Vividly Yours: December Begins

December is supposed to be the big month in the early life of this little film project that I'm working on titled Vividly Yours. This is the month that I hoped a lot of back end stuff would be cleared up, and casting would be well underway, or even completed. Today is the first day of this month, and so far, well, I've only done one thing, but it may be a big one.

I spoke to someone at work today that does some acting around town, and knows some purportedly talented people that may be interested in working for no cost just for the experience and the bragging rights. Furthermore, he knows a professional cinematographer that may have access to the ever-useful steadicam rig that I've been hoping to get for this film.

I would say that although it produced no immediate results, today may have helped push things forward, and it's very exciting.

H.

Vividly Yours Production Diary: Pre-Production 11/24

Man, it's been a while since I updated this thing. Granted, not too many things use the words "Vividly" and "Yours" together, but since this is showing up fairly high on the list when you put those two words into Google, I figured I should put some kind of information up here as to what's going on with production.

That's right, bitches. We're officially in the first stage of production on this mother fucker. The script has been read by the people who needed to read it, and the will is there, so we are making it. This happened within the last month, and I have been working hard ever since to get my part done so that we can start shooting at the end of February.

The script is currently on it's second draft, and although a lot of concerns were addressed in the rewrite, the script for the most part remains the same as it was before. I added in a scene that I wrote before I even had the concept for the entire film, that summed up what I wanted to say with the film.

I am also almost done the shot list for the movie, which I originally started for the purpose of storyboarding, but it has now become more of a planning feature to try and get everything scheduled out for the one week of filming that we have for this flick. It's taking me a long time to do this, but it's going to help out a lot in the long run when it comes to setting up everything, and doing the blocking.

Colin, who now officially holds the title of Producer of the film, has the camera that we will be using, the Canon XL2, complete with wide-angle lens, and is working on finding us the most pivotal part of the film besides the actors and the time to do it, the location. He seems to be closing in on a couple possibles, and I am just waiting to hear what's going on there.

Other than that, the next big thing on the horizon is casting, which I hope to do next month, followed by the production design, which is going to be tough thanks to Christmas, as most of my money will be dumped into creating uniforms for the characters to wear, as well as getting several hundred DVD labels created and assembled. Not to mention the construction part. Fuck.

It's going to be fun, though. I know this, because I know this.

H.

Comedy...Thriller?

The excerpt I posted below is from an as-of-yet untitled screenplay that I am currently working on that will contain, hopefully, some pretty graphic scenes, as well as a psychological element that I feel is missing from a lot of movies that I have been seeing lately.

But, as well as these elements, I am incorporating comedy into the script, which will balance out the tone of the screenplay, and, hopefully will not destroy the tension contained within the script.

Essentially, I want to write a story about the duality of man, as it is a topic that I feel is discussed in several works, but not entirely as I view it. Especially in the world of today.

What I am looking to do is create a story around a character that has a less-than-normal private life, but a standard personal life, without isolating a changeover, or anything of the sort. I want this guy to be disturbed when you see him alone, I want him to be the subject of a twisted world in which gruesome things happen.

But at the same time, I want to show this character as a normal person when he was with his friends, or out in public. He acts as though nothing is wrong, and carries on his life with the secret that he holds. I am hoping to delay, as much as possible, the worlds colliding, even when things get so out of hand that it's hard to believe he can keep his composure.

I think his deadpan reaction to the goings-on in the first scene will help this be plausible, as it almost seems, right off the bat, that this character is used to this kind of thing. The scene I wrote today almost plays like a scene from my previous screenplay (if you haven't read it, I'm sorry, but I may post my favorite few scenes here for public consumption). This character is able to switch from pseudo-psycho to normal guy in a split second.

And although these scenes are littered with comedic moments, I feel as though, if I can keep the pacing tight, these scenes will add tension. It sounds strange, but when you are given hints to the insanity of a character, and that is shelved briefly, it leaves you wondering when it is going to explode, and when things are going to get messed up. That is my goal.

Hopefully I can pull it off.

H.

Another Screenplay...

The momentum within Sarnia is slowing down for Vividly Yours, but that's alright. The script is done, and beyond a few changes that need to be made here and there, it's the official first draft. From here, it's a matter of getting it out there.

On a side note, though, I have started writing another script that I'm kind of excited about. I don't have the middle ground thought out just yet, but the image right off the bat is something that is driving the story along. I have also thought of a few plot points here and there, but this is going very much the same way that Vividly Yours went. I'm thinking about it as I write it, instead of planning everything out. If I plan everything out, I have more time to lose faith in it, and ultimately scrap it. Here is the first two scenes, which are purely visuals, which is a huge departure from Vividly Yours:

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INT. LAUNDRY ROOM - DAY

We open to a shot of a LAUNDRY ROOM. There is a long hallway leading into the room, with a door the far end. The room opens, with a row of washers along one wall, dryers on the other. A Coke machine is by the hallway leading out of the laundry room. There is one window in the room, fairly large, looking out into a parking lot. A bush is obscuring a large chunk of the view of the lot.

On the wall by the hallway leading out, directly across from the window, there is a bench. MATT SEARS, a young man of twenty-two with long, dark hair, wearing black, sits on this bench, looking at the ground.

We move in closer to him as he looks up, at the window. We remain on him while he does this, and stay for a moment. His expression is blank.

After what seems like ages, we cut to see what he sees -- a dark, DISFIGURED MAN standing outside the window. His face is mangled, and there are no distinguishable features that one would see on a normal person - eyes, mouth, nose, etc.

We cut back to Matt, as he continues to look. Behind him, down the hallway, the door opens. Matt spins to look, but no one is there. The door slams shut. He looks back at the window, and the figure is gone.

A washer clicks off, and Matt stands up, walking over to it, his expression unchanged as he starts to load his clothes into the dryer across from the washer.

CUT TO:

INT. MATT’S APARTMENT - KITCHEN
We reveal Matt standing in his kitchen, holding an empty glass under the faucet, filling it with water. Once full, he sets the glass on the counter next to the sink, and exits the kitchen.

We move in on the glass of water, slowly, and after a moment, Matt’s hand grabs it, and picks it up. We move with the water, up to his face and see his other hand holding a pill bottle, and he puts two pills in his mouth, washing them down with the water.

He sets the glass down on the counter once more, and leans on the counter, closing his eyes.
We see his cheeks start to clench, and his expression begins to look like one of pain or discomfort. He leans his head back, swallowing hard, and then gasping.

He wipes his brow, and looks around the kitchen for a moment before exiting, shutting off the light.

As he is leaving, we once again move in on the now empty glass. Matt turns the lights off as he leaves, and we...

FADE TO:�

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That's obviously just a taste, but I'm looking forward to creating a story where instead of sympathizing with the lead, you spend the whole film trying to understand them.

H.

Production Diary: Vividly Yours #0.5

It seems the script has taken on a distribution track of its own, thanks to a particular reader.

Kathryn, a wonderful British woman whom I know from work, was sent a copy of the script by myself. I must admit, I thought that she would not enjoy the brand of humor, or the script itself, but I was surprised by her feedback.

After I had sent it, a few days later, I ran into her at work, asking her if she had read it. She told me that she hadn't sat down to read the whole thing, but she skimmed over it, and thought it was very well written. That was enough to make me giddy for the rest of the day, as she is one of the most artsy people that I know. She told me that she would be working an eight hour shift at the local college doing nothing, so she would read it then.

Some days after, she came to work, and I asked her once again if she had a chance to read it. She lit up, and nodded. She told me that she loved the script (she had some small criticisms, which I have yet to receive), and surprised me by telling me that she passed it around the English department at the college for the professors, and the Dean, to read.

She told me the feedback that they also had, which was all very positive. I was told that, with the exception of one female, the script was loved by everyone, and one professor even called it "genius" which is not a term I thought would be applied to that particular body of work. I was told to expect a call from one of them regarding the screenplay, or at least contact of some kind.

I guess the humor in the script is predominately male, which I had suspected, but so far, I have not had a bad review. The lady that didn't say it was awesome said it was okay, not bad, but okay.

I am very excited in the direction that this thing is going, and I will almost for sure be going to the Toronto film festival to try and get some others to read the script, and hopefully produce it.

H.

Production Diary: Vividly Yours #0

I decided to set up a new blog. Why? Well, because people are digging my screenplay, and my hopes are up, so I want to document the process of going from being the guy who wrote a script for shits and giggles, to, maybe, getting a movie made, or at least meeting some people who are respectable in the business, and getting them to read my shit.

So far, no one in the business has read it, but I have had four people read the complete script. All four dug it, with minor issues:

1.) [Care of Joe] Debbie does not go through the same character development and growth that Chris and Leon go through in the screenplay. This will be rectified in the sequel-ish screenplay I am writing that will feature her as the lead.

2.) [Care of Joe] A conversation regarding remakes contains awkward dialogue, and a strange choice by Debbie that does not fit the character. A rewrite of this scene will happen.

3.) [Care of Kyle] Leon has a sudden swing in attitude that, although warranted, happens too quickly, and may confuse some people. I will go back and see where the change starts to occur, and depending on the surrounding plot points, this may solve itself.

4.) [Care of All Mother Fuckers] Devon's appearance, and lack of exit. Rewrite.

So far, those are the only issues that I can remember coming forth. Other than that, I am being told that it is funny, that it is well-written, and that I should have no problems pitching it. Well, wish me luck.

H.