peaks and troughs

Woo - had my first ever hits spike over the last couple of days - what with the survey (below) and results etc. But now thankfully everything's back to normal

Have been revising the current treatment as the first quarter was proclaimed too 'pedestrian'. In fact there've been some extremely heated email exchanges about what can work. At least both sides are now being extremely honest and opinionated about what is required - which I like - rather than vague, squirmy and roundabout - which I hate. After all, isn't that what expletives are for?

Onwards.

scriptwriter blog survey results

click on scans to go large:

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts,

I am at the end of my tether. Please advise. Lately my husband of 8 years has been receiving facebook messages from a man in Israel. I am not normally the jealous type and his desk top correspondence does not generally concern me. However, he has been inundated with hugs from this man who appears to be at least 20 years his senior in age. Apparently they met on the West Bank in a war zone several years ago.

Last night he received 14 hugs with big 'X' kisses from this man. I have considered that perhaps his admirer is someone who is not yet fully versed in the ways of facebook or that he possibly may be insane.

However my heart is full of gloom in anticipation

Please advise me urgently as I do not know where to turn...

Yours in torment.

Far Away

thin week

A barely there, size zero of a week this one - with only Tuesday and Wednesday that are not holidays here. I was planning to do a 10 pgs a day x 10 day blitz to produce a first draft of the current script in 2 working weeks - but the week's thinness is pushing me towards starting the week after.

The survey below had me skipping all over the scribosphere - trying to chivvy responses - so if you haven't done it yet - please do. I'll leave it up for another week (or so) while I try and work out a way of posting up the responses. UPDATE: There are 52 responses so far including 6 incomplete ones - would be good to round off the total at 50. Results to be posted on 29th. Anyone with an interest in scriptwriting blogs can answer - newbies, old hands, writers and non-writers. And it is global - so all US, Canadian bloggers - drop by for 1 minute. So far the UK is well represented, SA less so and there've even been responses from New Zealand and Zimbabwe…

Laters

the script blog survey is here!

but I can't put it inside a blog post aggh! Anyway please take the survey by going over there on your right - at the top of the sidebar and click on "view survey" under the pink square.

Any problems, leave a comment. Ta.

SURVEY NOW CLOSED

punchy

Feedback finally arrived and it's all very do-able. I'm on the right track - just have to punch up the emotional drama even more. So back to work and..

punch up, punch up
punch up...
(c'mon you know you want to join in..)

I had a blogwave in the middle of the night and thought why not do a visitor poll? All writers like filling out forms and answering questions about themselves don't they? - so yes! I'll have a fiddle with blogger over the next while and see... Of course you all must answer it - all eight of you - but it will be totally anonymous...

punch up punch up

blogface

Interesting week - had my half-brother pay a lengthy visit to the blog - which was kind of unnerving - especially since I've not actually met him in real life yet - only on facebook and email. Anyway hello! and glad you dropped by..

Been a bit slack on the blog. I could blame these power cuts (now time-tabled at 2 hours twice a week) but that'd be a lie, since they're fairly easy to work around. While awaiting my treatment feedback (which still hasn't come) thought I'd try and knock out a brand new one. But after 3 days, the story just wasn't happening and clearly needed to ferment some more - so didn't meet that deadline.

What else? After reading this story in the Sunday Times a couple of weeks back, I thought hmm - since I have some bits by the same artist - maybe I should go and get them valued at Christies. Anyhow they were in touch very quickly to say that my 23 year old letter and unsigned A5 pencil sketch on a piece of torn notepad were 'interesting' and could go to auction with a conservative reserve of £2500 - £3000 but may fetch 2 or 3 times that. Not bad huh? I'm tempted.

Laters.

Input 2008: Africa

Input 2008 (Africa) takes place in Johannesburg from 4th- 10th May. This year's conference includes various special sessions.

Made in Africa is an international training opportunity for new and emerging documentary filmmakers from across Africa and takes place on May 3rd and 4th.

Ousmane Sembene: Inside and Out explores the work and cinematic influence of Ousmane Sembene. This event on May 5th is moderated by Pedro Pimenta.

The Story Tree explores myths and perceptions of Africa (past and present) and the ways the continent is being re-imagined through African filmmaking. This discussion event takes place on May 6th and is moderated by Kethiwe Ncgobo and Jean Pierre Bekolo.

Input will also see the launch of The Human Bondage Project with Harry Belafonte as keynote speaker. The HBP is a global joint venture between the SABC, UNESCO and other international organisations and filmmakers. The aim is to produce - a drama series, a documentary series and various feature films on slavery within the next 5 years.

Full details of the Input event, registration, participation, Input blog and facebook group are available on the website - click here.

forecast

Last day of the school holidays today - yeehaaa! Managed to get my treatment in only one day late and since now have to wait for feedback until end of next week, maybe there's time to look at some of those deadlines...

The story I've been working on is a commission and rather a departure for me - being a real rollercoaster, gut wrenching, family drama. Although I am enjoying the writing - the peaks / troughs and emotional 'button pushing' is not something I tend to be drawn to when writing my own specs. I prefer to be more subtly subversive and peel away layers - which maybe doesn't always work in the right way. Perhaps the script will end up needing both.

Writing someone else's story can give you a perspective on the stories you like telling and why you enjoy telling them.

This one is again based on a true story (maybe I'm getting a bit typecast here). After reading the original script (which was all over the place and definitely did not work) and the various news reports etc, I found that I had little sympathy towards one main character - so the biggest battle was warming to her. I found that giving her an affinity for Pinot Grigio helped.

Being holiday time, daughter and hub are around quite a bit so inevitably I've ended up testing bits of the story on them. Hub had tears in his eyes at one point (ha!) and now my daughter keeps asking me to tell her 'the plane bit again'. Someone told me once that if a musician is composing a song - and other people around (usually children) pick up on the tune quickly and start humming it - then bingo - it 'works'. Going by my domestic barometer - maybe I have a result.

Until feedback indicates otherwise (ha!)

Laters.

deadlines..

Yes today I had a deadline to meet - finish writing and submit my 10 page feature treatment. So did I do it? No I didn't. Very unusual for me but, after 3 days of school holidays, Crusty Custard Mumple on a loop and an afternoon of extreme bungee trampolining with my daughter, I'd come to the conclusion that writing a treatment in 7 days was probably not possible. Instead I emailed off copious amounts of fascinating, distracting and thought-provoking (ahem) notes to sidetrack the producers along with a suggestion for a new date - which happily has been accommodated. [Lesson for producers - if writers have to meet a deadline - pay them afterwards not beforehand.]

As an aside - there seem to be so many other deadlines around this month - things to go in for, submit, write up bits for.. Don't you think? I wonder if its possible to meet all of them....

in love with a rabbit

I don't often get excited by these gadgety things - and it was actually my daughter who started jumping up and down today when an ad for this popped on to the screen - nabaztag - the wifi rabbit.

Now I don't think I can live without one. Has anyone tried it?

Script Camp Lite

Nice little opportunity here to GET PAID to write your South African spec screenplay - while staying at home. Almost too good to be true - isn't it?

This opportunity was specially created for those writers who work or do other stuff and are/were unable to devote three months of their life to the (previously advertised) residential 3 month script camp.

Deadline is April 18th 2008 and full details are available - click here.