Stuck in high school, sort of; Video fun

posted by Jeff | Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 8:32 AM | comments: 2
I'm trying to write the first part of my screen play (the second part is "done," the third about half-way), and I'm stuck. The entire first part takes place in high school, and I'm not sure what to write. See, this is supposed to be a comedy, a quasi-romantic comedy anyway, and frankly nothing funny happened to me in high school. It actually sucked mostly.

It's clear that I need to build sympathy for the main character, because he's kind of pathetic (much like I was). I also need to tie his "issues" to the other two parts, the biggest of which being that he just doesn't have the balls to hook up with girls. Also tough, I need to tie the female lead to the female leads in the other two parts.

And it all has to happen this week, because I want to submit the script to Project Greenlight, and the deadline is Saturday. I don't expect to win or anything, but I do expect the reviewers to rip it to shreds. That's OK if it's the right reviewers. I mean, I don't know anything about writing a screenplay, so I can use the advice. Of course, if I get reviewed by some wannabe film school student that doesn't like anything, I'll have to take that with a grain (or shaker) of salt.

In other news, I did some video editing for a consulting gig. I was kind of dreading it, but I really like editing in Avid if it's something I can just crank out. Also makes me think about video cameras, and how bad I'd love to have a good one (with some lights, microphones and such).

I'm starting to think that even if I can never get my film made, maybe I can do some simple shorts and screen them on the Web. I'd still need the gear, but what fun it would be, to really craft something special in under 30 minutes. It's more of a writing challenge than anything else.


Comments

Stephanie

February 24, 2004, 1:56 PM # A 30 minute "movie" is like writing a short story in some respects. You try to develop a character and convey meaning in just a short amount of time.

freeze

February 24, 2004, 4:17 PM # Deadline: Saturday? Whoa...get to moving!!!! At least, this will be "practice" for next year. You'll have some insight to your writing style, futhermore, you'd be able expand your imagination tenfold. Myself...I'm not rushing on anything with my shit and I'd advise you to do the same, you'll thank yourself for it.
But who knows, I sure don't, you might win.
There are various ways you can make a boring moment hilarious. If one's tragic life can be a bit in a comedy act, then you should have no problem with your block. You just have to look at your life from a different angle.

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