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!

Writer as acting coach

I had an interesting catch up with an actor friend today. Said actor sprung a 3 page scene from an original play (oddly it was in script not play format) for an audition she has later in the week. I didn't think it was particularly well written and I couldn't get a sense of tone - the dialogue was arch and melodramatic so I thought maybe it was meant to be satirical. But I was assured it was a drama and the page count was in the 50s ... so well into the story.

My friend then asked me how I thought she might play the scene. There was no clear action change for her character and the obvious choice was to veer towards melodrama. But that seemed easy and kind of boring. So we went through and manufactured where an action change might be, how lines might be delivered and where the balance of power shifts in the scene.

I think in terms of screen not stage so my choices were based more on a visual sense but we muddled through a passable take on the scene with strong choices that would hopefully differentiate my friend in the casting process. Funnily enough, I'd never really been asked to do that before for something I hadn't written. It was enjoyable but now I fear my advice may hinder not enhance my friend's prospects!

I do admire actors though - to have to make the most of a scene out of context with no real idea of tone especially in a piece that isn't well written must be so nerve wracking. Nearly as nerve wracking as a writer being asked advice on acting!

The TV Writer and Australian Feature Films

This is an excellent post from Karel Segers on his website The Story Department. In it, he discusses the negative impact of TV writers and the aversion to classic 3 act structure in Australian feature scripts:

"In Australia, however, we continue to be different. And teachers at most major schools make sure students are groomed to dislike what they call ‘Hollywood story structure’. I find it baffling that I get alumni from those rather expensive schools in my one-day courses who admit they were never properly taught the basics."

Karel's conclusion - "The Australian Film Industry has been completely f***ed over by people who have been conditioned by the rules of 0ld school television drama: Teachers, Government Agents and Script Editors."

I have taken courses by people who are predominantly television writers. In fact, I'm sure I know who he talks about in reference to the AFTRS online feature film writing course. I did a weekend workshop with that person a couple of years ago - we argued. But then I've never understood the aversion to the "Hollywood 3 act structure". In fact, I delighted in Simon van der Borgh and Jonathon Rawlinson's exploration of classic storytelling structure in a recent development workshop (more please!).

Karel is seeking comments and proposed solutions so check out the blog post and add your thoughts. Do you agree that a preponderance of television writers have negatively impacted the feature film industry? Have you had an experience with a script editor who took your project down the wrong path? What is the solution ...?

I will not write your fucking script for free!

I don't know how actors stand it in this town. Pretty much every casting call I see on a proliferation of social media sites is for unpaid acting roles. Apparently, if you get the role you get the roll ... chicken & salad that is - lovingly made by the director's mother ... oh, and something to add to your show reel. Bonus!

There are professional casting agencies in Perth who supplement work in TVC's with paid acting roles in productions such as Cloud Street, Lockie Leonard and low budget features. But the number of unpaid gigs outside of this is quite staggering. Unfortunately, there will always be someone who takes the role for free but when is enough enough? How much "free catering" can one bear when you've undoubtedly spent time, energy and money honing your craft? What about those actors who actually value their talent and lose roles to lesser actors because they dare think they deserve to be remunerated properly? How does the local film industry elevate itself from the cottage variety to a serious ongoing concern when this activity constantly undercuts that ambition?

It's the same in the world of screenwriting.

I went to a screening of short films last year where I was introduced to a "producer". This person pitched me a feature film project where there would be a committee of writers, "US style", who would rewrite each others work. Supposedly this script would be for 4 actors from a well known HBO series who would come to Australia for the shoot (to be directed by a local with no feature film experience). With their New York accents and style of speech.

Putting aside the sheer implausibility of this actually happening, when I inquired as to the fee for my participation I was told there was no money. When I mentioned the potential problem of Australians writing authentic dialogue for New York actors, I was reassured there was none. When I asked about how this committee of writers would work and the thorny notion of credits etc this wasn't even a consideration.

He then had the gall to ask me for a writing sample! Now, I'm generally a pretty level-headed guy and, for reasons past understanding, gave him my business card and wandered off saying I'd think about it (I subsequently emailed him the next day to pass). What I should have said is, "are you fucking insane?"

I used to get a lot of requests from actors asking for scenes/monologues or directors looking for short film scripts. Some people are now starting to offer money for these services and if I like the person, have the time, and/or respond to the suggested project I will get involved. The fact that they offer to pay for my skills, even if it may not be at a proper commercial rate, is appreciated and respected. They treat me like a professional not just some schmuck they can get a script for free from so they can cast a whole lot of free actors, not pay a crew and call on mum's catering skills.

But when I now mention this whole 'being paid thing' it's amazing how many people you never hear from again. I mean, seriously, do you think I will stop working on my feature projects so that I can do something for you for nothing? People also seem to think a good script is dashed off in a couple of hours. Time is an absolute invaluable resource for a writer. I have even turned down these sorts of paid gigs because either I don't have the time to do it justice or I don't think my style suits the brief.

So please do take offence when I say I won't write your fucking script for free. This isn't a hobby, it's not some sheltered workshop. Films cost money to make and part of that is paying actors and writers and treating them as professionals. If you want to make something for YouTube then knock yourself out with your mates. If you want to make a film then come at me with more than fantasy casting or "this director will get to see your work" or appeals to my altruistic nature. In this matter I have none!

What a disaster!

A genre that seems to have made a strong comeback - almost single-handedly on the back of Roland Emmerich - is the disaster film. Lately, it's taken an environmental tinge with films like Emmerich's The Day After Tomorrow and a certain delight in the coming apocalypse with his Mayan inspired 2012.

It was a genre that was all the rage in the early to mid 1970s, films such as Airport and The Poseidon Adventure doing big business. Then they disappeared, certainly from my perspective, until probably the crop of "asteroid coming to destroy the world" flicks at the end of the 90s.
Interestingly, Wikipedia lists well over a hundred disaster flicks though some of the categories feel a little 'small' ie 'cars and trucks'.

So what is it about disaster films that we like - blowing stuff up? ordinary people put into extraordinary circumstances? Bruce Willis nobly sacrificing himself (and the laws of physics) to save mankind? Is the resurgence of the genre a reflection of our concerns about terrorism, global warming and how tenuous the planet is ... or an excuse for a big budget spectacle low on character and high on special effects?

Do you have a favourite disaster film? If so, what is it and why?

Could Australia make a notable contribution to the genre or is budget a limitation? I vaguely recall the tv mini-series Scorched that explored perhaps every Australians' greatest fear - an out-of-control bushfire in the height of summer. What about a big screen variation?

Your views are most welcome ...

Hi Concept!

Spent an enjoyable afternoon catching up with my director to do a debrief on his trip to LA, progress of the short film Kanowna, outcomes of the development workshop and next steps with my feature script. Most enjoyable of all was pitching back and forth some high concept ideas to explore for new feature projects.

Agreed to devote a day to pursue this properly - audience, genre and concept firmly in mind. We might even get around to characters!

Seriously, the knock on me is that I tend to over-complicate things in my writing and stripping back to high concept without the layering would be more advantageous. Kind of like Forrest Gump ... without the chocolates ... *sound of crickets and tumbleweed*

Okay, I need to work on this :-)