I think I've finally figured it out . . .

There was a time when I really dug those block-buster films, with all the explosions and bodies flying all over the place and fight scenes that seem to go on for hours and involve dozens, if not hundreds, of people.

At some point, though, I lost my taste for those. In fact, after watching one of those now, I feel exhausted, and a bit numb on the inside. It was not usually the feeling the makers of these films wants to leave their audience with.

Starting to write screenplays myself sort of helped me to home in on my problem.

In many of these films you can tell when it's going to happen. The hero walks into a room full of bad guys and draws his guns/swords/etc., and the techno/rock/whatever music starts while he wades through acres of bad guys in a carefully choreographed fight sequence that may be at least partially shown in slow motion. Then, our hero leaves the room, usually after a witty quip, before continuing his journey, and the dead and injured left behind are seldom if ever mentioned again.

I know many--if not most--people out there love this sort of thing, and I'm not saying you are wrong for doing so. If it's your thing, if you dig it, then by all means, indulge yourself.

However, in my own screenplays, when violence happens it usually comes out of nowhere, and it is ugly, bloody, and not consequence-free. Even when the hero is the one perpetrating the act, the dead or injured are not forgotten. Even though, if the scene is ever shot, it'll be thoroughly choreographed, planned to the last detail, it shouldn't look that way. If done like I want it, most people will be cringing, looking away, or shifting uncomfortably in their seats, because even though the person getting killed or hurt may be really nasty and may have it coming, he or she is still a human being and, if I've done my job as a writer, you will be able to empathize with the pain he or she is feeling.

Because violence is like that. It isn't pretty. It isn't clean. It isn't desirable. It should be the very last thing you would ever want to happen. It should be something you want to avoid at all costs. And if you resort to it, even if you felt like you had no choice, there should be some consequences, if only inside your own conscience.

I think many people tend to forget that, and I think a lot of that is because of the way violence is portrayed in the popular media. Like it's just another option on the list of options for handling a situation. For some people, especially people who are particularly lazy or not very bright, it becomes their first option for dealing with an unpleasant situation. It's almost socially acceptable to attack somebody physically that you have a disagreement with.

Am I saying this is a problem? Maybe. I'm not really qualified to say. It's just my own opinion. Even if I'm wrong, it behooves me to stick to my own instincts and, when the situation calls for a fight of some kind, present it in a more realistic way than in most films today. Maybe if we start showing the real outcomes of violent encounters, the maimed survivors, the weeping families of the dead, some people out there would think before drawing a pistol to shoot someone who cut them off in traffic or who talked during a critical scene in a movie.

But, of course, where's the money in that? Maybe if there were money in that, we'd see it in movies more often. Just something to think about.

Analysis Paralysis and a Super Bowl prediction

It's been exceedingly difficult for me to pick and concentrate on a new project lately.

I've got three projects that are clamoring for my attention but when I start to focus on one of them it grows quiet and bashful and gives me one word answers while the other two have their hands in the air, shouting, "Me! Me! Me!" And then, of course, when I call on one of them the same thing happens.

My basic problem with all three of them is the motivations of the antagonists. This has always been a problem for me--I'm not a fan of the hand-wringing, mustache-twirling baddie who wants to "rule the world!" Mainly, what exactly does that mean? Each and every scenario I come up with to fit that objective makes the end result sound like a monumental pain the ass. I don't understand anybody who really wants that.

So, what could the bad guy want? Money and power are always good, if a bit boring, I guess. Survival--both personal and of a way of life--are even better.

To that end I've decided to let the three projects above continue to clamor for my attention while I work on a fourth project that'll be a B-grade horror movie. My reasoning? Because I understand the motives of the antagonists in this one. I've also got some characters I've been itching to use for a long time who will fit right into it. While the immediate threat in this thing is a group of monsters, the ultimate antagonists are human beings.

I do need to develop the monsters a bit more, though. I've got a basic understanding of how they'll work and what they look like but I need a little more development of their biology, something that'll make them a powerful threat to humanity at large. Their motivation is pretty basic--they want to reproduce and eat, as much as possible. What do they eat? Take a wild guess.

The humans that sort of enable the whole thing are no problem at all--I understand those people all too well.

So, I'm writing a treatment for this one and I'll probably start hammering out a first draft of the screenplay in the next week or so. I'm calling it Misery Creek. I'm stealing from myself a little bit, here, because that's also the title of the first screenplay I ever wrote, but beyond the title this one will have little to do with the earlier one. Which is a good thing, because the first one was pretty bad.

In the mean time I'll be mulling over the other projects, trying to come up with convincing antagonists.

So, that'll be the next few weeks for me, looks like. As always, I'll keep you posted as to my progress.

The Super Bowl is later today, so I'll just leave my prediction here:

Carolina 28, Denver 24

Next!

Ever since I've finished my screenplay Too Many Tonys I've been trying to decide what project to work on next.

I've got several in the queue, including the one I mentioned here, previously--Citizen Z. E. D.--which I'm really excited about, and terrified of, all at the same time.

I debated with myself about starting that one, but my better nature reared up and said, "No. You are not ready."

So, I've been looking over the other ideas I have lined up, and they've all been shuffling their feet and avoiding my gaze, hoping I won't call on them.

Finally, though, one has stepped forward and announced, "I'm next."

Therefore, I'm going to start developing this idea, which is a TV show based on my novel, The Sorcerer's Daughter, which I'm going to call The Sorcerer's Daughters. It's set several years after the end of my novel, and even though that work will never see the light of day, it can inform and clarify the back stories of several of the characters in this story, and save me from having to start from square one creating the milieu it's set in.

Which makes me happy, as I'd hate to see all the work I put into creating that world and writing that novel go to waste.

My learning how to use Apple's Final Cut and Motion software proceeds apace. I've been playing with Motion lately, creating the video I mentioned here previously using my song "Far From the Sun." I've got a ways to go on it--I'm nearly at the end of the song but it'll need to be refined, retimed, rethought, etc., etc. Maybe in a few weeks I'll have something worth sharing with the world. Rest assured that if I do I'll be sure to announce it here so you can click over to see it for yourself.

Of course, nothing's stopping you from visiting the link to your right to at least hear the song--plus several others--right now. Hint, hint . . .

Getting my feet wet!

So, over the last couple of weeks I wrote a little three-page script for a video starring some toy dinosaurs I have, recorded the dialog (I did all the voices), and shot it. Then I edited it all together using Final Cut X.

It turned out pretty well. Not good enough to share with the world--the focus was off in some of the shots, and there were one or two other places where there were technical issues--but it served its purpose. I learned a lot about using the editing software, and about editing in general. Plus it was a lot of fun. When it wasn't frustrating as hell while I tried to figure out how to do something.

It's an approach I highly recommend for any other budding filmmakers out there. For one, you are working totally alone, with inanimate objects as your stars, so you aren't worrying about communicating what you want to people who may not understand what you're saying--while you'll have to do that eventually, at this point the fewer things you have to worry about, the better.

Also, in my case, I didn't do any animation at all. My characters just sit there. This presents some challenges and it gave me some experience using editing to tell the story, and keeping a video where nothing moved interesting. Which was my intent all along.

It also didn't cost me anything, other than the cost of getting the dinosaurs, and I got those several months ago.

I plan to make a series of these and upload them somewhere--You Tube or Vimeo, probably. Of course, I'll announce it here when I start with that. So, keep your eyes open for that.

My next project is making a video using one of my songs. Right now I think it'll be "Far From the Sun," which is based on a short short story I published here a while back. If you're curious and want to hear the song for yourself, click the player to your right. It's on there.  Check out "Contact," too. It's also a potential video.

That's how I learn things. I do some preliminary work, then I dive in and try to put it all together. Eventually I figure it out. Usually.

It hasn't failed me yet. Though sometimes it does lead to some embarrassing situations.

Plans for 2016?

It's that time of year again, I reckon, to mull over my plans for the upcoming year.

I'm going to continue to work to develop my filmmaking skills--my goal for the new year is to become more proficient at writing, shooting, and editing video.

I've also decided to spend some time plugging the gaps in my knowledge. I plan to pick a particular subject and spend at least a couple weeks learning as much as I can about it. I don't expect this to make me an expert in whatever it is I'm learning about, but it should at least give me a basic understanding of it. Who knows--I may learn something I can actually use in a script or something. At the very least my broadened understanding of the world will enrich my life in ways that can't be predicted. So I tell myself, anyway.

Since it's been in the news so much lately I think my first research topic will be Islam. I've already got several books about the history of the religion, as well as a copy of the Koran, and all of which I've read--I think I'll re-read those, and look for new material.

After that, I'm not sure where I'll go with my curiosity. I'm still mulling over the possibilities. I'll probably wind up making a checklist. The only qualification is it can't be something I've already spent a lot of time learning about--like the history of the Roman Empire. It has to be something new, something I haven't been exposed to all that much before.

And it can be anything, not just something that's on the news a lot or that I should have learned in school. That sort of opens the door to all sorts of stuff, I guess.

Yeah, I need to make a list. Oh, well. That'll be my goal over the next few days.

Anyways, for the one or two of you who read this, have a happy new year, stay safe, and have fun!

Post L.A. trip and holiday wishes . . .

I just realized I haven't posted anything at all since my return from LA, so here goes:

Once I was out there I completely forgot to make any videos. I apologize for that, in the unlikely event anybody out there was looking forward to it. I was too busy enjoying myself, though the weather wasn't LA-like--it was cold and windy the whole time. I think the wind is normal, though the cold is a bit unusual.

Anyway, while there we went to the Getty Art Museum and grounds. Twice. It was wonderful--I actually got to see, up close and personal, some Impressionist paintings by Degas, Renoir, and others. Also got to see Van Gough's Irises painting--which is one of my favorites of his works. Absolutely beautiful.

If you're going to LA you must make sure to visit this place. Parking is $15, but the museum itself is free. If you don't want to spend any money be sure to avoid the gift shops, because they have all kinds of beautiful and interesting things there that you'll want.

We also went to Universal Studios, and I can heartily recommend that, too. Be sure to take the tour--they actually make it a ride instead of just, "That's where such-and-such TV show was shot, this is where such-and-such movie was filmed . . ." Granted, the added attractions are a bit silly, but it's still fun. The Harry Potter section will be opening very soon--it looks wonderful, too.

My goddaughter and her mom, my dear friend Rox, are huge Disney fans, so we spent a couple of days at Disneyland--we spent the night at the Disneyland Hotel, which was pricey, but beautiful and comfortable. I flat out don't do roller coasters or other rides like that so we missed a lot of my goddaughter's favorite rides, but since they actually live there and have annual passes they'll be going back to hit those themselves soon.

We also saw the American Ballet Theater's production of The Nutcracker, which was my first experience with ballet. I enjoyed it--it was expertly staged and performed, with a few unexpected innovations in the choreography that I won't give away here except to say they were surprising but brilliant.

I enjoyed it and, as soon as my wallet and scheduling permits, would love to go back. Hopefully on my return trip it won't be quite so cold.

Creatively, I just finished the screenplay for Too Many Tonys and registered it with the copyright office and the Writer's Guild. As soon as I get the registration number back from the Guild I'm going to enter it into a contest I found on Script Pipeline.

Next up, I'm starting development on a new feature film project I'm calling Child of the Moon. It's an urban fantasy. At this point I'm fleshing out the basic story, and searching for an ending. Once I get the ending I can actually sit down and write a treatment for it.  After that will come the first draft of the script.

I'm also editing a project I shot just to learn how to use Apple's Final Cut X software. Maybe I'll wind up with a short, finished show that I can upload to You Tube or something, but I doubt it--since this is a learning exercise, it probably won't be anything I'll want to share with the world.

Anyway, I hope the two or three of you who read this thing have a happy holiday and a safe and prosperous new year!

The week ahead . . . and a little bragging . . .

My beautiful and perfect goddaughter, Talyan, has been cast to appear in an episode of one of her--and her mom's--favorite TV shows, Criminal Minds. She's already began shooting. Of course I'll post it here when the air date is scheduled, so the one or two of you who sometimes read this can watch it. Yes, I'm very proud of her.

That's the bragging mentioned in the title.

It just so happens that I'm heading out to Los Angeles in the next few days to visit Talyan and her mom. She'll be done shooting by the time I get there, so I won't get to go on-set with her, but I'm cool with that. It's going to be a blast.

I'm planning to shoot a video of my trip and edit it together when I get back into sort of a documentary. This is mostly for the practice--I may never show it to anybody, depending on what I come up with. Of course I'll be taking a ton of stills, too, especially of our overnight trip to Disneyland. I'm going to ride the monorail! I've always wanted to do that . . .

I've been rereading this screenplay I wrote a while back, Too Many Tonys, and I've been a bit shocked to discover that, to me, anyway, it reads really well. I remember not being all that happy with it when I finished the first draft, but now, coming back to it after putting it down for a month or so, I'm forced to conclude, "Not bad . . ." There are one or two things that need some more work--a couple of the characters are still a bit off, and I'm not completely happy with the ending--but, overall, not bad, if I do say so myself.

What I'll be doing over the weekend is using Power Point to come up with something kind of like a storyboard (thanks to my old friend Regina who mentioned that when I told her about this--I hadn't thought of it that way until she said something!). This will be a little different from the usual storyboard, though. Typically, a storyboard is created for a director to figure out camera angles and camera movements--this one will be more to help me find areas of the story that aren't working, or could work better. So, I'll create a series of slides representing the scenes in the screenplay, then step through them, in the hope that any false notes will be revealed to me as I sort of watch the movie in my mind with the aid of the slides.

When I'm done I'll also have something other people can look at to help me pitch the idea to them, too. Two birds, one stone.

Of course, I've also got the usual things in store for the weekend--laundry, mostly. Also, it's championship weekend in college football so I'll be watching the games. Or at least have them on while I'm working on the movie thing.

It's shaping up to be a really pleasant weekend, in other words.