Friday, 16 December 2011

4am Miracle

I've had so many of them. Writing breakthroughs, insights about life, transcendent music listening experiences.

After a while you realise it isn't coincidence. Springsteen was right: "Show a little faith, there's magic in the night."

Too many good things have come from not sleeping. Sure, I feel like shit come the morning, but you carry on. Right now it's 3am and I'm up at 7 for an 8am call time. But its worth it when I've done some writing and had a profound experience listening to Pearl Jam.

Three weeks from now, who cares how little I slept three weeks ago? That's what always gets me about the people who leave early, I don't get it. They invented coffee, y'know. You can sleep the next night.

So much of sleep is based on societal norms. I still battle with this concept in my head that my sleep is abnormal. Abnormal to who? Why should I give a shit?

The night is so quiet. You finally get to be alone. No-one can tell you you're going wrong. There's no-one to please. It's an opportunity. The night doesn't judge you, it just sits quietly in the corner offering you a chair.

Care to share?

Creative Blocks

Are annoying, because we take them so seriously!

Have you seen the movies coming out of Hollywood? They're terrible! Chill out, relax, and write what you wanna write!

So you lack clarity? That's part of the process! Your characters lack clarity too, explore it with them!

Don't be oppressed by the gatekeepers. The producer/studio/teacher figure you hear in your head --- why give it so much authority? Why is the imner-critic so strong and correct? Your critic doesn't know everything, if it did, it'd have a three picture deal!

Become the gatekeeper! The strength and power and clarity of the gatekeeper is a part of yourself you disown. Own it! Be it! Sit like you imagine the producer sitting. Write your script from that point of view.

And don't sit there thinking I'm talking nonsense. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Creativity is about playing, finding different angles.

If you've been blocked all year, something is going wrong.

Don't judge other people's work so harshly! When you do,  you convince yourself you know everything. If you know everything, it means your script should be genius. When it's not genius you lose clarity and hide from the work.

Get off Facebook. The distractions will kill you. To be creative you have to turn the world off and focus on your work. Focus to the point where you forget the clock, your hunger, your body, your sex life. Truly focus. When you focus and do the work, you unleash your potential.

People will belittle your creative work. People will build you up as the next Spielberg. Both of these are harmful. The belittling makes you feel worthless, the building you up puts too much pressure on you. Realise that it happens because people aren't sure how to relate to you. They mostly mean well. Don't let them put you off. Shut the door and do your work.

Shut the door and do your work.

Care to share?

Recent viewings.

Harold and Kumar's Xmas movie 3D: Watchable but not great. 3/10

Hugo 3D: Magical. 9/10

Breaking Away: Coming of age flick from the late 70's. Intriguing. 7/10

Little White Lies: French, wonderful. 10/10

The Way: subtle, touching, Martin Sheen rules. 8.5/10

Moneyball: I worship Sorkin but didn't love this. I know I should. I'll try again on DVD. 7/10

Fear Me Not: Small Danish film. Ulrich Thomsen is amazing. 8/10

My Week With Marilyn: Enchanting. 8.5/10

50/50: At times touching, at times average. But mostly very good. 7.5/10

Care to share?

Thursday, 15 December 2011

The HOME ALONE Dialogues: Part 3

INT. RESTAURANT - EARLIER TONIGHT 

THE KID is sipping PEPSI through a straw. CARL is drinking PEPSI the normal way, and CRAIG doesn't have a PEPSI.


CARL 
You think it's the right time now to watch Home Alone?

THE KID 
Yeah, maybe. 

CARL
Yeah. 

THE KID 
I think you should watch 'Home Alone' on the 23rd, and 'Home Alone 2' on the 24th, Christmas eve. 

CARL
Yeah that sounds good. 

CRAIG 
What about if you're busy Christmas eve?

THE KID
What about it?

CRAIG 
Then you can't watch Home Alone. 


THE KID 
I'm talking about in an ideal world, the ideal time to be watching 'Home Alone' is in the days preceding Christmas. 

CRAIG
Does precede mean before or after? 

THE KID
Before or after what? 

CRAIG 
Before or after the thing you used the word precede for. 

CARL
So when should I watch 'Home Alone'?

CRAIG
Whenever you want.

THE KID
No, not whenever you want. 23rd, 24th. 25th is better, but you probably have to do family stuff. 

CRAIG 
I watched 'Home Alone' in November. 

CARL
Why?

CRAIG
It was on TV.

CARL
You should never watch Home Alone in November. 

CRAIG
Why?

THE KID
Because you should watch it in December. 

CRAIG 
It's just a movie. 

THE KID
No.

CARL 
No. 


You can read part 1 here. And part 2 here. Rumors that the Home Alone dialogues are being turned into a movie starring Ryan Reynolds are, at this point, not confirmed. 

Care to share?

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

Inspiring Film Industry Interviews

I have been lucky and privileged to interview some of my favourite writers, directors & actors on Kid In The Front Row. I have also interviewed some fabulous producers, composers and DOP's. Here are some of my favorites. Read them, be inspired, and share them! 


SCREENWRITERS & DIRECTORS

Screenwriter: Beautiful Girls, Con Air, Gone In Sixty Seconds
"The biggest mistake I see young writers doing is thinking they are ready to be read after writing one or two scripts. Bullshit. You ain't. You are still learning your craft. Learning to crawl."



Screenwriter: Mousehunt, Zoom, Small Soldiers
Director: Look, Detroit Rock City, Look
"In Hollywood when you're pursuing a career in making movies you experience a lot of rejection. You just can not allow it to affect you one bit."



Screenwriter: Bring It On, First Daughter, Aquamarine
"In a weird way I know I'm branded that way, this female empowerment writer, but really, writing is writing to me, and I write what I am most interested in and am most enthusiastic about."



Director: Mean Girls 2
Various writing & acting credits.
"It is a crapshoot whether you get anywhere here. There are just so many very gifted people that come to Hollywood to try to realize their dreams, that the reality is it is luck, karma, destiny, whatever you believe.  But you do have to be motivated. "



Writer/Director: How I Got Lost
"Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't necessarily want to do "Scary Movie 9." So if your script is good enough and he gets his hands on it somehow, I like to think that you have a shot at making an ambitious character movie."






Writer/Director: Kabluey
"Getting a movie made at all is a miracle."


ACTORS

The West Wing, Sportsnight, Backwash
"Working with actors like Nicholson and Eastwood was not difficult at all. It never struck me as intimidating; I just saw it as an opportunity to watch how they worked."



Malena
" Obviously being 14 years old, after a couple of days you will begin meetings with Monica Bellucci to fall in love"



28 Days Later, I'm Alan Partridge, Uncle Max
"I think part of the battle for any creative person is um, not to reject themselves."



The West Wing
" one key to surviving in this business is to not live in it with blinders on. Because when it comes right down to it: it is a business. And a harsh one."



The West Wing
"There have been times where I do feel that the director takes the time to talk to me about what I'm doing --and I love when that happens-- but it feels like an exception rather than a rule."



Various independent and short films. 
"Success means doing what I love, and earning enough money at it to not be scared when I have to pay my bills each month."


OTHER INTERVIEWS

Director Of Photography: The Hangover, Garden State, 
Paul, Due Date
"The main advice I have for anybody is: I never had a back up plan, and I think that’s kind of the only advice I can give."



Producer: Once
"I always knew it was going to be a very special film but never could have imagined how it would touch audiences around the world"



Editor: A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, Howl, 
The Son Of No One
" The goal is to always get better. I just never want to lose the gut instinct that I had on Saints. I think that's where the true magic comes from."



Composer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Most Shocking 
(+150 titles on IMDB!)
"You never sleep. I'm always fried. It's not just me -- you talk to any composers who are working, you never sleep. There's no holiday, no vacation."

Care to share?