Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Overheard at Theatresource
Henry "Maduka" Steady:
"When I'm clockin' hoes, and smokin' punks, I never felt more alive."
Mac Rogers:
It'll be
1. Morally Complex
2. Action Packed
3. Affordable
Drew added:
(with nudity)
Monday, January 29, 2007
Q&A Angry Planet
Mac Rogers sent the following notes. Here are my answers, and Laura's response, and my answers to THOSE:
Mac: 1. I think "Corvette" is the wrong word - too much potential for unintentional giggles.
Drew: Really? Is that funny? Does it make you not think of WWII battleships?
Laura: Um. There was a WWII battleship called a Corvette? You don't plan to have any girls watching this movie? You didn't want me to be thinking of Athena as some sort of K.I.T.T on 2 legs?
Drew: well, the car reference I think is fine, I mean it's a bit of a joke to call a person a Corvette-class, but I didn't think it was “unintentional giggles” materials.
Mac: 2. Why does Stahl say it's a free planet?
Drew: I think he's being ironic. But maybe the line has to go away.
Laura: We don't lose anything by cutting this line (other than a little confusion).
Drew: OK, whiners. It's gone. What else do you want?
Mac: 3. Why is Galloway an alchemist? Then he wouldn't need one.
Drew: Maybe he's a low-grade one. Or maybe we just shouldn't make him one at all.
Laura: Yeah, he's not an alchemist. The Xik dropped the trial capsules and they had their evil effects. But when Galloway tried to replicate it, he couldn't. Something like that?
Drew: So now he's a “colonist”. If that's fine with youse.
Mac: 4. In the new model, how do Kyle and Maleyna make love if he's programmed to be revolted by her?
Drew: I think in my little brain the effect doesn't last very long. So that she looks like a corpse, but then fades into real girl.
Laura: Oh. I guess I thought they didn't actually succeed in making her look like a corpse until later. Guess I need to re-read that part.
Drew: it'll be cool. She'll look like a girl, he'll kiss her, he opens his eyes and she's a corpse, he'll close them again and she's a girl again.
Mac: 5. Why does Athena lick Maleyna's cheek?
Drew: To pick up enough DNA to mimic her later.
Laura: Liar. She licks Maleyna's cheek because Drew wants to see some chick cheek-lickin action. Athena doesn't need any DNA from the dead wife, now does she? (That said, I don't care if this stays or goes.)
Drew: no really, she suspects Maleyna is West's daughter, by licking her she can “taste” her DNA. Plus, there's some chick cheek-lickin' and who doesn't love that?
Mac: 6. We don't have the redemptive ending we originally talked about, where West learns the folly of vengeance and forgives Galloway at the end.
Drew: Right. Galloway goes to hell. West goes to hell. The kids survive. They'll go to heaven. Is that OK? I kinda like it.
Laura: I like that West dies instead of living happily ever after; I think that's well foreshadowed in his conversations with the android. But I think Kyle and Maleyna need to be a little more front and center at the end.
Drew: I say that we block it so they're in the second row on the right.
Mac: 7. If Galloway has an implant that controls all the Marshals, why does Stahl give him shit?
Drew: Maybe he shouldn't. I was thinking that Stahl being the only intelligent one could push Galloway just as Babish did. Galloway can't afford to make him insane.
Laura: See below when it comes to Stahl. Perhaps we need another look at his character...
Mac: 8. Why does West go for Stahl's gun if he's in despair?
Drew: Maybe we need an angry moment. I dunno. What think'st Laura?
Laura: What if it happens the other way around? After West puts down the controller, he picks up the gun right away and holds it on Galloway. Galloway then explains everything about his daughter, and West just absently hangs on to the gun. It's only after Stahl shoots him that West even realizes he's armed. Or, maybe best forget the gun altogether and have West stick to the controller and razor death thing.
Drew: Yeah, that last idea might be the best.
Mac: 9. If the mutants are just people, why do they eat Babish and Cub?
Drew: Babish and Cub kill themselves just as Stahl does. But we don't realize it 'till the movie is over. We might need an extended "flashback" moment to explain all that -- and Athena's changes too.
Laura: I think these 2 deaths have to be shot in a very ambiguous way. Cub looks down, obviously fighting something off his leg, takes his last blaster shot and shoots off his own leg. We see mutant children only in his POV. Or something.
Drew: They don't have to be ambiguous. We just can't show that West or Athena's POV being filled with mutants.
10. Stahl's dialogue needs a polish - we don't have a consistent tone for it yet.
Drew: Boo yeah. We wanna make sure too that West talks different from Galloway who talks different from Babish.
Laura: Yeah, I'm still not 100% personally in love with the circumlocution. It's hard for an ordinary actor to do this. And yes, all our actors will be extraordinary, but still in Pandora Machine and Bloodmask we didn't succeed in getting really great, convincing deliveries when the language was deliberately unnatural. I'd rather have this character be about the character than about the way he talks. (does that make sense?)
Drew: You are so wrong. Jason Howard said “You've injured my Nosferatu-Class Neuronecromotron” like nobody's business.
Drew added:
And I can't believe we missed the opportunity to make the pearl-handled straight razor not the weapon which West's wife used to kill herself! Jeezum Crow!
That's been fixed.
Mac: 1. I think "Corvette" is the wrong word - too much potential for unintentional giggles.
Drew: Really? Is that funny? Does it make you not think of WWII battleships?
Laura: Um. There was a WWII battleship called a Corvette? You don't plan to have any girls watching this movie? You didn't want me to be thinking of Athena as some sort of K.I.T.T on 2 legs?
Drew: well, the car reference I think is fine, I mean it's a bit of a joke to call a person a Corvette-class, but I didn't think it was “unintentional giggles” materials.
Mac: 2. Why does Stahl say it's a free planet?
Drew: I think he's being ironic. But maybe the line has to go away.
Laura: We don't lose anything by cutting this line (other than a little confusion).
Drew: OK, whiners. It's gone. What else do you want?
Mac: 3. Why is Galloway an alchemist? Then he wouldn't need one.
Drew: Maybe he's a low-grade one. Or maybe we just shouldn't make him one at all.
Laura: Yeah, he's not an alchemist. The Xik dropped the trial capsules and they had their evil effects. But when Galloway tried to replicate it, he couldn't. Something like that?
Drew: So now he's a “colonist”. If that's fine with youse.
Mac: 4. In the new model, how do Kyle and Maleyna make love if he's programmed to be revolted by her?
Drew: I think in my little brain the effect doesn't last very long. So that she looks like a corpse, but then fades into real girl.
Laura: Oh. I guess I thought they didn't actually succeed in making her look like a corpse until later. Guess I need to re-read that part.
Drew: it'll be cool. She'll look like a girl, he'll kiss her, he opens his eyes and she's a corpse, he'll close them again and she's a girl again.
Mac: 5. Why does Athena lick Maleyna's cheek?
Drew: To pick up enough DNA to mimic her later.
Laura: Liar. She licks Maleyna's cheek because Drew wants to see some chick cheek-lickin action. Athena doesn't need any DNA from the dead wife, now does she? (That said, I don't care if this stays or goes.)
Drew: no really, she suspects Maleyna is West's daughter, by licking her she can “taste” her DNA. Plus, there's some chick cheek-lickin' and who doesn't love that?
Mac: 6. We don't have the redemptive ending we originally talked about, where West learns the folly of vengeance and forgives Galloway at the end.
Drew: Right. Galloway goes to hell. West goes to hell. The kids survive. They'll go to heaven. Is that OK? I kinda like it.
Laura: I like that West dies instead of living happily ever after; I think that's well foreshadowed in his conversations with the android. But I think Kyle and Maleyna need to be a little more front and center at the end.
Drew: I say that we block it so they're in the second row on the right.
Mac: 7. If Galloway has an implant that controls all the Marshals, why does Stahl give him shit?
Drew: Maybe he shouldn't. I was thinking that Stahl being the only intelligent one could push Galloway just as Babish did. Galloway can't afford to make him insane.
Laura: See below when it comes to Stahl. Perhaps we need another look at his character...
Mac: 8. Why does West go for Stahl's gun if he's in despair?
Drew: Maybe we need an angry moment. I dunno. What think'st Laura?
Laura: What if it happens the other way around? After West puts down the controller, he picks up the gun right away and holds it on Galloway. Galloway then explains everything about his daughter, and West just absently hangs on to the gun. It's only after Stahl shoots him that West even realizes he's armed. Or, maybe best forget the gun altogether and have West stick to the controller and razor death thing.
Drew: Yeah, that last idea might be the best.
Mac: 9. If the mutants are just people, why do they eat Babish and Cub?
Drew: Babish and Cub kill themselves just as Stahl does. But we don't realize it 'till the movie is over. We might need an extended "flashback" moment to explain all that -- and Athena's changes too.
Laura: I think these 2 deaths have to be shot in a very ambiguous way. Cub looks down, obviously fighting something off his leg, takes his last blaster shot and shoots off his own leg. We see mutant children only in his POV. Or something.
Drew: They don't have to be ambiguous. We just can't show that West or Athena's POV being filled with mutants.
10. Stahl's dialogue needs a polish - we don't have a consistent tone for it yet.
Drew: Boo yeah. We wanna make sure too that West talks different from Galloway who talks different from Babish.
Laura: Yeah, I'm still not 100% personally in love with the circumlocution. It's hard for an ordinary actor to do this. And yes, all our actors will be extraordinary, but still in Pandora Machine and Bloodmask we didn't succeed in getting really great, convincing deliveries when the language was deliberately unnatural. I'd rather have this character be about the character than about the way he talks. (does that make sense?)
Drew: You are so wrong. Jason Howard said “You've injured my Nosferatu-Class Neuronecromotron” like nobody's business.
Drew added:
And I can't believe we missed the opportunity to make the pearl-handled straight razor not the weapon which West's wife used to kill herself! Jeezum Crow!
That's been fixed.
Salome
This short film was actually released with the DVD of Pandora Machine. Melissa Riker is Salome, Ato Essandoh is Herod, Laura Schlachtmeyer is "Queen Herodius", and Daryl Boling is the hand of the servant...
Plagiarism
James Lee's art. I can't find a web page for him.
Also:
I'm plagiarizing David Latt's Myspace.com blog. Right here. Right now. Because I can't find a way to link to it. He's with www.theasylum.cc and this is an edited version of what he says:
-No more than 115 pages
-No less than 80 pages
-If you really want it read, make it 97 pages
-Put the genre in the first five pages of the script. Meaning … if this is a vampire film, then there better be vampire killings in the first five pages
-Write a traditional three act script
-Each Plot Point should answer the main plot with 'NO'. Meaning…if the plot is, Will Timmy get laid? Then at the first plot point (p. 18) the answer is 'No' because Timmy is sent to an all boys school. Plot point two (p.75) the answer is 'No' because Timmy's pecker fell off (plot point two should always be impossible to make right).
-Do not be lazy. Make each situation impossible to get out of. Do not make it easy. Think Pulp Fiction.
-A minimum of five set ups and pay offs.
-Do not over describe anything.
-Two sentence paragraphs at the most when describing things.
-Write a detailed Bullet Sheet before writing. Use only one line sentence. The whole script should fit on 1 or 2 pages.
-You will win the prize if you think of a cool title.
Blender Tutorial
http://www.robotsoup.com/tutorials/blenderlighting/blendlight.htm
Here's a Blender 3D tutorial from Ian over at www.robotsoup.com
Because you want to use an open-source 3D animation program rather than 3DSMax or such.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Title Generator
How can you not love a fantasy-novel Title generator? http://nine.frenchboys.net/novel.php
Some of my favorites:
Apprentice of Chaos
Island of the Ebony Fire
Keeper's Vengeance
Maidenِ Rogueِ and God
Sea of the Rogue Stone
The Golden Storm
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Well, it works, kinda
The favicon.ico will show up on this blog, just not in IE6. I guess it was good to update anyway. One strange thing about IE7: there's a feature ironically named "cleartype" which makes everything fuzzy.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
General Script Notes
1. Character names should only be in ALL CAPS the first time we see them. I guess some people always put them in caps. I dunno if we should include this in our style sheet, but whatever we do we should be consistent in a given script.
2. Make everything active. Don't put "is being" or "is doing", just say whatever it is they're actually doing.
Even more, tell us about what we're seeing. For example:
"Kelly is being guarded by an alien."
should be:
GROK, a big ugly alien, with a thermal BLASTER in one hand and a bottle of MILK in the other, sneers at Kelly; who struggles fruitlessly against the ROPES binding his hands behind his back.
3. I think we ought to standardize the way we deal with scene headings.
INT. - EVIL SHRINE - NEAR OBELISK - NIGHT
Final Draft likes "INT." with the period. And one dash (-) between each element. Really, I'd like to avoid the second part of the scene place ("NEAR OBELISK" in this example) because that'll make it easier to spit out reports and such.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Front and Back
Here's the actual front and back of the Millennium Crisis "one she
et" or "sell sheet".
et" or "sell sheet".Monday, January 22, 2007
Japanese Distributor Exposed!
I think I found our Japanese distributor: http://www.transformer.co.jp/
They have movies like "Alien Zero" and lots and lots of soccer videos.
It's so exciting!
They have movies like "Alien Zero" and lots and lots of soccer videos.
It's so exciting!
TMI
(Welcome to the wild world of Star Wars literary theory.)
And under further funnys in blogs:
All you wanted to know regarding Star Wars theory.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Project Standards
Every idea at the "let's write something down" stage, whether it is a treatment or a script or even just a story, will have a job number assigned to it.
Since we have to have only one person doling out job numbers, in order to prevent duplicates, that person will be me.
A job number will have four digits. "0701" is the first job of 2007. We can only have 100 script/treatment/stories per year, and we'll be out of business by the year 2100.
Here's an example the file name of a script in Final Draft format:
0701 v1.27 Angry Planet.fdr
Notice that the name of the movie ("Angry Planet") can be changed without affecting the alphabetical order of the project. Also note that every time a script is "handed off" to another writer, or any time anyone makes a change to a script, the "v" number is incremented. Here's an example of the above project when someone has made a change and changed the name:
0701 v1.28 Happy Planet.fdr
The job number (0701) will follow this movie until the very end of its life. "0701" will end up on slates and on contracts in order to identify the movie.
Since we have to have only one person doling out job numbers, in order to prevent duplicates, that person will be me.
A job number will have four digits. "0701" is the first job of 2007. We can only have 100 script/treatment/stories per year, and we'll be out of business by the year 2100.
Here's an example the file name of a script in Final Draft format:
0701 v1.27 Angry Planet.fdr
Notice that the name of the movie ("Angry Planet") can be changed without affecting the alphabetical order of the project. Also note that every time a script is "handed off" to another writer, or any time anyone makes a change to a script, the "v" number is incremented. Here's an example of the above project when someone has made a change and changed the name:
0701 v1.28 Happy Planet.fdr
The job number (0701) will follow this movie until the very end of its life. "0701" will end up on slates and on contracts in order to identify the movie.
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