Turbulence - The Reading

I have been terribly remiss in not blogging about the reading of my feature script which was nearly a month ago now. 

It was a great success, better than I expected. Some random observations: 

 

Someone told me the Subiaco Arts Centre studio seats 110 and it was a full house which was very gratifying. I was delighted that many family, friends and colleagues were in attendance with even a delegation from work. This meant I was busy trying to say hello to everyone before the reading while also answering last minute questions from the cast about line reads and the like. The buzz was fantastic. 

I was surprised how relaxed I was. I expected that once I finished work I’d start getting nervous but the nerves never came. Not even when I was running later than I wanted with the peak hour traffic. 

The wine was fabulous. I’m sorry I only managed to have one glass. Too busy talking. I won’t make that mistake again. Well done new sponsor Happs! Your white wine was very nice. 

It’s the first time I’ve ever sat in the front row at a reading… next to Mum and Dad who I was really pleased to have there and who enjoyed themselves immensely. Yes, this is what I did with that outrageously expensive private school education you paid for. I’m sorry! 

 

Me with Dad in the background.

What a great cast we assembled!!! Thank you Matt Elverd, Kirsty Hillhouse, Gemma Sharpe, Clara Helms, Ben Mortley, Lee Sheppard and Vito de Francesco; with kudos to Vivienne Garrett for handling all the big print with such aplomb. 

While I’m thanking people – thank you Ric Curtin for recording the reading – it’s kind of a pleasantly weird sensation walking along the river listening to the words you’ve written come to life on your iPod; Cathy Prastides for the wonderful teaser poster; Michael McCall for hosting and not embarrassing me in front of all and sundry!; volunteers Tahlia and Becky for helping on the night; and lastly and especially Annie Murtagh-Monks for coordinating all the activities behind the scenes that make this happen. Sorry you didn’t get to experience the evening but I’m sure an authentic American road trip is adequate recompense! 

Fifty-nine feedback forms! I think the last reading I had it was more like 30-something. Lots of great feedback with only one brickbat (can’t please everyone I guess). The one amusing outcome – I’m not sure if they had run out of forms but there were some in the old format… for a comedy script read. So the question “What sections did you find funny?” was a little incongruous for a thriller but as is my normal style there was enough wit scattered throughout the script to garner some positive responses. 

The reaction afterwards was fantastic. People coming up to congratulate me, many who I did not know and assume were from the general public. Including a woman who told me her shy teenage son wanted to play the teenage character that was in one scene only (hope he survives the rewrite!). Plus extraordinarily kind words from colleagues mixed in with a blunt assessment from another. But that is what the evening is all about – finding out what is working and what needs work.

It’s fair to say I was on quite the high at the end of the night. Even as the stragglers (yes, I was one of them) were told off for being a tad too boisterous whilst the second half of Hamlet was being performed in the main theatre. T’was a fair double bill and all in all an excellent night J 

Director Tim Dean with Actress Gemma Sharpe

Since then the director and I have analysed the feedback forms, identified trends and areas to work on and have something like ten pages of our own notes for the next draft. Some exciting discoveries and planned changes including flipping a few elements on their ear which I love doing as a screenwriter. Instead of trying to make something work that simply isn’t gelling, you attack the problem from a completely fresh angle. The objective insight of a 100+ pair of eyeballs (yes, Vito, eyeballs!) is a powerful catalyst. 

Soon it will be time to knuckle down again and translate all the feedback and discussions into words on the page but for one evening at least it was all about celebrating the process in the public eye.  

Lastly, thank you to all those people who did attend. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out a feedback form and/or talk to me afterwards or text me or email me.

 

I really do appreciate it.

Please Fasten Your Seatbelts – Turbulence Ahead

The Preamble 

I’ve posted about PAC Script Lab before, a wonderful initiative run by Annie Murtagh-Monks and supported by ScreenWest with many other sponsors involved. 

Held at the Subiaco Arts Centre every couple of months, the reading of local feature screenplays provides a unique opportunity to road test a script in development.

This Wednesday evening my thriller script, with director Tim Dean, is being read.  

 

Turbulence:

 

An unprincipled lobbyist flies into Perth to close a multi-billion dollar deal. After a mix-up with a woman on the plane he ends up with the wrong briefcase. When he opens it he discovers a gun and a list of names with only one not crossed out. To complicate matters, his briefcase contains a folder that implicates him in fraud and corruption relating to the business deal. The lobbyist desperately wants the folder back but in return the woman demands that he find the last person on the list… and kill them.  

 

The Inciting Incident

There I was hidden away in my dark, damp, Goldman-esque pit doing all the things screenwriters do when they’re working on a script – checking my email; writing witty updates on facebook; researching obscure facts on the internet; re-cataloguing my DVD collect-- *ahem* - punching out page after page like a machine… when, well, damn it, it was time for a shot of actual and metaphorical Vitamin D!  

Yes, screenwriters need a little love too sometimes. What better way than to… 

…showcase a brand new script… 

     …to a room full of…  

 …complete strangers… 

…and ask for their feedback. 

                                                            What have I done?! 

*Gulp* 

 

The Special World

Fast forward to early February and I‘m sitting in my customary spot - the back row of the Subiaco Arts Centre studio. Annie is making the usual introductions; I’m sipping a wine, relaxed, and waiting to hear Reg Cribb’s latest screenplay, safe in the knowledge my reading isn’t until 27 March. Plenty of time to work on the scr-- 

“… and the next Script Lab will be Richard’s Hyde’s Turbulence on the 20^th of March.” 

My wine sputters all over the entire row of patrons in front of me and I possibly flap my arms in wild-eyed bewilderment as I want to scream: 

“That’s one whole less week to procrastinate!!!”  

There’s no turning back now though – the date has been announced; the project declared. Time to -- 

Get down to work 

One of the things I like about now working fulltime is the monthly paycheck. The part I don’t like so much is getting up at 6am and working fulltime… especially when you still keep writers’ hours at night. However; there’s a draft to punch out, the fear of impending public humiliation a powerful incentive.  

Some things to consider: this is a first draft; I no longer have the luxury of time what with that whole “going to work for a living” thing; I have an immovable deadline. That last fact is my saviour.   

As are these two - the structure is pretty solid as the director and I spent a lot of time getting the beat sheet right before I wrote a scripted word; and, praise be, I have a critical voice, my director! 

The writer-director relationship 

There’s probably an argument to be made that there are far too many writer-directors in this country but that’s a debate for another time. Other than to ask this, who is the critical voice that makes them strive to make the script better?  

In my case it is the director, Tim Dean, who was involved from the inception of the project and shares a story by credit. He gives very precise notes and won’t let me get away with being lazy or cheating or going off on tangents.   

For example, there is a scene early in the first act that he kept coming back at me over. It’s an important part of the setup but, for him, wasn’t quite working. Time was at a premium so I was giving him chunks of rewritten pages as I was working through the script. I was happy enough with the scene but he kept pulling me back to it. So I reworked it… and reworked it… and now it has a greater sense of urgency and is more revealing of character.  

Eventually two drafts were written in just over a month… PLUS a reading draft but we’ll get to that later. 

Time to Cast 

Tim and I go to Annie’s home one evening to discuss the casting of the reading. I have a few names in mind and, of course, Annie is, amongst other things, a casting director.  

She really likes the script and I get free script notes including a couple of logic holes that are subsequently addressed. Then it’s down to the fun part – who do we want to bring these characters to life.  

While it’s only a reading, every attempt is made to cast it as if we were filming. Preferred options are discussed and nominated; alternates also chosen if there are issues of availability.  

In short, I am very happy with the reading cast, most of whom I know in person or by reputation and are fabulously talented. It’s also important to note that they are volunteering their time not only for the reading but a rehearsal read as well. For that I am extremely appreciative and grateful. 

 

 

Cast from

Top Row: Vivienne Garrett, Matt Elverd, Kirsty Hillhouse, Gemma Sharpe. 

Bottom Row: Ben Mortley, Vito de Francesco, Clara Helms, Lee Sheppard.  

The Reading Draft

 

In many ways Script Lab is live theatre so there is a request to keep the Big Print (scene descriptions) to a minimum. I do another pass to take out what amounts to three pages of description, mainly to allow dialogue to flow without the Narrator having to intrude. This is a rhythm thing for this exercise only. Those descriptions would be important for filming but here might slow down the read. It makes the script look a little funny in places to my eyes but it's a specific document for a specific purpose.

 

Tell all your friends! 

PAC Script Lab is quite the slick operation now – social media; press releases; a radio interview that you can listen to here; promo poster and tag line; the finalising of the feedback form for the audience to fill out after the reading; volunteers on the night; a sound recording of the read; even a Q&A that you can read here - all masterfully coordinated by Annie.  

Thank you also to Cathy Prastides for designing the poster which has had a very positive response. 

Now all that’s left is to sit back, sip my wine and be open to all the feedback that is about to come my way. This is an important part of the development cycle for our story and my sincere hope is that all this scrutiny will enable Tim and I to make the script even better. 

I look forward to seeing you there. You can RSVP to pac@screenworkshop.com.au if you wish to attend. If you do, make sure to come up and say hello.  

Richard Hyde  

Q&A... on writing

As part of the upcoming PAC Script Lab (more of that in a later post) I was asked some questions by co-founder of the Perth Actors Collective, the indefatigable Annie Murtagh-Monks:

Many people are intrigued as to how writers get their inspiration for stories/scripts.

What triggers your ideas?

This is perhaps the hardest question of all for a screenwriter – where do ideas come from?  For me it could be an obscure news item or a snippet of overheard conversation or simply the question all screenwriters ask, “What if…?” The hardest one to explain is when I see a scene fully formed in my head. If it keeps reappearing I try and figure out what it means and what the greater story around it is. The greatest trick is to trust that you know a good idea when it comes to you, no matter how that happens!

What was it in this story that came to you first?

There were three main aspects. Firstly, Tim and I wanted to make a straight forward, low budget genre thriller as a reaction to not getting any traction (yet) on our big, sprawling conspiracy thriller. We explored a few scenarios but the one that stuck was, “what would you do if you found a gun and a list of names in a briefcase?” The other element came from a bizarre, real life news story that felt like it was straight out of a movie script.

Are you the kind of writer who writes only when the ‘inspiration’ fires? Up till all hours burning the night oil OR do you set aside allotted time each day or week to write in?

I consider myself an ill-disciplined writer yet I manage to write a lot of pages. When I’m “in the zone” I write prolifically. When I’m not I procrastinate like crazy. How to find that magic place where time slows and creativity reigns? If only I knew.

I’m certainly not someone who has set times every day to write. I admire people who can do that. Deadlines help me enormously. I think the hardest part is beginning – once you dive into the world of your story you get immersed in it. It’s getting to the keyboard that’s the killer – the usual self-doubts most creative people have. “Will it be good enough?”

Screenwriting is difficult at the best of times. You’re juggling story, character, tone, theme, pace, structure, a myriad of different elements. That can be daunting. When you get it anywhere near “right”, however, it is exhilarating.

What do you find easiest about writing film scripts?

The collaboration. Working with smart, creative people such as directors who share your sense of storytelling style and who you trust and respect. Script meetings, brainstorming, problem solving, working with actors on improvisations or workshopping scenes. Basically bouncing ideas off people to make the script better.

What most challenging?

After all the meetings and discussions, the reality is that screenwriting is very much an anti-social activity. You have to lock yourself away and write, for hours, for days, for months, in some cases for years. That can be really difficult and maybe is another reason beginning each day is so scary. You have to cut yourself off from the real world to some measure and lose yourself in your imagination and the world you have created. That’s why rainy, stormy days are my favourite writing days – less excuses to be out “doing things”!

Where do you get your ideas from?

What are your writing habits?

Quick Update

It seems I've been a little remiss with my blogging duties lately. A quick update appears to be in order.

Full-time employment has been hectic. Which is good because if I'm going to have to work 8 hours a day then don't let me be bored. I also hate routine. Actually, I'm quite enjoying it but still not used to the early starts and can't for the life of me go to bed at a respectable hour on a "school night". Having money again though is fabulous - paid a $1000 off my credit card after the last (monthly) pay day. Also get to go see movies at the cinema again!

To the writing.

Working on the next draft of the thriller script which will have a public reading currently earmarked for 27 March through PAC Script Lab. Very excited about this and starting to get into a groove with the rewrite. More details to come and the hard deadline is a good incentive to balance my work and creative commitments.

The second Filmbites short I scripted finally wrapped and the edit is being done in LA by an ex-pat who has worked as an assistant editor on such films as Avatar. Very happy about this.

Two short scripts are currently with directors. A second draft of the ostensibly zombie short was delivered last weekend and the other script is awaiting notes from that director. Who, as an aside, asked if I could send an editable file so they could work on it. The short, sharp reply: "you director, me writer." Nice try but I don't think so!  

Other than that I haven't been writing many paid scenes or doing script notes as I simply don't have the time and don't need the money anymore. However, I wrote a nice little scene for the lead actress from the CIT short for her show reel which looks like it could be shot through one of the film institutions. Also had a request to do a polish of one of the scenes I wrote for another actor as a paid gig so those things occasionally come up.

I'm enjoying the sporadic conversations with the couple of young writers I have a de facto mentor role with. Even though work has cramped my meeting style! Finally, I am keen to see the progress of the short films I've had some minor involvement with last year as either script editor or by giving notes. There might be a raft of these being completed soon and can't wait to see how they turn out.

Working again means I have to narrow my focus and that may not be a bad thing at all. Excited about the feature and encouraged by the director interest in the couple of shorts which will get prepped for funding rounds.

What's everyone else been up to?

**Addendum: I wrote a guest blog for actor Molly Kerr about actors working with writers which you can read here.

Support Western Australian Film Projects!

The day has finally arrived. Local funding agency ScreenWest's audacious 3 to 1 initiative kicked off today on crowdfunding site Pozible. In simple terms, ScreenWest will tip in $3 for every $1 pledged for projects that achieve their target.

By my count there are 29 original West Australian projects all vying for your love and donations. With a nice introductory blurb from Hugh Jackman no less.

Hugh Jackman talks about ScreenWest's 3to 1 Crowdfunding initative with Pozible from ScreenWest on Vimeo.

You can find background about the initiative here. It will prove a most interesting experiment and ScreenWest should be commended for taking such an entrepreneurial approach to assisting local filmmaking talent.

As I will no doubt know many of the people involved in a lot of these projects I have said I will choose only FIVE to support. Otherwise it might get a tad expensive. I am going to be as objective as possible and pick the five based on the ones I would most like to see made. I suspect this will be a difficult task.

But that's the point - support projects that resonate with YOU. Show that there is an audience out there for original content that will hopefully continue in one form or another long after this initiative is over.

Please go to the 3 to 1 page on Pozible, check out the project details/pitch videos, then help out those creative teams whose concepts you are excited about with a donation. It really will make a difference.

Be an important part of making a visual story come to life!

When Words Become A Film - Screening Night!

I had the great pleasure of going to the graduation night screenings for the Central Institute of Technology on Thursday. Amongst the five films was For Better Or Worse, the one I wrote (based on previous drafts by Nathan Abrahams and Jacob Kemp). So I was excited and nervous as I had not seen anything up to this point.

The night was held at the Cinema Paradiso and there were "VIP" drinks upstairs beforehand with the soon to be no longer students, staff from CIT, actors and, yes, they even invited the writer!

I was greeted with the poster which looked quite slick and eager members of the creative team and crew who were far more nervous and amped than I was. It was interesting as many of them stated that they really wanted me to like the film.

I must have been pretty relaxed as normally the paranoid, angst driven writer within would have screamed, "what the hell have you done to my script?!!!" Just kidding... I wouldn't have screamed. Instead, I took this as a great compliment and headed for the bar to cash in my free drink token.

These nights are wonderful as everyone is keen to show off the fruits of their hard labour and talent over the previous year. There are also the proud parents and, from what I recall, quite a lot of kids running around. So it's a really different type of atmosphere. I should also mention this. There were far too many tall people in the room including our divine leading lady Clara Helms and sundry other actors. Special mention then to Emilia - we shared the crick inducing neck pain with good humour and fortitude!

Okay, enough of the preamble, onto the heart of the matter, the screening!

Each producer and director introduced their film and I would like to thank Cathryn Langman and Jacob Kemp for their gracious and kind words in regard to my involvement and the script.

Then came the film itself. Now this is where it gets really interesting. I know the film that's in my head. I was now seeing another film. Let me make it clear, the following is for the purposes of exploring that difference only. The short film was a collaborative effort of which I was only a small part. I have no idea of any of the issues in post-production other than someone said there was a 17 minute rough cut and it appears all the graduating films could be no longer than 12 minutes (it is a 12 page script).

People were asking me afterwards if I liked the film, and I did, but I was still processing what those two versions were - what I'd just seen and what was in my head. I was probably the least qualified person in the room to ask that question at that point. The people I spoke to seemed to all like it and understood the story which is my primary concern.

Here's the thing, I know what was missing. I haven't looked at the script but there were at least three scenes that never made the cut; the ending was played out differently to what was written (largely, as I understand it, to logistical issues on that shooting day) and there were other choices that weren't what I expected. Now, that could be entirely my doing if I wasn't clear enough on the page. But from the feedback it still worked and I'm not in a position to second guess the decision making process in the edit. Five minutes is a lot to lose!

There's only one scene I lament being lost. That was an early set-up scene between Vincent (Justin Burford) and Joelene (Clara Helms) which would have given the world and relationships more context. However, people clapped, the advanced diploma students were rightfully proud and I saw my words come to life off the page. My head even didn't explode when different dialogue had been looped in at certain parts! That's a pretty good result I reckon - proud filmmakers that is, not the exploding head bit.

The other four films were great; speeches were made; graduation - I think they were engraved tablets of some kind - were handed out. More applause and a collective sigh of relief and excitement as the now fully fledged filmmaking class disappeared to eat cake and party into the night.

Of our cast I think I am right in saying only Clara was able to attend but it was fabulous to talk to her parents who were lovely and so supportive of their talented daughter. As was watching the reaction of other parents in the audience during the ceremonies. Those things really are important - the support of family and friends but also being able to share your creative passion so they get to see what all the hard work (and tears) amounts to. It was left then to chat with colleagues and make plans for the next project!

A really good night and thank you and congratulations to all the people who worked on For Better Or Worse; the Central Institute of Technology; and special mention to David Revill who brought me on board, albeit late in the piece, but we got there in the end!

State of Play and Ongoing Misadventures

On Monday I return to the corporate world full-time. Unavoidable. Desperately needed. In the nick of time. As of yesterday* I had something like $24 credit left on my credit card and $74 in my bank account. If my life was a movie I’d be debating whether to cut the blue wire… no, the green wire… NO, the RED wire… with three seconds left before the big explosion. As long as the bomb doesn’t go off, right?

Deep breath.

Snip.

Blessed calm.

Some facts: I last worked full-time in an office job back in July 1998 in Sydney. Last time I worked part-time in an office job – 27 August 2010.

808 days later I am returning to a world (telecommunications) that I am really comfortable with but thought I had put behind me. But harsh economic realities cannot be ignored and here’s another scary figure: after taking out rent and my private health insurance, Centrelink payments left me approximately $10 a fortnight to live on. Simply impossible. So the last couple of months have been pretty hard. I posted about that here which, for those of you who know me well, is totally out of character. The one big irony – I will be working out of the very same building from back in 2010!

Yesterday felt a little like “Back to School” as I took the battered remains of my credit card and bought work clothes and the like. I joked to a friend that I should laminate some old high school text books to continue the analogy. I am actually excited about this next phase of my misadventures even though I know it is a massive change to my formerly carefree writer lifestyle.

In that context, a big shout out to my writing home over many years – the Millpoint Caffe Bookshop to use its formal name or simply the bookshop café as it is known by all who know it. Adam and his staff have been very good to me as the usual level of banter can attest to. Thank you to those staff past and present who have provided the coffees, the laughs, and the level of comfort to let me do my thing. I will miss my lazy week days wandering along the foreshore and finding a spot in the courtyard.

But that isn’t to say I’ll be deserting writing, far from it.

My latest feature script, a low budget thriller formerly known as “Untitled Briefcase Thriller” and now “The Script Formerly Known As Turbulence”, did not get chosen for a couple of funding initiatives but it is a first draft and, while a good start, needs work. To that end I have had excellent notes from the ScreenWest Development Manager and my director which will allow me to focus on the rewrite, my primary writing focus moving forward. The briefcase reference comes from the setup – our guy opens a briefcase in which is a gun and a hit list with only one name not crossed out… what do you do?

There are three short films that should see the light of day shortly – “Coffee To Go” and “Darkness” with Filmbites and “For Better Or Worse” for the Central Institute of Technology. I have the usual mix of excitement and apprehension re the finished product but very much looking forward to see how they turned out.

I have recently attached directors to two other short film scripts, “Lucky Bamboo” and my out-of-character zombie effort “UZS-2017”. Waiting on notes before doing new drafts in preparation for next year’s funding rounds.

Then there are the longer shots. Two feature projects waiting on private investors. One a big conspiracy thriller called “The Pilbara Imperative”; the other an action-adventure for an international client tailor made around a specific product they want to promote. Sounds unusual but I was really pleased with how the one pager turned out and the Sydney based director and venture capitalist really like it and the client has made positive noises so far… but these things always take time.

Other than that, I discussed my slate of feature projects with ScreenWest but, as always for a writer, it will be a matter of time and prioritising what to work on. This means I’m less likely to take on even paid reading assignments or writing monologues/scenes for actors… though that can still be by negotiation once I’ve settled into my new routine.

So things are about to change dramatically. But isn’t that what we crave as screenwriters – drama? Maybe it was the green wire…

Yep, I'd call that decadent!

*Addendum: I wrote the above Friday afternoon while sitting in the café courtyard and spoiling myself with lunch, a decadent dessert and farewell banter with the staff. That evening I went to industry drinks in town which seemed fitting, surrounded by peers and agency staff. It was a room full of screenwriting and filmmaking talent. It was good to discuss projects, catch up with people, and generally schmooze. Word of my impending return to the corporate world was common knowledge (thanks to social media) so congratulations and commiserations were the order of the day. I enjoyed it a lot and served as a nice transition point from one phase to the next…