screenwriting

A work in progress

Maximum Z radio, Radioslot.com, screenwriting, The Script Adventurer!
gotta start somewhere

After weeks of stressing out and adding more gray to my hair, I had my illustrious debut today on radioslot.com with my new show about writing and movies, with a working title of…The Script Adventurer! (exclamation point included).  Why that?  Because writing is an adventure in itself.  I also thought it sounded fun.

In retrospect, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be, except for the dry mouth in the beginning, occasional cough and having to rehydrate every once in a while.

I will also add that it’s a really good thing I had a lot of material to work with.  When it’s just you talking for 45-50 minutes out of an hour, you go through a lot of topics.  But I think I did okay.

The show as it stands is still a little all-over-the-place, but I have a few ideas for future segments and topics, so it should become a little easier.  Having guests will also help.  I’ve got two lined up, and am working on a few more.

I still have to set up a link on this page, but for now, the show ‘airs’ live on Mondays, 1-2PM PST on radioslot.com with a few rebroadcasts in the week between shows.  Feel free to listen in, and if you have a question or comment, you can call in at 415.735.SLOT (7568) or send me an email at paul@radioslot.com.

It was a bumpy start, but I’m off and running with this thing.  Want to come along?

All about the prep

Maximum Z Radioslot.com, screenwriting, script doctor eric
Don't mind me. Just lookin' stuff up

Jeez, am I tired.  The past week has been a lot of non-stop getting ready for the premiere episode of my online radio show. Since it’s just me gabbing away, I’ve been trying to compile more than enough material.  It’s much better to have something left over than to run out early.

This is the part where I say thank goodness for the Internet. While my screenwriting knowledge may not be as extensive as, say, Robert McKee’s, I still have a grasp of the basics, and feel pretty comfortable talking about them.

Despite me having worked just shy of twenty years in radio, the latter fifteen actually on the air, I’ve never done a show this long. It’s always been some  chatter between songs, or a 90-second traffic report.  But as mentioned above, the more I have to talk about, the better.

I also have to give credit where credit is due to the one and only Script Doctor Eric.  He consented to being my guest for the audition show, which I suspect played an important part in sealing the deal for me getting the gig.

It was great talking to him. We discussed his background, writing tips, and other assorted-but-related topics.  The time really flew by.  He even agreed to be on the show again in the future.  Nice.

Mark your calendars: Mondays, 1-2PM PST on http://www.radioslot.com, starting this coming week.  Give it a listen.

 

Ain’t that a kick in the head

Maximum Z comic books, radio, Radioslot.com, screenwriting, webcomics, writing
Coming soon to a computer near you!

I apologize for the lack of posts over the past few weeks. I’ve been developing a big new project, and now I can finally talk about it.

I’m going to be hosting a weekly hour-long online radio show about writing and movies on Radioslot.com. It should launch in the next few weeks. Keep in mind this is NOT a podcast, which you can download and listen to anytime you want. This will have a designated live broadcast time, and possibly one to two rebroadcasts in the week until the next new show.

Since the show will be done live, there may be a chance for listeners to email questions/comments, which could be addressed live.  Tthe emphasis will be on writing and movies, but knowing me, there will probably also be the occasional dip into assorted other fields, such as comics and webcomics.  I’m also in the process of setting up some interviews.  I had a great guest for my audition show, and hope to bring him and his partner back.

Once everything is finalized, I’ll set up a link.  Despite my cool exterior appearance, I’m actually all aflutter.  Exciting times, indeed.

Suffice to say, my writing progress has taken somewhat of a hit during this time. Maybe about 7 or 8 pages, but I’m hoping to get a little more back on track soon.

-Movie of the Moment – CHRONICLE (2012). This was one of the first 2010 Black List scripts I read, and was looking forward to seeing it.  Putting my enjoyment of superhero flicks aside, this was quite well done.  It took a realistic approach to a fantasy subject, and didn’t short-change either side.

Parts of the script warranted a hard R rating, but those parts were toned down to make it PG-13, and I wonder if keeping it as originally written would have worked better. Case in point – the spider scene  stayed the same, but the script has Andrew doing the same thing to his father in the hospital room. While that would have been pretty messy, but just dropping him seemed not as effective.  I also remember the final showdown (the original script is set in Portland, Oregon) as having more spectacle to it.

Don’t get me wrong. This was a lot of fun and definitely worth your time.

Is it funny?

Maximum Z comedy, screenwriting

A friend read my Chinese restaurant comedy last week. He said he really enjoyed it, adding he “hadn’t laughed that much in a long time.” I’m glad he feels that way. Every comedy writer hopes somebody thinks their work is funny, but his comments got me thinking.  I’ve read lots of comedies, but they usually don’t make me laugh.

This has always been a problem for me.  Don’t know why. The last thing I remember laughing out loud while reading was a Blackadder script.

A lot of times I’ll hear about a script making the rounds that’s supposed to be hilarious.  I’ll read it and wonder “what’s the big deal?”  I guess it takes a certain eye to process and enjoy comedy in written form, but I don’t seem to have it.  More power to those who do.

It’s a lot easier for me to enjoy and appreciate a good joke in it’s intended form, such as a movie or tv show. It also helps to not be the only one watching.  A comedy with an audience of one is never as funny.

It’s even easier to laugh at something audio-based, like a podcast.  Many’s the time I’ve had to stop running because I was laughing so hard at something I just heard.  Would I have this kind of reaction if I had read the bit, rather than heard it?  Hard to say.

My friend said he’d pass the script on to some his industry pals.  Can’t help but wonder if they’ll think it’s funny.

When all else fails, go to DIE HARD – or – Thank you, John McClane

Maximum Z action, Die Hard, rewrite, screenwriting, story
An action film done right

Unusually busy this week, including initial prepping for a potentially huge project, so not much progress on the rewrite front.  I also feel like I’ve been ignoring LUCY, so I brought the trusty notepad to last night’s hockey practice in an effort to see what I could come up with.

I’m up to around the page 75 mark, and need to get to the end of Act Two.  The action and stakes have to be ramped up, and just about everything in that part of the initial outline wasn’t going to work.  Simply put, I’m starting over.  Sometimes that can be good and inspirational, but looking at that blank page didn’t help.

My good guys need to reconnect with the bad guys. The situation has to be progressively harder for them, with the title character driving things forward.  But how to make this happen?  Ding! The light bulb appears.  Pick ’em off, one by one, leading to the showdown in Act Three! That’s it! Wooo! And what better an example of this than DIE HARD?

*Side note – you gotta admit it’s incredibly cool that DIE HARD is now considered a Christmas classic, right up there with A CHRISTMAS STORY and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE.  No holiday season should be without watching it.

While there have been numerous copies, some done right, some not, this is a great blueprint to follow for a solidly-constructed action story.  Hard to find any big flaws in it.

For an entertaining analysis/review, click here.

Now that I have an idea of how to move ahead, I can work out the details of how to break up each sequence into 2-3 scenes per scenario, all of which will lead into the “all is lost” moment at the end of Act Two.  I still have a few gaps to fill, but confidence is running high.

Gotta tell ya – feels pretty good to overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.