I haven't posted anything new lately because I spent nearly two months travelling through China. The trip gave me new experiences that will find its way into my work soon. I have big plans for 2010 and hope to have more to share with you soon.
I have posted a new article I wrote: How Would Proportional Representation Change Canadian Politics?
It came about as the result of watching a discussion on TV about how to make Candian democracy work better.
Please have a look at one of my old strories: Distraction
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Dynamic Lethargy Films - Newsletter - 2009 October 19
Newsletter 2009 October 19
I've been busy the last month and have some new stuff to share with you.
Video
"The Whispers Come" is a short video about being independent. You can watch it here:
http://www.openfilm.com/videos/the_whispers_come/
Story
"Billy's Big Discovery" is a short story about a young boy who wants to be a scientist and make a big discovery. Things do not always turn out the way we would like them to. The first six people who read this all posted comments.Feel free to add more comments. You can read it here:
http://authspot.com/short-stories/billy%e2%80%99s-big-discovery/
Articles
The Guess Who were my favourite band when I was in high school. Here is some trivia about them:
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/176954_guess-who-trivia
I posted a blog about an old idea I had for a movie. I called it "Boomtown - Busttown". It is about a young man who comes to Calgary during a boom, but has trouble when the economy goes bust. You can read it here:
http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog/?p=47
Song
The song "Happy Birthday" is still protected under copyright, so I wanted to write a happy birthday song that I could use without having to worry about buying the rights. You may recognise the tune.
http://www.loudio.com/Music/Electronic/Happy-Birthday-Its-Your-Day.1049615
Other News
My film "My Most Difficult Case" now has a page on the Internet Movie Database and I added a trailer that you can watch. You can watch it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1496810/
Someone suggested that I make a movie like "Before Sunrise" ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112471/). I watched it a couple of times and I am now developing a story based this suggestion. It won't be exactly alike, but then there wouldn't be much point remaking a movie that was aready done.
I changed my website to add a DONATE button so people who wanted to support me could do so. I also added a UNDONATE button so people who did not want to support me could do so as well.
I hope you enjoy my work. If you know anyone who might find these interesting, please pass this along to them.
James Beattie Morison
www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Boom town – Bust town
During the late 1970s and early 1980s Calgary was experiencing a huge boom and people were moving here from all over Canada. I was one of those people. In 1982/1983 the boom went bust. Many people lost their jobs. While I did not lose my job, I was very worried at the time. The story is partially autobiographical, but I made life for my character harder than I had it.
The story begins with a young engineering graduate named Richard moving to Calgary. He says goodbye to his best friend Brian, who is staying in their hometown. Richard plans to work in Calgary for a few years, get some experience, make some money and then go back home for his real career.
Calgary turns out to be different from what Richard expects and it takes him some time to adjust. He feels like he is the only one who is having difficulty. A few years go by and he is more established and comfortable.
Then one day the company lays him off. This is a shock to Richard. He has always seen his self worth in the work that he does. Now he has nothing to give his life value.
In the film, his wife’s first appearance would be when he loses his job. She comes home from her work. It is bright and sunny outside. The camera follows her into the house. She goes to the living room, which has the curtains drawn and the lights off. Richard is sitting in a chair with his head in his hands. She asks him what happened. He tells her he lost his job. The camera backs out of the house the way it came. Now, outside, the sky has clouded up and rain has started to fall.
The rest of the story follows Richard as he starts his own business with a friend. More importantly, he shifts the focus of his life away from his work to his relationship with his wife and his friendships.
At the end of the film, Richard is still struggling financially. Brian, his old friend from University visits from back home. Brian tells him of a career opportunity in their hometown. Richard thanks his friend, but says, “My life is here now.”
The story begins with a young engineering graduate named Richard moving to Calgary. He says goodbye to his best friend Brian, who is staying in their hometown. Richard plans to work in Calgary for a few years, get some experience, make some money and then go back home for his real career.
Calgary turns out to be different from what Richard expects and it takes him some time to adjust. He feels like he is the only one who is having difficulty. A few years go by and he is more established and comfortable.
Then one day the company lays him off. This is a shock to Richard. He has always seen his self worth in the work that he does. Now he has nothing to give his life value.
In the film, his wife’s first appearance would be when he loses his job. She comes home from her work. It is bright and sunny outside. The camera follows her into the house. She goes to the living room, which has the curtains drawn and the lights off. Richard is sitting in a chair with his head in his hands. She asks him what happened. He tells her he lost his job. The camera backs out of the house the way it came. Now, outside, the sky has clouded up and rain has started to fall.
The rest of the story follows Richard as he starts his own business with a friend. More importantly, he shifts the focus of his life away from his work to his relationship with his wife and his friendships.
At the end of the film, Richard is still struggling financially. Brian, his old friend from University visits from back home. Brian tells him of a career opportunity in their hometown. Richard thanks his friend, but says, “My life is here now.”
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
New articles posted 2009 September 23
Since retiring in August I have finished some short articles and published them on the web. I hope you will enjoy them.
A Fleeting Moment of Tranquility is about a memory from my childhood.
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/151015_a-fleeting-moment-of-tranquility
Five Differences between Canadian and American Health Care Systems was inspired by the current health care debate in the United States.
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/143539_five-differences-between-canadian-and-american-health-care-systems
A Fleeting Moment of Tranquility is about a memory from my childhood.
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/151015_a-fleeting-moment-of-tranquility
Five Differences between Canadian and American Health Care Systems was inspired by the current health care debate in the United States.
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/143539_five-differences-between-canadian-and-american-health-care-systems
Monday, September 21, 2009
Bleeding Heart: I Have No Face
This story idea came to me years ago during another economic downturn. Some superhero movie was out and gaining attention. I thought, “There are all kinds of super heroes who fight crime and evil, but there is no super hero to fight unemployment and poverty.”
I created a super hero called “Bleeding Heart”. That was to symbolize his “super empathy”. My first snag was “What kind of super powers could he have that would help people find jobs, escape their addictions, find happiness?”
Some people suggested that this story would work better as a “campy” comic book. However, my vision was of a darker story.
The story begins with a ruthless business leader hectoring his underlings. Later when he leaves to go home a street person accosts him asking for money. He rejects this harshly and tells him to get a job.
That night, while out for a walk, a bolt of lightning strikes him. After he is unconscious for a long time he makes is back home with out any trouble. Undressing, he finds that his blood has soaked into his undershirt. The image it creates is of a heart with blood dripping from it.
He is distracted the next day at work. Looking out of the office window, he sees street people and others walking the streets below. He does not fully understand his power of empathy yet, but he realises that the he can feel their pain, their despair, their anger. He decides to dedicate himself to helping those in need.
Meanwhile, trouble is brewing. In a small room, a man is strapped to a table while another “figure” “works” on him. Bit by bit the figure wears away the man’s drive and sense of self worth. At the end, the figure asks the man on the table to look at his face in a mirror. The man on the table says, “I can’t, I have no face”. The villain has created many faceless men.
Bleeding Heart starts to come across these faceless men. They no longer have an identity and to those around them they don’t exist. He realizes that someone is robbing these men of their ability to cope in the world.
Bleeding Heart searches for the villain to find a way to save the faceless men from their fate. Finally, he corners the villain on a rooftop.
Bleeding Heart asks the villain “Who are you and why would you do such evil to the faceless men”. The villain responds, “I am not a man, but the personification of despair.” He goes on, “I live in the dark recesses of all men’s minds. You can never stop me.”
Bleeding Heart tries to catch the man, but grabs only thin air. There is no trace of the man called despair. A profound sense of hopelessness comes over Bleeding Heart as he wonders how he can save the men with no faces.
I created a super hero called “Bleeding Heart”. That was to symbolize his “super empathy”. My first snag was “What kind of super powers could he have that would help people find jobs, escape their addictions, find happiness?”
Some people suggested that this story would work better as a “campy” comic book. However, my vision was of a darker story.
The story begins with a ruthless business leader hectoring his underlings. Later when he leaves to go home a street person accosts him asking for money. He rejects this harshly and tells him to get a job.
That night, while out for a walk, a bolt of lightning strikes him. After he is unconscious for a long time he makes is back home with out any trouble. Undressing, he finds that his blood has soaked into his undershirt. The image it creates is of a heart with blood dripping from it.
He is distracted the next day at work. Looking out of the office window, he sees street people and others walking the streets below. He does not fully understand his power of empathy yet, but he realises that the he can feel their pain, their despair, their anger. He decides to dedicate himself to helping those in need.
Meanwhile, trouble is brewing. In a small room, a man is strapped to a table while another “figure” “works” on him. Bit by bit the figure wears away the man’s drive and sense of self worth. At the end, the figure asks the man on the table to look at his face in a mirror. The man on the table says, “I can’t, I have no face”. The villain has created many faceless men.
Bleeding Heart starts to come across these faceless men. They no longer have an identity and to those around them they don’t exist. He realizes that someone is robbing these men of their ability to cope in the world.
Bleeding Heart searches for the villain to find a way to save the faceless men from their fate. Finally, he corners the villain on a rooftop.
Bleeding Heart asks the villain “Who are you and why would you do such evil to the faceless men”. The villain responds, “I am not a man, but the personification of despair.” He goes on, “I live in the dark recesses of all men’s minds. You can never stop me.”
Bleeding Heart tries to catch the man, but grabs only thin air. There is no trace of the man called despair. A profound sense of hopelessness comes over Bleeding Heart as he wonders how he can save the men with no faces.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Pre-Columbian World Traveller
There is an idea for a story I came up with several years ago that I haven’t followed up on.
I had been reading one of the Sharpe books by Bernard Cornwell. He always includes a short commentary on the actual historical events. In one he noted that he has Sharpe fighting in two different battles that occurred far apart and he would not have had time to travel from one to the other. His comment is that it is the fate of fictional heroes to always be at the worse places. That made me want to develop a writing project like the Sharpe books.
A short time later I was reading about Christopher Columbus. The article I was reading talked about entries that Columbus had in his notebooks about “Chinese” people drifting in from the Ocean to parts of Europe. In none of these cases did the people survive the crossing. The article notes that later there were confirmed cases of Inuit hunters who crossed the Atlantic in Kayaks and survived the trip.
This inspired the idea for a series of novels about a person who crossed the Atlantic before Columbus. I planned to have a young native North American be blown out to sea and land in Britain in around 1460 to 1470. This person would want to return home. He would get into all kinds of interesting adventures in his attempts to get back.
He would travel over Europe and Asia meeting all the great luminaries of the period. For example he would meet a young Leonardo da Vinci and teach him how to paint. This is fiction; you can bend the truth a little.
At various times in the story he would meet Christopher Columbus and spark his interest in travelling west across the seas. In the final book he would travel with Columbus to America. He takes his leave of Columbus and finally reaches home.
I got stalled on this project because I didn’t feel up to doing all the research that would be needed. It was, and still is, a much bigger project than I want to take on.
I had been reading one of the Sharpe books by Bernard Cornwell. He always includes a short commentary on the actual historical events. In one he noted that he has Sharpe fighting in two different battles that occurred far apart and he would not have had time to travel from one to the other. His comment is that it is the fate of fictional heroes to always be at the worse places. That made me want to develop a writing project like the Sharpe books.
A short time later I was reading about Christopher Columbus. The article I was reading talked about entries that Columbus had in his notebooks about “Chinese” people drifting in from the Ocean to parts of Europe. In none of these cases did the people survive the crossing. The article notes that later there were confirmed cases of Inuit hunters who crossed the Atlantic in Kayaks and survived the trip.
This inspired the idea for a series of novels about a person who crossed the Atlantic before Columbus. I planned to have a young native North American be blown out to sea and land in Britain in around 1460 to 1470. This person would want to return home. He would get into all kinds of interesting adventures in his attempts to get back.
He would travel over Europe and Asia meeting all the great luminaries of the period. For example he would meet a young Leonardo da Vinci and teach him how to paint. This is fiction; you can bend the truth a little.
At various times in the story he would meet Christopher Columbus and spark his interest in travelling west across the seas. In the final book he would travel with Columbus to America. He takes his leave of Columbus and finally reaches home.
I got stalled on this project because I didn’t feel up to doing all the research that would be needed. It was, and still is, a much bigger project than I want to take on.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A movie about an honour killing
Recently there were several reports in the news about Honour killings, where a woman is killed by her family for dishonouring the family in some way. While thinking about the reports, I developed an outline for a movie, but I need to research the subject more before I can finish it.
I would like to hear from people who are familiar with cultures where honour killing happens to tell me if the plot of the story is plausible.
There will be other subplots in the final script.
I would like to hear from people who are familiar with cultures where honour killing happens to tell me if the plot of the story is plausible.
A young woman and her brother are very close to each other. Then he comes to her one day to say that he has been asked to kill her to satisfy the honour of the family. He doesn’t want to do it, but if she doesn’t, he must. She escapes to Canada, leaving a suicide note.
About 15 to 20 years later, she has a new identity and is a successful lawyer. One day she sees her brother and he seems to be following her. She is worried that he will now kill her, but hopes that he no longer bound by the obligation. She would like to be close to him again.
She finds out that her brother, his wife and her mother are living in Canada. She approaches first her mother, then her sister-in-law trying to find out what he knows and what he intends to do. They don’t recognize her at first; having believed that she was dead. They are not sure if he knows she is alive or has plans to kill her. Her brother keeps his feelings and thoughts to himself.
Finally he contacts her and asks for a meeting at a secluded spot and she agrees. He does not seem to recognize her and it turns out that he wants her help as a lawyer.
There will be other subplots in the final script.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
New Short Story "A Walk in the Snow" posted on Triond
An opportunity forces an immigrant to Canada to choose between two futures.
http://www.authspot.com/Short-Stories/A-Walk-in-the-Snow.875563
http://www.authspot.com/Short-Stories/A-Walk-in-the-Snow.875563
Saturday, July 11, 2009
What Kind of Movie Do You Think I Should Make?
I want to make a feature length movie! I have written a script for a feature called The Anger Trap, but I want to explore other ideas before I decide on what to make.
Can you help me?
Is there a kind of film that you would like to watch that never gets made?
I would like to do something original, but some something that people would like to see.
Are there any other types of films that no one is making these days?
Can you help me?
Is there a kind of film that you would like to watch that never gets made?
I would like to do something original, but some something that people would like to see.
- There mystery and detective films,
- There are love stories and buddy films,
- There are epic and western films,
- There are fantasy and science fiction films,
- There are comedy and satire films,
- There are faith based and message films,
- There are history and biography films,
- There are action and adventure films and
- There are horror and war films.
Are there any other types of films that no one is making these days?
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