All in all, I'm still a lot more proud of my workshop script than I am my senior project. Doing workshop... I went in KNOWING what I was doing, and I had some things in the pitch that I would compromise, but others that I would never change... and it was tough, but it was a lot of fun.
Senior pitch I bombed so bad, and the result was four weeks of rushed pitching of different ideas until I threw together a romance. It was a whole process learning to not absolutely loathe the idea and actually give a shit about it.
Is it awesome? No. Is it something I care about? Yes. Could I be proud of it? Maybe one day.
The writing is going a lot easier, the end is nigh. It's taught me a lot, and while it was a battle getting here, it was a good experience.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Story and characters
The script is moving forward, slowly becoming something I could take pride in. I feel like that's a good thing, because the last two drafts were... really hard to give a shit about. I got them done on time, even a little early, but it was forced. Nothing was really at stake because I felt no risk for something that I didn't feel attached to.
I'm more attached now, it's more about character than it is about love, which is always something that makes me more comfortable. We'll see where it goes, my goal is to get to the midpoint by Friday (hopefully sooner)
I'm more attached now, it's more about character than it is about love, which is always something that makes me more comfortable. We'll see where it goes, my goal is to get to the midpoint by Friday (hopefully sooner)
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Vocab word of the week
This week has been a slow but more sure progress when it comes to writing. It's not just forcing it out, vomiting across the page and shrugging. Will it be perfect? No way. But at least now I'm not... turning in something that I know is absolute crap. I have invested more thought into this draft.
The week has been... busy. Lots of meetings, lots of assignments to cram in before Friday. I'm going to Rochester to visit my best friend. It's going to be crazy, there's a Gatsby themed party and I'll be rocking out in 21st century clothes. Oops.
On a more personal note... graduation and it's not going as smoothly as I would like. I wanted the last term to be a fun montage, instead it's troublesome. I'll get through it. It will make me stronger.
The vocabulary term for this week is Ombusperson.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Be Specific
Just putting it out there to anyone who is writing/preparing their own will. Be. SPECIFIC.
My dad is the executor of his mother's will, and let me tell you, "Give away my estate to the family equally," is not easy to accomplish. In fact, it's near impossible. I know that grief can be tough. I realize the wound is sort of still raw. I am surprised, however, that my father didn't foresee the arguments and pettiness his brothers and sisters are exhibiting.
Their newest outcry is that my mother shouldn't see any of my grandmother's jewelry before they do because "she's not family." She's been married to my dad for thirty-seven years and has been putting up with the Welles family crap for even longer. I guess they expect her to close her eyes whenever she goes into the dining room or certain parts of the house.
Moral of the story is, I will make sure to be specific. And hopefully, if I ever have children, they won't grow up to be unreasonable assholes.
I'll just sit here and watch my family eat each other.
Dinner and a show.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Churning out Page$
Apparently LMFAO and Ke$ha make me write faster. It's more amusing to imagine their songs as the soundtrack. hahaha.
In other news, I cut a Silent Hill trailer. Love it. I know how to improve it but I used Scala's choir cover of "Creep" by Radiohead. It was perfect.
Bought a round trip bus ticket to Rochester to visit my partner in crime, by best friend, and I can't wait even though the trip is about... ten hours. Blarf. My boss sent me a new book to read, I'm cutting Live Free or Die Hard, and I'm wrapping up my second draft of my senior project.
It's going to be a lot of work this week. But I'm going to own it. Fucking one hit KO.
In other news, I cut a Silent Hill trailer. Love it. I know how to improve it but I used Scala's choir cover of "Creep" by Radiohead. It was perfect.
Bought a round trip bus ticket to Rochester to visit my partner in crime, by best friend, and I can't wait even though the trip is about... ten hours. Blarf. My boss sent me a new book to read, I'm cutting Live Free or Die Hard, and I'm wrapping up my second draft of my senior project.
It's going to be a lot of work this week. But I'm going to own it. Fucking one hit KO.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Trailer cutting
I. Love. Cutting. Trailers.
Editing in general is a blast, but trailer cutting is easily my favorite aspect of it. Finding that right moment to end it, to end on a blast of music, ugh. Be still my heart. It's the music lover side of me that just goes nuts to find that score piece that would go hand in hand perfectly with the footage.
I think this week I'll start with Silent Hill, and... I'm thinking I'll cut a legitimate trailer, then see if I can twist the genre like the Scary Mary and The Shining Rom Com.
Editing in general is a blast, but trailer cutting is easily my favorite aspect of it. Finding that right moment to end it, to end on a blast of music, ugh. Be still my heart. It's the music lover side of me that just goes nuts to find that score piece that would go hand in hand perfectly with the footage.
I think this week I'll start with Silent Hill, and... I'm thinking I'll cut a legitimate trailer, then see if I can twist the genre like the Scary Mary and The Shining Rom Com.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Progress
Though there were many struggles with my senior project, I feel like things are starting to turn around for the right track. I'm not going to give into commitment issues. I'm going to be so committed I'll practically be in an asylum.
For me... it's always the first draft main characters that end up not working out. They always turn out flatter than a steam-rolled pancake. The secondary characters are always so much more rich. My independent comic-book project features side-characters from another story I'm writing. Because they're so much more interesting with so much background to explore!
I digress.
I think what's been holding me back the most is my reluctance to write female leads because I don't want to be labeled as "the woman writer who only writes women." But right now... the main lead isn't cutting it because he's overshadowed by his romantic interest. Time to give her the spotlight she deserves.
For me... it's always the first draft main characters that end up not working out. They always turn out flatter than a steam-rolled pancake. The secondary characters are always so much more rich. My independent comic-book project features side-characters from another story I'm writing. Because they're so much more interesting with so much background to explore!
I digress.
I think what's been holding me back the most is my reluctance to write female leads because I don't want to be labeled as "the woman writer who only writes women." But right now... the main lead isn't cutting it because he's overshadowed by his romantic interest. Time to give her the spotlight she deserves.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Toga, toga, toga!
Last night I went to a toga party at the TLA. And it was awesome.
I always under anticipate social events, it's just something I do since I've never enjoyed them as a kid. But last night was actually pretty fun. We screened Animal House, sang along to "Shout" while it played, and afterwards the DJ's played "Shout" and everyone danced and we were on the floor then jumping up again... it was actually pretty incredible.
The two DJs played for an hour before the movie actually started, and they were great. The mixes were incredible and I met the one DJ's boyfriend. I got both of the DJ's numbers but man, I wish they had a website so I could listen to their mixes. Bummer. Hopefully they'll get bigger, but they play every Tuesday at Woody's, so I'll probably get some people together and go there.
Here are one of the songs the DJs mixed. I love this song, and the way they mixed it in to the rest of their work... flawless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uee_mcxvrw
I always under anticipate social events, it's just something I do since I've never enjoyed them as a kid. But last night was actually pretty fun. We screened Animal House, sang along to "Shout" while it played, and afterwards the DJ's played "Shout" and everyone danced and we were on the floor then jumping up again... it was actually pretty incredible.
The two DJs played for an hour before the movie actually started, and they were great. The mixes were incredible and I met the one DJ's boyfriend. I got both of the DJ's numbers but man, I wish they had a website so I could listen to their mixes. Bummer. Hopefully they'll get bigger, but they play every Tuesday at Woody's, so I'll probably get some people together and go there.
Here are one of the songs the DJs mixed. I love this song, and the way they mixed it in to the rest of their work... flawless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uee_mcxvrw
Friday, February 15, 2013
Eternal Darkness and Wooing HP Lovecraft
I love Lovecraft. I really do. His style isn't the greatest, but the fear and paranoia his work evokes is something I can really admire. Anything Lovecraft inspired draws my interest, and right now I've stumbled upon Eternal Darkness for the Gamecube.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not playing it. I can't play standard video games worth a damn. The only games I can actually demonstrate skill is We <3 Katamari and Katamari Damacy, and that's not something you brag about. Instead, for the games I want to see but can't play myself, I watch Leg's Plays, and there's one youtube user who specializes in playing horror games blind, in other words, he plays on the hardest setting and has never played the game before. It makes it really amusing, and he also does pun runs.
When it comes to Lovecraft and video games, it's nothing new. They tried to do a direct adaptation with Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth, which is pretty faithful, but disjointed and bad gameplay. I thought it was fun because I knew where the material came from, but the player was very frustrated, he didn't do his reading. The Amnesia series also incorporates Lovecraftian details, sacred artifact that changes shape and colors mysteriously, horrible monsters, crippling fear that's measured and is a part of the game, and a climax that's otherworldly.
However, I think I've found my favorite so far, which is Eternal Darkness. It was made in 2002, so the graphics are kinda funky, but you play as several characters in time periods that are all strung together though a greater conspiracy that's out of humanity's hands. There are mini monsters that you can kill with spells and a sword, but underneath it all are the push and pull of three greater monsters, and they just scream Cthulu. It's got a great atmosphere, and also has a sanity meter but I like how they handled it. In Amnesia, since it's first person, your vision goes blurry, crackling sounds, and your movements slow because of it. In Eternal Darkness, it's third-person, so I was apprehensive of how they would portray the insanity.
Well, they had fun.
It's different each time, so there is no way to predict what you will see or hear. Typically the walls will bleed and you might hear a baby crying, but don't worry, that is not the extent. At one point, your main character starts to go insane and when she enters a room, she walks a few steps, and her head flys off and lands on the ground with a sickening squish. You can still control her, and she runs, headless, until her arms fly off, and then her body explodes. The screen flashes, and your character is in one piece and she begins to sob because of what she saw. Another instance is randomly, a menu screen will pop up and it will say "Thank you for playing" and you'll think that the game ended prematurely, but it's just another way to break the fourth wall when dealing with insanity.
Long story short, I really liked the way they handled it.
Another Let's Play I'm watching by the same user is Rule of the Rose. So far, it's Silent Hill-ish, and it was banned in a few countries, and so I'm interested to see where that comes into play.
As the horrors continue, so will my updates.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not playing it. I can't play standard video games worth a damn. The only games I can actually demonstrate skill is We <3 Katamari and Katamari Damacy, and that's not something you brag about. Instead, for the games I want to see but can't play myself, I watch Leg's Plays, and there's one youtube user who specializes in playing horror games blind, in other words, he plays on the hardest setting and has never played the game before. It makes it really amusing, and he also does pun runs.
When it comes to Lovecraft and video games, it's nothing new. They tried to do a direct adaptation with Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth, which is pretty faithful, but disjointed and bad gameplay. I thought it was fun because I knew where the material came from, but the player was very frustrated, he didn't do his reading. The Amnesia series also incorporates Lovecraftian details, sacred artifact that changes shape and colors mysteriously, horrible monsters, crippling fear that's measured and is a part of the game, and a climax that's otherworldly.
However, I think I've found my favorite so far, which is Eternal Darkness. It was made in 2002, so the graphics are kinda funky, but you play as several characters in time periods that are all strung together though a greater conspiracy that's out of humanity's hands. There are mini monsters that you can kill with spells and a sword, but underneath it all are the push and pull of three greater monsters, and they just scream Cthulu. It's got a great atmosphere, and also has a sanity meter but I like how they handled it. In Amnesia, since it's first person, your vision goes blurry, crackling sounds, and your movements slow because of it. In Eternal Darkness, it's third-person, so I was apprehensive of how they would portray the insanity.
Well, they had fun.
It's different each time, so there is no way to predict what you will see or hear. Typically the walls will bleed and you might hear a baby crying, but don't worry, that is not the extent. At one point, your main character starts to go insane and when she enters a room, she walks a few steps, and her head flys off and lands on the ground with a sickening squish. You can still control her, and she runs, headless, until her arms fly off, and then her body explodes. The screen flashes, and your character is in one piece and she begins to sob because of what she saw. Another instance is randomly, a menu screen will pop up and it will say "Thank you for playing" and you'll think that the game ended prematurely, but it's just another way to break the fourth wall when dealing with insanity.
Long story short, I really liked the way they handled it.
Another Let's Play I'm watching by the same user is Rule of the Rose. So far, it's Silent Hill-ish, and it was banned in a few countries, and so I'm interested to see where that comes into play.
As the horrors continue, so will my updates.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Watched Seven Psychopaths
It was enjoyable. I love Christopher Walken and Tom Waits. They're so classic.
And, to satisfy my Studio Killers craving I'm listening to The Crash, which is rumored (never confirmed) to have the lead singer from Studio Killers.
This weekend looks like it's going to be fun, even though there will be a lot of socializing to be had. I'll just pretend to be James Bond.
And, to satisfy my Studio Killers craving I'm listening to The Crash, which is rumored (never confirmed) to have the lead singer from Studio Killers.
This weekend looks like it's going to be fun, even though there will be a lot of socializing to be had. I'll just pretend to be James Bond.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Outside my Window
There's a light on tip of a building outside of my window that spins. It's not RIGHT outside of my window, a few blocks down, but this light spins like a lighthouse. It reminds me of those "danger" lights you see in laboratories in movies.
Anyway, I've finished the first draft of my script, two weeks to spare. It's getting better, I'm more clear on the main character. What is it about main characters that give me such problems? They just have it out for me, I swear. I'm sure that the voices of the characters aren't as crisp and not-wonder bread as they could be, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. That much I can confidently say.
I'm also writing a comic book, and it's strange that those characters I know. I love them so much... I'm thinking of possibly writing a book to go along with it. That's how much I love them and the world they inhabit. Whatever. I can see you rolling your eyes, eat it. I'm going to do it. Once I finish my art history paper and Intermediate Editing homework.
It's 4 in the morning and I... should get to sleep.
Anyway, I've finished the first draft of my script, two weeks to spare. It's getting better, I'm more clear on the main character. What is it about main characters that give me such problems? They just have it out for me, I swear. I'm sure that the voices of the characters aren't as crisp and not-wonder bread as they could be, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. That much I can confidently say.
I'm also writing a comic book, and it's strange that those characters I know. I love them so much... I'm thinking of possibly writing a book to go along with it. That's how much I love them and the world they inhabit. Whatever. I can see you rolling your eyes, eat it. I'm going to do it. Once I finish my art history paper and Intermediate Editing homework.
It's 4 in the morning and I... should get to sleep.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Out of Order but still functional
I seem to always have great fight and make up scenes, but I end up putting them too close together. But the good thing is, I have them ready to go when I need them. Yay me.
On a non-script related note, I finally watched the last two Harry Potter movies for Intermediate Editing. And... man. Maybe my subconscious made me refuse to see them when they came out because of the pain. I only read the seventh book once (Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite), and haha, I can see why. But, I've got two more score pieces out of it. Beautiful works.
The plan goes as this: Finish first draft by Friday (if I push myself, I might get it done earlier than that), go to the Penn art museum on Thursday, start cutting together the Harry Potter trailer and the After Effects project.
I can do this.
On a non-script related note, I finally watched the last two Harry Potter movies for Intermediate Editing. And... man. Maybe my subconscious made me refuse to see them when they came out because of the pain. I only read the seventh book once (Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite), and haha, I can see why. But, I've got two more score pieces out of it. Beautiful works.
The plan goes as this: Finish first draft by Friday (if I push myself, I might get it done earlier than that), go to the Penn art museum on Thursday, start cutting together the Harry Potter trailer and the After Effects project.
I can do this.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Never a bad dream
I had yet another terrifying nightmare last night. I always feel bad when I tell people that I rarely dream, but when I do, they're nightmares. It's nothing dark like abuse, it's just the way I am. And I figure, if the Terminator came from James Cameron having a nightmare, I've got a gem in here somewhere.
Tonight's was about my characters from a comic book I'm writing, so hooray, that's good. It wasn't in the setting I've created. It was feudal almost, and it was... brutal. I hope I didn't make any noise, because that would have woke up my roommate. It dealt with homosexuality and abuse, and then at the end the main character went mad and stomped on a newborn, to death. I've never imagined something like that before, but last night I saw it. Some would say it's the maternal part in me, but I would just say I'm human-- that I was deeply disturbed. It was hard to go back to sleep, I could still hear it screaming.
In other, not disturbing news....
Script work is coming along. I'm going to back to the basics and drafting up new character bios and maybe sketching out a rough treatment before I go back into full force. I've got a few tricks up my sleeves for making this redesign of characters simple. It should be a cinch.
Later!
Tonight's was about my characters from a comic book I'm writing, so hooray, that's good. It wasn't in the setting I've created. It was feudal almost, and it was... brutal. I hope I didn't make any noise, because that would have woke up my roommate. It dealt with homosexuality and abuse, and then at the end the main character went mad and stomped on a newborn, to death. I've never imagined something like that before, but last night I saw it. Some would say it's the maternal part in me, but I would just say I'm human-- that I was deeply disturbed. It was hard to go back to sleep, I could still hear it screaming.
In other, not disturbing news....
Script work is coming along. I'm going to back to the basics and drafting up new character bios and maybe sketching out a rough treatment before I go back into full force. I've got a few tricks up my sleeves for making this redesign of characters simple. It should be a cinch.
Later!
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