The 39 steps

Actually there's 45 - well, that's according to my new best friend Lew.

In Lew's book he states that for a comedy movie - you need 45 steps. That is, 45 key sequences that take you from go to whoa when writing a movie. These steps can be split down further into separate scenes, each step containing more than one where required - but the steps are what you should stick to.

This should give you two pieces of information.

1. We're thinking of making our movie a comedy.

2. We've got 45 steps still to write!

I took a step last weekend - and jetted my way to Sydney for a long weekend, and a long-overdue catch-up with Lisa. It was fantastic.

Catching up with friends like Lisa and Dangerous Dave is like finding an old pair of slippers and trying them on again. Time may have changed their appearance, but they're still really comfortable. We had a fantastic time. We laughed, and drank, and ate, and drank, and watched the crazy stuff DD and Lisa have been up to, and laughed, and drank, and sung songs round the piano.

Bliss.

During our catch up, Lisa said to me (post a couple of glasses of bubbly and some pretty fantastic Burton's Burgers). "So, how's does it feel to see me again after all this time?", to which I responded, "Like I just saw you yesterday".

And it really did feel like that - it was as if 8 years of events and jobs changes and house moves and births and deaths had flitted past in a few hours. Life can be funny like that - it seems an eternity while you're living it, but look back at it - and it passed in a heartbeat.

This makes me somewhat nervous. If time really is fleeting, then we don't have much of it to start taking the steps we need to get to the end of our project. So I'm starting. Tonight.

Tonight I'm going to try to write 45 steps - those steps that will give our story a beginning, middle and end. When I've drafted them, I'll send them to Lisa to see if she thinks the steps work, and are a step in the right direction. 

And, so that you're not left out of the loop, here's my proposed Step 1:

1. Female lead calls male sidekick, and invites him to the local amateur theatre production of 'The Sound of Music'. Unwillingly, he accepts.

There you have it - a world exclusive - the opening scene (or scenes) of the movie. When (or if) it gets filmed, you can check back here and see how much Step 1 changed.

Meanwhile, I'd better make a start on Steps 2 - 45. How do I do this? The same way we'll attack the whole project. One step at a time.

PS - If Kate Winslet's reading this - this is your opening scene. Brush up on your NZ accent!

The devil's in the details...

I've been counting - in an almost obsessive-compulsive way. Since my mind has turned to all things movie, I have found myself counting things I never thought I would.

For instance - you know that scene in 'Pretty Woman' where Julia Roberts goes back to the shop that wouldn't serve her, and does the "...big mistake" thing? How many different shots do you think there are in that one scene? Let me tell you....

...HEAPS!

For our dear Julia to have us all silently cheering for standing up to the woman in the bad head-band, someone took HEAPS of shots. And heaps of shots means heaps of takes. And heaps of takes means time. And time isn't what we have heaps of, especially if you're going to shoot a movie without a camera crew - and probably on one camera (provided someone will lend us one).

These are the details that I'm starting to notice - and it's more than a little bit daunting.

Let me demonstrate - I have an idea for a scene in the movie that I have pitched to Lisa where one character runs past another,and doesn't notice the other character's behaviour (I know it sounds a little dull and odd - but it's one of those 3 second scenes that are needed to keep a story going). For this 3 second scene to play out on a screen as it does in my mind would require the following individual shots:

1. Scene of car pulling up on street - taken from across the street.

2. Character 1 gets out of car in a hurry - taken from pavement where car has pulled up.

3. Character 1 runs down alleyway - passing character 2 and making comment - taken from inside of alleyway with car in background still on street.

4. Character 2's reaction to character 1's comment in passing - taken as close up on character 2's face as character 1 passes.

5. Character 2 follows character 1 into alleyway - taken from same angle as 3.

OK - that's about the gist of it. If all was to go to plan - this tiny, incidental scene should take a minimum of 4 shots. With extra takes - this will increase. If we said 3 takes per shot - we're looking at 12 takes - minimum - for a tiny, 3 second scene. And if each take, to set up and shoot, takes on average 2 minutes each - we've just wasted close to 25 minutes - all for a tiny, 3 second scene. And movies have LOTS of these tiny, 3 second scenes in them.

Good lord! Each scene will need to be written, mapped out, shots decided, the works. And in a 110 minute film - that's a lot of writing, mapping and deciding. Peter Jackson did this for 3 movies all well over 110 minutes each and all being shot at the same time ,and while he had money and lots of help, it's still a big job and I take my hat off to him!

The other thing I've realised is that, despite what the finished product would have you believe, some of these shots will have to be made over multiple days. And that, my friends, means 'continuity'.

Now, I'm not the fussiest guy on the planet, but if there's one thing that really stands out for me when I'm watching a movie, it's poor continuity. Boromir's arm moving from being on Aragorn's shoulder, to off again, to on again, to off again as he lays dying in 'Lord of the Rings', Julia's magically changing choice of breakfast food as she moves from table to chair in 'Pretty Woman' - these are the things that annoy me most in movies - and the things we'll need to work out how to avoid. It would all be very easy with multiple cameras and scenes being shot in one go - but I have the feeling it is not to be!

But it must be done. And it will be done - for this is the challenge we've set ourselves. 

I'm getting on a plane tomorrow and flying to Sydney to meet up with Lisa, drink some, laugh some, and talk some. I hope some of our talk includes this project. If we've got that much thinking to do, before we even push 'record' on a camera, we'd better start sooner rather than later - or we'll miss something tiny - some small detail - and someone else will notice it - and they might even blog about it.

Or worse, our 1 year timeframe may become completely unrealistic (I have the feeling it already may be a little tight - we're nearly in March!)

1. Matt sighs heartily - shot taken looking 'through' monitor to him

2. Matt looks at keyboard - shot taken from beside Matt

3. Matt starts typing - shot taken from over Matt's shoulder

4. Matt finishes blog entry - shot of monitor as last words are entered

5. Matt takes final look at blog entry - shot taken from 'through' monitor

6. Matt publishes entry - close up of hand hitting mouse key.

7. Matt publishes entry - close up of hand symbol clicking on 'publish post' button

7. Entry published - shot of monitor as 'your entry has been successfully published' notice appears on screen

8. Fade out...

History repeating

OK - so - when I said that Lisa and I hadn't co-written a screenplay before - I might have a told small untruth: not maliciously, you understand - but rather, forgetfully.

About a gazillion years ago (or the late '80s as it was known back then) Lisa and I attended a free course in New Plymouth - Access Youth Theatre. It was a 6 month course, designed to take the general unwashed youth of the city and teach them some skills. It was at this course that Lisa and me first met - and it was here that we first wrote together.

Toward the end of the course, the tutors armed the participants with a video camera and free run of the theatre we were using, and told us to create a short video - we choose the genre, we choose the content. Lisa and I chose to cast ourselves as writers, making sure (as all great writers do) that we cast ourselves nice little cameos as news readers, Edna Hardbottle and Clinton Futtock.

Between us we crafted "Who Killed Penny Poodle", Penny being the poodle of Derek, one of the tutors on our course. For the next week or so we wrote various scenes in our made-for-TV-murder-mystery. We also wrote a few adverts to play in middle of our made-for-TV-murder-mystery, just to prove it was, in fact, made-for-TV.

It was all a bit silly - but I cannot remember laughing so hard. I particularly remember the outtakes of myself and Lisa. As our 'over-to-you' banter played out and the camera panned between us, Lisa's head got lower and lower toward our news desk. This was not bad camera work, rather the cameraman capturing Lisa's increasingly hysterical giggles as our news story played out.

I have no idea what happened to our first foray into scripting. All evidence is probably lost in a box stashed in someones attic. After all - who has videos these days? However, this sudden flashback of memory about how much fun we had creating and shooting our small production has kept a smile very firmly fixed on my face these past few days.

I am hoping that smile will be repeated when Lisa and I get into the serious business of writing. I have been following the instructions that Lew is telling me in his book, and have outlined a story idea (2 pages, double spaced - that's all the room I'm allowed) and have sent this, along with prelim character outlines to Lisa for have a look at. It's a really hard thing to do. I've been thinking about this story for a while - and whilst there are gaps in it as it's written (2 pages, double spaced, no more - no less), little scenes keep playing out in my head that I think will be good if we can capture them. It's also hard because my initial idea could well be trumped by an even better idea from Lisa (something she's quite good at - curse her creative genius!). I'm hoping for the best and preparing for the worst!

I get to see Lisa next week. It'll be the first time we've sat in the same room together for 8 years or more. But I take comfort in something. I can guarantee that, even if we don't get the chance to have a proper discussion about the Free Film Project, we will laugh. And whatever the story ends up being, we'll make sure we write ourselves in 2 lovely cameo roles, and laugh until our heads hit the news desk.

Oh, and Kate Winslet, if you're reading this I have written, in my outline (2 pages, double spaced - for fear if I deviate Lew's advice will become redundant), a character specifically for you to play. I know we can't pay you - but if you're willing to foot the bill for your travel to NZ, your catering requirements on set plus any other incidental costs, and quite like the idea of appearing in a no-budget film by two unknown people who are doing this on a whim - drop me a line. Oh, and you won't have to worry about accommodation - we have a spare room you can use.  

It takes two

I had a scare last night - Wayne called me from my slumber (well, not so much slumber as having a cuppa in bed) saying that he'd received notification on Facebook that Lisa was in London, and in trouble.

Two things went through my mind; what the hell is Lisa doing in London, and what's wrong. The chat he was having with 'Lisa' showed that she was in London on holiday, and had just been held up at gunpoint - losing everything. She pleaded with me to help, and wire money to her to get her home. 

Turns out, following a quick phone call, that Lisa was in her kitchen - and not anywhere near London. Hoorah! Some idiot decided to hack into her Facebook and pretend to be her to scam cash. Very enterprising - but stupid. She'd just been made redundant - she's updated her Facebook within the last few hours - she couldn't possibly be in London.

But here's what it did do - it made me think that in actuality, anything could happen over the next 12 months. Lisa could be held up at gunpoint in London (if she was a secret agent or something). My other sheep could drop down dead and leave me stricken with grief (although there's a solution to this - Lisa and Dave has been busy setting up a new enterprise to complement Crowd Goes Wild - Honour Thy Pet. See? I told you they're creative!). Anything could come along and very firmly thrust a stick in the spokes of our idea.

It made me worried - what have I committed us to? What had Lisa agreed to? How can we do this between Lisa and Dave's internet businesses, and them finding new jobs, and me having a full-time job that requires 3 hours of travel every day just to get there and back, and having to actually learn how to use my camera because I'm taking photo's at a Wedding at the end of the year? Are we nuts?

Then, post hi-jack dramas, I saw a comment Lisa had added to this blog. And all the panic stopped. 

We're here - and, come hell or high-water, come pseudo-gunpoint-robbery or inexplicable-sheep-death, we'll give it a go.

We're stuck on an empty stage, looking at an empty page and wondering what to do next. And it'll take two of us. And I can't wait. 

I can't wait to go and see Lisa in 10 days and drink Veuve Clicquot with our fish and chips. I can't wait until that initial seed of an idea has been planted and is starting to grow. I can't wait to see that first mark made on the blank page that, currently, is our project.

I've given Lisa access rights to update this blog and bring her own voice to this page, as and when she can. I'll get a photo taken of us both to replace the one of me. This is not my blog, my page, my ideas. It's going to take two - and later its going to take more - to give this idea wings and get it off the ground.

Now, if anyone knows the bearings to success - can you let us know, and guide in our plane with those red flappy things they use at airports?? Thanks!

    

 

Getting to know you...

When faced with a random blog as you trawl the bogosphere seeking entertainment - it's sometimes nice to know a bit about the person who's ramblings are being posted for the world to see. So allow me to introduce myself.

Hi. I'm Matt. Pleasure to meet you.

I'm fairly normal - as far as I'm aware. I live in a nice house in a nice area with nice neighbours. My partner is lovely, and he and I manage to semi-control our 2 dogs, 4 cats and 1 pet sheep. 

(As an aside, there were 2 pet sheep - but I got up the other morning to let the dogs out and came face to face with one very live sheep - and one not-so-live sheep. Bugger! I loved that sheep! He was a bunter, but still lovely. He just dropped down dead for no apparent reason. The nice people who gave us the sheep at 3 days old came and collected him, and lied by telling me they'd dug a big hole, lain a mattress within it, and would bury him there. I know he really went to the fleecy-woolen-underlay factory - but prefer to think of him laying on his own mattress rather than on someone else's).

Something you should know about me is that I have this habit of waking up and deciding I want to 'be something'. Once, I wanted to be an Interior Designer - so I studied and passed by tests with a 96% average - then decided I didn't want to do that any more. Then I wanted to be a world-famous photographer - so I went out and bought the camera - and haven't really used it since. 

I'm quite good at that type of thing. There are other things I'm quite good at too, like writing or painting or making cakes. I'm quite good at mixing a drink, sewing in a straight line, and starting stuff I'll never finish. I'm just not sure whether I'm quite good at this whole 'making a movie' thing. 

But I have hope. 

I have Lisa to inspire me and amaze me with her brilliant writing (seriously - can someone please give her a job? She's fab. She can find the rhyming word for ANYTHING, and even when one doesn't exist, she'll make it up and convince you it really is a word). 

I have Wayne to keep me in line and roll his eyes, but never complain, when I come up with these schemes. 

I have friends who support me and a family who believes in me. How can I help but to have hope?

So I've never co-written a screenplay. So what? Yeah - Lisa and me have to learn about directing, and all the right directy-words to say. Easy enough. OK - I'm not sure that I actually can edit a movie - let alone on a Mac! How hard can it be? I guess we're going to find out.

If I find out something brilliant while undertaking this project - I'll let you know. My first brilliant discovery was Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434 book. It's jolly good.

And so, gentle reader, I sign off on my second blog entry. As I've said before - I'm not too good at finishing things - but I'm going to try and break the habit with this project.

Send out the good vibes - and if there's any good vibes I can send your way for something you're doing - I'll be happy to reciprocate.

Oh - and if anyone at Mac is reading this and feels like flicking me some advice on how to edit a movie using iMovie '08 (all I have - I got the Mac about 2 weeks before iLife '09 came out - typical really!) that'd be ace!  

By this time next year

There are some things that will happen every New Year's Eve. You will be invited to a party and ordinarily, whether or not you want to attend, you go. You drink, or don't. You have fun, or don't. You make a New Year's Resolution, or two, or three. The clock strikes twelve, you sing, or kiss, or both, or neither.

These occurrences hold some risk. Risk, which, is usually so minimal you ignore it. You could get a cold-sore or glandular fever from kissing at midnight (at least, that's what someone at school once told me). You could have a terrible hangover on New Year's Day (usually followed with a new promise to never drink again). But of all of them - only one New Year's Even activity holds real risk. Resolutions. They carry the often realised risk of failure.

No one wants to fail. Everyone, I believe, truly has faith that they can give up smoking this year, or lose weight this year, or be less something-or-the-other this year. Then they have a smoke 'just to see if I hate it'. They have a slice of cake 'just because my body was craving sugar'. Or they slowly become something-or-the-other because some so-and-so did such-and-such. And then they feel a failure because they broke the promise they made themselves - and resolve never to make another resolution....until New Year's Eve rolls around again.

This is why I never make New Year's Resolutions - until this year. 

Last Year - I was lucky enough to catch up with a long-time friend with whom I'd lost touch. She is clever and creative, and makes me feel like I could be clever and creative too. Such is her way. Her name is Lisa, and she lives with her equally clever and creative partner in an apartment in Sydney. She was recently made redundant (curse the global recession), but maintains her creativity by doing slightly off-the-wall, but fabulous stuff - which you'll find at her website, Crowd Goes Wild. 

Part of catching up with someone like Lisa is the way that we instantly start reminiscing about how fabulously clever we used to be together (or at least thought we used to be). And this means ideas start happening again, ideas that tend not to happen in ones ordinary day-to-day routine. And I had an idea, and shared it with her, and now it's our New Years Resolution.

We will (note the will) write, shoot, edit and release a movie. that's the idea. We just have one small hitch. Lisa, as I have stated before, was recently made redundant, so has no money for such endeavors. I have a mortgage to pay, and several pets to feed, and find myself in a similarly cash-poor situation. So this film, this triumph of cinematic brilliance, will have to be made for a quite-tight budget. Between us - we will contribute the grand total of zero dollars.

No cash. None. Not a bean. We will write, shoot, edit and release a movie for NO MONEY. Well - no money of our own. We will not apply for any funding - but we will beg and borrow locations, wardrobe, sound, cameras, actors - the works.

And we'll test the only technology that's available to us. Our Macs. I'm a Mac convert (sorry!), but I want it to prove its mettle. 

So, armed with nothing but a Mac and a resolution - we'll see if it can be done.

Wish us luck. We'll need it. If you live in the Wairarapa in New Zealand - expect us to knock on your door if we want to borrow, and borrow we will!

I don't know how this will work - I don't even know what the movie's about. I'm reading a book on screenwriting by Lew Hunter, who I believe is very good, and am hoping that'll be enough.

We have one year. By this time next year we want it to be finished. Like every New Year's Resolution, this one has a significant risk of failure. But I think we can do it. 

At least I hope we can. 

Fingers crossed.