In a Jude Law State of Mind - Case of The Never Ending Screenplay Part 1 #indiefilm #shorts #actors

 

I’m channeling the wisdom of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" star Jude Law this weekend, to get a short film script ready for what I hope will be the final draft stage. I have a feeling, however, that there's probably more work to do before reaching that point. It’s been too damn long -- I mean, I expected to have this thing done, especially now that January has come and gone.

The story was simple enough but then I altered the script outline a bit to try to make it more interesting. Afterward, I got bored and was no longer interested in making the whole darn thing. Then, I went back to square one, with plans to just make a straight-to-video flick that I could sell, regardless of whether I was interested in the movie or not.

In April, I lost enthusiasm for taking the script from first draft to final draft and these days, I’m taking the story in a whole new direction after coming up with some ideas that I actually like, to finally create a workable script that could be both simple, yet interesting. So, what does this all have to do with Jude Law, you may be wondering? Well, I recently came across three quotes from this Tony and Oscar nominated actor, that reminded me of what making movies (especially independent films, in my case) is all about -- more specifically, what needs to be the motivation for writing the script.

Since a screenplay is the very foundation for which films are based upon, if I’m not enthusiastic about creating the story on paper, how in the world am I going to find excitement in shooting it?! So, any movie for which the writer has no motivation to complete is doomed from the start. Now don’t get me wrong, producing artificial enthusiasm for a movie CAN be done, at any stage of production for that matter -- but is it worth it in the end? No way! Or, at least not according to Jude Law, where his acting is concerned.

Photo: People Magazine
“The only film I ever made for money was something called Music From Another Room, which I really didn't like.” - Jude Law

This reminds me of one of the most expensive short films I’ve made to date, which serves as a lesson to not make the same mistake twice. The irony is that I lost money on this particular film rather than making dough and also ended up with a film that brings me all sorts of frustrating and annoying memories on top of that. I thought that by making a film that I could use to raise money for the one that I really wanted to make, I didn’t have to exactly be attached to the end result.

Similar thoughts crossed my mind while hitting mental roadblocks on the first draft of my current script -- “I don’t need great ideas for this, so long as I cast at least one actor who can attract sales based on who he or she is -- hell, this person doesn’t even have to have acting experience. The guys from The Skorpion Show on YouTube has a huge audience. Problem solved!” Thank goodness I knew that this was a destructive path to follow and thus, started trying to find a story angle that I at least find attractive enough to hold my attention while I work on the remaining scenes.

Therefore, being focused on a straight-to-video ending is not going to improve the script that I have right now nor will it suddenly make me fall in love with a story that I dislike. What good is earning money on a film that you wouldn’t champion at every chance you get or even defend against critics?! -- which brings me back to the basic point that focusing on an end result only serves as a distraction while I put together a screenplay that I don’t even care about. Solution: Make sure you like the script before moving on to the next stage.

Read part two, which includes another Jude Law quote and more scriptwriting observations!

Did YOU know that Jude Law was injured on the set of “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” leaving him with a broken rib?

If someone paid YOU $1 million to make a film based on a script that YOU loathed, would YOU do it?

Favorite Documentaries that Made Me a Better Writer

This guest post is from Rashida of Books, Bass and Beauty who I met during the WordCount Blogathon.

Documentaries are my favorite types of films to watch. There's just something about the reality of them that intrigues me. Anybody can use their imagination to make a good movie. Taking real life and transforming it into a great film, however, is truly amazing to me. As an urban fiction author, I always put some of my real life and experiences in my stories. Watching documentaries helped me learn how to do that. Here are some of my favorite documentaries and how they have made me a better writer, a "docu-writer".

"Very Young Girls"

Everyone's life has a story and it starts when they are just a kid. I learned that from Very Young Girls and I use that in my writing. When creating characters and their back stories, I go all the way back to childhood. I think of the things that have happened to them in their past and how it has made them into the person they currently are. When you go through traumatic experiences and you are forced to grow up at an early age, you carry that with you into adulthood. Thanks to this documentary I now know how to create realistic characters with depth.

"Oh, Saigon"

I stumbled across this documentary on a public access channel one night. The story behind this family hit home immediately. Like Doan, the film maker, I come from a family that is blended and estranged at the same time. Just like hers, my father doesn't visit his family or where he grew up often because of the pain from his past. No matter what race, sex, or religion you are, families are all the same. I keep that in mind in my writing. I have lots of people that read my work that have never had any interest in urban books. What I want is for them to be able feel real emotion and see some of themselves or someone they know in my stories. I do that by being like Doan and putting it all out there for the world to see. I'm not afraid to put my family's history, good or bad, in my writing.

"Backstage"

Backstage is a documentary that goes behind the scenes of the "Hard Knock Life" tour back in 1999. This tour made history because it was the very first all hip hop tour to travel across the country to sold out arenas without any negativity. At that time I was a teenager and the independent hip hop label was still new. Rocafella, Ruff Ryders, and Murder Inc. Records were the front runners of this movement. I love this documentary not only because it's so nostalgic for me, but it was the first time that I saw on film that you can live your dreams and be self-made. Just like hip hop, urban fiction has a bad reputation because of the subject matter. What people don't see are the authors behind those stories. The morals of the stories are overlooked because of the strong language that so many can't seem to get around. So, what Backstage taught me was to stay true to myself and write the stories that come from my heart. No matter who doesn't like what I have to say, I am always Rashida. That's the best and most important thing I've learned thus far!

Rashida is an author and book reviewer of urban/street literature, blogger and lover of hip-hop culture. Become her fan on Facebook or add her on Twitter.

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My Top 5 Favorite Places to Write

What are your five favorite places to write? This is the general topic for today’s theme during the WordCount Blogathon that I am currently participating in, which caused me to really think about all of the places where I write and then compare them all to figure out which ones are the locations that I like the most. Here are my five favorite places to write everything and anything from blog posts, freelance articles, love letters and screenplays to grocery shopping lists, poetry and parody songs....in no particular order.

1. On the Bus

First, let me get something straight.....I hate buses. Now that we have this out of the way, I do find bus rides to be useful places to write in some circumstances. In fact, I wrote my Day 17 blog post (and a portion of my Day 19 post) for the WordCount Blogathon while riding a bus out of town......all on an iPod. I figured that I might as well write to pass the time since there is not much else to do while on a long bus ride.

2. A Family Member’s House

When floppy disks were still popular among computer users, I filled a lot of them with my writings and often completed the task while visiting relatives. I’ve written at least two screenplays using a family member’s computer and have usually enjoyed the process. In such a setting, I get the best of both worlds.....the ability to write in a remote location and also the comfort of a home-like atmosphere.

3. The Library

Since many public libraries are only open during afternoon hours, there is something about having this limited time-frame that I have found to be rather beneficial to my writing activities. Being allowed to work on a computer for only 20 minutes up to 60 minutes maximum can sometimes be the driving force necessary to make sure that I am being productive.

The small window of computer access does not leave much room for idle time, which is a great way to influence me to work on some of my writing in advance before visiting the library so all I have to do is type it up or produce a final draft. I also like to write at the library because it is like an automatic source for references and research material.

If there is a word that I am not familiar with or some historical facts that need to be checked before referencing them in an article, blog post, screenplay, etc. I need not look any further than a public library.

4. My Apartment

This is a no-brainer because if it’s raining or snowing or late in the evening and I do not feel like going out, all of my writing can be done in the comfort of my own home. Much like the public libraries, my home has a lot of resources and supplies that I can utilize during the writing process.....some of which other places, including relatives houses may not have available. These resources include notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, markers, magazines, index cards, my favorite books on screenwriting and other tools that help me get work done without needing to travel.

5. The Movie Theater

Okay, so this one is a bit distracting because the whole point of going to the theater is to watch the movie....right? However, I brought a notepad with me and wrote down notes about a movie that I had to write a review on (It was “Hanna,” for all of you nosey people, lol) in hopes of obtaining a weekly writing gig for a media company.

I did not think that I would remember some of the important points that I wanted to make or key aspects of the movie that I wanted to cover. So, while this may have been an odd thing to do and was certainly a little difficult experience because I had to write whenever there was a bright scene that added more light into the theater, it is productive enough to make my list of five favorite places to write.

What are some of the best places for YOU to write?

Does the ideal location to write depend on what is being written or do you think that people can and should write wherever and whenever they are inspired to do so?

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