Concept sentence, action-idea, premise, tagline... It sounds really easy – somebody wants something for a specific reason but it is impossible because of a specific obstacle. And that should be the core of the screenplay where all of the events and actions stem from. So basically 'nail down the premise and build your film from there'.
SIGH. More of then than once, I have heard the term 'development hell'. Getting caught in a limbo of honing this, changing that, amending this, correcting that. Bringing a secondary character forward as the protagonist, making the antagonist the protagonist, cutting characters and merging storylines. Cutting useless plot dimensions and focusing on the main storyline sounds simple but it is harder than it appears. The temptation to add complications and twists is a hard one to resist.
During the past few months, I have been focusing on nailing down the basics of the film. This has consisted of writing the premise, moving onto a 2-page outline and finally working out a 5-10 page treatment of the film. With each step I've taken, I have received valuable feedback that has been really, really useful. Workshopping with my fellow students has led me to notice a lot of inconsistencies and ways in which I should hone the focus of the story. For me personally, this has meant changing the themes of my piece and eliminating useless plot twists. It is safe to say that I have learned far more during the past two months than I did last year.
In terms of my film project, I feel like I am in a relatively good place. Next up, I need to do a bit of re-writing on that, take a few ganders at my secondary TV project and finish work on a small extracurricular project, which sees me write a five-minute radio monologue that will be broadcast on Resonance FM. It is a really exciting opportunity and collaborating with the sound arts students, who will be taking care of the practicalities of the sound world, has been really enlightening and refreshing. Stay tuned for updates on this one - my first real production credit! :-)
I also got promoted at work, which makes me a very happy bunny indeed. It is not a major change, but it is nice to feel appreciated. My employer has been really good to me in terms of allowing me to work four-days-a-week due to my studies and even giving me a promotion while on that limited schedule.
Also – in the beginning of February, I finally moved to a nicer home and so far, I'm loving it. After all, an aspiring writer not only needs to write a good structure for her feature films, but also needs to establish a 'good structure' for her life as well – a nice bed to sleep on, a quiet environment to write in and good transport links wherever her quill might take her.
Overall, I am really happy about everything right now – I wish that life could always be this rewarding, thrilling and exciting! :-)
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moving. Show all posts
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Saturday, 11 January 2014
Bang - it's 2014!
The new year has begun with a bang: during the first week and a half, I already finished an essay and a two-page project outline for university. On top of that, I returned to my job in the office and begun to pack up my things, as I am moving to a new place at the end of the month. However, I have to admit that I quite like being a busy bee.
I spent an amazing Christmas in the English countryside with my boyfriend's family. It was my second Christmas without my family, so I felt very homesick, especially on Christmas Eve. However, Christmas Day was amazing! Everyone made me feel very welcome and loved so I ended up having a really nice, relaxing time. Having time off from everything was really good as well. I allowed myself to do nothing for a good five days, and then slowly returned to work-mode by picking up university work. And on Monday, I returned to work in the office.
Writing-wise, I have just begun work on my final university project, due in December 2014. We were asked to choose between writing a 90-page feature film or 60 pages of original TV, and I really struggled with my decision. While I've always wanted to write television and create my own show, I was under the impression that most production companies, even when their work focuses on TV, ask to see a film script instead of TV script. According to my understanding, this is mainly due to the fact that film tends to tell a complete story with a distinct beginning, middle and end, illustrating the writer's ability to keep a story together.
Fortunately, we were told that while we were to choose one or the other as our main project, we could pursue the other as a minor project. I felt relieved that we could do both, but the dilemma persisted. Which one should I choose as my main one?
After careful consideration, I finally decided to focus on a feature and pursue TV as a second project, aspiring to write a script for that, too. Now I don't want to say too much about my two projects, but I do have distinct ideas for both, but they might still change considerably. The feature is a science fiction thriller set in space while the TV project is a dark drama set in post-WWI London.
So yeah, that's it for now. Blog-wise, I've changed the layout - do like the new background? I made it myself from illustrations of Charles Dana Gibson. A romantic writer girl at work...
I spent an amazing Christmas in the English countryside with my boyfriend's family. It was my second Christmas without my family, so I felt very homesick, especially on Christmas Eve. However, Christmas Day was amazing! Everyone made me feel very welcome and loved so I ended up having a really nice, relaxing time. Having time off from everything was really good as well. I allowed myself to do nothing for a good five days, and then slowly returned to work-mode by picking up university work. And on Monday, I returned to work in the office.
Writing-wise, I have just begun work on my final university project, due in December 2014. We were asked to choose between writing a 90-page feature film or 60 pages of original TV, and I really struggled with my decision. While I've always wanted to write television and create my own show, I was under the impression that most production companies, even when their work focuses on TV, ask to see a film script instead of TV script. According to my understanding, this is mainly due to the fact that film tends to tell a complete story with a distinct beginning, middle and end, illustrating the writer's ability to keep a story together.
Fortunately, we were told that while we were to choose one or the other as our main project, we could pursue the other as a minor project. I felt relieved that we could do both, but the dilemma persisted. Which one should I choose as my main one?
After careful consideration, I finally decided to focus on a feature and pursue TV as a second project, aspiring to write a script for that, too. Now I don't want to say too much about my two projects, but I do have distinct ideas for both, but they might still change considerably. The feature is a science fiction thriller set in space while the TV project is a dark drama set in post-WWI London.
So yeah, that's it for now. Blog-wise, I've changed the layout - do like the new background? I made it myself from illustrations of Charles Dana Gibson. A romantic writer girl at work...
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Got a job and a room! Things are looking up!
The past week went by incredibly fast and I have basically just been running from one place to another. I attended three job interviews, visited the embassy to vote for a new president, found a room to live in and got my bank account sorted, so things are finally starting to go right.
I accepted a job offer - an office job (from 9.30am til 5.30pm) just a tube ride away from my future room, so not only is the location good, but the job sounds ideal for the moment. I think it will prepare me nicely for my upcoming university studies in January 2013.
And yes, I have also managed to find a nice double room in a tidy flatshare! There is a tube station less than 10 minutes walk away, the rent is low and the location very central (on the edge of Zone 1). I won't be moving there until the 9th of February though, so in the meantime, I am staying here in this little suburb Surrey village :-)
I accepted a job offer - an office job (from 9.30am til 5.30pm) just a tube ride away from my future room, so not only is the location good, but the job sounds ideal for the moment. I think it will prepare me nicely for my upcoming university studies in January 2013.
And yes, I have also managed to find a nice double room in a tidy flatshare! There is a tube station less than 10 minutes walk away, the rent is low and the location very central (on the edge of Zone 1). I won't be moving there until the 9th of February though, so in the meantime, I am staying here in this little suburb Surrey village :-)
Friday, 6 January 2012
Settling in alright... But need a job!
Today is the third day of my London adventure. Here comes a brief summary of what I have been up to during these first few days.
I landed at Heathrow on Wednesday afternoon. My landlady was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and after about an hours drive, we arrived at this village I am staying at. I spent the rest of the day unpacking my things and getting cosy in my new, single bedroom. It is a light little room in a former council house (insert your frown here), but it has been refurbished recently. Needless to say, it is perfect for me, as I don't have a lot of things and don't need a lot of space.
This village is about 40 minutes train ride away from the London Bridge station, so it's not too far away from the city centre. The area is quite leafy and airy, and I have to say, very idyllic! I never thought that a place this close to such a big cosmopolitan city could be so relaxing and... quiet!
However, as much as I enjoy this room and this area, I have to admit that I would like to experience the big city living and am looking for a room in a more central area. This desire is partially this is due to the fact that I need a job and most jobs I am interested in are in the central London area. Also, after spending a year in a town that was too quiet to my taste I am longing to have a bit of a cosmopolitan experience. So, we'll see how things go.
After unpacking and settling in on Wednesday, I hopped on to the train on Thursday and spent the whole day just walking around in Central London. I treated myself to a small salad lunch at Carnaby Street in a little Italian salad bar. It was a lovely little moment - just drinking coffee, eating salad and looking at people, who were mostly tourists. I had to pinch myself for I was feeling so happy. I am finally here, after all the hard work!
I was also asking around for jobs, but most stores said they want people to apply for the jobs online. So today, I am going to spend the day looking and applying for jobs online. At the moment I am not too picky - I could do waitressing, retail, an office job... Anything to earn me some pocket money, really.
Partially because of money issues, I might have to defer my university place until next year. I really want to do the MA course and I already have the tuition fees saved up, but if I can't get a job NOW I won't have anything to live on, really. That is why I might have to begin the course in January 2013 instead.
I have to say, I am not too worried if I start the course this year or the next year. After all, it's just one year. I think spending one year working and getting used to things could be beneficial for me. At the moment it seems like there's so many changes in my life, all happening at once, that I can hardly keep track. Maybe a "slowly but surely" approach would be better at this stage.
To conclude, I really do feel like I am "Melly In Wonderland". Everything is so exciting and new I can hardly contain myself. Here is a little music choice that kind of describes how I'm feeling at the moment:
I landed at Heathrow on Wednesday afternoon. My landlady was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and after about an hours drive, we arrived at this village I am staying at. I spent the rest of the day unpacking my things and getting cosy in my new, single bedroom. It is a light little room in a former council house (insert your frown here), but it has been refurbished recently. Needless to say, it is perfect for me, as I don't have a lot of things and don't need a lot of space.
This village is about 40 minutes train ride away from the London Bridge station, so it's not too far away from the city centre. The area is quite leafy and airy, and I have to say, very idyllic! I never thought that a place this close to such a big cosmopolitan city could be so relaxing and... quiet!
However, as much as I enjoy this room and this area, I have to admit that I would like to experience the big city living and am looking for a room in a more central area. This desire is partially this is due to the fact that I need a job and most jobs I am interested in are in the central London area. Also, after spending a year in a town that was too quiet to my taste I am longing to have a bit of a cosmopolitan experience. So, we'll see how things go.
After unpacking and settling in on Wednesday, I hopped on to the train on Thursday and spent the whole day just walking around in Central London. I treated myself to a small salad lunch at Carnaby Street in a little Italian salad bar. It was a lovely little moment - just drinking coffee, eating salad and looking at people, who were mostly tourists. I had to pinch myself for I was feeling so happy. I am finally here, after all the hard work!
I was also asking around for jobs, but most stores said they want people to apply for the jobs online. So today, I am going to spend the day looking and applying for jobs online. At the moment I am not too picky - I could do waitressing, retail, an office job... Anything to earn me some pocket money, really.
Partially because of money issues, I might have to defer my university place until next year. I really want to do the MA course and I already have the tuition fees saved up, but if I can't get a job NOW I won't have anything to live on, really. That is why I might have to begin the course in January 2013 instead.
I have to say, I am not too worried if I start the course this year or the next year. After all, it's just one year. I think spending one year working and getting used to things could be beneficial for me. At the moment it seems like there's so many changes in my life, all happening at once, that I can hardly keep track. Maybe a "slowly but surely" approach would be better at this stage.
To conclude, I really do feel like I am "Melly In Wonderland". Everything is so exciting and new I can hardly contain myself. Here is a little music choice that kind of describes how I'm feeling at the moment:
Sunday, 1 January 2012
New year, new city, new beginnings!
Happy 2012 everyone! Let's hope that it is way better than 2011 was.
I am really looking forward to this year and am anxious to see what it will bring with it. In three days, I will be moving to London and starting a new life there. I am so excited and happy - I desperately need a change of scenery. New adventures and opportunities await, and I am anxious to see what will become of me there.
To quote Forrest Gump, everyone gets a second chance with the new year. It certainly feels that way to me now... I really needed a new beginning!
Finally, here is a classic U2 song to celebrate the event:
To quote Forrest Gump, everyone gets a second chance with the new year. It certainly feels that way to me now... I really needed a new beginning!
Finally, here is a classic U2 song to celebrate the event:
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