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 . . .
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
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?
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