Friday, September 29, 2006

I'll have mine with a twist please.

Ooooo Look! On the right. Yes, there over on the right. Actual movement on the writing front. And it's a new screenplay!

I started thinking about the superhero genre a month or so ago for a post when I was going to comment about superhero movies always being based on comics. Then I thought of The Incredibles, My Super Ex Girlfriend, and I think two others but they have slipped my mind. Can anyone add more?

Then I thought "Can I write something to add to that list?"

I lost interest in that as a bad idea pretty quickly, but then thought "Well how about a twist on the superhero genre". My Super Ex Girlfriend was a sort of twist, but I wanted more and I think I've hit it! I can't imagine that this concept is brand spanking, right out of the box new, but it hasn't made it to the screen yet (I'm pretty sure it hasn't). I know I'm not giving anything away here but I'm excited about this idea and I'm in paranoid screenwriter mode.

Compared to the other ideas I have mulled over/attempted, I'm treating this one as a bit of a laugh (but I remain serious about writing). I suppose this is good as it's supposed to be at least slightly funny. I've approached every other idea as seriously as possible, so it will be interesting to see how this one turns out.

Time will tell :)

Monday, September 25, 2006

This and that

What a hectic two weeks!

Oh, I should mention this now: This post has nothing to do with screenwriting.

Bought a new carpet and they said it would take them 3 to 4 weeks to get it from the manufacturer. “Great” I said, “that will give me plenty of time to get the decorating done”. Then it turns up after a week. They will keep it for another week before they have to install it, but curse their efficiency! Now I have to take more time off to get finished before the fitters turn up.

In other news, I was in hospital on Thursday stuck in an MRI machine (and unable to decorate). My God that was a boring, mind numbingly dull experience. Stuck inside a narrow tube for 65 minutes, lying as still as possible. What made it worse was half way through the nurse came in and said the following:

“Now, I would like you to try and not swallow for about six or seven minutes. Okay!”

Now, I’m not sure what she was trying to achieve saying that (well, she was probably trying to have me lay there for six or seven minutes without swallowing), but if I ever had a chance of pulling that task off, my chances reduced to about zero with me stuck in a metal tube having nothing else but that on my mind. Anyway, my MRI results and a number of other test results will be the subject of a meeting in about a month and then I will get the results in layman’s terms (don’t worry, I still plan to live to a ripe old age).

Then to top it all, I was Ikea’d on Sunday! Roughly 3.5 hours after going in, £210 down and with only half of what they said was in stock on my trolley (the other half wasn’t in stock, even though they said it was), I stumbled out of there. Now I have to go back tomorrow morning and fight my way back out with the rest. Actually, I think I’ll ring first and hope they have learned how to read their stock computer.

Oh yeah, and not to forget the baby is due in three weeks!

Did any of that make any sense at all to you? Actually I don’t care as it’s off my chest :)

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, that’s better.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Fear of the Rewrite

I was just reading Optimistic Reader's blog and 4 words slapped me in the face:

Fear of the rewrite.

The 3rd draft of Good Guys is a big rewrite. The problem is the progress bar over there on the right has been sitting at 25% for about three weeks now. Act one was taken to with a chain saw and I've got that finished, but act two is going to be brand new. I won't be taking much at all from what exists apart from perhaps one scene and maybe 2 funny situations. Apart from that act two will be rewritten from scratch.

Half of me doesn't want to do this. I already have a complete script from start to finish. Starting this draft means that is no longer true. This half of me wants to undo all the changes and sit there hugging draft number two.

The other half of me is a realist. This half knows it isn't good enough and if I really want any hope of writing for a living, I have to be able to do harsh things like throw 3/4 of a completed script away.

I have to overcome the fear of the rewrite.

Monday, September 18, 2006

It just isn't working!

The Sc-Fi horror outline seems to have hit the buffers at 60% complete :(

I've got the story with a beginning, middle and end, but I can't seem to give the characters anything. However I think of it panning out they just seem to be there to be part of the action. I can't find any depth to them. Perhaps it is time to put this one down and give it some time at the bottom of the pile. I may be able to fix it when I come back to it.

The good news is my other horror idea has gained some good depth. I've had this one in my head for about 8 or 9 months (I think, I'll have to check back in the blog archives to be sure), but couldn't find a way for the one survivor to defeat the evil nasty. Now I have and in the process it has allowed me to add some "shit that was close!" scary moments. Can't wait to write FADE IN: on this one, but I'm determined to get the next draft of Good Guys finished first. I've just got to find the time, which links nicely onto my next point:

Just when I thought I had a break coming in my reading calendar, more scripts land in my inbox. Oh well, I'm not complaining as it is all about educating myself in the art that is writing script notes.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

More DIY

What a week.

I've been off work for the last week doing a bit of Don't Involve Yourself. The living room is now decorated (after pulling the fireplace down 2 months ago) and the dining room isn't far behind. That leaves the hallway, stairs and landing to do before the new carpets arrive. Yes, new carpets. We went out "just to look" at carpets and within 20 minutes had spent £900!

Oh well, it happens. An alarm must sound each time we have money in our savings account that causes shops selling things we need to have a big sale. As a result our logic says we had better buy this while we can afford it and the savings account is emptied.

Bang goes that new shiny MacBook I wanted ;(

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Call that a blockbuster? Pahf!

I’m a bit behind on cinema time lately so the following post is probably old news to most.

Over the last two weeks I have seen 4 movies: 2 B movies and 2 (so called) blockbusters. I have to say that the B movies won any sort of contest easily.

Blockbuster number one: Superman Returns was weak and had such a big plot hole in it that you had to look up, down and side to side to actually see the film.

Blockbuster number two: Pirates 2. The only reason that film didn’t have any plot holes in it was the fact that it didn’t have a plot for any holes to exist. I know it’s a two part film, but there should be some sort of story contained within part one. I won’t dig into their failings because this post would never end (go on, someone tempt me!).

The B movies were Snakes on a Plane and Severance. I went in with an open mind and thought they were fantastic. I wonder how many of those films could be made for the combined budget of Superman and Pirates?

I recall when Judge Dredd came out and there was this interview with Sly saying it was a fantastic film. Fast forward five or six years and another interviewer (can’t remember who) asked Sly about Judge Dredd and he just shook his head and looked at the floor (I know a Judge Dread fan may stop by here, so no offence, I’m just telling it like I saw it).

Anyway, I wonder if the cast of Pirates or Superman will do anything similar when asked about those films in five or six years?