Wednesday, April 17, 2013

writing flashback/ Mentors/ Ernest Hemingway

This is from my www.badcb.blogspot.ca:

Apr. 8 Writing flashback: When I was writing about "I am Number Four/ Incredible Story Studio" post, I got a little excited writing about the Incredible Story Studio.

My right brain isn't writing anything creative.  My left-brain isn't pitching my script to anybody.  Let's go back to the days when I was 15 yrs old.  I was very into creative writing.  I couldn't really pitch much to TV companies because I was so young.  It was putting the cart way before the horse if I didn't even graduate out of high school yet.

In 2008, in my last semester before I graduated out of college, then I was pitching my The Fighter script.  I have finally gotten to the point where I can pitch my script because I finished my education.  I was constantly pitching for 2 yrs 2008-2010.

Then I got laid off from the Soup place and I had to slow down pitching significantly.

Now I will go back to my teenage self when I was so excited about getting my script produced.

Mentors: I have cut out and kept this Edmonton Journal article from Aug. 18, 2001.  It's "X-Files' puffer probes paranormal high school to launch new Mentors" by Liane Faulder.  It talked about William B. Davis as Sherlock Holmes in the show.  Davis used to be Cigarette Smoking Man (CSM) on The X-Files.

Josh Miller (Mentors creator): "We don't write the scripts with any particular casting in mind because you don't know who is going to be available.  But as it turned out, we did an X-Files homage and were able to get a character who had risen to fame and prominence in that show.  In the end, it sometimes all comes together."

The show won Gemini's and is seen in 74 countries.  What I didn't know is: "early financing problems meant it took several summers of shooting for producers at Mind's Eye Pictures and Anaid Productions to create enough episodes for two entire seasons."

The star Chad Krowchuk kept getting older and growing, so he can't play that kid role anymore.  They replaced him and the actress Sarah Lind, with Krowchuk's character's cousins. 

Krowchuk (on working with other actors who guest- star on the show): "I analyze them.  I sit and watch and that's what I did with William Davis.  His subtlety, the way he played Sherlock Holmes as a light, kind character."

"I guess somewhere out there are people who are jerks to work with, but I've never worked with them.  People in the makeup trailer say things like 'he's a sweet guy' when they  talk about Elliot (Gould) or Tom (Cavanagh) and that's what I want to be like if I ever get famous." 

"I just feel the work (acting) is iffy and you need something serious to fall back on.  That's why I've got to go back to school."

He went to Grant MacEwan and then I checked him out on imdb.com.  I have seen him on episodes of The Black Sash and Tru Calling.  He does a lot of work, but it's not really big.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0472377/

Crazy 8s: I also kept and clipped out a National Post article way back in 2002.  "Making a movie on $800 is crazy- and that's the point" by Ian Bailey.  The title caught my interest, but I had to read it when it was talking about my favorite Edmonton actor Eric Johnson who's competing in it.

It is a film competition sponsored by Director's Guild of Canada to give novice directors a chance to make a film with $800.  There are 8 days to film and 800 feet of film to make their project.

Andrew Williamson (exec producer of the project): "We ask everyone to play within the game.  It's not a competition.  It's an opportunity.  Everyone keeps to the spirit of the game."

"It challenges these people to be quick and focus on telling the story."

It started in Vancouver in 1999 and the films have been shown in 50 film festivals around the world.

http://www.crazy8s.cc/

Eric Johnson: Eric Johnson will be directing a 12 min. drama Candy from Strangers which is based on the script by his girlfriend Adria Budd.  (They're now married).   It's about "a waitress's encounter with a tycoon."  EJ got volunteers to be his crew and work on set.  He says: "Everyone know what they're doing, except me."

He's 22 yrs old back then: "I didn't think I would be into (directing) until my 30s, but this has given me a kick-start in that direction."

(About directing a Smallville ep, the show that he's on at that time): "I would not press them to do that.  I want what's great for the show.  Right now, it would be above me."

Writing this then reminded me that I cut out another article in the Edmonton Journal back in 2002.  Todd Babiak wrote "The Return of the Werewolf" about filming Ginger Snaps 2 in Cooking Lake, East of Edmonton, and then Ginger Snaps Back (the prequel) in Fort Edmonton Park.  It has pics of Eric Johnson.

It talked to the director Brett Sullivan who has been working as an editor for 15 yrs in Toronto.  He is now in charge of this film.  "The producers had faith in me.  They liked my story sensibility and they liked my taste.  I've been blessed that I've been able to jump a few levels."

Apr. 10 The Griff: Here is the Grant MacEwan newspaper where you can read school news, movie reviews, opinions, and comics.  I never wrote an article for them though I read some of it here and there.  I didn't write for them in college because I was busy with writing for my classes.

After I graduated, I still didn't write them because I wasn't really into journalism.  I was working at a restaurant, looking for an office job, and pitching my script.  The script was the most important writing, second was the blog.

http://thegriff.ca/

Ernest Hemingway:

Endings: I cut out this article "Hemingway classic reprinted-with all 39 endings" by Julie Bosman by Jul.8, 2012.  It's about the book A Farewell to Arms published in 1929.

Sean Hemingway (Ernest's grandson): "I think people who are interested in writing and trying to write themselves will find it interesting to look at a great work and have some insight to how it was done."

"But he is a writer who has captured the imagination of the American public, and these editions are interesting because they really focus on his work.  Ultimately that's his lasting contribution."

Flash fiction: On Dec. 7, 2012, Mark Braude wrote about Ernest Hemingway in the Globe and Mail.

"Though he never published it, Ernest Hemingway reportedly came up with the world's shortest story: 'For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.'  Six words touching on death, heartbreak and the marketplace.  Alan Moore, playing on Hemingway's six word formula, offered: 'machine.  Unexpectedly, I'd invented a time.'

Any plot driven piece of writing of extreme brevity can qualify as flash fiction.  The goal is to distill action, character and conflict into the purest language possible.  Yasunari Kawabata's lovely 'palm- of- the- hand stories' are among the finest examples of the form.  Flash fiction issues a challenge to writers, those fierce competitors: How sharp can you make it?" 

Apr. 11 University of Alberta Press: I found this Legacy magazine in my room.  It's an Alberta magazine I got back in 2007 when I was in college.  I got it for free when I was at this AB magazine presentation.  Now I'm reading it and I found this ad for the University of Alberta Press.

It turns out they produce non-fiction, textbooks, fiction, and poetry.  They're going into digital books.  I like the website.  It looks really good.

http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/

Sunday, April 7, 2013

I am Number Four/ Incredible Story Studio


This is from my www.badcb.blogspot.ca:
 
Mar. 29:

I am Number Four movie review
By Tracy Au
This movie is based on a book by Pitticus Lore (pseudonym for James Frye and Jobie Hughes.)  The movie is written by Smallville writers/ producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer/ producer Marti Noxon.  If you are a fan of those TV shows, you will enjoy this movie.
The story is about John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) who looks like a human, but is really an alien from the planet Lorien.  He is one of handful of alien children who was sent to Earth to survive from being hunted down by the Mogadorians who want to kill all of them.  They kill in order, and John is number four.  John’s guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant) watches and protects John from them.
This movie is average because it was kind of slow in the story pacing.  John enrolls in school and meets his love interest Sarah (Dianna Agron), the geek Sam (Callan McAuliffe), and the jerks like Mark (Jake Abel.)  Besides school, they show scenes of the Mongodorian Commander (Kevin Durand) and a teenage girl (Theresa Palmer) tracking John.
There are a couple of good surprises in learning who the teenage girl and what the dog that John found really is.  The best part of the movie are the special effects and the big fight scene with John, the teenage girl, the Mongodorians, and the monster they brought with them.  There is an uplifting ending and a potential for a sequel.


Question: Have you ever prepared for something very much and worked very hard?  You know like study for a big test, prepared for a job interview, applied for college?  After you do the test, job interview, send in the college application, you then start worrying about it?
Like: "I hope I got enough questions right to pass", "I hoped they thought I was a good fit for the job", and "I hope they accept me into college."  I'm sure we all have.
Script pitch: I'm bringing up that question because, here is something I haven't done in awhile: sent a script for a producer to read.  In Jan. 2013, I read a newspaper article about this TV show and it mentioned the production company.
I pitched to them and the producer said send it in.  However, I was really busy with work and I didn't want to rush to send The Vertex Fighter script in like the first time I did it back in 2009.  So I kind of took my time and it's not until Mar. 2013, I sent it in.
The things I had to do to make sure the script was perfect:
1. I saw the Borealis TV movie which had some MMA in it. 
2. I wrote and analyzed it here:
3. I read EPL 2013 Writer in Residence Omar Mouallem's feedback on my Rain script.
4. I read EPL 2011 Writer in Residence Marty Chan's notes on Fighter, and actually applied it by typing it into the script.
5. I read EPL 2010 Writer in Residence Chris Craddock's notes on Fighter, and applied it into the script.
6. I also got my co-worker K's feedback on Rain
I was going to wait for Omar's Rain feedback where he reads Part 3 and 4, but I decided that this script has been as good as it's going to get.  So I sent it in.
Writing: That's another good thing about writing out your worries.  You can actually see it.  Now I'm reading over what I wrote, and it just made me think how prepared I was. 
So when you're nervous about a job interview, list all the things you did to prepare for it, regarding you're researching the company before it and memorizing answers to potential questions they will ask. 
Apr. 1 Quill and Quire: Have you ever heard of this magazine before?  I was reading an article in the Edmonton Journal about the author Saleema Nawaz and her new book called Bone and Bread.  It mentioned she was on the cover of this magazine.
It's "Canada's magazine of book news and reviews."  It has book reviews of all kinds of books like novels, poetry, and food/drinks, etc.  There's even a Job Board there.


Short story contest: I found this in the Globe and Mail on Jan. 22, 2013.  The publisher House of Anansi  created this short story contest.  The applicants have to write a short story by using songs from Broken Social Scene's cd You Forgot It in People as a title or theme of the story.  The top 13 stories will be published on Jun.8 as an e-book and the top 3 will also get cash prizes and VIP passes to A&C's Field Trip Music and Arts Festival.  
I had cut it out thinking I could write a short story for it, but I didn't because I was really busy with work.  Also I'm not really interested in writing short stories, and more into writing scripts.
Writer's block: I might as well add that I have writer's block.  In Feb., I was really busy with work.  Then in Mar. it kind of lightened up a bit.  Then I decided to pick up more hours and work because I didn't want to go home.  Maybe it's the winter time, and I am inside, reading the newspaper and watching TV.  If it was the summer, I would be going out more.
I hope that by writing about TV production could get me excited and write something.
Micro-Budget Production Program: I found this in the Edmonton Journal on Mar.1, 2013.  "Telefilm Canada says 8 emerging filmmakers will receive up to $120,000 each."  It's to produce their first feature-length film.  The budget can't exceed $250,000.
Telefilm executive director Carolle Brabant wants to encourage production and distribution.
Alberta Film Studios: I found this article in the Edmonton Journal on Jan. 25, 2013 by Elizabeth Whithey.  It mentioned the Alberta Film Studios.  I checked out the site and it listed credits of all the TV shows and movies it filmed there like the Jessica Alba and Dane Cook movie called Good Luck Chuck, the horror movie Ginger Snaps Back, and the kids show Mentors.
Incredible Story Studio: What I didn't know was that the kids TV show Incredible Story Studio was filmed there.  I loved that show when I was in jr. high school.  It's where tweens (11-14 yr olds) write a short story, and the TV show produces it.  I did submit a story to them when I was like 15 yrs in 2001 and then the show got cancelled in 2002.