Hello everyone and welcome back.
I know I had said I would be doing a script a day from the 40 days of screenplays. But unfortunately right now it's just not feasible. While working on my own writing, plus research, I am still working two jobs while also doing this and a fitness blog at tightfortimefitness.blogspot.com.
So what I will do is on my three days off from my main job is do a script review on those days as I still will be doing my own writing on days that I work.
I will still do my best to give you inspiration and make promises that I can keep.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Witness Script Review
Hello and welcome back.
Today's script review is of Witness, written by Earl W. Wallace, William Kelley and Pamela Wallace.
The story might sound pretty familiar. A young boy witnesses a murder and a police detective protects him and his family until they have to go to trial.
However this is not your typical one. To create conflict the writers had to step away from the typical cop investigative movie. A script where the cops are both the good guys and the bad guys. Cops killed another cop.
Not only that but the witness to the murder, Samuel, is Amish. In their world, violence is not tolerated. Which creates the conflict between the detective, John Book, whose world almost requires violence. So when John Book is injured in a gun fight and he drives Samuel and his mother Rachel back to their Amish community they have to nurse him back to health there.
Neither can truly understand the other's world. John can't comprehend how when her son's life is threatened why she wouldn't fight. Even in a scene where her Amish friends are being accosted by tourists they don't fight back but John pounds the tourists and is restrained by Amish people. Violence is not their way.
As opposed to John where he uses violence as a means to an end.
All in all a good script and a good movie.
Today's script review is of Witness, written by Earl W. Wallace, William Kelley and Pamela Wallace.
The story might sound pretty familiar. A young boy witnesses a murder and a police detective protects him and his family until they have to go to trial.
However this is not your typical one. To create conflict the writers had to step away from the typical cop investigative movie. A script where the cops are both the good guys and the bad guys. Cops killed another cop.
Not only that but the witness to the murder, Samuel, is Amish. In their world, violence is not tolerated. Which creates the conflict between the detective, John Book, whose world almost requires violence. So when John Book is injured in a gun fight and he drives Samuel and his mother Rachel back to their Amish community they have to nurse him back to health there.
Neither can truly understand the other's world. John can't comprehend how when her son's life is threatened why she wouldn't fight. Even in a scene where her Amish friends are being accosted by tourists they don't fight back but John pounds the tourists and is restrained by Amish people. Violence is not their way.
As opposed to John where he uses violence as a means to an end.
All in all a good script and a good movie.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Script Review 2 days late
Hello,
today is my Sunday Script review for July 18, 2010. Two days late. I apologize for the delay as i had other business I had to attend to. But to make it up to you I am going to do something special. My mentor sent me a website that he says pretty much equals a screenwriting course.
The website is www.mediafire.com/thescriptlist.
To start I will begin with the file 40 Days of Screenplays and actually follow that for 40 days. After that I will go back to my weekly script review of one script per week.
The first one is Back To The Future. The script was written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. Unless you've been living under a rock or were born after the year 1985 you definitely know what the movie is about.
For those of you who don't the story is a kid, Marty McFly accidentally travels back in time thirty years to see his mother and father as teenagers in high school. Things happen and his mother falls for Marty and he has to recreate the circumstances that get his parents back together. He does but things happen differently and when he gets back to the future things have changed.
So that's the basic story. I've seen the movie a couple of times and even then the script still kept me engaged. That's the hallmark of good writing. It creates a good image in the head. You can actually visualize what is happening as you're reading.
today is my Sunday Script review for July 18, 2010. Two days late. I apologize for the delay as i had other business I had to attend to. But to make it up to you I am going to do something special. My mentor sent me a website that he says pretty much equals a screenwriting course.
The website is www.mediafire.com/thescriptlist.
To start I will begin with the file 40 Days of Screenplays and actually follow that for 40 days. After that I will go back to my weekly script review of one script per week.
The first one is Back To The Future. The script was written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. Unless you've been living under a rock or were born after the year 1985 you definitely know what the movie is about.
For those of you who don't the story is a kid, Marty McFly accidentally travels back in time thirty years to see his mother and father as teenagers in high school. Things happen and his mother falls for Marty and he has to recreate the circumstances that get his parents back together. He does but things happen differently and when he gets back to the future things have changed.
So that's the basic story. I've seen the movie a couple of times and even then the script still kept me engaged. That's the hallmark of good writing. It creates a good image in the head. You can actually visualize what is happening as you're reading.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Sunday Script Review
Hello and Welcome back.
This week's script review is Interview With The Vampire.
I remember watching this movie back when it came out, before I was thinking enough with the vampire movies. And it was an awesome movie.
As we all know the movie was adapted from the Anne Rice novel of the same same. Which is why the movie got made. Generally novels that sell pretty good have a better chance to get made as the belief is the movie will make money.
But then the script still has to keep you on your toes wondering what will happen next.
And that's what the script did. It kept me engaged, even though after watching the movie I already knew what was going to happen next. It wasn't bored in the least bit watching it.
In reading the script you see where the vampire Louis was in despair after losing his wife (before becoming a vampire) and how in depression he wanted to die. Lestat gave him his "dark gift". and then from there how his self loathing and refusal to feed on humans led him to the fateful meeting with Claudia, the child that eventually became the vampire.
Further down it led to the "murder" of Lestat and then Louis and Claudia left for Europe to find their own kind.
All in all the script was a good read. Watch the movie if you haven't seen it yet.
This week's script review is Interview With The Vampire.
I remember watching this movie back when it came out, before I was thinking enough with the vampire movies. And it was an awesome movie.
As we all know the movie was adapted from the Anne Rice novel of the same same. Which is why the movie got made. Generally novels that sell pretty good have a better chance to get made as the belief is the movie will make money.
But then the script still has to keep you on your toes wondering what will happen next.
And that's what the script did. It kept me engaged, even though after watching the movie I already knew what was going to happen next. It wasn't bored in the least bit watching it.
In reading the script you see where the vampire Louis was in despair after losing his wife (before becoming a vampire) and how in depression he wanted to die. Lestat gave him his "dark gift". and then from there how his self loathing and refusal to feed on humans led him to the fateful meeting with Claudia, the child that eventually became the vampire.
Further down it led to the "murder" of Lestat and then Louis and Claudia left for Europe to find their own kind.
All in all the script was a good read. Watch the movie if you haven't seen it yet.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Importance Of Fun
Hello,
Today's blog post is about how your screenwriting must be fun.
Basically you have to enjoy what you're doing in order to get past the doldrums of writing bad screenplays. And trust me you will write bad ones on your first few tries.
This is all part of the learning process. And why you have to enjoy what you're doing as the saying goes "if you enjoy what you're doing, you never have to work a day in your life."
If screenwriting is a chore it will become too easy to give up. After all what's more fun, the chore of washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the house or watching television or playing video games? Exactly.
That said you do have to discipline yourself to get your writing done, but if it's something you enjoy you won't think of it as discipline, you'll hopefully think of it as pursuing your dream or passion.
To quote from the great drummer Rod Morgenstein "If you don't express your passions you'll die disappointed."
That's it for today, stay tuned though as I may ad more in new posts to this topic and I'll soon be adding a book review.
Today's blog post is about how your screenwriting must be fun.
Basically you have to enjoy what you're doing in order to get past the doldrums of writing bad screenplays. And trust me you will write bad ones on your first few tries.
This is all part of the learning process. And why you have to enjoy what you're doing as the saying goes "if you enjoy what you're doing, you never have to work a day in your life."
If screenwriting is a chore it will become too easy to give up. After all what's more fun, the chore of washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning the house or watching television or playing video games? Exactly.
That said you do have to discipline yourself to get your writing done, but if it's something you enjoy you won't think of it as discipline, you'll hopefully think of it as pursuing your dream or passion.
To quote from the great drummer Rod Morgenstein "If you don't express your passions you'll die disappointed."
That's it for today, stay tuned though as I may ad more in new posts to this topic and I'll soon be adding a book review.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sunday Script Review
This week I do my script review for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Charlie Kaufman.
At first as I started to read the script I thought it was going to be just another boy meets girl type of love story. It was another boy meets girl love story but just another one.
The theme to the movie was from the famous quote - those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.
And they did. People who suffer and emotionally traumatic breakup are able to "forget" the relationship. For those who have not seen the movie I won't spoil the surprise as to how they do it. For those of you who have seen the movie you know what I mean.
And remember that those who forget history well you can imagine what happens.
It flowed pretty good and I enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to watch the movie. Find it on rental or buy it.
At first as I started to read the script I thought it was going to be just another boy meets girl type of love story. It was another boy meets girl love story but just another one.
The theme to the movie was from the famous quote - those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.
And they did. People who suffer and emotionally traumatic breakup are able to "forget" the relationship. For those who have not seen the movie I won't spoil the surprise as to how they do it. For those of you who have seen the movie you know what I mean.
And remember that those who forget history well you can imagine what happens.
It flowed pretty good and I enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to watch the movie. Find it on rental or buy it.
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