Back to the “Sweat Box”

I got back to work on my story Heat Wave this week. I’ve changed the title to Sweat Box. It is a more appropriate title than what I had.

I approached the story in a piece meal way. A change from what I’ve done in the past. I developed an overall outline, but then jumped around to write the different segments of the story. So, I have the start and end done, along with some stuff in between, but there are unwritten segments here and there around the story.

I’d left the story for quite a while, almost five months! I did print out a copy a month ago and I’ve gone through it a few times to make notes for changes. I had planned to write the missing segments before I started a rewrite, but since I had left it so long, I thought a rewrite would help me get back into the story.

That approach seems to have worked. I have come up with several ideas for the unwritten segments. The rewrite has also built up the story somewhat. I added about 1,000 words in the last couple of days. I think the changes made the story better.

The ending of the story could be a problem. It was what got me started on the story, but now it doesn’t seem at the same level as the rest of the story. I’ll wait until I hear from some beta readers before I decide if I want to replace it or keep it.

I have other, more important, things on my mind these days, so it has been difficult to work on this project. However, it does help me to take some time away from those issues. This could be a good way to do that.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Some Days . . .” in the Hundred Dollar Film Festival - 2013 March 7

The Hundred Dollar Film Festival will screen my film “Some Days . . .” on 2013 March 7.

The Globe Cinema (617 8th Ave SW) in Calgary will host at the festival this year. The films start at 7:00 pm. Please visit their website for more information about times and tickets. http://100dollarfilmfestival.org

The film is 38 seconds long, so don’t blink.

I’ll post the film on-line after it screens at the festival.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

Some Thoughts on Villains

A good story needs a good villain, or is that a bad villain? From time to time, I think about how to create villains for my stories. A while back, I wrote an article on how to create heroes. Many of the same ideas apply to villains.

Recently I had the thought that the antagonist, or villain, in a story must see himself as the protagonist, or hero, and see the protagonist as the antagonist. This seems obvious once I thought of it. I’m surprised I hadn’t come across it somewhere in my reading. Many people must have had that thought before. I must just be ignorant. Maybe you can point me to something on this.

The main question writers must consider about the antagonist is why he, or she, is so evil. No real person wants to be evil, so it must be that the antagonist must see what he or she does as good. They only seem evil from the perspective of the protagonist, and, we hope, the reader.

In a more general sense, we can see the two opposing characters have goals that are in conflict. The writer must choose one of the two to be the hero, and write the story from his perspective.

This view does create some interesting possibilities for conflict. Would a story work if the reader does not side with either character? Could we have stories where the reader identifies with both characters?

One possible story structure is to have the protagonist and antagonist change places throughout the course of the story. I’m not aware of any stories like this. However, at the moment, I am reading the book “Edgar Rice Burroughs” by Erling B. Holtsmark. In it, he mentions a case in the Martian books where, over the course of two books, one of his villains, Ras Thavas, turns into a good person.

Many writers and stories have some moral ambiguity in the characters, with the bad guy not all bad, and the good guy not all good. These stories do provide more depth and interest.

I’d like to write stories where the two sides have legitimate “good” goals, which just happen to be in conflict. Neither side is truly “bad”. The resolution would come from the realization on the part of both characters that the other has a valid goal. They must each overcome the natural tendency to see anyone that opposes them as evil.

I believe this is a more accurate description of reality. I feel somewhat egotistical when I say this, but I want to provide stories that will help readers as they make their way through their lives. A good story does more than just entertain.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

First Draft of “Felix” Done

I finished the first draft of my story Felix. It is a science fiction story set on Mars. I based it on a Lovecraft story. I added 3,100 words this week and the first draft came in a little over 8,000 words.

It really needs a rewrite though. I’ll do at least one more draft, maybe two, before I start to look for some volunteer beta readers. I’ll leave it for a few weeks before I start on a rewrite. That will let me work on my other science fiction story, Heat Wave.

I resubmitted my short story Pete’s Plan to another science fiction magazine. This is the fourth submission now. I didn’t rewrite it again as I did after the first couple of submissions.

Someone sent me a link to a website that lists a whole bunch of places to submit science fiction stories: ralan.com. It listed 42 professional magazines, and over 100 semi-pro and amateur magazines. I hope that at least one of them will want my story.

By the way, if you would like to help me and volunteer to be a beta reader, please get in touch with me. Thanks.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

Back to “Felix”

I got back to work on “Felix” this week. It is the story of two astronauts on Mars and their search for a robot rover that got lost many years earlier.

I’d left it nearly two months. I added almost 2,000 words this week. I also deleted almost 600 words. The story is now about 5,300 words long. I think the first draft will end up about 7,000 words, so I’m about 80% done. That is shorter than I wanted. Possibly, when I rewrite, I can enhance it and make it longer.

I adopted an approach that H. P. Lovecraft recommended. In the final story, I will tell much of the story in flashback. What H. P. suggested was that you write the story in chronological order, and then restructure it to the final order later.

So far, I think that approach has worked well for me. I do see some problems that will come up later. I wrote as if the final version would still be in chronological order. At the start I reveal some introductory information that needs to be at the start of the final story, but in this draft, the section that will be first, comes later in the story. It shouldn’t be too difficult to fix, but I need to remember I’ll need to deal with it.

I got another rejection for “Pete’s Plan” this week. I was a disappointed. I started with the higher paying SF magazines, so the competition would be stiffer. I may do better with some of the other ones. 

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

How to make a Film for the Hundred Dollar Film Festival - Part 8

In this post, I will talk about the most difficult part of making a film: the creative side. I had intended this to be the last post in this series, but I think I will need to revisit the issue in more detail later.

Constraints

The first step is to consider the constraints on what you can do. I talked about some of these in Part 7. Consider how much you can afford to spend, how much time do you have and whom can you rely on for help. Your film will need to be doable within those constraints.

To start, look at how long your film will be. You will likely have an upper limit of three to four minutes for the final film. While it is surprising how much you can get into such a short time period, there is a limit. If you have too many ideas, you will not get them all in.

Your film should have one central idea, with three or four ideas that support it. When you develop the film, it is best to come up with far more ideas. Try to get thirty or forty ideas. Before you start to make the film, you will need to trim those ideas down drastically. This approach worked well for me with Who Shot the President. See Part 3 for details.

Barriers

With the new technology available now it is much easier to make and distribute a film. Making a good film is still just as hard though.

One of the barriers that I’ve struggled with is self-doubt. Just the other day I came across a blog post with some good advice on how to deal with self-doubt.

What do you care about?

You need to care about the film in order to make a good film, so a good place to start to look for ideas is to think about what you care about. Some of my better ideas developed when I came up with examples to help me explain something that was important to me and not while I worked on a film.

Recognize good ideas

When I wrote the previous posts about the films I have done, what struck me was how so much of the “good stuff” was the result of chance. Accidents, adlibs and luck all generated ideas and opportunities. It is a little misleading to say that, because it was the recognition that these random results would help that was important. You can’t just hope for a lucky break. These random events will always come up, but you won’t always recognize them as opportunities.

Whenever something unexpected happens, pause before you reject it, consider if you can use it. Suppress the reaction to think it is wrong. I have tried to adopt the attitude that nothing is wrong until the editor decides they can’t use the shot. A quick, thoughtless, rejection can discourage creative input.

Bounce your ideas off other people

I know many people reject this approach, but I feel that it has been valuable in my own work. As a filmmaker, you are usually disconnected from your audience. The direct response you get will tell you what works and what doesn’t.

Take your time

Many of my films have developed over a long period of time. As you work on a film, new ideas always come along. You will come up with ways around problems.

In the end, you will need to find your own way to create. Everyone one works in different ways. Nevertheless, I hope my advice will get you started on your journey.

Links to other posts on How to Make a Hundred Dollar Film Festival Film

Part 1: Can You Still Make a Hundred Dollar Film Festival Film?

Part 2: How I Made Weekend in Calgary

Part 3: How I Made Who Shot the President

Part 4: How I Made The Fence

Part 5: How I Made My Next Film

Part 6: How I Made If I knew . . .

Part 7: The Technical Side of Making a Hundred Dollar Film Festival Film

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

2013 goals

In my New Years Day post, I looked back at what I did in 2012. In this post, I lay out my 2013 goals. That is goals for 2013, not 2013 goals.

Some Days . . .

I finished this film last year and submitted it to the Hundred Dollar Film Festival. If it is accepted, I do have a little work to prepare it for screening. Not a big part of the work for this year, but something I’ll need to do.

My Most Difficult Case

I’ve let this project drag on far too long. It has been a difficult project for me to do. In many ways, the delay in this project has stopped me from moving forward. I really need to get this film behind me.

Xtranormal Film/Video

I want to make a long video with Xtranormal. What I really want to do is to make a feature film, but I don’t feel that I am ready. I have written some longer short stories and scripts, but I feel I need to do a film or video to really learn how to make a more substantial film.

In 2012, I made Make 'em Squirm: The Sharkbiter Way, which, at a little over 9 minutes, is one of my longer projects. I want to continue my exploration of the capabilities of Xtranormal in 2013. I feel that Xtranormal might be a good way to write a script.

I have had several ideas for what to make. At one time or another, I’ve considered adaptations of several of my stories; Hello, My Name is Bob, The Crying Woman, The Gladstone Barrier, or The Glencoe Project. I’ve also thought I should create a new story.

I need to pick one of these options and move forward.

Stories

I still want to write more stories. If Pete’s Plan sells, then I may start to write more short science fiction stories along the same lines.

I have several longer stories in development that I would like to complete. My aim is to have each of them finished at novelette length.

Felix is another science fiction story. I based it on a H. P. Lovecraft story. This one looks like it will end up shorter than my target; unless I add in more twists and turns. On the other hand, maybe I need to explore the characters more. I have about half of the first draft done.

Heat Wave is also a science fiction story. I find that I have drawn a lot on my personal experiences in this one. Like Line of Taxis, it allows me to explore personal issues at some distance from myself. Like Felix, I am not yet finished the first draft.

Bright Freedom is a story I converted from a feature script I wrote. I have a first draft done. I’ve done some notes for changes to the first draft, but I want to leave the rewrite until I have some of my other projects out of the way.

I want to combine and rewrite my two transportation planning stories, The Gladstone Barrier, and The Glencoe Project, into a longer story. Maybe even a novel. Of course, I want to make them into movies too. I shouldn’t try to do both.

Work Habits

I had a commenter on my look back at 2012 post who suggested that I would be more productive if I set deadlines for my projects. I actually did set some deadlines for 2012, but I didn’t find that they really helped me.

Deadlines have their place, but I don’t like deadlines because I find they stifle my creativity. Most of my better ideas come to me when I was doing nothing and had nothing to do. Deadline change the nature of what I create in ways I don’t like.

Never the less, I recognize that I can be more productive than I am. I believe that the approach I need to do is adopt better work habits. Most of what I’ve read about writing suggests that good writers set aside a certain time every day to write. I don’t think it needs to be a lot of time, but it does need to be consistent.

It is not easy to establish new habits, or drop old habits. I can’t allow myself to give up, but I should accept that I might slip from time to time.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog