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Last night we watched "The Guardian" with Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner. It was terrible! It was slow, boring, and didn't make any sense. It's like they took the elements of a screenplay and kept layering them on one after another, but not making anything out of it. Just pile it deep enough and pretend there's a story there...

It reminded me why I'm no big fan of Kevin Costner. There's something whiney about him. Very angsty. I don't get it. His "silent type" just doesn't work for me. Ashton Kutcher is nice eye candy. He did okay.

Rainy Friday morning. There's flooding in Connecticut, but nothing compared to the tsunami hitting Japan, Hawaii or even California.

Predator

Last night I fell asleep watching "Predator," the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic.  The first time I saw it I thought it was unusually gory.  I was kind of afraid of it, to tell the truth.  But this is the second time I've watched it this year, and I'm used to it and kind of like it.  I like Arnold movies in general, anyway.

I've heard the second Predator movie was when the predators come to earth and hunt humans like they're in a game reserve.  In New York City.  Never thought I'd say it, but I want to see Predator II!

We've got Flags of Our Fathers and Kingdom of Heaven from Netflix for this weekend.  Unless we keep watching the World Series.  The Giants are playing very well...

This week is Dirty Harry week on one of the stations Mike watches. Last night I saw Magnum Force, which I remember as being ultra-violent and scary when it came out. Now it seems like nothing compared to what you get on TV and the movies these days...

Finishing That First Screenplay?

I was greatly encouraged last night when Kevin Jackson - screenwriting instructor extraordinaire - mentioned that "the first screenplay is the one most people are emotionally attached to.  It's difficult to reconcile the emotion for the project with the realities of what it takes to write a screenplay."   He reminded me that I may never finish my FIRST screenplay, or I may finish it next year or in five years.

I had mentioned that I was losing inspiration after my umpteenth change to characters and situations.  It has definitely gotten harder to write!  He added that the unspoken understanding in Hollywood is that most writers write 8 to 10 screenplays before they write a good one.  What's important is to keep learning the lessons.  Keep applying the ideas and concepts.  And work on it as much as I can.

I guess those are good ideas for anyone learning any profession or skill with a significant learning curve.  I saw my travails in a new light and decided to keep at it!  No giving up now!

If you've ever attempted to write a screenplay or a play, and you're reading this now, please share your own comments on what it was like that first screenplay.  Did you get discouraged?  Was it any good when you finished?  Did you finish?  What have you done since the first? I'd like to hear from you!

Glad I found my screenwriting folder and my previous notes on my script. I'd been getting stopped, and my notes helped me write a couple more scenes, so I am officially unstuck!

Watching "Atonement" With Script in Hand

I watched "Atonement" last night with the script in front of me.  This is one of my favorite films ever, and it was totally awesome to watch it with the film script right there.  I get a different appreciation for the writing (as well as the acting) when I can see the words in print, and see on screen how the actors delivered them.

What you don't see is how the script writer (Christopher Hampton) adopted the screenplay from the novel by Ian McEwan. I read the novel after seeing the movie in 2008, and I think Mr. Hampton did a great job.  Of course, Robbie Turner is supposed to be big and tall, but I am so happy that description was ignored and James McAvoy was cast instead.  I think the role was perfect for him.

At any rate, watching Atonement was part of this week's assignment for my screenwriting class.  Part of the re-write for my own script includes updating my period from the 1860's to the early 1900's, so my instructor wanted me to see how a romance/mystery/period piece looks on the page, and get a feel for the language. I also saw how to make notes for stage instructions.  I see I need a lot more description in my own writing. I'm sure I'll be referring back to it over and over as I proceed with my own writing...

Anybody else have an experience of seeing the words in print for the first time, and how it broadened your perspective?

Anna and Thomas Sequence One

My homework for my screenwriting master class is to have Sequence 1 ready to share at the next class.  Is every window necessary and compelling?

I started this screenplay last September or October, and it seemed to flow so easily.  Somewhere along the way it got hard.  My job is to have it be fun and easy again.  I keep going back to, I design my life.  Why am I designing it that writing is hard?  That's not very fun!

The screenwriting class is pretty awesome.  We are learning how to ask questions of our script to see what does make a scene compelling. What works? What doesn't?  Why or why not?  Is this scene consistent with my theme? My main character's behavior?  The genre?  It's interesting to watch movies now, having the distinctions I learn from this.

If you're reading this and you have ever written a screenplay, or are thinking of writing one, or have taken classes, I'd like to hear from you.  What did you do to keep the ideas flowing freely?

Terminator 2 Endures

Mike came home yesterday with a tape (yes, tape!) of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.  The Terminator and Terminator 2 are definitely my favorites of the series.  The third and fourth (you know, the one with Christian Bale) just don't measure up for drama and excitement.  

I've always loved Linda Hamilton in both movies.  I still envy her fit body in Terminator 2. Not so much Edward Furlong as young John Connor, but the adult stars make up for him.  I love Arnold in just about anything.  And Robert Patrick did arguably the best work of his career as the T-1000.

The special effects, so awesome when the movie came out, look dated, but jeesh, it's been 19 years!  And James Cameron has been pushing the envelope on special effects for over 25 years...

T2 is well-written, and I actually care about the characters, a big missing in Terminator Salvation. It definitely endures throughout the years! 

The Screenwriting Matrix of Moments

Okay, so I'm challenged this week by screenwriting teacher extraordinaire Kevin Jackson to write a list of "moments" in my script.  Do I have 200 to 300 in my entire script?  Do they define my characters?  Are they entertaining?

This screenwriting is more challenging than I originally thought.  It definitely takes commitment!  I have changed several elements in my story, including one of my main characters, a number of times.  I still need to work on expressing my core theme effectively and entertainingly.

I am going with Barbara Osach's semi-famous saying: "Get it down, then get it right." This week is all about "getting it down."

I'd be curious to know how others who have written screenplays have done it.  What was your process? How many revisions did you do?