Ok another scintillating topic - brads. The industry standard brad of choice for scriptwriters all over the globe is the ACCO brad.
I actually prefer the wider headed silver brads that used to be fairly easy to purchase in many UK stationers but they are difficult to get hold of here. I arrived with a large box but after they were all consumed I resorted to re-using them and even prizing them off other people's scripts (ha ha!). After a while they can rust and the washers go astray or they get too bendy or break. Here in Cape Town I've hunted high and low for them - to no avail.
So I started using butterfly pins which are almost identical to the industry brads - gold and two pronged but there are no washers to accompany them. It doesn't bode well (for a critique) if someone stabs their fingers trying to extract a script from an envelope.
Purely for home (or temporary use) there are treasury tags. I've always found these to be highly impractical and have never, ever sent off a script fixed with treasury tags. I've never used those curly ring bindings either.
My latest binding of choice is the 'file fastener'. These metal knife things bend through the punched holes and then slide into a clasp for safety. I know that these are also a 'no no' in industry circles but at least they look neat and are easy to remove - though they can also prove lethal for readers. They're also readily available.
So what do you use?
Showing posts with label organising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organising. Show all posts
Friday, November 09, 2007
Friday, August 03, 2007
whale
While I'm busy catching up on form-filling admin things, here's a whale jumping at Hermanus.
Later
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Friday, June 08, 2007
A day in the life of a scriptwriter
The day starts early - very early - my daughter is up at 5.30 without fail - rain or shine, so it's a bit hard to stay in bed much later than 6am. Early morning is spent getting her ready for school then hub drops her off just after 7.30. Then 'Eyes' arrives around 8 o clock.
Normally I've made a list - the evening before - of things I still need to do the next day. Right now I have all these edit scripts outstanding from the children's TV series. Doing them should have been a piece of cake - tweaking the shooting scripts here and there - but due to the extensive re-edit, not so. I have to view and transcribe it word for word. Laborious. This all needs to be typed and submitted along with the final accounts (grrr) and other paperwork in order to get the last chunk of funds from the broadcaster. I keep putting it off.
Unless there's a deadline, the daily routine is fairly fluid. The script log book gets checked through to see how long things have been out. Then I skip around the internet around to see what's happening everywhere. Plus I read the local and international trades online and the papers. Today I check the bank - wooee been paid for the first jazz article! Then look for stuff for my daughter's 5th birthday party (month end). Then notice the desk has half an inch of dust all over it - so take everything off and do a major polish.
But if I have a deadline - then it's straight to work - I can do an 8 hour writing day, more or less, before my daughter's back at 3. There's usually Sky news burbling away in the background unless hub is in, then it's the new Russian news channel or Al Jazeera or something that's not quite so preoccupied with the current movements of Paris Hilton.
That's about it.
Normally I've made a list - the evening before - of things I still need to do the next day. Right now I have all these edit scripts outstanding from the children's TV series. Doing them should have been a piece of cake - tweaking the shooting scripts here and there - but due to the extensive re-edit, not so. I have to view and transcribe it word for word. Laborious. This all needs to be typed and submitted along with the final accounts (grrr) and other paperwork in order to get the last chunk of funds from the broadcaster. I keep putting it off.
Unless there's a deadline, the daily routine is fairly fluid. The script log book gets checked through to see how long things have been out. Then I skip around the internet around to see what's happening everywhere. Plus I read the local and international trades online and the papers. Today I check the bank - wooee been paid for the first jazz article! Then look for stuff for my daughter's 5th birthday party (month end). Then notice the desk has half an inch of dust all over it - so take everything off and do a major polish.
But if I have a deadline - then it's straight to work - I can do an 8 hour writing day, more or less, before my daughter's back at 3. There's usually Sky news burbling away in the background unless hub is in, then it's the new Russian news channel or Al Jazeera or something that's not quite so preoccupied with the current movements of Paris Hilton.
That's about it.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Monitor
Of late I've become over reliant on this glimmering screen (fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight). The conclusion - I'm not doing enough printing off. In the old days I'd meticulously print out every draft then spread it out, move it around, scribble here and there and even cut and paste with a pair of scissors and Pritt! Plenty of time to think and correct. But over the years - maybe it's something to with the cost of ink cartridges or the need to be close to all things online, I've fallen into the bad habit of hardly ever printing off during re-writing at all.
Right now I'm doing a thorough re-work (film to radio anyone?) and it suddenly struck me that the best action would be to print out, then read through slowly and shuffle (while sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea) away from the computer. Yes.
Then launch a pen and scissor attack.
Later
Right now I'm doing a thorough re-work (film to radio anyone?) and it suddenly struck me that the best action would be to print out, then read through slowly and shuffle (while sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea) away from the computer. Yes.
Then launch a pen and scissor attack.
Later
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Blog-a-log
I'm thinking of doing all my blogging in a bumper 'buy one get four free' posting once a week on a Wednesday evening* or some other time when everyone else is doing something much more interesting and all the blog widgets are offline or temporarily discommoded.
But when you all come back - comments are very welcome...
*subject to change
But when you all come back - comments are very welcome...
*subject to change
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Trail
Paper, paper everywhere - receipts, bills, invoices. But where are the paperclips? I've lost the paperclips..
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Crunching
Ooooooo nooooooooooooooooo a deadline I've been avoiding - accounts. Time to sit down and actually do them. I can't stand it. I hate numbers. And it's not just for the tax office - those online returns are a piece of cake - just click 'zero' in all the boxes and press 'send' and say a quick prayer ('next time.....')
No these accounts are for the 'powers that be' and they have their own specially designed, remote-controlled, index-linked, cross-referenced, tabulated accounting 'recon' forms. Is there anything worse in life than customised excel spread sheets with columns that add themselves up at the bottom when you don't even want them to? Why is it that each time a row of figures is added up, it gives a different answer?
And why are numbers so different from words huh? Why can't you corral numbers into interesting groups like words into sentences? Why can't they be handpicked just for the way they sound? Why must they add up?
And before you ask - yes I do have an accountant, but at the moment I'd have to pay him with cardigan buttons and I don't think he'd be too pleased. Went over budget (on re-editing) last year so have to step into his shoes - for now.
And I hate it.
No these accounts are for the 'powers that be' and they have their own specially designed, remote-controlled, index-linked, cross-referenced, tabulated accounting 'recon' forms. Is there anything worse in life than customised excel spread sheets with columns that add themselves up at the bottom when you don't even want them to? Why is it that each time a row of figures is added up, it gives a different answer?
And why are numbers so different from words huh? Why can't you corral numbers into interesting groups like words into sentences? Why can't they be handpicked just for the way they sound? Why must they add up?
And before you ask - yes I do have an accountant, but at the moment I'd have to pay him with cardigan buttons and I don't think he'd be too pleased. Went over budget (on re-editing) last year so have to step into his shoes - for now.
And I hate it.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Where are the stories?
The expert (who had contemplated the cosmos from observatories all over the globe) mentioned that there were now lots more stories from 'all over' and 'they were in a box somewhere.' The expert preferred stars to people. He had grown pallid and flabby from years of sedentary study.
The co-ordinators made an appointment to collect the stories. They arrived to find sheaves of stories and myths on odd shaped papers, in numerous languages, some typed up, some handwritten - in a stack that touched the ceiling. 'Oh you can't take them away', the expert said, 'that's years of research'. He pointed to the photocopier in the corner. The co-ordinators made another appointment and came back early in the morning. They were looking for moral stories - not just any old stories. The expert giggled knowingly into his telescope.
The co-ordinators shuffled and stacked and read and sorted until they grew dizzy. Finally they had a pile of stories that was not too big. Photocopying took a whole day. Then they took the stories back to the office and tried to order them.
The producers grew impatient 'Where are the stories?' they asked the writer. 'I'm waiting for them' the writer replied. The producers emailed the co-ordinators 'Where are the stories?' There was no reply.
In the office, the co-ordinators started to panic - the more they read, the more unmanageable the task became. The stories were unruly - they had no morals, they were uncontrollable - they refused to be sorted.
*update*
In the end the co-ordinators gave up and stuffed the photocopies back into boxes and hid them at the back of the stationery cupboard. One of the co-ordinators put half a ream of blank paper into an envelope. The other typed an apologetic letter.
The producers emailed the co-ordinators again, 'Where are the stories?'
'In the post' came the reply. The producers waited three days then emailed the writer; 'Do you have the stories yet?'
'Yes' she replied.
The co-ordinators made an appointment to collect the stories. They arrived to find sheaves of stories and myths on odd shaped papers, in numerous languages, some typed up, some handwritten - in a stack that touched the ceiling. 'Oh you can't take them away', the expert said, 'that's years of research'. He pointed to the photocopier in the corner. The co-ordinators made another appointment and came back early in the morning. They were looking for moral stories - not just any old stories. The expert giggled knowingly into his telescope.
The co-ordinators shuffled and stacked and read and sorted until they grew dizzy. Finally they had a pile of stories that was not too big. Photocopying took a whole day. Then they took the stories back to the office and tried to order them.
The producers grew impatient 'Where are the stories?' they asked the writer. 'I'm waiting for them' the writer replied. The producers emailed the co-ordinators 'Where are the stories?' There was no reply.
In the office, the co-ordinators started to panic - the more they read, the more unmanageable the task became. The stories were unruly - they had no morals, they were uncontrollable - they refused to be sorted.
*update*
In the end the co-ordinators gave up and stuffed the photocopies back into boxes and hid them at the back of the stationery cupboard. One of the co-ordinators put half a ream of blank paper into an envelope. The other typed an apologetic letter.
The producers emailed the co-ordinators again, 'Where are the stories?'
'In the post' came the reply. The producers waited three days then emailed the writer; 'Do you have the stories yet?'
'Yes' she replied.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Scriptwriting Feng Shui (i)
To make a change from the scriptwriting information (found all over the web) I thought I'd start an occasional series of unorthodox tips for scriptwriters. A kind of fun scriptwriting Feng Shui.
One of the things that scriptwriters struggle with - particularly in the early stages of writing (or sometimes when writing the treatment) is structure. The overall. The big picture. That's why everyone wants loglines and pitches so they can tell straight away if the idea 'works'.
Scriptwriting is often piecemeal, bitty - and, caught up in the writing, it's easy to lose sight of the whole - particularly if it hasn't been resolved from the outset. Or sometimes the difficult part is actually 'writing out' the way the story fits together - even after it has been 'resolved' in the mind. Maybe the film's central metaphor is there and for the writer, that's enough to be going on with. As Paul Schrader said 'metaphor is the structure'
Design and scriptwriting are not necessarily mutually exclusive disciplines. Script manuals talk of 'thinking pictures' or 'painting pictures for the blind' They don't often discuss 'space' (apart from white space on the script's page) or 'symmetry' or 'chi'.
So here's a straight forward approach to script structure for those who want to try it - using pictograms. Yes that's it. So what is a pictogram? Well it's a kind of simple diagram that represents something more complex. Here I'm suggesting using a pictogram to represent the structure of the script.
Ok first to get the idea - here are a few examples. These films may seem a bit dated or random - but other folk out there can always come up with (and even email me) more recent ones.
1.
This one is for SHALLOW GRAVE
'Three friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash'
Look again - see how the pictogram is a visual reference for the whole story
Triangular-type diagrams tend to be good for working out stories centred on three characters and triangular relationships:
The same pictogram could maybe be used for the classic RASHOMON. But the one below would probably be more suitable. 'A heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view' (the one below also references illusion/deceit)
2.
Or perhaps even this one?
3.
I'm sure you've got the idea.
Ok now what about this?
JOY LUCK CLUB - perhaps.
Circular linking narratives told round a dinner table. See it? Well perhaps the petals need to overlap a little more - but pretty near. Try your own
And if you want to have a really complex story structure there's always something like...
One of the things that scriptwriters struggle with - particularly in the early stages of writing (or sometimes when writing the treatment) is structure. The overall. The big picture. That's why everyone wants loglines and pitches so they can tell straight away if the idea 'works'.
Scriptwriting is often piecemeal, bitty - and, caught up in the writing, it's easy to lose sight of the whole - particularly if it hasn't been resolved from the outset. Or sometimes the difficult part is actually 'writing out' the way the story fits together - even after it has been 'resolved' in the mind. Maybe the film's central metaphor is there and for the writer, that's enough to be going on with. As Paul Schrader said 'metaphor is the structure'
Design and scriptwriting are not necessarily mutually exclusive disciplines. Script manuals talk of 'thinking pictures' or 'painting pictures for the blind' They don't often discuss 'space' (apart from white space on the script's page) or 'symmetry' or 'chi'.
So here's a straight forward approach to script structure for those who want to try it - using pictograms. Yes that's it. So what is a pictogram? Well it's a kind of simple diagram that represents something more complex. Here I'm suggesting using a pictogram to represent the structure of the script.
Ok first to get the idea - here are a few examples. These films may seem a bit dated or random - but other folk out there can always come up with (and even email me) more recent ones.
1.
This one is for SHALLOW GRAVE
'Three friends discover their new flatmate dead but loaded with cash'
Look again - see how the pictogram is a visual reference for the whole story
Triangular-type diagrams tend to be good for working out stories centred on three characters and triangular relationships:
The same pictogram could maybe be used for the classic RASHOMON. But the one below would probably be more suitable. 'A heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view' (the one below also references illusion/deceit)
2.
Or perhaps even this one?3.
I'm sure you've got the idea.Ok now what about this?
JOY LUCK CLUB - perhaps.Circular linking narratives told round a dinner table. See it? Well perhaps the petals need to overlap a little more - but pretty near. Try your own
And if you want to have a really complex story structure there's always something like...
So what do you do with the pictogram? Use it as a reminder or a prod. You can stick it to the top corner of your PC or Mac before you start writing - see the structure as you write.
Disclaimer
The use of pictograms is not for everybody and, as an aid to scriptwriting may not always be appropriate, useful or possible.
Later.
Disclaimer
The use of pictograms is not for everybody and, as an aid to scriptwriting may not always be appropriate, useful or possible.
Later.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Lists
Odd time of year.
A bit in between. So, have been catching up on various year-end blog round-ups and wondering whether I too should resolve to 'post more frequently' or 'write x or y numbers of film or TV scripts' Hmmm...
Don't really like to make too many resolutions. Though I enjoy making lists. Right now I'm surrounded by them - 'looking back lists', 'looking forward lists', 'script lists', 'chase up lists' and all that stuff. All ready for the New Year.
BTW - for those who are listless - there's always twitter (ha)
There's stuff I could have blogged in the past week but (wisely) didn't: seasonal family fracas complete with stuffed lion. Plus the intrigue behind a juicy breaking news story (hint: Earl)
... Anyway all great material or 'story dust' as some folk term it and bound to turn up in some form or another in a script sooner or later.
Anyway *trumpet sound* the children TV series (which took a fairly hefty chunk out of my 2006) will now TX weekly from 24th January next year. Hurrah!
So cheers all and Happy New Year!
A bit in between. So, have been catching up on various year-end blog round-ups and wondering whether I too should resolve to 'post more frequently' or 'write x or y numbers of film or TV scripts' Hmmm...
Don't really like to make too many resolutions. Though I enjoy making lists. Right now I'm surrounded by them - 'looking back lists', 'looking forward lists', 'script lists', 'chase up lists' and all that stuff. All ready for the New Year.
BTW - for those who are listless - there's always twitter (ha)
There's stuff I could have blogged in the past week but (wisely) didn't: seasonal family fracas complete with stuffed lion. Plus the intrigue behind a juicy breaking news story (hint: Earl)
... Anyway all great material or 'story dust' as some folk term it and bound to turn up in some form or another in a script sooner or later.
Anyway *trumpet sound* the children TV series (which took a fairly hefty chunk out of my 2006) will now TX weekly from 24th January next year. Hurrah!
So cheers all and Happy New Year!
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