Deep Exhale

Well, I've done a couple things this week. After finishing the first draft I proof read the entire thing. I was looking for typos, but more importantly I was looking to see how the whole thing flowed as one piece. I thought it worked pretty well. It lost some momentum in the third act, but I have a few ideas of how to correct that. I even came up with a whole new scene, which I think really aids in one of the lead character's character arc. Beyond that however, I've decided I'm going to spend some time detoxing for the whole thing. I'm going to do my best not to work on or think about it for a whole week. This way I'll be able to look at it with a fresher pair of eyes. I also sent the screenplay out to five of my good screenwriting friends to get notes from them. To take my mind off of it, I have even started preliminary work on a different screenplay. It's great! Until next time, good night and good luck!

I DID IT!!!

Huzzah! The first draft is complete! This is very exciting. It's wonderful to see an idea I've had for years finally all down on paper. There is still a LOT of work to be done of course. The draft came in at a whopping 142 pages! My goal is to bring that down to 120. Also, as I went along there were new ideas I had that I wanted to incorporate earlier in the script. Finally, I think I've actually matured as a writer since I started the script, so I'll be going back and buffing this up where needed. That's all for now! Until next time, good night and good luck!

The Inspiration of Music

One of my favorite parts of movies is the music. It's wonderful ability to set the tone, mood, and tempo is fascinating! As such, I tend to do a lot of my writing while listening to some kind of music. Most of the time, I'll listen to just one song on repeat for the writing of an entire scene, which could be up to a couple hours! Haha! It really does help to put my mind in the right place, pulling me emotionally from one beat to another. I recently finished writing a very pivotal moment between two of the main characters, where they, for the first time, are able to connect. Initially unsure how to approach the scene, I went music hunting first. I came upon a beautifully piece of music from The Assassination of Jesse James score. The primary emotion I felt while listening to the piece of music was relaxation. I really liked the idea that the first thing that needs to happen for two people to really connect is they need to be comfortable and relaxed around each other. From there I thought, "how do two people come to a felling of relaxation around each other." The answer I decided upon: humor! With that in mind, I wrote the scene where both characters would first laugh about something together. After that, I felt I was able to move the scene into some more serious waters, without it feeling forced or unnatural. Thank goodness for music! Until next time, good night and good luck!

Note Carding It

Greetings! You will all be happy to hear that I'm back into the swing of things with the writing. The week off really did me well. This weeks challenge was inter-cutting/inter-writing three different dialog scenes. The three dialog scenes were all suppose to be happening at the same time, and other I could have just put one after the other in the script, I knew a lot of interesting things that could happen if I was able to cut in the middle of one to other and then back again. The tough part was knowing when to cut from one to the next. I realized the only way I personally could do it was to write all three scenes separately and then go back and "mesh" them all together. So, even though I did not technically "note card" anything, I did use the technique where you figure out separate beats before rearranging them. And it looks like it has worked really well! I'm very pleased. Also, after mixing the scenes up, I made a few revisions, which not only helped them flow together better, but just made them better scenes over all. I really enjoyed this process and will be most definitely be using it again in the future. I'm proudly over the 80 page mark, and still loving it! Until next time, good night and good luck!

Hitting the Wall

Well, it's finally happened! I have officially hit my first wall. It's not that I don't know where I'm going, because I was smart enough to type up that very detailed 14 page outline, which has really helped guide me away from THAT kind of writer's block. With that said, there is still A LOT of creative decisions to be made as I move through the script: how do certain scenes ACTUALLY play out, how would the characters REACT in this scenario, what would the characters SAY to each other here, ect.? And frankly, I am just tired. I don't think I'm tired of this world, the story, or its characters. My mind is just tired of trying to come up with brilliant ideas all the time. Haha! As such, I decided to take the last week off to just rest. Fortunately, I think it has helped! With the Lord's help, I'm feeling ready to charge back into the screenplay! So, bring it! Until next time, good night and good luck!

Revising As I Go!

So when I'm working on the first draft of anything, I really like to just plow ahead. I really don't like to stop and "nit pick" the first 10 to 20 pages, because I often find if I do that, I'll never get beyond those first 10 to 20 pages if I do. I've decided to take a slightly different approach to the writing of this for a couple reasons. One, I started the first draft with a very detailed 14 page outline that I had already made numerous revision to. Two, like a Back to the Future style screenplay, I was REALLY wanting every little detail that I establish earlier in the screenplay to pay off later. So as I am discovering new, fun, and interesting things on page 40 or 50, I may want to go back to bad 4 or 5 and set those ideas/characters/themes up. That way, when they appear later in the script they have more meaning and more of a pay off. With that in mind, I've tried to ensure that I am not hitting the audience over the head with most of these little connections, but rather subtly and casually dropping them in to make a more fulfilling and rounded experience. A couple examples of these connects are: One of the characters (Stephen) starts outs by being a "tag along, push over" who does and accepts anything his friends say or do just to be liked. So, at the start of the story there will be a couple times when he willingly eats peanuts just because Saul (one of his friends) says he likes them. Later in the script however, when actually encouraged by a different character (Zooey) to develop his own likes and dislikes, Stephen very quickly discovers he hates peanuts. Another place I established something to hopefully pay it off in a rewarding way is with the central character of Peter. His character arc is discovering that those he thought loved him (his ex-fiance back home) don't, and those he thought would never care about him (Saul and Stephen) actually do. Peter is a fantastic trumpet player and it is established that he has not played trumpet in many years in order to save his beautiful music for his ex-fiance. By the end of the story, he is playing his trumpet for Saul and Stephen, which demonstrates his change on heart. Well, that is all for now. Until next time, good night and good luck!

Writing the Girl

I don't have a whole lot to report again this week. The new challenge this time around, was writing the leading lady, Zooey! This is the scene where one of the leading characters (Stephen) meets Zooey, the woman of his dreams. To find inspiration for this scene, I decided to try something different and fun. Since the scene takes place in a loud, noisy bar, I decided to go to a bar! Haha, I'm sure I looked quite humorous, sitting there drinking water and writing on my little note pad. Ultimately though, I think I walked away with some unique beats, and definitely some good material for background characters, atmosphere, and music. I really soaked in the scene, imagining what it would be like to have a romanic conversation in a place like that. For the actual writing of her character, I'm drawing heavily from the fun and quirkiness of Zooey Deschanel. Her ability to be strong but needy and light but earnest is really perfect for the character I'm writing. Over all, it's been a slow week in the writing department, but I'm hoping to pick up the pace this week! I'm on page 50. Until next time, good night and good luck!

Writin' the bady

Well, there's not a whole lot to report this week. Due to getting sick, I was not able to write as much as weeks past, but I was still able to make some progress. I've now made it to page forty. The new challenge this week was the addition of a mayor character: the villainous police chief Wilber Oswald! I was able to get into a pretty good rhythm with my three main characters, and their individual voices and how they talk. I was back to square one however with a new character. Although I had done a very detailed character break down, ensuring that this character has a unique voice and that his scenes build on one another still proved to be a challenge. The basic idea that I had initially for the character was someone who has been pushed his whole life to find his passion and make a name for himself by his mother. The problem is, he is now in his 50's and still has never been able to do either of those things. As such, he is constantly whining and ever searching for his illusive passion. Where the film starts, he has had just about enough of failing to find a job or make an arrest that is grand enough for him. Consequently, he begins to fool himself into believing that the bank robbery our heroes were responsible for is much grander than the facts show. I felt these character traits would make for a very fun villain but I still was not finding an specific voice that I liked. The break through came when I was watching my favorite Television Show: Battlestar Galactica. In the show, one of the characters (Gaius Baltar) is a particularly slimy character. He is only ever looking to help himself out no matter what the cost. He lives with the terrible things that he has done through an acute ability for self deception. No matter what he's done he is able to live with it by convincing himself that he was either forced, or that he really had no control over his actions. The results are both funny and despicable. With this character in mind, I feel I have been able to find a very unique and fun voice for my villain. Until next time, good night and good luck!

Implementation

Well, this week has been about two things: continuing to move forwards with the script and implementing the notes I received from friends to earlier scripted scenes. As stated in the earlier blog, one of things I needed to work on was clarifying, to the AUDIENCE, what the different character's motivations were.
My initial plan was to slowly release that sort of information to the AUDIENCE at the same times I would be releasing it the the other CHARACTERS. Seeing now that this was not a good idea, I have given the audience a pretty clear idea right from he get go as to why the characters do what they do. With Peter (one of the story's three main characters) the thing that drives him throughout the film is his love (misguided as it is) for a woman the AUDIENCE never actual meets. To help demonstrate this, I have implemented a photograph of Peter and this woman, which he carries with him. Peter will also attempt to contact this girl by making periodic phone calls. Through the tone of these calls as well as the way Peter looks at the picture, the AUDIENCE will hopefully become quickly clued in to what is going through his brain.
With Saul (another of the story's three main characters) I had no intention of revealing, to the AUDIENCE, that he was without a family until the very end of the story. I have now established that in the second scene. This helps out for a whole host of reasons. One, you see now that he wants a family and demonstrates to the audience why he wants Peter and Stephen to remain with him. Two, it shows even clearer, to the AUDIENCE, that he is a compulsive lair ever time he claims to have a "large family." Three, the way I choose to reveal that he is without a family helps to establish another character as well. The villain, Warden Wilber Oswald, who was in need of some more despicable attributes, mocks Saul by pointing out the fact that all of his family is dead.
I also made some other changes to the Oswald as well as the relationship he holds with other characters: namely Zooey (the story's leading lady). I had been given two notes: Oswald's character is unclear and Zooey seems like a tag on character with no real connection to the story. To fix both of these problems in one sweep, I decided to make Zooey Oswald's daughter. In doing this, I made Zooey connected more deeply with the story and also gave her the ability to know and COMMENTATE on Oswald's motivation and background.
That is all for now. Good night and good luck!

Summary

I decided it was time I wrote a nice, concise summary of my film. Here it is!

The comedic feature follows the crazy adventures of three cellmates who have recently been released on parole. Each of them possesses a very distinct and very crippling communication disability. One of them is a mute, the other a compulsive liar, and the third has no interest in explaining the motivation behind anything he does. The event that sets their grand adventure into motion is a bank robbery that our heroes perform. The film will then follow them on an ever escalating set of impossibly dangerous scenarios as they find themselves tangling with the Russian Mafia, attempting to communicate with dirty, Mexican cops, and evading an even dirtier American police chief named Wilber Oswald. Ultimately, they will be forced to overcome their inability to communicate with one another in order to survive.

So It Begins...

Hurray! I've done it! I've begun the scripting of my still untitled comedy about communication problems. It is a very exciting feeling to actually write the very first INT. - PRISON - DAY. I have to admit that I was rather nervous about starting. All throughout the outlining process, I was questioning my ability to make this screenplay any good (especially the dialog). Fortunately for everyone, I am finding the process to come quite naturely. Granted, there is still a huge possibility that everything I am writing is absolute trash! Haha! I do however, have a good feeling about what I'm coming up with. God is good! Because I have so meticulously thought up the details surrounding the plot, my job is made a whole lot smoother. I am just zooming along, doing my best to give each of the characters their own distinct voice, making the heroes understandable and sympathetic and the villains both despicable and believable. Seeing it written down is also helping me see which parts drag, which are too fast, and which actions forward a character's personality and which contradict it. I am already on page 25 and am still very on fire for the whole thing. It's a very good feeling all around. Until next time... good night and good luck!

Notes!!!

Greetings one and all once again! Well, after finishing the outline last week, I decided it would be prudent of me to send it out to some friends of mine with a little more writing experience to get their notes. I must say, I don't always takes notes the best. I usually get down on myself if the notes are not 100% positive, but I was determined to try and learn as much as I could this time around. I got two very solid and helpful sets of notes from a couple of the people that I sent the outline out to.
The first person walked through what he thought worked and what he thought did not work (for the sake of space I will only discuss what he thought did NOT work). The primary theme of the film is communication problems and all the damage that is brought about when people lie, with hold information, or misunderstand each other. As such, the three main characters are doing these things all throughout the film until they realize the woes of their way at the end of the story. The first "note giver" informed me however, that although it is fine for the characters to lie about or withhold their motivation for doing things with EACH OTHER, the AUDIENCE should be clued in about their TRUE motivation. If this does not happen, the audience will either be confused, never connect or feel sympathy for the characters, or both. He gave me a couple practical examples of how I could help clear things up for the audience, which I put into practice. He also informed me of a couple places where character development felt a bit forced and need a little more motivation. He also pointed out a few areas that felt needlessly complicated. Although I argued that a couple of the areas needing to remain as they were, I did simplify (for the better) some of the spots.
I actually received an email from the second note giver, which I will post here.

"Hey Chris,

Thanks for letting me read your outline. You've obviously spent a great deal of time on it, and it's been really interesting to see how you're approaching this project.

My initial reactions:
- It's a very energetic, quirky, melodrama that hits the ground running and doesn't let up.
- It's also pretty difficult to follow/understand.

What I mean is:
- You've obviously given a lot of thought to the action sequences/car chases/robberies (as these are meticulously layed out, almost shot-by-shot).
- You seem to have spent less time on the characters, with swooping summaries like: "Although some of the actions our heroes have done, in the scenes above, are less than admirable, they should all be written, acted, and directed in a way to establish them as likable if not simply relatable characters."
- If you have any idea how this could be done, write it down. Actions define character, and your audience isn't going to like someone just because we want them to or because we tell an actor to act "likeable." If it's not on the page, it's not on the stage.
- As it is, I don't feel welcome to participate in the story because the characters won't open themselves up to me. I'm forced to be a spectator and make detached guesses as to why Oswald is so crazy, or how a couple of nice guys ended up in prison in the first place...

Which brings us to the question of tone:
- "able to poke fun at its own cheesiness." -- I'm fine with cheesy. Sometimes it's just unavoidable. Everything's coming together for our heroes, and we just want to relish in that over-the-top, exalted moment... But you've got to ask yourself "why?" -- What purpose does it serve to intentionally make my character's deepest desires ring inauthentic?
- If you've got a good reason, then, by all means, slather on the cheese. But if you're just doing it to avoid putting your neck out there -- dealing with real emotions -- then I'd advise against it.
- You're a very talented director - more than capable of expressing real sentiments - and I think you should. Find out who these characters really are, what they really want, and then let them try really hard to get it. If Saul steals for his "family," then make that a real, true, vulnerable dimension of his character. I assure you, your audience would much rather see that than a corny re-hash of tired, old cheese.

Conclusion:
It's a solid first draft, but it still needs work.
- Approach each character as you would if you were going to act the part -- write yourself an entire cast of great parts.
- Establish what they want, what stops them from getting it, and what they do to overcome.
- Start with broad strokes: what's the over-arching story, and where do each of your characters fit into it?
-You're off to a great start, and I look forward to seeing what comes of it."

I found all of these notes to be VERY helpful and have taken them into account.

Helpful Movies

I'm back! Woot! Well, I watched two films this weekend that really have nothing in common. They are actually quite the polar opposites. The films are Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures and the Seth Rogen written Pineapple Express. Despite their black and white difference in tone, subject matter, and direction I found them both to be very inspiring and containing elements that I want to incorporate into my film.
For starters, as I write I cannot help but imagine how I will directed certain scenes: how will the scene be lit, how will I move the camera, ect. Working through the outline, it became quickly apparent to me that I want a very "free" moving camera. Initially, I only intended to use this technique to keep the film moving, adding energy to each scene, but after watching Heavenly Creatures I was challenge to think deeper. The crazy, "flying around" camera from Heavenly Creatures did more than just "keep the film moving". Instead, it was really used to communicate the insanity inside the leading characters' minds. With that in mind, I decided to really use my camera to help demonstrate the difficultly that my leading character have with communicating.
For Pineapple Express I was really given a chance to see what works and what does not work in a movie very similar to the one I am trying to write. Although a large part of the humor for Pineapple Express is found in the "pot jokes" and vulgarity, and my film will have neither of those things, much of the character development and plotting have strong similarities. Newer to the whole writing of screenplays, this was very helpful. I was able to see: what kinds of humor worked and what fell flat, what character development felt forced and what felt natural, what parts of the story dragged and what parts were too quick, ect.
That's all for now friends. Until next time, good night and good luck!

Greatings!

Well, here it is, my first Senior Media blog post! Huzzah! Super exciting I know. Well, let's get down to it. This semester I have decided to commit to paper an idea for a screenplay that I have had for a very long time. The comedic, feature film will follow three criminals and a host of other characters, none of whom have any idea how to appropriately, truthfully, or clearly communicate. I could also describe the film as The Three Stooges meets Sugarland Express. Over the last year, I have taken numerous, random, unorganized notes on different thoughts I have had for this film. So this week, I have pooled all those notes together and fashion an eleven page outline for my film, which is very exciting. Able to see the film actually starting to take shape and seeing the rhythms and pacing starting to work is quite energizing. I have now begun to really dig deep with the characters, asking fundamental questions like: What is this person's deepest desire? What is this person's deepest fear? Why do they make the decisions they do? Ect. From there, I am accordingly making changes to the outline to better round out the characters, give them more satisfying character arcs, and ensuring that they all have proper motivation for the words they speak and the actions they take. That is all for now. Until we meet again... Good night and good luck!