A Pause...Not Applause...Okay Applause if you want.

There has been a brief pause in my project. I am taking a screenplay writing class and the professor assigned a fun...but diverting...project. To enter the film pitch content conducted by Lionsgate Films at Massify.com. However, since the pitch had to be for a "male" oriented comedy with a low budget, my In Deep Shitake project would not do. So for the last week I have been working on my assignment and here it is. Drumroll..........

Title: Cracking Nuts and Taking Poles

Logline: To save his college Arts Depart. —and his scholarship—a cute geeky dance student and his friends organize a fundraiser: the Nutcracker ballet staged as a strip show.

There is a full synopsis and 4 sample screenplay pages on the Massify site. Good luck to me!

Oh....I can't go on without another inspiration video. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj5ynGKRlfA

RE-THINKING THE STRUCTURE.

My screenwriting class professor introduced me to a text that I had heard of previously but never read. The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler discusses mythic structure and the hero’s journey in story telling. This book and Save the Cat both discuss a structure wherein the hero/shero is shown in their ordinary world. For purposes of my screenplay this has made me rethink my first scenes. Instead of jumping directly to the point at which my hero and shero meet, I have now drafted three scenes showing the “ordinary world” (but hopefully in a way that will hook audience interest) of the hero/shero and the villain.

Sadly…I still have not figured out how to have the hero lose his shirt in these first scenes.

I’m also reworking my “Beat Sheet”. A Beat Sheet is roughly an outline of the major plot points along the three act structure. At this point it is all pretty much a vomit draft. We’ll have to see if it is an improvement over my original structure.

It’s all extremely time consuming hard work. The only fun I’m having is the inspiration videos I’m finding on Youtube. Here’s a link to one that has some particularly smoldering and gorgeous clips of Richard Armitage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YotV6szcQN8

Ahhhhhhhh. Just what I needed.

Good Gratitude

Photo from MI-5, Copyright BBC and Kudos

According to the principles of the Law of Attraction, GRATITUDE is the way to turn our life around. Therefore, it is advisable to make a list of the things you are grateful for in order to bring more abundance into your life. Thanking the universe/God for what we have is supposed to bring MORE into our lives for which we can be grateful. Listing the things we are grateful for is supposed to bring about a feeling of happiness and contentment. This is the frequency our brains are supposed to be on in order to RECEIVE

So the next step in my quest is to create a gratitude list. Here goes:

1. I am grateful Richard Armitage is such a fabulous actor...He'll be sooo good in my movie.

2. I am grateful Richard Armitage has such a lovely baritone voice…melts over me like butter.

3. I am grateful for his gorgeous sideburns.

4. I am grateful Richard Armitage has lovely blue eyes….They smoulder. Ooooh.

5. I am grateful Richard Armitage has black hair with just the right amount of wave…the kind that makes a gal want to wrap her fingers in.

6. I am grateful Richard Armitage is so tall.

7. I am grateful for Richards little quirky smirk...Makes me smile when I see it.

8. I am grateful for how Richard Armitage looks in tight leather pants. Hmmmmmm.

9. I am grateful for the sexy stubble look Richard Armitage often sports. And finally.

10. I am grateful for the way Richard Armitage looks with no shirt…gives me heart the feeling that jumper cables have been attached.

Hey! What do you know. My list worked. I’m feeling very happy and contented right now.

My Screenplay Writing 101

An important first step in the screenplay writing process for me was to choose a software program. There is a free downloadable screenplay writing software template at a site called CELTX. However, I chose to go with Move Magic Screenwriter, which is a program format accepted by Industry professionals and contains a number of specialized templates. Loading the software was pretty easy…always a relief for me since I am not the most computer literate individual.

Next, I considered a text. For purposes of this project my main reference is the excellent book “Save the Cat!” by Blake Snyder. This book utilizes pretty much the same three act structure I’m accustomed to in novel writing which Snyder has expanded upon to 15 elements he calls a “Beat Sheet”.

The “Beat Sheet” indicates roughly what should be in every script somewhere in those 40 scenes. However, nowhere in this great book is a critical piece of information. In how many scenes may I have the hero bare-chested (aka shirtless, aka I’m drooling) before it would be considered overdone? Anyway, more about this very crucial issue in another post. However, feel free to leave me a comment about how many scenes the hero should appear in sans shirt.

The first bit of information I found particularly useful in this reference was the fact that the typical motion picture screenplay is 110 pages (a page for each minute of film time) and 40 scenes. Having completed one scene out of the 40 in my screenplay, I am 2.5% on the way to my goal. I have given myself 6 weeks to complete a vomit draft. Hmmmm. May not be enough time, but we’ll see.

Snyder suggests one arrive at a fantabulous logline before beginning the writing process. A logline is basically a one sentence description or hook for your movie. Too late in my case. I’ve already started writing. Nevertheless, I’ll work on my logline now.

So far this is it: SEXY, ONE-HIT-WONDER BRITISH ACTOR INTENT ON A COMEBACK MEETS A GORGEOUSLY LEGGY LADY PI WHO WOULD RATHER BE A CHEF, AND THE SPARRING DUO ARE EMBROILED BY MISTAKEN IDENTITY IN COMIC MAYHEM AND MURDER. Sort of Tracy/Hepburn meets Sam Spade.

Okay, okay…. it needs work. Too complicated. I’m going to evaluate it along the criteria set forth in the reference and get back to you with and new and improved version.

Now. Back to the most crucial issue: SHIRTLESS RICHARD ARMITAGE…..Ahhhhhhh. Makes me happy just thinking about those scenes. Really gives a gal incentive to write.

First Ask

According to the book “The Secret”, by Rhonda Byrne, the Law of Attraction dictates that my thoughts BECOME. My thoughts are a signal transmitting into the universe what I want my future to be. Therefore, if I want something I must start transmitting the right signal.

It appears that there are three crucial steps: Ask, Believe, and Receive. So the first step in the journey is to clearly ASK for what I want. But it has to be something I can BELIEVE I will RECEIVE. So here goes……….

Knock knock. Hey up there. Here’s my request in three parts:

(1) Write a screenplay.

I’m not completely fantasizing here. I am an author with one novel published a novella under contract. So I think I have the talent to write a fabulously funny romantic comedy screenplay – Okay, okay. I’m not very humble. But one can’t be humble and operate the Law of Attraction.

(2) Have that screenplay produced as a major motion picture by February 1, 2012.

I can still believe this one. There are Cinderella stories about unknowns achieving the Hollywood dream. Why not me?

(3) Have that motion picture star the fabulously handsome and talented British actor, Richard Armitage.

I admit this one is pure fantasy. However, if I’m going to do this project, why not make it a worthy challenge. Richard is perfect for the role the HERO in my story. The character as I conceived it is a 40 year old British actor who is uber famous for one role he played about 10 years before. The character comes to Savannah, Georgia to make a come-back film and is swept up in comic murder and mayhem. A romantic comedy would allow Richard to stretch and explore his very considerable acting abilities and he deserves to make it big in the U.S. as well as U.K. So I’m really being very altruistic in my request. Really, I am. This isn’t just for me. Really…

............I’m ignoring the smirking I can feel from you readers and swiftly moving on.

So in summary here it is: I ASK that I write a screenplay which is produced into a major motion picture starring British actor Richard Armitage.

Next step BELIEVE: I am believing through persistent thought and action that I will have received February 1, 2012. Let the celebrations begin…Oops I guess I also have some work to do.

On Friday I’ll post my progress on the screenplay and a bit of what I have learned and am learning about screenplay writing craft.