If you're one of the imaginary people out there who follows this blog, you know I've said many times that film is one of the most powerful mediums in existence.
To help me prove my point, let's play a little game. Take a look at this still photo from the movie Alien: Covenant. And, if you're horror-movie phobic, don't worry--it's just a pic of two people sitting at a table talking. The scene is set on the starship Covenant.
While looking at it, ask yourself four questions.
1. Who is the protagonist?
2. Who is the antagonist?
3. What kind of relationship do these two people have?
4. What are their relationships with the rest of the crew?
After looking it over, I'm guessing you decided that the person on the left is the protagonist, with the person on the right being the antagonist, right? And you probably guessed that they aren't getting along very well, and the person on the left probably has a better relationship with the rest of the crew.
How the hell do you know that, though, just from a still photo?
Because the way Ridley Scott staged the scene tells you everything.
Here's the context of the scene:
Daniels (Katherine Waterston, left) is the first officer of the starship Covenant. Oram (Billy Crudup) is the Captain of the Covenant, and he's come to Daniels to explain his reasoning behind an order he's given that she wants to go on record as opposing.
Sure, Oram is the captain, and Daniels is his first officer, so why does it look like Daniels is the Captain?
For one thing, she's on the left, which is the side the strongest characters almost always appear on. Think of every Western you've ever seen--the hero first appears on the left side, bad guy on the right. Every time. It's something filmmakers figured out early, and have used ever since.
For another, Daniels is seated in a chair, Oram is sitting on a stool. It looks like Orem is visiting Daniels in her office, and normally the Captain doesn't go to someone he outranks--they usually come to him. Yet, here's Orem, sitting on a stool, head slightly bowed, as he approaches his first officer to try to change her mind.
You can tell from Oram's posture that he's the inferior in this scene, even though technically he outranks Daniels. This gives you an idea where they both fit in the context of the entire crew--Oram is shaky, not all that confident, while Daniels is comfortable and self-assured. You would accurately assume that Daniels has the confidence of the crew, while they don't quite trust Oram or think he knows what he's doing.
You got all this from a simple still photograph.
That's what I'm talking about when I refer to the power of film. Here this is just being used to tell a story. Imagine if a skilled filmmaker wanted to make a movie that would influence popular opinion, in the guise of making a simple entertainment.
It's kind of scary, actually. Fortunately, like every other trick, once you realize what the filmmaker is doing it loses its effectiveness.
It's still fascinating to watch, though, especially when it's a film by a visionary director like Ridley Scott.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Digging out, and working away
We've had a few inches of snow in my neck of the woods.
To many of you that seems barely newsworthy, but I live in an area where it doesn't snow much. So, more than a trace tends to shut the whole area down, and it looks like we've gotten a helluva lot more than a trace.
It's over now, though, and things maybe will start to return to normal now. I hope. I'm not a fan of snow, though it did give me an extra day off from work. No way am I going to try to drive on the roads around here when they're icy and slick and also full of other drivers who have no idea how to drive on icy, slick roads.
No thanks. I'll call in and stay home.
My script for the pilot for The Prince didn't make it to the finals in the Final Draft Big Break screenwriting competition. Still, a semifinal finish is nothing to sneeze at. I've rewritten the script and sent it out to a couple of agents to see if I can get some sort of official representation. Fingers crossed somebody likes it. Since it made it past two rounds of judging in a big time screenwriting competition I have to think that it does have something going for it. At the very least maybe I'll get asked for more examples of my work.
And congratulations to those who made it to the next round. Yes, I'm jealous.
I also splurged and paid a reading service to look over my horror screenplay. The feedback I got was honest if a bit blunt. It needs work. I didn't find any notes that I disagreed with, either, and the feedback was helpful. Honesty is what I paid these people for, and I've been rewriting it with their notes in mind. It's quite a bit better, too, now. As is my ego, once it got over the bruising. I guess I was expecting to get "It's perfect! Don't change anything!" back from these people. Not bloody likely.
And I've been revisiting Too Many Tonys, doing a rewrite on it with an eye towards sending it around, too. There were some problems with the story that I couldn't figure out how to fix until recently--putting it aside and then revisiting it later seems to have done the trick, as I figured out how to address the critical issues I had with it. I'm thinking it's nearly ready--I just need to read it over a couple more times, to be sure that I didn't throw the story structure out of whack when I made my changes. And to be sure that the new stuff blends in with the old stuff so it makes one, coherent story.
So, that's what I'm up to right now.
To many of you that seems barely newsworthy, but I live in an area where it doesn't snow much. So, more than a trace tends to shut the whole area down, and it looks like we've gotten a helluva lot more than a trace.
It's over now, though, and things maybe will start to return to normal now. I hope. I'm not a fan of snow, though it did give me an extra day off from work. No way am I going to try to drive on the roads around here when they're icy and slick and also full of other drivers who have no idea how to drive on icy, slick roads.
No thanks. I'll call in and stay home.
My script for the pilot for The Prince didn't make it to the finals in the Final Draft Big Break screenwriting competition. Still, a semifinal finish is nothing to sneeze at. I've rewritten the script and sent it out to a couple of agents to see if I can get some sort of official representation. Fingers crossed somebody likes it. Since it made it past two rounds of judging in a big time screenwriting competition I have to think that it does have something going for it. At the very least maybe I'll get asked for more examples of my work.
And congratulations to those who made it to the next round. Yes, I'm jealous.
I also splurged and paid a reading service to look over my horror screenplay. The feedback I got was honest if a bit blunt. It needs work. I didn't find any notes that I disagreed with, either, and the feedback was helpful. Honesty is what I paid these people for, and I've been rewriting it with their notes in mind. It's quite a bit better, too, now. As is my ego, once it got over the bruising. I guess I was expecting to get "It's perfect! Don't change anything!" back from these people. Not bloody likely.
And I've been revisiting Too Many Tonys, doing a rewrite on it with an eye towards sending it around, too. There were some problems with the story that I couldn't figure out how to fix until recently--putting it aside and then revisiting it later seems to have done the trick, as I figured out how to address the critical issues I had with it. I'm thinking it's nearly ready--I just need to read it over a couple more times, to be sure that I didn't throw the story structure out of whack when I made my changes. And to be sure that the new stuff blends in with the old stuff so it makes one, coherent story.
So, that's what I'm up to right now.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
The Question, and semi-big news
First, my semi-big news: my one-hour pilot screenplay, The Prince: Cassus Belli, has made it to the semifinal round of the 2017 Final Draft Big Break competition. I'm tremendously excited about this. If it makes it to the quarterfinals I may just die. But my corpse will have a big smile on its face.
The thought of maybe winning this thing, or at least being able to put "semifinalist in the 2017 Big Break competition" on any cover letter I send to someone with the script, has me thinking about something every screenwriter needs to think about: The Question.
What is The Question?
Imagine this: you're in a meeting with a producer. Someone big time who can get your movie made. She's impressed with your script but this is at a really early stage, and there are an awful lot of hoops left to jump through. The meeting's almost over when she asks:
"So, what else you got?"
At this point you need to have as many completed scripts in your pocket as possible. And have treatments handy for any that you haven't completed yet. And be ready to talk about them. Let this producer know that you are a serious writer. Not somebody who got lucky and came up with an interesting script once. She wants to know if you can do it over and over again.
That's somebody she'd want to do business with.
So, I've done a pretty significant rewrite of The Prince script, and I'm banging away on another pilot script right now. I've got a script for a horror feature that I thought turned out pretty well, and a treatment for a mystery that I'm pretty happy with, too. I'm going to be writing some more treatments over the next few weeks, too, just to have them handy.
I've also had an idea for a short film that's been driving me crazy--looks like I'll have to write that one just to get it out of my system. It should be interesting, though, and might actually be something I can get made.
So, when I get The Question, I should be able to give the person who asked it a full menu of choices. You want horror? Science fiction? A whodunit? Drama? Even comedy, if that's what you're looking for--I'm about to be in a position to write one I've been mulling over for years, looks like.
Keep your fingers crossed for me, that I make it to the next round. And always be ready with an answer to The Question. You never know . . .
The thought of maybe winning this thing, or at least being able to put "semifinalist in the 2017 Big Break competition" on any cover letter I send to someone with the script, has me thinking about something every screenwriter needs to think about: The Question.
What is The Question?
Imagine this: you're in a meeting with a producer. Someone big time who can get your movie made. She's impressed with your script but this is at a really early stage, and there are an awful lot of hoops left to jump through. The meeting's almost over when she asks:
"So, what else you got?"
At this point you need to have as many completed scripts in your pocket as possible. And have treatments handy for any that you haven't completed yet. And be ready to talk about them. Let this producer know that you are a serious writer. Not somebody who got lucky and came up with an interesting script once. She wants to know if you can do it over and over again.
That's somebody she'd want to do business with.
So, I've done a pretty significant rewrite of The Prince script, and I'm banging away on another pilot script right now. I've got a script for a horror feature that I thought turned out pretty well, and a treatment for a mystery that I'm pretty happy with, too. I'm going to be writing some more treatments over the next few weeks, too, just to have them handy.
I've also had an idea for a short film that's been driving me crazy--looks like I'll have to write that one just to get it out of my system. It should be interesting, though, and might actually be something I can get made.
So, when I get The Question, I should be able to give the person who asked it a full menu of choices. You want horror? Science fiction? A whodunit? Drama? Even comedy, if that's what you're looking for--I'm about to be in a position to write one I've been mulling over for years, looks like.
Keep your fingers crossed for me, that I make it to the next round. And always be ready with an answer to The Question. You never know . . .
Thursday, October 19, 2017
What I've been up to, staycation edition . . .
I took this week off because it just so happened a lot of personal crap came up that I had to deal with, all at the same time. I decided it would behoove me to take an entire week off.
One of my goals for this week (other than getting to the stuff I need to get to and doing what I need to do) is to apply for a writer's development program at a major movie studio.
As part of the applications process, they wanted a film treatment. If you're one of the imaginary people who actually reads this blog you've seen me talk about treatments before, and how I struggle with them.
Well, I really wanted to apply for this thing. Which means, I really needed to write this treatment.
Over the past month or so I've been hammering away on it without any luck. I finally Googled it, to see how other writers have handled it. I came across Kevin Williamson's treatment for Halloween: H2O. If you're curious about what a treatment is and how to do it, I suggest you take a look at it yourself. I found this inspiring and educational.
Before, when I tried a treatment, I sort of condensed every element of the story down to its bare essentials. Which is not really necessary, and is actually quite tedious and hard to read. All you need to spell out are the important beats in the story.
It's important that whoever reads the thing knows how you plan to set up the story, so you need to go into detail about the first act. The reader needs to know how you intend to resolve it, too, so you need to go into detail about the third act. The reader doesn't need to know all of the details about the second act. Detail the Big Picture stuff, like the major setback that almost always has to happen at the halfway point, or any other major plot points. You're writing a mystery and your protagonist eliminated several suspects? No real need to detail how those suspects were eliminated, if they were red herrings.
But the reader has to know how you intend to handle the big reveal at the end--how the hero figures out who the murderer is, for example. You also need to give an idea how you're going to wrap things up. The button at the end, before the credits roll, which is usually where your protagonist comes to a decision or realization about something important only to him or her that may only be peripheral to the main plot. So, you'll need to mention any subplots along the way that you'll be dealing with there, but don't go overboard about it.
This was a slow, laborious process for me, but in the end I think it was worth it. I chose to write the treatment about a project where I'd actually already attempted a script, and I just couldn't get it to work. The main problem I had was the ending, which felt contrived and forced. I just didn't have a way for things to click for my hero, for him to figure out who the killer is in a way that made sense.
Writing that treatment, though, sort of forced me to see it in a different way, and a solution that was there in front of me the whole time sort of trotted out in front and waved at me and finally got my attention.
Will I be selected to participate in this program I was applying for? I doubt it. They probably have thousands of applicants and I don't really think I'm what they're looking for anyway. So, even though I sat down and applied the other day and uploaded everything they were looking for, I doubt I'll ever hear anything from them.
But writing that treatment was all the payoff I needed, actually. It'll never be easy to do one, but now that I have a better idea as to what writing one entails I won't dread it quite as much. And I'll be writing more of them, now, because I now see how they can be so bloody useful.
One of my goals for this week (other than getting to the stuff I need to get to and doing what I need to do) is to apply for a writer's development program at a major movie studio.
As part of the applications process, they wanted a film treatment. If you're one of the imaginary people who actually reads this blog you've seen me talk about treatments before, and how I struggle with them.
Well, I really wanted to apply for this thing. Which means, I really needed to write this treatment.
Over the past month or so I've been hammering away on it without any luck. I finally Googled it, to see how other writers have handled it. I came across Kevin Williamson's treatment for Halloween: H2O. If you're curious about what a treatment is and how to do it, I suggest you take a look at it yourself. I found this inspiring and educational.
Before, when I tried a treatment, I sort of condensed every element of the story down to its bare essentials. Which is not really necessary, and is actually quite tedious and hard to read. All you need to spell out are the important beats in the story.
It's important that whoever reads the thing knows how you plan to set up the story, so you need to go into detail about the first act. The reader needs to know how you intend to resolve it, too, so you need to go into detail about the third act. The reader doesn't need to know all of the details about the second act. Detail the Big Picture stuff, like the major setback that almost always has to happen at the halfway point, or any other major plot points. You're writing a mystery and your protagonist eliminated several suspects? No real need to detail how those suspects were eliminated, if they were red herrings.
But the reader has to know how you intend to handle the big reveal at the end--how the hero figures out who the murderer is, for example. You also need to give an idea how you're going to wrap things up. The button at the end, before the credits roll, which is usually where your protagonist comes to a decision or realization about something important only to him or her that may only be peripheral to the main plot. So, you'll need to mention any subplots along the way that you'll be dealing with there, but don't go overboard about it.
This was a slow, laborious process for me, but in the end I think it was worth it. I chose to write the treatment about a project where I'd actually already attempted a script, and I just couldn't get it to work. The main problem I had was the ending, which felt contrived and forced. I just didn't have a way for things to click for my hero, for him to figure out who the killer is in a way that made sense.
Writing that treatment, though, sort of forced me to see it in a different way, and a solution that was there in front of me the whole time sort of trotted out in front and waved at me and finally got my attention.
Will I be selected to participate in this program I was applying for? I doubt it. They probably have thousands of applicants and I don't really think I'm what they're looking for anyway. So, even though I sat down and applied the other day and uploaded everything they were looking for, I doubt I'll ever hear anything from them.
But writing that treatment was all the payoff I needed, actually. It'll never be easy to do one, but now that I have a better idea as to what writing one entails I won't dread it quite as much. And I'll be writing more of them, now, because I now see how they can be so bloody useful.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
OK, Atlanta Falcons, here's the deal . . .
I've followed the Falcons since there's been an Atlanta Falcons. Yes, for most of those years the team was godawful. That's why this is so frustrating now.
This is a team loaded with talent, on both sides of the ball. They should be great. But they suck.
And it's the same thing we saw in the Super Bowl last year. They play great in the first half. They stink in the second half.
This is nothing new. Remember a couple of years ago, a game they played in London against Detroit? The score at halftime was 17-0, Falcons. Score at the end? 17-18, Detroit. Falcons did not even manage a field goal in the second half. This, in a nutshell, is the problem.
Guys, it's called a half for a reason. There are two of them. Two halves = a whole game. Get it? If not, just remember this--when you got into the locker room at halftime, the game is not over yet. You got another half to go.
Anyway, I think I have about had it with this crap from you guys, especially since it always seems to be the same thing, week after week, and nothing is done to address it. It's like nobody except me even realizes it. Do what every other freaking team in the NFL does: make adjustments at halftime. Make adjustments at halftime. Make. Adjustments. At. Halftime. Make! Adjustments! At! Halftime!
So, here's the deal. You go to the Super Bowl this year. And you freaking win it this time. I'll still be on board. No Super Bowl win and it's over between us.
It's for your own good.
This is a team loaded with talent, on both sides of the ball. They should be great. But they suck.
And it's the same thing we saw in the Super Bowl last year. They play great in the first half. They stink in the second half.
This is nothing new. Remember a couple of years ago, a game they played in London against Detroit? The score at halftime was 17-0, Falcons. Score at the end? 17-18, Detroit. Falcons did not even manage a field goal in the second half. This, in a nutshell, is the problem.
Guys, it's called a half for a reason. There are two of them. Two halves = a whole game. Get it? If not, just remember this--when you got into the locker room at halftime, the game is not over yet. You got another half to go.
Anyway, I think I have about had it with this crap from you guys, especially since it always seems to be the same thing, week after week, and nothing is done to address it. It's like nobody except me even realizes it. Do what every other freaking team in the NFL does: make adjustments at halftime. Make adjustments at halftime. Make. Adjustments. At. Halftime. Make! Adjustments! At! Halftime!
So, here's the deal. You go to the Super Bowl this year. And you freaking win it this time. I'll still be on board. No Super Bowl win and it's over between us.
It's for your own good.
Saturday, September 2, 2017
The hardest part . . .
Once you come up with a believable motive for your story's bad guy you pretty much have your story.
However, coming up with a motive that is:
a.) interesting,
b.) doable,
c.) a problem for the Good Guys, and:
d.) something that can actually be achieved
is problematic.
In the old days you'd have a bad guy who wants to Rule The World! Not any more. People have actually thought about it, and it doesn't make any sense. What does it even mean? And how will having this doofus ruling the world change my personal world anyway?
Likewise, someone who wants to steal something valuable, like a lot of money or expensive artwork or jewels or whatnot. So? It's hard to get worked up about that sort of thing, these days, with corporate execs and politicians looting the US Treasury for billions and billions of dollars. We're used to it.
Of course, this is for those big, epic stories involving larger-than-life characters. More personal stories are easier. Someone wanting to murder you, personally, is something that would focus your attention, especially if it's someone who would actually do it. Likewise, someone stealing from you, or trying to get you fired from your job, or whatnot.
I'm sort of thinking out loud here because I'm trying to plot out this new project and I'm having an issue with what the bad guys want to do. One of the plot points is there is an effective costumed vigilante patrolling a particular area of the city, one who has demonstrated that he'll be more than happy to kick a criminal's ass if necessary, and he has the skills required to do so.
So, most criminal organizations would just move somewhere else, where this guy doesn't patrol. The hero doesn't have superpowers or anything--he's just a guy who is a good athlete and who can handle himself in a fight--so he can't be everywhere. This would remove the need for the guy. Which would effectively kill my story--I need him to be around and active.
Dammit.
*sigh*
I like this story. It's got a lot of stuff in it that I find fascinating. But right now I'm struggling with this particular aspect.
Also, I don't have an ending. Once I have the ending I should be good.
Oh, well. Forgive me for the fragmentary, incoherent nature of this entry. I'm just in the initial stages of world-creating and it's a difficult and delicate phase. Terrifying, to me, because as I get older I get more and more wary of spending my time on projects that have no possibility of going anywhere.
I'll get there. Even sitting here and writing this has started the creative juices to flowing a bit, again. So, if you've made it to this point of this posting, thank you.
However, coming up with a motive that is:
a.) interesting,
b.) doable,
c.) a problem for the Good Guys, and:
d.) something that can actually be achieved
is problematic.
In the old days you'd have a bad guy who wants to Rule The World! Not any more. People have actually thought about it, and it doesn't make any sense. What does it even mean? And how will having this doofus ruling the world change my personal world anyway?
Likewise, someone who wants to steal something valuable, like a lot of money or expensive artwork or jewels or whatnot. So? It's hard to get worked up about that sort of thing, these days, with corporate execs and politicians looting the US Treasury for billions and billions of dollars. We're used to it.
Of course, this is for those big, epic stories involving larger-than-life characters. More personal stories are easier. Someone wanting to murder you, personally, is something that would focus your attention, especially if it's someone who would actually do it. Likewise, someone stealing from you, or trying to get you fired from your job, or whatnot.
I'm sort of thinking out loud here because I'm trying to plot out this new project and I'm having an issue with what the bad guys want to do. One of the plot points is there is an effective costumed vigilante patrolling a particular area of the city, one who has demonstrated that he'll be more than happy to kick a criminal's ass if necessary, and he has the skills required to do so.
So, most criminal organizations would just move somewhere else, where this guy doesn't patrol. The hero doesn't have superpowers or anything--he's just a guy who is a good athlete and who can handle himself in a fight--so he can't be everywhere. This would remove the need for the guy. Which would effectively kill my story--I need him to be around and active.
Dammit.
*sigh*
I like this story. It's got a lot of stuff in it that I find fascinating. But right now I'm struggling with this particular aspect.
Also, I don't have an ending. Once I have the ending I should be good.
Oh, well. Forgive me for the fragmentary, incoherent nature of this entry. I'm just in the initial stages of world-creating and it's a difficult and delicate phase. Terrifying, to me, because as I get older I get more and more wary of spending my time on projects that have no possibility of going anywhere.
I'll get there. Even sitting here and writing this has started the creative juices to flowing a bit, again. So, if you've made it to this point of this posting, thank you.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Rewriting blues . . .
I realized about a week ago that my draft for Walks Like A Man just wasn't working.
It wasn't a good story. And, even worse, it wasn't scary. It's a horror movie. If it ain't scary, it ain't nothing.
Then, I realized something--my characters were entirely too reasonable, entirely too willing to do whatever was needed to resolve the situation. While this may be ideal in real life, it makes for one helluva boring movie. Especially a horror movie.
So, I've made one of my characters a stalker and the other consumed with grief and confusion about her feelings. Considering the weirdness of the situation, that's enough to trigger all sorts of complications for them. Which makes for a much more interesting movie. Many of the problems I was having with it straightened themselves out. The harder things are for the characters, the easier things are for the writer.
Of course, this also screws up a lot of stuff in the draft that I need to change, but that's why it's called rewriting, isn't it?
So, I'm hammering away on the rewrite, and I feel pretty good about it as an idea. I just need to tighten up the story.
On an unrelated matter, I got the Blu Ray of Alien: Covenant this week. I've already rewatched it three or four times. I saw it in the theater twice and would have seen it a third time if I could have found the time to get out there.
I guess that's my way of saying I dug the movie. Is it perfect? No. I think the script could have used another one or two passes because some things didn't look to be blended in with the whole. They were obviously late additions. It looks like some story lines that were initially intended to be a big part of the film were later dropped but the script wasn't rewritten to account for them. I also get a bit tired of all the unsubtle reminders that all of the crew are couples--we get it, they're married. Just one or two "my wife" references would have been sufficient.
All said, though, I enjoy it. I do like the characters. Since it's a Ridley Scott film it is a visual treat. Dariusz Wolski's lighting is amazing--gorgeous and evocative. Jed Kurzel's score borrows a lot from the first film, but when it needs to become something in it's own right it is more than adequate to the task. Get the Blu Ray and watch all the extras, and listen to Ridley Scott's commentary.
For those who say the story is unsatisfying, I'd have to say that the story is not complete. There will (hopefully) be at least one more film. I'd like to give the series a chance to finish before evaluating the whole thing. I guess as a writer I can see what they're setting up for the next one, and trust me, it's going to be epic. You will not want to miss it.
One thing I'll add here, and I may be totally off my rocker--I think the Blade Runner film coming out soon will tie in with this series somehow. Maybe I'm completely crazy, but I think the story-line in Alien involving the synthetics will somehow create a tie-in with it.
I think a lot of people who were so disappointed in the film were expecting it to be like Alien. Guess what? It won't be. It can't be. That can never happen again. That's the nature of horror films. If you want to see Alien, then see Alien. It's on Amazon Prime. In the mean time see this as a series of films on their own merits.
One suggestion I'd have for the filmmakers for the next one, if I may--cut the budget in half. One of the things that made the first film so urgent and interesting was the fact that they didn't have an adequate budget to do the things one normally does for something like that, like fabricating sets and the like. They had to make do and improvise. Which created a fascinating setting that had never been seen before and added so much believability to the film. Which, in turn, made it that much more terrifying--the Nostromo looks like an aging bucket of bolts that people have been living and working in for years. In Prometheus and Covenant I think Ridley Scott had a lot more money to play around with and it shows, in good ways with the excellent production values, but also in bad ways, where the sense of urgency is missing.
I'll admit, though, that I'm a die-hard Alien fan. It'll take an awful lot for me to turn against these movies.
Now, back to rewriting my own horror movie.
It wasn't a good story. And, even worse, it wasn't scary. It's a horror movie. If it ain't scary, it ain't nothing.
Then, I realized something--my characters were entirely too reasonable, entirely too willing to do whatever was needed to resolve the situation. While this may be ideal in real life, it makes for one helluva boring movie. Especially a horror movie.
So, I've made one of my characters a stalker and the other consumed with grief and confusion about her feelings. Considering the weirdness of the situation, that's enough to trigger all sorts of complications for them. Which makes for a much more interesting movie. Many of the problems I was having with it straightened themselves out. The harder things are for the characters, the easier things are for the writer.
Of course, this also screws up a lot of stuff in the draft that I need to change, but that's why it's called rewriting, isn't it?
So, I'm hammering away on the rewrite, and I feel pretty good about it as an idea. I just need to tighten up the story.
On an unrelated matter, I got the Blu Ray of Alien: Covenant this week. I've already rewatched it three or four times. I saw it in the theater twice and would have seen it a third time if I could have found the time to get out there.
I guess that's my way of saying I dug the movie. Is it perfect? No. I think the script could have used another one or two passes because some things didn't look to be blended in with the whole. They were obviously late additions. It looks like some story lines that were initially intended to be a big part of the film were later dropped but the script wasn't rewritten to account for them. I also get a bit tired of all the unsubtle reminders that all of the crew are couples--we get it, they're married. Just one or two "my wife" references would have been sufficient.
All said, though, I enjoy it. I do like the characters. Since it's a Ridley Scott film it is a visual treat. Dariusz Wolski's lighting is amazing--gorgeous and evocative. Jed Kurzel's score borrows a lot from the first film, but when it needs to become something in it's own right it is more than adequate to the task. Get the Blu Ray and watch all the extras, and listen to Ridley Scott's commentary.
For those who say the story is unsatisfying, I'd have to say that the story is not complete. There will (hopefully) be at least one more film. I'd like to give the series a chance to finish before evaluating the whole thing. I guess as a writer I can see what they're setting up for the next one, and trust me, it's going to be epic. You will not want to miss it.
One thing I'll add here, and I may be totally off my rocker--I think the Blade Runner film coming out soon will tie in with this series somehow. Maybe I'm completely crazy, but I think the story-line in Alien involving the synthetics will somehow create a tie-in with it.
I think a lot of people who were so disappointed in the film were expecting it to be like Alien. Guess what? It won't be. It can't be. That can never happen again. That's the nature of horror films. If you want to see Alien, then see Alien. It's on Amazon Prime. In the mean time see this as a series of films on their own merits.
One suggestion I'd have for the filmmakers for the next one, if I may--cut the budget in half. One of the things that made the first film so urgent and interesting was the fact that they didn't have an adequate budget to do the things one normally does for something like that, like fabricating sets and the like. They had to make do and improvise. Which created a fascinating setting that had never been seen before and added so much believability to the film. Which, in turn, made it that much more terrifying--the Nostromo looks like an aging bucket of bolts that people have been living and working in for years. In Prometheus and Covenant I think Ridley Scott had a lot more money to play around with and it shows, in good ways with the excellent production values, but also in bad ways, where the sense of urgency is missing.
I'll admit, though, that I'm a die-hard Alien fan. It'll take an awful lot for me to turn against these movies.
Now, back to rewriting my own horror movie.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Favorite movie rewatching event!
I've decided it's time to watch my top five favorite movies again this weekend.
This time, though, I've decided to be logged onto Twitter while I do so, sharing any thoughts I may have as I watch. Feel free to follow along and offer your opinions or wiseass remarks as you see fit--my Twitter handle is @jfranklinevans.
I'll start sometime Saturday afternoon, watching two movies, then I'll finish with the other three on Sunday afternoon. I can't give specific times because I have other stuff to do and also I want to get some work done on this horror script. I'll send out a Tweet about twenty minutes or so before I start watching, to give a heads up.
Movies I'm going to watch, in the order I'm going to watch them:
Saturday
5. John Carpenter's The Thing (#TheThingRewatch)
4. Citizen Kane (#CitizenKaneRewatch)
Sunday
3. Casablanca (#CasablancaRewatch)
2. The Sixth Sense (#TheSixthSenseRewatch)
1. Alien (#AlienRewatch)
The version of Alien I'm going to watch is the original 1979 release, not the 2003 director's cut. I love them both, but I think I prefer the original slightly ahead of Ridley Scott's recut.
Anyways, if you're interested, feel free to follow along and chime in!
This time, though, I've decided to be logged onto Twitter while I do so, sharing any thoughts I may have as I watch. Feel free to follow along and offer your opinions or wiseass remarks as you see fit--my Twitter handle is @jfranklinevans.
I'll start sometime Saturday afternoon, watching two movies, then I'll finish with the other three on Sunday afternoon. I can't give specific times because I have other stuff to do and also I want to get some work done on this horror script. I'll send out a Tweet about twenty minutes or so before I start watching, to give a heads up.
Movies I'm going to watch, in the order I'm going to watch them:
Saturday
5. John Carpenter's The Thing (#TheThingRewatch)
4. Citizen Kane (#CitizenKaneRewatch)
Sunday
3. Casablanca (#CasablancaRewatch)
2. The Sixth Sense (#TheSixthSenseRewatch)
1. Alien (#AlienRewatch)
The version of Alien I'm going to watch is the original 1979 release, not the 2003 director's cut. I love them both, but I think I prefer the original slightly ahead of Ridley Scott's recut.
Anyways, if you're interested, feel free to follow along and chime in!
Sunday, July 30, 2017
What I've been doing lately
I know it's been a while. For the one or two of you who maybe care, this is what I've been doing over the past few weeks:
I finished a preliminary draft for a horror movie called Walks Like A Man. If you're interested, it was inspired by one of my own songs of the same title--you can hear it by visiting my ReverbNation page. Feel free to listen to any other tunes while you're there.
Anyway, the story in my little song is a part of the bigger story I'm trying to tell in the script, and actually I'm pretty excited about it. More excited now, actually, than I was when I began this project.
Why, you may ask? Because the final image in the movie came to me yesterday while I was sitting here struggling with the rewrite.
In horror movies the ending is all important. Think about the horror movies that disappointed you. Think about your reaction when the end credits rolled. That's it? That's all? That's my most common reaction to a movie that I wind up not caring for. It's because, in the end, there is no lasting image, no impression, nothing at all to haunt you after the movie is over.
This is something a lot of newer horror movies struggle with. I've seen some where the movie just . . . stopped. There was no attempt at any kind of ending. My guess is the writer is hoping to finish the story with a sequel, but unless you've got a deal in pocket already for something like that, chances are you won't ever get it made.
Why?
Because the audience for the first movie was disappointed.
Why?
Because of the ending. Or lack thereof.
Or we are left with an image of the monster/serial killer/whatever who is not actually dead, though our cast went through a great deal of trouble killing him/her/it and thought they had succeeded. This may have worked for Halloween but it probably won't work for many other films. Don't assume that you have reached that level. I certainly don't.
The ending has to make sense in the context of the story you just told, but it also should reveal that the horror is still ongoing--maybe there's a dimension to the creature or person or whatever that was hinted at in the film but nobody paid enough attention to it and now it's allowing the story to continue.
So, it has to make sense. It can't just come completely out of the blue. It also has to be surprising, or horrifying. You can make do with satisfying but that's the least preferable of the alternatives--see Jordan Peele's otherwise excellent Get Out.
Anyway, all that is a way of saying that the image my little script will leave the audience with excites me and encourages me to hone this baby down to a razor's edge. The image I'm working on makes sense in the context of the movie, but now the plan is to get it to make even more sense, make it even more significant. Even more horrifying.
Yes. This is why we do what we do, ain't it?
I finished a preliminary draft for a horror movie called Walks Like A Man. If you're interested, it was inspired by one of my own songs of the same title--you can hear it by visiting my ReverbNation page. Feel free to listen to any other tunes while you're there.
Anyway, the story in my little song is a part of the bigger story I'm trying to tell in the script, and actually I'm pretty excited about it. More excited now, actually, than I was when I began this project.
Why, you may ask? Because the final image in the movie came to me yesterday while I was sitting here struggling with the rewrite.
In horror movies the ending is all important. Think about the horror movies that disappointed you. Think about your reaction when the end credits rolled. That's it? That's all? That's my most common reaction to a movie that I wind up not caring for. It's because, in the end, there is no lasting image, no impression, nothing at all to haunt you after the movie is over.
This is something a lot of newer horror movies struggle with. I've seen some where the movie just . . . stopped. There was no attempt at any kind of ending. My guess is the writer is hoping to finish the story with a sequel, but unless you've got a deal in pocket already for something like that, chances are you won't ever get it made.
Why?
Because the audience for the first movie was disappointed.
Why?
Because of the ending. Or lack thereof.
Or we are left with an image of the monster/serial killer/whatever who is not actually dead, though our cast went through a great deal of trouble killing him/her/it and thought they had succeeded. This may have worked for Halloween but it probably won't work for many other films. Don't assume that you have reached that level. I certainly don't.
The ending has to make sense in the context of the story you just told, but it also should reveal that the horror is still ongoing--maybe there's a dimension to the creature or person or whatever that was hinted at in the film but nobody paid enough attention to it and now it's allowing the story to continue.
So, it has to make sense. It can't just come completely out of the blue. It also has to be surprising, or horrifying. You can make do with satisfying but that's the least preferable of the alternatives--see Jordan Peele's otherwise excellent Get Out.
Anyway, all that is a way of saying that the image my little script will leave the audience with excites me and encourages me to hone this baby down to a razor's edge. The image I'm working on makes sense in the context of the movie, but now the plan is to get it to make even more sense, make it even more significant. Even more horrifying.
Yes. This is why we do what we do, ain't it?
Friday, June 9, 2017
It Comes At Night (spoiler free)
I just saw this film at the theater today.
I've wanted to see this since I first heard about it, some months ago, and one reason is because of the studio, A24, which has put out a string of interesting, quirky, and effective movies (like least year's Best Picture winner, Moonlight, as well as The Witch--both of which I have in my personal Blu Ray collection and can recommend to you as excellent films).
A word of warning--it's not quite the movie the ad campaign makes it out to be. It's not a typical horror film. It's much more subtle than that, but at the same time, a lot more brutal in the emotions it conveys. It's the darkest movie, tonally, I've seen in a long time.
The basic plot involves a family of good people--not ex-military special ops, not law enforcement, nothing particularly bad ass--trying to survive in a terrible situation. They do what they feel like they have to do, to survive. Some decisions they make aren't good but, again, they do what they think is best. Society as we know it is dead and they're left on their own.
The rumor is the screenwriter/director Trey Edward Shults was grieving the loss of his father when he wrote the screenplay, and it shows. Grief permeates this film. Not the scarred over, still achy on rainy days kind of grief. This is the bleeding, raw, fresh, throbbing, exposed kind grief of someone who has just recently experienced a loss that, to them, makes going on living seem to be the worst possible fate. This film is personal to Shults--he ripped the freshly-applied bandage off the wound to show it to the world. I think it was cathartic for him to make it, and it's cathartic for us to watch it.
The cast is dead-solid perfect, especially Joel Edgerton (Paul). Edgerton also has an executive producer credit.
I'm glad I saw this movie. Having said that, it's not the kind of movie I'll see again. I recommend it to you after reminding you one more time--it's really dark. Not the usual horror movie kind of dark, either. Dark in an existential way that may be a little too effective at conveying the emotion the filmmakers want to convey.
I give it a solid A. Go see it. And go see any other A24 movies that you can find, too. You will not regret it.
I've wanted to see this since I first heard about it, some months ago, and one reason is because of the studio, A24, which has put out a string of interesting, quirky, and effective movies (like least year's Best Picture winner, Moonlight, as well as The Witch--both of which I have in my personal Blu Ray collection and can recommend to you as excellent films).
A word of warning--it's not quite the movie the ad campaign makes it out to be. It's not a typical horror film. It's much more subtle than that, but at the same time, a lot more brutal in the emotions it conveys. It's the darkest movie, tonally, I've seen in a long time.
The basic plot involves a family of good people--not ex-military special ops, not law enforcement, nothing particularly bad ass--trying to survive in a terrible situation. They do what they feel like they have to do, to survive. Some decisions they make aren't good but, again, they do what they think is best. Society as we know it is dead and they're left on their own.
The rumor is the screenwriter/director Trey Edward Shults was grieving the loss of his father when he wrote the screenplay, and it shows. Grief permeates this film. Not the scarred over, still achy on rainy days kind of grief. This is the bleeding, raw, fresh, throbbing, exposed kind grief of someone who has just recently experienced a loss that, to them, makes going on living seem to be the worst possible fate. This film is personal to Shults--he ripped the freshly-applied bandage off the wound to show it to the world. I think it was cathartic for him to make it, and it's cathartic for us to watch it.
The cast is dead-solid perfect, especially Joel Edgerton (Paul). Edgerton also has an executive producer credit.
I'm glad I saw this movie. Having said that, it's not the kind of movie I'll see again. I recommend it to you after reminding you one more time--it's really dark. Not the usual horror movie kind of dark, either. Dark in an existential way that may be a little too effective at conveying the emotion the filmmakers want to convey.
I give it a solid A. Go see it. And go see any other A24 movies that you can find, too. You will not regret it.
Saturday, June 3, 2017
On getting older and analysis paralysis
I'm having trouble deciding on a new project.
That's not the only thing I'm having problems with, but everything else seems to have, at its root, the same cause.
As I get older I become keenly aware of the passage of time, and I begrudge any wasting of it. Which, paradoxically, results in me wasting more time. For example--I don't want to start on a project, spend months hammering away on it, only to abandon it because it's not going anywhere. So, I spend more and more time trying to decide what to work on next instead of actually working on something.
This wasn't an issue when I was younger because I felt like I was going to live for eons. Now, I really doubt I'll be alive ten years from now. As a consequence, I don't want to spend the time I have remaining spinning my wheels. Which means I'm spending a lot of time indulging in wheel spinning.
When I was younger, ten years was an eternity. Now, it's nothing. A blink of an eye. Up and gone before you know it.
Ten years isn't a lot of time when it comes to making movies. Even if funding isn't an issue it still takes a good two years to put something out. Which means if I get busy now and get successful now I may leave this world with five movies to my credit.
Of course, I'll be lucky to get one movie made. It's the thought that counts, and there's nothing like putting something in perspective to scare the crap out of yourself.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I guess I'm just talking to myself, especially since nobody reads these things anyway.
At the moment I have an idea for a drama that I'm pretty excited about, and I think it'll result in a thoughtful, provocative movie that people would want to see, if I can get it made. But I haven't committed to it yet. I'm still toying with the basic idea and trying to decide on the specifics, especially for the ending. I don't even have a title.
We'll see if it amounts to anything. Hopefully it won't take very long for me to make up my mind about it and get started writing it. Or, you know, not.
Time is wasting, you know.
That's not the only thing I'm having problems with, but everything else seems to have, at its root, the same cause.
As I get older I become keenly aware of the passage of time, and I begrudge any wasting of it. Which, paradoxically, results in me wasting more time. For example--I don't want to start on a project, spend months hammering away on it, only to abandon it because it's not going anywhere. So, I spend more and more time trying to decide what to work on next instead of actually working on something.
This wasn't an issue when I was younger because I felt like I was going to live for eons. Now, I really doubt I'll be alive ten years from now. As a consequence, I don't want to spend the time I have remaining spinning my wheels. Which means I'm spending a lot of time indulging in wheel spinning.
When I was younger, ten years was an eternity. Now, it's nothing. A blink of an eye. Up and gone before you know it.
Ten years isn't a lot of time when it comes to making movies. Even if funding isn't an issue it still takes a good two years to put something out. Which means if I get busy now and get successful now I may leave this world with five movies to my credit.
Of course, I'll be lucky to get one movie made. It's the thought that counts, and there's nothing like putting something in perspective to scare the crap out of yourself.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I guess I'm just talking to myself, especially since nobody reads these things anyway.
At the moment I have an idea for a drama that I'm pretty excited about, and I think it'll result in a thoughtful, provocative movie that people would want to see, if I can get it made. But I haven't committed to it yet. I'm still toying with the basic idea and trying to decide on the specifics, especially for the ending. I don't even have a title.
We'll see if it amounts to anything. Hopefully it won't take very long for me to make up my mind about it and get started writing it. Or, you know, not.
Time is wasting, you know.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
New video! Quick update
I just uploaded a new video to You Tube.
This one features the vocal talents of my goddaughter, Talyan, in addition to yours truly. It also gave me a chance to fool around with CGI. I hope you get a chuckle out of it.
This one features the vocal talents of my goddaughter, Talyan, in addition to yours truly. It also gave me a chance to fool around with CGI. I hope you get a chuckle out of it.
Friday, May 26, 2017
I finally saw Alien: Covenant (spoilers) . . .
Life has been kind of hectic over the past couple of weeks and it's been difficult to find a couple of hours to sneak out to my local theater to catch the latest entry in the Alien franchise.
That changed today. I've now seen it, and my thoughts are below. It'll contain spoilers. You have been warned.
That changed today. I've now seen it, and my thoughts are below. It'll contain spoilers. You have been warned.
A bit like Prometheus, Covenant started out with some genre identity issues, but, unlike Prometheus, those were settled by the end of the first act. Yes, this is a horror movie, even though it started out as a straight action/adventure scifi flick.
Fans of the Alien and Aliens will spot many callbacks to the previous films, and there are several musical cues taken directly from Jerry Goldsmith's score for the first one. There are also quite a few callbacks to Prometheus in the score, which I thought were nicely done.
There isn't a sense of foreboding that the first movie evoked, a feeling that we are venturing into the unknown. Instead, it begins with a sense of optimism, then panic as the accident that begins the whole sequence of events occurs.
Covenant is a colonial vessel on its way to settle a world that is suspected to be habitable. She carries a crew of fifteen, as well as two thousand colonists asleep in stasis, and another fifteen hundred or so embryos frozen for the trip. A random stream of neutrinos from a nearby star hits the ship while the sails she uses to recharge her power supply are deployed, causing an overload in some of her systems. In the ensuing power surge forty-seven colonists are killed in their stasis pods, as well as the mission's captain, Branson (James Franco). He dies horribly, awake in his pod but unable to escape, as he's burned to death while his wife, Daniels (Katherine Waterson) watches.
I've heard a bit of stir about casting Franco in this role instead of a relatively unknown actor, since he's only actually in the movie for less than a minute. However, I disagree, and think it was a wise choice--using a recognizable actor gives his death more heft, making Daniels's grief more palpable and real.
As they make their repairs they intercept a signal from a nearby system--it's a woman singing John Denver's "Country Roads." When they pinpoint the source of the signal it turns out to be a world that is an even better candidate for colonization than their original destination. The new captain, Oram (Billy Cruddup), decides to change their mission to investigate.
A bit is made in the script that Oram is devoutly religious, though it doesn't go into details as to what his faith actually is. Not much more is made of his beliefs beyond the mention near the beginning, and at first I thought that was an oversight. Now that I've thought about it, though, I don't think so--I think the actual specifics of Oram's beliefs are not really necessary to the plot, it's only necessary that he has them.
This ties into the themes the new series of movies has been exploring, of creation. This is brought into clear focus when Covenant arrives at the source of the transmission and discovers the sole survivor of the Prometheus mission there--the android David. David has been busy while he's been stuck on this world for the last ten years, experimenting with the black goo that first appeared in Prometheus. And what happened to Noomi Rapace's character, Shaw, who was with David on the Engineer's ship they used to escape at the end of the previous movie?
Shaw repaired David, reattaching his head to his body after it had been ripped apart in the earlier movie. For her pains David used her as source material in his black goo experiments, eventually creating the face huggers we all know so well. With her DNA he was able to create an organism that was fully capable of infesting and gestating in human hosts.
A complaint with the movie has been the scientists and security people act, well, stupid, and I can't refute that. Landing on an alien world, even one with a breathable atmosphere and what appear to be earth-type flora, would still require one to wear a hazmat suit, at least initially. And exposure to alien spores--another way the goo works to infect a host--would result in immediate quarantine.
The gestation period for (what I'm calling) the prexenomorphs is out of whack, too--it'd take longer than a few minutes for something to grow from a collection of spores or even an implanted embryo to something large enough to emerge from the host body at the size of these creatures. But I'm willing to let that one go, just so the story can move along.
I've also encountered many complaints about the ending being "predictable." Well, yes, it was. However, there's going to be at least one more of these movies. Think about that ending again, and remember that the next one is going to be called Alien: Awakening.
That promises, in light of where this one wound up, to be horrifying and epic and well worth the wait.
Overall, I'll give it a B+. The stupidity of the scientists was a little too convenient, and the editing was a little choppy in a couple of places, but overall I found it to be quite watchable and interesting. I'll be getting the DVD when it's available and I'm looking forward to the next one more than ever.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Here Be Monsters
Since I finished the pilot script for The Prince I've been looking around for something else to work on.
I've got a lot of projects in various stages of development, but none of them are speaking to me right now. None of them feel right. I was writing a screenplay for a film that I've been toying with for some time now but only half-heartedly--just because I feel the need to be working on something.
Then this idea hit me, as I was out on my walk earlier today. Just the title, really, which is the title for this entry.
But, as I was sitting and rewatching Arrival (and if you haven't seen it yet, you really need to--and if you have seen it, it's even better when you see it again) it occurred to me that the title I came up with will fit nicely with an idea for a TV show I've had for a while.
The idea I had came to me in a dream a couple of years ago. It was weird and kind of silly, actually, but it'll do for something like this. I won't go into details yet, except to say it sort of involves the work I'm doing now, but in a weird and ridiculous way.
So far I'm not even at the point where I can start making notes. It needs to ferment a little more, and some questions need to be answered, before I feel like I can even start coming up with characters and situations and creating the world the show would exist in. Worlds, actually, as there will turn out to be several.
I'm actually excited about this one. As soon as I think about it a bit more I'm going to start hammering out the pilot and creating the bible for the show.
So, my Muse gave me a nice surprise, after coming back from her extended vacation. She was missed, and maybe she's refreshed and recharged enough to stick around a while now.
In other news, I think I'm going to have a major life change coming up in the next few months. Can't go into details about it right now, but hopefully it'll turn out to be a Good Thing. Instead of, you know, the other thing.
And my dentist is telling me I need a crown on one of my teeth. And a crown that I already had needs to be redone. Oh, joy. I get to spend most of a day at the dentist's office with people's hands in my mouth. I can't describe how much I'm looking forward to that.
And I've been learning more and more about how to use my video editing software, thanks to videos created by Ripple Training. If you're into Final Cut Pro or Motion check them out on You Tube. Buy their training videos, too. Worth every penny. They have apps available in Apple's app store, if you want to check them out.
So, though I had gone quiet for a while, I'm still around, still trying to make something happen, still trying to get something on the big screen or on TV.
How are things with you?
I've got a lot of projects in various stages of development, but none of them are speaking to me right now. None of them feel right. I was writing a screenplay for a film that I've been toying with for some time now but only half-heartedly--just because I feel the need to be working on something.
Then this idea hit me, as I was out on my walk earlier today. Just the title, really, which is the title for this entry.
But, as I was sitting and rewatching Arrival (and if you haven't seen it yet, you really need to--and if you have seen it, it's even better when you see it again) it occurred to me that the title I came up with will fit nicely with an idea for a TV show I've had for a while.
The idea I had came to me in a dream a couple of years ago. It was weird and kind of silly, actually, but it'll do for something like this. I won't go into details yet, except to say it sort of involves the work I'm doing now, but in a weird and ridiculous way.
So far I'm not even at the point where I can start making notes. It needs to ferment a little more, and some questions need to be answered, before I feel like I can even start coming up with characters and situations and creating the world the show would exist in. Worlds, actually, as there will turn out to be several.
I'm actually excited about this one. As soon as I think about it a bit more I'm going to start hammering out the pilot and creating the bible for the show.
So, my Muse gave me a nice surprise, after coming back from her extended vacation. She was missed, and maybe she's refreshed and recharged enough to stick around a while now.
In other news, I think I'm going to have a major life change coming up in the next few months. Can't go into details about it right now, but hopefully it'll turn out to be a Good Thing. Instead of, you know, the other thing.
And my dentist is telling me I need a crown on one of my teeth. And a crown that I already had needs to be redone. Oh, joy. I get to spend most of a day at the dentist's office with people's hands in my mouth. I can't describe how much I'm looking forward to that.
And I've been learning more and more about how to use my video editing software, thanks to videos created by Ripple Training. If you're into Final Cut Pro or Motion check them out on You Tube. Buy their training videos, too. Worth every penny. They have apps available in Apple's app store, if you want to check them out.
So, though I had gone quiet for a while, I'm still around, still trying to make something happen, still trying to get something on the big screen or on TV.
How are things with you?
Sunday, April 16, 2017
What I say I'll never do is what I always wind up doing
I promised myself a while back that I'd never attempt a fantasy screenplay.
I'm just not all that interested in fantasy. Never really have been. As I've gotten older my interest has decreased even more, so that I rarely see a fantasy movie these days. I may pop over to the theater if there's a horror film with elements of the supernatural in it that captures my interest, but that's about it.
Since I finished the pilot script for my TV show (The Prince), I've been trying and failing to come up with something else to work on. I started a couple of things but my interest died pretty quickly. I was getting worried that I was completely out of ideas, that my Muse had abandoned me, moving on to greener pastures.
So, of course, the idea that finally piques my interest, that gets me to want to sit here and start plotting it out and visualizing scenes and creating characters, is a fantasy.
This is the way it works for me. I don't care for time travel and found footage films that much, but I got really excited about my project In Search of Citizen Z. E. D., which is both a found footage and time travel story. (And the only reason that one is now on the shelf is because current events caught up with it a lot faster than I thought they would. Right now it would be redundant. Dammit.)
Anyways, I'm calling this one Child of the Moon. It'll be an Urban Fantasy. Beyond that I can't really say too much, because I'm not that far along with it. Got a lot of story details to work out--the biggest one being, what is the plot? I've gotten my central character in a bad situation but right now I have no idea how she'll get herself out of it.
Of course, that's what makes it fun. At this point I have almost god-like powers, creating a Universe, killing off or saving characters at my whim, making rules, figuring out what happens when. It's quite the feeling of power.
The challenge, though, is not forgetting when one is plotting and planning and cackling over one's immense power, that overall the story has to be entertaining and it had bloody well better make sense! In other words, don't elucidate a rule of magic or whatever and then ignore it when it's convenient for the story.
Anyways, when I'm not playing around with my video editing software or watching baseball on TV, that's what I'm going to be working on for the foreseeable future, it looks like.
Will I finish this one? Stay tuned.
I'm just not all that interested in fantasy. Never really have been. As I've gotten older my interest has decreased even more, so that I rarely see a fantasy movie these days. I may pop over to the theater if there's a horror film with elements of the supernatural in it that captures my interest, but that's about it.
Since I finished the pilot script for my TV show (The Prince), I've been trying and failing to come up with something else to work on. I started a couple of things but my interest died pretty quickly. I was getting worried that I was completely out of ideas, that my Muse had abandoned me, moving on to greener pastures.
So, of course, the idea that finally piques my interest, that gets me to want to sit here and start plotting it out and visualizing scenes and creating characters, is a fantasy.
This is the way it works for me. I don't care for time travel and found footage films that much, but I got really excited about my project In Search of Citizen Z. E. D., which is both a found footage and time travel story. (And the only reason that one is now on the shelf is because current events caught up with it a lot faster than I thought they would. Right now it would be redundant. Dammit.)
Anyways, I'm calling this one Child of the Moon. It'll be an Urban Fantasy. Beyond that I can't really say too much, because I'm not that far along with it. Got a lot of story details to work out--the biggest one being, what is the plot? I've gotten my central character in a bad situation but right now I have no idea how she'll get herself out of it.
Of course, that's what makes it fun. At this point I have almost god-like powers, creating a Universe, killing off or saving characters at my whim, making rules, figuring out what happens when. It's quite the feeling of power.
The challenge, though, is not forgetting when one is plotting and planning and cackling over one's immense power, that overall the story has to be entertaining and it had bloody well better make sense! In other words, don't elucidate a rule of magic or whatever and then ignore it when it's convenient for the story.
Anyways, when I'm not playing around with my video editing software or watching baseball on TV, that's what I'm going to be working on for the foreseeable future, it looks like.
Will I finish this one? Stay tuned.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Sorry I haven't been around in a while
If I have any readers left, sorry that it looks like I abandoned you for a while there. Life got kind of hectic all of the sudden.
Just a couple of updates:
Just a couple of updates:
- If I haven't mentioned it already, the script for the pilot of my TV show, The Prince, is far enough along that I can start having people look at it. Submitted it to a couple of contests, so far, and will probably send it to a few more over the next few months.
- I'm now working on a horror movie project I'm calling Lamia Island. I've had some false starts on it over the past few weeks--this is not unusual for me. Hopefully now, though, I'm on a track that will lead to me getting all the way to the end.
- I bought myself an Apple iPad Pro yesterday, along with an accompanying keyboard and Apple pen. This thing is sweet. I've been without a laptop for a while now and this will, I think, be an adequate replacement. Plus, it just looks so cool.
I also got the movies Ex Machina and Moonlight on Blu Ray over the last week or so. I hadn't seen either of them but I'd heard so many good things I had to check them out. Of course I've now seen them both.
Ex Machina is fascinating from a philosophical point-of-view, and the masterful screenplay accomplished something that is rare, but wonderful--you start figuring out what's happening about a half-beat ahead of the central character. You have the same thoughts he does, just before he has them, and ask yourself the same questions he asks, just before he does. Brilliant. It's beautifully shot, too, and the visual effects--namely substituting parts of Ava's (Alicia Vikander) body with robotic looking parts, or rendering them as almost completely transparent--are believable and effective. This is not a thud-and-blunder, spaceships battling science fiction story. This is more of a drama than most films in the genre.
Moonlight was one of those movies that just sort of sucked me in. The pace is a bit languid, careful, sort of lazily building this world, drawing you into it. It's a beautiful story about change, growth, and self-acceptance, among other things. The cinematography is gorgeous--there are probably hundreds of shots that would make interesting paintings or still photos. The cast is excellent, and I'm developing a serious crush on Janelle Monae. I see why it won Best Picture at the Oscars this year. I haven't heard director Barry Jenkins' commentary track yet--I'll be doing that in the next day or so. It should be interesting.
So, both of those are recommended. Check them out.
Over the next few weeks I'll be trying to hammer out a first draft for Lamia Island, and look around for more opportunities to get eyes on my script for the pilot script for The Prince.
And baseball season will be starting soon. I'm sure that will take up a lot of my time, as well.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Why Arrival may be more important than you realize . . .
. . . if you have an interest in movies, that is.
The Blu Ray edition of Arrival just came out and of course, since this film blew me away when I saw it in the theater, I preordered it, and just saw it again.
I'm still in awe of it. Seeing it the second time around makes it even more profound. I'm watching the special features now, and when I'm done with that I'll probably watch the whole thing again.
Some people I know who are familiar with the tropes and conventions of science fiction did not care for this movie, and I think I understand why, and this is why I think it'll be so important down the road.
When you think "science fiction," or that abominable term "scifi," you probably think of Star Wars and/ or Star Trek--pointed eared aliens, space ships zipping through space shooting beams at each other, planets exploding, that sort of thing. When you hear "aliens arriving on earth" you probably think Independence Day.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with any of that, and there is a time and place for those movies, and I absolutely loved Independence Day when it first came out--it was a rocking good time. Arrival, though, doesn't really have any of that. It's most definitely not an action/adventure film.
Instead, it's a character study that at first does not appear to be a character study. The concept it's based on, neurolinguistics, is not something that's easy to explain or understand. One of the few faults with the movie is it sort of makes it a bit too much like magic in the end, though that was essential to tell the story it wanted to tell. It's a complicated but fascinating concept introduced in a way that would probably correspond pretty closely to how something like that would happen in real life. There's not a great deal of action, no battles in space, nothing like that. Instead, it's people talking to each other, and attempting to figure out how to talk to an alien life form that has appeared in our midst with no explanation and no clue as to what they want.
Here's the important part: the film made money. People went to see it. It's getting buzz from the Academy for Oscar nominations--though Amy Adams not getting nominated for her role is a travesty, I think. In short, I'm expecting to see more movies like this one--intellectually interesting, with a lot of heart, a lot of soul, but not a lot of action.
That excites me tremendously. That's what I want to see. More like this, please, Hollywood. Apparently I'm not the only person who feels this way.
If you haven't seen it yet I urge you to do so.
The Blu Ray edition of Arrival just came out and of course, since this film blew me away when I saw it in the theater, I preordered it, and just saw it again.
I'm still in awe of it. Seeing it the second time around makes it even more profound. I'm watching the special features now, and when I'm done with that I'll probably watch the whole thing again.
Some people I know who are familiar with the tropes and conventions of science fiction did not care for this movie, and I think I understand why, and this is why I think it'll be so important down the road.
When you think "science fiction," or that abominable term "scifi," you probably think of Star Wars and/ or Star Trek--pointed eared aliens, space ships zipping through space shooting beams at each other, planets exploding, that sort of thing. When you hear "aliens arriving on earth" you probably think Independence Day.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with any of that, and there is a time and place for those movies, and I absolutely loved Independence Day when it first came out--it was a rocking good time. Arrival, though, doesn't really have any of that. It's most definitely not an action/adventure film.
Instead, it's a character study that at first does not appear to be a character study. The concept it's based on, neurolinguistics, is not something that's easy to explain or understand. One of the few faults with the movie is it sort of makes it a bit too much like magic in the end, though that was essential to tell the story it wanted to tell. It's a complicated but fascinating concept introduced in a way that would probably correspond pretty closely to how something like that would happen in real life. There's not a great deal of action, no battles in space, nothing like that. Instead, it's people talking to each other, and attempting to figure out how to talk to an alien life form that has appeared in our midst with no explanation and no clue as to what they want.
Here's the important part: the film made money. People went to see it. It's getting buzz from the Academy for Oscar nominations--though Amy Adams not getting nominated for her role is a travesty, I think. In short, I'm expecting to see more movies like this one--intellectually interesting, with a lot of heart, a lot of soul, but not a lot of action.
That excites me tremendously. That's what I want to see. More like this, please, Hollywood. Apparently I'm not the only person who feels this way.
If you haven't seen it yet I urge you to do so.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Post Super Bowl thoughts and randomocity
Let me answer the burning question first:
Yes, I was disappointed that the Falcons lost the Super Bowl, in a record-breaking second-half collapse. That game magnified the issues they've had all season--inconsistent defense, second-half let-downs, and bone-headed offensive play calling.
However, as I said earlier, I wasn't expecting them to get that far. I would have been happy with a playoff appearance. Not even a playoff win, just an appearance. I can't go back now and say that I'm angry at them for losing, since them even being in the game meant they wildly exceeded my expectations for this season.
So, let's address the issues the game underscored, and come out next year, get back there, and win it next time. Got me? That's my expectations for next season. Next season, Falcons win it all.
I've finished the pilot script for my TV show project, The Prince. I copyrighted it and submitted it to a screenplay writing contest, and paid extra to get the judge's notes on it. I should know something in a couple of months. Hopefully, whoever the first reader is will figure out what I'm trying to do with it.
My next project, I think, is going to be a feature film. I got a basic idea for one Friday but I haven't had time to develop it yet--I'm giving myself a couple days off from creative endeavors as a reward for getting the pilot script in good enough shape to start sending out.
I think this one is going to be science fiction, maybe with some horror undertones. I won't reveal the title here because I haven't decided on it yet--that'll come when more of the story emerges. Oddly enough, the thought process that lead to the initial idea was inspired by a review I read of the movie version of Fifty Shades Darker. Though my project will have very little to do with that one. Just a random sentence in what I read got me to thinking . . .
Anyway, that'll be something to occupy me later this week.
So, no sports for me to watch over the next couple of months, until baseball gets started in April. Nothing much to distract me from getting some serious work done over the next month or so! I'll barf out this feature film screenplay in no time flat!
Hopefully.
Yes, I was disappointed that the Falcons lost the Super Bowl, in a record-breaking second-half collapse. That game magnified the issues they've had all season--inconsistent defense, second-half let-downs, and bone-headed offensive play calling.
However, as I said earlier, I wasn't expecting them to get that far. I would have been happy with a playoff appearance. Not even a playoff win, just an appearance. I can't go back now and say that I'm angry at them for losing, since them even being in the game meant they wildly exceeded my expectations for this season.
So, let's address the issues the game underscored, and come out next year, get back there, and win it next time. Got me? That's my expectations for next season. Next season, Falcons win it all.
I've finished the pilot script for my TV show project, The Prince. I copyrighted it and submitted it to a screenplay writing contest, and paid extra to get the judge's notes on it. I should know something in a couple of months. Hopefully, whoever the first reader is will figure out what I'm trying to do with it.
My next project, I think, is going to be a feature film. I got a basic idea for one Friday but I haven't had time to develop it yet--I'm giving myself a couple days off from creative endeavors as a reward for getting the pilot script in good enough shape to start sending out.
I think this one is going to be science fiction, maybe with some horror undertones. I won't reveal the title here because I haven't decided on it yet--that'll come when more of the story emerges. Oddly enough, the thought process that lead to the initial idea was inspired by a review I read of the movie version of Fifty Shades Darker. Though my project will have very little to do with that one. Just a random sentence in what I read got me to thinking . . .
Anyway, that'll be something to occupy me later this week.
So, no sports for me to watch over the next couple of months, until baseball gets started in April. Nothing much to distract me from getting some serious work done over the next month or so! I'll barf out this feature film screenplay in no time flat!
Hopefully.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Broken World
There is a grayness before me
as far as my mind can tell
Sky and ground merge in the distance
no difference between them now
An ancient tree before me
branches bare like skeletal hands reaching
I find the water from the wood
I drink it now and wait to die
This is what happened when we remade the world
When we ignored her agony
No place for us here, amid the death throes
Not even our pain for company
There is a city I see before me
empty parks and deserted streets
Concrete fingers prod the sky
No souls inside them
I see it now, how it happened
like an artist making art
remaking the world in our image
dead, desolate, and forgotten
This is what happened when we remade the world
when we ignored her agony
no place for us here, at the end
not even ghosts for company
An ancient tree before of me
branches bare like skeletal hands reaching
I find the water from the wood
I drink it now and want to die
(c) 2017 by J. Franklin Evans
Saturday, January 28, 2017
On writing for TV and football . . .
I've finished a couple of rewrites of the pilot episode for a TV show I'm trying to develop.
I'm calling the show The Prince. Not that it has anything to do with Machiavelli, except peripherally. I tried to come up with a different title for it but The Prince is too perfect to disregard without another, even more perfect title. Because that's what it's about.
Anyway, I've gotten the rough draft of the pilot written and I'm rewriting it now. I'm pretty happy with it so far. It strikes the tone I'm looking for, and the characters seem alive to me. It still needs some work before I start showing it to people, but so far, so good. Now, in addition to fine tuning the pilot script, I'm working on the bible for the show that gives as much detail of the world it exists in as possible, and I need to fill in the map of the area, too, so I'll have an idea where everything is. The countries involved, the people and places, never actually existed, so I'm not obliged to stick to actual historical reality too much.
The main thing that concerns me about it is a practical manner: it's a period piece. It's set in a time that would roughly be the late 17th century. Those are hard to get made, with pretty good reason--they're expensive. But they're also pretty popular at the moment, so hopefully there will be some studio out there somewhere that'd be willing to give this thing a shot. We'll see.
I'm also starting to think about another idea I've had for a while now about a post-apocalyptic drama. I think I'll be working on an outline for the pilot for that one today, while I let the pilot for The Prince marinate a bit. I'm calling that one New Avalon.
I think both shows are especially relevant, given the times we live in. The Prince is about a young man discovering and developing the skills and attitudes he needs to become an effective ruler. New Avalon is about recovering from a disaster, rebuilding and starting again.
Also, both shows have a limited run, if they ever get made. The Prince would run about five or six seasons. New Avalon would go for about seven or eight. Under ideal circumstances.
Now, to football.
As you are aware if you're one of the two people who reads this, I'm an Atlanta Falcons fan. I've been a fan of the Falcons since there's been a Falcons. Over fifty years. So I'm excited about the upcoming Superbowl.
Yeah, I know they were in the Superbowl before, back in the late 90s, but nobody back then--not even me--really gave them much of a chance to win against that Denver Broncos team. Denver was fated to win that year and I think the Falcons were just happy to be there. They had a really good team that year, but Denver had an outstanding team. It wasn't much of a contest.
Not this time. The Falcons offense is record setting and there is no one individual--outside of the quarterback, Matt Ryan--who is the central focus. Yes, wide receiver Julio Jones is incredible, but he's only one player, and Ryan won't try to force the ball to him if he's not open. He's got so many other options to go to this time--two other receivers, Samu and Gabriel, who are lightning quick, as well as a great tandem of running backs, Coleman and Freeman. The offensive line is playing as well as they've ever played. Offensively I think they're set.
Defensively, who knows? That's been a bit of a weakness all season. There are four rookies who play key positions, and the earlier part of the season they played like rookies. Later on they seemed to gel a bit but there were still a few lapses. That can't happen against the Patriots--Brady will take advantage of any mistakes he sees.
I'm also a bit worried about special teams. I think they got exposed a bit in the game against Seattle where Devin Hester lit them up. Granted, Hester is a one-of-a-kind kick/punt returner (Falcons should know since he played for them a while) but still, it was concerning. As long as Bosher can force fair catches or kick it out of the end zone we should be okay. If not--please please please stay in your lanes, guys, and make a freakin' tackle!
So, if the defense can put pressure on Brady without having to blitz (I'm looking at you, Vic Beasley, Jr.) then I think the Falcons have a really good chance at winning this game.
I'm still trying to get my head around the idea of a Superbowl where I actually really, really care who wins. If they win it, I'm not sure if I can handle it.
Let's find out if I can, shall we?
I'm calling the show The Prince. Not that it has anything to do with Machiavelli, except peripherally. I tried to come up with a different title for it but The Prince is too perfect to disregard without another, even more perfect title. Because that's what it's about.
Anyway, I've gotten the rough draft of the pilot written and I'm rewriting it now. I'm pretty happy with it so far. It strikes the tone I'm looking for, and the characters seem alive to me. It still needs some work before I start showing it to people, but so far, so good. Now, in addition to fine tuning the pilot script, I'm working on the bible for the show that gives as much detail of the world it exists in as possible, and I need to fill in the map of the area, too, so I'll have an idea where everything is. The countries involved, the people and places, never actually existed, so I'm not obliged to stick to actual historical reality too much.
The main thing that concerns me about it is a practical manner: it's a period piece. It's set in a time that would roughly be the late 17th century. Those are hard to get made, with pretty good reason--they're expensive. But they're also pretty popular at the moment, so hopefully there will be some studio out there somewhere that'd be willing to give this thing a shot. We'll see.
I'm also starting to think about another idea I've had for a while now about a post-apocalyptic drama. I think I'll be working on an outline for the pilot for that one today, while I let the pilot for The Prince marinate a bit. I'm calling that one New Avalon.
I think both shows are especially relevant, given the times we live in. The Prince is about a young man discovering and developing the skills and attitudes he needs to become an effective ruler. New Avalon is about recovering from a disaster, rebuilding and starting again.
Also, both shows have a limited run, if they ever get made. The Prince would run about five or six seasons. New Avalon would go for about seven or eight. Under ideal circumstances.
Now, to football.
As you are aware if you're one of the two people who reads this, I'm an Atlanta Falcons fan. I've been a fan of the Falcons since there's been a Falcons. Over fifty years. So I'm excited about the upcoming Superbowl.
Yeah, I know they were in the Superbowl before, back in the late 90s, but nobody back then--not even me--really gave them much of a chance to win against that Denver Broncos team. Denver was fated to win that year and I think the Falcons were just happy to be there. They had a really good team that year, but Denver had an outstanding team. It wasn't much of a contest.
Not this time. The Falcons offense is record setting and there is no one individual--outside of the quarterback, Matt Ryan--who is the central focus. Yes, wide receiver Julio Jones is incredible, but he's only one player, and Ryan won't try to force the ball to him if he's not open. He's got so many other options to go to this time--two other receivers, Samu and Gabriel, who are lightning quick, as well as a great tandem of running backs, Coleman and Freeman. The offensive line is playing as well as they've ever played. Offensively I think they're set.
Defensively, who knows? That's been a bit of a weakness all season. There are four rookies who play key positions, and the earlier part of the season they played like rookies. Later on they seemed to gel a bit but there were still a few lapses. That can't happen against the Patriots--Brady will take advantage of any mistakes he sees.
I'm also a bit worried about special teams. I think they got exposed a bit in the game against Seattle where Devin Hester lit them up. Granted, Hester is a one-of-a-kind kick/punt returner (Falcons should know since he played for them a while) but still, it was concerning. As long as Bosher can force fair catches or kick it out of the end zone we should be okay. If not--please please please stay in your lanes, guys, and make a freakin' tackle!
So, if the defense can put pressure on Brady without having to blitz (I'm looking at you, Vic Beasley, Jr.) then I think the Falcons have a really good chance at winning this game.
I'm still trying to get my head around the idea of a Superbowl where I actually really, really care who wins. If they win it, I'm not sure if I can handle it.
Let's find out if I can, shall we?
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Atlanta Falcons - end-of-season performance review
It's that time again, Coach Quinn and company.
I said before the season started, after you managed to get above a .500 winning percentage last season, that I'd be happy with a playoff appearance this season.
So, considering that the team went 11 - 5, won the NFC South, is the #2 seed in the NFL playoffs, and has a first round bye, I have to say that you have exceeded expectations. I would have been happy with a simple appearance in the Wild Card Round.
The offense is a monster. Whoever makes decisions about personnel needs to be high-fived, especially for acquiring Alex Mack at center. The offensive line has never been better, Ryan seems to be comfortable in the system, and the offense is running the ball and passing the ball effectively. Ryan's distributing the ball to whoever is open, instead of trying to force it to Julio Jones on every play, which has proven to be critical. Opposing defenses don't know who to cover. As far as the offense goes, I'm not really seeing any glaring weaknesses there that need to be addressed for next season.
Defensively, it's not quite as sunny. The defense has been inconsistent all season, though it played better over the last few games. But it still seems to go into a funk for extended periods.
Take, for example, last week's game against New Orleans. In the first half the defense dominated the Saints. Second half, not so much. The Saints were able to get back into the game and were within striking distance of winning it, because the Falcon pass rush disappeared, as did coverage of the Saints receivers. Brees had plenty of time to throw the ball and when he did his receiver would be wide open. They almost managed to overcome a pretty steep deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
I recognize that defense. That's the same one from a couple of seasons ago when the team only won four games. I thought we'd moved on from that. That defense will not advance in the playoffs.
My nickname for that style of defense is "let-'em-do-anything-they-want."
Needless to say, I have concerns with that defense. While there are some standout players, such as Vic Beasley, we still need help when it comes to rushing the passer. Someone to play in the middle, either as a lineman or as a linebacker, who is effective at clogging things up, would be a big help, I think.
I realize the defense has a lot of young players and a many of the problems have been because of their inexperience. Hopefully, now that they have a season under their belts, they'll figure out how to play an NFL-level defense.
Next season? Expectations are to maintain the offensive excellence you've established this season. Bring the defense up to the same level as the offense. Win at least eleven games. Advance in the playoffs.
Congratulations on a great season! I'm looking forward to seeing you against Seattle in the game next Saturday, and hopefully in Houston in a few weeks!
Go, Falcons!
I said before the season started, after you managed to get above a .500 winning percentage last season, that I'd be happy with a playoff appearance this season.
So, considering that the team went 11 - 5, won the NFC South, is the #2 seed in the NFL playoffs, and has a first round bye, I have to say that you have exceeded expectations. I would have been happy with a simple appearance in the Wild Card Round.
The offense is a monster. Whoever makes decisions about personnel needs to be high-fived, especially for acquiring Alex Mack at center. The offensive line has never been better, Ryan seems to be comfortable in the system, and the offense is running the ball and passing the ball effectively. Ryan's distributing the ball to whoever is open, instead of trying to force it to Julio Jones on every play, which has proven to be critical. Opposing defenses don't know who to cover. As far as the offense goes, I'm not really seeing any glaring weaknesses there that need to be addressed for next season.
Defensively, it's not quite as sunny. The defense has been inconsistent all season, though it played better over the last few games. But it still seems to go into a funk for extended periods.
Take, for example, last week's game against New Orleans. In the first half the defense dominated the Saints. Second half, not so much. The Saints were able to get back into the game and were within striking distance of winning it, because the Falcon pass rush disappeared, as did coverage of the Saints receivers. Brees had plenty of time to throw the ball and when he did his receiver would be wide open. They almost managed to overcome a pretty steep deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
I recognize that defense. That's the same one from a couple of seasons ago when the team only won four games. I thought we'd moved on from that. That defense will not advance in the playoffs.
My nickname for that style of defense is "let-'em-do-anything-they-want."
Needless to say, I have concerns with that defense. While there are some standout players, such as Vic Beasley, we still need help when it comes to rushing the passer. Someone to play in the middle, either as a lineman or as a linebacker, who is effective at clogging things up, would be a big help, I think.
I realize the defense has a lot of young players and a many of the problems have been because of their inexperience. Hopefully, now that they have a season under their belts, they'll figure out how to play an NFL-level defense.
Next season? Expectations are to maintain the offensive excellence you've established this season. Bring the defense up to the same level as the offense. Win at least eleven games. Advance in the playoffs.
Congratulations on a great season! I'm looking forward to seeing you against Seattle in the game next Saturday, and hopefully in Houston in a few weeks!
Go, Falcons!
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Elegy # 1
In my dreams sometimes I forget that you're gone
that you're not there
you're not there
Waking up in the dark all alone
it's not fair
it's just not fair
I can't believe that you are dead
I won't believe it
I try to remember all the good times we had
but I don't care
I just don't care
Maybe one day I won't feel so bad
but I'm not there
no, I'm not there
I can't believe that you are dead
I won't believe that you are dead
It was years ago but recent in my head
I can't believe that you are dead
One day they tell me, I'll only remember the joy, the light you brought into my life
I can't wait much longer for that day
until that time it'll stab me like a knife
Over and over, come what may
I'll try to remember all the good times we had
maybe I'll care
I hope I'll care
The sadness will be replaced by your love
I think that's fair
I know that's fair
Because I don't believe that you're dead
I never believed that you are dead . . .
words and music by J. Franklin Evans (c) 2017
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