rewrite

Ready. Set. Edit!

Maximum Z Aardman Films, editing, outlines, proofreading, rewrite, scenes, screenwriting, writing
And I'm off!
Although the starter’s pistol might be a bit much…

My worries may have been for naught.

Fixing those angst-inducing scenes?  Not as tough as I expected. (Maybe I actually AM getting better at this. Wouldn’t that be cool?)

Final page count – 127, but the last page has 3 lines of text on it, including FADE OUT, so paring this down seems a lot more doable now.

So off I go to toil away with my trusty red pen.

In the meantime….what’s on YOUR writing agenda this weekend?

-MOVIE OF THE MOMENT – ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (2011) I don’t usually go in for modern-day Christmas movies, but this was an Aardman production,  which meant the writing  would at least be of good quality.

The plot – Santa’s nerdy younger son must deliver an overlooked present by Christmas morning.

Overall – fun, enjoyable, but not sure I would classify it under ‘the holiday season just isn’t complete without watching this’.

My biggest problem was how they handled the ‘all is lost’ moment at the start of Act Three. It felt like Arthur’s motivation was rejuvenated because the plot required it to be, not because of what was happening. If they had made it feel more organic, I would have probably liked it more.

Still, while some scenes fell neatly into expected/almost-cliched story points, there were others that pleasantly caught me off-guard.  I also liked how there was a lot of the wonderfully dry British humor (which could partially explain why US audiences haven’t embraced Aardman films).

If you’re looking for grown-up-friendly kid films this winter break, this and THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS would make for a good double feature.

A pair of potentially pressing perplexing problems in a possibly penultimate draft

Maximum Z editing, outlines, rewrite, screenwriting, script, story, subplot, writing ,
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Being done with this rewrite is almost a reality; emphasis on the word ‘almost’.

There’s this one scene that’s really bothering me. Something about it feels very…off.  It’s necessary in that it wraps up a subplot, but the way it’s written feels less ‘show’ and more ‘tell’.

I’m not exactly sure how to handle this. The scene still works, but part of me thinks it could be better and another part wonders if it should stay as is. This is definitely going to require some figuring out.

One unfortunate side effect of making changes is it will most likely drag things out and make the script longer, which really is the last thing I need right now.

Which brings me to another issue.

This is at least 7-10 pages too long, so the next step after all the writing is done is to hack, slash and rewrite this down to a more agreeable length.  I don’t want a potentially interested party to be put off by the number of pages before even starting to read it. (Although in my defense, this is a real page-turner of a script)

I don’t like setting deadlines for myself, but with the end of the year looming, the rest of the month seems like a good opportunity to really wrap this script up once and for all.  I’ve been in contact with a professional writer who gives notes, so that’s where it’ll go when all is said and done.

Which will most likely lead to more rewriting, but you and I knew that was going to happen anyway.

Working with the voices in my head

Maximum Z acting, dialogue, rewrite, screenwriting, sound, writing ,
All work, no play and all that...
I’m not crazy. I’m a writer.

When you’re writing out a scene, you probably visualize what’s happening in your mind. But how do you handle the dialogue?

Can you “hear” the characters?

There’s a big difference between reading what somebody’s saying, and actually saying it, or at least hearing it.

Which is why what the characters say is just as important as what we see them doing.

Case in point – I’m currently working on a pivotal scene in Act Three. Something the hero says must effectively convince the villain to do something, and those words really need to make an impact.

These lines have been rewritten at least maybe a dozen times, and may have to go through a dozen more until it feels right to me. Whatever it takes.

Among the many things to consider: Does it sound right? Does it sound natural (and not like “movie dialogue”?) Does it get the point across? Could a reader ‘feel’ the emotion in the text?  Is it too long?  Too short?  Too on-the-nose?  Is this something that character would say?

Give your dialogue a test run. Say the lines the way they’re meant to be said. Become the character and say it like they would.  Let your inner actor out.

But keep in mind your local Starbucks may not let you come back.

Can’t forget B, C and possibly even D

Maximum Z characters, Movie of the Moment, Netflix, outlines, plot, rewrite, screenwriting, script, storytelling, subplot, Wizard of Oz, writing
It’s not all about Dorothy, right?

It’s been a productive couple of days.  I worked a ton of hours on the air, made two well-received pies for Thanksgiving, and even got some writing in.

I’ve reached the part of the outline that says “The End,” but it’s not time to celebrate just yet.  Far from it.  There’s still a lot that has to be done before those words can really be applied.

While the main storyline has wrapped up, it became glaringly obvious that I’d completely ignored my supporting characters. I was so focused on the main character, I forgot to give the others something to do during the climax/showdown portion of the story.  And that’s just wrong.

This has the potential to become a somewhat sticky problem. It’s important that the individual arcs and storylines/subplots each come to a satisfying conclusion, but just as important not to overdo it and drag things out too long (e.g. LOTR: THE RETURN OF THE KING).  There’s always a way to wrap things up. The challenge is finding the right one AND making sure it works.

As always, this is going to take some carefully-orchestrated and organized planning.

Still, any progress is good progress.

-Movie of the Moment. This weekend was also good for making a dent in our Netflix queue.

-BLACK DYNAMITE (2009) A hilarious satire on blaxploitation films that really feels like it came out of the 70s. Star Michael Jai White was also one of the writers.

-DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME (2010) A great combo of martial arts and supernatural mystery set in 7th century China. V was really excited to watch this at first, but in the end was too freaked out. End result – more kids movies for now, leading into…

-PUSS IN BOOTS (2011) or IF ZORRO WAS A CAT. Since there’s a western element, I enjoyed it, and probably would have loved it if I was a cat person.  A sequel to this would be more preferable than yet another SHREK film.

Figuring my way out/through

Maximum Z Disney, goals, ideas, motivation, Movie of the Moment, outlines, problem-solving, rewrite, screenwriting, script, story, storytelling, writing
The solutions are in there somewhere. Just gotta work at finding them

In an attempt to keep the outline momentum going, I’ve been making a sincere effort to squeeze in some writing on a daily basis. Sometimes it may only be 30 minutes or an hour, but I can’t keep making excuses as to why I’m not writing when I’ve got the opportunity to do so.

Lighting a fire under my ass is the only way. This thing ain’t gonna write itself.

And this is especially true now because I’m a few scenes into Act Three, and it’s quickly becoming all uphill from here.

I’ve got a semi-workable previous draft to work from, but some of the story details have been changed.  My next task is basically figure out what happens next using the practical approach: plot out each storyline, then weave them all together into an intricate, compelling and satisfying finale that ties up a lot of loose ends.

Daunting, but not impossible.

Also doesn’t hurt that I’m working a double shift on Thursday, which means lots of time to make some good headway. Dare I even consider reaching The End? We’ll see…

-Movie of the Moment. WRECK-IT RALPH (2012) – the latest from Disney*. If you were part of the 80s arcade experience and stayed involved with video games into the present, then you’ll probably enjoy this.

I liked it, but more for how the story was told, rather than what it was actually about.  It was impressive how there were a lot of setups throughout Acts One and Two that all paid off during the climax of Act Three. (I’ll be keeping this in mind for my outline).

Maybe the one thing that really stuck with me was that during the second half of Act Two, the focus seems to move away from title character Ralph and more towards supporting character Vanellope. I’m trying to figure out how it could have stayed more on Ralph.

As always, the voice talent is perfectly matched with their characters – especially John C. Reilly as Ralph, Jack McBrayer as Felix and Jane Lynch as Calhoun.  It was also surprising to see Sarah Silverman have a much bigger role than expected.

I’d categorize this as another movie I enjoyed in the theatre, but don’t feel like I need to own it. Same thing applies to BRAVE from earlier this year. Still, Disney always does high-quality work and it’s a feast for the eyes on the big screen.

*I originally thought this was a Pixar production, but it’s not. Proper edits have been implemented.