66 replies to this topic

[Ryan H.]

Buckeye Jones, on 19 May 2010 - 09:44 PM, said:

At 10:26 or so, I lifted my hands from my keyboard, as if to not break this fragile thing before me. 117 pages, 102 scenes, and one very new draft in front of me, I finished it. Rough draft, first draft, whatever it actually is. I am a little afraid to read it. Not right now. I'll let it stew for a few days. Have a few friends take a look at it. Tell me if it sucks.

Then I'll start rewriting it for June 30, where it heads off to the Glen for workshopping.

I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight.

Congratulations. Be sure to have a fine cigar or a glass of fine wine or whatever you do to celebrate. Completing a script is a big deal. And yes, let your draft stew for a few days. In fact, let it stew for an entire week, if you can bear it.

[nathaniel chapman]

I don't think we should get caught up with sex and violence. Just write what glorifies god. What is true for the characters, what optimizes the emotional effect, what doesn't compromise the reality, doesn't sacrifice the tone, what communicates effectively. You might make someone angry. But you will also be able to create something that God will find truly beautiful.

Take a movie like "Silent Light" by Carlos Reygadas. It's a film that sees God's spirit in everything and convinces you of his power. And actually there is no sex or violence in it. But Reygadas wouldn't have been able to make this film if he had this mindset of "No sex or Violence." That kind of thinking will distort your ability to create.

I made a vow to not have a promotional post at first because I don't want to just exploit the site for my own means. But your topic is so salient to my film that I think it's better for me to break the vow than to not introduce you to the movie (kind of the same conflict you find in Breaking the Waves). So I encourage you to look here:

theevangelistmovie.wordpress.com

or www.evangelistmovie.com

I think I've created exactly the kind of film that people in this group could appreciate.

[Anna J]

FYI, there are still spots available in the Glen Play/Screenwriting class...

http://imagejournal....p-2010/courses/

[Buckeye Jones]

Do the Romans speak Latin or Greek? That's all I really want to know.

Anna J, on 08 June 2010 - 05:00 PM, said:

FYI, there are still spots available in the Glen Play/Screenwriting class...

http://imagejournal....p-2010/courses/

Just sent in my manuscript. I have a crick in my neck from proofreading...

[Ryan H.]

Buckeye Jones, on 29 June 2010 - 10:28 PM, said:

Do the Romans speak Latin or Greek? That's all I really want to know.

Well, I was going to have them speak Klingon...

[Buckeye Jones]

Rewrite One: Done! Now onto rewrite Two!

And a plug for the Glen's class. Brad Winters is a wonderful teacher, and then Glen environment is a great locale to sit down and workshop your piece, whether you've got a full draft or a one page treatment. I heartily recommend it, and would be more than happy to chat if anyone's got any questions about the screenwriting/playwriting workshop there.

Ed

[Ryan H.]

Buckeye Jones, on 08 November 2010 - 10:28 AM, said:

Rewrite One: Done! Now onto rewrite Two!

Congrats.

[Buckeye Jones]

Writing comedy is almost as much fun as dropping 185 lbs on your face while benchpressing.

Just sayin'.

[Ryan H.]

Buckeye Jones, on 01 February 2011 - 10:00 PM, said:

Writing comedy is almost as much fun as dropping 185 lbs on your face while benchpressing.

Just sayin'.

Really? I've never taken a stab at it, but I wouldn't have suspected that writing a comedy would be miserable.

[Nathan Douglas]

Buckeye Jones, on 01 February 2011 - 10:00 PM, said:

Writing comedy is almost as much fun as dropping 185 lbs on your face while benchpressing.

Saying this made me picture your avatar writing a script on a laptop while benchpressing. Better yet, a typewriter. Which was kind of funny. You're getting there.

In all seriousness, though, I feel your pain. I'm shooting a short in three weeks that I originally hoped would be sort of a comedy, or at least have enough light-hearted moments to hit that nice balance of laughs and pathos.

Instead, I wrote another emotionally heavy script about a family crisis. Lots of silences and staring and a hopefully cathartic ending. I wracked my brain and my heart for warmly funny material, but came up dry. They say "write what you know," and that's the sort of stuff that I know well, at least right now. Enough that I'm beginning to feel like I'm just not made to write comedy, or at least nothing that avoids camp.

Keep pressin' on.

[Buckeye Jones]

I got commissioned to co-write a short for a guy here in Cincinnati. When I say commissioned, I mean I received a commission of pizza and beer. But the producer has this vision for three friends, one successful, the other two not, on a road trip to get a package arriving from Amsterdam. Me and the co-writer (who of course is the brother of the producer--no sibling rivalry issues in this family let me assure you), looked at him and said, "We write drama".

To which he replied, "Sure you do. But this piece is going to be funny."

So now we are in the throes of a major rewrite, the co-writer absolutely disgusted because his brother didn't like the first draft, and we have to have this thing finished by Thursday.

Hellooo, coffee tonight.

Edited by Buckeye Jones, 02 February 2011 - 08:12 AM.

[Buckeye Jones]

N.W. Douglas, on 02 February 2011 - 03:24 AM, said:

Instead, I wrote another emotionally heavy script about a family crisis. Lots of silences and staring and a hopefully cathartic ending. I wracked my brain and my heart for warmly funny material, but came up dry. They say "write what you know," and that's the sort of stuff that I know well, at least right now. Enough that I'm beginning to feel like I'm just not made to write comedy, or at least nothing that avoids camp.

Are you in my head, typing out what I feel? How uncanny--is one of your characters an out of work painter and the other a Jewish stoner?

[Ryan H.]

Buckeye Jones, on 02 February 2011 - 08:12 AM, said:

I got commissioned to co-write a short for a guy here in Cincinnati. When I say commissioned, I mean I received a commission of pizza and beer.

Ah, but what kind of pizza and what kind of beer?

[Nathan Douglas]

Buckeye Jones, on 02 February 2011 - 08:18 AM, said:

N.W. Douglas, on 02 February 2011 - 03:24 AM, said:

Instead, I wrote another emotionally heavy script about a family crisis. Lots of silences and staring and a hopefully cathartic ending. I wracked my brain and my heart for warmly funny material, but came up dry. They say "write what you know," and that's the sort of stuff that I know well, at least right now. Enough that I'm beginning to feel like I'm just not made to write comedy, or at least nothing that avoids camp.

Are you in my head, typing out what I feel? How uncanny--is one of your characters an out of work painter and the other a Jewish stoner?

Yes, but we're all really trapped inside Charlie Kaufman's head. It's one of those Russian doll things.

If I replaced the young brothers (one of whom spends most of the film in a coma) in my script with those two characters...well let me put it this way: I showed my DP some clips from Silent Light and stills from Bergman films to give him a feel for the type of look and feel I want.

But I'm liking the idea of this more and more...

EDIT: Btw, Ryan, that has to be the best avatar I've seen in a while.

Edited by N.W. Douglas, 03 February 2011 - 05:09 AM.

[Ryan H.]

N.W. Douglas, on 03 February 2011 - 03:16 AM, said:

Btw, Ryan, that has to be the best avatar I've seen in a while.

I'm quite proud of it.

[Buckeye Jones]

Is this the one with medieval scholar in the distant future? Maybe you should take a break and write a short comedy about an out of work painter and a Jewish stoner. It's working wonders for me.

[Mr. Brown]

I'm beginning to think that some people can write scripts and others just can't. I'm one of those who can't.

I've been working on an idea for a good six months now. Probably more. I find that I break from a certain idea and then find a new idea to take its place, which dramatically alters the storyline I've already written. On top of it, I find it incredibly difficult to incorporate interesting elements in a script, such as a twist. It often turns into something completely stupid.

Thank God for the almighty dollar.

Edited by Mr. Brown, 05 February 2011 - 12:53 AM.

[Buckeye Jones]

Ryan H., on 05 February 2011 - 08:51 AM, said:

Buckeye Jones, on 04 February 2011 - 08:57 PM, said:

Maybe you should take a break and write a short comedy about an out of work painter and a Jewish stoner. It's working wonders for me.

Honestly, a comedy might be nice. I think I could do it. But I'd probably do something like Scorsese's AFTER HOURS, but with more social satire. Absurd and dark.

Mr. Brown, on 05 February 2011 - 12:53 AM, said:

I've been working on an idea for a good six months now. Probably more. I find that I break from a certain idea and then find a new idea to take its place, which dramatically alters the storyline I've already written.

This probably doesn't mean that you can't write a script. It probably just means your idea isn't ready. Some people can crank out stories. Others need them to percolate a while.

Hah--I forgot the /sarcasm tag on the "working wonders" part. So far pizza and beer has turned into Orange Crush and Nestle Bake and Breaks. Hmmm.

And Mr. Brown, if you're seriously interested in scriptwriting, I'd love to recommend the Glen Workshop, sponsored by Image. I took the screenwriting class last year as a complete novice, and found it a tremendous experience that has helped me a ton. Doesn't mean I can write a "good" script yet--but I know enough to be dangerous.

And percolating is a good thing. My closest thing to a completed script has been percolating for almost two years. Should have a final draft ready to be shopped by the end of the month.

[Buckeye Jones]

Just sent in my script to my first contest (scriptapalooza, which seems to have a good reputation). I think I'm on draft four or so, but it feels done. Here's keeping my fingers crossed.

[David Smedberg]

Good luck, Buckeye! What's the story?