Blah blah blah. 750 Words Thursday, 25 August 2011.

Aliens are attacking

Okay so today started off pretty good. Go a tax rebate, only 30 quid but I can’t complain and I found a tenner in my jeans. A Scottish tenner but a tenner none the less. Odd, that I haven’t been to Scotland since last year. Which mean its been there for a year. I made 40 quid today yayy and i should be getting my JSA check tomorrow. Yayy again.

 So now that I have a few quid I’m happy again. Not sure why though as I have nothing to buy so having the money doesn’t actually do anything for me right now, I should really save it, as I’m usually skint right before my next JSA check comes in.

 Key;

Quid = Pounds. Like Bucks is to Dollars

Skint = I HAVE NO FREAKING MONEY!

 I took that tax rebate check to the bank and deposited it and picked up a crossword puzzle book for my Day, he’s not well and likes to keep the grey matter exercised. After that I’ve pretty much just read a book all day ‘The Guerilla Film Makers Pocket Book’  its amazing how much you can learn by reading interviews with industry professionals who also work for free (Sometimes) on micro/no budget films. Its good to know that you can get these people for little or nothing or even talk to them for help, nice bunch of people.

 I wonder if the diet coke is cold yet? Hasn’t been in the fridge long.

 So, not much else going on so I’ll just lie.

 Anyway after a few chapters of this I felt the ground shake, and seeing as there was a recent Earthquake felt in New York and Washington DC I wondered if we too had had an earthquake, And as I’ve never actually been somewhere thats had an earthquake I have no idea what one actually feels like. But a few moments later there was another, and another, and they all felt the same, I soon realized that it wasn’t an earthquake but more like an impact. I stopped what I was doing and went down stairs then out the front door as I did the road before me was torn apart by some kind of energy blast and as I looked up into the sky I saw it, a giant mechanized machine.

 So I read a book all day.

 And now I’m getting a little tired. Fighting off aliens take it out of you. Okay that didn’t happen. If it did I think Twitter would explode.

 I then watched a bunch of videos on the more inspirational (Then Youtube) Vimeo, some good stuff, skateboards and BMX bikes “tearing” it up in some “Sick” moves. I try to sound cool but I always fail. Oh well. Some good stuff from Kessler Cranes, Astro-Photography, again awesome. I like Vimeo. I know that I’d most likely be able to find these Vimeo videos on Youtube, but I never see Youtube as a place to post seriously art, films, or animations but on Vimeo it just seem perfect. Most of the stuff I watch on there is extremely well shot, edited, filtered and produced. Youtube is more like “Just get the shot it’ll be fine. (Sometime later) oh shit” I’ve even been told not to put showreels on Youtube because pros in the film industry don’t want to hear “Go to Youtube to see my showreel” Thats not to say they want to see a showreel on Vimeo either. I would on Vimeo but I wouldn’t tell people to go there to see it, I’d burn of a few DVD’s but having it online is good for easy quick access and it helps if someone is checking you out and comes across it. But don’t tell them to go there and not to youtube, as its just a video sharing website filled with trolls, dicks and copyrighted material. Vimeo is a film makers website and more appropriate for your showreel and I con’t imagine your showreel will exceed 500mb so its also free. If your on Shooting People (www.shootingpeople.org) which is a film makers database UK and the US so having it there is also a good idea, if your looking for cast and crew it lets people check you out before wanting to work with you, also, if other want to work with you you can check them out. All is good. But there is a yearly fee to join and unlike Vimeo you can’t upload anything without it. Shame, its a cool site. As when I was a member there I was able to get a discount on Final Draft 7. And Movie Maker magazine and MovieScope magazine. It was because of Shooting People that one of my own shorts (Do Not Bend) was screened in a small theater in Covent Garden, London. Great experience by the way.

YES I CAN. 750 Words Tuesday, 16 August 2011.

i'm write. I write good

 No Gym today, I forgot that we’re now going on Tuesdays rather then Mondays. So I get to sit here and write stuff *smiley face*

 I’m in a writing phase right now and want to get the most out of it, I’m in the mood to write, yesterday I finished off the last 11 pages of what turned into a 16 page script, it was only meant to be 10 pages. Then I wrote out another 7 pages to another scripts, which I think is finished, well part one anyway, I could continue it but it might turn into something much longer then I want so I figure if I leave it for a bit I might decide to write a part two. It ends well but starts incredibly violent.

 I seem to default on violence, not sure why, I guess its just easy to write conflict when violence is in the story. But today I wrote something that have no violence in it. I’m so proud. Its a story I heard while working in the prison service, about a man who looses everything to drugs. I wrote out the treatment and either tonight or tomorrow I’ll start on the actual script.

 What I’m trying to do while in this writing phase is get as many as I can done, in at least a rough draft. I really want a back catalogue of scripts that I can put out there and use to try and get people interested in making them. I’ll use Vimeo and or Shooting People (dotOrg). Having scripts that are ready to shot or even in rough draft form is better then asking people to make films then expect them to have something. I’ve tried that before, and one thing I’ve learned is that, if you put out the word for help, fello film makers or wonnabes, they expect you to have all the answers. To have the scripts and the now how, weather you state in your message that you don’t have either. They expect someone to be in charge and that person is the one asking for help. Oddly.

 So, once I have a few scripts behind me, I can then try again, “Hey guys I need help making this stuff” then show them my scripts those interested will step up. Although I have to mention that most that “step up” usually flake on you later.

 Take names and contact details. Those that stand with you to the end stay at the top of that list, those that flake on you go into another list, the don’t expect much or keep the project short list. Lets not forget those that will want your help in a project but aren’t concerned with helping you out, using a line like “I want to work on my own projects” even when they finish that project, you ask for help and they say “I can’t think about more then one project and I’m currently writing something, but if you guys want to help me out when its don’t that would be cool” These people go into the ‘GET FUCKED’ file. You keep these names so you know who to avoid. Also, be aware of the travel some people might need to take in order to help you, one bus rid is ok, if they need to take two buses to get to you or where your shooting, don’t be surprised if they can’t or don’t want to do it. Some people don’t want to spend that much time on a buses to make a film thats only hitting the internet. If however they do, you might want to compensate them in some way, like paying for lunch.

 So anyway. I’m searching my mind for stories that I think I can actually write, I have a few more already written down in a rough treatment, they need a little thought but I think I could get them scripted soon, yayy. But then what? I guess I’ll find out if I can really do this film making lark. I think I can, but clearly not alone. All I need is two maybe three people, thats it, I think with them I could produce anything, well anything I’ve written so far, and as our combined experience grows. A feature film.

 I mean whats the point of life without dreams. I might have to work a security job and make films at the same time but if thats how its got to start then thats how its got to start. If I write shorts that can be shot in three days then I can shoot them on my days off. Of course I need to soak up as much over time as I can get to begin with I have things that need paying off.

 And so, back to script writing.