should be put out there and if it doesn't work as a project rolls forward, then it should be discarded. If it works, it works, if not, oh well. 

You could write an action scene that will not work and the experts come in and sort.

I'm clearly no reviewer, because I didn't say what the premise was. Vlad the Impaler origin story.

At The Mountains of Madness

I own a massive hardcover book by HP Lovecraft, I barely got through a few of the stories. I wanted to talk about this screenplay to someone, but I don't know who. I didn't think a scary script actually existed, seriously scary. A film I would love to see. It is basically a bunch of sailors and scientists in 1930 going on an expedition to the Antartic and lots of unexplainable things occur and nobody can do anything about it. Just really fucking scary. 

I believe the draft I read was co-written by Guillermo Del Toro and was close to being made with Tom 

Cruise,  but it fell through.

Like I said not a reviewer. I took a lot from reading these screenplays. Mainly because I over complicate things in my head, making the entire process much harder than it needs to be.

It also gave me faith that I can write something good.

I think that is what I get most out of scripts isn't story structure or character development. It is more in the way of the style of writing from each script and finding a new way to approach screenwriting.

Good shit.

Eve

You are on the eve of who you want to be. That is if you are willing.

The motivational vacuum

I don't know why I'm down, but I am. All the work I've done, how ever little it has been. I feel like I just can't be bothered. I've had a busy week and people have been pissing me off.

I just couldn't be bothered to do all the little things that have helped me be a better person up to now.

As I write this I remember the things I have learnt. Trying to find the best version of yourself is like like a Diet Version Prometheus, except I can give up.

In my life so far, I have seen or heard of people I know, just give up on the dreams. That  is the most depressing thing I have ever heard. Wild animals have dreams, usually to eat and have sex. Let's focus on the hunt for food, we all know what happens to lions if they don't capture anything, they die slowly from malnutrition and starvation. Surely giving up on a dream no matter what leads to malnutrition  and starvation for your mind and then in turn, your body. 

What I find difficult is that someone I work with has goals, just like me. Yet, she struggles. A common theme in everything. Yet, when she's not doing well, she tries to drag you down, feel bad about yourself, lash out. Because she struggles, she feels everybody else should. I really want to tell her to fuck off, because she is like a tumour to everyone around her. She is a motivation vacuum.

If you knew this person outside of work, you would avoid them. If you do work with them, you will face big challenges. I don't discourage, I also try to give her support. She on the other hand has no clue, how to support others. She is self involved, she only talks about herself (more than me).

I can feel she will throw in the towel soon. I can't be like her, I can be like the people who fall into the paradigm of a mundane life. I'm getting back to editing my script.

I have no motivation right now, other than fear. Fear that I'll end up like them, sucking the colour of life from you.