Year: 2011

Look out! It’s the iBorg!

Maximum Z Apple, computer, outlines, screenwriting, Triggerstreet
So THAT'S what happened to Steve Jobs...

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are currently a one-computer family.  Unfortunately, it’s my 6-year-old IBM laptop, which has become very tempermental in the past few months.  My eyes roll and I swear under my breath every time “(Not Responding)” appears at the top of my screen.

But this week that’s going to change.  After years of being a PC, I’m making the switch to a Mac. I have no idea what to expect, but it’ll definitely be interesting. I’ll have to contact the fine folks at Movie Magic Screenwriter to find out if I have to buy a new version or if I can switch over. I’ve used MMS since way back, when it was originally called Script Thing.

This will be the third Apple product in my possession. I already have an iPod and an iPhone. No doubt an iPad is somewhere in the future as well; it looks like the perfect venue for checking out a script without lugging a laptop around. It would probably just be easier to have an Apple logo tattooed somewhere scandalous and install an earbud jack and USB port somewhere easily accessible.

A benefit of having one computer is that while K uses the laptop for her purposes, it forces me to work with pen and paper.  Since I’d rather use my computer time to write pages anyway, I’m using my spare time to work on editing my LUCY outline.  It’s been more helpful than I expected.

Yesterday involved cutting out a big chunk of the first act – almost 9 scenes. While I hated to do it, it had to be done.  But it tightened the story, sped things up and kept the action going.  Besides, I can re-use some of the cut items later if necessary.

-I started reading an assigned script from TriggerStreet. I’m only on page 7, and so far, I’m not impressed.  Only 115 pages to go. Oy. This ain’t gonna be easy.

Only 105 pages to go, or thereabouts…

Maximum Z Movie of the Moment, rewrite, screenwriting
My choice for the perfect script

I feel majorly pumped not only because I got to page 10 today, but there is some really strong writing in there.  This is worlds apart from the previous version.

I’m trying to not second-guess myself whether or not everything’s working so far (which I think it is anyway), and am just trying to have fun during the writing process while (hopefully) also making it a fun and exciting read.

I thought about offering the pages to anybody interested in checking them out, but then decided to wait until the whole thing is ready.  It’s better that way.  Besides, it’s not like I don’t report on my progress; just not many specific details.

-Movie of the Moment – THE STUNT MAN (1980). I’m only about 45 minutes into it. Can’t for the life of me remember the name of the lead, but he’s a wanted man on the run (no details as to why just yet) and may have accidentally killed a man.  He manages to find his way onto a WWI film set (in San Diego?!), and by inadvertently saving the film-with-the-film’s leading lady, is offered a stuntman job by the director, played by Peter O’Toole.

I like what I’ve seen so far, but the lead isn’t that great an actor, and sometimes it seems as if the story can’t make up its mind. Does it want to be a thriller, a comedy, or a drama? A little clarity would be nice.

I remember watching Siskel and Ebert review this waaay back when on SNEAK PREVIEWS on PBS (Channel 12, WHYY in Philadelphia).  Funny how this is the first time I got around to actually watching it.

And…he’s off!

Maximum Z outlines, rewrite, screenwriting
On your mark...get set...

Managed to get to page 4 today.  Each scene playing out how I want it to – so far. I’m also working on keeping things as short and to the point as possible.

Still hoping to get a draft done by the end of September.

While I was finishing up the outline and dreaming of when I’d have a draft ready to send out, I realized I still need to work on the logline.  What I had before was not as good as I thought.

-V had hockey practice yesterday morning, which usually means I zip out, grab a coffee and sit in the stands, watching for just over an hour.  But since my laptop is a slow-running dinosaur, working on pages was not an option.

So I opted to take a look at my LUCY outline and see if it still held up.  I haven’t looked at it since I finished it, which I think was in March or April.

I liked what was in the first ten pages, but a scene around page 11 or so kind of threw me.  I wasn’t sure if that particular subplot really works.  It got me wondering if that whole storyline was solid enough.  Answer – I’m not sure.  it kind of does, but I don’t know if it’s enough.  During off-time from DREAMSHIP, I’ll work on a few possible alternates and see what comes up.

Still an exciting story though.

A little swagger

Maximum Z outlines, screenwriting
an underrated icon of cool

The plunge has been been taken. The bullet has been bitten. The bull’s horns have been grabbed.

I have started on pages, and it feels quite liberating.  I’m still only on the first page, but there’s something about this draft that makes it seem bursting with potential.

In some ways, I’m completely abandoning previous drafts in an effort to make this one feel completely fresh, and so far it seems to be working.  Or at least from what I’m feeling while still on the the first page.

One thing I’ve noticed from some of the scripts I’ve read recently is that some of them have quite a distinctive voice, so that’s something else I’m working on.

There are still a few small problems to be addressed, but they have more to do with backstory, rather than what’s going on now.  I may even go so far as to write ‘WORK ON THIS’ where necessary and just keep going.

With any luck, a completed draft by the end of September. Into the abyss!

What, again?

Maximum Z ideas, Rossio & Elliott, screenwriting, The Lone Ranger
There wolf, kemosabe

I try to come up with original ideas for my scripts. Maybe something entirely new, or at least slightly different from something else.  Example – how many scripts have you seen about a Jewish cook in a Chinese restaurant? See?

A few days ago, it was reported that THE LONE RANGER had been scrapped due to a bloated budget, not to mention a ludicrous storyline involving werewolves(?!) and that it would focus more on Tonto.  I don’t have time to go into why all of these are WRONG to begin with, but I just found out that the new draft is going to feature three major sequences involving TRAINS.

Hmm.  A Western where a whole lot of the action takes place on trains. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? (not to slight the efforts of this guy either)

Apparently Mssrs Rossio and Elliott are tapping into my mind and extracting the ideas.

Yes, I know there are only so many ideas floating around out there, but this isn’t the first time there’s been a weird connection between me and them.

A few years ago, I came up with what I thought was an original idea  story about zombie pirates terrorizing a coastal town.  Just as I’m finishing up my initial outline, I read that Disney’s tentpole release for the following summer is PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (the first one).  I sally forth and get a draft done. By now, their movie has come out and is a huge smash. Knowing there will be a deluge of similar scripts, I change my villains from pirates to cowboys.  I crank out a draft, create a clever query letter campaign, but no interest.  That script is in a virtual filing cabinet now, waiting to be retrieved and rewritten at some later date.

Once I’m done with my DREAMSHIP rewrite, I’ll get to work on LUCY, even though it may now be an even harder uphill climb.  But I still like the story, and think it would make for an impressive script.

And just think, maybe someday in the future, you’ll catch the latest hit from Rossio & Elliott and be able to say “I bet that was Paul’s idea first.” And chances are you could be right.  Especially if it’s THE 3 STOOGES: UNDERCOVER G-MEN!.  Then all bets are off.