77...

Shocking. Five years in the thoughts, and I am on page 77. Can I attain the holy number of 91???

Scripting

I like writing. But I have quite a methodical way of writing. There are a few patterns in how and what I do.

I make sure there is a beginning, middle and an end. Although I can be a fan of life narratives', I personally like to have an event in my story that is linear, no matter how insignificant it is to the rest of the script.

ie: Boy meets girl, girl's father wants to kill boy, boy runs off with girl and lives happily ever after (the basic script for CWP the Feature length).


I also like to open with complete calm, and then a few moments later flip the adrenaline on. It wakes up the audience from their slumber.

ie: A calm opening credits is then slashed to pieces by a woman running desperately from an alleyway (opening moments of An East End Tale).


I also like to start the script in one direction, and change directions a few minutes later.

ie: Jay and Kay are arguing in suburbia, before they are beamed up into space by an alien milk bottle. (Jay and Kay Save the World).


I am also a notorious slasher. Especially when it comes to the beginning. I like to get to the point of the film as quickly as possible. And often on the second or third rewrite, I can loose twenty pages on a feature length script. My blog posts do not follow this pattern.

I have been sent a script by an acquaintance via e-mail. I had a look at it. The story does have a beginning, middle and an end. However, it takes a little while to get started. Also, there are no surprises in the script until much later on, when it does actually take a real turn. However, by this point the audience is long gone. Overall, I actually like the basic story of the script, but the way it is executed needs to be tightened up for film. For a first draft it shows potential. Now I have written up my thoughts, it is time to tell the acquaintance what I think...

Think writer, think, think, think!

Okay, this is where the genius in me has to think quick. Two minutes in which to write a piece of prose that is entertaining, thoughtful and provoking in so that I fulfill my readers expectations and entice them to come back tomorrow with the promise of more of the same if not more and of a higher callibre. I cannot talk politics or give cause of concern to my viewers as after all, this blog is something that promotes CWP, not the director's own personal thoughts. I must talk about the processes behind the pain and failing that, at least write something witty and diverting. Damn, already a minute down!

So there you have it. Thoughts, behind the process of writing this blog. Sometimes good, sometimes stressful, but always daily. Until next month when I go on holiday, but that is a different story altogether...

Pre 4: Rewrite the Script

My joy at all film making comes from the script writing. Getting at the script and hacking out a piece of flesh worthy of shooting upon. The script is the most important part a film. The storyboard is the guide, but the script is the blueprint. It is what launches a film and without a script then there is nothing to bother the film maker, actors or crew with.

A good script allows not only the film maker to visualise, but also inspires the musicians, the players on screen and the guys behind the camera.

Rewrites are important. The first draft is often an excited rendition of my mind's eye. So the rewrite is the clear crystal look at the script. Is it as good as I first thought (50-50 chance), how are the spelling and grammar of the script (my weak point), how cluttered is the dialogue (another fault of mine).

Once the rewrite is done, the script gets leaner, more punchy. When I first write something, the sheer telling of a story becomes important. But on the rewrites, it is the visualisation of the story that becomes the key. Telling the story not through words but through images. And that is why the rewrite is so important.

And yes, even a short film such as Jay and Kay save the World is rewritten. Especially in a short film, where every second counts, rewrites are essential in order to keep the audience transfixed on what I am trying to tell them. In a short film, you only get one shot at the audience...

'Pre' 1: The Script

A couple of weeks ago I was talking about the Post-Production process, but as Writer/Director/Producer, let me, Charles Michel Duke start at the beginning. Pre-Production.

The shoot will happen in March. That is, the shoot for Jay and Kay Save the World. And before anything starts, I have to solidify the script. Now, the problem between writing t and sitting on the script is that it changes. Not fundamentally, but it is the little changes. Already I have changed the words last night, and it will probably be tinkered with before I set it into production. But without the script itself, there is nothing...

Finished?

All right, this morning I am exhausted, so a quickie here. Finished the CWP Feature Script, Now, when I mean finished, I was actually rewriting it. The first draft of the script was written in 2006. During 2007 I rewrote the script twice, mainly corrections and rounding the characters. This year, I was in Seychelles and that was a major rewrite. But the script got very bloated by then - 109 pages (if one page equals one minute of film time, that is a little too long) and six songs. Something had to give.

But before I went into the script, I had to sort out the songs. Give the lyrics a rhyme and get a rhythm to the pieces. That was started in August and it took two months to rewrite all the songs. There is a reason why I am not a poet. Then came the actual re-write, but in this case, it was more of a cut. Scenes were slashed left, right and centre while two songs were dropped. However, it has left a much leaner script. After the family reads it, I will be farming it out to the cast to garner their opinions.

Right, too tired (cmd)

El Director's Guide to Writing a Blog

1) Sign into blog with your username and password.

2) Write a few lines. Wit is not a necessity, just content.

3) If you are feeling plucky, then attach a picture, or even a video. Note the example below



4) If your blog is published on more than one site (for example, Myspace and Blogger) then copy and paste from one page to the next.

5) Hit the 'publish post' button.

Voila! The blog has been posted. The world can now view your thoughts and words.

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It is so simple, El Director wonders why everyone does not have their own personal blog, or at least one posting a week.

It's so easy...like taking candy...from a baby! 1, 2, 3, (4 & 5)...