Trailer Watch – March

Every now and again I like nothing more than to log onto Apple trailers to see what wonders are coming up in the future.

I think my favourite ones from today’s viewing have been:

Eat Love Pray
I think I enjoyed this one so much because it reminds me of my mum. I love the line in it about what the universe would do if you opened up your mind.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
You can’t really help but fall in love with any character that Michael Cera plays (unless its Youth in Revolt which I have to say, I didn’t enjoy that much). And when he is teamed up with Edgar Wright, who is fast becoming one of my favourite visual directors, what more can I say than this film looks great! Can’t wait for its release.

Hot Tub Time Machine
When I first watched this last month, I thought it would be one of those funny films that are swept under the carpet. It looks like it a lot of heart and soul is going in to the marketing which is great news. Loving the “but that sounds exhausting” line at the end…very clever.

The Perfect Game
It’s like The Mighty Ducks for the new generation! I love it. Not that I’ll go see it or anything but when it’s shown on TV, count me in!

And Finally…
Killers
OK, I am loving the look of this film! It appeals to my sense of humor in so many ways. From drinking alcohol for breakfast to Katherine Heigl’s scream haha. And then the bit at the end with the gun being ‘concealed’ by her coat. Tickles me everytime.

That is all from my trailer watching this month.

You can keep up to date with all that is going on with my Twitter account.

The views and opinions in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Ideas Generation #3

Ideas come from public places…

I love this technique. It really uses my ability and fondness of ear wigging and being nosey.

Sometimes, the best snippets of dialogue can be found in a public place.

I remember once, listening to a full on argument about a bus pass taking place over the phone on a bus.  It was great because I only got one side of the story from the woman sitting behind me, but some of the phrases she came out with were priceless.

I then regenerated the conversation, but with two of my own characters and changed the bus pass to a gun. Needless to say, the scene became quite dramatic!

So these are three ways in which I generate ideas.

Of course there are plenty more ways to generate ideas, some of which will fit the way you work a lot better.

Hopefully these processes will help me over the next few days to develop a plotline for my Scriptwriting Frenzy.

If all else fails, there seems to be a great plotline generator on the Scriptwriting Frenzy website.

For all those taking part….good luck!

The views and opinions in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Ideas Generation #2

Ideas come from job titles…

Once I have my basic plotline, I like to use this method to create great character lines and reactions to situations.

Pick a few job titles at random. I think it makes it more fun if you list a few, put them in a hat and draw how ever many you want out at random.

For example, an army officer, a chef and a school caretaker.

You can have as many as you want but I always start with a few and then build if necessary.

Once I have the job roles, I write a short scene, perhaps three pages set in a lifeless room. The characters interact with one another.

For example, how differently would the caretaker speak to the chef than the army officer?

The other great thing about this is that you can choose any gender for the characters. Half way through, I sometimes change the gender and see how this changes the situation.

It always amazes me how quickly the characters come alive.

From the pieces of dialogue I have written in this exercise, I can then try to fit them in to my other scripts.

The opinions and views in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Ideas Generation #1

Ideas come from postcards…

My favourite way of generating ideas is to get a random postcard, traditional or electronic (like the one below) and, in a 30 seconds, list everything in the image.

They can be anything from objects, weather, situations, to feelings and emotions.

For example here we can see…

Witch, cat, broom, wooden flooring, apple, cauldron, fire, smoke, devil, skeleton, hat, ribbon, red, blue, yellow, brickwork, fireplace, chimney, shawl, heels, scared, disappointed, logs, poker, forks, wood, cloth, wool, fur, black, green eyes, crooked nose, smashed pot.

Once I have the list, I either pick three things at random and fuse them together OR I write about what could be happening in the scene.

For example, here the cat is being shouted at by the witch after it knocked the potion (which is smashed on the floor) into the cauldron. The potion mixed together to create the little creatures that are floating around the room.

The creatures go on to escape the house. The witch then goes out to collect them before they cause havoc.

Similar storyline to Gremlins, but without the water being their vice. Instead, red apples cause the creatures to act mischievously.

You can then go further and turn any emotions or feelings that may be in the postcard on their head.

For example, the cat is the one that is in charge of this scene and has thrust the broom into the witch, ordering her to clean the mess in the room. She is looking down, disappointed in her actions.

The opinions and views in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Ideas Generation

I feel like I have been neglecting my blog a little recently, so today I have organised a little blog fest!

With Scriptwriting Frenzy starting in just a few days, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite ways to generate ideas.

This process can be an exhausting experience, but it is certainly the most important thing when working in any creative environment.

They have thousands of courses about generating ideas so it must be important!

Therefore, I shall be bringing you my three favourite ways of generating ideas in three separate blogs throughout the day.

Watch out for the first one coming very soon…

The opinions and views in this article are that of my own and not my employer.

Scriptwriting Frenzy

Soon after I wrote my last blog I found a great competition online.

Although you don’t win anything physical, it does sound like great fun and allows you to work to a deadline.

Script Frenzy is a competition in which you have to write 100 pages in 30 days.

To register for it simply go to the website but you have to be quick. The madness starts on 1st April.

Scriptwriting

There is a fantastic Scriptwriting class that I used to go to every Wednesday when I lived in Manchester. The course gave me a weekly deadline to work towards so that I kept my scriptwriting skills fresh.

Since I have moved down to London I have also tried to keep to a familiar schedule.

Finding a similar class in London would be great although I can only find night classes or one off seminars.

If anyone has any suggestions, it would be a great help.

On Monday afternoon I had a great time in Ealing Library writing the next episode of my drama series; a mix of Desperate Housewives and The Sopranos. (Not set in a family home though.)

I also began the third draft of my Kasey West script;
(working title) House Plans

Kasey West is a character my best friend came up with at University after a dream! When I heard the name I instantly thought, that is someone you would NOT mess with and the Espionage Character came to life in my first drama, shot in 2006.

I began House Plans when I first went to script writing class and love how the characters are starting to really come alive.

I planned to make this film in September ’09 but with the move down to London, production had to be put on hold.

Now, in London, I’m starting to build up this film network again. I shall keep you up to date with suggestions and news about this quest…

The opinions and views written in this article are that of my own and not my employer.