Author: Maximum Z

Why here, not there

Maximum Z Los Angeles, San Francisco, screenwriting

Nice progress on LUCY’s third act so far. There’s still a gap between where I am now and the end, but it’s slowly shrinking.  I’m making sure not to rush it.  Confidence still relatively high.

This morning I read the latest of several interviews with people still getting their careers underway.  Just about all of them moved to LA from somewhere else, worked their asses off and are making some headway.  Good for them.

Many of my friends and co-workers ask “If you want to write movies, why don’t you live in LA?”

Because I don’t want to.

Yes, it’s where the industry is based.  Where opportunities are plentiful.  Where the magic happens, etc, etc.

I’ve been there many times, and for my taste, I don’t really care for it.  I’m sure it’s a great place to live, but given the choice between San Francisco and Los Angeles, I’ll take Fog City.

Besides, I can write anywhere.  And once I get a career going, it’s a one-hour flight from SFO to LAX.  I could probably spend the same amount of time getting there as some people do on the 405.

When K and I were getting ready to leave school, we knew we wanted to be in a metropolitan area.  After going through our list of criteria, San Francisco was at the top of the list.  We haven’t regretted the choice ever since.

I’ve been to screenwriting expos and weekend seminars.  At least half of the people are local, the rest are from the rest of the world.  Movies may be made in LA, but you don’t have to live there to write one.  Like I’m always hearing, if the script is good enough, they’ll come to you.

Which is what I’m working on.

The end is that much closer now

Maximum Z French, Jeunet, Lucy Steele, Movie of the Moment, outlines, screenwriting, westerns

Yet another milestone has been reached: I got to the end of Act 2. And I like how it ended. Stakes are raised. Subplots are beginning to tie together. Outcomes are in doubt. Thrilling stuff indeed.

Surprisingly, I’m not as concerned about Act 3. I know how the thing is going to end. A lot of elements I originally thought of are still in play. I’m fairly certain I can keep things edge-of-your-seat exciting and still wrap it all up in a satisfying manner. The brainstorming and outlining has begun. My self-imposed Wondercon deadline has been set, and I’ll do my best to make it. If not, I can take comfort in knowing that the end if somewhat near.

Movie of the Moment: Another two-fer.

We finished watching Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s MICMACS (still no idea what it means), an utterly charming French film about the takedown of two arms manufacturers. There’s a definite sense of whimsy throughout that it could be considered almost fantasy-like.

It’s a shame more American films don’t take this kind of approach, but I think Terry Gilliam may come closest.

-On a whim, I pulled out a copy of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN that K got me years ago. Good God, this movie is 51 YEARS OLD!

I love THE SEVEN SAMURAI and am so grateful Hollywood got its version right. It may not be possible to watch this and not feel extra manly. A double-feature of this and THE GREAT ESCAPE would be dripping with testosterone.

As I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for a good western and this definitely falls into that category.

Closing in*

Maximum Z Black List, Last Son of Isaac Lemay, Lucy Steele, Movie of the Moment, outlines, screenwriting

*This was intended for Thursday, but was delayed until today due to my child’s soccer practice, followed by a hockey game. Suffice to say, I was wiped.

Really good progress today. I managed to get through that gap that was hindering me over the past few days, so there are about 4-5 scenes left until I hit the end of Act 2. And since I did that ‘working backward’ thing last week, the basic blueprint is ready and waiting. All I have to do now is flesh it out a little.

Then I move on to Act 3, and voila. An outline is born.

It’s no understatement to say I’m quite psyched as I get closer to starting down the home stretch.

-I got to read Black List script THE LAST SON OF ISAAC LEMAY, a very dark Western by Greg Johnson. I call it dark because there is a tremendous amount of violence in it, which I didn’t have a problem with because it really emphasizes the brutality of that time.

Issac is an aging outlaw roaming the West in search of his numerous progeny, convinced that since he is evil, they must be as well and therefore must be eliminated. We see him kill a good-natured son, and in a daring move, a 5-year-old girl (offscreen, of course).

But as if to justify his quest, there’s Cal, who has no qualms about shooting somebody. You know these two are going to have a showdown before this is over, and it’s going to be a bloody trail while we get there.

There are also subplots involving a half-breed Army lieutenant searching for a stolen Gatling gun, a stepfather out for justice and a whore who never seems to leave her room. (That last one is my only complaint about the story; the character is a key story element, but it seems like all she ever does is stay in her room and wail.)

What I liked the most about this script was how Johnson says so much with so little. His use of just the right handful of words paints a clear mental picture. I also enjoyed how all the characters, even down to the minor ones, are developed so as to really give each one a personality. All of this really helps keep things moving at a good clip.

Even though I’m also working on a Western, mine is a little lighter in mood and leans more towards adventure, whereas this is more of a thriller and a lot more violent. Always room for diversity within a genre.

I couldn’t find any record of this being bought, but it is listed for potential release in 2013.

Movie of the Moment: THE SOCIAL NETWORK. Since I haven’t seen THE KING’S SPEECH, I can’t determine which was the stronger Best Picture candidate. But I can see why this one was.

I’m still trying to determine if Mark Zuckerberg is supposed to be the protagonist or the antagonist. Either way, he makes for a fascinating lynchpin connecting all the subplots together.

This may have been the fastest 2-hour movie I’ve ever seen. Aaron Sorkin’s script really zooms by. Easy to see why he won Best Adapted Screenplay. As a co-worker put it, he took a boring subject and made it interesting.

Exhiliration & frustration

Maximum Z Black List, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Last Son of Isaac Lemay, Lucy Steele, outlines, screenwriting, westerns, Wondercon

Definite progress today.  Still not to the end of Act 2, but the gap is closing.

I like what I came up with, but am already trying to figure out whether it’s the perfect fit.  For now, it works and will help me move ahead.

One particular scene starting getting too silly and seemed very out of place, so I scrapped it and started again.  The benefit being I now know what NOT to use.

I may actually have semi-normal hours tomorrow, so I can work on it a little longer than I have been.  I’m really hoping to be done with the whole outline by the end of the month, or at least before Wondercon, which is also rapidly approaching.

I also plan on reviewing the Black List script THE LAST SON OF ISSAC LEMAY, a gritty Western. Lots of blood and gunfire seem to be the two main focuses.

Movie of the Moment: MICMACS, by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who also did AMELIE and THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN. Off to a very whimsical and entertaining start, but that means cutting this short since I have to pay attention to the subtitles.

So close I can taste it

Maximum Z Lucy Steele, outlines, plot, screenwriting

The problem I’ve been having with this particular section of LUCY is how to ramp up the action while moving the story forward. But then I get stuck in how to execute that action.

I have a list of story ideas that has come in really handy, but lately it feels like the well has run dry.  There is one possibility that I’m working on.  There’s definite potential in it, but I’m working on seeing if it will fit.  I’ll feel better if I can make it work.  Which it will.

Once I figure out the next couple of scenes, I can move on to Act 3. And the ideas are already developing for that.