I've got goals, I have a mission. 2012 is my year, everybody else can fuck off, I call 'shotgun', I've bagsied it.
I have been relatively inactive for seven months, and now I'm going to try my hand at being a polymath. I took a friends thing 'Bucket List' and turned it into my own thing, I'm not going to post my version, I'd prefer it to just be mine. As you can't tell, I'm not very good at sharing, I like doing my own thing.
What I can say is that my aims on this list are all achievable and possible, but there is a slim chance that Bowie, Floyd or Cat Stevens are going to tour ever again.
I have always felt out of touch with my generation, I don't like our music, I don't like how we dress, I don't like how we talk, but I am not sinking in nostalgia at the same time. Just something else. When people in Junior school were into STEPS with 'Tragedy', there was me going 'Have you heard the original, the Bee Gees are way better' (The Bee Gees are way better).
Instead of buying a Nirvana t-shirt in my teens like everyone else, I bought a P.O.D. (Not a great choice) but it worked for me, I guess. Gelled spikey hair.
I've finally got back to reading scripts again, a few weeks ago I read Tarantino's intended version of Natural Born Killers. I saw the first ten minutes of the film by Stone, but it was crap (I don't understand why Stone has to act like a child who has mastered powerpoints and must show off). I liked Platoon, didn't like Salvador or other pieces. Tarantino's script was not great, it didn't interest me at all. But when I read it, I could see David O. Russel directing it.
Yeah, that's pretty much this blog post, pretty aimless.
Monday, 19 December 2011
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Writers that I like
Aaron Sorkin, David Mamet, David Milch, Matthew Weiner, David Simon, Peter Berg, Ann Biderman
These aren't all of the writers I enjoy, but a few. They do things that I believe is the most important point of screenwriting, they're characters don't talk like they're in a tv show or a film.
Why aren't there more people like them out there writing quality pieces of work. This is language that flows, that slams and binds. The language can be how people really talk or how the writer would love people to talk, there is no other way around it.
I gravitate to their pieces of work:
The West Wing,
Southland,
Deadwood,
The Wire,
Mad Men,
Friday Night Lights
The actions show us the characters, their words tell us their world. They all different, and most importantly, they know what they are. The same cannot be said for all television as too much depends on templates.
These aren't all of the writers I enjoy, but a few. They do things that I believe is the most important point of screenwriting, they're characters don't talk like they're in a tv show or a film.
Why aren't there more people like them out there writing quality pieces of work. This is language that flows, that slams and binds. The language can be how people really talk or how the writer would love people to talk, there is no other way around it.
I gravitate to their pieces of work:
The West Wing,
Southland,
Deadwood,
The Wire,
Mad Men,
Friday Night Lights
The actions show us the characters, their words tell us their world. They all different, and most importantly, they know what they are. The same cannot be said for all television as too much depends on templates.
Monday, 12 December 2011
Getting back into the funk
Trying to get back to writing after seven months of not writing anything. Was it tough? Yes and I didn't even write anything new, I just transcribed an old script to get me back into it. Did I enjoy it? No, but I'm thinking I have to drag myself kicking and screaming, which could only be done by the greatest of mime artists (physically).
Hunter S Thompson transcribed Ulysses, I transcribe my own script.
I hope I start enjoying writing again, it's been too long.
Hunter S Thompson transcribed Ulysses, I transcribe my own script.
I hope I start enjoying writing again, it's been too long.
Monday, 21 November 2011
The Barber
Here's a scoop, barbers are the new taxi drivers, true story. By that I don't mean Barbers are cleaning up the scum off the streets. No, no vigilante barbers. Why are barbers the new taxi drivers? Well, because they have a viewpoint or something to say, they are in a place where time goes slow and they have something to say. They have to let IT out, moments on end, all alone, gives them a lot of time to think (which doesn't seem to do them any favours).
I have a very strange thing with barbers, I want to sit in the chair, tell them what I want (I'll never come in with no idea again, that barber got scared). I want them to try and have a conversation, but I don't want a conversation, I want them to try though. It is a very absurd idiosyncracy. It doesn't always work out that way.
Graduation is coming up, so I go up the road to the nearest barbers, haven't been there since I was a kid. I used to go there all the time when I was a kid up until I was 13-14, a nice old man used to run the place and it was nice. Then the barbers was bought out by a greek guy, charming as he was, he dropped the scissors whilst cutting my hair. Never went back there again, until now. I enter and the place is empty, a scruffy fat fiftysomething looks out from the backroom and tells me to take a seat, he'll be with me in a second. I sit, 4-5 minutes later he comes out in his tracksuit.
I tell the guy what I want, he gets to it, it's been a while since I had my hair cut (june/july) he's surprised and here comes the put downs, then when I tell him I am looking for work, oh boy, how he goes off on one. Telling me, 'no mate, no, you'll never get a job with this' Thus begins the lecture of grooming, and stories of how he helped people get an interview for a job, but the person turned up with scruffy hair in a tracksuit and didn't get the job. It's like looking in the mirror, for this guy. He is the person who holds all the truths of life, the people who have been given my CV and sent application forms with my name on it, they must look at it and go "not at chance, not with that hair". Halfway through, I want out but you've got to stay there, he has the power and I am not walking out with a number 7 on one side and a number 30 on the other. Well played barber.
Taxi driver mentality coupled with a barber is a scary form of crossbreeding and a real one. I should've gone to the other barbers a few miles away who for some erractic reason, started telling me about her three failed marriages.
I have a very strange thing with barbers, I want to sit in the chair, tell them what I want (I'll never come in with no idea again, that barber got scared). I want them to try and have a conversation, but I don't want a conversation, I want them to try though. It is a very absurd idiosyncracy. It doesn't always work out that way.
Graduation is coming up, so I go up the road to the nearest barbers, haven't been there since I was a kid. I used to go there all the time when I was a kid up until I was 13-14, a nice old man used to run the place and it was nice. Then the barbers was bought out by a greek guy, charming as he was, he dropped the scissors whilst cutting my hair. Never went back there again, until now. I enter and the place is empty, a scruffy fat fiftysomething looks out from the backroom and tells me to take a seat, he'll be with me in a second. I sit, 4-5 minutes later he comes out in his tracksuit.
I tell the guy what I want, he gets to it, it's been a while since I had my hair cut (june/july) he's surprised and here comes the put downs, then when I tell him I am looking for work, oh boy, how he goes off on one. Telling me, 'no mate, no, you'll never get a job with this' Thus begins the lecture of grooming, and stories of how he helped people get an interview for a job, but the person turned up with scruffy hair in a tracksuit and didn't get the job. It's like looking in the mirror, for this guy. He is the person who holds all the truths of life, the people who have been given my CV and sent application forms with my name on it, they must look at it and go "not at chance, not with that hair". Halfway through, I want out but you've got to stay there, he has the power and I am not walking out with a number 7 on one side and a number 30 on the other. Well played barber.
Taxi driver mentality coupled with a barber is a scary form of crossbreeding and a real one. I should've gone to the other barbers a few miles away who for some erractic reason, started telling me about her three failed marriages.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Things are happening faster
I'm taking steps toward what I mentioned in an earlier post (the one with all the youtube videos). I have a lot more time of prep for whatever I choose to release first.
Why?
New laptop, for the past three years, I have been stuck with a free computer that did it's job. I played music and I could use it to write essays and scripts. I've finally gone and bought a top of the range laptop so it can do a lot more.
This is vague as fuck, but by january I might have something to show for it. If it sucks, then I'll work on it for longer. It's one thing to produce something and release it, it's another thing entirely to do it right.
Hopefully I might get into some scriptwriting at some time. This isn't the blog of the month. Just a little something to write, scrape 'write something' off my to do list.
Why?
New laptop, for the past three years, I have been stuck with a free computer that did it's job. I played music and I could use it to write essays and scripts. I've finally gone and bought a top of the range laptop so it can do a lot more.
This is vague as fuck, but by january I might have something to show for it. If it sucks, then I'll work on it for longer. It's one thing to produce something and release it, it's another thing entirely to do it right.
Hopefully I might get into some scriptwriting at some time. This isn't the blog of the month. Just a little something to write, scrape 'write something' off my to do list.
Sunday, 23 October 2011
The Dialogue
I used to love watching Sons of Anarchy, it was an interesting look on the internal struggles of a motorcycle club. The first season was mainly done in one episodes, prior to getting picked up for season two. Season two was called 'Hamlet in leather on motorcycles'. The third season which I finished watching two weeks ago is different than both these seasons, it did what dramas shouldn't do.
They shouldn't move away from their setting, and that is what it did, at the wrong time and made it unbearable. Essentially three quarters of the club go to Northern Ireland, I won't say why. The thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was how the irish characters sounded exactly like the american characters, not so much the accents (despite being some bad ones). That last bit isn't strictly true, they always say 'aye'. Every single line, they say 'aye'.
There's something wrong when the characters start to sound the same, it sounds like the writer, not
characters. Now Americans might say Intel, but I've never heard any irish man in any thing ever say intel like they do in this show. SOA showed its weaknesses and should have been cancelled for it.Also the American perspective leads it to taking a republican side, which is generic of them. It seems like they knew no one Irish, why not hire an irish writer to work with them, for some reason they must've got a plastic paddy. Is there something wrong with even doing as little as watching the Commitments or other Ireland set films, rather than the Boondock Saints.
Write what you know, and don't hire american actors to do Irish accents. Hire James Nesbitt.
They shouldn't move away from their setting, and that is what it did, at the wrong time and made it unbearable. Essentially three quarters of the club go to Northern Ireland, I won't say why. The thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was how the irish characters sounded exactly like the american characters, not so much the accents (despite being some bad ones). That last bit isn't strictly true, they always say 'aye'. Every single line, they say 'aye'.
There's something wrong when the characters start to sound the same, it sounds like the writer, not
characters. Now Americans might say Intel, but I've never heard any irish man in any thing ever say intel like they do in this show. SOA showed its weaknesses and should have been cancelled for it.Also the American perspective leads it to taking a republican side, which is generic of them. It seems like they knew no one Irish, why not hire an irish writer to work with them, for some reason they must've got a plastic paddy. Is there something wrong with even doing as little as watching the Commitments or other Ireland set films, rather than the Boondock Saints.
Write what you know, and don't hire american actors to do Irish accents. Hire James Nesbitt.
Saturday, 22 October 2011
The ultimatum
This happens every once in a while. I'm trying to sleep, it's all quiet and
dark. Then I'm hit, it's an idea. I've been lying here in the dark for what
could be an eternity, a comfy eternity at that. I roll over to try and steal my
concousness away. This thing isn't going anywhere, my brain should be slowing
down, but it's speeding up with questions about this idea. I know it's a good
idea, but I have to steal myself away from my slumber and turn on the light.
But I don't want to turn on the light, I'll just use my hands to search for a
pen and my notebook. Knocking everything in my way. I'm determined, there shall
be no light, for if I do, I will wake up and I really, really want to get some
sleep.
I open the notebook, I can't see any writing, through my eyes it's a grainy 16mm view of degrees of darkness. No light shall go on, I use my temporary blindness and inspiration by Matt Murdock to scan the pages with my fingers, feeling out the imprints left by a pen, working my way to an empty page. This is taking a while, how many pages have I filled up already? Fucking hell, I can't see anything, I open the curtains, maybe I'll see better this way, I can barely see anything still. I've got to make sure I don't write over any other notes.
Fine, I'll turn on the bloody light. Jot down my one sentence idea and go to bed. Just one sentence, that's it. This isn't Kubla Khan, it's just ten words.
This is a huge decision, where ever I am, I usually have my notebook, but when I'm in bed, this is the deciding factor of whether I want to write or not. I could be throwing away a defining part of my life if I don't write down whatever has spontaneously caffeinated my mind.
It’s not a conscious decision on my part, it is almost as if I can’t rest until this thing can be archived for future reference. I have let some good ideas go, not anymore, although quite honestly I have no idea if the lost ideas are any good, but wishful thinking and all that.
I open the notebook, I can't see any writing, through my eyes it's a grainy 16mm view of degrees of darkness. No light shall go on, I use my temporary blindness and inspiration by Matt Murdock to scan the pages with my fingers, feeling out the imprints left by a pen, working my way to an empty page. This is taking a while, how many pages have I filled up already? Fucking hell, I can't see anything, I open the curtains, maybe I'll see better this way, I can barely see anything still. I've got to make sure I don't write over any other notes.
Fine, I'll turn on the bloody light. Jot down my one sentence idea and go to bed. Just one sentence, that's it. This isn't Kubla Khan, it's just ten words.
This is a huge decision, where ever I am, I usually have my notebook, but when I'm in bed, this is the deciding factor of whether I want to write or not. I could be throwing away a defining part of my life if I don't write down whatever has spontaneously caffeinated my mind.
It’s not a conscious decision on my part, it is almost as if I can’t rest until this thing can be archived for future reference. I have let some good ideas go, not anymore, although quite honestly I have no idea if the lost ideas are any good, but wishful thinking and all that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)