The future playground?

So how is the film/tv/internet story venue changing?

We are currently in the process of changing over to a new business model - from 'scarcity controlled' to experience based 'when you want it, where you want it, how you want it'.
Interesting times for anyone in the visual media business.

Barrett Garese has an essay on the subject you might find interesting, here.

Creativity comes when you call.

Steve has this gem in his current post:
"I think the most important thing here is something I've always known but it can be difficult to convince yourself: Making the decision to create is what actually makes the creativity flow. It's not the external thing that many people would like to think. It comes from you and your decision."

For years I've convinced myself I can't write poetry unless the Muse hits, but then I don't generally want to try writing poetry most of the time anyway. So not a problem.
When it comes to story writing though, I realise I've been doing something similar: somehow seeing the delay-time needed to get into character as an external factor working on me rather than being a fully internal process that I can control.

Getting in to the heads of the people that you are writing ...
Craig Mazin has a great post on this You Need To Be A Little Insane, go read it!
... while I definitely didn't have this under the same Muse-only category, I know I can force myself in to it; it is just hard work and serious concentration to put myself back in the correct shoes until I've got to know the characters well enough that they start talking to me.

Plot is also a sit down and make it happen thing for me, but generally so intimately linked to character ... I find I create both as I go along, and I generally don't get the story locked down in any real way until I'm about three quarters of the way through the story outline/treatment. And I find I can't start writing "good" dialogue until the characters are talking and acting/reacting of their own free will.

I think this is part of why it takes me so long to write anything on spec.
[Does this make me a method writer, rather than just a writer? No. Wrong analogy. ... Ah ha!*]
And I know that this is where the gap lies between being a professional writer whose career and money earning come from writing, and a writer who just writes.
And that is something I've been wrestling with for years.

I want to be a professional writer. I'm going to have to refine my approach even further. *sigh* At least I've twigged this part of it consciously now. *rolls eyes* Took me long enough.
Thanks for the inspiration Steve! :)

*The Ah ha! was me realising that I need to embrace my insanity rather than shy away from it. ... Which might make me even odder than I already am. Ah f*ck it! We're all unique in our own special ways, mine just might be a bit more special. ;)

Blinking vandals!!!

rduht [http://www.blogger.com/profile/01217890924368000924] has left linkspam all over my previous posts. ... Well okay, on one post. But I ain't happy.

Anyone know how to delete this shit?

It's worse than bl**dy seagulls crapping all over the place.


**********************************************************************************

[UPDATE]
It's okay, after I calmed down a bit I worked out how to stick his/her/its spam-covered behind permanently in the round file.

Sorted.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Mountain or mole hill?

At what point do we stop worrying?

I suspect never. Afterall each rewrite brings something new, more polished, to the table.

Okay, so you've found your producer, they like it, they want to make it. They give you notes. You tweek accordingly. They appear happy. It's good. They vanish off to locate funding.

Which gives you time to think....

And on reflection you know the story can be better.

If you rip half the story out and start all over again, potentially the next version will knock your - and everyone elses - socks off. ... Or it might not.

The producer is happy with what is there. And there's no guarantee that the new version actually will be better. You might wind up destroying the certain something that attracted them to that particular story in the first place.

Bit of a tight rope to walk.

So you don't. You leave it. And you worry.

You really don't need to.

Either the film will be made, or lets face it - smoke and mirrors - won't be made. It's out of your hands.

Powerless.

All writers are control freaks. Let's face it, crafting a story - influencing your characters lives ... feels pretty close to being a divinity. Even if only in the world you've created.

Being powerless over the fate of your story => fear => worry.

We all go through that fire, that torment. Part of being a writer.

I think once the producer has said yes, they like it, they want to make it, ... I think you are allowed to stop worrying and move onto the next project. Relax, have an hour or two off, and then dive into the next story.

Fires of creation burn better and hotter than the cool fire of torment.

Have at it, says I. On to the next inferno! :)

Want a laugh?

Not enough dark humour in your life?

Check out Phillip Barron's new masterpiece Just For The Record. You can find the trailer on his blog by clicking here.

Trailer makes me giggle. Can't wait to see the film!

Put the word out, it's gonna be good. :)

"Just tell the story"

"Just tell the story." He said knowingly.
"But -- " I started...
He interrupted by capturing me with those lovely brown eyes of his.
...
You ever had anyone do that to you? Ever had an actor you think is sexy capture you with his eyes? Ever had Bruce Campbell do that to you? It's a pretty amazing experience.


Sorry, felt in need of a writing-related gloat. My insecurities must be playing up today.

The reason I bring it up, is, I think in the last few days I stumbled on to a key bit of wisdom. Something just clicked as I've been plotting a rewrite. It's about the writing process - and the bitch of it is, I have no idea where to start explaining it using words.
Pretty poor show for a wordsmith.

It is to do with getting emotion on to the page during the treatment / outline stage ... or, if you are into cards pinned to a board, then.

And it all links back to "Just tell the story".

SCENE A) informs how we feel about a character, what we know they have just experienced, SCENE B) builds on SCENE A, so you don't have to explain exactly what's going on - because the audience can see the image in SCENE B and make a reasonable guess about what is going on emotionally with the character.

In this instance, in SCENE A someone is tense, scared, has been messing with supernatural powers that they shouldn't have, it all reaches a crisis point ... SCENE B we see them again, in the same location, relaxed, character smiles gently - - and we know they have very likely been possessed. ... But we don't need to show the possession, and we don't need to explain in the action line that the character has been possessed - because we don't want the audience to know for sure, until a bit later in the story when it becomes really obvious that that's what is going on.

Again it's to do with the off screen story. In this case the villain's.

See, I've not explained it very well.

But I have finally grokked it. I knew this stuff before, but I didn't grok it. And now I do.

I wanted to share it with you.

If I can work out how to explain it any better than this, I'll post again later on.