Deadtime - Teaser Trailer

The first teaser trailer for the independent low budget feature production Deadtime out of Perth, Western Australia has just hit social media.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of Filmbites Youth Film School having worked with them on two short films that will see the light of day later in the year.

Deadtime stars talented Filmbites actor (and instructor) Jessica Hegarty; along with Rody Claude (also credited as co-writer/producer/director), Kenny Low and Paul Boucher with Kylie Claude as producer/co-writer. I believe there are also many familiar faces with other Perth actors involved.

Shot in Perth and Singapore it looks very slick so check it out!



You can find the Deadtime facebook page here and on Twitter here.

Dealing with the Dreaded Writer's Block

I saw a witty quote on Twitter a couple of days ago that went along the lines of:

“Writer’s block – when your imaginary friends aren’t talking to you.”

It made me laugh because there is some truth to that. Now, I have been writing, just not the thing I should be namely a low budget thriller feature script. This is strange to me as there is a detailed Beat Sheet that was battered back and forth between myself and the director as well as discussed at some length before I even opened a new Final Draft file. I have written the opening and had intended doing a “vomit draft” to get everything down before refining it with the director’s feedback. Ain’t been happening - long stretches of nothing, nada, nix, zilch. Don’t know why. I suspect it’s because the story has been germinating in the dark recesses of my brain somewhere… until I can hear all those imaginary new friends talking to me.

In the meantime I have been reading a lot of local scripts from shorts to a feature and even a television pilot. Giving notes and feedback, written and in person; taking plenty of meetings and generally been creative in terms of brainstorming ideas and discussing storytelling. I also unexpectedly met a young, enthusiastic writer and have taken on a de facto mentor role which I’m really enjoying. Her energy, passion and eagerness to learn is quite infectious.

This brew appears to have kick-started my own urge to start working on the feature again. I’m sure other writers might understand this – there is a nagging sensation at the back of my mind where ill-formed but recognisable glimpses of the film I wish to write are intruding with increasing regularity. It’s hard to explain but I love that sensation. It means I’m ready to write.

Computer optional :-)

But here’s the thing – normally I would be tapping away on my netbook but not this time. This time it wants to come out the old-fashioned way, in longhand with pen and paper. So there are new scenes appearing, scrawled on the back of the printed pages already in Final Draft; in notepads; and basically on whatever is available. What do I care, as long as it’s leaving my imagination and taking shape in words! I actually like writing this way – being very creative as it pours out then more analytical as you type it up and play with it a little.

The moral of the story? For me, it’s to keep being creative even if you’re not writing. Surround yourself with creative people. Let the passion for their stories reignite yours. Keep thinking story and reading scripts and brainstorming ideas. Sooner or later those ‘imaginary friends’ will want to come out to play. 

Isolation in Writing

Welcome to Perth, the capital of sunny Western Australia. We're brought up with the knowledge that ours is the most isolated capital city in the world. It's cheaper and easier to get to Bali, Indonesia than it is to travel to Sydney.

But that's not the kind of isolation I'm talking about.

Nor is the isolation all writers are familiar with - the solitary duty in their Goldman-esque pit creating magic for the screen, big or small.

No, this is more a sense of belonging that I'm yearning for ... and the realisation that maybe I'm never going to find it in our sleepy little part of the film-making world. Perth is perhaps best known for documentaries and children's television with the occasional low budget feature. And by low budget I mean 1-2 million dollars. There also appears to be a noisy and thriving no-budget scene happening ... and maybe that's my problem. Everything feels so ... small ... and slapdash ... and sometimes downright amateurish.

I guess I applaud the effort, it just feels somehow so ... ill-directed. And the thing that seems to suffer most in this rush to get anything "in the can" is the script. Lots of "director-writers" where the second part of the hyphenate is a dubious assertion at best. Of course, there are exceptions but they are rare.

There is also an angry, restless energy to these generally younger film-makers that I find quite negative and often naive. Many a strident argument has recently broken out in various social media formats about the industry and that hoary old chestnut of art versus business. In response, I have started to withdraw from the local 'scene' and eliminate those voices that distract and detract from what I want to focus on. That's where the isolation comes in.

I'm looking for people who can help me be a better screenwriter. The reality is, there are precious few people in my hometown who can do that. My writing sensibility is not an Australian archetype but far more geared towards the classic Hollywood storytelling model. Hence my increasing interest in US blogs/podcasts and excitement at the upcoming course with Paul Chitlik (whose book I will read over the Easter break). Added to this is the presence of a couple of 'newcomers' to the Perth scene with US experience who I "get" when we talk about film and screenwriting.

The question ultimately will be, can I survive and thrive in this sort of isolation or will I need to find a better writing environment? I enjoy the collaborative side of brainstorming and story sessions but there's really only a few people here who understand (and appreciate?) me as a writer. Will that be enough? I have resisted joining the populist network that's been set up for all local film-makers as it appears more social than professional but a strong support network is important for any writer.

Perhaps I need to delve back into my pit and not worry about such things ... maybe I need to cherish and be thankful for the small band of people whose opinions and talent I respect without craving more. Perhaps being an 'outsider' is not such a bad thing. I guess only time will tell ...

A surprising development

Today there was an informal breakfast meeting of the Forgeworks cohort. I'm sure there's a witty anecdote about the way people order theirs eggs being an insight into their ... something or other ... but we'll leave that for future discussion. A debrief on the development workshop was handled with aplomb, discussions on the script with Worcestershire sauce ... and the eggs weren't runny at all. So all was good.

Then we discussed 'what's next' while The Red Bride script goes through its development track ... and it appears the 'next' is a low budget horror film! As in $1 million budget, straight genre and, as everyone seems to be reminding me lately, SIMPLE. Not only that, we went back to the director, Chris', original idea for Trench before I turned it into a "hundred million dollar studio film". Only a couple of zeros lopped off the budget, no problem!

A little spitballin' over bacon and coffee later and the period elements had vanished leaving a contemporary setting for a straight genre monster film. Now that's NOT what I expected to come out of today's meeting ... but could be fun.

With the advice that you can only have TWO of the following three elements being complicated in your script - character, story, plot - I shall turn off my memorial Ronald D. Moore complication antenna and get to thinking about a clever (but not TOO clever) Australian monster movie idea (... that isn't Razorback ... or involve Barry Humphries in drag ... or killer kangaroos in the outback ... or ...)

See you in the trenches!

The Bottom Drawer

In these environmentally conscious times it's important to recycle, right? And for screenwriters that means delving into the bottom drawer. The place where expired and unfinished scripts lurk. Where half baked ideas and unformed characters await the spark of renewed inspiration.

Every writer should have one – a metaphorical bottom drawer that is. It should be viewed as a positive thing ... and an opportunity. Sometimes a script isn’t ready to be told. Sometimes the writer isn’t ready to tell it. It’s amazing what a fresh set of eyes and the passing of time can do.

One of my feature scripts has recently been deposited in the bottom drawer. Its window has expired and my enthusiasm for it has waned. But it’s a good script and, with an overhaul of the technology underpinning the story, it could be resurrected. After enough time has passed for me to look at it with fresh eyes and renewed passion.

The flipside is the unexpected discovery at the bottom of the pile. The very first script I ever wrote – a science fiction epic – when I had no idea what I was doing, has been dusted off and given an outing. I’ve always like the world, the premise and the characters but never quite nailed the story. I recently wrote a two page outline of the concept and sent it to Chris (director) who is also a science fiction fan. And he loved the idea.

The question now – is it a feature of a television series? It also fits thematically with a science fiction idea he has been toying with. So we have agreed that, while not a priority project for 2010, we will develop it during any ‘downtime’.

I also sent a low budget feature script to an upcoming producer with a view to a staged development path targeted for a specific funding initiative. I haven’t worked on it for 3-4 years and it’s essentially a first draft but he likes it as well. I need the impetus from another party to get me back into the Goldmanesque pit on that one. Basically three characters, one location, dialogue heavy and an exploration of what happens when you put people under stress in a constricted space.

I am ready to move onto a new feature project so my mindset is one of ‘clearing house’. What product of decent quality is in the bottom drawer and who might be interested in optioning or developing it. Because, let’s face it, completed scripts are a product with an inherent value and before I lock that drawer I want to test ‘the market’.

My priority remains The Red Bride for Forgeworks and this new script (which I’ll talk about in coming posts) but let the fire sale begin on older scripts that are currently unencumbered.