Trying New Site for my Stories and Articles
I started to publish my stories and articles on Wikinut.
http://www.wikinut.com/author~sonpm/DynamicLethargyFilms/
I’m getting a decent number of people reading my stuff, but I’m not making much money from it. So far they pay much less than what I get on Triond.
http://www.triond.com/users/James+Beattie+Morison
My own site has been getting a few visitors, but no revenue yet.
http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/writing.php
wikinut, writing, Triond, money, revenue, short stories
This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog
I started to publish my stories and articles on Wikinut.
http://www.wikinut.com/author~sonpm/DynamicLethargyFilms/
I’m getting a decent number of people reading my stuff, but I’m not making much money from it. So far they pay much less than what I get on Triond.
http://www.triond.com/users/James+Beattie+Morison
My own site has been getting a few visitors, but no revenue yet.
http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/writing.php
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Then the Phone Rang – Second Draft Done – Looking for Readers
I got the second draft of my Then the Phone Rang script done. I didn’t make too many changes and I liked what I had written before. Maybe I am still too close to the material.
My next step is to ask some people to read the script and tell me what they think. If you are interested in reading it, get in touch with me.
I added four pages to bring the total to 71 pages. I added a scene that I realized was missing. I’m not sure how I missed it the first time. I added some dialog and fixed some problems here and there.
At 71 pages, it is on the short side for a feature. However, when I did Line of Taxis and My Most Difficult Case I added more material during pre production, production, and postproduction. I’m sure I can add some flourishes and filigrees to this project.
I am tempted to dive into casting and production right now. Although, it may be better to try some script readings and test scenes before I commit.
Another thought I had was to use Xrtanormal’s text to script software to do a quick animated version. www.xtranormal.com I haven’t looked at it in too much detail yet, so I’m not sure it has the flexibility to do what I want. The actors are rather wooden, but it should at least give me an idea how long the film will run.
My next step is to ask some people to read the script and tell me what they think. If you are interested in reading it, get in touch with me.
I added four pages to bring the total to 71 pages. I added a scene that I realized was missing. I’m not sure how I missed it the first time. I added some dialog and fixed some problems here and there.
At 71 pages, it is on the short side for a feature. However, when I did Line of Taxis and My Most Difficult Case I added more material during pre production, production, and postproduction. I’m sure I can add some flourishes and filigrees to this project.
I am tempted to dive into casting and production right now. Although, it may be better to try some script readings and test scenes before I commit.
Another thought I had was to use Xrtanormal’s text to script software to do a quick animated version. www.xtranormal.com I haven’t looked at it in too much detail yet, so I’m not sure it has the flexibility to do what I want. The actors are rather wooden, but it should at least give me an idea how long the film will run.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Image Cleanup and Composites for My Most Difficult Case
I did a little clean up work on My Most Difficult Case. I noticed some visual glitches in the film: spots, dust, light flashes, and stuff like that. I used the composite feature to replace the parts of the image where the problems were. I’m not sure that anyone would notice, but since I did, I wanted to do something.
One thing that had bothered me was that there was a picture on the wall that I didn’t have a release for. I don’t have any information on the picture, so I can’t even contact the person who did the picture to ask for a release. That is a lesson that’ll I’ll need to take to heart on my future projects. Next time I will contact some local artists to get some of their pictures on loan.
A few weeks ago, I tried to superimpose a different picture, but I wasn’t happy with how it looked. This week I replaced the shots where you could identify the picture with other shots where you couldn’t. I did it primarily to cover up the picture, but I think it improves the film as well. The shots I replaced were wide-angle shots and the replacements are tighter. I think that makes the film more intense.
I wanted to replace another shot I didn’t like, but I didn’t have a shot that would work. I decided to try a composite shot. I combined images from several different shots, eight shots altogether, to create the new shot. I can see that it is a composite, but I do have to look closely. It is only on screen for a three or four seconds, so I don’t think anyone will notice.
I have been at a bit of a loss about what to do next on the project. I think I’m pretty much done with the images, so I should start on the music and sound. I still have some releases and other paperwork I need to do.
One thing that had bothered me was that there was a picture on the wall that I didn’t have a release for. I don’t have any information on the picture, so I can’t even contact the person who did the picture to ask for a release. That is a lesson that’ll I’ll need to take to heart on my future projects. Next time I will contact some local artists to get some of their pictures on loan.
A few weeks ago, I tried to superimpose a different picture, but I wasn’t happy with how it looked. This week I replaced the shots where you could identify the picture with other shots where you couldn’t. I did it primarily to cover up the picture, but I think it improves the film as well. The shots I replaced were wide-angle shots and the replacements are tighter. I think that makes the film more intense.
I wanted to replace another shot I didn’t like, but I didn’t have a shot that would work. I decided to try a composite shot. I combined images from several different shots, eight shots altogether, to create the new shot. I can see that it is a composite, but I do have to look closely. It is only on screen for a three or four seconds, so I don’t think anyone will notice.
I have been at a bit of a loss about what to do next on the project. I think I’m pretty much done with the images, so I should start on the music and sound. I still have some releases and other paperwork I need to do.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Then the Phone Rang
I set a personal record for writing a feature script this week.
Last Saturday morning before I crawled out of bed, I had an idea for a movie. I wrote some notes and left them for later. Monday I started to organize my notes into an outline. My plan was to go back to it later when I had time. Instead, I had some ideas for the actual script, so I started to write it. I worked on it every day and had the first draft done by Friday evening. It came in at 66.5 pages, which is a little short for a feature, but I think I can develop it further.
After I finished the script, I came up with this description for the story: “He had money, prestige, a beautiful wife, and a bright future in politics. Then the phone rang.” My working title is Then the Phone Rang.
The whole film takes place in one room and only four characters appear on screen. Two others appear only as voices.
I was surprised at how fast it all went. It took me three weeks to do the first draft of The Anger Trap, after a period of preparation. It took me eleven weeks to get the first draft of My Detective Story done, and that was after planning on it for four months before that.
I am going to leave the script for a week or so and do other things. Then I will do a revision before I ask other people to read it. I had the same plan with My Detective Story, and it has been five months since I finished the first draft and I haven’t gone back to it.
When I decided what I wanted to accomplish this year, I planned to finish three feature scripts. I had kind of given up on that, but now I think I might get one more done.
Right now thought, I feel very good about this project. I think it is a very doable project and yet I believe I can make it into a film that people will want to watch.
Last Saturday morning before I crawled out of bed, I had an idea for a movie. I wrote some notes and left them for later. Monday I started to organize my notes into an outline. My plan was to go back to it later when I had time. Instead, I had some ideas for the actual script, so I started to write it. I worked on it every day and had the first draft done by Friday evening. It came in at 66.5 pages, which is a little short for a feature, but I think I can develop it further.
After I finished the script, I came up with this description for the story: “He had money, prestige, a beautiful wife, and a bright future in politics. Then the phone rang.” My working title is Then the Phone Rang.
The whole film takes place in one room and only four characters appear on screen. Two others appear only as voices.
I was surprised at how fast it all went. It took me three weeks to do the first draft of The Anger Trap, after a period of preparation. It took me eleven weeks to get the first draft of My Detective Story done, and that was after planning on it for four months before that.
I am going to leave the script for a week or so and do other things. Then I will do a revision before I ask other people to read it. I had the same plan with My Detective Story, and it has been five months since I finished the first draft and I haven’t gone back to it.
When I decided what I wanted to accomplish this year, I planned to finish three feature scripts. I had kind of given up on that, but now I think I might get one more done.
Right now thought, I feel very good about this project. I think it is a very doable project and yet I believe I can make it into a film that people will want to watch.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
The Thoughtless Tank
I am mulling over an idea for a story set in a Think Tank.
I read an excerpt from Massimo Pigliucci’s book Nonsense on Stilts in the latest issue of Skeptic Magazine http://www.skeptic.com/. It is a critique of the Think Tank industry. He says that many Think Tanks have become advocates rather than providing independent advice.
A few years ago, I started to notice that trend. I also noticed that many “Think Tanks” were one-person operations. I even considered starting my own Think Tank because I felt that so many of their “research reports” were things that I could knock off in an afternoon. I came to my senses though.
I am now starting to see the potential for an interesting story along with some social commentary about Think Tanks. I can see a protagonist who is torn between the desire to advocate a position he believes in, and yet wanting to be intellectually honest. There could be conflict with others at the Think Tank as they pressure him to toe the party line. There could be internal conflict as he questions whether his has seen what he wants to see, and ignored reality.
One problem I foresee in writing this story is coming up with a suitable topic for the conflict to be over. If I pick a real topic, like global warming or terrorism, some people will take sides for or against the character depending on their views on the topic.
In The Spanish Prisoner, David Mamet never does reveal what “The Process” is. I think this story would have to do the same thing. However, just because David Mamet can do is successfully, doesn’t mean I can. I tried this approach in my short story Billy’s Big Discovery http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/Billys_Big_Discovery.php.
I’ll need to let this idea brew for a while before I tackle it.
I read an excerpt from Massimo Pigliucci’s book Nonsense on Stilts in the latest issue of Skeptic Magazine http://www.skeptic.com/. It is a critique of the Think Tank industry. He says that many Think Tanks have become advocates rather than providing independent advice.
A few years ago, I started to notice that trend. I also noticed that many “Think Tanks” were one-person operations. I even considered starting my own Think Tank because I felt that so many of their “research reports” were things that I could knock off in an afternoon. I came to my senses though.
I am now starting to see the potential for an interesting story along with some social commentary about Think Tanks. I can see a protagonist who is torn between the desire to advocate a position he believes in, and yet wanting to be intellectually honest. There could be conflict with others at the Think Tank as they pressure him to toe the party line. There could be internal conflict as he questions whether his has seen what he wants to see, and ignored reality.
One problem I foresee in writing this story is coming up with a suitable topic for the conflict to be over. If I pick a real topic, like global warming or terrorism, some people will take sides for or against the character depending on their views on the topic.
In The Spanish Prisoner, David Mamet never does reveal what “The Process” is. I think this story would have to do the same thing. However, just because David Mamet can do is successfully, doesn’t mean I can. I tried this approach in my short story Billy’s Big Discovery http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/Billys_Big_Discovery.php.
I’ll need to let this idea brew for a while before I tackle it.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
More Thoughts on Villains
Some years ago, I saw an interview on TV with the warden of a jail. He said that in his experience the only thing that reformed criminals was time and “growing up”.
I mention this to a lawyer I knew and he agreed. He added that you could see the different stages.
In first stage, the criminal was very resentful that the police caught them. They saw the police and courts as oppressors. They blamed the police for all their problems.
In the second stage, they blamed themselves when they were caught. They no longer saw the police as the cause of their problems. They blamed some mistake they made for their problems.
In the third stage, they blamed themselves for falling back into the criminal behaviour. They recognized that what they did was wrong. They saw it as their own failure. Their regret was not that they would have to “pay the price”, but that they recognized their own responsibility.
There is a fourth stage where they do not succumb to criminal behaviour.
Of course, different people progress along these lines at different speeds. Some never reach the final stage. Some don’t make it out of the first stage.
From the perspective of a writer creating a villain, this pattern provides a path for the growth of the villain. We have a temptation to create a villain who stays evil right to the end. It would be more realistic to show that the villain does develop through the course of the story.
I mention this to a lawyer I knew and he agreed. He added that you could see the different stages.
In first stage, the criminal was very resentful that the police caught them. They saw the police and courts as oppressors. They blamed the police for all their problems.
In the second stage, they blamed themselves when they were caught. They no longer saw the police as the cause of their problems. They blamed some mistake they made for their problems.
In the third stage, they blamed themselves for falling back into the criminal behaviour. They recognized that what they did was wrong. They saw it as their own failure. Their regret was not that they would have to “pay the price”, but that they recognized their own responsibility.
There is a fourth stage where they do not succumb to criminal behaviour.
Of course, different people progress along these lines at different speeds. Some never reach the final stage. Some don’t make it out of the first stage.
From the perspective of a writer creating a villain, this pattern provides a path for the growth of the villain. We have a temptation to create a villain who stays evil right to the end. It would be more realistic to show that the villain does develop through the course of the story.
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