Film: WRITING A NEW SCREENPLAY
I love working, it's given me the opportunity to have brief encounters with cool people like Thomas Keneally, Pat Rafter, the President of Rwanda, Megan Gale, Barry Otto and the Corrs, but mostly because it makes me feel alive ...Naomi Rossdeutscher
Long ago when I first read the book, SAVE THE CAT, I was taken by Blake Snyder's writing, in a beautiful moment I felt he was a friend I could call on to chat about scripts and my disillusionment, so I Googled him for more info and was saddened to find he'd passed away.
Today I'm blazing into the abyss of a new screenplay, following the SAVE THE CAT methodology. I have my genre, concept and logline etched on the wall behind my computer. I'd like to venture to Starbucks in LA and run it past a few mad strangers, but it's a long way from Sydney and the green-card roadblock has crippled my efforts. If I did that here I'd get more than a few treacherous looks. I've done my caffeine induced work breaking the story, have the precious 40 cards/scenes and knocked it up in Final Draft. And now, isolated in my writing cave, I will attempt to blaze a trail of 5 pages per day to first draft. Although greedy little life - making a few pennies, love and friendship, will splinter the process.
I'm developing this new script in search of a powerful, low budget Independent movie, to direct as my debut feature film - so exotic locations, epic cast and mind blowing effects are outlawed... hmmm tricky.
Music influences my writing style, inspiring a mood. The song compilation on shuffle today are greats from Alabama 3, Adele, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Angus and Julia Stone, Karise Eden, Basia Bulat, Duffy and Axelle Red.
At night I'm having my own Aussie film fest, watching a range of gripping movies I've seen before. I'm noticing the same actors are cropping up, but they're aging. Two favourites enjoyed last night - ROMULUS, MY FATHER and LOOK BOTH WAYS. Tonight it's ROMPER STOMPER and HOME SONG STORIES. I'm saving THE INTERVIEW until last - Hugo Weaving is incredible in it. I'd like to see HEAD ON with Alex Dimitriades, but the vid store didn't have it.
Just noticed my photo of Thomas Keneally has graced the cover of NORTHSIDE MAGAZINE. He's an amazing man, he wrote the book Steven Spielberg based SCHINDLER'S LIST on. I love working, it's given me the opportunity to have brief encounters with a variety of cool people like him, Pat Rafter, the President of Rwanda, Megan Gale, Barry Otto, Adam Scott and the Corrs, but mostly because it makes me feel alive.
Now I'm going to get going on those five pages.
THOMAS KENEALLY and JANE RUTTER
Yesterday I was gripped by imagination and on a mad roll I blazed through nine inspired pages. Today I thought I'd get my bookwork, BAS, accounts out the way first and was gripped by a dark cloud of doom.
I tweaked yesterdays script pages and attempted to revisit my passion, but I seem to be paralyzed by financial angst and despair, mocked by numbers. I know the story that awaits me, but I can't face the keyboard right now. So I'll walk the dog and go to the movies, I think. Maybe yoga might dispel the frustration and get my head back on track. Until tomorrow.