First Draft

Hello, welcome to what readers call a "depressing" blog. I just see it as cutting to the vein of things. I mean core, I mean. 

Onto the good news. First draft complete. Hanging around screenwriter friends helped me burst thigh the last part. Made me realise that you change according to who you are surrounded by. Thanks people, you inspired me. Not so fucking depressing now is it.

Apart from I am fed up of my job. Well now it's depressing again. Thanks Laura.

Thinking about the screenplay. I need a few things, to embellish on some details and cut a lot away and figure out the relationships for all the secondary characters. Also the opening is nothing special and a little drawn out. However with some work and a detailed beat sheet, the second draft should be heads and shoulders above the rest.

I honestly wish I lived closer to my screenwriting friends, because their presence helps me write so much more. No idea if that is the same for them, but it works for me.

I remember putting my friends through horrible first draft reads, quick tip, do that to your enemies. If you have them, I honestly don't have time for that.

There are some moments that I know are going to be hilarious, and some need some work. I also have to work on my fixation with writing in such a gory manner in fight scenes.

At least I have built a foundation.

Growing

I have lost a stone, written 100 pages, earnt a bit of money and had some good experiences this year. However if you read this blog (that is if you are me in the future who has lost his memory and is trying to piece together who I am by reading it. Yes, I am the only one who will read this!) then I always write about doing little bits of stuff and doing lots of nothing.

Now I am starting an experiment to see what happens. There is no hypothesis, except to have interesting experiences in a process of development. I will try to tailor it to make it easy enough for me not to wuss out on.

I just wrote an 800 word manifesto of the project. I think it starts tomorrow.

Now future me is thinking "So that explains why I did that thing which cost me my memory"

Side Characters

I don't know why my brain produces these, but for some reason it creates side characters who have just one scene and disappear. Perhaps it is freeing to do this. Build up a character in a matter of a few actions and lines of dialogue with no expectation or real bearing to the story.

Perhaps it is my way of saying in a script to the protagonists that the world doesn't fucking revolve around them, despite it actually revolving around them. Take them down a peg or two.

PTSD

It's been a week and I can't get over what I learnt and experienced. The problem is I now hate my job. For all the inane thigs that didn't bother me, now piss me off. I've seen what is possible and this job is dragging me down. 

It is clear to me, that it is not possible to obviously find a job in the industry I want, but also to find a way to grow. However, as things go on I have noticed I usually slow down for a bit, then get back on track. The problem is that I do not have a map to guide me in the areas I want to grow. 

The only logical next step is to come up with a map to become who I want to be, to figure shit out. Let it be said that the "perfect me" is not an assortment of magazine articles formed into a mesomorph on a conveyor belt in a really nice suit, oh no. It is in fact an abstract avatar as I do not know what the end product might be... In a really nice suit.

I've figured out the categories and now I have a syllabus to construct. I have signed up at the university of me, where I shall be studying for a bachelors, a masters and then a PhD. Then I can pretty much get  a job there as lecturer. Get tenure. All that kind of crap.

Thoughts on film school

If I could afford the money to do just a year at film school, I would throw myself into it. I would sacrifice a lot of today's expectations: three meals a day, Internet, TV all that just to learn and grow.

We wannabe screenwriters write way too much action for them actors. They'll be happier to find their own interpretation of punching someone that isn't:

"Earl throws a hookercut onto Steve, a hybrid of uppercut and hook. It lands directly onto his chin"

They can figure it out for themselves.

If you're getting used to filmmaking and don't have much time, don't sweat the small stuff. All those fancy angles and shots that you want, will probably not happen, just shoot the fucking thing quickly and move on. 

Everything should be planned out. Rehearse, prepare.

If you are using a camera that records digitally, then you don't need two takes of the same angle. I tint works, it works.

The editing phase really is when you get to control the story.

Sound is king, get the sound right and everything else can kind of suck.

Have fun.

Please don't tell actors how to do things and explain the "subtext".

When I asked the actors to show me how they would do the scene, they did it their own way. Better than I would direct them, so I said "okay, let's do that". Because I could not make them better, but worse and the weather was bound to take a turn. I am not an acting teacher, it would be like stories of script meetings where a person in pr or some other department begins to make inane suggestions.

Man, I wish I could go to film school.

Failure #4

I had the chance to direct a scene yesterday. My direction worked in ways and failed in knowing what I wanted exactly, then missing some coverage shots of the area, due to rain.

It came together quite smoothly in the editing though.

Wow

I am exhausted from a weekend of film school. Almost 18 hours of non-stop work, and I loved every second of it.

It was actually the best weekend of my life, I learnt so much that gives me enough confidence to become a filmmaker. I am floored by what the actors could do with what seemed like a very simplistic script. 

I wish I had the money to go back to film school next week and start a one year course.

There is so much I could write about the experience. So much.

It would be pathetic to go back to my job and not do anything with this new training, wouldn't it?