Character/Script
I still feel as I'm still stuck on this whole script thing. I've got an idea of what I want to achieve but my story idea has changed to the point that my main character may no longer be my main character. He seems to be the only one who doesn't grow or change in my head any more. I guess that may be because I never really liked him very much... and if I don't like him then there's no reason for anyone else to. I'm tempted to steal personalities from my friend's at work. I think cue cards may be the answer... We shall see tomorrow. I need to take a break from being sociable and get my head down... Ugh... /ends.
Toppling
So I met my deadline. The adaptation is handed in. It wasn't even that stressful. I had something hand-in-able on Saturday night but I still spent Sunday and part of Monday making changes and adding bits. It was a bulky bugger too. 2 x 15 pages of script, 2 x 9 pages of prep work and 5 pages of sample. It only just fit in a single plastic wallet. The worst part was actually handing it over and the feeling didn't go away till much later. Weird. Oh well. I hope it passes!
I got home and made a new to do list. Tomorrow I'm back on script and character work. I've got to get my arse in gear since there's only two months till the final deadline of this year!
Script – Draft One
I just finished the first draft of the script. The outline was very useful and should compress down into a treatment without too much trouble. The script itself is currently thirteen and a half pages. I've got a fair few scenes so I'm thinking more action and description is needed to try and pad it out to my fifteen page target. When I acted out the outline the timings were pretty much spot on. That can be a job for tomorrow. I also need to go through a bunch of notes I made during training today, read through Michael Eaton's class notes again and go through and make sure the whole thing reads well.
I've learned a lot about script formatting while doing this. I'm not confident I've got it entirely right but I don't think it's going to get me marked down much. Scrivener has been an awesome help in getting it looking right as has my script tutor, the examples he sent and the myriad of helpful stuff found online. The other thing I need to do is make sure all the action is written in a consistent voice and that I refer to the characters in a consistent manner (eg. he, Danny, it, stuff, thing etc). Again, those are jobs for tomorrow.
Right now, I'm going to give the script a break and edit Derek some more. I'm sending it off again! You know... Because I like polite rejection letters...
Starting Over
The sound of an oncoming storm. The dense, cardiac beat of the double kick. The epic chords. The music crashes over me. It soothes. But it doesn't dampen. I need this, this freak out. I need it to work, to rant to get my goddamned arse in gear. And the music helps. I ride with it.
Okay. Melodrama done. I've got six weeks till my script deadline. My idea is dead. I've not had any passion for it for at least a month and it really shows. The characters are empty and we've only now been shown what a good treatment should actually look like... So. Starting over. A new idea, that isn't really new. It's been bubbling away in my mind for a while now. But the thing is it isn't a story. It's a character, which is where all good stories really need to start.
Six weeks. 30 minutes. One resurrected undead overlord with a sharp suit. Let's do this thing.