Preparing for Judgement Day

Today I sit down with my instructor to discuss whether I have a shot in hell of passing my grad review based solely on my screenplay. Gulp.

I've handed it off to some fellow students as well as to a couple of other faculty as well. So, hopefully after today and after I hear back from everyone else, I'll have enough to go on, in terms of rewriting, that is.

I made a new wallpaper last night--The brilliant Ryoko Hirosue is its subject--and will be posting it soon. I'm at school now and not in front of my computer, or I would have posted it already. So far, Superman, Batman, The Punisher, Harry Potter and the Gang, Ryoko Hirosue, a baby with a lot of guns, and myself have served as fodder for my ever increasing wallpaper creation fetish. Yum. I wonder who will be next?

Muwahahahaha!

Okay. Darth Vader moment over. I'm okay now. Seriously.

Well, I guess I should stop rambling, but I feel I must leave you with something random. Went to Chipotle today. I love this place and fully recommend the following:

Chicken Burrito w/
White Rice
Pinto Beans
Fajita Vegies
Chicken
Red Salsa (hot)
Corn Salsa (medium)

Fabulous!

~T² out

Rough Draft

The hard part is over, the rough draft has been written.



Now I get to sit back and wait for feedback from my teachers and fellow students.

I gave a copy to Tyler--the guy who pitched this idea to me--as well, so I hope he likes it. Or, at least, can find something in it to like and give me positive feedback in order to help get the script to a place that we're both happy with it.

I haven't actually read it yet, but plan to tomorrow morning...once I've taken 24 hours to try and forget about it.

My grad review is on August 8th, so I don't have much time to make revisions before I have to give them a copy to read. So, I hope the rough draft is passable, since I'm pretty sure that's the one they're going to get. :/

Now, it's time to gear up and get ready for the next few months, cause this is what's going to happen:

1. I'm going to graduate from Brooks.

2. I'm going to England to visit my brother.

3. I'm going to dive into pre-production for "A Permanent Mark," a short film that I already have some funding to shoot--which is exciting--and scary, because the last time I tried to shoot something it kind of fell apart.

4. I need to get a job, either directing, or editing, or selling cars, or whatnot.

5. I need to get the script for "The Projectionist" in a shootable and sellable shape, so that I can get funding to shoot it too.

And 6. I need to continue to write every day.

I think if I strive for these things, I'll be paving the right path.

Well...I'm done boring you.

Cheers,
~T² out

PS: Oh, and I need to watch "The Dark Knight" again. - Tom

Ze Script...

Is done. More later tonight. Right now, I sleep. LOL

~T² out

The Deadline Approaches

The script for The Projectionist is due on Tuesday, and I'm almost done. Got the climax to write, which one might think is the hard part, but I've known how this film ends since before I knew how it began. I'll have this done before tomorrow afternoon--I'm stoked--and will be able to take tomorrow night to chill out and relax before turning it in to the firing squad tomorrow.

So, tomorrow, I'll be able to change my desktop to this:



'Cause you can't have enough Death Proof in your life.

Anywho...

I'm looking forward to hearing what my teachers have to say about the script...other than it sucks, cause it's a first draft...and well...first drafts always suck. LOL

I'll get over it though.

~T² out

I'm an uncle...AGAIN!

My second nephew was born @ 2:52 AM today (in England). His name is Simon. I'm quite excited.



I found out while hanging out with some friends last night--which is an entirely different story all together--and I haven't stopped telling people since.



Good times.

And now, I'm off to meet Kevin Costner, who will be holding a special premier of his newest film, Swing Vote, at the movie theatre I manage.

Oh...and the script is progressing nicely. I'm on target to be done with the first draft by Monday. :D

~T² out

Headway...

The script is progressing. However, in my infinite wisdom--or rather, lack thereof--I've rewritten the beginning of the film entirely. Don't worry. The ninja fight is still there, I just moved it to a better location, and threw in one of several Coen Brother's references.

I also created a new wallpaper to help remind me that the script isn't finished:



It's been successful so far.

Bought Hot Fuzz the other day and have been watching the Living Daylights out of it. (Dalton joke, ha ha ha.)

Anyway, felt I needed to blog since I was going to try and blog daily. I've been failing miserably at that, but you know...it's a work in progress.

~T² out

What Doesn't Kill You, Right?

Guardian, my thesis film isn't going to happen. Suffice to say I feel that Brooks had set me up to fail. They offer a great education but don't give you the means to make your film happen--unless of course you're friends with all the nineteen year-old's in your class--because my film has been shut down due to a lack of crew. A crew that I would have at another film school, because they would have made it a requirement for other students to work on your film, and vice versa. So, instead of a thesis film, I'm put in the situation where I have to finish writing The Projectionist as my thesis screenplay instead. Which is fine, only they're not giving me much time. I have to have a complete first draft by July 29th.

So, I'll be updating you all more on that as it comes along. As for now--I'm taking the night to cool off--I'm going to watch The Shining (no, not the crappy TV one that Stephen King likes more; the one directed by the master).



And if I can't get through it, as it is pretty heavy stuff for a "my-movie-got-shutdown-and-I-want-to-kill-everyone-I-see-kind-a-day." So I may read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry instead.

Who know? I haven't played WoW in a while either.

~T² out

An Apology

I haven't been blogging, because I've spent the last weekend taking care of my wife after her gallbladder surgery. And playing Civilization: Revolution.

But I'll blog tonight and let you know what's going on in the world of school and The Projectionist.

~T² out

So...

I didn't blog yesterday...like I was supposed to. But, well...life got in the way: I had to get my wife ready for surgery this morning. She had her gallbladder removed, which was awesome--getting up at 4:30 in the morning so someone can cut on you--and she made it through the surgery this morning with flying colors.

As for what I did in the right direction of my thesis film or screenplay...

I hit yet another snag in my thesis film as my school hasn't greenlit my project yet...so I have to delay the shooting even more. GERRRR!

And as far as my script goes, I've decided to write five pages a day, at least five days out of the week. At this rate, in less than a month, I should have a complete draft--which, if you know me at all, is an achievement.

Well, I'm off to get some sleep...as I haven't had any.

Tata.

~T² out

Today's Meeting...

Met with Christopher today...and things are getting worse...LOL

Not really...it's just the owners of the bar we're using are being a little fidgety...I'm worried we might lose the location at the last minute. In which case...I'll have to come up with a plan B.

Anywho...my Assistant Director is in Vegas and won't be in town until the 3rd day of shooting...so I'll be doing double duty for the first two days. But that'll be fine, as I'm used to doing everything--including camera op--but I hope to have a camera operator for this film...waiting on a couple of people to get back to me on that one. (Everything out here is all, "I'll let you know," and then they never let you know until it's the last possible moment. GERRRR!)

Anyway, I'm going email my shot list to my AD tonight and buy all of my props tomorrow. Should be fun.

CHANGE OF SUBJECT:
Here's my very rough, very cheesy directing reel that I made from all of the blocking assignments I've done at school...it's not great, but...it's a start, and some sort of visual style should be visible. LOL



Please note that the email address in the video...is not one that I check. So if you want to email me...click the little email me button at the top-left of this page. ;)

~T² out

New Desktop...

I hope it works. LOL



~T² out

Writing Isn't Easy, But Lucas Can't Do It Either...

So, since I've decided to take The Projectionist in a slightly different approach then when I first started writing it, I've decided to rewrite it. Here's the first scene:

--
FADE IN:

INT. MOVIE PROJECTION ROOM -- NIGHT

It is dark and still, but very much alive, the projection room is--with it's spinning platters, each holding a 35 mm print, projecting it onto the ten movie screens throughout the theater, sending shafts of projected light out and into the room like rotating sunbeams bursting out of the side of the projectors.

JACK (V.O.)
All movies are the same. No matter
how you cut them. It doesn't matter
if the filmmakers show you the end
first, or the middle, if the
protagonist is a good guy or a bad
guy, if the antagonist is a person,
monster, an idea, alcohol, or even
the hero.

JACK (28), THE PROJECTIONIST splices the new movies together for the following morning.

JACK (V.O.)
Nothing is original. Name any movie,
and whether I've seen it or not,
I'll tell you what happens.

He frames the recently projected movies. Threads the next movies to start through the projectors.

He is at work, and it's second nature to him.

JACK (V.O.)

Fifteen minutes in--Harry meets Sally.

He points his finger, like a gun, at his own reflection, and in his best James Bond impersonation, shoots himself.

JACK (V.O.)

Elliot meets E.T. Neo gets a phone

call from Morpheus.

Sitting down on at a desk at one end of the very long room, he throws his feet up and begins to read a book on screenwriting, when something at the other end of the room--

MOVES.

Jack gets up to investigate.

JACK (V.O.)

In movies, one things happens

because of another. It's not like

the real world...

The hum of the projectors almost drops away as Jack moves through the room, listening, searching. He gets to the other end of the room and peaks around a small corner--

JACK (V.O.)

Where things just...happen.

Nothing, then--

Something behind him moves.

He turns around quick.

Jack can't see them, but--

JACK

Hello?

He listens.

JACK

Who's there?

Pulling himself together.

JACK

I know you're there...show yourself.

Nothing. He turns around and--

HE'S SURROUNDED BY NINJAS! Five of them, all armed to the teeth, and ready to kill. One of them, the NINJA LEADER, steps forward.

NINJA LEADER

We have sought you out across time

and space to kill you before you

can take the thrown of Juran.

Jack takes a step back and makes a fist.

NINJA LEADER

It's funny--I'd thought you'd be taller.

JACK
Enough talk.

NINJA LEADER
Agreed.

The battle commences--ducking, dodging, deflecting, Jack grabs one of the Ninjas, disarming him and taking his NINJA SWORD for himself, he throws him into the others, who flip out of the way and continue their attack.

Jet Li, eat your heart out--Jack knows how to kick ass, and cut Ninjas in half.

He charges and cuts them all down to size and just as he's about to decapitate the Ninja Leader he turns and see's MORGAN (20), his co-worker, standing at the top of the stairs.

He puts down his BROOM, which he was using as the ninja sword in his imaginary fight with ninjas, who are no longer there.

MORGAN

The foods here; you eating with us?

JACK

Um...yeah.

BLACK FRAME.

TITLE CARD: THANKSGIVING
--


If you like, let me know, if you don't...well...let me know anyway. LOL

~T² out

Casting Issues...

I'm a level 70 Hunter in the World of Warcraft. My name is Lose. And today, I feel like I just lost. My thesis film is about a man who rescues a young girl from a killer with the help of his guardian angel, and my killer has backed out. And my second best choice isn't available. So...I have a week to find another one. Yay.

I'm meeting with my lead tomorrow to go over the script, in a kind of director / actor rehearsal-meeting-thingy-over-coffee. So, I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

On a different subject, my wife made the best dessert ever:



I love you April.

Well...it's midnight. I'm going to play Lose, maybe I can win a battleground or something.



~T² out

July 7th, 2008

Today is the day I've decided to put into words my journey to become a screenwriting and directing superstar.

I graduate from Brooks Institute of Photography, with a Bachelor's Degree in Film and Video Production, on August 31st and I'm currently deep in pre-production of my thesis film. Filming starts this weekend and goes through the next.

I'm also currently writing a horror movie entitled The Projectionist, in which Jack, the projectionist, slowly gives in to his schizophrenic delusions and kills every one he loves, all the while making fun of movies and horror movies alike.

I'll keep you, whomever is silly enough to read this, aprised as to how things are going, hopefully, on a daily basis. So...I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow.

~T² out